US971170A - Telegraphy. - Google Patents

Description

G.G.BURKE.

TBLEGRAPHY.

APPLIOATION FILED AUG.14, 190B.

Patented Sept. 27, 1910.

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TELEGRAPHY.

APPLIOATION FILED AUG.14, 1908.

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BN TTED BTATLBLSE QBNT OBBTQEO CHARLES G. BURKE, OF NEW YORK, N. Y., ASSIGNOR OF ONE-HALF TO JOHN Q. A. WHITTEIVIORE, OF NEWTON, MASSACHUSETTS.

TELE GBAPHY.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Application filed August 14, 1908.

Patented Sept. 27, 1910.

Serial No. 448,527.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, CHARLES G. BURKE, a citizen of the United States, and a resident of the city and State of New York, have invented new and useful Improvements in Telegraphy, of which the following is a specification.

My improvement relates more particularly to that branch of telegraphy which concerns the transmission of intelligence wherein the subject matter to be communicated is conveyed through the medium of what is technically known as code words.

The object of my invention is to provide a form of artificial code words euphonic and easily pronounced and which may be telegraphed at a higher speed and with a greater accuracy and may be received and recorded in a more convenient shape for ascertaining the meanings associated with them than any other form of code words. I-Ieretofore and until recently the words which were permitted by the telegraph companies and the authorities controlling their use in code messages, had to be selected from dictionaries of certain languages and were restricted as to the number of letters which counted as a single pay word. Owing to the very large number of words required to make up code books and it being necessary to have the words differ from each other sufficiently to prevent errors the words average between nine and ten letters each and require from 28 to 30 elemental telegraphic units to form the symbols represented to indicate the individual letters forming such words. Because of the constantly increasing demands of business and of the difficulty of finding a sufficient number of appropriate words in the dictionaries conforming to the rules governing their use, permission was granted to use euphonic easily pronounced artificial words in code books. N0 method however has heretofore been devised by which a sufiicient number of these permissible words can be supplied or secured. By my new method and improvement, a practically unlimited number of euphonic easily pronounced artificial words may be produced without exceeding the limit in the number of letters allowable for each word counted as one pay word. At the present time the Words used in code books have no fixed or recognized inherent meaning nor do they derive any special signification from either the letters forming such words, or from the telegraphic elemental units consti tuting the symbols which telegraphically represent and indicate such letters. The sole meanings of such words is that which has been arbitrarily associated with them in the code books in which they are alphabetically arranged. They do not of themselves act as an index to the meaning or meanings associated with them. The alphabetical sequence of the letters forming the words at present used in code books, is the only means by which such words are found in the book and the meanings attached to them.

By my improvement and the method I observe in forming my artificial. words, I am able to give each word a fixed numerical signification which will indicate the exact position of the word in a code book both as to the page and the particular line of such page where such word and all meaning or message associated therewith will be found. Such words are thereby in themselves made a positive unmistakable index to their meanings and a most convenient form of reference.

All the advantages attached to present form of code words in the matter of representing by a single word an amount of intelligence or signification that otherwise would require many words to express fully, are preserved in my artificial words. In addition the fixed numerical signification which characterizes my improved words and the method by which it is secured render all such words absolutely exempt from the errors which are due to imperfect spacing between the elemental units constituting the symbols of individual letters and from insulficient spacing between whole letter symbols. It is well known in the art that most of the mistakes which occur in telegraphy are due to bad spacing. The exemption from the effects of bad spacing renders my artificial words of much advantage in code work where an error of even a single letter of a word may cause serious misconstruction. In addition to this great and unique advantage of immunity from error due to incorrect spacing, my improved artificial words because of the special method of their formation can be transmitted by much fewer elemental units than the words now ficial words.

' number of elemental units per word.

generally used in code books. A higher speed is therefore obtainable which means an increased capacity of the cables and lines for business and a consequent proportional increase in their earning capacity.

Referring now to the drawings which form a part hereof Figure 1 illustrates the symbols representing and indicating the letters of the alphabet arranged in accordance with the requirements and provisions of what is known as the Morse continental code. Fig. 2 shows the numerals which I employ together with the elemental units by which such numerals are represented and indicated under my new method. Fig. 3 shows one of my improved artificial words devised and arranged to permanently indicate and signify a page and a. line number of a code book together with the elemental units which represent the individual figures by which the page and line numbers are represented. Fig. represents the elemental units which represent the figures shown in Fig. 3 arranged according to the requirement of the continental code to represent and be the equivalent of the letters forming the word shown in Fig. 2. Fig. 5 shows the elemental units forming the symbols of the letters constituting the word shown in Fig. 3 when such symbols are telegraphed, all spacing between the individual elemental units and symbols being left out. Fig. 6 illustrates a transmitting strip perforated to transmit in the usual automatic way the word smatina when such word is transmitted by alternations of battery polarity and the signals recorded by a siphon recorder such as is in general use on long submarine cables. Fig. '7 illustrates a strip perforated to transmit the same word, the spacing between elemental units and between complete letter symbols being omitted, the difference in the length of the spaced and unspaced strips indicating the proportional difference in time which would attend the transmission of a given number of the same words when spaced and unspaced. Fig. 8 illustrates a page of a code book having its lines numbered together with the letters which represent such numbered lines and form one part of my arti- Figs. 9, 10, and 11 illustrate sections of pages from three parts of the book.

In constructing my artificial words I pay especial regard to having as few units embraced in such words as possible, and as all my words are formed out of the dots and dashes which are selected to symbolize the numerals by which the pages and the lines of the pages of the book in which such words are to be arranged are numbered I preferably employ in numbering the pages and lines of such book the numerals which in practice are found to secure a minimum heretofore stated and shown in Fig. 1 there are four combinations in the Morse continental code consisting of two elemental units each and I find that permutations of four difiering numerals give a most convenient and an abundant number of numerical combinations which can be indicated telegraphically by a minimum number of elemental units. I therefore preferably select the nu merals 1, 2, 3 and 4; as the basis for numbering pages and the lines of pages. For the purpose of equivalent representations I arrange that 1 will signify and be signified by two dashes; 2 by a dot and a dash, 3 by two dots and l by a dash and a dot. It is obvious that these fixed equivalents must always be interconvortiblc and be equivalents in telegraphic representation and signification.

Referring to Fig. 1 it will be seen that in the continental code two letters of the alphabet viz. E and T are represented respectively by a single elemental unit; that four letters are represented by two elemental differently combined units, viz. A, I, M, N; that eight letters are represented by three units each viz. D G K O R S U IV and the remaining twelve letters viz. B C H J L P Q V X Z require four units each.

It is obvious that the letters which are represented by the fewest number of elemental units are those which take the shortest time in telegraphic transmission. Inasmuch as my improved artificial words are derived from the elemental units arranged, combined and deciphe-red in accordance with the Morse continental code all reference to the signals representing the letters by which my improved words are formed are to be construed and understood in accordance with said code.

I will now describe the method by which I produce artificial words having a fixed permanent numerical signification which fixed signification is an index to a position of such words in a book and additional to the meanings arbitrarily associated with and represented by such words in said book.

Referring to Fig. 1 it will be seen that the letters of the alphabet are all represented by symbols which are formed by the two elemental units which are employed in telegraphy one technically designated as a dot and the other as a dash, all the letters eX- cepting E and T requiring two or more of such dots and dashes for their telegraphic representation. It will therefore be understood that since in forming my artificial words .I employ or may employ the twenty six letters of the alphabet the aggregate of all the units embraced in any one word may differ in number from the aggregate elements in any other word although the letters in both words agree in their number. It will also be understood that if the letters of a word are telegraphically represented by symbols made up from combinations of dots and dashes, each combination having the same number of such dots and dashes similarily or dissimilarily combined the total number of such dots and dashes Will be evenly divisible by the number of dots and dashes in any one combination. It will also be understood that these combinations of dots and dashes uniform in number may be used as symbols to arbitrarily indicate numerals or figures and to represent telegraphically combinations or permutations of such numerals or figures and that when so used they become the representative equivalents of all such numerals and their permutations and with all their full intent and meaning. It will also be understood that all such numerical permutations so telegraphically represented by these elemental unit combinations are resolvable into the original individual elemental units representing them and that the aggregate of the elemental units of the symbols representing the individual digits of any one of these numerical combinations must agree in number with the number of digits in the combination when multiplied by the number of units arbitrarily selected to represent individual numerals and be evenly divisible by the number of units representing any one figure or numeral. From this it will be seen that in any aggregation of elemental units if divided into parts each part may be used to symbolize and telegraphically indicate a figure or numeral as arbitrary prearranged and telegraphically be the equivalent of the numeral represented. Referring again to Fig. 1 it will be seen that all symbols depend for their signification upon arbitrary arrangements of dots and dashes and that each symbol consisting of a multiple of units can by a separation of its parts be converted into two or more differing letter symbols. It is therefore obvious that any aggregation of dots and dashes may be divided up into letter symbols, and that the letters represented by these symbols can be arranged to form words. Of the permutations of these numerals 1, 2, 3 and 4 there are 4 of one digit each, 16 of two, 64 of three, 256 of four, 1024 of five, 4096 of six, 16384 of seven, 65536 of eight, 262144 of nine, in all 349524, a number quite suiiicient for any possible code requirement.

I preferably number pages consecutively as far as consecutiveness is possible; I also preferably number the lines in like consecutiveness. There being 64 permutations each consisting of three figures for convenience I arrange that each page shall have 64 lines and that the corresponding lines on all pages shall be numbered and designated alike. Since it is desirable that no word should number the first page III. As the line numbers are the basis of the second part of every word on a page I preferably number the first line of each page III. As whole words on each page embrace in their elemental units the symbols indicating page and line number combined and as each line number is represented by two numerals, it is obvious that the six last units of the aggregate units of any whole word, will constitute and indicate the line number while all the other units will represent and be the equivalent of the number of the page.

For a special purpose more fully explained farther on, I arrange that each of my improved artificial words shall comprise two parts thus making them compound words, the first part of each of such words signifying by the numerical value of the elemental units which constitute the symbols of letters forming such first part a page number and the second part by its letters in like manner indicating the number of a line on a page both parts constituting a Whole word representing the separate significations of both parts and all the meaning or meanings associated therewith. The lines of the pages being as heretofore stated 64 in number and similar lines on all the pages being designated by corresponding numerals it is obvious that second parts of all the words in the book must consist of some of the combinations of the 64 line indicating letter combinations shown in Fig. 8. If it is determined to form a book say of 100000 artificial words with 64 Words on a page; dividing 100000 by 64 we find such a book must have 1563 pages. Since there must be a second part of every word in this book of 100000 words, it will be seen that instead of having to provide 100000 separate words as would be the case in a book of that number of ordinary code words, we have, because of my improved method, only to provide 1563 first parts to represent pages and 64 second parts representing lines. These two aggregations of parts when combined and arranged in the manner described furnish 100032 separate and distinct artificial words differing from each other to an unmistakable extent both in the fixed numerical meaning of their respective telegraphic elemental units, in the individual function of their component parts in the let ters forming the words by their sequence or otherwise and in the meanings arbitrarily associated with them in their book relation. In a book of 100000 of my artificial code words the average number of elemental units per word would be 15.70. In a book of 100000 ordinary code words the average number of elemental units per word would not be less than 29 or nearly twice as many. The purpose of forming these artificial words representing by their first parts the consist of less than five letters I preferably l pages of abook and by their second parts the lines of a page and having corresponding lines of all the pages indicated by like parts will now be understood.

As an illustration of how my improved method of forming artificial words is put in practice let us say that a word is needed to represent, indicate and be the equivalent of a meaning or meanings associated with line 342 on page 324:1 of a book arranged as herein described. Referring to Fig. 8 which illustrates all the line indicating parts of these artificial words we find that the letters i n a by their elemental units represent 3, 1, 2, two dots indicating 8, a dash and dot representing 1 and a dot and a dash signifying 2 heretofore explained and represented in Fig. 3. e must now set down the elemental units which will represent the page number 324:1. Referring to Fig. 2 it will be seen the numeral 3 is represented by two dots, numeral 2, by a dot and a dash, numeral 1, by a dash and a dot and numeral 1, by two dashes. From this aggregation of elemental units we can form the symbols of the letters s in a t which become the first part of our desired word. Combining the letters s m a t with the letters of the second part in a we have the euphonic easily pronounced artificial word smatina numerically signifying 325342 the three last digits of the combination as heretofore explained indicating line 342 and the others page 3211 the whole word meaning both page and line number together with any and all other meaning or meanings arbitrarily associated therewith. In construing the elemental units forming the symbols of the letters comprised in the word smatina, it will be apparent from what has been already stated some other word may be constructed from them and still preserve the fixed numerical value as well as all other meanings, for instance eittaxit or the word iwemera may be formed. It will be seen that these three words smatina, eittaxit, iwemera having been formed from the same aggregation of elemental units which numerically indicate senses as before explained, either of such words will equally well indicate a page numbered 8241 and line 342 on such page and all meanings associated therewith. It is therefore plain that should an operator while transmitting the word smatina so change the combination of the elemental units, disarrange the symbols of the letters of the relations of the letters to each other by such bad spacing as to make them form either the word eittaxit or iwemera either of these words would still convey the signification of the original word such signification depending entirely upon the units forming the letters reduced to their numerical value.

It will readily be understood from what has been stated that permutations of the numerals 1 and 2 could be substituted for those which 1 preferably use and with equally good results as to minimizing the average number of units per word, but because of the increased number of digits that would be required in the permutations it would render the book less convenient in form.

The invention may be modified by those skilled in the art withoutdeparting from the spirit thereof.

hat I claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent is as follows 1. For telegraphic use a book whose pages and the lines of whose pages are enumerated by permutations of the numerals 1, 2, 3, aeach of .aid lines having a word, the letters forming such words being so arranged that the units of the symbols indicating such letters when taken in twos will signify the symbols selected to represent the figures y which said pages and lines are enumerated.

2. For telegraphic purposes a book consisting of words composed of letters agreeing or differing in the number of electric units constituting their individual telegraphic symbols, but the aggregate of whose units are divisible and convertible into number symbols all of which have a like number of units.

3. An improved book having artificial words for telegraphic purposes, consisting of letters derived from the aggregated units of the Continental telegraph code arranged to represent the figures of a numerical combination, each figure being represented by a uniform number of such units, the sequence, character and number of the units forming the letters of such word agreeing with the sequence, character and number of the units representing the figures of such numerical combination.

41. For telegraphic purposes a book, the pages and lines of whose pages are numbered, artificial words arranged in such pages and on such lines, such artificial words being formed from letters whose telegraphic symbols are in accordance with a telegraphic code, the elemental units forming such symbols being derived from symbols previously and arbitrarily arranged to represent and signify numerals, the said word, in addition to any meaning or meanings associated with them in such book, also indicating and meaning by the numerical signification attaching to them from the numerals originally represented by the elemental units forming the symbols of their letters, the position of such words in such book.

5. For telegraphic purposes a book having lines, artificial words to which desired meanings may be attached located in the said lines, such words being formed of the letters of the alphabet whose telegraphic symbols are derived from and formed out of sequential permutations of elemental units by taking the said elemental units any number at a time and in accordance with the Morse-Continental code, the said permutations being formed by permutating the elemental units previously and arbitrarily selected to represent numerals, the said lines being designated by the said numerals.

6. F or telegraphic purposes a book having lines, artificial words located in the said lines, to which desired meanings may be attached, such words being formed of the letters of the alphabet whose telegraphic symbols are derived from and formed out of sequential permutations of elemental units by taking the said elemental units any nu1nber at a time and in accordance with the Morse-Continental code, the said permutations being formed by permutating the elemental units previously and arbitrarily selected to represent numerals when taken two at a time, the said numerals being used to designate the said lines.

In testimony whereof, I have signed my name to this specification, in the presence of two subscribing witnesses.

CHARLES G. BURKE. lVitnesses EDWARD J. BURKE, F. F. CRAMPTON.

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