US402567A - Store-service apparatus - Google Patents

Description

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' l' J. T. GOWLEY.

.STORE SERVICE APEAEETUS.

-N0.`4o2,567. Patented May 7, 1889.l

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J. T. ooWLEY.

STORE SBRVIGE'APPARATUS.

No. '42,567. Patented May 7, 1.889.

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.JAMES T. COWLEY, OF NEV YORK, N. Y., ASSIGNOR TO THE LAMSON CON- SOLIDATED STORE SERVICE COMPANY, OF NEV JERSEY.

y STORE-SERVICE APPARATUS.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 402,567, dated May 7, 1889. Application filed August 25, 1885. Serial No. 175,309. (No model.)

To all whom, it may concern: v

Be it'known that I, JAMES T. CowLEY, of `New York, in the county of New York and State of New York, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Store-Service Systems; and I do hereby declare that the following is a full, clear, and exact description of the invention, which will enable others skilled in the art to which it app'ertains to make and use the' same, reference being had t0 the accompanying drawings, and to the letters of reference marked th ereon,which form part of this specification.

This invention relates to store-service apparatus for stores, warehouses, and the like, and has for its object to convey cash and parcels from one place to another, or from the salesmans counter to the cashiers desk, and vice versa, by which much valuable time is saved as compared with the old methods.

The present invention is durable in its construction, partly automatic in its operation, and easily manipulated.

To these en ds the invention consists of improvements in the receiver and restorer and car when it reaches its terminal ends, by which means the car is gradually received and lowered for either loading or unloading, so that when the car reaches its terminal end it is caught by the receiver, which yields to the weight of the car, and which unwinds a spring whose resiliency is predetermined to correspond to the weight and permits the car to easily and gradually drop to its normal posi- 4tion at either the salesmans or cashiers end. Said spring or weight is also designed to take up the slack and automatically wind up the cord when the carrier `is restored to the way.

It further consists in meansfor raising the movable end of the track to its working posi- Vtion before the car is started on its journey over the track or way, which is in this instance a weight, volute spring, or 'other spring mechanism, all of which will be more fully hereinafter described.

In the drawings, Figure 1 represents a side elevation of a wire-way apparatus, broken away in the middle. Fig. 2 is a sectional View of a spring wound within a flanged wheel,

which form l prefer to use; Fig. 3, a top plan view of a double bifurcated or forked arm through which the operating-cord works, Fig. 4 shows a modification of my receiver and restorer with a single spring. Fig. 5 is another modification f my receiver and restorer, showing a weight instead of a s wing, and it is evident that many modiicatlons may be made without departing from the spirit of my invention. Fig. G is an enlarged view ot a portion of Fig. l, illustrating the operation of the forked arm and the cords with respect thereto.

Referring to the drawings, A represents the cashiers desk; B, the wrappers counter; C, the sales-station, and D the wire way.

E represents the rope upon which the car Fand contents are received and lowered to the counter. At the sales-station is placed an upright rod or pipe, a, from which the wireD is drawn, and upon which the carriage f is moved up and down. This carriage f, supporting one end of the way or track, consists Aof a yoke or bracket enveloping the rod a and provided with anti-friction rollers for bearing upon said rod as it is moved up and down to raise and lower the `way. Upon the rod a., at or near the top, is placed a springroller, b, upon which is wound a cord, o, the opposite end of the latter being fastened to the carriage f, as represented. To the lower part of the carriage f is also attached a cord, h, which passes through a forked or bifurcated arm placed at or near the lower end of the rod or pipe d, and upon which cord is placed at proper distances stops to regulate the grade or inclination of the track.

One end of a rope, E, is attached to a springroller, g, or it may be to a weight, W, as in Fig. 5, which is so adjusted as to prevent the car from lowering without the assistance of a salesman, and to also take up the slack o the rope used in lowering the car. to the proper distan ce below the trackA when the car is raised. VIn operating the apparatus the sales man rst places the goods or cash in the re ceptacle, then releases the cord h from the forked arm mf, when the cord o will be wound upon the spring-roller b, thus at the same time raising the end of the track to the proper elevation. The slack in the rope E, caused IDO by thus raising the wire way or track, will of course be taken up bythe spring-roller g, and this will result whether the way be raised when the car is in the position shown in Figs. l and 4, or whether the car be first elevated to the way ready to travel thereover to its Another way of elevating the track would,

be to have the forked arm 'm pivoted at fn, Fig. G, to the side of the rod or pipe a., and having a button, y, placed on the rope E, so positioned with respect to the forked arm that when the slack in the rope E is taken up by the spring-drum g in the act of elevating the ear to the track the said button 1/ will contact with the arm m at one side of its pivot and tilt it downward, as shown in dotted lines, Fig. G. rlhis tilting of the arln nl will raise its opposite end, so as to permit the cord )'1l to slip out of the fork at that end, its button i'. sliding outwardly against the under side of the arm until it reaches an opening large enough to permit it to pass, thus allowing the track to be elevated through the tension of the spring in the winding-drum Z1.

The cord 7l has three buttons or stops, Z, t', and j, upon it, the middle one, 1', being the smallest. The button Z by contact with the arm m limits the downward pull upon the cord 7L, and thus determines the lower position of the track and prevents it from being pulled down too far. The smaller button, t', as beforestated, contacts with the under side of the arm m, and when the latter is in its horizontal or normal position will preventthethe meantime takes up the slack rope E.

There is a like spring-roller at the cashiers end for like purpose.

Having thus described my invention, what I claim, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, 1s-

l. In an apparatus for store-service, a receiver and rcstorer, one end of said restorer having a spring take-up mechanism for raising the car to the track, in combination with a spring elevating device for raising the sliding end of the track, as set forth.

2. The combination, with the track of a store-service apparatus, of a yoke or bracket provided with anti-friction rollers, a pivoted arm, m, and a graduated rope or cord for raising and lowering said yoke and contacting with said arm, as set forth.

3. The combination, with a store-service apparatus provided with a receiver and. restorer and a cord for raising and lowering the same, of the forked arm m and a pulley with the spring roller mechanism, as set forth.

4. In a store-service apparatus, the combination of the car, the track, a cord upon which the car is received and lowered at the end of the track, a spring mechanism which takes up the slack of said cord when the ear is placed on the track, another cord and spring mechanism which automatically elevates the end Iof the track, and buttons for holding the last said cord and spring meehanism from moving, substantially as described.

5. In a store-service apparatus, the combination, with the car and the traclgof a rope upon which the car is received and lowered, a cord by which one end of the track is raised, a button on said cord, and a pivoted forked arm, with which said button engages, adapted to be tripped by the rope on which the car is received to permit the last said cord and spring mechanism to operate, substantially as described.

In testimony that I claim the foregoing as my own I affix my signature in presence of two witnesses.

JAS. T. CO\VLEY.

Vitnesses:

JOHN WM. MACCUBBIN, JOSEPH MAXWELL.

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