US1256024A - Pneumatic-carrier-declerating apparatus. - Google Patents

Description

A. KOENIG.

FNEUMATIC CARRIER DECELERATING APPARATUSr APPLICATION FILED JAH. 6. |911 Patented Feb I2, 19H3.

rirrrrnn strane narrar ernten.

AUGUST KOENIG, 0F LOWELL, MASSACHUSETTS, ASSIGNOB. TO THE LAMSON COMPANY, OFBOSTQN, MASSACHUSETTS, A CORPORATION OF NEW JERSEY.

` PNEUMATIC-CARRIER-.DECELERATING APPARATUS.

ll,-256,024l.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Feb. il?, MMS..

Application Vfiled. January 6, 1917. Serial No. 140,930.

ATo zZZVwL'om t may Concern.'

LLowell, in the county of Middlesex and `State of Massachusetts,liave invented' certain new and useful Improvements in'IJneumatic Carrier Decelerating Apparatus, of which the following is a specification.

lS-'Ihis invention relates to pneumatic despatch tube apparatus of the pressure type and more especially to an improved means for effecting thedeceleration of Huid presi sure propelled carriers, preferably just prior .tothe delivery of the same. It is usually vextremely desirable to effect aquiet4 and substantially momentumless Vdischarge of carriers at the station for which they are intended and, especially in despatch systems in which the carrier `is propelled by conipressed air, it has been found difiicult to deprive carriers, being delivered, of their momentum, relieving .them of the pressure of the air therebehind and depositing them substantially `without shocker noise in or upon a suitable repository, and this without interi ference with certainty of operation.

Indeed, to assure a positive Ydelivery of each carrier, regardless of the varying pressure conditions in the system, itl has been common toisacriiice quietness to a certain extent; the carriersbemg permitted .to

`emerge from, the 4deliveryterminal .with f some r force.

One of the principalobjects of the present invention, therefore, is` to eiect the desired certainty of delivery of carriers while 'sub- Vstantially eliminating noise and `jar at their discharge, wear and tear on the apparatus,

and like accompanying objectionable `incidents,hitherto uiidesirably common.

I have also aimed to accomplish the desired results in :the simplest possible manner, and preferably without the provision of any moving parts, other than the carrier per se.

. .These and otherobjects of the invention will be hereinafter referred to and the novel combinations of means and elements whereby said objects may beattained, will be more particularly pointed out in .the appended Y claims.

In the accompanying drawing which forms a part hereof and in which like ref- `the `spirit of the invention, I desire to `be limited only by the scope of the claims.

Referring to the drawing:

Figure l is a side elevation of an improved carrier delivery apparatus.

Y Fig. 2 is a detail side elevation of an air outlet bend which constitutes a part. of said apparatus; and

Fig. 3 is a detail section taken online III-III of Fig. 2.

As the invention more particularly concerns kpressure pneumatic despatch tube apparatus, the sections of transit tubingl, shown in Figs. l and 2, have the carrier propelling current of air traveling therethrough inthe direction of the arrows; and the carrier 2 will emerge from said tube l into what I terni an air outlet bend,`3. As

A best shown in Fig. 2, this bend may be one of about 90, and the interior diameter of the carrier conducting conduit provided therein is caused to increase gradually from the entrance end of the bend around to substantially midway ofthe length thereof, and

Vthereafter to gradually decrease until the the latter.

The carrier upon its emergencefrom said bend preferably enters a short downwardly directed tube section 1, which in turn delivers to a chute 5. This latter again preferably has a very short radius of curvature, as compared to that of chutes or shelves coininonly .used in similar positionsin pneumatic despatch tube apparatus; and this chute. furthermore does not normally serve to retain carriers in place therein, but acts to direct said carriers toward a trough-like repository 6, which may conveniently be made a part of the desk 7 at which the operator or clerk is stationed.

yThe carrier delivering end 5 of this chute is also preferably `up-turned so that the chute as a whole provides means for rotating the carrier about its center of gravity, during its transit through the chute, through somewhat more than 90.

I particularly desire to callV attention to the abruptness of curvature of both the outlet bend 3 and this delivery chute;` and the reasons for this will be hereinafter pointed out.

The bend 3 is preferably made in two parts, which may be connected together by bolts 8, as shown in Figs. Qand 3; and the principal peculiarity of this bend resides Y in the fact that openings 9 are provided 'path of the air current entering the bend from the tubel; while further the' rib 3 which servesv to guide Vthe carriers during their passage past the openings 9, is so formed that the carrier engaging surface 10 thereof is reduced, as shown in Fig. 3, to a minimum, it being best made just suiiiciently wide to avoid the presentation of a sharp edge which would tend to cut into the felt, leather or rubber heads of the carrier. v

In order to give the blade-like rib proper thickness, in spite of this provision of a very narrow carrier-guiding surface 10, saidrib may be tapered or flared outwardly, as indicated in Fig. 3, but it is preferable that such flaring or thickening of said rib toward its outer edge be not excessive. The reason for this construction is that, as aresult of experimentation, I have found that if any material width of surface (corresponding to that designated 10, but mate- Y rially wider) be presented to the air current which propels the carriers, such surface will t act to deflect quite a considerable part of said air current downwardly toward the tube 4 and thereby prevent the carrier fromV being entirely relieved from the propulsive effort of the air therebehind.` In order to get the best results, in so far as a quiet de livery of carriers is concerned, it is essential that this pressure of air behind the carrier be as completely removed as possible, prior to the entrance of the carrier into the tube 4, or any equivalent downwardly directed delivery element.

By thus reducing the carrier guiding sur? Y face 10, to a minimum compatible with thel avoidance of undue wear and tear upon the carriers passing along and guided by such surface, I substantially eliminate all tendency for the air current to follow the carrier and cause said air current to pass out freely through the openings 9, as indicated by the arrows directed outwardly from said openings in Fig. l.

The operation of the deviceas a whole is as follows: Carriers propelled by compressed air therebehind, pass out of the transit tube 1 into the turn 3, and are thrust against the narrow surface 10by their mo mentum, coupled with the air pressure therebehind, until the openings 9 have been eX- posed to the air current by the travel ofthe carrier around said bend, and by reason of lthe sharpness of the bend and the friction consequently `engendered between the heads of the carrier and said narrow surface-of contact l0, the momentumofsaid carrier is 'Y substantially absorbed. By the time that the carrier has completely cleared the openings 9, owing to the disposition of these openings directly in the path ofthe air c ur` rent, said carrier will be practically entirely relieved from anypropulsive effort of the air, and the air current will pass with the utmostfreedom out throughl said openings. Thereafter, as the carrier-falls through the short tube'section 4, it will of courseftendrto regain some momentum by reason ofthe action o f gravity, but such regained Inomentum will be 'practically completely absorbed or neutralized durigthe passage of` the carrier Athrough the short and abruptly turned chute 5; with the resultvthatrrsaid A carrier simply falls lightly' and easily clear of the chute and into the repository 6. y

I may add that it was really surprising to observe during the courseof' experimentation uponV apparatus of. this. description, how the air current does tend to :follow around curved surfaces of any Ymaterial width lying in its path, in spite of the pro vision of openings upon either'side .of said Vsurface through which, one `would be con- Y jvinced, the air should'certainly ind suilicient opportunity to freely n expand.

Havingthus described my invention, 'what` Iclaim is:' i a ,g y Y l. In carrier deceleratmg apparatus for pneumatic despatch tube systems, the com-V bination of a transit tube through which carriers are propelled by thepressure of compressed a1r therebehind,:with anV abruptly curved air-outlet. turn casing into which said carriers pass. from said-tube, said casing comprising carrier guiding means Vfor rotating carriers in course of transitY therepast about theircenters of gravity and the parts of saidguiding means which, actually engage. and guide the carriers, being re" Yduced substantially to an edge, said guiding means being in cross-section substantially that of a blade, the turnin said casing being further directly in the path of saidy air current and the space thereinthrough which the carriers pass, being in unrestrictedy communication, about said` blade-like guiding means, with the outer air.

2. Pneumatic despatch tube apparatus comprising a tube through which carriers?- are despatched by compressed air, a carrier deceleratmg bend connected to said tubeto receive Vcarriers therefrom, said bend hav-V ing on its outer side and in the path ofthe air current emerging from said'tube, a sin#- gle narrow arcuate carrierguiding rib and Vair outletsupon both sides of the latter.

3. Pneumatic despatch e tube apparatus comprlslng a tubethrough which 4carriers are despatched by'compressed air, acarr-iez* decelerating bend connected to said tube to parts join being substantially that of said le receive carriers therefrom, said bend having rib.

on its outer side and in the path of the In testimony whereof I have affixed my air current emerging from said tube, a narsignature, in the presence of two Witnesses. row arcuate carrier-guiding rib and air Y 4 outlets upon both sides of the latter, said AUGUST KOENIG' bend being made of two curved trough- Witnesses: shaped parts and having means to fasten THOMAS H. VARNUM, said parts together, the plane in which said EARL M. GRAY.

Copies of this patent may be obtained for ve cents each, by addressing the Commissioner of Patente,

' Washington, D. C.

Images