Pneumatic transport air shifter

• US 6,939,088 B2
• Filed: 11/15/2002
• Issued: 09/06/2005
• Est. Priority Date: 11/15/2002
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Protech Structural Industries
• Original Assignee: Protech Structural Industries
• Inventors: Farrell, Robert M.
• Primary Examiner(s): DILLON JR, JOSEPH A
• Application Number:
  US10/295,222
• Publication Number:
  US 20040096279A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,026 Days
• Field of Search: 406/19, 406/20, 406/21, 406/22, 406/23, 406/24, 406/184, 406/191, 406/192
• US Class Current: 406/192
• CPC Class Codes: B65G 51/32 for despatch, delivery, and transit
• CPC Class Codes: B65G 51/36 Other devices for indicating or controlling movements of carriers, e.g. for supervising individual tube sections, for counting carriers, for reporting jams or other operating difficulties

Abstract

A pneumatic transfer system having a modular pneumatic shifting device. A teller conduit has a teller station and a customer conduit has a customer station. A housing having apertures connected to the teller conduit and the customer conduit has a teller gate and a customer gate intermittently obstructing the apertures. A differential pressure generating mechanism is connected to the housing. A plurality of sensors send signals to a programmable means when a carrier pass through the system actuating movement of the gates and operation of the differential pressure generating mechanism.

Claims

1. A pneumatic transfer system having a modular pneumatic shifting device, the system comprising:

a teller side conduit having an interior, a first end and a second end;

a teller sending and receiving station adjacent the first end of the teller side conduit;

a customer side conduit having an interior, a first end and a second end;

a customer sending and receiving station adjacent the first end of the customer side conduit;

a shifting device comprising a housing having a teller side aperture connected to the second end of the teller side conduit and a customer side aperture connected to the second end of the customer side conduit;

a center transfer tube connecting the teller side aperture and the customer side aperture;

at least one movoable teller gate within the housing adjacent the teller side aperture, the teller gate intermittently obstructing the teller side aperture;

at least one moveable customer gate within the housing adjacent the customer side aperture, the customer gate intermittently obstructing the customer side aperture;

at least one differential pressure generating mechanism connected to the housing;

at least one teller sensor having a sensing portion sized and shaped to fit within the teller conduit sensing when an object sized and shaped to fit within the conduit moves past the sensing portion of the teller sensor, the teller sensor intermittently activating movement of the teller gate, customer gate and differential pressure generating mechanism;

at least one customer sensor having a sensing portion sized and shaped to fit within the customer conduit sensing when an object sized and shaped to fit within the conduit moves past the sensing portion of the customer sensor, the customer sensor intermittently ativaduig movement of the teller gate, customer gate and differential pressure generating mechanism;

at least one shifter sensor having a sensing portion within the center transfer tube sensing when an object sized and shaped to fit within the conduit moves past the sensing portion of the shifter sensor.

2. The system of claim 1 wherein the teller side aperture and the customer side aperture are coaxially aligned.

3. The system of claim 2 wherein the operation of the teller gate and the customer gate are linked such that only one of the gates will obstruct the teller side aperture or the customer side aperture.

4. The system of claim 3 wherein the housing is approximately centrally located between the teller sending and receiving station and the customer sending and receiving station.

5. The system of claim 4 wherein the teller gate and the customer gate are spaced at a distance apart such that at least one carrier sized and shaped to fit within the conduit will fit between the teller gate and the customer gate.

6. The system of claim 5 further comprising a carrier sized and shaped to cooperatively fit within the conduit.

7. A pneumatic transfer system, the system comprising:

a pipe having an interior, a first end and a second end;

a first sending and receiving station adjacent the first end of the pipe;

a second sending and receiving station adjacent the second end of the pipe;

at least one differential pressure generating mechanism positioned between the first station and the second station creating a pressure differential within the interior of the pipe;

at least one movable sending gate positioned between the first station and the differential pressure generating mechanism, the sending gate intermittently obstructing the interior of the pipe;

at least one movable receiving gate positioned between the second station and the differential pressure generating mechanism, the receiving gate intermittently obstructing the interior of the pipe;

at least one sending sensor positioned between the sending gate and the first station, the sending sensor intermittently activating movement of the sending gate, the receiving gate and the differential pressure generating mechanism;

at least one receiving sensor positioned between the receiving gate and the second station, the receiving sensor intermittently activating movement of the sending gate, the receiving gate and the differential pressure generating mechanism;

at least one shifter sensor positioned between the sending gate and the receiving gate.

8. The system of claim 7 wherein the sending gate and the receiving gate are coaxially aligned.

9. The system of claim 8 wherein the operation of the sending gate and the receiving gate are linked such that only one of the gates will obstruct the pipe at any one point in time.

10. The system of claim 9 wherein the teller gate and the customer gate are spaced at a distance apart such that at least one carrier sized and shaped to fit within the pipe will fit between the sending gate and the receiving gate.

11. The system of claim 10 wherein the differential pressure generating mechanism is connected to the pipe at the approximate center of the pipe.

12. A pneumatic shifting device for moving objects in a pneumatic transfer system, the system comprising:

a housing having a teller side aperture sized and shaped to receive a pneumatic transfer system conduit and a customer side aperture sized and shaped to receive a pneumatic transfer system conduit;

a center transfer tube connecting the teller side aperture and the customer side aperture;

at least one differential pressure generating mechanism having a connection to the housing;

at least one moveable teller gate adjacent the teller side aperture, the teller gate intermittently obstructing the teller side aperture;

at least one moveable customer gate adjacent the customer side aperture, the customer gate intermittently obstructing the customer side aperture;

at least one teller sensor having a sensing portion sized and shaped to fit within a pneumatic transfer system conduit sensing when an object sized and shaped to fit within the conduit moves past the sensing portion of the teller sensor, the teller sensor intermittently activating movement of the teller gate, customer gate and differential pressure generating mechanism;

at least one customer sensor having a sensing portion sized and shaped to fit within a pneumatic transfer system conduit sensing when an object sized and shaped to fit within the conduit moves past the sensing portion of the customer sensor, the customer sensor intermittently activating movement of the teller gate, customer gate and differential pressure generating mechanism;

at least one shifter sensor having a sensing portion within the center transfer tube sensing when an object sized and shaped to fit within the conduit moves past the sensing portion of the shifter sensor.

13. The device of claim 12 wherein the teller side aperture and the customer side aperture are coaxially aligned.

14. The device of claim 13 wherein the operation of the teller side gate and the customer side gate are linked such that only one of the gates will obstruct either the teller side aperture or the customer side aperture.

15. The device of claim 14 wherein the teller gate and the customer gate are spaced at a distance apart such that at least one carrier sized and shaped to fit through the teller side aperture and the customer side aperture will fit between the sending gate and the receiving gate.

16. A pneumatic transfer system having a modular pneumatic shifting device, the system comprising:

a teller side conduit having an interior, a first end and a second end;

a teller sending and receiving station adjacent the first end of the teller side conduit;

a customer side conduit having an interior, a first end and a second end;

a customer sending and receiving station adjacent the first end of the customer side conduit;

a shifting device comprising a housing having a teller side aperture connected to the second end of the teller side conduit and a customer side aperture connected to the second end of the customer side conduit;

at least one moveable teller gate within the housing adjacent the teller side aperture, the teller gate intermittently obstructing the teller side aperture;

at least one moveable customer gate within the housing adjacent the customer side aperture, the customer gate intermittently obstructing the customer side aperture;

at least one teller sensor having a sensing portion sized and shaped to fit within the teller conduit sensing when an object sized and shaped to fit within the conduit moves past the sensing portion of the teller sensor, the teller sensor intermittently activating movement of the teller gate, customer gate and differential pressure generating mechanism;

at least one customer sensor having a sensing portion sized and shaped to fit within the customer conduit sensing when an object sized and shaped to fit within the conduit moves past the sensing portion of the customer sensor, the customer sensor

intermittently activating movement of the teller gate, customer gate and differential pressure generating mechanism;

at least one shifter sensor having a sensing portion within the housing sensing when an object sized and shaped to fit within the conduit moves past the sensing portion of the shifter sensor.

17. The system of claim 16 wherein the teller side aperture and the customer side aperture are coaxially aligned.

18. The system of claim 17 wherein the operation of the teller side gate and the customer side gate are linked such that only one of the gates will obstruct either the teller side aperture or the customer side aperture.

19. The system of claim 18 wherein the teller gate and the customer gate are spaced at a distance apart such that at least one carrier sized and shaped to fit through the teller side aperture and the customer side aperture will fit between the sending gate and the receiving gate.

20. A method of pneumatically moving an object through a pneumatic transfer system, the method comprising:

introducing a first obstruction creating an interior first section of a tube system adjacent a first end of a transition point;

introducing an object sized and shaped to cooperatively fit within the tube system into the first section of the tube system;

operating a pressure differential generating mechanism at the transition point creating a pressure difference across the object within the first section moving the object within the interior of the first section toward the transition portion;

sensing the object at the transition point;

deactivating the pressure differential generating mechanism upon sensing of the object at the transition point;

removing the first obstruction;

introducing a second obstruction creating an interior second section of the tube system adjacent a second end of the transition point;

operating the pressure differential generating mechanism at the transition point creating a pressure difference across the object within the second section moving the object within the second section;

sensing movement of the object past a point within the second section;

deactivating the pressure differential generating mechanism upon sensing movement of the object past the point within the second section.

21. In a building structure including an automobile drive through service window and an overhead structure having pneumatic transfer system, the improvement comprising:

a pneumatic conduit for pneumatically delivering objects attached to the overhead structure;

a housing attached to the overhead structure and connected into the pneumatic conduit having a teller side aperture with a moveable teller gate adjacent the teller side aperture and within the housing and a customer side aperture with a moveable customer gate adjacent the customer side aperture and within the housing;

at least one differential pressure generating mechanism connected to the overhead structure;

at least one teller sensor adjacent the teller side aperture of the housing connected to the pneumatic conduit sensing when an abject sized and shaped to fit within the conduit moves past the teller sensor intermittently activating movement of the teller gate, customer gate and differential pressure generating mechanism;

at least one customer sensor adjacent the customer side aperture of the housing connected to the pneumatic conduit sensing when an object sized and shaped to fit within the conduit moves past the teller sensor intermittently activating movement of the teller gate, customer gate and differential pressure generating mechanism;

at least one shifter sensor having a sensing portion within the housing sensing when an object sized and shaped to fit within the conduit moves past the sensing portion of the shifter sensor.

22. The system of claim 21 wherein the teller side aperture and the customer side aperture are coaxially aligned.

23. The system of claim 22 wherein the operation of the teller gate and the customer gate are linked such that only one of the gates will obstruct the teller side aperture or the customer side aperture.

24. The system of claim 23 wherein the teller gate and the customer gate are spaced at a distance apart such that at least one carrier sized and shaped to fat within the conduit will fit between the teller gate and the customer gate.

25. The system of claim 24 further comprising a carrier sized and shaped to cooperatively fit within the conduit.

26. A pneumatic transfer system, the system comprising;

a pipe having an interior, a first end and a second end;

a first sending and receiving station adjacent the first end of the pipe;

a second sending and receiving station adjacent the second end of the pipe;

at least one differential pressure generating mechanism positioned between the first station and the second station creating a pressure differential within the interior of the pipe;

at least one movable sending gate positioned between the first station and the differential pressure generating mechanism, the sending gate intermittently obstructing the interior of the pipe;

at least one movable receiving gate in coaxial alignment with the sending gate and positioned between the second station and the differential pressure generating mechanism, the receiving gate intermittently obstructing the interior of the pipe;

at least one sending sensor positioned between the sending gate and the first station, the sending sensor intermittently activating movement of the sending gate, the receiving gate and the differential pressure generating mechanism;

at least one receiving sensor positioned between the receiving gate and the second station, the receiving sensor intermittently activating movement of the sending gate, the receiving gate and the differential pressure generating mechanism;

at least one shifter sensor positioned between the sending gate and the receiving gate.

27. The system of claim 26 wherein the operation of the sending gate and the receiving gate are linked such that only one of the gates will obstruct the pipe at any one point in time.

28. The system of claim 27 wherein the teller gate and the customer gate are spaced at a distance apart such that at least one carrier sized and shaped to fit within the pipe will fit between the sending gate and the receiving gate.

29. The system of claim 28 wherein the differential pressure generating mechanism is connected to the pipe at the approximate center of the pipe.