Improvements in Vans for the Collection and Delivery of Goods.
Year: 1889

page_text: Date of Application, 5th Mar., 1889
Complete Specification Left, 5th Dec., 1889-Accepted, 11th Jan., 1890
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in Vans for the Collection and Delivery of Goods.
I, JAMES HESELWOOD of Hanover Lane Leeds in the County of York, 'Engineer,
do hereby declare the nature of this invention to be as follows:-
This Invention relates to Vans such as are employed in the delivery of goods and
collection of empty packages by bakers, confectioners, wine merchants, aerated
water manufacturers, laundry proprietors, and others, and it has for its objects to
economise the space in the vehicles, to enable the goods to be removed therefrom with
greater ease and certainty, and to avoid the necessity for the cases and packages being
piled upon each other.
In a Van constructed according to these Improvements there is a series of longi-
tudinal pigeon holes or equivalent enclosures, all of which are open at the front and
at the back of the van. These pigeon holes have a cross section corresponding
with but slightly larger than the cross section of the boxes, cases, skips, trays or
other packages in which the goods are to be delivered, and the lower part or floor of
each pigeon hole may be provided with rollers. The pigeon holes may occupy the
whole or any desired part of the interior of the van.
The van is loaded by placing packages of goods successively in one end of each
pigeon hole and pushing them towards the other end until the pigeon holes are full
or until the required load is made up. In delivering the goods each package is
taken out of its pigeon hole at the rear of the van where the van man can more
readily command it. The empty package is then taken to the front of the van.
where it is inserted in the open end of the same pigeon hole and pushed backwards
fully into the opening. By this means the next full package is brought into the
position at the rear of the van previously occupied by the removed package, and when
all the full packages have been removed, the empty packages will occupy precisely
the same positions as were occupied by them when full.
To prevent the felonious removal of any package from the van, when it is not
provided with doors, a locking device is employed which may consist of a rod the full
length of the pigeon hole above each opening. Upon the front end of the rod there is
fixed a disc having two holes in its periphery about 90 degrees apart from either of
which a spring bolt may enter according to the position of the disc. The disc and
spring bolt are each provided with a knob or handle. Upon the back end of the
rod there is fixed a finger. When the removal of a case or package from any pigeon
hole is desired to be prevented, the rod is turned so that the finger upon its back end
extends over the opening, in which position the spring bolt enters one of the holes in
the disc. When the pigeon hole has to be opened the spring bolt is pushed back and
the rod is turned until the finger is removed from the opening when the spring bolt
enters the other hole in the disc, and packages may be removed. The spring bolt
holds the locking device either open or closed and instead of being moved by means
of a knob or handle it may be engaged with or disengaged from the disc by means
of a suitable key.
The end or ends of the van may if or when desired be closed by means of
doors.
Dated this 4th day of March A.D. 1889
WILLIAM E. HEYS,
Agent for the Applicant.

page_text: COMPLETE SPECIFICATION
Improvements in Vans for the Collection and Delivery of Goods.
I, JAMES HESELWOOD of Hanover Laue Leeds in the County of York, Engineer, do
hereby declare the nature of this invention, and in what manner the same is to
he performed, to be particularly described and ascertained in and by the following
statement:-
This Invention relates to Vans such as are employed in the delivery of goods and
collection of empty packages by bakers, confectioners, wine merchants, aerated
water manufacturers, laundry proprietors and others, and it has for its objects to
economise the space in the vehicles, to enable the goods to be removed therefrom
with greater ease and certainty, and to avoid the necessity for the cases and packages
being piled upon each other.
I will describe these Improvements with reference to the accompanying drawings
in which Fig. 1 is a longitudinal section, Fig. 2 a plan, Fig. 3 a front elevation,
Fig. 4a back elevation, and Figs. 5 and 6 illustrate two forms of the locking
device.
A A are longitudinal pigeon holes or compartments extending from the front to
the back of the van and open at each end. These compartiients have a cross
section corresponding with but slightly larger than the cross section of the boxes,
cases, skips, trays, or other packages in which the goods are to be delivered
and the lower part or floor of each compartment may be provided with rollers.
The pigeon holes or compartments inay occupy the whole or any desired part of the
interior of the van.
The van is loaded by placing the packages of goods successively in one end of
each compartment and pushing them towards the other end until the compartment
is full or until the required load is made up. In delivering the goods each
package is taken out of its compartment at the rear of the van where the van-man
can more readily command it. The empty package is then taken to the front of
the van where it is inserted in the open end of the pigeon bole from which the
full package was withdrawn, and it is thence pushed backwards fully into the
opening. By this means the next full package is brought into the position at
the rear of the, van previously occupied by the removed package, and when all the
full packages have been removed, the empty packages will occupy precisely the same,
positions as were occupied by them when full
To prevent the felonious removal of ary package from the Van, when it is not
provided with doors, a locking device may be employed which may consist of a
rod 13 the full length of the compartments and one of which may be placed above or
below each opening. Upon the front end of each rod there may be fixed a disc C
shewn more clearly in Fig. 6 having two slots or holes in its periphery about ninety
degrees apart into, either of which a spring or other bolt may be entered according to
the position of the disc. The disc and bolt may each be provided with a handle or
knob, and the handle or knob of the rod may be weighted as indicated at D so as
to keep it normally in one position notwithstanding the jolting of the Van in
motion.
Upon the back end of each rod there is fixed a finger E which may, by turning
the rod, be caused to extend across part of the opening or be moved clear therefrom.
When the removal of a case or package from any pigeon hole is desired to be pre
vented, the rod is turned at the front end by the driver, so that the finger at the back
end of the rod extends over the opening as shewn at E Fig. 4 in which position the
bolt enters or is introduced-into one of the holes in the disc." When the compartment
has to be opened for the removal therefrom of a package, the bolt is withdrawn from
its hole in the disc, and the rod is turned until the finger is clear of the opening; the
bolt then enters or may be entered into the other hole in the disc when the rod will
be held with the finger clear of the opening and one or more packages may be
removed. The bolt holds the locking device either open or closed, and instead of being

page_text: moved by means of a knob or handle, it may be engaged with or disengaged from
the disc by means of a suitable key. It will be understood that an equivalent part
may be employed for the disc, and generally it will be preferable to employ little
more than a third of the disc, that is to say only that part of it which contains the
bolt holes or slots.
The end or ends of the van may if or when desired be closed by means of
doors, in which case the herein before described locking devices may be omitted.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of my said Inven-
tion and in what manner the same is to be performed, I declare that what 1
claim is,
(1) A Van constructed with longitudinal compartments or pigeon holes, substan-
tially as and for the purpose hereinbefore described and as illustrated by the
accompanying drawings.
(2) In a van having longitudinal compartments or pigeon holes open both at the
front and at the back, a locking device constructed arranged and operated substan-
tially as and for the purpose hereinbefore described with reference to the accompanying
drawings.
Dated this 4th day of December A.D. 1009.
WILLIAM E. HEYS,
Agent for the Applicant.