US324210A - Store-service apparatus - Google Patents

Description

(No Model.)

G; A. BADGERJ STORE SERVICE APPARATUS.

No. 324,210. I I Patented Aug. 11, 1885.

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UNIT D STATES PATENT OFFICE...

GEORGE A. Banana- 0F QUINCY, AssIeNoR To JOHN H. LAKIN, or BOS- TON, MASSACHUSETTS.

STORE-SERVICE APPARATUS.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 324,210, dated August 11, 1885.

Application filed September 30, 1884. (N0 model.)

.1 0 all whom it may concern:

I and down so as to vary its inclination between those points. My object is to provide, in connection with such a wire, means whereby the salesman can establish a downgrade from himself to the cashier, and means also whereby the cashier can similarly reverse the grade of the wire when he desires to cause the car to return from him to the salesman.

In the drawing, Figure 1,1 have shown a track fixed at one end, the whole of the vertical movement being accomplished at the other end,which for this purpose is suitably connected with a vertical guide, as shown. This form of constructing the apparatus is preferable in thoseplaces where there is no necessity of economizing vertical space.

As has been said, the object of myinvention is to enable the salesman,without assistance, to establish a downgrade of the track from himself to the cashier, and to enable the cashier in the same way to establish a downgrade of the track from himself to the salesman. The practical advantage of this is, that the salesman, after having dispatched the carrier containing the goods and cash to the cashiers desk, has no further part in the operation of the apparatus, the rest being performed by the cashier, and in this way the operation of the structure is most conveniently dividedbetween the employs.

To enable the salesman to perform his part of the operation, which is to raise his end of the track, I provide a pull-cord, which when pulled down elevates the salesmans end of the track, as shown.

To enable the cashier to perform his part of the operation, I also provide a pull-cord to be operated by him. This pull -cord extends from the cashiers station to the salesmans end of the track, and is there attached to it in such a manner that a pull by the cashier causes the salesmans end of the track to de scend.

I will now proceed to describe the apparatus in detail.

In Fig. 1, D represents the track, of which a is the fixed end, or that of the cashier, and b is the movable end, or that of the salesman.

h represents the salesmans pull-cord for raising his end of the track, this pull-cord passing over a guide, a, and pulley t, and thence downwardly to the movable end of the track. The cashiers pull-cord (marked A H) passes in a similar manner from his end of the apparatus over pulleys m tq, and thence up to the movable end of the track, the pulley t being double-grooved.

To enable the movable end I) of the track to move readily up and down, I provide it with a friction-pulley, 0, working upon a vertical guide, 0. A second or downward pullcord at the salesmans end (shown at b) enables him to lower his end of the track in case of the failure of the cashier-ls pull-cord to operate.

The car or carrier g (shown detached and drawn to a larger scale in Fig. 3) may be of any desired form. The pull-cord may be of the same material throughout, or it may be made of cord at those portions which have to pass over pulleys, and thef'intermediate portion, (marked 11,) which is often of considerable length, may be of wire. This detail is illustrated at Fig. 2. I have also shown a latching device, 'i, Fig. 1, adapted to hold or retain the movable end of the track when raised. By making this latch in the form of a spring or weighted hook it will yield to a downward pull when either the salesman or the cashier desires to depress the movable end of the track; or by attaching the connectionH to this latch 73 it may be thereby released from the cashiers end and the movable end of the track be allowed to descend by its own gravity. I prefer, however, to attach the cashiers pullcord directly to the end of the track, instead of to a detaining and releasing hook. The track being of necessity greater in length than the shortest distance between its extremities, it is obvious that when its inclination is changed it will be considerably slackened when its two ends are on the same level, and will be correspondingly tautened again when it comes to rest; consequently, if the operation of changing the grade is performed suddenly, as is the case when the end of the track with the carrier on it is released and falls by gravity, the sudden slackening and subsequent tautening of the track produces a jerk or throw in theapparatus which is detrimental to its best working. \Vhen, however, the end of the track is gradually lowered by the positive and regulated action of the pull-cord, this objection is obviated, and I therefore prefer to attach the pull-cord to the track in the manner shown.

In the foregoing description I have described the movable end of the track as being that of the salesman, and in practice this is almost universally the case. It is obvious, however, that the apparatus might be operated were the relative positions of the cashier and salesman reversed, although such an arrangement of the apparatus I believe to be undesirable under ordinary circumstances.

This application is a division of a pending application filed May 12, 1884, and numbered 131,088, and I make no claim herein to any subject-matter shown in that application, except as specifically claimed herein in combination with subject-matter not shown in that application, making by such combination new and useful organizations not disclosed by that application, but appearing only in this one. I have shown and claimed in that application, and therefore disclaim as of this application, first, a parcel-carrying track composed of a wire or cord having one end fixed and the other capable of being raised and lowered; second, such a track fixed at one end and connected with a slide and up and down pull (OidS at the other; third such a track secured to a fixed support at one end and to one capable of vertical movement at the other, in combination with track-inclining devices located at and operated only from the movable end; fourth, such a track fixed at one end and movable at the othcr,in combination with a guide, E, single-grooved pulley, and two pull-cords at the movable end, so that the apparatus can onlybe operated at the movable end of the track; and, fifth, in a store-service system,the combinatiomwith a slide attached to the movable end of the track, of a catch for securing the slide.

\Vhat I claim herein is 1. The combination, with a store-service apparatus comprising a movable track fixed at one end and provided at the other with a suitable raising-cord, of a connection, substautially as herein set forth, extending from the fixed end of the track and operating the track-lowering mechanism at the opposite or movable end of the track, as specified.

2. The combination, with a store-service apparatus comprising a track having one end movable, a carrier adapted to run thereon by gravity, and pull-up and pull-down cords, each connected with and operated from the movable end of the track, of a second or additional lowering-cord operated from the fixed end of the track and connected across to the movable end, as set forth.

3. In combination with a. store-service apparatus comprising a track movable at one end, a carriage adapted to run thereon by gravity, and raising and lowering cords, a double-grooved pulley, t, a single-grooved pulley, m, and a connection, H 7:, all substalr tially as set forth.

4. In a store-service apparatus having a way fixed at one end and adapted to be raised and lowered at the other, the combination, with a hook or detent at the movable end of the way and adapted to hold it when raised, of means of releasing the hook or detent from the fixed end of the way, said means consisting of a connection extending from the hook or detcut to the fixed end of the way, as set forth.

In testimony whereof I have hereunto sub scribed my name this 22d day of September, A. D. 1884.

GEORGE A. BADGER.

Witnesses:

J. HENRY TAYLOR, ALEX. P. Baownn.

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