US1519993A - Carrier-diverting device for carrier-dispatch systems - Google Patents

Description

KQBENMZE CARRIER DIVERTING DEVICE FOR CARRIER DISPATGH SYSTEMS Filed [finch 8, 15 21 2 sheets fihaet l booooooo @00OOOOO Dec. 16 1924. 1 519,993

A; KOENHG CARRIER DIVERTING DEVICE FOR CARRIER DISPATCH SYSTEMS "Fi led March a, 1921 2 Shgets-Sheat 2 units stares AUGUST KOENIG, OF LOWELL, DIASSACHUSETTS, ASSIGNOR, BY MESNE ASSIGNMENTS,

TO THE LAJVISON COM? MASSACHUSETTS,

M lt

ANY, OF BOSTON, MASSACHUSETTS, A GQRPOBATION 0F GABRIEB-DIVERTING DEVIGE FOB- CAREIEB-DISPATCH. SYSTEMS.

Application filed March 8, 1921. Serial No. 450,552.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that l, AUoUsT Konnio. a

citizen of the United States of America, and

resident of Lowell. in the county of Middle 5 sex and State of Massachusetts, have invented new and useful Improve ments in Carrier-Diverting Devices for Carrier-Dispatch Systems, of which the following is a specification.

This invention relates to carrier dispatch systems, and more particularly to means useful in such systems for rlers, and especially carriers central station, from their normal diverting car arriving at a course of movement. While the present invention is applicable to such systems embod1ment generally, the

selected for illustration herein has been designed with particular reference to its application to apparatus such as disclosed in the patent to W hittier, No. 1,365,-

428. January 11. 1921.

The system of dealing with carriers and the devices illustrated in the said patent are highly effective under most circumstances for the purpose intended and one object of the present invention is to increase the flexib1l1ty. under certaln conditions of use, ot

the delivery of carriers from various sources to the various operators in such a system.

illustrative of such a condit noted, by reference that upon the cashiers side As 1011 it may be to the aforesaid patent of the central station desk, the carrier delivery chutes are so directed that those carriers arriving through the tubes at terminals directly 1n front of any attendant another attendant to her right.

dinary circumstances this is under some conditions of u ample during a special sale in ment only of the store, that bank of incoming tubes dir of an attendant may be suddenly a very large number of carthe number of carriers arupon to deliver riers although will be delivered to Under ordesirable, but se, as for exone departportion of the ectly in front called riving at their other portions of the bank may be normal or less than normal. Under such circumstances it is manifestly desirable to distribute the abnormal flow of incoming carriers more widely than can be done with the arrangement shown in the patent, wherein, although proper distribution may be made to any attendant to the right of that part of the bank of incoming tubes in which carriers are arriving in great 5 numbers, it is not provided to divert any of such carriers to the attendant immediately in front of such tubes. Moreover, in any such system if an attendant is temporarily absent from her place, it is desirable to be 6 able to distribute her share of the work to others at her right or left, or in the entire absence of one attendant to deliver all of her share of the incoming carriers to the attendant to the left. if the nature of the business warrants such arrangement.

The principal object of the present lflVElltion is to facilitate and make more flexible the distribution of necessary carriers to the various attendants under circumstances, such for example as those above pointed out, or which may usually or occasionally arise in the course of business. Further objects of the invention are to provide suitable means whereby to aid in reaching the de sired results and more particularly. to provide manually actuable carrier-diverting means of simple and durable type and such as may be readily operated without appreciable effort or loss of time on the part of go the attendant.

Preferred means for attaining the above objects may comprise delivery chutes at an angle to the length of the central station desk, and carrier diverting means at the en 5 trance of the chutes, together with a movable deflector adjacent the delivery end of the chute whereby at will to cause the carriers to move to the right or left of the chute as they emerge therefrom.

A preferred embodimentof means for carrying into effect the above objects is disclosed in the accompanying drawings, in which,-

Figure l is a fragmentary plan view of the cashiers side of a central station desk, illustrating the devices of the present invention applied thereto;

Figure 2 is a vertical cross section of that portion of the desk illustrated in Fig. 1;

Figure 3 is a cross section to enlarged scale, and taken. on a line such.- as 3-3 (Fig.

1) looking in the direction of the arrows, and illustrating one of the carrier divert ing devices employed; and

Figure 4 is a fragmentary cross section to larger scale, taken on the line 44 of Fig. 2, and illustrating the means for retaining a carrier diverting gate in adjusted position.

The central station apparatus shown is such as is disclosed in the said patent to lVhittier 1,365,428, January 11, 1921, above referred to. In the present drawings the incoming tubes are shown as having divided terminal portions forming the series 1 1* for the delivery of carriers for cash and charge authorization slips respectively. These tubes preferably terminate in momentum absorbing devices of usual form such as are shown at 3. Outgoing tubes 2 may be arranged in one or more banks at the end of the series of incoming tubes as in the said patented apparatus.

The carriers received in the respective tubes in series 1 are delivered upon a longitudinally arranged endless belt 4. This belt 4 may be mounted upon rollers as 5 to one or more of which motion is imparted by means of a belt 6, driven by an electric or other motor 17 of any ordinary form. Preferably the belt 4 is arranged within a longitudinal channel or chamber 8 formed by the opposite walls 9, 10, of the desk-like structure upon the opposite sides of which the attendants stations are disposed. As illustrated in Fig. 2, the desk structure upon the cashiers side of the desk may comprise the shelf-like member 11 supported as by means of the member 12, it being understood that a generally similar shelf-like member extends upon the opposite side of the desk and is there similarly supported.

In Fig. 1 attendants stations are indicated at 13, 13 and in Fig. 2 a suitable foot rest 14 is indicated for the use of the attendants. Upon the opposite side of the desk the terminals of the tubes 1 may deliver their carriers upon a traveling belt such as 15 mounted upon rollers 16 and which ma be driven in any suitable manner from the motor 17.

At points intermediate the several attendants stations, the wall 10 of the channel 8 is provided with openings such as 18 from which lead inclined preferably tapering chutes 20. The chutes 20 comprise side walls 21, 22, and a bottom wall 23. At the receiving end of such chutes the wall 21 is curved outwardly through substantially a quadrant of are as indicated at 24, thus termlnatlng at 25 in a flange substantially parallel with the wall 10 to which it may be secured by screws or in any other suitable manner. At the terminal end of the wall 22 is provided an outstanding flange 26 whereby the chute may also be secured to the wall 10. A bracket 27 is provided for supporting the lower end of the chute 20 upon the desk member 11.

For diverting carriers from belt 4 into and for closing the openings at the receiving ends of the chutes 20, at will, pivotally supported gate members 28 or 28 are pro- *ided. Each such gate member is pivoted as at a point 29 adjacent the end of the wall 22 of a chute. These gates as herein shown are provided with concave front walls 30 and convex rear walls 31 and thus present smoothly curved surfaces for con tact with the moving carriers whether in open or closed position. Secured to the curved portion of the wall. 21 is arranged a buffer member formed of felt or other suitable material for cushioning the impact of the free edge of the gate member when the latter is brought to closed position. Av handle is fixedly secured to the gate men'iber 28 adjacent the pivotal edge thereof whereby the gate may readily be moved from open to closed position by the operator without necessitating her arising from her seat, and suitable. means are provided for holding the gate open or closed.

The pivotal edge of the gate, for instance, is provided with a substantially radial socket opening 35 in which is suitably mounted a sleeve 36 the outer end of which is somewhat constricted as indicated at 37. Such constricted end serves to retain a ball 38 seated within the sleeve and resting upon a coil spring 39 within the sleeve. Projecting rearwardly from the flange 26 of the chute is a boss 40 having secured thereto hardened wear-plate 41. This wear-plate presents" oppositely inclined surfaces 42, 43, i for wiping engagement with the ball 38. As thus arranged, the ball and spring in cooperation with the wear-plate serve as resilient means for holding the gate in'open or closed position.

The chutes 2O deliver the carriers endon toward the edge board 50 of the desk. The described construction adapts the chutes andtheir gates to be separately assembled so that they may bemetallic structures adapted 1 5 to be installed anywhere along a conveyor such as 4, by attaching the flanges 25 and" 26 to the conveyor trough. Mounted upon the desk top 11 and in sub stantial alinement with each of the chutes 20 are carrier controllers comprising the receiving members 44. The members 44 are preferably formed of pressed metal oftruncated triangular form and provided with suitable means such as the lugs 44.- for attaching them to the desk. These receiving members comprise oppositely in-- clined surfaces 45, 46, with an interposed grooved surface 47, the latter forming an open trough or chute having a shallow channel arranged in substantial alinement with the axis of the chute and having its bottom substantially horizontal. Pivotally secured to the oppo 'e ends of the support (is; are bracket port a plate this plate 533 having sockets in its opposite ends for the reception oi butl r memb s respe-- tively. From the inne surface of the pl and a. u-rent its edges extend i U51 I 58, such fins upon their inner edges oeing provided"with cam sin'taces as 59. A carrier moving endwise in groove 4. "forced laterally out Oil the groove by one of these cam edges, and caused to roll down the slope or the slope 4%, depending on the pesition of plate The pivotal arrangement of the plate 53 such that it may be swung in an are about the pivotal point 51 of the brackets 52 and substantially about the axis of the channel in Fig. 3, the plate 53 has been shown in dotted lines at 53 as having been swung to the right of the support.

As will be noted from inspection of Fig. 1, the several chutes 20 may deliver the carriers endwise at substantially right angles to the path of movement of the carriers traveling along upon the belt l. In the orderly operation of the device all carriers arriving through the tubes 1 are deposited upon the belt and are thus moved to the right in a substantially straight path extending longitud'nally or the cashiers desk. It all of the gate members 28, 28 etc., cor responding to attendants stations 13, 13 are open as indicated at the right-hand side oi Fin. 1, all carriers arriving through tubes 1 intermediate such opened gates as 28, 28, for example will be diverted by the gate 28 into the corresponding chute and will thus be delivered at the right-hand side of the operator at the station 13. Similarly, carriers arriving through tubes 1 to the left of the gate 28 and not diverted by opened gates further to the left thereof, will be caused to pass through the chute immediately to the right of the operator at station 13. If in such case no devices such as the controllers comprising the supports td were placed at the ends of the respective chutes the carriers would be delivered promiscuously upon the upper surface of the desk at points immediately to the right of each of the attendants but by the employment of the controlling devices above described, it is possible to determine as to whether such carriers emerging from the ends of the chutes shall be delivered. to operators to the right or left of the respective chutes.

By positioning the member 53 in the full or dotted line positions, Fig. 3, the arriving carriers from any chute will be caused to roll oil the member 44 to the right or the left respectively, and so come into reach in the order of their receipt, of the attendant at the right or at the left oi? the chut an attendant leaving duty may thus at will, and without compulsion, arrange for deliv ering her share oi? the traffic to the attendant at her left, or, by closing the gate deliver her share to the attendant at her right.

By the provison of the controlling gates, as at 28, 28, together with the directing devices placed at the delivery ends of the chutes, it is possible to secure a very flexible control of the delivery of carriers to the various attendants, thus gr atly decreasing the probability of congestion at any attendtacilitating the Work of ants station and making change and the returning oi? the carriers to their starting point.

Having thus described the invention and the preferred embodiment of the same, what I claim and desire to secure by United States Letters Patent of the United States is:

l. A. carrier dispatch central station coniprising means for conveying carriers in a stream extending in a substantially straight path, a chute arranged at an angle to said path, normally inoperative gate member associated with said chute and movable across said path whereby to divert carriers into said chute, and carrier controlling means at the delivery end of the chute comprising a support for receiving a carrier, and manually adjustable means for rolling a carrier from said support in one or the other direction.

2. In combination in a central station for carrier dispatch systems having therein means for moving a plurality of carriers in a longitudinally extending stream, a discharge chute arran 'ed substantially at right angles to the direction of said stream for receiving and guiding carriers endwise therefrom, means for directing carriers into the chute, and means associated with the terminal end of said chute whereby to roll the carriers laterally to one or the other side of the axis of such chute.

8. A carrier controller for use with the delivery chute of a carrier dispatch system comprising an open and substantially horizontal trough constructed and arranged to form a substantial continuation of the bottom of the chute and alined therewith, said receiving trough having a laterally and downwardly inclined surface, and a deflector for laterally deflecting acarrier moving along such receiving portion onto said inclined surface, said deflector being pivoted to turn about on an axis substantially parallel to that of the trough.

4. A carrier controller for use in carrier dispatch systems comprising an open chute providing a shallow substantially horizontal channel to receive a moving carrier, a surface extending laterally from said chute,

and means extending longitudinally of said chute for deflecting a carrier moving lengthwise of said channel. whereby to cause it to diverge from the channel and engage and roll over said surface.

5. A carrier controller for use in carrier dispatch systems comprising an elongate open guideway providing a shallow channel, a surface extending downwardly and laterally from an edge of said channel, and cam means for deflecting a carrier moving along said channel whereby to cause it to move down said surface.

6. A carrier controller having a carrier receiving portion comprising a surface with a shallow groove therein, surfaces extending laterally and downwardly from opposite edges of said groove, and movable means constructed and arranged alternatively to deflect a carrier moving along said groove into engagement with one or the other of said surfaces. Y

7. A carrier controller comprising a carrier receiving support having a longitudinal guideway, a plate mounted to swing in an arcuate path to either side of said guideway, stop means for supporting said plate when at either end of its path of movement,

and a longitudinally extending cam fin projecting from said plate and normally lying substantially in a horizontal plane, and adapted to cause a carrier moving in the guideway to be moved therefrom laterally.

8. In a carrier dispatch system in combination a carrier controller comprising a carrier receiving support having oppositely and downwardly inclined faces and a shallow groove for the carriers between the adjacent edges of said faces, and a cam-carrying member movable to one side or the other of the axis of said groove.

Signed by me at Lowell Mass. this 4th day of March 1921.

AUGUST KOENIG.

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