Improvements in Apparatus for Conveying Letters and the like from One Floor of a Building to Another.
Year: 1891

page_text: Date of Application, 6th June, 1891
Complete Specification Left, 7th Mar., 1892-Accepted, 7th May, 1892
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in Apparatus for Conveying Letters and the like from
One Floor of a Building to Another.
I, JULES GOLAZ-SENAC, of 11 Rue Levrier Geneva, in the Republic of
Switzerland Merchant do hereby declare the nature of this invention to be as
follows:-
The invention consists of an apparatus which is intended to convey letters or
parcels placed in a suitable box on the ground floor by the postman, to the different
floors or stories of a house.
The apparatus is composed essentially of a box suspended by a chain passing on
rollers and provided at its other end with a tank or receptacle which acts as a
counter-weight or balance when filled with water.
The box is provided with as many compartments as there are letter-boxes in the
house one box arranged on each floor and each of these compartments has an
opening corresponding with the slots of a closed chamber when the box is in its
lowest position. Each of the compartments of the said box are furthermore
provided with an opening closed by a flap or door fixed by means of a spring-
lever.
The door of the chamber or the doors which cover the openings in the same are
electrically connected with a suitable battery and with an electro-magnet in order
to automatically open a valve having an arm hook engaging with a lever acted upon
by the said electro-magnet a counter-weight and an arm acted upon by a pin on
one of the aforesaid rollers. The valve however may be acted upon by any means
whatever from the ground floor, so as to allow the water to flow from a suitable
tank through a pipe into the said balancing tauk. As soon as the latter is
heavy enough it moves downward lifting the box with the letters or the like
contained therein. By this means the roller is revolved and its pin depresses
the arm. and causes the other arm to engage with the hook and thus shut the
valve.
During the upward movement of the letter the spring levers on the same are
successively acted upon by suitable catches so as to open the doors when the letter
box arrives in front of the openings of the boxes on each separate floor.
When the letter box has moved up to its highest position the balancing tank
will have reached the bottom of the tube or shaft in which it works and its valve
is opened by striking upon a cross piece and the water is thereby allowed to escape
and the box to descend. Before reaching the ground floor the said letter box has
its doors shut by striking a rolling catch.
An eccentric disc is connected to one of the rollers in such a manner as to make
one revolution during one stroke.of the, apparatus, the said disc being acted upon
by means of a spring-brake. The latter does not bear upon the eccentric when
the apparatus is about to move but it acts as a brake during the up-and-down
motion of the said box.
Dated this 6th day of July 1891.
HASELTINE, LAKE & Co.,
45, Southampton Buildings, London, W.C., Agents for the Applicant.

page_text: COMPLETE SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in Apparatus for Conveying Letters and the like from
One Floor of a Building to Another.
I, JULES GOLAZ-SENAC, of 11 Rue Levrier Geneva in the Republic of
Switzerland, Merchant do hereby declare the nature of this invention and in what
manner the same is to be performed to be particularly described and ascertained in
and by the following statement:-
The invention consists of an apparatus which is intended to convey letters or
parcels placed in a suitable box on the ground floor by the postman to the different
floors or stories of a house.
In the accompanying drawing
:-
1
Figure 1 is a vertical section of the improved apparatus showing the box at the
bottom of the building.
Figure 2 is a similar view showing the box at the top of the building and
Figures 3 and 4 show details of the spring brake.
4
A is the tube or shaft for the letter box, B the tube or shaft for the weight,
C is the box suspended by a chain C passing over rollers J and K and provided at
its other end with a tank or receptacle D which acts as a counter weight or balance
when filled with water.
The box C is provided with as many compartments as there are letter boxes F
in the house one box being arranged on each floor and each of these compart-
ments has an opening c¹ corresponding with the slots a of a closed chamber E
when the box C is in its lowest position. Each of the compartments of the
said box Care furthermore provided with an opening closed by a flap or
door d fixed by means of a spring lever e.
The door of the chamber E or the doors which cover the openings a in the
same are electrically connected with a suitable battery and with an electro-magnet G
in order to automatically open a vale H having an arm * engaging with a lever g
acted upon by the said electro-magnet G a counter-weight and an arm " acted
upon by a pin on one of the aforesaid rollers J. The valve H however may be
acted upon by any other suitable means from the ground-floor, so as to allow the
water to flow from a suitable tank through a pipe I into the said balancing tank D.
As soon as the latter is heavy enough it moves downward, lifting the box C with
the letters or the like contained therein. By this means the roller J is revolved
and its pinj depresses the arm and causes the other arm * to engage with the
hook 9. and thus shut the valve H.
During the upward movement of the letter box C the spring levers e on the same
are successively acted upon by suitable catches el ell so as to open the doors d when
the letter box arrives in front of the openings of the boxes F on each separate
floor Figure 2.
When the letter box C has moved up to its highest position the balancing
tank D will have reached the bottom of the tube or shaft B in which it works and
its valve is opened by striking upon a cross piece * and the water is thereby
allowed to escape and the box C to descend. Before reaching the ground-floor the
said letter box has its doors d shut by striking a rolling catch P.
M is an eccentric disc connected to one of the rollers J in such a manner as to
make one revolution during one stroke of the apparatus the said disc being acted
upon by means of a spring-brake R. The latter does not bear upon the eccentric M
when the apparatus is about to move but it acts as a brake during the up-and-down
motion of the said box C.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of the said inven-
tion and in what manner the same is to be performed I declare that what I
claim is :-
First. The herein described apparatus for conveying letters and the like from

page_text: one floor of a building to another, consisting of a movable letter box suspended
by a chain or the like in a tube or shaft, the opposite end of the said chain or
the like having attached thereto a tank or receptacle acting as a counterweight,
means for automatically elevating the letter box and depositing the letters or
parcels contained therein into boxes or receptacles on the respective floors and for
returning the said letter box to its original position as soon as all the letters have
been delivered therefrom.
Second. The improved apparatus for conveying letters and the like from one
floor of a building to another constructed arranged and operating substantially as
hereinbefore described and illustrated in the drawings.
Dated this 7th day of March 1892.
HASELTINE, LAKE & Co..
45, Southampton Buildings, London, W.C., Agents for the Applicant.