US1815590A

US1815590A - Pneumatic carrier system

Info

Publication number: US1815590A
Application number: US465829A
Authority: US
Inventors: Joseph M Scanlan
Original assignee: G & G Atlas Systems Inc
Current assignee: G & G Atlas Systems Inc
Priority date: 1930-07-07
Filing date: 1930-07-07
Publication date: 1931-07-21
Anticipated expiration: 1948-07-21

Description

y 21, 1931-v J. M. SCANLA N 1,815,590

PNEUMATIC CARRIER SYSTEM Filed July-7, 1930 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 toz JOSL'PH M SCAIVL/W July 21, 1931.

J. M. scANLAN PNEUMATIC CARRIER SYSTEM 7 FiledJuly 7, 19:50

will" hw lhh T I l 1 FIGS, j

2 Shuts-Sheet 2 o k I awumtoz JOJZ'PH M. JCANLAN Patented July 21, 1931 UNITE stares arasr OFFICE grosnrrrn. spartan, or sneer nncn nnw roan, assrenon :r-o G a e A'r'LAs sysrnns; I N(7;, or NEW YORK, 1v. Y., A (Jonson-Arron or NEW YORK PNEUMATIC CARRIER SYSTEM Application filed July 7,

1930; Serial no. 465,829.

This invention relates to improvements in vantages of the invention may be more clearpneumatic carrier systems, and particularly the central station equipment employed in such systems where money transactions and the like are usually handled. A particular object of the invention has been .to improve the equipment and method of handling the carriers" at the central station so as to in crease generally the efficiency of the system 10 and reduce the timerequired vfor each transaction handled.

In systems of the type to which this invention relates it is customaryto provide a networkof tubes within a store, or similar building, so that carriers may be delivered:

from any one of a plurality of stations scattered about the building to a central station at which a number of cashiers, or other opcraters, may be located to perform the required transactions, such as the makingof change and the like. After the appropriate transactions have been completed by the operators, the carriers are returned through a different set of tubes to the stations from .25 which they were originally sent. A difiiculty which has been encountered heretofore 'in connection with systems of this sort is that they are not sufiicientlyflexible to permit the efiicient handling of the transactions during both rush and slack periods. If the system is so designed'as to effectively talre care of the peak load on the system,it thas heretofore been necessary to provide a great deal of excess equipment and to .so arrangethe' i same that it cannot be properly or efficiently utilized during slack periods by a smaller force. r e r v An important feature of the present invention has to do with the construction and;

' arrangement of the equipment employed in the handling of'the carriers at the' central station which is such that eflicient operation of the system may be obtained at all times. To thisend the equipment has been so devised able number of operators or cashiers at the.

central station may be readily provided for without undue interference and with the pro;

duction of a substantially uniform standard of efficiency. The various features and .ad-

and arranged that the employment of a ivari ly. understood by reference to the accompany,-

ment forming the other half of the central 7 station v Figure 3 is a detail, sectional view taken along the line 3-3 ofFigure l, and

Figure 4 is a detail, sectional view taken along the line 4-4 of Figure 2.

, Referring now to the drawings, a series of pneumatic tubes lOis shown as terminating directly above an inclined runway 11 These tubes, it will be understood, extend to various points throughout a store or similar building from which'it is desired to transmit cash or sales-slips, or the like,to the central station. Tubes 12 may be connected in the usual way to the tubes 10 near the ends of the latter and may at their opposite ends be connected to a suitable suction drum 13. It will be understood that this drum is maintained under a constant vacuum of suitable degree by any appropriate evacuating means, such as a. pump; In this way-each pair of tubes 10 and 1 2 creates a suction throughout the line fromthe central station to a particular point from which a carrier is to be originally dispatchedfl In Figure 1 only two of the tubes 10 are shown but it will be clear that a large number of these tubes will bearranged in the space between the two shown, as more clearly indicated in Figure 2. How many tubes are employed will depend upon the available space andthe size of the system.

the carriers are discharged onto the runway 11, they are permitted to roll down the same to a large table 14, having a central groove 14:1 therein to guide and retain the carriers, At theopposite sides of the table 14 there may be stationed at the points designated 15 and 16 a pair of cashiers. or operators who are intended to handle the various ceived. For example, Where a cash transaction is involved, one or the other of the cashiers will open the carrier, remove the sales slip and money, make the necessary change, and return the carrier with the change and a part of the sales slip to the point from which it was originally sent. As between the operators and 16, there will preferably be no distinction as to which of the carriers each is intended to handle. They will merely alternate in the handling of any carriers which are discharged by the chute 11 to the table 14. A similar pair of operators stationed at the

points

17 and 18, as indicated in Figure 2, may be employed for the handling of carriers which are discharged from a similar chute, not shown, on the opposite or righthand side of the equipment.

In returning the carriers to the initial station, the operators merely insert the same into the open ends of the series of return tubes which, for reasons to be more full explained hereinafter, are preferably arranged in two groups 19 and 20.7 These tubes, it will be understood, extend to the various points in the building at which the tubes 10 have their inlets. Any suitable means may be provided at these points for connecting the tubes 10 with the tubes 19 and 20 so as to create the necessary suction in the latter lines. It will be understood, furthermore, that the system should be provided with the usual valve con struction for normally permitting the maintenance of a relatively small amount of suction in the

lines

10, 19 and 20 and for increas ing this suction to the extent necessary to handle the carriers when the latter are in sorted in the ends of the tubes for transmission. Suitable devices for this purpose are well known and form no part of the present invention. They are accordingly not shown or described in detail herein.

A feature of the present invention is the provision of means for relieving the burden at the central desk 14 during the rush hours by diverting certain of the carriers to another point where theyrmay be more conveniently handled by one or more additional operators. For this purpose a trap door 21 may be provided in the channel of the chute 11 at any suitable point where it will effect a line of division between the tubes 10 to the left of the same and those to the right. This door may be pivoted in any suitable way or otherwise attached to the chute 11 and may be held in a substantially vertical position Whenever it is desired to effect a separation between the carriers. In lieu of securing this trap to the chute, it may be removable from the latter so as to leave an opening in the base of the same through which the carriers above the opening will be dropped. However, the pivoted arrangement will not only leave such an opening but will provide a definite stop for the carriers and will cause the latter to be positively deflected to a chute 22 which is inclined in the opposite direction so as to discharge the carriers to a table 23. This table may be provided with a suitable central groove 24 for guiding and retaining the carriers.

One or more additional operators may be stationed at the points designated 25 and 26 for handling the transactions involved by the carriers discharged onto the table 23. It will be apparent that these carriers will have been discharged from the tubes 10 which terminate above the door or deflector 21 and that they must accordingly be returned to the stations represented by these tubes. For this purpose a series of tubes 27 are provided with their inlet ends just above the table 23. Each of these tubes is connected in any suitable way, as by means of a Y fitting 28, to one of a series of tubes 29 to which one of the tubes 20 is also joined. By virtue of this arrangement it is possible to return a carrier to any one of the stations corresponding to the upper set of discharge tubes 10 by inserting the same in the open end of either the appropriate tube 20 or the corresponding tube 27. In order that the

return tubes

20 and 27 may be used alternatively, it is necessary to provide the same with closure means so that the vacuum created upon the insertion of a carrier into one of them will not be destroyed by the other. For this purpose suitable closures or doors 30 are provided at the ends of the tubes 20 and similar closures 31 are provided at the ends of the tubes 27. These closures may be provided with any suitable latching devices or detents for holding the same against the ends of the tubes and any suitable means for boldin them in the open position. Gravity may well be relied upon for the latter function.

A suitable construction of the chute 11 is illustrated in Figure 3. As there shown, the channel along which the carriers are intended to roll will be preferably provided with a lining 32 of some suitable metal, such as copper, brass or the like. Similarly, the channels in the tables 14 and 23 may be provided with suitable linings 33. It will be understood that in a system in which the central station equipment is duplicated on opposite sides of the central table 14, as has been hereinbefore explained, an arrangement of chutes similar to that shown will be provided on the righthand side of the equipment to permit carriers discharged from lower tubes to be always directed to the table 14 while carriers discharged from the upper series of delivery tubes on this side may be directed to either the central table 14 or a separate table corresponding to the table 23 and these carriers will be returned accordingly either through tubes corresponding to the tubes 20 or through ones corresponding to the tubes 27.

In the operation of the system during a rush period, the trap-door 21 will be raised to the position indicated in Figures 1 and 3 and the tubes above or to the left of this door will discharge their carriers onto the table 23. The closures 31 at the ends of the tubes 2'7 will be open whereas the closures 30 at the ends of the tubes will be closed. After the intended transaction has been completed by the cashier or operator at the central station, the carrier will be inserted in the appropriate one of the tubes 19 and 27 corresponding to the tube 10 from. which the carrier was discharged. At the peak of the rush period it will probably be found desirable to employ eight cashiers stationed'as indicated at the

points

15, 16, 17,18, and 26 and at two points at the opposite end of the equipment corresponding to the

points

25 and 26. Now, when the rush period has subsided to a certain extent, one or two of the cashiers at the central desk 14 may be relieved from duty or one or more of the cashiers stationed opposite the table 23 and the corresponding table at the other end of the system may be removed. Which of the cashiers will be removed under diiierent con ditions will depend largely upon the arrangement of the tubes and the particular location of the door 21. If the upper ones 0! the tubes 10 extend to the busiest points in the building and the line of division of the tubes is as indicated, one or more of the cashiers at the central desk 14 may advantageously be taken off duty first. However, if the lower sets of tubes are the busier ones, then the reverse Will probably be true. In order to produce even greater flexibility of operation of the system, a plurality of trap-doors, similar to 21, may be provided along the chute 11 so that a variable number of the tubes 10 may be caused to discharge their carriers alternatively onto the table is or the table 23. If desired, the carriers from an' intermediate group of tubes might be directed to a third table, similar to the table 23, at the busiest periods of the day.

During a very slack period in the operation of the system, both of the operators stationed at 25 and 26 may be removed and assigned to other duties and in this case the trap-door 21 will be lowered into the chute and the closures 31 will be closed to seal the ends of the tubes 27. t the same time the closures may be opened soas to permit the insertion of carriers which will now be discharged onto the table 14 from the tubes 10 above or to the left of the trap-door 21.

From the foregoing it will be understood that the system contemplated by the present invention is readily adapted to the employment of a variable number of operators, from one to eight in the illustrative embodiment, according to the amount of business transacted at any particular time. Obviously, this system may be modified to permit a larger 5. number of operators to be efi iciently emiployed, if.:sosidesired. 'lVVhi-lmtheainuention l1as.;been.:-described in considerableldetail ,in connection With ione s uitable illustrative embodiment of'the same, it .IS to be understood that many: variations illlil y be made. Without departing iromithe'rgcneral spirit and scope oi the jinvention. .The. Evarious terms employedherein havebeen. used .for purposes .xlof description and are notatokbe regarded as imposing; a 'ny limitations, onthe invention. :IV-hatfI-claim is: 1 i Y -1. In; central station-forpneumatic car.- rier systems, ,an inclinedrun-way, agplurality of tube ;terminals. adapted to discharge carriers onto said runway, means fordirecting the carriers fromsaidchute at will'toj any one of a plurality-of dispatchstations, and tube inlets ,a'tsaid stations adapted to recciyezsaid carriersxjfor transmission to their .points of origln;1

2. In a central station for pneumaticucarrier systems, a plurality o'fgtlube terminals adapted-to discharge carriers, uneans for con veying allot said carriers when-discharged to any one ota plurality of stations ,at wi11, and tube inlets at saidstations adapted to receive said-carriers fortransmission to their points oforigin. j v i 3. Ian central-station iorpneumatic carrier systems, aplurality of tube @terminals adaptedto dischargexcarriers,means adapted to receive saidcarriers,,when discharged; and convey the same "to dispatch stations,- said meansbeing adapted to convey carriers. discharged from certain of saidstubes at will to one or another of saidstations, andtiibe inlets,at all of said stations adapted to receivev said certain carriersfor transmission to theiripoin'ts oforigin. 4. .In a central station for pneumatic carr iersyste ms,-a set of tube terminalsadapted todiScharge carriers, a pluralityof sets of tube inlets each. corresponding. tosaid set of tube terminals andmcans forconveyingsaid carriers at will from said terminals toias'tationladjacent eitherot said setsofx-inlets.

5. In a central station fonpneumaticrcarrier systems, a set of tube terminalsadapted to discharge. carriers,ia.,.pli1ra1ity of sets of tube inlets each corresponding to said set of tube terminals, means for conveying said carriers at will from said terminals to a station adj acent either of said sets of inlets, and means for closing oif the other of said said sets of inlets.

6. In a central station for pneumatic carrier systems, a set of tube terminals adapted to discharge carriers, a plurality of sets of tube inlets each corresponding to said set of tube terminals, a runway adapted to convey said carriers to a point adjacent one of said sets of inlets, and means adjustable at will for deflecting said carriers toward a point adjacent another of said sets of inlets.

7. In a central station for pneumatic carrier systems, a set of tube terminals adapted to discharge carriers, a plurality of sets of tube inlets each corresponding to said set of tube terminals, a runway adapted to convey said carriers to a point adjacent one of said sets of inlets for insertion therein, means for deflecting said carriers at will toward a point adjacent another of said sets of inlets for insertion therein, and means for closing off the set of inlets not to receive said carriers.

8. In a central station for pneumatic car rier systems, a plurality of tube terminals arranged in groups, means adapted to receive carriers from said tube terminals and convey the same to a dispatch station, means adjustable at will for deflecting the carriers from one of said groups of tubes and conveying the same to another dispatch station, and tube inlets at said stations adapted to receive said carriers for transmission to their points of origin.

9. In a central station for pneumatic carrier systems, a plurality of tube terminals arranged in groups, means adapted to receive carriers from said tube terminals and convey the same to a dispatch station, means adjustable at Will for deflecting the carriers from one of said groups of tubes and conveying the same to another dispatch station, tube inlets at said stations adapted to receive said carriers for transmission to their points of origin, certain of said tube inlets at said first mentioned station being interconnected with the inlets at the other station, and means for closing ofl the related inlets at one or the other of said stations.

10. The method of handling carriers at a central station of a pneumatic carrier system which comprises continuously directing a portion of the carriers to one dispatch station, alternatively directing another portion of the carriers to the same or a different dispatch station, and returning the carriers from said dispatch stations directly to their points of origin.

In testimony whereof, I have signed my name to this specification this 2nd day of July, 1930.

JOSEPH M. SCAN LAN.