US1076969A - Pneumatic-despatch-tube apparatus. - Google Patents

Description

. E. A. PORDYCE.

PNEUMATIC DESPATCH TUBE APPARATUS.

APPLICATION FILED APR. 23, 1906. 'RENEWBD MAB..13, 1908.

1 76,969, Patented Oct. 28, 1913.

2 SHEETS-SHEET 1.

. :"f a Q 4 x l B. A. PORDYGB.

PNEUMATIC DESPATGH TUBE APPARATUS.

APPLIQATION FILED APILZB, 1906. EENEWED MAR. 13, 1908.

m Q r m A I 6 A. A m m 1 WVQ.

coLUMInA PLANOGRAPH CO.,WASHINUTON. D. c.

ara

EDMOND A. FORZDYCE, 0F BOSTQN, MASSACHUSETT3, ASSIG-NOR TO THE LAMSON COMPANY, OF NEWARK, NEW JERSEY, A CORPORATION OF NEW JERSEY.

PNEUMATIC-DESPATGILTUBE APPAKATUEL To all whom it may concern Be it known that I, EDMOND A. FoRDYcn, of Boston, in the county of Suffolk and State of Massachusetts, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Pneuinatic-Despatch-Tube Apparatus of which the following is a specification.

My invention relates to improvements in power control for pneumatic despatch tube apparatus and its object is to maintain a vacuum in the transit tubes only during the period of transmission of a carrier through said tubes; also to insure the positive delivery of a carrier at its destination in extremely long lines without increasing the size of the piston and cylinder controlling mechanism.

In the accompanying drawings which illustrate a construction embodying my invention, Figure 1 is a side elevation of the apparatus showing the several controlling connections. Fig. 2 is a cross sectional view of the transit tube and switch showing the trip projecting into said tube in the path of the carriers. Fig. 3 is a side elevation of Fig. 2. Fig. 4 is a top view showing the inlet valve in connection with the switch. Fig. 5 is a side elevation of Fig. l. Fig. 6 is a side elevation of the suction drum and controlling mechanism in section.

Like letters of reference refer to like parts throughout the several views.

The transit tube A for the transmission of carriers has at one end a bell-mouth opening A. to receive carriers. The opposite end of said transit tube A is connected with the upward discharge terminal A having a valve A closing the despatch opening and of the usual construction in the art. Connected with said terminal A is a transit tube B for returning carriers; this tube 13 is provided at its upper end with a carrierinlet opening closed by the pivoted valve 3 of usual construction. The lower or discharge end of said transit tube B is closed by the ordinary type of valve B Connected with the lower end of said tube by the joint B is a suction tube C the lower end of which connects with the upper chamber D of the casing D (see Fig. 6). The lower chamber D of said casing D is in eomn1unication by means of the pipe E with the suction drum E. The valve F, connected with the piston G by the stem G and operated by said piston, controls comniunicafi Specification of Letters Patent.

Application filed April 23, 1906, Serial No. 313,134. Renewed March 13, 1903.

Patented (Tet. 2d, 1913.

Serial No. 420,804.

tion between said chambers D and D The cylinder I-l located in the lower part of said casing D, and in which said piston G opcrates communicates with the lower chamber D by the port H and at the opposite end is a passage H normally closed to the atmosphere by the valve J. Connecting said passage H with the lower chamber D is a smaller passage H controlled and gracinated by the needle valve K and held in position by the check nut K.

Mounted upon an extension of the casing D and in position to operate the valve J is the magnet L; from the magnet L extend the wires M and M through which wires, when the circuit is closed by one of the switches along the system, the battery N will energize the magnet L and cause the operation hereinafter described.

Mounted at suitable intervals along the transit tubes A. and B are switches P (Figs. 1 and 2). The switches P consist of the casing P encircling the transit tube and carrying pivoted therein the shaft P to which shaft is attached the finger or trip P projecting into the transit tube. On the opposite end of the shaft P is mounted the fiber disk P fixed thereon by the pin P. The contacts P are mounted on the inner face of said disk P and are fastened to metal strip P by screws P These contacts P are adapted upon oscillation of the shaft P to contact with the metal spring strips P which are separated by insulating disk P and connected with wires S S". The spring P is adapted to hold the switch in open or normal position as shown in Fig. 3. A similar switch R is operated by the inlet valve B (Figs. 4L- and 5). In place of a trip the-valve door is pinned to the shaft P and the opening of the valve closes the circuit. The switch It is connected at the bell-month opening A with the main wires M M by the wires 8 S. The switch R at the inlet B is connected directly with the main wires M M.

The operation is as follows: if a carrier is to be despatched from the central station to a substation, the carrier is inserted into the bell mouth opening A (Fig. 1) the carrier striking the trip in said bell mouth open ing operates the switch R thercby'closing the circuit and energizing the magnet L. This causes the valve J to be drawn baclr opening the passage H to the atmosphere.

open so that air is drawn from the atmosphere at the bell mouth A through the chamber D, thence through the chamber D and suction tube E into the suction drum E. The carrier is drawn into the tube A V and upon passingthetrip at the s-witchR said-trip resumes its normal positionthereby breaking the circuitwith the magnet L,

releasing the valve J and closing the passage: H tothe atmosphere. The air beneath the piston G'isgradually drawnthrough the passage H and valveK into the chamber D ,the piston=G gradually dropping of its own weight until-the pressure onboth sides of the-piston 1s equallzed and the valve F closes. If the transit tube A is extremely long this closing place before the carrier has delivered, in which event the said carrierill operate the trips P of the switches Pthereby closing the circuitandenergizing the magnet L, causing the operation to be repeated untilthe carrier is discharged through the valve A at'the terminal A siredto return acarrier to a central station, the valve B is opened and the carrier inserted into the tube B. The opening'ot' the valve B closesthe circuit and energizing the mag: et L causes the operation as hereinbei 'ore described. The valve is now closed, the circuit broken, and the carrier drawn throughthe transit tube 13 discharges through the valve 13 on to the receiving shelf 13'. In themeantime, the operating of the switches P in said tube B insures the delivery of the carrier by successively retiming the mechanism which controlscommunication between the transit-tube and-the air-exhausting means.

l laving thus described the nature of my invention and set forth a construction embodyingthe same, what I claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent of the United'States is:

1. In a pneumatic despatch tube system, a transit tube for the transmission of car riers, an air-exhaust pipe communicating with the transit tube, a normally closed valve controlling the communication between the air-exhaust pipe and the transit tube, electrically actuated means for moving the valve to open the communication between the air-exhaust pipe and the transit tube, a source of electricity, anelectric circuit extendingalong-the transit tube and includingthe source of electricity and the electrically actuated means for moving the valve, a series of normally open-switches in terposed in the electric circuit, and a series of carrier-actuated mechanisms projecting of thevalve F may take If it is de-' into the path of travel of the carriers through.thetransittube.with each .of said mechanisms connected-with a switch 1n the electric circuitso that a carrier passing through the tubeasndoperating through said .lIlQC-llflIllSlIlS will successively close switches to energize at intervals the electrisaid cally actuated means to open the valve controlling the communication between the air eXliaust pipe and the transit tube.

2. In pneumatic despatch tube-systems, a transit 'tube for the transmission a of carriers, an --air-exhaust pipe communicating with the transit tube, a casinginterposedin the conmiunication between i the air exhaust pipe and the transit tube, an aperturedpartition dividing the casing into-two communicating chambers'with-one chamber communicating with the transit pipe and the other chamber communicating with the airexhaust pipe, a cylinder-provided with a port at-its upper end-communicating"with the chamber in communication with the aireXhaust-pipeand said cy'dinder'having at its lower-end port leading'to 'the outside air and said cylinder also providedwith a-passage leading from its lower end to the chamber communicating with the air-exhaustpipe, a valve normally closing the port at the lower end ofthe cylinder, a valve normally closingthe aperture in the partition between the chamber'in thecasing, apiston in the cylinder connected with the valve con trolling the aperture in the partition, an electric magnet when energized operating to open the valve controlling the port at thelower end of the cylinder to admit air to the cylinder to raise the piston to open the valve controlling the aperture in the partition to establish communication between the two chambers, an-electric circuit including the magnet extending along the transit tube, a source ot'electricity in'said circuit, a normally openswitch in said circuit, and carrier-actuated mechanism projecting into the path of-travelof tbe carriers through the transit tube so *that a passing carrier operating through said mechanism will close the switch to energize the electric magnet.

In pneumatic despatch tube systems, a transit tube for the'transmission of carriers, an air-exhaust pipe communicating with the transit tube, acasing interposed in the communication between the aire-Xhaust pipe and the transit tube, an apertured partition dividing the easing into two communicating chambers with one chamber communicating with the transit pipe and the other chamber communicating with the air-eXhaust pipe, a cylinder provided with a port at its upper end communicating with the chamber in communication with the air-exhaust pipe and said cylinder having at its lower end a port leading to the outside air and said cylinder also provided with a passage leading from its lower end to the chamber communicating with the air-exhaust pipe, a valve normally closing the port at the lower end of the cylinder, a valve normally closing the aperture in the partition between the chamber in the casing, a piston in the cylinder connected with the valve controlling the aperture in the partition, an electric magnet when energized operating to open the valve controlling the port at the lower end of the cylinder to admit air to the cylinder to raise the piston to open the valve controlling the aperture in the partition to establish com munication between the two chambers, an electric circuit including the magnet extending along the transit tube, a source of electricity in said circuit, a series of normally open switches interposed in the electric circuit, and a series of carrieractuated mechanisms projecting into the path of travel of the carriers through the transit tube with each of said mechanisms connected with a switch in the electric circuit so that a passing carrier operating through said mechanisms will successively close the switches to energize the magnet at intervals during the passage of the carrier.

4. In a pneumatic despatch tube system, the combination of a transit tube, air exhausting means connected with said transit tube for efiecting the transmission of carriers through the latter, mechanism normally operative to allow a carrier transmitting flow of air through said tube for a substantially determined interval of time and to automatically limit such flow of air to said time, after being initially actuated, and means actuated by a carrier in transit for re-timing said mechanism.

5. In a pneumatic despatch tube system, the combination ofatransit tube, air eXhausting means connected with said transit tube for effecting the transmission of carriers through the latter, mechanism normally operative to allow a carrier transmitting flow of air through said tube for a substantially determined interval of time and to automatically limit such flow of air to said time, after being initially actuated, and means actuated by a carrier in transit for re-timing' said mechanism, said system having provisions for continuously admitting a substantially equable flow of air into said tube behind said carrier while the latter is in transit.

In testimony whereof, I have signed my name to this specification in the presence of two subscribing witnesses, this thirteenth day of April, A. D. 1906.

EDMOND A. FORDYCE.

Witnesses:

H. D. WATnnnousn, H. R. DUNBAR.

Copies of this patent may be obtained for five cents each, by addressing the Commissioner of Patents.

Washington, D. G.

Images