US777723A - Pneumatic-despatch-tube apparatus. - Google Patents

Description

PATENTED DEC. 20, 1904.

E. A. FORDYGE. PNEUMATIC DESPATGH TUBE APPARATUS.

APPLICATION FILED AUG. 25. 1904.

N0 MODEL;

3 SHEETS-SHBBT 1.

No. 777,723. PATENTED DEC 20, 1904,

E. A. FORDYGE.

PNEUMATIC DESPATGH TUBE APPARATUS.

AIPLIQATION FILED AUG. 25. 1904.

N0 MODEL. s SHEETS-SHEET z.

I Al fJ/AJQQ )7 No. 777.723; PATENTED DEC. 20, 1904.

E. A, PORDYGE.

PNEUMATIC DESPATGH TUBE APPARATUS.

APPLICATION FILED AUG. 25 1904 NO MODEL.

3 SHEETS-SHEET 3.

UNITED STATES Patented December 20, 1904.

PATENT OEEIcE.

EDMOND A. FORDYCE,-OF BOSTON, MASSACHUSETTS, ASSIGN OR, BY MESNE ASSIGNMENTS, TO LAMSON CONSOLIDATED STORE SERVICE COMPANY, OF NEWARK, NEW JERSEY, A CORPORATION OF NEW JERSEY.

PNEUMATIC-DESPATCH-TUBE APPARATUS- SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 777,723, dated December 20, 1904.

Application filed August 25. 1904- Serial No. 222,087.

To a whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, EDMOND A. FoRDYcn, of Boston, in the county of Suffolk and State of Massachusetts, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Pneumatic-Despatch- Tube Apparatus, of which the following is a specification.

My invention relates to improvements in pneumatic-despatch-tube apparatus; and its IO object is to devise an apparatus on the vacuum principle which is economical and elfective and through which no air passes when the apparatus is not in use.

My invention consists inwcertain novel fea- 5 tures hereinafter described, and particularly pointed out in the claims.

In the accompanying drawings, which illustrate a construction embodying my invention, Figure l is a side elevation, partly in section,

with parts in their normal positions and not in use. Fig. 2 is a similar view showing the position of the parts after a carrier has been introduced for transit to the central station from one of the substations. Fig. 3 is a simi- 5 ler View showing the position of the parts upon the introduction of a carrier at the central station for transit to a substation.

Like letters of reference refer to like parts throughout the several views.

3 A represents a transit-tube secured to one end in the terminal A at a substation and at the opposite end to the terminal A at the central station. At the terminal A the tube A is slotted atA and at the terminal A the tube A is provided with a series of slots C, which allow communication between the tube A and the terminal A A The upper end of the transmission-tube A at the substation is closed by the valve B, and its opposite end at 4 the central station is closed by the valve C, as shown. The terminal A is connected by the pipe D to the chamber E, and this chamber E communicates, by means of the tube E, with a suitable exhauster or pump. The upper end of the tube E is normally closed by the valve E pivoted at E and said valve is provided with the rigid arm E, to which is pivotally connected the rod E secured to the piston-rod F, working in the cylinder F The exhaust-tube E is connected to the up- 5 per part of the cylinder F by the pipe G and to the lower part of the cylinder F by the pipe G. This pipe G has a valve G the purposeof which will be hereinafter explained. At the substation there is located man offset B the valve B and pivoted therein at B and with its outer end closing the pipe H, which extends from the substation to the central station and is connected by the pipe H to the under side of the cylinder The end of the pipe H at the central station is closed by the valve J, which is suitably pivoted on the support J and has its inner end extending into the carrier transit-tube K.

With the parts in the position shown in Fig. 6 5 1, the exhaust from the cylinder through the pipes G and G being equal, the piston F drops by gravity to its lower position, as shown, and remains in this position when the apparatus is not in operation and in such po- 7 sition closes the valve E so that the exhaust does not take place through the transit-tubes, and at the same time there is a vacuum created in the pipes H and H through the pipe G, connected to the exhaust-tube E, which is connected to the exhauster, so that an exhaust is created in the pipes H H through the lower part of the cylinder F through the pipe G, into the pipe E, and thence to the exhauster. WVhen a carrier is to be sent from a substation to the central station, Fig. 2, the valve B is raised and the carrier (which is marked X) is introduced and in its descent strikes the inner end of the valve B which opens the upper end of the pipe H, which nor- 5 mally is under the vacuum by the pipes G and H. ith this valve open atmospheric pressure enters the pipe H and passes along the pipe and through the pipe H to the bottom of the cylinder F and raises the piston 9 F, and with it the valve E (see Fig. 2,) so that the exhaust-tube E is in communication, through the chamber E and. terminal A with the transit-tube A, terminal A, and transittube K, exhausting the air from in front of the carrier, which is driven by the atmospheric pressure behind it through the transittube A and striking the valve C opens the same and passes around the chute C and is discharged into a suitable receptacle. After the carrier has passed the valve B said valve closes the upper end of the pipe H, and thus cuts oif the atmospheric pressure from acting through the pipe H on the bottom of the piston F, and as the suction on the tube and bottom of said piston F through the pipes Gr and G is equal the piston F gradually drops from its upper position (shown in Fig. 2) to the lower position, (shown in Fig. 1,) and in returning to its lower position it closes the valve E, which when closed cuts off the exhaust through the transit-tube A and the parts as sume their normal position. (Shown in Fig. 1.) By this arrangement no air passes through the transit-tube except when a carrier is in transit from a substation to the central station. The pipe G is provided with a valve G for the purpose of regulating the descent of the piston F, and in short lines this valve would be wide open, so that the piston F would drop quickly, while in long lines the valve Gr would be nearly closed, so that the fall of the piston F would be slow in both cases, allowing for the discharge of a carrier before the valve E is closed and the vacuum cut off.

When a carrier is to be sent from the central station to a substation, it is inserted into the top of the tube K with the parts in the position shown in Fig. 1 and, descending, strikes the inner end of the valve J, Fig. 3, which opens the pipe H to atmospheric pressure, which passes down through the pipe H and through the pipe H into the cylinder F and the piston F being in the position shown in Fig. 1, with the vacuum on both sides equal, the said atmospheric pressure forces the piston F into the position shown in Fig. 3, thereby opening the valve E in the position shown in Fig. 2 in the manner previously described, and the exhauster connected to the tube E draws the air through the tube E, terminal A transit-tube A and its slots A terminal A, and pipe K through its slots A, and the atmospheric pressure behind the carrier forces it through the pipe K and open ing the valve K passes to the chute K and from said chute to a suitable receptacle. The operation in both directions is identical, and no air is drawn through either tube except when a carrier is in transit, and, further, these tubes are entirely independent both in forwarding and returning. When a carrier or carriers are in transit through the tubes, a carrier or carriers can also be in transit through the tube K and allwill be delivered, as the piston F will not drop to the bottom of the cylinder F until the last carrier has been discharged, the reason being that the valve E opens every time a carrier is introduced into either the tube A or the tube K. Consequently the atmospheric pressure entering keeps the piston F up to the top of the cylinder F until the introduction of carriers is stopped, when said piston F drops to its normal position in the cylinder F The valves B and J are counter-weighted, so that their outer ends normally close the upper openings of the pipe H.

I do not limit myself to the arrangement and construction shown, as the same may be varied without departing from the spirit of m invention.

Having thus described the nature of my invention and set forth a construction embody-v ing the same, what I claim as new, and desire to secure by Letters Patent of the United States, is

1. In an apparatus of the character described, a transit-tube through which carriers are transmitted, an air-valve controlling the passage of air through said tube and normally closed, an exhaust-tube, mechanism under the control of said exhaust-tube for operating said valve and mechanism operated by the insertion of a carrier into said tube for opening said air-valve and allowing a passage of air through said tube for driving carriers.

2. In an apparatus of the character described, a transit-tube through which carriers are transmitted, an air-valve controlling the passage of airthrough said tube and normally closed, an exhaust-tube, mechanism under the control of said exhaust-tube and normally holding said air-valve closed, and mechanism operated by the insertion of a carrier for opening said air-valve to allow a passage of air through said transit-tube.

3. In an apparatus of the character described, a transit-tube through which carriers are transmitted, an air-valve controlling the passage of air through said tube and normally closed, an exhaust-tube, mechanism under the control of said exhaust-tube for operating said valve, mechanism operated by the carrier upon its insertion into the transit-tube for opening said air-valve, and mechanism for closing said air-valve after the insertion of the carrier.

4. In an apparatus of the character described, a transit-tube through which carriers are transmitted, an air-valve for controlling the passage of air through said transit-tube and normally closed, an exhaust-tube, communication between said exhaust-tube and said transit-tube and normally closed by said valve, a cylinder, a piston in said cylinder, connections between said cylinder and said exhaust-tube on opposite sides of said piston to normally maintain an equal vacuum on each side of said piston, connections between said piston and said air-valve, a controlling-pipe normally in communication with said exhausttube throughsaid cylinder, a valve for closing the open end of said tube and adapted to be opened by the insertion of a carrier to al low the entrance of atmospheric pressure into said cylinder through said controlling-pipe IIO for operating said piston to open said air- Valve to cause the passage of air through said transittube for the transmission of carriers.

5. In an apparatus of the character described, a transittube through which carriers are transmitted, an air-valve for controlling the passage of air through said transit-tube and normally closed, an exhaust-tube, mechanism under the control of said exhaust-tube and normally holding said air-valve closed, and means for admitting atmospheric pressure to said mechanism to open said air-valve upon the insertion of a carrier into said transittube to allow a passage of air through said transit-tube for the transmission of carriers.

6. In an apparatus of the character described, a transit-tube through which carriers are transmitted, an air-valve for controlling the passage of air through said transit-tube and normally closed, an exhaust-tube, mechanism under the control of said exhaust-tube and normally holding said air-valve closed, means for admitting atmospheric pressure to said mechanism to open said air-valve upon the insertion of a carrier into said transittube to allow a passage of air through said transittube for the transmission of carriers, and means for regulating the closing of said air-valve.

7 In an apparatus of the character described, a transittube through which carriers are transmitted, an air-valve controlling the passage of air through said tube and normally closed, an exhaust-tube, mechanism under the control of said exhaust-tube for operating said valve,mechanism operated by the carrier upon its insertion into the transittube for opening said air-valve, mechanism for closing said air- Valve after the insertion of the carrier, and means for regulating the closing of said airvalve.

8. In an apparatus of the character clescribed, transit-tubes through which carriers are transmitted in opposite directions, an airvalve controlling the passage of air through said transit-tubes and normally closed, an exhaust-tube in communication with both of said transit-tubes, mechanism under the control of said exhaust-tube and normally holding said air-valve closed, and means for admitting atmospheric pressure to said mechanism to open said air-valve upon the insertion of a carrier into said transit-tube to allow a passage of air through said transit-tubes for the transmission of carriers.

9. In an apparatus of the character described, transit-tubes through which carriers are transmitted in opposite directions, an airvalve controlling the passage of air through said transit-tubes and normally closed, an exhaust-tube in communication with both of said transit-tubes, mechanism under the control of said exhaust-tube and normally holding said air-valve closed, and means operated by a carrier inserted into either of said transit-tubes for admitting atmospheric pressure to said mechanism to open said air-valve upon the insertion of a carrier into said transit-tube to allow a passage of air through said transittubes for the transmission of carriers.

10. In an apparatus of the character described, a transittube through which carriers are transmitted, an air-valve controlling the passage of air through said tube and normally closed, an exhaust-tube, and mechanism under the control of said exhaust-tube for opening said valve and allowing the passage of air through said transit-tube for the transmission of carriers.

11. In an apparatus of the character described, a transittube through which carriers are transmitted, an air-valve controlling the passage of air through said tube and normally closed, an exhaust-tube, and mechanism under the control of said exhaust-tube for automatically opening said valve and allowing the passage of air through said transit-tube for the transmission of carriers.

12. In an apparatus of the character described, a transit-tube through which the carriers are transmitted, an air-valve controlling the passage of air through said tube and normally closed, an exhaust-tube, and mechanism under the control of said exhaust-tube for automatically opening said valve and allowing the passage of air through said transittube for the transmission of carriers, and for automatically moving said air-valve into its closed position after the insertion of a carrier.

13. In an apparatus of the character described, a transit-tube through which carriers are transmitted, an air-valve controlling the passage of air through said tube and normally closed, an exhaust-tube, mechanism-under the control of said exhaust-tube and operated by a carrier inserted into said tube for automatically opening said valve and allowing the passage of air through said transittube for the transmission of carriers.

14:. In an apparatus of the character described, a transit-tube through which carriers are transmitted, an air-valve controlling the passage of air through said tube and normally closed, an exhaust-tube under the control of said air-valve, mechanism under the control of said exhaust-tube and normally holding said air-valve closed, and means for admitting atmospheric pressure to said mechanism to open said air-valve to allow the passage of air through said transit-tube for the transmission of carriers.

16. In an apparatus of the character de scribed, a transit-tube through which carriers are transmitted, an air-valve controlling the passage of air through said tube and normally closed, an exhaust-tube under the control of said air-valve, mechanism under the control of said exhaust-tube and normally holding said air-valve closed, and means for admitting atmospheric pressure to said mechanism to open said air-valve to allow the passage of air through said transit-tube for the transmission of carriers and adapted to cut ofi" atmospheric pressure from said mechanism to allow said mechanism to close said air-valve.

17. In an apparatus of the character described, a transit-tube through which carriers are transmitted, an air-valve controlling the passage of air through said tube and normally closed, an exhaust-tube under the control of said air-valve, mechanism under the control of said exhaust-tube and normally holding said air-valve closed, and means for admitting atmospheric pressure to said mechanism to automatically open said air-valve to allow the passage of air through said transit-tube for the transmission of carriers and adapted to cut off atmospheric pressure from said mechanism to allow said mechanism to close said airvalve automatically.

In testimony whereof Ihave signed my name to this specification, in the presence of two subscribing witnesses, this 23d day of August,

EDMOND A. FORDYCE. Witnesses:

A. L. MEssER, A. R. LARRABEE.

Images