Air valve pneumatic tube carrier system
First Claim
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1. A pass-through valve for a pneumatic tube carrier system, comprising:
- a pneumatic tube having an internal bore at least partially defined by a sidewall extending between a tube inlet and a tube outlet, wherein the internal bore has an internal diameter that is sized to accommodate the passage of a pneumatic carrier there through and the sidewall includes a first plurality of apertures;
an outer sleeve circumferentially surrounding at least a portion of an outside surface of the pneumatic tube, wherein the outer sleeve is moveable between an open position and a closed position free of obstruction of said internal bore;
an actuator in operative communication with the outer sleeve and operative to move the outer sleeve with respect to the pneumatic tube between the open position and the closed position, wherein when in the closed position the outer sleeve covers the apertures to maintain fluid flow through internal bore of the pneumatic tube and when in the open position the outer sleeve allows for fluid flow through the apertures to exhaust fluid from the internal bore of the pneumatic tube to an exterior of the pneumatic tube.
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Abstract
A valve device and method are provided that are operative to selectively divert the flow of air within a pneumatic carrier within a pneumatic carrier system. Generally, the device includes a pneumatic tube that is sized to permit the passage of pneumatic carriers. The pneumatic tube includes at least aperture in a sidewall of the pneumatic tube, an outer sleeve, and an actuator. The actuator acts on the outer sleeve to block and open the aperture to fluid flow in order to divert air in the pneumatic system. In one embodiment, the valve is disposed in a pneumatic system in conjunction with a pneumatic carrier handling device.
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Citations
25 Claims
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1. A pass-through valve for a pneumatic tube carrier system, comprising:
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a pneumatic tube having an internal bore at least partially defined by a sidewall extending between a tube inlet and a tube outlet, wherein the internal bore has an internal diameter that is sized to accommodate the passage of a pneumatic carrier there through and the sidewall includes a first plurality of apertures; an outer sleeve circumferentially surrounding at least a portion of an outside surface of the pneumatic tube, wherein the outer sleeve is moveable between an open position and a closed position free of obstruction of said internal bore; an actuator in operative communication with the outer sleeve and operative to move the outer sleeve with respect to the pneumatic tube between the open position and the closed position, wherein when in the closed position the outer sleeve covers the apertures to maintain fluid flow through internal bore of the pneumatic tube and when in the open position the outer sleeve allows for fluid flow through the apertures to exhaust fluid from the internal bore of the pneumatic tube to an exterior of the pneumatic tube. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 24, 25)
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16. A pass-through valve for use in a pneumatic carrier system, comprising:
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a tube having an internal bore extending between an inlet and an outlet, wherein the internal bore has an inside diameter sized to accommodate passage of a pneumatic carrier; at least first and second apertures extending through a sidewall of the tube, wherein a combined area of the apertures is at least half of the cross-sectional area of the internal bore; an arcuate member sized for conformal positioning around at least a portion of an outside surface of the tube, wherein the arcuate member is moveable between an open position and a closed position free of obstruction of said internal bore; and an actuator for moving the arcuate member between at least the open position and the closed position, wherein when in the closed position the arcuate member covers the apertures to maintain fluid flow through the internal bore and when in the open position the arcuate member allows for fluid flow through the apertures to exhaust fluid from the internal bore to an exterior of the tube. - View Dependent Claims (17, 18, 19, 20, 21, 22, 23)
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Specification