Improvements in Apparatus for Conveying and Automatically Delivering Small Articles.
Year: 1893

page_text: COMPLETE SPECIFICATIO
Improvements in Apparatus for Conveying and Automatically
Delivering Small Articles.
I, AUGUST MÜLLER of 2 Mittlestrasse Magdeburg in the German Empire,
entleman, do hereby declare the nature of this invention, and in what manner the
me is to be performed, to be particularly described and ascertained in and by the
llowing statement :-
This invention relates to apparatus for conveying and automatically delivering
rticles such as letters and small parcels. The apparatus is intended chiefly for
se within buildings to convey articles from room to room or between the different
oors.
A conveying apparatus constructed according to this invention consists of a kox
r casing having one or more compartments each provided with an inlet and an
utlet door. Certain lever mechanism is combined with each compartment and is
isplaced by the opening of the inlet door upon loading the compartment. Part of
he mechanism is thus caused to project and upon the arrival of the carrier at the
place where it is required to deliver its contents this projecting part is depressed
or otherwise actuated by a fixed stop causing the lever mechanism to open the
outlet door when the contents of the compartment fall by gravity or are impelled
into the receptacle provided. The conveyer travels along suitable guide rails and
may be operated either manually or by mechanical means.
In the accompanying drawings which illustrate in what manner my invention
may be carried into effect,
Figure 1 shews an elevation of one form of conveying apparatus containing four
compartments the inlet and outlet doors being on opposite sides of each com-
partment.
Figure 2 represents a side view of a modified form of the apparatus in which the
inlet and outlet doors are on adjacent sides of the compartments. This view shews
the lever mechanism.
Figure 3 is an elevation of the delivery side of the modified apparatus.
Figure 4 is a side elevation of the apparatus not shewing the lever mechanism
but illustrating the inlet doors and their locking devices.
In all these drawings the apparatus is shewn as designed for vertical travelling
but it will be understood that the apparatus may easily be adapted for travelling
horizontally or along an incline.
As shewn in Figure 1 the apparatus consists of a suitably shaped box containing
in this instance four compartiments a a¹ a² and a³, the lever automatic delivery
mechanism of two of the compartments only being shewn. The lever mechanism
on the other side of the apparatus.
of the other two compartments
I will describe my invention with reference to the compartment a only. The
compartment is filled or loaded through the door b which is secured by the bolt or
catch c.
A suitably bent lever d is hinged or pivoted by the door band is furnished
O with a slot e at its other end. This slot e contains a stud f free to move therein
and connected to one end of a crank lever k which is pivoted at j. A link or
connecting rod g connects the stud f with a lever i pivoted at h. Upon the stud h
is also pivoted an arm the free end of which is hinged to a link or rod n connected
The mechanism for effecting the automatic
to the delivery door or shoot p.
5 delivery of the articles is operated as follows,-
which is provided
The inlet door is unlatched or unbolted by raising the lever
with a suitable handle and is in communication with the latch c, or by moving the
latch c which in turn raises the lever d. This movement of the lever d compels
+
.

page_text: the levers and i to adopt a position in which their free arms are about horizontal.
The parcels or other articles are then placed within the compartment and the
door is closed. The movement of the lever d consequent upon the closing of
the door has no effect upon the levers k and i as the stud f slides within the slot e.
The apparatus is now ready for raising. Upon arrival at the receptacle or box v
where the articles are to be delivered the free arm of the lever k engages with and
vertically raises its door w. At the same time the free end of the lever i is
depressed by a fixed stop contained within the casing within which the conveyer
travels, and a stop or projection m upon the lever i carries round the arm / and thus
opens the delivery door or shutter p. The positions the parts have now assumed
are shewn in connection with the compartment a² at the top of Figure 1. To
ensure the delivery of the articles the bottoms of the compartments and of the
receptacle v are preferably formed at an angle of 45 degrees. The compartment
exit may either be closed by a plain_door, which is opened by the arms and n,
when the articles fall by gravity, or by the trough or bucket p shewn in the
drawings which contains the articles placed within the compartment and is reversed
upon arrival at the receptacle thus making the delivery of the articles certain.
These troughs are preferably supported when in their delivery position by the
links ss' as shewn by the dotted. lines in the upper compartment of Figure 1.
Upon the further upward movement of the conveying apparatus another arm x
pivoted upon the stud / comes into contact with a fixed stop and depresses the
lever i and the arm 1 thus restoring the whole mechanism to its initial position and
leaving the apparatus free to ascend or descend.
In the modification illustrated by Figures 2, 3 and 4 a slight modification of
lever mechanism has been rendered necessary owing to the inlet and delivery doors
of the apparatus being on adjacent sides. Referring to these figures it will be seen
that the bolts or catches c¹ c² c³c of the compartments are rotated to leave the
doors 616263 free to open. The bolts or catches are secured respectively to
shafts yyyy each of which carries an arm z secured to the lever or arm d which
is the equivalent of and fulfils the same functions as the lever d previously
described with reference to Figure 1. The turning of the catch or bolt to open
any compartment thus raises the lever or arm d and throws the lever mechanism of
that compartment into a position to automatically effect delivery.
•
The lever d, however, (Figure 2) instead of containing in its slot e a moveable
stud as described with reference to Figure 1, is guided by this slot and a fixed
stud, the lever being operated by a projection d from the lever d when this
lever is raised by the unlocking of the inlet door of the compartment. This
position of the parts is shewn in the second compartment from the top. On the
door being relocked the lever or rod d and the projection d' descend without moving
the lever k.
Referring to Figure 2 the mechanism of the lowest compartment has effected its
delivery and is about to be replaced in its initial position by the stop A engaging
with the lever x as before described. The levers of the compartment above are
shewn in the position they would assume after the compartment had been loaded
and before being operated by the stop B to discharge the contents. The mechanism
directly above is shewn in a similar position and that of the upper compartment is
shewn in the rest position before the opening and loading in which position it
would be unaffected by. the stops A and B. As shewn in Figure 2 the apparatus
may be employed for delivering into a shoot or receptacle w' provided with a
horizontal lid or cover w³ which is lifted by the free arm of the lever k.
In the case of the conveying apparatus containing more than one compartment
the free arms of the lever mechanism of each compartment are so arranged at
different distances from the conveyer or are otherwise suitably bent or arranged so
as only to be operated upon the arrival of the compartment at its corresponding
receptacle. The apparatus. travels upon guide rails C D which are suitably
arranged and disposed. The doors of the fixed receptacles may be arranged to
close by gravity.

page_text: Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature or my samu
tion and in what manner the same is to be performed, I declare that what 1.
claim is-
A conveying and delivering apparatus constructed arranged and operated
substantially as hereinbefore described and as illustrated by the accompanying
drawings.
CL
AD 1893
WILLIAM E. HEYS,
Agent for the Applicant.