Improvement in Carrier Receiving Mechanism for Pneumatic Transit Tubes.
Year: 1899

page_text: Date of Application, 2nd May, 1899-Accepted, 22nd July, 1899
Improvement in Carrier Receiving Mechanism for Pneumatic
Transit Tubes.
I. BIRNEY CLARK BATCHELLER, of 1518, North 15th Street, Philadelphia,
Pennsylvania, 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 and operation of the devices used
to receive a carrier after its transmission through a pneumatic transit tube,
my object being to, in the first place, provide for the escape of the air in the
receiver lying in front of a carrier as it enters such receiver, while, at the same
time, utilizing it to cushion and check the impetus of the carrier: in the second
place I desire to provide improved actuating mechanism for moving the receiver
into and out of registry with the transmission tube, and, lastly, I design to
improve various details of the receiving mechanism.
The nature of my improvements will be best understood as described in
connection with the drawings in which they are illustrated, and in which
Figure 1 is a side elevation of the receiving apparatus.
Figure 2 is a central longitudinal section therethrough.
Figure 3 a plan view of the same device.
Figure 4a longitudinal section taken at right angles to that of Fig. 2
through the trunnions of the receiver.
Figure 5 is a longitudinal section through the valve seated at the end of the
receiver and regulating the escape of air therefrom.
Figure 6 is a similar view of a modified and preferred construction of this
valve and its cooperative parts.
Figure is a view illustrating the action of the mechanism for releasing the
latch shown in Fig. 6.
Figure S is a sectional view of another modification of the air releasing
valve, and
Figure 9 is a sectional view on an enlarged scale of the motor and its coact-
ing parts by which the receiver is shifted into and out of registry with the
transmission tube.
A indicates the frame of the apparatus, provided, as shown, with trunnion
bearings B B for the trunnions of the receiver and to which, in a position to
register with the receiver, is secured the end (' of a transmission tube, the said
end being surrounded by a box (in communication with a tube through
slots e etc., and with an air pipe through which the moving current of air
passes from the transmission tube. C³ indicates the face of the transmission
tube with which the end of the receiver registers. D indicates the receiver.
pivoted on trunnions moving in the bearings B, and adapted, at its front end D',
to register with the transmission tube as shown, the face of the receiver being
continued in the form of a shield, as indicated at 12, so that when the receiver
moves away from registry with the tube the said shield will close the end of

page_text: the tube. At the rear end of the receiver it is advisable to provide cushioning
washers, as indicated at D', and, preferably, through the end of the receiver I
form an opening 1 for the escape of air, said opening serving also as a seat
for a valve, as indicated at din Figs. 5, 6 and S. E is a tube or pipe opening
into the rear end of the receiver, as indicated at E, and through the face of
the shield D, as indicated at E2, the opening E2 being in such position that it
registers with the transmission tube when the receiver has been moved to the
position where it should deliver the carrier, and so that air from the transmission
tube will then pass through the tube E and into the rear of the receiver so as
to force the carrier out of the same. In order to prevent the escape of air from
the receiver through this pipe I provide a non-return valve E
At F. Figs. 5 and 6, I have shown a valve adapted to seat itself in and close
the passage and at 1. Fig. 8. I have shown a valve serving the same purpose
but constructed as a piston valve fitting and moving in the passage D. 12 in
all the modifications illustrated indicates the valve stem and in Fig. I have
illustrated the simplest construction of the valve for regulating the escape of
air from the receiver, the valve being held to its seat by the resilient force of
a spring which is, preferably, made regulable in tension so that the valve will
open whenever the air in the receiver exceeds a determined pressure, the in-
crease of pressure relied upon to open the valve being that due to the com
pression of air by the entrance of a carrier, and the purpose of the valve being
to permit the escape of this air so as to prevent it from foreing the carrier
back into the transmission tube. In the construction shown in Fig. 5 and
indicated also in a smaller senle in Figs. 1 and 2. the opening D is formed in
a threaded anoular casting G which screws into the end of the receiver and
forms on the outside of the valve seat a chamber G opening into an exhaust
passage || || | . through ports G2. Upon the outer end of this annular
casting screws the nut into which in turn screws the nut G. indicating
a binding nut, while into the nut G screws the threaded annulus 6% G again
indicating a binding nut. It will be obvious that with this construction the
adjustment of the tension of the spring can be made to any desired degree. I
have shown in Figs. 1. 2, 3 and 6, a slot in the end of the valve stem F
and in Figs. and have indicated a leverf as passing through this slot and
pivoted to the top of a standard . It is obvious that by moving this lever
the valve can be opened at any time.
In the exigencies of use it is found that the pressure in the transmission tube
and its connected parts will vary considerably and owing to this fact the action
of the valve seating spring in the simple form illustrated in Fig. cannot be
relied upon to give the best result because, if the pressure is abnormally high|
in the line it might open the valve irrespective of the movement of a carrier,
and it, at any rate, would be apt to result in the valve opening too soon after
the entrance of a carrier into the receiver, while, on the other hand, if the
pressure is abnormally low in the pipe the valve will not open promptly enough.
Again I have found it better to provide means for holding the valve to open
the passage D' after it has been opened by the pressure of air in the front of
the carrier, thus insuring the escape of all the air lying in front of the carrier
and the movement of the carrier to the extreme back end of the receiver: and
in Fig. I have shown my preferred construction of providing both for the
opening of the valve at the proper time and for holding it open. As shown
in this figure form on or secure to the valve Fa piston indicated at F and
working in a cylinder which cylinder I connert, conveniently by a pipe J³,
with the transmission tube. Preferably the pipe Jº passes to the trunnion on
one side of the receiver, as indicated in Figs. 3 and 4, and then connects,
through the trunnion, with a pipe № which, in turn, is in connection with the
transmission tube. By this arrangement it will be obvious that the pressure
in the cylinder will be maintained at all times equal to that in the trans-
mission tube and, acting on the piston F, will hold the valve to its seat with a

page_text: resilient pressure equal to the normal pressure in the tube, the device being
in fact a pneumatic spring. As shown I secure the cylinder J in position by
means of a screw threaded clamping ring GS which engages and holds the
hend GP of the cylinder in position, the end of the cylinder head being inter-
nally threaded as shown, to engage the threaded rod supporting bearing Gº.
Gindicates a stuffing box glaud. Preferably I employ a spring I to supple-
ment the action of the pneumatic spring, but of course this spring may be light
in comparison with the one used and relied upon to hold the valve seated, and
it will be obvious that the action of the pneumatic spring is in effect a differ-
ential action by means of which the opening of the valve is determined by the
relative pressure in the transmission tube and in the receiver.
In order to hold the valve F open I provide it with a detent, as indicated
at E, and to operate in connection with this detent I provide a latch K which,
as shown in Fig. 6, passes through a bearing J in the edge of the cylinder J.
The said latch pin K is pressed upward by the spring Kand, obviously, when-
ever the valve F is moved backward to a sufficient degree the latch K will spring
into the detent and hold the valve in its open position and so that all the
air in front of the carrier can escape into the exhaust passage H. The release
of the latch is, as shown, effected by the movement of the receiver on its trun-
nions. The stem of the latch K is slotted, as indicated at K', a pin on the
arm of a bell crank lever KK fitting in this slot and the arm K' of
the lever being connected, as indicated in Figs. 3 and 7, by a rod K with the
point K eccentric to the trunnions so that as the receiver moves from the
position shown in full lines in Fig. 7 to that shown in dotted lines in the same
figure the latch will be retracted, permitting the valve to close.
In Fig. 8 I have illustrated another modification of the valve controlling and
actuating device resembling that illustrated in Fig. 6 in the employment of
the pneumatic spring and also in that it embodies a construction in which pro-
vision is made to hold the valve open after it is opened by the compression of
air in front of the carrier.
In the construction of Fig. 8, the valve, here indicated by the symbol F, is,
as before stated, a piston valve and it has secured to its rear a piston moving
in a cylinder . the said piston and cylinder differing in no material degree
from that indicated, and Fi and J in Fig. 6. The end of the cylinder i̟, which
is formed by a casting G is closed by a screw plug G13 against which rests a
spring 1, and a pipe leads into the cylinder, maintaining the air pressure
therein equal to that in the transmission tube. It will be obvious, from an
inspection of the drawing, that the action of the air pressure as well as of the
spring is to force the piston valve F forward out of the cylindrical open-
ing which serves as its seat, but the valve is held in position to close the passage
by a latch Kforming, as shown, one arm of a bell crank lever, the other arm
of which is indicated at K. Ke indicating a spring the action of which is to
draw down the latch lever out of engagement with the detent ring F secured
on the valve stem and which, as shown, interlocks with the end of the
lever in normal position. On the entrance of a carrier into the receiver 1,
the compression of the air in front of it, acting on the face of the piston
valve F will thrust it backward until the latch lever K is released from its
engagement with the detent F whereupon the spring K will draw it down
so that the spring in the rear of the valve can force it forward out of its annular
seat permitting the air to escape freely through the said seat. The return
of the valve to position to close the end of the receiver and the reengagement
of the valve with the latch lever K", is effected by the movement of the receiver
to deliver the carrier and, as shown, through the somewhat eccentrically secured
rod Kand bell cank lever K K which, in this case however, are connected to a
rod Khaving upon it as shown springs K5 and K³, the spring K³ resting below
and in position to engage and lift the arm K1 of the lever "K" K", while the
spring K' is in position to engage and lift the arm of a bell crunk

page_text: lever K K the arm K" of which is moved in against the detent ring so
as to fonce the valve F backward until the detent ring has passed and been
engaged by the latch lever mom ".
The receiver D, as in the case of the similar receiver shown and described in
my American Patent No. 685.198 of June 29th, 1897, is arranged to move,
after its reception of the carrier, to deliver the carrier, and the motor which
moves it is set in operation by the entrance of a carrier into the terriver, while
the return of the receiver to registry with the transmission tube effected by
the delivery of the carrier. In my present and improved construction, how
ever, provide a motor controlling device having a te dient tendency to move
to a position to actuate the motor in a direction to move the reeciver out of
egistry with the transmission tube, and provide al o a catch or latch
arranged to engage the motor controlling device when moved to a position to
actuate the motor to return the receiver into registry with the tube, and E
provide means whereby the entrance of a carrier into the receiver acts not
directly upon the motor controlling device, but upon the latch in a direction
to release its hold upon the controlling device which thereupon automatically
moves to its normal position causing the motor to shift the position of the
receiver: a return of the motor controlling device to engagement with the latch
being preferably effected by the delivery of the carrier from the receiver. Pres
ferally utilize the compression of air in the receiver, due to the entrance of a
carrier, for the purpose of acting upon the latch, and in the hest form I connert
the latch with the piston operating in the cylinder, which cylinder is con-
nected on one side with the transmission tube and on the other side with the
receiver so that the latch is not operated upon by any mere variation of pressure
common to the receiver and tube, but only by an excess of pressure in the
receiver over that in the tube. While any convenient motor and motor actu-
ating device may be used. I prefer to use, as in my former construction, a
pneumatic cylinder and the valve controlling the admission of compressed air
to the two ends of the cylinder, and this construction I have illustrated in the
drawings, in which M indicates the motor cylinder, M' a piston working therein
and connected through piston rod M crosshead M. and connecting rod M
with the receiver. N indicates the valve chamber having an internal admission
chamber connecting with a pipe X leading from a source of air under
pressure, the chamber N' opening through the cylindrical ports N' and N
into the exhaust passage N. Nand indicate ports leading from the
cylindrical valve easing to the ports M7 and M of the motor cylinder. Pindicates
a double piston valve working in the cylindrical valve seat of the ensing N and
adapted to connect the ports M and M alternately with the pressure fluid and
with the exhaust ports. p" is the valve stem having a head 12 at its upper
end and a head 12 at its lower end. indicates a chamber formed in or con-
nected with the head of the valve casing N and having connected therewith
spring chambers (2 and 01. The head of the chamber 0 is closed by a block
through which screws the the adjusting erew (7 between which and the head P
of the valve rod is situated a spring of the action of which is to press the
valve rod and valve backward into the position illustrated in Fig. 9.
0 is a
cylinder formed, as shown, in the same easing as the chamber 0 and extending
at right angles to said chamber. This cylinder connects through a port 0º
with a pipe leading, as indicated in Figs. 1 and 4. through one of the trun
nions of the receiver D and connecting with a pipe L leading to the rear end
of the receiver. The other end of the cylinder connects through a port 07
with the pipe 12 leading, as indicated in Fig. I, to the transmission tube. Qis
a latch situated in the chamber 0 and connected, as shown, with a spring Q
situated in the chamber ' and connected to the adjoining screw : the
operation of the spring being to draw the latch in toward the piston rod P
and so as to engage on the shoulder P secured to said rod when the rod is
ruised to a sufficient heighth. Qis a piston rod attached to the latch on the

page_text: opposite side to the spring Q and connected with a piston Q' moving in the
cylinder (³.
The operation of the parts above described is readily followed. The normal
position of rest of the valve P' is its elevated position in which it connects the
chamber with the upper end of the cylinder M and connects the lower end
of this cylinder with the exhaust port №. In this position it is held by the
engagement with the latch Q with the shoulder ", the latch being held in position
by the spring Q. While the pressure at both ends of the cylinder is equal
being simply that of the transmission tube on the entrance of a carrier into
the receiver, however, the pressure of the air introduced into the cylinder
through the pipes and Li is materially increased over that introduced into
the cylinder through the pipe L, and the piston moves outward carrying
with it the latch and releasing the shoulder whereupon the action of the
spring at once moves the valve to the position shown in Fig. 9 whereupon
the air is exhausted from the upper end of the cylinder M and admitted into
the lower end of said cylinder with the result of moving the receiver out of
registry with the transmission tube.
Rindicates a platform arranged to receive a carrier when delivered out of
the receiver, said platform being pivoted at R' and counterweighted, so as to
normally occupy the position shown in Fig. 2, as by a weight R It is, as
shown, however, held in its receiving position by the engagement with a
shoulder R on the platform of a shoulder S secured on a lever Spivoted at St.
S is a fixed abutment, upon the inclined face of which rests, through the
medium of springs, us indicated, a yielding abutment St. S indicating a rod
connected with the yielding abutment at one end and at the other end resting
against or in close proximity with the lever S, while S indicates a spring
which holds the lever S in contact or substantial contact with the rod S³.
Rindicates a lever secured to the platform R at its pivotal point and con-
meeting through a rod with a bell crank lever R R, the arm Rs being
arranged in such position with reference to the head P of the valve rod as,
when the platform Rmoves downward, to thrust it up until the shoulder "
is engaged by the latch Q. 18 is a stop which limits the downward motion of
the platform R.
The operation of the parts last described has been partially indicated and is
clear. The receiver swinging down under the influence of the motor delivers
the carrier on to the platform R and against the elastic abutment S which,
acting through the rod S. pushes outward the lever S3 releasing the engagement
of the shoulders Sand and permitting the weight of the carrier to move
the platform down to a horizontal position, provision being made, for the
delivery of the carrier from the platform at the end of its movement whereupon
the counterweight R will return the parts to the position shown in Fig. 2, the
downward motion of the platform R, acting through the rod R' as described,
changes the position of the valve effecting a reverse motion of the piston in
the cylinder and the return of the receiver to normal position where it remains
until another carrier enters it.
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. The combination with a pneumatic transit tube and a tubular receiver
adapted to receive a carrier transmitted through the tube and having a valve
seated opening, as D' at its rear end. of an exhaust opening connected with
said opening, a valve to close the opening, and a pneumatic spring connected
with the transit tube and with the valve aforesaid, all substantially as specified
and so that the normal pressure in the tube is utilized to hold the valve closed
while permitting it to move under the increased pressure in the receiver due
to the entrance of a carrier.

page_text: actuated by the delivery of a carrier from the receiver, for returning the
governing device to the catch.
9. In combination with a pneumatic transit tube and a movable receiver
adapted to move into registry with the tube to receive a carrier, and out of
registry therewith to deliver the same, a cylinder and piston as M M for
shifting the receiver, a valve arranged to govern the admission and exhaust
of motive fluid to and from the cylinder, means, as a spring, for moving and
holding said valve in position to effect the shifting of the receiver out of registry
with the tube, a catch for holding said valve in its alternative position and
means for releasing said catch actuated by an increase of pressure in the
receiver.
10. In combination with a pneumatic transit tube and a movable receiver
adapted to move into registry with the tube to receive a carrier. and out of
registry therewith to deliver the same, a cylinder and piston as M M for
shifting the receiver, a valve arranged to govern the admission and exhaust
of motive fluid to and from the cylinder, means, as a spring, for moving and
holding said valve in position to effect the shifting of the receiver out of registry
with the tube, a catch for holding said valve in its alternative position, a
cylinder Q connected at one end with the rear of the receiver and at the other
end with the transmission tube and a piston Q working in said cylinder and
connected with the catch as specified.
11. In combination with a pneumatic transit tube and a receiver substantially
as specified. a pivoted receiving platform as R, arranged to receive the carrier
after it is discharged from the receiver a catch acting to hold said platform in
its receiving position and catch releasing mechanism arranged to be actuated
by the delivery of a carrier onto said platform.
1
A 1 '
1000
EDWARDS AND CO.,
65 and 66, Chancery Lane, London,
Agents for the Applicant.