US1791460A - Separator for pneumatic-dispatch systems - Google Patents

Description

Feb. 3, 1931.

J. A. BAUER 1,791,460

SEPARATOR FOR PNEUMATIC DISPATCH SYSTEMS Filed Oct. 51, 1929 2 Sheets-Sheet l Inven'lor. John A.Bau6'r.

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J. A. BAUER 1,791,460

SEPARATOR FOR PNEUMATIC DISPATCH SYSTEMS Filed Oct. 51, 1929 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 Feb. 3, 1931.

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In ven lor. John A.Bauer.

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Patented Feb. 3, 1931 U-NITED STATES PATENT OFFICE JOHN BAUER, OF SYRACUSE, NEW YORK, ASSIGNOR TO THE LAMSON COMPANY, OF

SYRACUSE, NEW YORK, A CORPORATION OF MASSACHUSETTS SEPARATOR FOR PNEUMATIC-DISPATCH SYSTEMS Application filed October 31, 1929. Serial No. 403,761.

This invention pertains to carrier dispatch systems and relates more particularly to signal means designed to announce any accidental clogging or jamming of carriers in a transit through the system. In that embodiment of the invention herein chosen for illustration the signal means is associated with a carrier separator, distributor, or automatic switching device such as is commonly em- 1!) ployed in pneumatic dispatch systems for assorting carriers-of one class from those of another, (for example cash and change carriers) distinguished by differently shaped heads'or the like, but in its broader aspects, I contemplate the applicability of the invention to switching devices of other specific type and to carrier dispatch systems other than pneumatic.

Such pneumatic dispatch separators or distributors as above referred to usually comprise as their essentials a casing providing a main passage adapted to be interposed between and disposed in alignment with two sections of atransmission tube,a branch passage diverging from the main passage,

and an abutment member which yields to permit carriers of one type to traverse the main passage without substantialopposition and thus to continue in their normal path,

but which arrest-s carriers ofthe other type and causes'thein to topple over end for end into divergent passage for delivery at some suitable point. Such a separator is described for example in the patent to Pearsall, No.

1,102,225, June 30,1914.

While such separators are reliable so long as carriers do not enter them in too rapid succession, they are uncertain in action if called upon to separate carriers arriving 40 with such frequency that a newly arriving carrier interferes with a precedingcarrier which is being diverted into the branch passage, since under such circumstancesthe' carriers tend to jam and clog the separator.

Such clogging may remain unnoticed until many carriers have been introduced into the transmission tube so that it becomes very troublesome to clear the tube to permit resumption of operations. The present inven tion provides means for signalling the operator whenever a carrier is improperly disposed or abnormally positioned within the separator so that the trouble may be investigated andcorrected at once.

In the accompanying drawings I have il-. lustrated one desirable embodiment of the invention by way of example and in the drawings Fig. 1 is a diagrammatic side elevation illustrating a single unit of a double tube system extending between two stations and provided at one station with a separator device which embodies the present invention;

Fig. 2 is a fragmentary elevation, to larger scale and partly in section, showing onehalf of the distributor or separator casing with its interior mechanism and embodying certaln elements of the present invention; this figure also indicates diagrammatically a part of the signal circuit;

Fig. 3 is a fragmentary section to larger scale substantially on the line 33 of Fig. 2;

Fig. 4 is a wiring diagram illustrating one suitable arrangement of connections foruse in a system comprising a plurality of units of the type shown in Fig. 1; and

Fig. 5 is a fragmentary plan view of the parts shown in Fig. 3.

Referring to the drawings and particularly to Fig. 1, I have illustrated a transmission tube 1 having a dispatch terminal 2 located at the station 3, which for example, may be the central station of a store service system, such tube 1 leading to the delivery terminal 4, at the out station S. The return transmission tube 5'extends from the station S to the station 3 and is hereillustrated as provided with the distributor 6, and withthe suction pipe 7 leading'to the suction drum 8 inf'usual main ner'. i.

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Referring more particularly to Figs. 2, 3 and 5, the distributor 6 comprises a casing having an upper tubular part 9 adapted to be clamped to the lower section of the tube 5, and a lower tubular part 10 substantially aligned with the part 9 and as here shown having a tube section 11 clamped to its lower end. This tube section 11 may deliver to any suitable point, but as shown in Fig. 1, discharges its carriers onto a distributor belt 12. The casing of the distributor 6 is provided with a lateral branch 13 providing a passage with diverges from the main passage defined by the members 9 and 10, and this branch 13, as illustrated, leads to atube section 14 which delivers its carriers onto a belt 15. In common with distributors of this type the mechanism illustrated comprises a movable abutment arm 16 which projects into the main passage along which carriers normally pass on their way from the member 9 to the inemher 10. This abutment is provided with latch mechanism of usual type, such for example as disclosed in the patent to Pearsall above referred to, and isso constructed that a carrier 17 having a flat or normal head will depress the abutment member 16 and pass freely along into the lower part 10 of the casing from whence it is discharged through the tube 11 onto the belt 12. On the other hand, carriers 18 having recessed heads are not able freely to depress the abutment arm 16 and are thus suddenly arrested and caused to bounce 0r topple laterally over the bumper 19 disposed at the intersection of the divergent paths, and thus to fall head first into the flaring entrance to the branch 13 of the casing and thence into tube 14 from which they are discharged onto the belt 15.

In accordance with the present invention I provide adjacent to the junction of the divergent carrier paths and preferably at opposite sides of the bumper 19 the insulated contact buttons 20 and 21., respectively. These buttons form terminals of an electrical circuit including the supply mains 22 and 23 (Fig. 4). From the main 22 for example a conductor 24; leads to the button 21 while from the button 20, a conductor 25 extends to asignal 26, for example an incandescent electric lamp. From this lamp a conductor 27 extends preferably to the coil 28 of a magnetic relay from which the conductor 29 leads to the main 23. As thus arranged, if a carrier, for example a carrier of the type indicated at 18, fails to follow its intended path over into the diverging arm 13 of the casing, it mav come to rest in the position indicated at 18 in Fig. 2, where the metallic body of the carrier will bridge the gap between the contact buttons 20 and 21, thus completing the electrical circuit through the lamp 26 and causing the latter to glow, thus notifying the operator that a carrier is improperly positioned in the distributor. In order that the operator may be provided with an audible signal in addition to the light 26, I prefer to provide a conductor 30 leading from the main 22 to an audible signal 31 for example a bell 01' buzzer from which a conductor 32 leads to a terminal 33. A flexible contact maker 34 leads from the conductor 27 to aposition adjacent to the terminal 33 but is normally spaced from the latter. The magnetic relay device including the coil 28 comprises movable switch arms 35 and 35' which are adapted, when the coil 28 is energized, to close a circuit comprising the parts 30, 31, 32, 33, 34, 35, 35, 36 and 29. Thus the closing of the circuit between the buttons 20 and 21 not only causes the lamp 26 to glow but also causes the bell 31 to sound.

As indicated in Fig. 4 each unit of the pneumatic system, that is to say, each complete transmission and return tube with its associated distributor may have a corresponding signal lamp 26, 26 etc, although there need be but one audible signalling device common to the entire system. Thus if the lamps be numbered or otherwise designed to correspond to their respective distributors, the op erator upon hearing the bell may determine at a glance which distributor requires attention.

Under some circumstances interference between carriers in the distributor results in the stopping of a carrier in substantially upright position in the main passage and in order to detect the presence of such a carrier, I prefer to provide the buttons 20 and 21 with resilient depending contact fingers 37 and 38 respectively. These fingers extend downwardly along the main passage to a point slightly below the buttons 20 and 21 with their lower ends in overlapping but normally spaced relation. Thus if a carrier should stop in substantially the position indicated at 18 in Fig. 2, the head of the carrier will press against the finger 38 and push the latter against the finger 37, thus completing the circuit through the signalling device thus notifying the operator of the abnormal condition at the distributor.

IVhile I have herein described and illustrated one desirable embodiment of the invention, I wish it to be understood that the invention is not necessarily confined to the exact details, proportions, or relative arrangement of parts here disclosed, but that changes in position, size and material as well as the substitution of equivalents, fall within the scope of the invention.

I claim:

1. Carrier separator apparatus for diverting carriers of different classes into divergent paths respectively comprising a signal device, and means engageable by a carrier abnormally positioned in said separator for actuating the signal device.

2. In combination with carrier separator l l l l apparatus having means for selectively delivering carriers of different classes into divergent paths respectively, signal means, and means disposed adjacent to the intersection of said paths, engageable by a carrier which fails to follow either of said paths, for actuating the signal device.

3. Carrier separator means of the class employed in carrier dispatch systems for directing carriers of diii'erent classes into divergent paths comprising an electrically actuated signal, and a signal circuit including circuit closing means engageable by a carrier abnormally positioned at the separator whereby to energize a signal.

4. Signal means for use in a carrier separator of the kind employed in carrier dispatch systems for dividing carriers of different classes, said signal means comprising an electrically actuated signal, and a signal circuit comprising normally spaced contacts adapted to be bridged for closing the signal circuit by the metal of a carrier occupying an abnormal position at the separator.

5. Signal means for use in a. carrier separator of the kind employed in a pneumatic dispatch system for dividing carriers of different classes, said signal means comprising an electrically actuated signal, and a signal circuit comprising normally spaced contacts, one at least of said contacts being movable to engage the other by the pressure thereagainst of a carrier abnormally positioned at the separator.

6. Signal means for use in a carrier separator of the kind employed in a pneumatic dispatch system for dividing carriers of different classes, said signal means comprising an electrically actuated signal, and a signal circuit comprising circuit closing means arranged for actuation to close the signal circuit either by the pressure of an abnormally positioned carrier at the separator or by the bridging action of the metal of such a carrier.

7. Signal means for use in a carrier separator of the kind employed in a pneumatic dispatch system for dividing carriers of difi'erent classes, said signal means comprising an electrically actuated signal, and a signal circuit comprising a magnetically actuated circuit closer, and means arranged for actuation by the pressure of an abnormally positioning carrier at the separator to energize said magnetically actuated circuit closer and thereby to complete the signal circuit.

8. Signal means for use in a carrier separator of the kind employed in a pneumatic dispatch system for dividing carriers of difi'erent classes, said signal means comp-rising an electrically. actuated signal and a signal cir cuit including a circuit closer, a magnetic relay for actuating the circuit closer, a second signal, a circuit including said second signal and the coils of the relay, and means for closing the latter circuit in response to an paratus of thekind having a part normally projecting into the path of'carriers and mov able out ofsaidpath'by carriers of one'class topermit them to continue along their normal path,andactingas anabutment to topple carriers of another class laterally out of said normal path and into a divergent path, electrical signal means, and a'signal circuit in cluding means adjacent to the junction of said carrier paths engageable by a carrier which fails to follow either path thereby to close the signal circuit.

10. In combination in carrier separator apparatus of the kind having a part normally projecting into the path of carriers and movable outof said path by carriers of one class to permit them to continue along their normal path, and acting an as abutment to topple carriers of another class laterally out of said normal path and into a divergent path, a bumper at the junction of said path, and electrical contacts at opposite sides of said bumper, said contacts constituting the terminals of a signal actuating circuit, said contacts being bridged by the metal of a carrier improperly positioned transversely of said junction thereby to close the signal circuit.

11. In combination in carrier separator apparatus of the kind having a part normally projecting into the path of carriers and movable out of said path by carriers of one class to permit them tocontinue along their normal path, and acting as an abutment to topple carriers of another class laterally out of said normal path and into a divergent path, a pair of normally spaced relatively movable electrical contacts adjacent to the intersection of said paths, said contacts constituting terminals of a signal actuating circuit and being relatively movable to close said circuit by the pressure of a stationary carrier abnormally positioned in the separator apparatus.

12. In combination in carrier separator apparatus of the kind having a part normally projecting into the path of carriers and movable out of said path by carriers of one class to permit them to continue along their normal path, and acting as an abutment to topple carriers of another class laterally out of said normal path and into a divergent path, a pair of spaced contact buttons adjacent to the junction of said paths, said buttons constituting terminals of a signal actuating circuit, and normally spaced relatively movable overlapping contacts secured to the buttons.

13. In combination in carrier separator apparatus of the kind having a part normally projecting into the path of carriers and movable out of said path by carriers of one class to permit them to continue along their normal path, and acting as an abutment to topple carriers of another class laterally out of said normal path and into a divergent path, a pair of spaced contact buttons adjacent to the junctionof said paths, said buttons constituting the terminals of a signal actuating circuit, and a depending spring fingersecured to each button, the ends of said fingers overlaplping and bein normally spaced but adapte t0 beengage by the pressure ofan abnormally positioning carrier within the separator device.

Signed by me at Syracuse, N. Y., this 26th day of Oct., 1929.

, JOHN A. BAUER.

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