Improvements in Cash and Parcel Carriers.
Year: 1890

page_text: Date of Application, 30th Sept., 1890-Accepted, 7th Feb., 1891
COMPLETE SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in Cash and Parcel Carriers.
A communication from abroad by EPHRAIM HARVEY PLUMMER, of Boston'
County of Suffolk, State of Massachusetts, United States of America,
Gentleman.
I, WILLIAM PHILLIPS THOMPSON, F.C.S., M.I.M.E., of the Agency for
Foreign Patent Solicitors, 6, Lord Street, Liverpool, and 6, Bank Street,
Manchester, both in the County of Lancaster, and 323, High Holborn, in the
County of Middlesex, Civil Engineer, do hereby declare the nature of this inven-
tion and in what manner the same is to be performed, to be particularly described
and ascertained in and by the following statement :-
The invention relates to certain improvements in cash or parcel carriers for use in
stores, to carry articles from one part of the store to the other, and it consists in a
combination of devices and appliances hereinafter described and claimed.
In the drawings,
Figure 1 is a side elevation, showing the operative mechanism,
Figure 2 is a plan view.
Figure 3 is an enlarged view of a portion of Figure 1, showing the reversing
mechanism.
Figure 4 is an enlarged view of a portion of Figure 2.
Figure 5 is a side elevation of the complete carrier.
Figure 6 is an end view, partly in section, of the complete carrier.
In carrying out the invention, A represents the basket or receptacle in which the
article to be carried is placed. This may be of any suitable size or shape, dependent
on whether the carrier is used for carrying cash only, or whether it is used for
carrying parcels. B is the rod supporting the basket. C is the case in which the
operative mechanism is housed; D are the arms descending to the rod B for sup-
porting the same, and E E' are the wheels which travel on the wire and support the
car, the driving mechanism being geared with the wheel E.
The driving mechanism will now be described:
F is a drum having on its periphery the teeth f and winding strap or cord F',
Figure 5, the latter extending down where the operator can grasp it. Within this
drum is located the driving spring F2, the latter being wound by unwinding the
strap or cord. This gear meshes with two gears on two separate shafts. It
meshes with the gear Ġ on the shaft g, which also carries the gear G'. It also
meshes with the gear H, which is loosely mounted on the shaft h, and has the
clutch H¹ on its side. Engaging with this clutch is the clutch sleeve I, which is
prevented from turning on the shaft h by the projection i, and yet is free to slide
longitudinally on said shaft. Keyed to this shaft is the gear J, which,
through the gearing K K' and L, imparts motion to the wheel E. Now, supposing
it is desired to cause the car to travel in an opposite direction: the sleeve I is
thrown over so as to engage with the ratchet face m on the gear M, Figure 2, which
is loosely mounted on the shaft h. Thus, through the gear G, shaft 9 and gear G¹,
which meshes with the gear M, a reverse motion is imparted to the gear J and thus
to the wheel E.
When the clutch sleeve I is in gear with wheel M as shown in Figure 2, the
shaft is caused to rotate in one direction by means of toothed wheel G₁; but,
when the sleeve I is thrown in gear with H by means of lever N, the shaft h will
rotate in the opposite direction.
The manner of reversing the mechanism will now be described, or, in other words,
the mechanism whereby the sleeve I is thrown to engage the desired ratchet in
order that it may cause the car to travel in the desired direction.

page_text: N is a lever forked at one end n to embrace the sleeve I, and pivoted at n', and
the other end extending back adjacent to the end of the case. N1 is a spring fixed
to the case at one end, and provided on its free end with the block N2, having the
two bevelled faces N³, Fig. 4, against which the end of the lever N bears.
By
O is a lever carried by the sleeve O₁ on the shaft k. The upper end o of this
lever is divided and embraces the lever N. The lower end extends down adjacent
to the way on which the car travels. The lever N is, between the point n¹ and the
end engaged with the sleeve I, bent at a sharp angle, as shown at 2, Fig. 4.
this means, as will be seen, a throw of the lever O, (as, for instance, should the lower
end strike a stop or projection on the wire, which has been previously provided at
the desired point,) would operate to disengage the sleeve I from its engagement on
one side, and as soon as it has been thrown over far enough for the rear end of the
lever N to pass the point of the block N2, the spring N will, by means of the
bevelled face of the block, act to throw the sleeve quickly over into engagement
with the opposite clutch face, and thus reverse the mechanism. P is a spring, so
arranged that it will bear on the projection o¹ on the sleeve O and serve to keep the
lever in position and throw the lever quickly into the desired position when
reversing the mechanism.
Another feature of the invention is the swivelling of the wheel E¹ Figs. 5 & 6
which will now be described. R is a strip of metal pivoted at to the rod B and
extending up above the wheel El and over the same and down on the other side of
the wheel E¹, being engaged at the top by a pivotal connection with the cross strip R'.
The wheel E is journalled in the strip R, and this, being swivelled in the frame,
allows the wheel E¹ to turn and adjust itself to the line when rounding a curve, this
lessening the friction very materially.
It will also be observed that there is an arm or projection S descending from the
bed plate on one side of the wire, while the strip R serves as a guard on the other
side, so that, should the wheels jump the wire, these guards would still hold the car
from falling to the floor.
Another feature of the invention is the provision on the bed plate of the car of
the conical rollers T. The purpose of these rollers is to keep the car as nearly as
possible in a vertical position when rounding a curve, and prevent it from swaying
after leaving a curve. Thus, when the car strikes the curve, the rollers T bearing
on the track curve lessen the friction, and the conical form of the rollers serves to
quickly bring the car to a vertical position without allowing it to sway as it is
leaving the curve.
e is the track wire. At any turn in its course the wire is engaged with any usual
track curve e'. It is the lower portion e² of this track curve against which the
conical rollers T may impinge, and so steady the car as it goes around the curve.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of the said inven-
tion and in what manner the same is to be performed, as communicated to me by my
foreign correspondent, I declare that what I claim is :-
1. The combination, with a cash or parcel carrier provided with spring actuated
propelling gearing, of automatic reversing mechanism connected with said gearing
to change the direction of movement of the propelling mechanism as the carrier
reaches the end of the line, substantially as described.
2. The combination, with a cash or parcel carrier, of spring actuated gearing
located thereon, adapted to propel the same, reversing mechanism connected there-
with, and a stop connected to the track adapted to be struck by the carrier to
automatically operate the reversing mechanism as the car approaches either end of
the track, substantially as described.
3. The combination, with a cash or parcel carrier, of a spring actuated drum located
thereon, gearing connecting said drum with the track-wheels, a lever engaged with
said gearing, and stops on the track adapted to operate said lever to change the
direction of movement of the gearing, substantially as described.
4. In a parcel carrier car, the combination with the bed plate of spring actuated

page_text: mechanism, substantially as described, for propelling the same, and reversing
mechanism, consisting of the clutch sleeve I, lever N bent as shown, lever O adapted
to strike a projection on the line, and spring N¹ for assisting the movement of the
lever N, substantially as described.
5. In the herein described spring actuated car, the reversing mechanism, con-
sisting of the clutch sleeve I and lever N for shifting the same, lever O adapted to
strike a projection on the line and move the lever N, and spring P for imparting a
quick motion to the lever O, substantially as described.
6. In the herein described spring actuated car, the reversing mechanism,
consisting of the clutch sleeve I, lever N, lever O, spring N₁, and spring P,
substantially as described.
7. In a cash or parcel carrier apparatus, the combination with the line wire, and
a car adapted to travel thereon, of the depending guard arm S descending from the
bed plate of the car on one side of the wire, the swivelled strip R serving as a guard
on the other side, and the car wheels, one of which is fixed, while the other is
journalled in said strip R, substantially as described.
Dated this 29th day of September 1900
WM. P. THOMPSON & Co.,
Agents for the Applicant.