US1290210A - Carrier-despatch system. - Google Patents

Description

C. 5. JENNINGS.

CARRIER DESPATCH SYSIENI. APPLICATION FILED MAY 9. 191 1 Patented Jun. 7, 1919. 2 shins-slain:

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CARRIER DESPATCH SYSTEM.

APPLICATION FILED MAYQ. I917.

Patented Jan. 7, 1919.

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CHESTER S. JENNINGS, OF FARMS, MASSACHUSETTS, ASSIGNOR T0 TEE LAIVISON COMPANY, 015 BOSTON, MASSACHUSETTS, A CORPORATION 011" NEW JERSEY.

CARRIEB-DESPATGH SYSTEM.

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Specificationof Letters Patent.

Application filed May 9, 1917. SerialNo. 167,426. 1

T 0 all whom it may concern Be it known that l, Guns'rnn SpJENNmos,

along a track past stations where there are usually trays or pans from certain of which papers or light parcels are despatchcd and a to certain of which said papers or parcels are delivered. a V The carriers, per .96, are termed pick-up carriers, because they are provided with co-acting jaws. one at least of which is mow, able and capable of being actuated by a, cam disposed along the line of the track, to swing said movable jaw into position to permit it to pick up the article to be derpatched as its actuating armor mechanism passes out of engagement with the cam.

The preferred type of the apparatus in question has been quite fully exemplified in my Patent No. 1.171307, dated February 8, 1916, which relates to an intercounnunieating pick-up system; and aside from the intercommunicating feature. which forms no part of the present invention, the essential operating parts of the apparatus, such as the track, cable. cams, the carrier supported elements ontrolled by these latter, etc, be, in the present case, substantially the same as in the construction disclosed in my said patent. y

While,- however, it has been found that for most purposes the carrier construction with its article clamping! jaws, such as has hitherto been used, is adapted to meet the requirements of most stores or the like, where pick-up systems are usually installed; it has sometimes been found necessary to drive the propelling cable, and thereby to.

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comparatively high speed,and this has given rise to a rather serious source of trouble.

Apparatus of this character in order toserve the purposes for which it is usually installed, frequently necessitates the provision of quite abrupt turns or bends in its track, and if a series or batch of loose papers, such as telegrams or the like, are des: patchediupon a given carr1er,--whenth1s carrier is propelled very rapidly around a sharp bend or turn in the track, centrifugal force tends to dislodge these papers, or

at least those interiorly disposed in. the" batch,-with the result that they are under such circumstances frequently hurled out from between the jaws of the carrier, possi bly to be scattered over the floor.

If now, the spring on the carrier which causes the jaws to clamp ,the article to be transported, therebetween, be materially results in throwing a greatly increased load upon the light cable, since it is the pull of,

or the tension in, the cable, which enables Patented Jan. 7, 1919..

the stationary track cams to force open the a movably mounted carrier jaws as they pass p the respective stations at which they pick up or deposittheir loads.

Another grave ob ection to this mode of overcoming the ditficulty resides in the fact a.

that the wear and tear upon the carrier, and

especially upon their commonly provided fiber run-ways, is materially increased.

It is the principal object of the present invention, therefore, to overcome this (lilticulty, and to do this in a manner which shall be free from the obiections noted.

It is also aimed to maintain the construe tionas simple as possible and to avoid complicated and expensive constructions.

These and other objects of mv invention will be hereinafter referred to and the novel combinations of means and elements whereby said objects may be attalned Wlll be p more particularly pointed out in the claims appended hereto.

In the accompanying drawings which respective views, I have exemplified a preferred construction; but as I am aware of various changes and modifications which may be made herein without departing from the spirit of the invention, I desire to be limited only by the claims.

Referring to the drawings:

Figure 1 is a side elevation of a fragment or portion of a pick-up carrier system; show ing a carrier in the act of passing around a sharp bend in its track.

Fig. 2 is an end view of the carrier; the actuating arm of which is just about to be operated by a track cam to deposit the load in the carrier.

Fig. 3 is a fragmentary plan view; "howing portions of the preferably fixed jaw of the carrier with a set of the retainingand stripping devices, hereinafter referred to, in place thereon.

Fig. 4 is a detail view of an incomplete section, taken substantially on the line IV-TV of Fig. 3; and

Fig. 5 is a similar view, taken substantially on the line VV of said Fig. 3.

The track preferably eomprises rails 1+1: suitably connected together and supported by brackets 2-2; a bracket 3 serving not only to connect the rails, but also to provide a support or hearing for a pulley at, around which passes the cable 5, at the relatively abrupt bend in the track.

The carrier body, 6. rides between the rails 1, and is of course guided thereby; the parts 6-6- of sa d body which immediately en gage the rails, being preferably of fiber or the like. in order that the carrier may travel as ouietly as possible.

The carrier is drawn along by the cable; being furnished for this purpose with an extenison 7, to which the cable 5 is'suitably connected. Upon the opposite side of the carr er is a bracket 8. upon which may be rigidly mounted the fixed jaw 9; while the movable jaw 10 of the carrier is pivotally connected to said bracket for movementabout the axis of the square-ended shaft 11: and an operating arm 12 is rigidly connected to the movable jaw 10, to the end that both of these members may be rotated counter-clockwise by a sprino; 18. into the positions which they normally occupy with respect to the fixed jaw 9, as shown in F g.2.

The free end of the arm 12 is preferably provided with a roller 14, adapted to ride up onto its track cams 15, one of which is shown. partly in section, in Fin. 2.

'Both the fixed and movable jaws are preferably formed from heavy bent wire, or light rods, and their shape is such as to adapt them to properly support envelops or elongated parcels or papers, as shown in F ig. 1. To best accomplish this. laterally extend-- ing'loops or projections 9 are" provided in.

the fixed jaw. with corresponding and coacting loops 10 in the movable jaw therebeneath.

A connecting strip 16, which provides a support for the elements now to be described, has its extremities bent around the respective sides of each of the loops 9, as best shown in Figs. 3 and 5; there being, hence. preferably two strips 16.

Each strip 16 is apertured centrally thereof for the reception of an interiorly threaded stud 17; the lower end of which may be peened over as at 17, to rigidly unite said stud to its support.

To either side of each supporting strip, there is riveted a spring-retaining piece 18, to hold in place the ends of a bowed fiat spring 19; the shape of which, in longitudinal section, is substantially that shown in F in". 4.

The upper edge of the stud 17 is slotted across, as at 20, to receive a split pin 21 or the like, which is inserted through a hole in the pin-screw 22, after the latter has been turned down into its stud the desired distance. The split pin 21, of course prevents inadvertent rotation of the screw 22 after it has once been adjusted.

The screw 22 is thus made adjustable with respect to the strip 16 and spring 19. so that the pin 23, which is swagcd into the lower end of screw 22, may have its point normally well within the bow of the spring 19, when the latter is not under compression.

In the center of the bowed spring. immediately below the pin 23, is a hole B -t through which said pin may be caused to project when the bow in the said flat spring is flattened out.

The function of the pins 23 is to penetrate or perforate the telegrams or like articles, and thereby to engage and retain preferably all of them firmly in position between the jaws 9 and 10 when the carrier upon which they are loaded passes rapidly around an abrupt curve. such as that shown in the track in Fig. 1.

In Figs. 1 and 2, the papers 25 are thus shown in position upon the carrier, and while the two small holes made in the papers by the pins 23 are so minute that their pres ence is substantially unobjectionable; nevertheless, small as they are, there i but little if any tendency for the pins 23 therein to more than thus limitedly deform them, as by enlarging or tearing the small perforations into slots or rips,on account of the fact that the portions of said papers surrounding the perforations therein are held firmly, more or less flat, between the carrier jaws and under such conditions the paper is capable of offering very considerable resistance to rupture from any stress applied in the plane thereof.

There is hence a sort of a dual co-action Ill) have deposited;

s a e between the; gripping jaws and the perforating pins, in that the jaws clampthe paper in such fashion as to enable it most successfully to resist being torn by the pins, when centrifugal force tends to hurl the papers out from between the jaws ;-and the pins c0-act with the jaws to supplement the clamping action of the latter sntiicicntly to prohibit inadvertent dislodgment of the articles. a i

The instant that thewjaws are out of their operative relationship, or inother words,in the construction given byway of exemplification,when the movable jaw 10is sprung the point-protectingor shielding springs 19 automatically strip or resiliently free the papers olf from the penetrating pins 23; thereby preventing a paper or papers from inadvertently clinging tosaid pinsiand be ing carried past the point where they should This last is of considerable importance, since if the articles were not thus dislodged from their engagement with said pins, they would quite frequently be unloaded onto the floor.

It will be observed that the jaw of the conveyer provided with the penetrating means 23 may have as many such pins as desired for the class of work to be performed, and that a stripping device 19 is associated with each pin so that each pin is independently shielded from improper contact with the thing to be carried until the jaws are closed, and is independently strippediof the article carried thereby whenever the jaws are opened.

The fact that both ends of each spring 19 are made fast, prevents papers from getting caught under the spring ends, which again might result in their failure to deposit at their destination point.

It may be added that it is believed to be wholly new in any carrier despatch apparatus to thus provide means to automatically perforate an article when the jaws or equivalent retaining means are caused to grasp or otherwise hold said article, preparatory to its transmission along a way.

Also, the provision of means to thus per forate the article or arti les at a plurality of spa ed points,-when the carrier is being loaded, instead of merely at one point, is of value; since otherwise a paper might swivel, so to speak, around the single point and thus dangle partly out beyond the path, in which the articles are intended to travel, until it encountered a trick bracket, or the like, wh ch would rip it out of the carrier.

Finally, I prefer to fasten the perforating and stripping devices directly to the fixed jaw where the pins and their resilient shields are less likely to be injured in the event, which well may happen at some time in any pel said carrier around the bend in/said track, said carrier having jaws to grip articles therebetween in combination with art]- cle-penetrating means on one member of the jawsadapted to aid the grip of the jaws,

whereby to prevent saidarticles from being hurled ontfrombetween the latter by centrlfugal force when sald (52111161115 passing around said'benol in the track, and means carried by said member of the jaws for releasing the penetrating means from the arti cles when the jaws are opened.

2. A pick-up carrier system comprising a track, a carrier, and means to propel said carrier along said track, said carrier having article-gripping jaws and article-engaging means on one member of the jaws to co-act with said jaws to prevent an article, when in transit, from being displaced with respect to. said jaws, and spring means on said jaw member adapted to free said article from said first mentioned means when said jaws are out of operative relationship.

3. A pick-up carrier system comprising a trark, a carrier, and means to propel said carrier along said trak, said carrier having thereon a pluralityof independent articlepenetrating means to prevent an article, when in transit, from being inadvertently thrown from said carrier and a plurality of automatically acting means independently coacting with each of said penetrating means to free said article therefrom severally when the article is being unloaded from said carrier.

4. A pick-up carrier system comprising a track, a carrier, and means to propel said carrier along said track, said carrier having gripping jaws, one of said jaws being provided with article-penetrating means to prevent an article, when in transit, from being inadvertently thrown from said carrier, and resilient shielding means to strip said article from said article=penetrating means when ever the gripping jaws are open adapted to shield said article-penetrating means when the jaws are open.

5. A pick-up carrier system comprising a track, a carrier, and means to propel said carrier along said track, said carrier having a jaw, fixed with respect to the body of the carrier, a cam-operated movable jaw to coact with said fixed jaw to clamp an article to be conveyed by said carrier and means carried by one of said jaws for perforating said article as it is being clamped.

6. A pickup carrier system comprising a track, a carrier,-and means to propel said carrier along said track, said carrier having a jaw, fixed with respett to the body of the carrier, a cam-operated movable jaw to coact with said fixed jaw to clamp an article to be conveyed by said carrier and means carried by one of said jaws for perforating said article at a plurality of spaced points, as said article is being clamped between said jaws.

7. A pick-up carrier system comprising a track, a carrier, and means to propel said carrier along said track, said carrier having a jaw, fixed with respect to the body of the carrier, a cam-operated jaw to co-act with said fixed jaw to clamp an article to be conveyed by said carrier, means carried by one of said jaws for perforating said article as it'is being clamped, and means to strip said article from said perforating means when said jaws are separated.

Copies of this patent may be obtained for 8. A pick-up carrier system comprising a track, a carrier, and means to propel said carrier along said track, raid carrier having a jaw, fixed with respect to the body of the carrier, a cam-operated jaw to co-act with said fixed jaw to clamp an article to be conveyed by said carrier, means carried by one of said jaws for perforating said article as it is being clamped, and means to strip said article from said perforating means when said jaws are separated, said perforating and stripping means being mounted on said fixed jaw.

In testimony whereof I have afiixed my signature, in the presence of two witnesses.

CHESTER S. JENNINGS.

Witnesses:

Euzamc'rn KEEFE', RUTH E. F ISKE.

five cents each, by addressing the Commissioner of Patents,

Washington, D. C.

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