Automated handling system for bank deposit boxes

• US 3,964,577 A
• Filed: 08/12/1974
• Issued: 06/22/1976
• Est. Priority Date: 08/22/1973
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Robur Konsult AB
• Original Assignee: Robur Konsult AB
• Inventors: Bengtsson, Sture B.
• Primary Examiner(s): Makay, Albert J.
• Assistant Examiner(s): Abraham, George F.
• Application Number:
  US05/496,835
• Time in Patent Office: 680 Days
• Field of Search: 186/1 R, 186/1 B, 186/1 D, 186/7, 186/22, 186/28, 214/16.4 A, 214/16.1 DB
• US Class Current: 186/37
• CPC Class Codes: E04G 7/00 Connections between parts of the scaffold for building structures in general E04B1/38; connections in general F16B ; connection for tubes or rods in general F16B7/00
• CPC Class Codes: E05G 1/06 having provision for multiple compartments

Abstract

In a system for the automatic programmed handling of coded safety deposit boxes and other objects having book receiving members and stored in a storage room having rows of shelves, the improvement which comprises stacking means movable along said shelves for the removal and insertion of said boxes, gripping means movably mounted on said stacking means for movement in the vertical direction and on the horizontal plane for removal and insertion of said boxes, said gripping means including hook means for communication with said hook receiving means of said boxes for transporting said boxes, programming means cooperating with said stacking means and said gripping means for automatically directing said stacking means and said gripping means to desired box by way of a predetermined program, said programming means including control means for keying-in the desired box and initiating box hand-out and hand-in positions, and at least one issuing and receiving opening disposed adjoiningly in the wall of said storage room for receiving and returning said boxes, whereby upon receipt of instructions by the programming means of the desired box, the stacking means is actuated and moves automatically along the shelves to the proper position, the gripping means at the proper location engages or disengages the hook means and the hook receiving means in the box hand-out and hand-in positions and delivers or retrieves the box at the issuing and receiving openings.

Claims

1. In a system for the automatic programmed handling of coded safety deposit boxes and other objects having book receiving members and stored in a storage room having rows of shelves, the improvement which comprises stacking means movable along said shelves for the removal and insertion of said boxes, gripping means movably mounted on said stacking means for movement in the vertical direction and on the horizontal plane for removal and insertion of said boxes, said gripping means including hook means for communication with said hook receiving means of said boxes for transporting said boxes, programming means cooperating with said stacking means and said gripping means for automatically directing said stacking means and said gripping means to a desired box by way of a predetermined program, said programming means including control means for keying-in the desired box and initiating box hand-out and hand-in positions, transport means for transporting a handed-in deposit box to a temporary storage magazine for subsequently returning said box by means of stacking means to a storage position, and at least one issuing and receiving opening disposed adjoiningly in the wall of said storage room for receiving and returning said boxes, whereby upon receipt of instructions by the programming means of the desired box, the stacking means is actuated and moves automatically along the shelves to the proper position, the gripping means at the proper location engages or disengages the hook means and the hook receiving means in the box hand-out and hand-in positions and delivers or retrieves the box at the issuing and receiving openings.

2. A system according to claim 1 including a time register for recording the deposit box number, date and hour of hand-out and hand-in of deposit boxes.

3. A system according to claim 1 including a hand-out opening formed with an inner cover and an outer cover so that by coaction of the covers relative to each other a free view into the storage room is prevented in all positions.

4. A system according to claim 3 wherein the hand-out opening is so formed that the outer cover can be lifted first after a reader has checked that the box has the correct number.

5. A system according to claim 3 including lock means on said box and wherein the box is provided with projecting bolts which together with grooves in the hand-out opening render it impossible to take out the box unless by means of the lock means the position of the projecting bolts has been changed.

6. A system according to claim 5 wherein the lock means of the box both actuates the projecting bolts and acts as a lock for the cover of the box.

7. A system according to claim 6, including a photocell attached in the hand-in opening to indicate that the key of the box has been taken out of its lock.

8. A system according to claim 1 including an inductive number transmitter on said box and said reader co-acts with said inductive number transmitter on the box.

9. A system according to claim 8, including a second reader for reading the deposit box number at the hand-in.

10. A system according to claim 5 including reading means for said lock means for actuating said means when a box is being read.

11. A system according to claim 2 including means for transferring the box number to the time register.

12. A system according to claim 1, wherein each hand-in and hand-out opening is provided with a return magazine for temporary storage of boxes in the event of accumulation of such boxes at the opening in question.

13. A system according to claim 12, including a reader for reading the number of the box at its hand-in into a hand-in opening and to direct a sorting device to deliver the box to a return magazine corresponding to a box number.

14. A system according to claim 13, wherein said return magazine is provided with a return place from which the stacking means fetches boxes and returns them to a box stand.

15. A system according to claim 1 wherein said box is provided with a bracket adapted to co-act with a catch arm at a fetch and delivery means in the form of a swing-table, which bracket is open to one side so that the catch arm at the delivery of the box during a swinging motion can be released from said box and swing inwards inside the circumference of a swing-table.

16. A system according to claim 15, wherein the swing-table is provided with a movable reader.

17. A system according to claim 15, wherein the catch arm is arranged to swing at the fetching and delivery of boxes outside the circumference of the swing-table to fetch and, respectively, deliver the box at a definite distance outside said circumference.

18. A system according to claim 1, including an impulse transmitter adapted to rotate on a rack along a rail guiding the movement of the stacking means for determining the present position of the stacking means along said rail.

19. A system according to claim 18, wherein said control means is arranged to continuously have in memory the distance of the stacking means to the position of the box ordered, by determination of the number of the remaining impulses from the impulse transmitter until arrival of the stacking means at said address, and to actuate a D.C. motor with thyristor control driving the stacking means to have at any moment a suitable speed.

20. A system according to claim 19, wherein said control means comprises both a fixed program memory and a variable memory.

21. A system according to claim 20, wherein the variable memory of the control means renders possible the recording of special programs referring to special conditions to be met by the deposit box owner for the permission of box hand-out.