Diebold, Inc.

Peter J Ekama

Charles B Barnett

Larry A Morrison

Kenneth R Hansen

A terminal for a pneumatic tube system having a tube section pivotally mounted within the terminal for swinging movement between first and second positions. The swing tube communicates with the open end of a carrier send and receive tube which connects the terminal with the pneumatic tube system when in the first position. The swing tube communicates with a carrier delivery mechanism when in the second position which provides access to the carrier by a bank teller or customer. A bellcrank mechanism has a roller mounted on the extended end of a first bellcrank lever which is engaged for sliding movement in a camming slot formed in a cam block mounted on the swing tube. The extended end of a second bellcrank lever is connected to a motor driven slide rod for actuation of the bellcrank mechanism to pivot the swing tube between the first and second positions through the roller-cam engagement. The pneumatic tube system air supply communicates with the pivoted end of the swing tube and applies a lower air-pressure or vacuum for drawing a carrier into and holding it in the swing tube during movement of the swing tube between the first and second positions. The direction of airflow or supply then is reversed to drive the carrier from the swing tube into the carrier delivery mechanism or to propel the carrier into and along the pneumatic tube for delivery to a distant terminal.

Pneumatic tube system swing tube terminal construction

A pneumatic tube carrier has a payload compartment formed by a pair of side column members and spaced end plates. The carrier is formed with at least one side opening for access to the compartment which is closed by a pair of doors, with each door of the pair closing one-half of the access opening. The doors are mounted on the column members on opposite sides of the compartment by cams for swinging movement between open and closed positions. Spring-biased control rods extend longitudinally through bores formed in the side column members. The rod ends extend through the carrier end plates and engage rocker arms pivotally mounted within end cap cavities which are formed on the ends of the carrier. Pins formed on the control rods extend through slots formed in the cams for rotating the cams and their associated doors when the control rods are moved linearly within the bores. A selected rocker arm is adapted to be pivoted by an external plunger at a pneumatic tube terminal, and when actuated moves one of the control rods linearly into engagement with the other rocker arm at the opposite end of the carrier, which in turn moves the other control rod linearly in the opposite direction. The linear movements of the control rods and associated pins in the cam slots, pivot the doors to open position. Spring means return the doors to closed position after retraction of the external plunger.

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Malvern, OH, United States of America

Peter J Ekama