US854866A - Mail-chute. - Google Patents

Description

No. 854,866. PATENTED MAY 28, 1907.

W. ASHLEY.

, MAIL GHUTE.

APPLICATION FILED D20. 23. 1905.

' 2 SHEETS-SHEET 1.

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Mozmu No. 854,866. PATENTED MAY28, 1907.

R. w. ASHLEY.

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m; w mwam A i... ILLM ROBERT W. ASHLEY,

.ATE'E OF NEW YORK, N. Y.

.MAlL-CHUTE.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented-*May 28, 1907.

Application filed Deceinber 2s, 1905. Serial No. 293.084.

To m7] whom "H vim/y concern:

Be it known that l, ltonnntr W. AsnLnY, a 3 citizen of the United States, residing in the borough ol"i\'lanl1att:u1, city, county, and

State of'New York, have invented. certain new and useful llnprovenients in tllail 1 hutes, of which the following is a specdma- 1 lion.

My inventionrelates to inn roven1cnts in mail chutes of that class adapted for use in ollicc buildings, hotels and other large buildlugs and has particular reference to means 'l'or looking or unlocking the slots connnunicating with said mail chute on the several floors ol. the office or othenbuilding in which the same is installed. It has been found desirable in practice to provide means oi this desc iption because of the occasional blocking of the chute at one or more places necessitating the temporarydiscontinuance of service of the same. v

Aiurther object of the invention is to providc means for controlling said lock ing or unlocking of all orany desired number ol said slots from 'a common point in connection with means for-indicating at said common point the locked or unlocked coi'idition. of the respective slots.

Other objects of the invention will be pointed out hereinafter. 7

In the following I have described in con-- nection with the acconmanying drawings one form of structure illustrating the operation of my invention, the features thereof being more particularly pointed out hereinafter in the claims. I In the drawings Figure. 1 is a diagrammatic view illustrating the operation of one form of my invention as the same may be applied to a seven story building. I F 1g. 2 is a vertical sectional view of a portlon of the structure on an view on an enlarged scale to better illustrate certain operative features. partlyin section and partly in elevation illustrating a preferred form of switch and indicator means. Fig. 5 is a plan view of-a slot showing, in dotted lines, certain operating means in connection therewith.

Similar numerals of reference indicate similar parts throughout the several views. 7

1 indicates a side wall to which is fastei'icd a chute or chute sections 2. As illustrated,-

the-ohuto section of one floor tapers downwardly to the chute section ol the floor below discharging into said lower section in the well Fig. 3 is a vertical sectional Fig. 4 a View ally in Fig. 1 the chute sections are broken for convenience of illustration. The upper end of each chute section is closed by means of a plate 3 in which is formed the mailing lot 4. Plate 3 is provided with a downwardly projecting portion 5 and an upwardly projecting portion 6 the downwardly projecting portion 5 being adapted to surround the upper portidn of one chute section and the upwardly projecting portion. 6 being adapted to surround the lower portion of the chute section next above, the portions 5 and 6 forming clamping collar adapted to hold the ad jaccnt chute sections together and to be fastened to the wall by suitable screws or bolts 7,7. Preferably integral with upwardly pro jecting portion 6 is a downwardly projecting portion orlug 8 for the purposes hereinafter set forth. Lugs 9, 9 and 10, 10am provided near the upper end of downwardly projecting portion 5 at each end of the slot 4., the lugs 9, 9 being-in front of said slot and lugs 10, 10 being-at the rear of said slot for the purpose hereinafterdescribed. Solenoid magnets 1] 11 are adapted to be supported on the down 'wardly projecting portion or lug 8 at each side and to the rear of slot 4. Supported by solenoid magnets 11 in front of the same, but insulated tlierel'roin, are solenoid magnets 12.12. i

Solenoid cores 13 are each provided with an army 14, said arms 14. carrying at their 11; per ends a closing or looking apron 15 adapt ed to slide on the lugs 9, 9 and 10, 10. acting asguide ways for said apron. Arms l also l known manner. As 'shown diagrammaticelectrical contact with contact points 17 and 18 forming the terminals of wires 19 andZO respectively. Wire 19 is wound about solenoid. magnets 11 and wire 20 is wound about solenoid magnets 12, the wires. being so Wound on the magnetsthat magnets'll. act to throw the cores forward and magnets 12 act to throw the cores backward. a

It is to be understood that contact fingers 1 16 and contact points '17 and 18 are in duplil cate on each side of the slot 4 and that the l wires 19 and 20 are divided or branched so as to energize both sets of solenoid magnets as described, so that the' same operate in unison. Return wire 21 isin permanent electric connection. withcontact finger 16. I

Wires 19 are in electrical connection with cm'itacts 22 onthe switchboard 23 provided with switches 24 and lamps 25 and 26'.

carry contact fingers 16 adapted to-inake communication is closed.

Lamps 26 are each in a shunt circuit 27 from wires 19 around the coi'itact points '22 and switches 24. 28 indicate resistances in shunt circuits 2?. Wire 29 connects contacts 350 with one side of the generator 31. l/Vircs are in electrical connection. with contacts 32 lamps are arch in a shunt 33 from wires 20 around said contacts 32 and switches 2a. 34 indicate resistances in sluintcircuits 33. Return Wire 21 connects contact finger 16 with the other side of gencratorijl. 35 indicates a switch for, completing the circuit between the two sides of generator 31 through contacts 36 and 37.

The operation of the structure as illustrated is as follows: It being dcsiredto close any one of slots 4 the switch 35 is closed across contacts 36 and 37 and that switch 24: corresponding to the slot i which it is desired to close is thrown so as to, complete connection from wire 20 to Wire 29 through contacts and 32. 'The solenoid cores 13 being in the retracted position in solenoid magnets 11- contact lingers 16 rest upon contacts 18 thus completing the circuit and causing the solenoid magnets 11 to act as push magnets and throw the cores forward so as to cause the apron to pass beneath and close the slot 4'. Contact fingers 16 will now rest on contact points 1'7 completing the circpit including wire 19, res stance 28, shunt 217 lain 9 26 and wire 29 back to the generator. Tl that while it permits sullicient current to pass through the shunt to light the lamp it cuts out suflicient of the current so that solenoid magnets 12 are not sul'l'icicntly eneigized to throw solenoid cores 13 back again. The lamp 26 now being lighted will indicate that the particular slot with which it is in 11' it is desired to reopen the slot after the same has been closedv switch 24. is reversed so to close the circuitironi contact 22 to contact 30. This Will provide a path of resistance for the current than through shunt 27 and resistancefZS, and hence permit solenoid magnets 12 to he energized. sullicicntly to push back solenoid cores 13carrying apron 15. (Tontact lingers 16 will now rest on contact points 18 completing the circuit including wire 20, resistance 34, shunt 33, lamp 25 and wire 29 to the generator 31 thus causing'lamp-QS to be lighted and indicating that the particular slot with which it is connected .is open. The arrangement of resistances in connection with shunts 34; is heretofore described in connection with shunts 27 so as to permit sullicient current topass therethrough to light lamp 25, but not sul'licient to so cner-- gizc solenoid magnets 11 as to throw out .oleuoid cores 13. l i

It is obvious that switches, 24. may be ac tun ted to operate-any one or all or any coinon said switchboard .23 and 1e resistance 28 is of such strengthhinalion of slots and that the operation as described will apply equally for all of the parts illustrated.

it is further obvious that by lllo moans disclosed uu automatic mcthod ol closing the slots is provided controllable from anyprcdetermined common point and in any combinationwithout the necessity of going to each llooi and closing each slot individually as has hitherto hem] the case. I

it is further oliyious that the arrangmuout of' apparatus illu .rated may be widely varied'and that other than electrical means of. the character described may be utilized to actuate the parts and to accomplish the result desired, and 1 do not restrict myself to the anangcment oi parts and details shown and described, said arrange]ncnt living merely illustrative of one means of carrying out my invention.

What 1 claim and desire to secure by Lettcrs Patent olf the United States is1-- 1 ,An ap].)ai.'atus of the character described comprising a mail chute, a plurality of mail ing slots therein, means for automatically closing said slots, mcahs for actuating said closing moans, means for indicating the position thcrcol' and means for automatically opening said closing means 2. An. apparatus of the character describedv comprisii'ig a mail chute, a plurality ol mailing slots therein, means lor automatically closing said slots, means for actuating said closing means, means for indicating tho position thereof and means for automatically 'opcningsaidclosingmmmsdissimuhanoously.

3. An apparatus of tho charactci' dcscrilied comprising a mail chute, a plurality of mailing slots therein, mcaus l'or autouuitically closing said slots, means for actuating said closing moans, means for indicating the position thereof, a/iid moans l'orauto]imtically opening said closingmeans in sequence.

4-. An apparatus oi the chaructcr described including a mail cl ate, a mailing slot therein, means for closing said slot. electrically controlled means for actuating said closing means and electrically ctnitrolled means For indicating the position of said closing means.

5. in an appamtusof thecharacter dcscribcd including a mail chute, a mailing slot therein, electrically controlled closing moans interposed in. said mailing slot portion, cloctrically con t-rollmhopcning means int orposcd in saidmailing slot portion and means l'or actuating said closingnnd opening means.

6. 111 1111 zu paraius of the character dctherein .closin and ooenin means interb i h 4 posed in said mailing slot portion said closing and openingnncans Comprising two sets ol oppositely operating solenoid magnets.

i 7. In an apparatus ol' the chmacter dcscrihcd including a mail chute, a mailing slot thcrein, closing and opening means interscrihed including a mail chute, a mailing slot posed in'said inailing slot portion,- two sets of oppositelyoperating solenoid magnets inter-.

posed therein and means for actuating said oppositely operating solenoid magnets.

:57 In an apparatus of the character desoribed'inc-luding a mail chute, a mailing slot therein, closing and opening means interposed in said mailing slot portion, two sets of oppov;

sitely operating solenoid magnets lnterposed therein, means for actuating said opposltely operating solenoid magnets, and, means for indicating the position of said solenoidnnagnets.

t). An ap mratus of the character described including it mail chute, a plurality of mail reception apertures therein and means for nutormltlcnlly closing Send mail receptlon apertures dissimultaneously' from one or a commonpointi 10. An tipperatus of the'fcharecter, clescripedincluding esmail chute, a plurality of mail reception apertures therein, means for closing said mail reception apertures dis-/ simultaneously from one or a common omt andmeans for indicating, the position 0 closing means at said c'ominon' point.

In witness whereofl have hereunto signed my name in the presence of two subscribing

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