US924351A - Delivery-chute. - Google Patents

Description

G. A. HIT'GHGOGL- DELIVERY GHUTE.

APPLICATION FILED NOV.24,190B.

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A TTORNEY,

WITNESSES:

G. A. HITGHGOOK. v DELIVERY dHUTB. I APPLIOA'I'IOF FILED NOV. 24.1908. 924,351 Patented June 8, 1909.

2 SPIRITS-SHEET 2'.

WITNESSES.-

[.VVENTOR.

ATTORNEY.

GEORGE A. HITCHGOCK, OF WARE, MASSACHUSETTS DELIVERY-CHUTE.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented June 8, 1909.

Application filed November 24, 1908. Serial No. 464,255.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, GEORGE A. HrroH- COOK, a citizen of the United States of America, residing at Ware, in the county of Hampshire and State of Massachusetts, have invented new and useful Improvements in Delivery-Chutes, of which the following is a specification.

This invention relates to improvements in store service apparatus, particularly to that used inv grocery stores, and the object of the invention is to provide convenient means for delivering different kinds of goods. to a central point in the distributing .or delivery part of the store, as for example where the goods or merchandise are stored in bulk on one floor of a building and it is desired to deliver the same inpackage or sack form, or canned goods, to the delivery order counter on'another floor below the store-room.

The invention broadly consists in providing chutes inclined at a suitable angle to the horizontal and extending from the wrapping or assembling counter to-the delivery or 'or der counter, the lo'weriend of the same being provided with a suitable stop device for retaining the packages in place in the chute, and at the same time permitting the lowermost package to be conveniently removed from the chute by the operator.

The simplest form of stop in my device is a fixed or immovable one, other forms being provided as will be described in the body of the specification, for accomplishing the same results.

By employing a plurality of chutes, I am enabled to arrange for temporary storage, packages of merchandise of different materials, as salt, bea'ns, canned goods, sugar, etc., the chutes being refilled as the demands of trade require, from time to time.

In the drawings forming. part of this application, Figure 1 is a structure showing a retarding device located near the lower end of the chute in addition to the fixed stop. Fig. 2 is a modification of the retarding device and shows additional means for permitting the delivery of a single package from the chute, and at the same time retaining the others in position in the'chute against movement. Fig. 3 is a further modification showing the means for ermitting the discharge of the lowermost pac age and at the same time holding back against movement the remaining packages, this form being designed for use Where the end of the chute is out of the reach of the operator. Fig. 4 is a modification for placing a frictional drag or retardation on several of the ackages at one time, this form being used W ere it is'de sirable to have a chute that is inclined its entire length, and Fig. 5 is an end view of the outlet end of Fig. 4.

Referring to the drawings in detail the structure shown in Fig. 1 of the drawings in which the chute h is arranged in an inclined position from end to end, that is from the assembling counter g to the ordering and distributing counter f. The packages therein are indicated by i. lhischute is provided with a fixed stop 1, and in addition a retarding device is employed which consists of a 'ece of flexible material is, as canvas or eather, that is attached by its upper end to the upper wall of the chute, its lower end having connected thereto. a pull-cord m that extends through eyelets 0.

p designates suitable weights that are attached to the flexible element is and serve to exert a downward pressure on several of the packages at one time. These weights and the canvas thus ro'vide a frictional resistance or drag against the downward movement of the column of the packages above, but when it is desired to remove the lowermost package, as indicated at g, it is only necessary to disengage the same from the stop and lift the package through the opening a ove the stop and the roof of the chute, and thenby pulling the cord m, the frictional drag of the weights may be removed from the lower end of the column, when the succeeding package will be moved by the force of gravity downward against the stop 9'. By employing this frictional drag or retarding device the lowermost. ackage is prevented from being injured by t e Weight of the otherpackages above.

In the construction shown in Figs. 2 and 5, in which another form of retarding device is em 'loyed for holding back the column of pac ages, and yet permitting the easy removal of the lowermost package, 1* des1g nates a rotatable rod longitudinally arran ed in the upper portion of the chute in suita 1e retaining devices, as shown at s, WhlCll may be termed the bearing boxes, the upper end of the rod being rovided with a finger or offset portion t, w ich normally rests upon a strip or boarda that 1s hinged at one end to the u per portion of the chute, as shown at 'v. The lower end of the rod 1- is provided V with a depending arm :1: on which is mounted a roller 0 Attached to the lower end of the l arm at is the cord 2 which passes over a second roller 2. 3 designates a sto extending transversely across the end of t e chute but high enough from the bottom to permit a package to'pass thereunder. The 0 eration of this form of my invention is as fo lows: When the cord 2 is pulled downward, the roller y is withdrawn away from the lowermost package, the stop 3 preventing the roller 3 from lifting the package upward; at the same time the finger t forces the strip or board it downward against the package immediately above the lower one, as indicated at 4., thus holding the column of packages against downward movement. U on releasing the downward pull on the cor z the action of the retarding device is withdrawn permitting the column of ackages to slide downward against the rol er y, it being understood that when the roller y moves out of the ath of the package, the same will readily fall onto the counter g or other suitable receiving device, or it can be taken fromthe chute by the operator.

Referring to the construction shown in Fig. 3, for retarding the downward movement of the packages, when it is desired to remove the lowermost one: 5 designates a right angle element that is hinged'at its u per end to a second element 6 by means 0 a spring-hinge 7 which normally holds the elements 5 and 6 in a straight line. The upper end of the element 6 is pivotally connected at 8 to a board or rod 9 which, in turn, is pivoted to the upper portion'of the chute at 10. A cord 11 passes over a pulley or other antifriction devlce. having one end attached to the part 5 and its other end depending in front or over the counter g or extending to any other convenient point as occasion may require, so that when the lower end 13 of the cord is pulled downward the depending portion 14 will be lifted to the dotted line osition 15 permitting the package 16 to fal out from the lower end of the chute, and at the same time forcing the rod 9 and the upper end of the element 6, by reason of the springhinge '7, into contact with the upper surface of the succeeding package 17, and temporarily holding the column backward against downward movement. As soon as the pull on the cord 1 1 is released, the spring-hinge 7 will snap or move the parts 5, 6, and 9 back to the full line position which will remove'the retarding effect and allow the'column to slide downward against the depending element 14. This modification is desi ned to be used where the end of the chute 1s out of the reach of the operator.

Referring to the modification shown in Fig. 4, in which a retarding device is employed: 21 designates a rod or bar extending over the tops of several packages and is pivotally connected to a series of links 22 which are, in turn, pivotally connected to the roof of the chute at 23. Attached to the lower end of the rod or bar 21 is a wire or cord 24 which extends through an eye 25, the lower end of the same being within easy reach of the operator. The 0 eration of this device'acts normally to hold Back the downward movement of the packages but at the same time permits the operator to remove the lowermost ackage from the chute. A stop 26 is provi ed, as in the other forms, for checking the downward movement of the ackages. WVhen the cord 24 is pulled, the Frictional drag of the bar 21 is removed, or mitting the column of packages to s ide downward against the stop 26. The bar, like the rod 18, may extend the entire length of the chute and be operable from the upper as well as the lower end.

It is to be particularly understood that I do not limit myself to the employment of my invention in grocery stores, ut the same is readily adapted for widely different uses, and for different kinds of merchandise, nor do I limit myself to the particular form in cross section of my chutes, as the same may be made in shapes other than rectangular.

What I claim, is

1. A package delivering and storage device comprising a chute arranged in an inclined position, the same being provided with means for retarding the movement of a column of packages, as described, said means including a frictional drag arranged in the roof ortion of the chute and operable from the elivery end of the chute.

2. In a delive' device for packages, the combination, wit a chute, a fixed sto element located at the" delivery end of the chute, and means located in the roof portion of the chute for simultaneously exerting a frictional drag on a column of packages.

GEORGE A. HITCHCOCK.

Witnesses: K. I. CLEMoNs,

H. W. BOWEN.

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