Encrypting fax machine
John Young
jya at pipeline.com
Mon Jul 18 06:07:51 PDT 1994
Pointer: Encrypted fax patent
Publication: The New York Times, July 18,, 1994;
Business Section D;
Patents column; p. D2.
Title: A small Company offers a scanning device to make faxes
private by encoding their computer bits.
By: Sabra Chartrand
Some excerpts:
The Kryptofax Corporation . . . was set up to sell a scanning
device that uses encryption algorithms to turn fax text into
indecipherable dots on a page.
***
Then the most critical thing is to provide a password, says
Richard Varga, a former computer programmer who is the
president.
***
The encoded page emerges with the title and addressee name
appearing in plain language at the top. The rest is a grid of
random dots.
***
As the [receiving] Kryptofax machine reads the encrypted grid,
it begins simultaneously to print a decrypted version of the
page.
***
We use an encryption algorithm called seeded pseudo-random
number generator, Mr. Varga said. The company chose that
algorithm because it is in the public domain, he added.
***
The Kryptofax Corporations's patent is 5,321,749.
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