Improvements in Apparatus for Transporting Cash or Goods from one part to another part of a Shop or Warehouse, or COMPLETE SPFICATION.
Year: 1884

page_text: Improvements in Apparatus for Transporting Cash or Goods
from one part to another part of a Shop or Warehouse, or
COMPLETE SPECIFICATION.
I WILLIAM ROBERT LAKE, of the firm of Haseltine, Lake, and Co Patent Agonts
Southampton Buildings, in the County of Middlesex do hereby declare the nature
of my Invention for "IMPROVEMENTS IN APPARATUS FOR TRANSPORTING CASH
OR GOODS FROM ONE PART TO ANOTHER PART OF A SHOP OR WAREHOUSE OR
FOR SIMILAR PURPOSES" and in what manner the same is to be performed, to be
particularly described and ascertained in and by the following statement:—
This Invention relates to apparatus for transporting goods, cash, and tho like
from one part of a shop, warehouse, or other building to another, and comprises
means for clevating the goods or cash, or both, to the rail or track; preventing
abrupt motions of the carrier; temporarily arresting the carrier and, preventing
the following carrier forcing itself upon the prior carrier; it also comprises means
for vertically adjusting tho tracks or rails; a novel automatically-oporating switch
for the advancing carrier; an automatically-operated lock for the switch; a novel
switch and guard for the returning carrior, and various details of construction as
hereinafter fully set forth.
In the accompanying Drawing―
Figure 1 is a side elevation of a receiving portion of apparatus embodying this
Invention.
Figure 2 is an end view of the samė.
Figure 3 is a side elevation of the sending or forwarding portion of apparatus
embodying this Invention.
Figure 4 is an end view of the same.
Figure 5 is a side elevation of a switch used on the rail connecting with the
receiving end of the apparatus.
Figure 6 is a horizontal section on the line xz, Figure 5.
Figure 7 is a vertical section on the line y, y, Figure 5.
Figure 8 is an irregular vortical section on the line 5, 2, Figure 5.
Figure 9 is, a side elevation of a switch used on the return rail of the apparatus:
Figure 10 is a top or plan viewof the same, and
Figure 11 is an end view.
:
こ

page_text: Figure 12 is a vertical section of part of a carrier wheel and the rail of the
apparatus, the said wheel having the points of contact with the rail covered with
india-rubber or other elastic material to provent noise of the wheel when running,
the construction occasioning but little friction between the wheel and rail.
Figure 13 is a modification of the devices shown in Figure 12, in which the base
of the groove is covered with india-rubber, the tread of the rail being in contact
therewith.
Similar letters of reference indicate corresponding parts in the soveral Figures.
A indicates a rail which is supported on hangers B properly connected with the
ceiling or wall of the apartment in which the apparatus is employed.
Pivotted to a standard B¹ socured to the rail A is a stop bar or arm C which
extends diagonally downward and is formed with, or has secured to it, a fork a
which guides the arm as it descends and prevents lateral displacement of the same
when in position.
Attached to, or formed with, the pivotal end of the arm is a forked guide D and
a stop piece D', which are brought into operative position when the bar C is raised
as shown by the dotted lines, Figure 1.
The
Connected with the end of the rail, opposite to tho forked guide D, is anothor
forked guide E; the object of these forked guides being to steady the motions of
the carriage or carriers, the wheels whereof are shown dotted in Figure 1.
said carriers, as well known, generally swinging laterally as they roll or run so as
to be in danger of overturning, and this is checked when they reach the forked
guides, whereby they loose the lateral motions and are sufficiently steadied to
continue their motions without liability to overturn,
Adjacent to the guide E is a rod or tube F which is properly connected with the
ceiling, or wall and has fitted to it a slide or sleeve G to which is secured a cord or
rope G for raising said slide, the said cord passing around a pulley properly
mounted on the ceiling or wall and being within convenient reach. Pivotted to
the sleeve is a cage H which is of the form of a U shaped frame set partly side-
ways, the upper limb carrying a rod H¹ from which projects a fork H", so
arranged that when the cage is elevated, the fork H" strikes the lower end of the
arm C and raises the same. The lower limb of the cage is longer than the upper
limb, whereby, as the said upper limb freely passes the end of the rail A the lower
limb strikes the said rail and thus sets the limbs of the cage when the latter is in
its highest position moro horizontal than when the cage is in its normal position
as will be seen at the left side of Figure 1.
•
In order to limit the upward motion of the cage on its pivot the cage has
formed with, or secured to, it, around its pivot a shoulder or stop 6 which is adapted
to strike a lug c on the sleeve G.
In order that the long limb of the cage may engage with the rail A near the top
thereof, the latter is made hollow, see Figure 12, and the said limb is formed with
a shoulder & so that the end of the limb enters the rail and the shoulder abuts
against the upper wall thereof, whereby, when the cage is fully raised, tho- lower
limb thereof is in communication with the rail and permits the carrier to roll or
run from the said rail into the cago and rest on the lower limb thereof.
: The cage, as described, is employed for the receiving department or cashier.
A similar cage Figure 3 is employed for the clerk or attendant who sends cash or
goods or both to the said departinent; excepting that the rod H¹ is dispensed with
and a guard H and guide H are attached to the cago, the said guard extending
from the upper to the lower limbs at the side of the cage, so that the carrier can
only be fitted to the cage in the proper position and thus is never started on the
rail in a wrong position.
The guide H which is flaring, serves to steady the carrier as it is placed on
the cage, which is generally accomplished hastily and thus overturning of the
carrier is prevented.
The hangers B are vertically slotted as at e, and to the same are fitted brackets J
which support the rail A said brackets having forks or arms f which enter the said

page_text: slots and have their ends threaded for the engagement of nuts g, which, tightening
against the hangers, firmly sustain the brackets in position thereon, the slots e
permitting vertical adjustment of the brackets and consequently of the rail A.
At the bottom of the rod or tube F is secured an india-rubber or other clastic
buffer J', the object whoreof is to receive the impact of the slide G when it
descends, thus preventing injury and occasioning no noise when it reaches its lowest
position.
In Figures 2 and 4 it will be seen that the cages are attached to a cross bar
which connects two sleeves G, two tubes or rods F being employed, each of which
is provided with a buffer J¹ at its lower end.
When the carrier with cash or goods, or both, is placed on the cage, Figure 3, the
latter is raised to the track A, and assumes a slight inclination the reverse of that
shown at the bottom of Figure 3. The carrier loaves the cage and runs on the
track which is inclined towards the receiving department and reaches the arm C
against which it abuts. The clerk or cashier now raises the cage, Figure 1, thus
lifting the arm C and the carrier continues its motion passing on the cage, which
latter is then lowered assuming an inclined position which prevents the displace-
ment of the carrier. The clerk now returns the change, bill or goods, as the caso
may be, by means of another cage the carrier running on the proper track to the
starting point. When the arm C is elevated, the stop pieco D' is lowered so that
should another carrier arrive it is stopped by the said piece until the former carrier
has entered its cage and descended therewith when the arm C returns to its first
position so that the pieco D¹ is raised and the carrier is no longer controlled
thereby, and so reaches the arm where it is temporarily arrested until the cage is
again raised and the arm is thereby moved with it.
The arm C at the part where it is struck by the wheel of the carrier is curved
to conform to the periphery thereof and embrace the same, whereby the wheol is
securely stopped and held.
In order to cause the wheel to run comparatively noiselessly on the track the
periphery thereof is grooved and covered with india-rubber, see more particularly,
Figure 12, so that the metal of the wheel is not in contact with the tread of the
rail the groove projecting, as at a* forming peaks or ridges which afford but small
points of contact of the wheel with the rail, occasioning but little friction between
the parts and reliably deadening the noise of the running wheel.
K indicates a switch rail for directing the carrier from the rail A to the branch
rail or track A, the said rail A, switch rail K, and siding or branch rail A¹ being
supported on a bridge L which depends from the hanger B and permits the carrier
to pass thereunder as it is switched from the rail A to the rail A¹. The vertical
pivot of the switch rail is somewhat inclined and the under face of the rail at tho
pivot end and contiguous face of the bearing piece is also somewhat inclined, seo
Figure 8.
The other end of the switch rail is pivotted to a stationary arm M², which rises
from, and is secured to, the bridge L, see Figure 7, whereby the switch rail
describes a circular motion as it advances to, and returns from, the rail A¹ so that
the weight of the carrier automatically moves the switch to the siding or branch
rail A. The return motion of the switch rail is occasioned by a weight M" on the
heel end of said rail, the said weight being operative when the carrier has fully
cleared the switch rail.
In order to lock the switch rail and prevent its operation so that the carrier
continues on the rail A, I employ a rising and falling bolt or latch N, the upper
end of which has a horizontally extending lug or nose N¹ which abuts against a
lug or bar P projecting laterally from the switch rail whereby the switch rail is
securely held. When it is desired to switch off a carrier from the rail A¹, I provide
such carrier with means for releasing the bar P so that the switch rail is no longer
controlled by the bolt or latch N. For this purpose the side of the arm or frame
of the carrier has secured to it an inclined or curved way Q so disposed that when
it reaches the lower end of the bolt N, it bears against the same and readily raises

page_text: it, whereby the nose N' is cleared of the bar P, and when the carrier reaches the
switch rail, the latter is shifted or noved to the rail A¹ in a manner similar to that
previously stated, the bar P passing under the nose N'. When the switch rail
returns, the bar rides under the nose until it clears the side thereof, when the
bolt drops and again locks the switch rail by abutting against said bar P.
5
Rindicates the switch rail which is pivotted to a bridge S and weighted by
means of a weighted arm S' which is pivotted to the bridge or a weight connected
with the heel end of said rail, said weight or weighted arm however not being an
essential feature of this switch. At the point of the switch is located a flaring
guard T which is secured to a bridge T¹, the support of the latter being on the 1
rail A to which it is screwed or bolted, the bridge readily permitting the passage
thereunder of the carriers running on the rail A or switched from the rail R. to
said rail A. The bridge S sustains the switch rail and the rails A" and A¹
adjacent to said switch rail.
When the carrier runs over the rail R from the rail A" it reaches the guard T 1
and the width of the upper portion of the carrier is such that it bears against the
guard and fully faces the point of the switch rail R against the rail Al and thus
the roller of the carrier passes on said rail A¹¹¹ and causes the carrier to continue
its motion thereon said guard also preventing the roller from dropping from the
switch rail. When the carrier fully leaves the rail R the latter may return to its 2
normal position as shewn in Figure 10, either by the action of the weight S' or
lateral pressure of a carrier on the rail A¹¹¹, whoroby said rail A¹¹¹ is clear for the
passage thereover of its own carrier.
It is evident that while I shew two cages, one for transmitting and the other for
receiving purposes, two such cages may be at both ends of a track or simply at one
end, the other end of the track being within reach of the cashier or accounting
clerk who simply removes the cage that reaches him, attends to the cash therein
and then reapplies the cage to the track so that it returns to the starting point as
usual in such cases.
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 in apparatus for facilitating the transportation of goods, cash or other
articles from one part of a shop warehouse or other building to another :—-
First. A cago consisting of a U-shaped frame pivotted to a rising and falling
support and set sidoways, substantially as, and for the purpose set forth.
Second. A cage of U-shape formed with a stop and a rising and falling
support therefor formed with a lug c substantially as, and for the purpose, set
forth:
Third. A U-shaped cage pivotted to a rising and falling support formed with a
shoulder & in combination with a hollow rail, substantially as, and for the purpose,
'set forth.
Fourth. A cage formed with a guard H11 at the side thereof, substantially as,
and for the purpose, set forth.
Fifth. A cage formed with a flaring guide H substantially as, and for the
purpose, set forth.
Sixth. The rail for the carrier provided with a pivotted stop arm, which
extends diagonally and is of curved form, substantially as, and for the purpose,
set forth.
Seventh. The stop arm of the carrier formed with a fork a, substantially as, and
for the purpose, set forth.
Eighth. The stop arm of the carrier provided with a stop piece in advance of the
said arm, substantially as and for the purpose, set forth.
Ninth. The rail and the carrier, in combination with guards of forked form,
substantially as, and for the purpose, set forth.
Tenth. A rail-supporting standard formed with a vortical slot, in combination
with a bracket, with which the rail is connected, formed with arms which enter

page_text: the slot of the standard and are tightened by nuts, substantially as, and for the
purpose, set forth.
Eleventh, A cage attached to a rising and falling support, and the guide or
frame for the said support having buffers J at the bottom thereof substantially as,
and for the purpose, set forth.
Twelfth. An automatically operating switch consisting of a rail having a vertical
pivot and a weighted heel, the contiguous faces of the switch and its bearing
and the pivot being inclined substantially as, and for the purpose, set forth.
Thirteenth. A switch provided with a vertically-operating sliding latch or bolt
which is raised from the switch rail by a projection in the carrier, substantially as,
and for the purpose, set forth.
Fourteenth. The sliding latch or bolt N of the switch rail having a nose N¹ in
combination with the rail having a bar or abutment P for the said nose,
substantially as, and for the purpose, set forth.
Fifteenth. A switch and a sliding bolt locking the same, in combination with
the carrier formed with an inclined way adapted to raise the said bolt, substantially
as, and for the purpose, set forth.
Sixteenth. A wheel for the carrier having on its periphery a surface for the rail
consisting of a band of soft india-rubber set into a groove in the said periphery,
substantially as, and for the purpose, set forth.
Seventeenth. A switch rail provided with a guard T and a bridge supporting the
same, substantially as, and for the purpose, set forth.
Dated this 7th dew of June 1884