Patent GB-1049568-A (GB)
Title: Improvements in disposal and like chute installations for multi-storey buildings
Inventor: ROBINSON GERALD
IPC: E04F17/12
Filed: 1963-12-06
Abstract: 1,049,568. Refuse shoots. BROADS MANUFACTURING CO. Ltd. Nov. 30, 1964 [Dec. 6, 1963], No. 48364/63. Heading A4A. [Also in Divisions E2 and H2] A shoot assembly for a multi-storey building, e.g. for the disposal of soiled linen in a hospital, comprises a shoot A, Fig. 1, provided with a feed unit C having a door 4 at each floor of the building the feed units being interconnected electrically so that opening of the door of any feed unit causes the other doors to be kept locked and indicator lamps on the locked doors to be lit. The shoot is formed from a plurality of pipe lengths connected by spigot and socket joints and made of stainless steel, galvanized steel, glazed stoneware or fibre glass. The lower end of the shoot has a trap door 2 which is normally closed but opens under its own weight by a linen bag passing a photo-electric eye. The door 2 is closed by an electric motor. Each feed unit C is set in the wall of the building and is connected to the shoot by a sloping member 3, a trap door 5 being provided in the bottom of each feed unit. Each door 4 is hinged to open 95 degrees, Fig. 4 (not shown); and has a handle 12 that operates a micro-switch 13, Fig. 2 (not shown). The trap door 5 is closed when the door 4 is open and vice versa. In operation if an operator wishes to use a feed unit the indicator lamp on the latter tells him if the shoot may be used or not. If the lamp is out the operator turns the handle 12 which lights up the indicator lamps on the doors of all the feed units C which are held locked. The trap door 5 of the feed unit being operated closes and is locked, the door 4 is unlocked and the indicator lamp goes out while the lamps on the other units remain on. When a linen bag is placed on the trap door 5 and the door 4 is manually closed the door 4 is locked and the trap door 5 is opened dropping the bag into the shoot A. The indicator lamp lights up informing the operator that the feed unit may be operated again within five seconds after which the system returns to its normal position to allow other feed units to be used. If the door 4 has been inadvertently left open it is closed by an electric motor 14 after fifteen seconds; the motor 14 is also used to operate the trap door 5. In a second embodiment, Figs. 6 to 8 (not shown), the trap doors 5 are omitted. Each feed unit door 104 is mounted on riser hinges and has a spring catch 216 for holding the door open, the catch being released by operation of a solenoid 217. The door is locked by a solenoid 218 coupled by linkage 218 to 221 to a locking member 222, Fig. 7 (not shown). The door 2 at the shoot bottom may be operated by a contact switch or a switch operated by the pressure wave preceding a linen bag descending the shoot or by impact of the bag itself. The interlocking mechanism may be dispensed with, indicating lights only be provided or vice versa. The feed unit doors may be pedal operated. The indicating lights may be duplicated or replaced by lights on a control board. The riser-hinges on the doors 104 may be replaced by spring-loading.