Dispatching system circuit

• US 3,893,097 A
• Filed: 06/03/1974
• Issued: 07/01/1975
• Est. Priority Date: 06/03/1974
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Action (United Rentals Incorporated)
• Original Assignee: Ronald Louis Lach, William Jean Brier
• Inventors: Lach, Ronald Louis, Brier, William Jean
• Primary Examiner(s): Habecker, Thomas B.
• Application Number:
  US05/475,582
• Time in Patent Office: 393 Days
• Field of Search: 340/51,286
• US Class Current: 340/286.02
• CPC Class Codes: G07C 11/00 Arrangements, systems or apparatus for checking, e.g. the occurrence of a condition, not provided for elsewhere
• CPC Class Codes: G07C 2011/04 related to queuing systems

Abstract

A circuit for use in a dispatching system operable to efficiently direct the movement of dispatched units to two sets of serving stations, the system having actuating means at each set of serving stations for producing electrical request signals and having two electrically actuated instructing means, preferably direction-indicating signs, for directing movement to an associated set of serving stations. The circuit effects actuation of each instructing means in response to a request signal produced by actuating means at its associated set of serving stations, and effects alternate actuation of both instructing means in response to simultaneous storage of request signals produced by actuating means at both sets of serving stations.

Claims

1. For use in a dispatching system having actuating means at each of two sets of serving stations for producing electrical request signals, and having two electrically actuated instructing means each for an associated set, a circuit comprising:

control switch means, sequencing means and two register means, each said register means being associated with an instructing means, and being connected to the actuating means at an associated set of serving stations to store the request signals produced thereby, said sequencing means being in control circuit with each said register means and the instructing means associated therewith and being operable to control actuation of the latter in response to storage of request signals in said register means, said sequencing means being operable to alternately control actuation of both instructing means in response to simultaneous storage of request signals in both said register means, said sequencing means being further operable to cancel a request signal in a said register means following each actuation of its associated instructing means, said control switch means being in control circuit with said sequencing means and each said register means and being preconditioned upon storage of request signals to initiate operation of said sequencing means;

whereby said circuit effects actuation of an instructing means in response to storage of a request signal produced by actuating means at its associated set of serving stations, and effects alternate actuation of both instructing means in response to simultaneous storage of request signals produced by actuating means at both sets of serving stations.

2. The circuit of claim 1, wherein said control switch is operated in response to the presence of a unit to be dispatched.

3. The circuit of claim 2, wherein said control switch is treadle-operated.

4. The circuit of claim 1, wherein said control switch means comprises an electronic timer for initiating operation of said sequencing means at regular preselected time intervals in response to storage of multiple request signals in said register means.

5. The circuit of claim 4, wherein said timer is further operable to control operation of said sequencing means to maintain instructing means actuation for a preselected time interval.

6. The circuit of claim 1, wherein said sequencing means comprises switching means for selectively energizing the instructing means, additional switching means for providing a request signal cancel pulse to each register means following energization of the instructing means associated therewith, and lockout switching means for preventing interference with the energizing circuit for an actuated instructing means by entry of request signals produced by the set of serving stations associated with the non-actuated instructing means.

7. The circuit of claim 6, wherein said switching means comprise electromechanical relays.

8. The circuit of claim 1, wherein each said register means comprises a shift register having plural bistable multivibrator stages.

9. The circuit of claim 8, wherein each of said stages comprises a steering relay and a stabilizing relay both in circuit with a conTrol input and a common terminal, said steering relay being energized upon application of a predetermined voltage to said terminal, energization of said steering relay serving to switch said input to said stabilizing relay for energization of the latter in response to a ground pulse at said input, deenergization of said steering relay serving to precondition deenergization of said stabilizing relay and re-energization of said steering relay in response to an additional ground pulse at said input, said stabilizing relay being operable to provide a ground holding circuit to maintain one of said relays in an energized condition and the other of said relays in a de-energized condition until energization of the latter;

whereby said relays are individually and alternately energized in response to ground pulses at said input.

10. A bistable multivibrator comprising a steering relay and a stabilizing relay both in circuit with a control input and a common terminal, said steering relay being energized upon application of a voltage source to said terminal, energization of said steering relay serving to switch said input to said stabilizing relay for energization of the latter in response to a ground pulse at said input, de-energization of said steering relay serving to precondition de-energization of said stabilizing relay and re-energization of said steering relay in response to an additional ground pulse at said input, said stabilizing relay being operable to provide a ground holding circuit to maintain one of said relays in an energized condition and the other of said relays in a de-energized condition until energization of the latter, whereby said relays are individually and alternately energized in response to ground pulses at said input.