Patent ID: 8565915
Filing Date: 2013-10-22
Classification: B65G,G06Q

Abstract:
1. A method for use in purging a pneumatic carrier system where the pneumatic carrier system includes a plurality of user stations, pneumatic tubes and transfer devices, comprising: receiving, at a pneumatic carrier system controller, a pneumatic carrier system recovery request for recovering carriers remaining in the pneumatic carrier system after a shut-down of the pneumatic carrier system; accessing an electronic database to retrieve unresolved carrier transaction records stored on a computer readable storage medium to identify one or more carriers stranded in the pneumatic carrier system after said shut-down; for at least one unresolved carrier transaction record, operating said system controller to: identify, from said at least one unresolved transaction record, system component transaction information identifying a last system component recorded as having contacted a carrier associated with said unresolved transaction record; based on said system component transaction information, determine a segment of said pneumatic carrier system putatively containing the carrier associated with said unresolved transaction record; and generating an airflow between the last system component and through said segment to confirm the presence or absence of said pneumatic carrier.