US219200A - Improvement in automatic table-waiters - Google Patents

Description

INVENT R: 0

W. BEESON. Automatic fiable-Waiter'.`

. Patented Sept.2`,/t879.

0 nil a@ uw@ A I N PETERS, PHOTOLITHOGRAPHER. WASHINGYON, Dv C.

IIIIIIIIIILIIII UNITED STATES PATENT OEEIOE.

WILLIAM BEEsON, on EAGLE ROOK, IDAHO TERRITORY.

IMPROVEMENT IN AUTOMATIC TABLE-WAITERS.

Specification forming part of Letters Patent No. 219,200, dated September 2, 1879; application Iiled July 23, 1879.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, WILLIAM BEEsON, of Eagle Rock, in the county of Oneida and Territory of Idaho, have invented a neT and use-` ful Improvement in Automatic Table-VVaiters, oi' which the following is a specification.

Figure l is a horizontal section of a room to which my improvement has been applied. Fig. 2 is a vertical section of the same, taken through the line w x, Fig. 1. Fig. 3 is a side view of the carriage. Fig. 4 is a detail vertical section of the carriage, taken through the line y y, Fig. 3. Fig. 5 represents an orderticket.

Similar letters of reference indicate corre sponding parts.

'Ihe object of this invention is to furnish an improved device to take the place ofthe waiters in restaurants, saloons, and other places for carrying the orders from the tables to the cookroom or counter, and the articles ordered back to the tables, and which shall be simple in construction and convenient in use.

The invention consists in the carriage formed of the shelf or shelves, the extension-standard, the spring, the catch, and the Wheel or Wheels, in combination with the suspended track; in the combination ofthe cord, pulley, and Weight With one or bot-h ends of the suspended track and in the combination of the tube, the endless apron, and the rollers with the table and the door ofthe room, as hereinafter fully described.. i

A represents the room in which the tables, B, for the customers are. placed,'and C represents the cook-roon1, bar, or other place from which the articles ordered are to be supplied. D represents a Wire-rope, rod, or bar' extending from the room C to the tables in the roo A, and back again into the room C.

The Wire-rope, rod, or bar D i's supported by hangers E,`or other supports, in snch'a Way that the carriage can pass along unobstructed. The wire-rope, rod, or bar D, that forms the track, should incline from one end to the other, so that the carriage may be carried along it by its own Weight, and may have slight rises or depressions in it at-the tables for stopping the carriage at those points. The carriage may have one or more shelves or platforms, F, to receive the dishes, which shelf or shelves are hung from the lower end of the extensionstandard G, the parts of which Inay slide the one into the other, as-shown in Figs. 3 and 4, or the one along the side of the other, being kept in place by keepers. The parts of the standard G are drawn and held together by a spring, H, which may be made of metal, rubber, or other suitable material, and should be of suflicient strength to sustain the shelf or shelves F and the articles placed upon them.

The parts of the standard G are held apart, when extended, by a catch, I, attached to one of the said parts, and engaging with notches in the other part, as shown in Figs. 3 and 4. To the side ofy the upper part of the standard G is pivoted a groovedor iianged Wheel, J, to roll along the track D. More than one Wheel, J, may be used, if desired.

The carriage must be so arranged that its center of gravity may be directly beneath the track D, so that it may run steadily upon the Y said track. p

To the higher end of the track D is attached Jthe end of a rope, K, which passes over a pulley, L, pivoted to the ceiling or other suitable support, and has a Weight, M, attachedV to its other end. The rope K is designed for use for raising the carriage from the lower end to the higher end of the track D, and to raise the higher end of the track D to give moreor less impulse to the carriage When starting it. rIo l allovir this to be done the higher end of the track D should be connected with its support by a spring or sliding sleeve.

If desired, the carriage may be sent out and returned upon the same track; but in this case both ends of the saidtrack should be movable, and should be provided with a rope, pulley, and Weight, K L- M, so that either end of the said track may be raised to give the carriage an impulse in the other direction.

Each table B is provided with a tube, N, extending down through the loor 0I' the room. 0 is an endless apron passing around rollers P, pivoted to the door-timbers or to other suitable supports. The endless apron O extends to the cook-room G, and with the journal of the last roller, P, is connected a crank or other driving-gearing.

Q represents an order-ticket, which contains a list of the articles to be furnished, with a series of dots or dashes after each.

In using the apparatus, the customer seats himself at a table, B, takes an order-ticket, Q, draws apencil-mark across one or lnore of the dots .or dashes to indicate the articles ordered,

and drops the ticket Q into the tube N of the table B. The order-ticket drops upon the endless apron O, andis carried by it into the cookroom C. An attendant takes the order-ticket Q, places the article or articles ordered upon the shelf or platform F of the carriage, draws a mark across the order, marks with a pencil of a dierent color, or in some other convenient way, to cancel the order, places the orderticket upon the carriage, and starts the carriage upon the track D. The carriage is stopped at the table by the rise or depression in the track D, or by the table-waiter,who draws down the shelf or shelves F by extending the standard G, and secures it from rising by the i catch l.' The waiter then removes the articles and the order-ticket from the carriage, places Athem upon the table B, and sends the carriage bination with the suspended track D, substan` tially as herein shown and described.

2. The combination ofthe cord, pulley, and

weight K L M with one or both ends of the.

suspended track D, substantially as herein shown and described.

3. The combination of the tube N, the endless apron O, and the rollers l? with the table B and the floor of the room, substantially as herein shown and described.

D. F. GHAMBERLAIN, D. H. LATHAM.

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