Multiple dock station for pneumatic transport system
First Claim
Patent Images
1. A dispatch/receive station for a pneumatic tube system, the station comprising:
- a housing;
a pneumatic port connected to said housing for receiving carriers and dispatching carriers to the pneumatic tube system;
a carriage, disposed at least partially within said housing, having a plurality of carrier docks spaced about a central axis of said carriage, wherein said carriage comprises;
an upper rim having a plurality of openings spaced about said central axis of said carriage, each opening defining an upper end of one of said plurality of carrier docks;
a lower rim spaced from said upper rim and having a plurality of recesses spaced about said central axis of said carriage, each recess defining a lower end of one of said plurality of carrier docks; and
a plurality of dividers disposed between each adjacent pair of carrier docks, wherein each divider extends over a portion of the distance between said upper rim and said lower rim and over a portion of a distance between said central axis and a radial outer edge of said carriage, wherein said carriage is configured to rotate about said central axis to selectively align any one of said plurality of carrier docks with said pneumatic port for receiving or dispatching a pneumatic carrier; and
an access opening in said housing, wherein said access opening is sized to permit access to a single one of said plurality of carrier docks rotated into alignment with said access opening, wherein said access opening and said pneumatic port are offset to align with first and second different carrier docks of said carriage.
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Accused Products
Abstract
Provided herein is a pneumatic tube system station having a rotating carriage with multiple carrier ports. The multiple carrier ports allow for receiving multiple carriers and/or staging multiple carries for dispatch. In one arrangement, one or more carriers may be securely maintained within the station while permitting users to continue utilizing the station.
59 Citations
19 Claims
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1. A dispatch/receive station for a pneumatic tube system, the station comprising:
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a housing; a pneumatic port connected to said housing for receiving carriers and dispatching carriers to the pneumatic tube system; a carriage, disposed at least partially within said housing, having a plurality of carrier docks spaced about a central axis of said carriage, wherein said carriage comprises; an upper rim having a plurality of openings spaced about said central axis of said carriage, each opening defining an upper end of one of said plurality of carrier docks; a lower rim spaced from said upper rim and having a plurality of recesses spaced about said central axis of said carriage, each recess defining a lower end of one of said plurality of carrier docks; and a plurality of dividers disposed between each adjacent pair of carrier docks, wherein each divider extends over a portion of the distance between said upper rim and said lower rim and over a portion of a distance between said central axis and a radial outer edge of said carriage, wherein said carriage is configured to rotate about said central axis to selectively align any one of said plurality of carrier docks with said pneumatic port for receiving or dispatching a pneumatic carrier; and an access opening in said housing, wherein said access opening is sized to permit access to a single one of said plurality of carrier docks rotated into alignment with said access opening, wherein said access opening and said pneumatic port are offset to align with first and second different carrier docks of said carriage. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12)
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13. A dispatch/receive station for a pneumatic tube system, the station comprising:
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a housing having an internal area; a pneumatic port attached to said housing for receiving carriers from and dispatching carriers to the pneumatic tube system; a plurality of carrier docks disposed within said housing and configured to rotate about a common central axis, wherein; each carrier dock sized to receive a pneumatic carrier between a bottom end and a top end; and each carrier dock has an open radially outward portion, relative to said central axis, that extends over at least a portion of a distance between said bottom end and said top end; an access opening in said housing, wherein said access opening is sized to permit access to one open radially outward portion of one carrier dock aligned with said access opening, wherein said access opening and said pneumatic port are offset to align with first and second different ones of said plurality of carrier docks; and an actuator operative to rotate said plurality of carrier dock about said central axis to selectively align one of said carrier docks with said pneumatic port or said access opening. - View Dependent Claims (14, 15, 16)
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17. A dispatch/receive station for a pneumatic tube system, the station comprising:
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a housing; a pneumatic port connected to said housing for receiving carriers and dispatching carriers to the pneumatic tube system; a carriage, disposed at least partially within said housing, having a plurality of carrier docks spaced about a central axis of said carriage, wherein said carriage is configured to rotate about said central axis to selectively align any one of said plurality of carrier docks with said pneumatic port for receiving or dispatching a pneumatic carrier; an access opening in said housing, wherein said access opening is sized to permit access to a single one of said plurality of carrier docks rotated into alignment with said access opening, wherein said access opening and said pneumatic port are offset to align with first and second different carrier docks of said carriage; at least one plenum disposed between said housing and said carriage, wherein said plenum at least partially fluidly isolates said carriage and said plurality of carrier docks from an internal area of said housing; and a valve disposed in-line with said pneumatic port, wherein said valve moves between an open configuration where air for the pneumatic tube system is drawn or exhausted air through said internal area of said housing and a closed configuration wherein air for the pneumatic tube system is drawn or exhausted through said carriage and said access opening. - View Dependent Claims (18, 19)
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Specification