Improvements in Carriers for Pneumatic Tubes.
Year: 1899

page_text: Date of Application, 2nd May, 1899-Accepted, 15th July, 1899
COMPLETE SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in Carriers for Pneumatic Tubes.
I, BIRNEY CLARK BATCHELLER, of 1518. North 15th Street. Philadelphia, Penn-
sylvania, United States of America. Mechanical Engineer, 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:--
My invention relates to the construction of carriers for pneumatic tubes, having
for its object to provide a carrier of simple and efficient construction, and in which
particular provision is made, first, for the tight closing of the carrier so as to
exclude water: second, for an effective and secure attachment of an electrical
contact plate to the carrier: third. for the provision of a lid or door constructed
so as to form a tight joint with the carrier when closed and, at the same time,
to leave the charging end of the carrier unobstructed when opened; and, fourth,
1 aim to provide a simple and effective locking device for the lid of such character
as to insure the proper locking of the lid to the carrier body before it is inserted
in the tube.
The nature of my improvements will be best understood as described in con-
nection with the drawings in which they are illustrated, and, in which,
Figure 1 is a side sectional elevation of a carrier provided with my improve-
ments.
Figure 2 is a view of the lid end of the carrier showing the lid in and locked
to place.
Figure 3 is a view of the front end of the carrier.
Figure is an elevation, partly in section, of the socket piece used in con-
nection with the front end of the carrier.
Figure 5 is a similar sectional elevation taken at right angles to the section
shown in Fig. 4.
Figure 6 is a perspective view of the plate latching device used in connection
with the socket piece.
Figure 7 is a perspective view of the contact plate, and
Figure S is a cross sectional view taken as on the line r―r of Fig. 5.
A indicates the side walls of the carrier, which is conveniently made of sheet
metal. Bare the contact rings secured around the walls of the carriers. C
is a conical seat secured on the inside of the rear end of the carrier. As shown.
D) is a block secured by rivets to the walls of the carrier inside of the seat C and
serving to support the hinge E to which is attached a hinge bar El connected at
its outer end by another hinge E with the lid or cover indicated at F and which
is preferably made with outwardly flaring conical walls indicated at FI and
terminating in an outwardly turned flange F adapted to extend to the walls of
the carrier. F is an annular plate secured on the inside of the lid F and serving.
in connection with the flange F. to support and secure in place a packing ring G
which fits against the conical seat C of the carrier body. His a pivot pin secured
eccentrically to the lid F so as to turn therein and having attached to it, as shown.
an eccentric I which fits in a slot J' formed in the outer end of a plate which
[Price Sd.]

page_text: plate is pivoted at or near the centre of the lid on a pin K and has pivotally
attached to it at points L L etc., substantially equidistant from the pin K lock-
ing Bolts M M etc. which extend through the wall of the lid in which perform-
tions are formed for that purpose, into convenient corresponding recesses formed
in the seat C. is a handle, preferably formed of a spring plate, and secured
to the pin II, as shown, in such a way that when it is turned to a position in
which its outer end lies within the territory of the carrier, the bolts M will be
shot, and preferably the outer end of the handle sprung down so that it will lie
inside of the walls F of the lid.
It will be noticed that in this construction the double hinged connection of the
lid and carrier body is such as will enable the lid to be moved when opened so
as to leave the open end of the carrier unobstructed, and also that the double
hinging enables the lid to be inserted like a cork or plug into the end of the
carrier, fitting down snugly on the conical seat C and thus facilitating the making
of a water tight joint. During the opening and closing of the lid the handle 1
must be moved to a position which will, acting through the pin 11, eccentric !
and plate J, withdraw the bolts from locking engagement. In this position, the
handle H, being eccentrically pivoted to the lid, will extend out beyond the walls
of the carrier to such an extent as to offer an obstruction to the insertion of the
carrier in a pneumatic tube. It is necessary, therefore, not only to lock the
lid in place but to enable the carrier to be inserted in the tube, that the handle
should be moved to a position which will shoot the bolts and lock the lid and,
owing to the nature of the connection between the lid and the carrier, it is
obviously impracticable to move the handle to a position which would indicate
that the bolts are shot unless the bults are actually shot and home in the recesses.
provided for them in the conical seat.
At or
Turning next to the forward end of the carrier, N is a dish shaped plate secured
to the front end of the walls of the carrier in such a way as to form a tight joint
therewith, such joint being indicated at N', and at N the edge of the plate N
being represented as turned over the end of the walls of the carrier.
near the centre of the plate N I prefer to form a recess N³, as indicated, and for
my special construction form an opening, as indicated at ³, through the plate.
O is a socket piece threaded at its inner end and adapted to pass through the per-
foration and to be held therein, as by means of a nut (%. The socket piece is
formed with a recess and enlarged at its outer end, as indicated at 3, the
enlarged portion having a slot like passage 03 leading through its outlet face and
opening into an enlarged recess 0%, which may be of annular form, and below
which lies an elongated opening into which the opening leads as shown.
Pindicates the shank, so to speak, of a latch piece which is formed with a
is
slot and an elongated head transversely slotted, as indicated at P
a spring which is inserted in the opening of the socket piece and upon which
rests the shank P of the latch piece. 1 indicating a pin passing through the
socket piece and the slot 1 of the latch piece and serving to hold the latch
piece in position, as indicated in Figs. 4 and 5. against the thrust of the spring U.
S is a shauk attached to the underside of a contact plate S and provided at its
inner end with an elongated section S, Sindicating a longitudinal perforation
extending through the contact plate and shank, and preferably made of rectangular
form, as indicated. 07 indicates an annular metal plate secured on the portion
of the socket piece, as shown in Fig. 1, and which serves to support what I will
call the end pad of the carrier which, as shown, is made up of annular dises of
leather, as indicated at Q. Q' indicating rivets holding the outer end of these
dises together and Q rivets by which they are secured to the plate 07. Between
the pad and the plate N is a packing of elastic material, such as wood, indicated
at T. and N indicates a cap piece secured to the inside of the plate N and form-
ing a tight joint therewith.
It will be obvious that by the construction described the outer end of the
carrier is made elastic so as to yield to any shock to which it may be exposed by

page_text: impact, while at the same time the interior of the carrier is protected from the
entry of any water through the elastic head by the tight joint formed between
the plate and the walls of the carrier and the tight cap X extending over
the perforated centre of the plate N³.
What I have referred to as the contact plate is a device for making electrical
contact with devices used in connection with the pneumatic tube system, and
I contemplate the use of a series of contact plates of differing diameter each
adapted to make contact with electrical terminals arranged at different distances
from each other at different parts of the system, consequently it is necessary that
the carrier should be readily equipped with a contact plate corresponding to the
particular part of the system to which it is intended to be delivered and that
these plates should be readily interchangeable. This can readily be provided for
by making the plates St of varying diameter, but preferably I use the plate St
simply as a holder for the contact plate proper which is indicated at formed
with a central perforation for the passage of the shank S and with a recess as
indicated at R for the plate S. Where the plate S is used alone or with the
supplemental contact plate R it is obvious that it can be inserted in the socket
piece and that the end piece S2 will on insertion rest against the end piece 12 of
the latch lying transversely across the slot P. By pressing the plate S and its
attachments inward. the latch piece P, P, is also pressed inward and by turning
the plate S and its attachments the portion S will assume a position transverse
to the perforation 03 and he engaged by the slot in the latch piece and thus
securely held in position. In order to remove it it is necessary to insert a key
through the opening S pressing the latch down until its slot 1 is disengaged
from the portion 82 of the contact plate or contact plate locating device where-
upon said device may be turned into registry with the slot 0 and withdrawn.
While the particular latching device for contact plates which I have shown
and described is one at once simple and effective I believe I am the first to pro-
vide an automatic spring latch to engage and hold contact plates in position upon
the carrier and I do not therefore desire to be understood as limiting myself to
the particular mechanism shown except in those claims where its detailed con-
struction is specifically referred to.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of my said
invention and in what manner the same is to be performed. I declare that what
I claim is:
1. A carrier for pneumatic tubes having at its front end a spring actuated
latching device in combination with a contact plate adapted to be engaged and
locked on the front end of the carrier by said latching device.
2. A carrier for pneumatic tubes having at its front end a spring actuated
latching device in combination with a contact plate adapted to be engaged and
locked on the front end of the carrier by said latching device, and a key holo
leading to the latching device whereby a key can be inserted to unlock it.
3. A carrier for pneumatic tubes having at its front end an opening for the
insertion of the shank of a contact plate and a spring actuated latch adapted
to engage said shank in combination with a contact plate having a shank adapted
to enter said opening and engage said latch, and a key hole formed through it
whereby a key can be inserted to disengage the latch.
4. A carrier for pneumatic tubes having at its front end a socket, as () ()²,
having an elongated opening 0%, circular space 0 and spring chamber 04, in
combination with a latch P having a head 1" lying in space and slot P formed
in said head to lie transversely to the opening 03, and a spring arranged to press
said latch outward substantially as described and whereby a contract plate can
be engaged as specified.
5. A carrier for pneumatic tubes having at its front end a fixed plate N form-
ing a tight joint with the sides of the carrier and formed with a perforation n³.
in combination with a socket 002 extending through said perforation and

page_text: secured to the inside of the plates N as by nut 0%, an end pad Q secured to the
outer end of the socket, an elastic pudding T between the end pad and the
plate N. and a tight cap N' secured on the inside of the plate N as and for the
purpose specified.
6. A carrier for pneumatic tubes having a conical lid seat in combination with
a lid having a conical flange as F with outwardly extending packing retaining
flanges and an elastic packing ring situated on flange between flanges
a hinge bar as and hinges E. connecting said bar with the side of the
carrier and with the lid respectively.
7. lid for pneumatic carriers having a substantially central pivot, as K, in
combination with a plate pivoted thereon at one end and having a series of
holis M M etc., pivotally connected thereto and a slot as formed in the other
end of plate J. a pin H secured eccentrically to the lid so as to turn therein, au
recentric I secured on said pin so us to lie in and engage slot and a handle I'
secured to said pin H as described and so as to lie within the periphery of the
carrier only when turned to a position in which the bolts M M etc. are shot,
8. A lid for pneumatic carriers having outwardly extending walls F and a
substantially central pivot, as K. in combination with a plate 1 pivoted thereon
at one end and having a series of bolts MM. etc. pivotally connected thereto
and a slot as formed in the other end of said plate 4, n pin H secured eccen-
trically to the lid so as to turn therein, an eccentric I secured on said pin so
as to lie in and engage slot and a spring handle I secured to said pin I as
described and so as to lie within and below the periphery of the walls Fonly
when turned to a position to shoot the bolts M M etc.
pated this end day of May 1899,
EDWARDS AND Co..
Chartered Patent Agents and Engineers.
65 and 66, Chancery Lane, London, Agents for the Applicant.