After-hours Depository Entrance

Abstract

An after-hours depository entrance employs a cylindrical drum with an article receptacle therein which rotates in a housing between an article receiving opening and an article depositing opening. The housing is fitted with a number of fixed article interceptors which sweep through the article receptacle as it passes the article depositing opening in order to insure that no articles therein can be returned to the receiving opening, the drum being rotatable in one direction only for this purpose. The drum is rotatable in both directions, however, through a limited arc so that if the receptacle is improperly loaded, it can be reversed for reloading. An important feature of the depository entrance is a closure for the housing receiving opening in the form of a two-way sliding door which when slid in one direction opens into the receptacle for receipt of bagged deposits and which when slid in the other direction brings a slot only in the door into communication with the receptacle for envelope deposits. A cover plate is provided over the door with an aperture therein in registry with the housing receiving opening, margins of the aperture overlapping margins of the door in order to prevent entry of weather elements into the housing receiving opening. An electric motor drives the drum and a circuit interconnecting the door and drum controls operation of the motor according to movement of the door.

Description

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

Two prior U.S. Pat. Nos. 3,031,133 to Jones and 3,059,839 to Graber, disclose after-hours depository entrances each employing a rotor having an article receptacle opening through its periphery. The rotor rotates in a housing in one direction only, carrying the receptacle from an article receiving opening to an article depositing opening in the housing and then in the same direction back to the receiving opening. In order to insure that no article in the receptacle can be carried past the depositing opening, a number of "interceptors" are fixed in the housing just past the depositing opening and sweep through the receptacle as it passes, appropriate openings being provided in the walls of the latter for this purpose.

Jones uses a hinged door which, as it closes, mechanically drives the rotor. However, as an examination of Jones will readily disclose, unless his door is opened its full extent each time, the mechanism will get out of phase because the amount by which the rotor revolves depends upon the extent to which the door is opened. Graber, on the other hand, employs a pair of hinged doors, one for envelope deposits and the other for bag deposits, and an electric motor and circuit for operating the rotor when either door is opened and closed, the extent of the rotor's rotation being independent of the extent of door opening. Graber is thus not subject to the difficulties of Jones. But Graber, as do current depository entrances, relies on his doors as a part of the depository's system of protection against unauthorized access to the interior of the housing and the chest with which the depositing opening of the housing typically communicates. Once either of Graber's doors is closed after an article has been inserted into the receptacle and the depositing cycle begun, both doors are thereafter positively locked so that neither can be opened until the rotor has completed its movement and the receptacle again arrives at the receiving opening of the housing. This, indeed, is the chief feature of Graber and obviously involves considerable additional complexity and cost; yet it is really unnecessary. In fact, adequate protection for the foregoing purpose is given by the unidirectional rotating receptacle and the article interceptors alone, quite apart from any door or doors. This fact seems not to have been realized, perhaps because the door or doors have habitually in the past been relied on for part of a depository's security without apparently any question of their actual need for this purpose ever being raised.

The very fact that the rotor cannot be rotated in the opposite direction, while contributing greatly to the security of the depository entrances of the Jones and Graber type, is also a disadvantage. If the receptacle is improperly loaded, so that for instance an article protrudes somewhat therefrom, the article may jam between the edges of the receptacle and the receiving opening when the depositing cycle is begun, thus disabling the depository since the rotor cannot be reversed to release the article. Graber seeks to avoid this by providing a series of finned protrusions from the inner faces of his doors to push articles back out of the way when the doors are closed. But this is not wholly satisfactory because the fins may compress the articles and once clear of the fins they may nevertheless spring back and bind against the housing wall. This will impair or halt operation of the mechanism since the drive motor typically employed for the rotor is of low torque in order to prevent damage to the mechanisms in the event the rotor is otherwise halted, as by the article interceptors jamming against an article stuck in the receptacle.

A particularly troublesome aspect of the hinged type of door employed by Jones and Graber, as well as by many other types of depository entrances, is that they are difficult or impossible to keep adequately sealed , especially over long periods of use, against blowing rain or snow entering the housing receiving opening. This is also true of the swinging or hinged hopper type of depository entrance, such as shown in U.S. Pat. Nos. 2,617,584 to Behrens and 2,901,165 to Krug, as well as of the drawer type, such as shown in U.S. Pat. Nos. 1,759,129 to McClintock et al. and 2,842,308 to Massengill. Furthermore, since the tendency in all of these designs is to rely on the door as part of the depository's protection, the customer is unable visually to see whether his deposit has in fact actually been made without again opening the door and thus beginning a false or useless depositing cycle.

Accordingly, the chief object of the present invention is to provide a secure type of after-hours depository entrance of the basic design outlined above in which its latent advantages are exploited and its disadvantages removed.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

Essentially, the depository entrance of the present invention comprises a rectangular housing having an upper article receiving opening and a lower article depositing opening. A cylindrical drum, integrally cast from an aluminum alloy, is horizontally rotably mounted in the housing and provided with an integral article receptacle therein opening through its periphery to communicate with the receiving opening and then with the depositing opening of the housing during rotation of the drum. The latter is rotable in either direction from a position in which the receptacle is in substantially full communication with the housing receiving opening to a position where the receptacle has just passed out of communication therewith. Thereafter, the drum can rotate only in the direction of its travel toward the depositing opening. For this purpose, a suitable pawl engages a ratchet wheel rotating with the drum, the detents of the ratchet being interrupted over a portion thereof sufficient to permit drum rotation in either direction between the positions just described. A series of article interceptors, in the form of sector-shaped plates, are spaced axially of the drum between the adjacent edges of the depositing and the receiving openings. These plates sweep through the receptacle as it passes the depositing opening by virtue of a like series of axially spaced slots in the side walls of the receptacle through which the plates pass as the drum rotates. Hence no article can be returned to the receiving opening once the receptacle has passed the depositing opening.

The housing receiving opening is formed in a vertical door mounting plate secured to the housing front wall. That plate carries on its outer face a rectangular door panel overlying the receiving opening and normally closing it. The door panel below the receiving opening is provided with a horizontal envelope depositing slot and is slidable upwardly on a pair of vertical ways to a position in which the envelope slot is in communication with the receiving opening. Similarly, the door panel is slidable downwardly on its ways to expose the entire receiving opening for deposit of bags. Over the mounting plate and the door panel, in turn, and spaced just forwardly of the latter, is a cover plate having an opening therein in registry with the receiving opening. The door panel is sufficiently expansive, both horizontally and vertically, so that in its closed position its margins are overlapped by the margins of the cover plate opening. Hence driving snow or rain are very effectively prevented from entering the receiving opening owing to the relatively larger door panel immediately behind the relatively smaller cover plate opening.

The door panel is biased to its closed position by a pair of oppositely acting Negator springs and the portion of the door panel in its closed position in registry with the receiving opening is transparent. A key lock and associated mechanism are provided so that the door panel can be locked against movement to its bag depositing position, but not against movement to its envelope depositing position. An interlocking mechanism with the drum prevents the key from being withdrawn from the lock until the drum has completed its depositing cycle.

The drum is driven by a low torque electric motor through an appropriate gear train. The motor is in series with a pair of double pole, single throw switches interconnected in "two-way" fashion with movement of the door panel and the drum. One switch, the door switch, is activated when the door panel is moved in either direction, and the other switch, the drum switch, by rotation of the drum, all in the following sequence: In its initial position, the receptacle is somewhat below and only in partial communication with the receiving opening and the two switches are initially in opposite positions so that there is no completed circuit to the motor. When the door panel is moved to either position, the door switch is moved to its alternate position and completes the circuit to the motor through the initial position of the drum switch. The drum thereupon rotates until a cam rotating therewith moves the drum switch to its alternate position, breaking the circuit when the receptacle is in full communication with the receiving opening. This operation "sets up" the mechanism for the depositing cycle. After the customer has inserted his deposit in the receptacle, he closes the door panel, thus returning the door switch to its initial position and again completing the circuit to the motor through the alternate position of the drum switch to begin the actual depositing cycle. The drum thereafter rotates the receptacle past the depositing opening until it returns to its initial position at which point the cam returns the drum switch to its initial position, breaking the circuit to the motor.

A number of important features and advantages ensue from the foregoing. First of all, as already mentioned, the sliding door panel in cooperation with the overlapping cover plate opening effectively seals the receiving opening against the weather in a manner as foolprooof as it is relatively simple. This is possible because the door panel is not relied upon as a part of the depository's security system. And that, in turn, is possible because, owing to their inherent nature, the unidirectionally rotating drum and article receptacle, together with the article interceptors, are alone sufficient for that purpose. Indeed, were it not for the need for weather protection and protection against possible vandalism, the door panel and cover plate could be eliminated entirely without impairing the security of the depository entrance or the chest against theft. Moreover, a sliding as opposed to a hinged door requires no clearance forward of or about the sides of the depository entrance in order for it to be opened.

Relieving the door of security duties has other derivative advantages. One, the door can be made of much lighter materials and much more economically, and need not itself have to be secured against unauthorized access or even removal. Two, a portion of the door panel can be made transparent so that the customer can actually visually see that his deposit has been completed without reopening the door. This is something which cannot safely be done with other depository entrances which rely or must rely on their doors for part of their security. Three, there is no need to lock the door panel closed during the depositing cycle; opening it in the midst of a depositing cycle merely halts rotation of the drum; when it is reclosed the cycle continues.

The fact that the drum can rotate in either direction until the receptacle has just passed the receiving opening is another feature and advantage. If the receptacle is improperly loaded, any tendency of the articles to protrude will cause them initially to jam between the edges of the receptacle and receiving opening when the depositing cycle is begun. In that event, the door panel is reopened, the drum simply reversed and the articles repacked. Indeed, after the door is reopened, the weight of the articles in the receptacle will cause the drum to reverse itself without need to be so manually. A measure of customer control over the deposit is thus provided at an important point in the depositing sequence, something not possible with current depository entrances of the wholly unidirectional type in which improper loading of the receptacle may disable the mechanism at any position of the receptacle between the receiving and depositing openings of the housing. A feature of the drum itself is that it and the article receptacle are an integral casting of an aluminum alloy, which has been found to give more than adequate protection under all circumstances, rather than being built up of heavy steel members as are those of Jones and Graber.

Finally, and by no means without important merit, the result of all the foregoing is that the entire depository entrance is much more compact, more economical to make and much lighter in weight. While in the form illustrated and described the axis of the drum is parallel to the plane of the door so that the article receptacle is loaded through an opening in its periphery, the present invention, including the sliding door panel, is also adaptable to a version thereof in which the drum axis is perpendicular to the plane of the door and the receptacle loaded through an end wall of the drum as in FIGS. 1-4 of Jones. Likewise, the sliding door panel of the present invention is also adaptable to any other type of depository entrance in which the door need not be relied on for security purposes. Other features and advantages will become apparent in connection with the more detailed description of the invention hereafter given.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 is a front elevation of an after-hours depository entrance according to the present invention illustrating its appearance to a depositor.

FIG. 2 is a partial vertical sectional view taken along the line 2--2 of FIG. 1.

FIG. 3 is similar to FIG. 1 but with the cover plate of the door assembly removed to illustrate the door panel mechanism and its components.

FIG. 4 is a partial vertical sectional view taken along the line 4--4 of FIG. 3.

FIG. 5 is a front elevation taken from the line 5--5 of FIG. 4, certain portions being broken away in order to illustrate the interior of the housing and the basic arrangement of the components therein.

FIG. 6 is a vertical sectional view taken along the line 6--6 of FIG. 5 illustrating further details of the housing's components and the important positions of the article receptacle in the drum during rotation of the latter through a depositing cycle.

FIG. 7 is a vertical sectional view taken along the line 7--7 of FIG. 5 illustrating the manner in which one end of the drum is mounted.

FIG. 8 is a vertical sectional view taken along the line 8--8 of FIG. 5 illustrating the drive motor for the drum.

FIG. 9 is a vertical sectional view taken along the line 9--9 of FIG. 5 additionally illustrating some of the components controlling rotation of the drum as well as those for locking the door panel.

FIG. 10 is an isometric view of the drum itself.

FIG. 11 is a detail isometric view further illustrating the door panel locking mechanism and its cooperation with the drum.

FIG. 12 is a schematic illustrating the connections between the electrical components controlling rotation of the drum.

DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT

As indicated, the after-hours depository entrance of the present invention consists of two basic assemblies, a housing containing the actual depositing mechanism and a front closure for the housing employing a sliding door panel which activates the depositing mechanism. These two assemblies will be separately described in detail, and then the inter-relationship of the two during a depositing cycle.

THE HOUSING AND ITS COMPONENTS

The housing itself, generally designated at 10 (see FIGS. 5-9), consists essentially of an open front, box-like structure having top and bottom walls 11 and 12, end walls 13 and 14 and a rear wall 15 welded together along their edges, the end wall 13 being additionally secured by corner angles 16 between it and the top and bottom walls 11 and 12. A partition wall 17 is fixed by similar corner angles 18 to the top and bottom walls 11 and 12 inboard of and parallel to the end wall 13 in order to form a smaller machinery compartment 19 and a larger drum compartment 20, both opening through the front of the housing 10. The bottom wall 12 and the rear wall 15 in the drum compartment 20 are terminated short of the lower rear corner of housing 10 in order to form a rectangular depositing opening 21. The latter in turn opens into a downwardly inclined, rectangular deposit chute 22 welded thereabout to the outer faces of the bottom and rear walls 12 and 15 and the inner face of the end wall 14. It will be understood, of course, that the chute 22 leads to a typical chest or vault when the depository entrance is installed in the wall of a building in the customary manner.

The drum 30 (see FIG. 10 in particular) is an integral aluminum alloy casting having a pair of inset end walls 31 and 32 provided with drilled center bosses 33 and 34. An article receptacle 35 is formed integrally in drum 30 and opens through the drum periphery to provide an article opening 36 into the receptacle 35, the latter being formed by the drum end walls 31 and 32 and a pair of axially extending side walls 37 and 38 offset from the axis of drum 30 and intersecting each other parallel thereto. The side walls 37 and 38 are provided with a number of axially spaced slots 39 therethrough perpendicular to the drum axis, each slot extending from closely adjacent the leading edge 36a through the side walls 37 and 38 to closely adjacent the trailing edge 366 of the article opening 36 with respect to the driven direction of drum 30 to be later described. Additionally, the periphery of drum 30 is circumferentially grooved at several axially spaced locations 40 between the edges 36a and 36b, all for purposes to be hereafter described.

The drum 30 is journaled for rotation in the drum compartment 20 on bearings 33a and 34a, fitted in the bosses 33 and 34, which receive in turn a fixed horizontal axle bar 41 disposed centrally between the housing end wall 14 and the partition wall 17. The end of bar 41 at end wall 14 is squared off and supported in a notched mounting block 42 secured to the end wall 14 (see FIG. 7) while the other end of the bar 41 terminates within the bearing 33a. To its boss 33, however, is secured the flanged end 43 of a horizontal drive shaft 44 journaled in a bearing 45 through partition wall 17 and a journal block 46 secured to the machinery compartment face of the partition wall 17. The drive shaft 44 extends well into the machinery compartment 19, its other end being fitted with a bevel drive pinion 47 which engages a like pinion 48 driven by the output shaft of a combined gear box and low torque electric drive motor M mounted in inverted position on a bracket 49 secured to the adjacent inner face of end wall 13. Hence the motor M will drivingly rotate drum 30 on the fixed axle bar 41, the direction of such rotation being shown by the arrows in FIGS. 2, 4, 7 and 9, whereby the receptacle 35 will be rotated, as indicated in FIG. 6, past the depositing opening 21. Along the axle bar 41 within the drum 30 and fixed thereto are spaced a number of article interceptors in the form of sector plates 50 (see FIGS. 2, 4, 5 and 6). Each plate 50 is aligned with one of the slots 39, and extends to closely adjacent the inner face of the peripheral wall of drum 30 and from the leading edge 21a of the depositing opening 21, with respect to the driven direction of drum 30, forwardly and upwardly to a position slightly above the level of the axle bar 41. Owing to the slots 39, the drum 30 can thus rotate without interference with the plates 50. As will be apparent from FIG. 6, the plates 50 sweep through the receptacle 35 as the drum 30 rotates past the depositing opening 21 and so prevent any article from being carried past the latter opening. Indeed, as can be observed, the edges of the plates 50 actually tend to dislodge an article from the receptacle 35 and nudge it toward the opening 21. If for some reason the article should not be so dislodged but should stick to the receptacle wall 38, it will eventually jam against the plates 50 and thus halt the drum 30 owing to the low torque of the drive motor M.

Across the upper front corner of the drum compartment 20 a blocking bar 51 is bolted to the housing top wall 11, the lower rear edge 51a of the bar 51 almost touching the periphery of drum 30 so as to close down the space between the latter and the housing top wall 11. The bar 51 extends forwardly flush with the face of housing 10 to provide an upper mount for the door assembly. A similar blocking bar 52 is secured to the inner face of the housing bottom wall 12 just forward of the drum 30 and is fitted with blocking pins 53 extending upwards into the grooves $) in the drum 30. The combination of the bar 52 and the pins 53 prevents any possibility of thin objects, such as envelopes, trapped by thin sheet material inserted between the outer surface of the drum 30 and the leading edge 21a of the depositing opening 21, from being withdrawn therebetween. A corner angle 54 forward of bar 52 and flush with the front face of housing 10 provides a lower mount for the door assembly. An additional mounting point for the latter is provided by a bracket 55 fixed to the inner face of housing end wall 13 and flush with the forward edge thereof. In order to retain articles in the receptacle 35 while being carried around to the depositing opening 21, a shroud plate 56 closely overlies the upper rear portion of the periphery of drum 30, the plate 56 beginning on the lower face of the housing top wall 11 just to the rear of the upper blocking bar 51 and gradually becoming concentric with drum 30, terminating at the trailing edge 21b of the depositing opening 21 with respect to the driven direction of drum 30.

Some of the mechanism for controlling rotation of the drum 30 is also located in the machinery compartment 19. This includes a single pole, double throw door micro-switch SW-1 carried by a bracket 60 on the partition wall 17. The circuit making member of SW-1 is operated by a horizontal plunger 61 extending forwardly beyond the front face of housing 10 and fitted with a horizontally journaled roller 62 at its forward end, the plunger 61 being normally biased to its forward-most position so that the circuit making member of SW-1 is on the biased one of its two contacts. Above that and also mounted on the partition wall 17 are a capacitor C for the motor M and a pilot light assembly PL, the latter extending through the partition wall 17 just forward of the periphery of drum 30 in order to illuminate the interior of the receptacle 35. Next to the exposed face of the journal block 46 a ratchet wheel 63, having a free sector 63a, is keyed to the drive shaft 44 to be driven thereby. The ratchet wheel 63 cooperates with a pawl 64 pivoted thereabove at 65 to the journal block 46 and, except over the free sector 63a, permits rotation of drum 30 only in the direction indicated by the arrows in FIGS. 2, 4, 7 and 9. A sector cam plate 66 is journaled on the drive shaft 44 next to the ratchet wheel 63 and is adjustably fixed at 67 to the latter in order to rotate therewith. The periphery of the cam plate 66 is provided with a cam surface 66a below which is mounted a single pole, double throw drum micro-switch SW-2 on a bracket 68 secured to the partition wall 17. The circuit making member of SW-2 is operated by a vertical plunger 69 topped by a horizontally journaled roller 70, the plunger 69 being normally biased to its uppermost position so that the circuit making member of SW-2 in turn is on the biased one of its two contacts. The plunger 69 is depressed by the cam surface 66a during travel of its roller 70 thereover upon driving rotation of drum 30 in order to move the circuit making member of SW-2 to its alternate contact. The portion 66b of the cam plate 66 in trailing relation to the cam surface 66a with respect to the driven direction of drum 30 is merely a relief and does not touch the roller 70. On the bottom wall 12 of the machinery compartment 19 is mounted a normally open, single pole, single throw protection micro switch SW-3, for purposes later to be described, its circuit making member being operated by a forwardly extending plunger 71.

THE DOOR ASSEMBLY AND ITS LOCKING MECHANISM

The open front face of the housing 10 is closed by a door mounting plate 80 consisting of a heavy rear plate 80a and a thin face plate 80b having forwardly projecting flanges 81 along its margins. The plate 80 extends well above and below the top and bottom housing walls 11 and 12 and is secured to the front faces of the blocking bar 51, corner angle 54 and bracket 55 by special "twist-off" screws 82. The roller 62 of the door switch SW-1 protrudes through an aperture in the plate 80 (see FIG. 9) and a bumper 83 on the rear face of plate 80a engages the plunger 71 of the protection switch SW-3 and holds it in its closed position. The plate 80 is apertured, which aperture together with the lower face of blocking bar 51 forms an article receiving opening 84 whose lateral edges are substantially flush with the faces of the end walls 31 and 32 of the receptacle 35 (see FIGS. 2-4, 6 and 7). The upper edge 84a of the receiving opening 84 is substantially flush with the lower face of the blocking bar 51 and the lower edge 84b substantially flush with the trailing edge 36b of the receptacle opening 36 when the latter is in the position shown in full lines in FIG. 6. The edges 51a and 84b thus form the leading and trailing edges, respectively, of the receiving opening 84 with respect to the driven direction of drum 30. Laterally outboard of the side edges of the receiving opening 84 are disposed a pair of vertical door ways 85 in the form of cylindrical bars secured at their upper and lower ends in two pairs of pillow blocks 86 screwed to the plate 80 adjacent the upper and lower flanges 81 of the face plate 80b.

Between the ways 85, in turn, is disposed a door 87 consisting of a rectangular metal door plate 88 having an opening 89 therein closed by a transparent panel 90 of suitable high impact plastic. The upper edge of the door plate 88 is inwardly turned to form a flange 88a which closely abuts the face plate 80b while the lower edge of the door plate 88 is outwardly turned to form a flange 88b. The lateral edges of the opening 89, when the door 87 is in the closed position shown in FIGS. 1-4, are substantially flush with the lateral edges of the receiving opening 84 and its upper and lower edges, 89a and 89b, are disposed somewhat above and substantially below, respectively, the upper and lower edges 84a and 84b of the receiving opening 84 (see FIG. 3). The panel 90 is located on the rear face of the plate 88 to close its opening 89 by means of cleats 91 on the rear face of plate 88 along the top and bottom edges 89a and 89b of the opening 89 and rabbited into the same edges of the panel 90. Adjacent the upper margin of the panel 90 is fixed a horizontal, bar-like handle 92 and adjacent its lower margin the panel 90 is provided with a horizontal envelope slot 93 disposed well below the lower or trailing edge 84b of the receiving opening 84.

The door 87 is slidably mounted on the ways 85 by means of two pairs of ball bushings 94 secured to the upper and lower ends of a pair of vertical mounting plates 95a and 95b screwed to the rear of the door plate 88 along its lateral edges. In order to bias the door 87 to the closed position illustrated in FIGS. 1-4, a pair of oppositely acting Negator springs 96and 96b are employed and fixed to the plate 80 outboard of the mounting plates 95a and 95b and between the positions of the ball bushings 94 illustrated in FIG. 3. The outer end of the spring 96a is carried down and affixed at 97 to a bracket 98 secured to the plate 95a. The outer end of spring 96b, however, is carried up and fixed to a tang 99 extending laterally from a vertical plate 100 overlying the adjacent way 85 and upper ball bushing 94. To the ends of the plate 100 are fixed another pair of ball bushings 101 on the way 85, the upper bushing 101 resting atop the upper bushing 94 when the door 87 is in its closed position shown in FIG. 3. Hence, when the door 87 is raised by the handle 92 to make an envelope deposit the upper door ball bushing 94 raises the plate 100 and bushings 101 therewith until the upper one of the latter strikes the pillow block 86 thereabove, thus providing an upper stop for the door 87. In order to prevent the spring 96b from carrying the door 87 below its closed position a stop pin 102 is provided in the plate 80 below the tang 99. When moved down to its bag deposit position against the spring 96a the lowermost ball bushings 94 act as stops for the door 87 against the lower pillow blocks 86. When the door 87 is released it returns to its closed position and remains there since the force of the spring 96a is greater than the weight of the door 87 but less than the latter plus the force of the spring 96b. The protruding roller 62 of the door switch SW-1 sits in a well 103 (see FIG. 3) formed in the rear of the mounting plate 95a so that the plunger 61 is fully extended and the circuit making member of SW-1 is thus on the biased one of its two contacts, but when the door assembly 87 is moved up or down, the plunger 61 is cammed inwardly to move the circuit making member of SW-1 to its alternate contact.

Over the door mounting plate 80 is fitted a cover plate 105 consisting of a pair of horizontal upper and lower panels 106 and 107 between which are a pair of laterally spaced vertical panels 108 and 109 in order to form a door access opening 110 (see FIG. 1). The margins of the latter over-lap the margins of the door plate 88 as indicated in that Figure, and are provided with inwardly turned flanges 111 which closely abut the front face of the door 87, the lower one overlying and spaced above the door plate flange 88b in order to permit the door 87 to be raised to its envelope deposit position. The surrounding margins of the cover plate 105 are also provided with inwardly turned flanges 112 which fit over the flanges 81 of the face plate 80b and are secured thereto by screws 113. Accordingly, when the door 87 is moved upwardly by the handle 92, the envelope slot is brought into communication with the receiving opening 84 and when it is moved downwardly substantially the entire opening 84 is uncovered for bag deposits.

The door locking mechanism consists of a cylinder key lock 115 mounted flush in the panel 107 of the cover plate 105 as indicated in FIGS. 1 and 11. The lock 115 is fitted with a rearwardly extending tang 116 to which in turn is fitted a crank arm in the form of a yoke 117 so that the latter swings with the turn of the key and cylinder as indicated in FIG. 11. The yoke 117 engages a forwardly extending pin 118 of a lock bar 119 horizontally slidable in a sleeve guide 120, the latter being slotted at 121 for this purpose, affixed to the front face of the plate 80. From the rear of the locking bar 119 a similar pin 122 extends rearwardly through a slot (not shown) in the plate 80 and into the machinery compartment 19 adjacent the forward edge of the partition wall 17. The lock bar 119, when slid in the direction "A" indicated in FIGS. 3 and 11, extends beneath the lower ball bushing 94 on the mounting plate 95a of the door 87 (see FIG. 3) thus preventing its lowering for bag deposits but not hindering its raising for envelope deposits. In this position of the lock 115, yoke 117 and bar 119, the key can be withdrawn, but not when the lock bar 119 is slid in the direction "B" and is in the position illustrated in FIGS. 3 and 11. In the latter position, the pin 122 is engaged to restrain movement of the lock bar 119 in direction "A" by a cranked yoke 123 fixed to the end of a short pin shaft 124 which is loosely journaled in a block 125 secured to the adjacent partition wall 17 so that the yoke 123 swings up and down, as indicated, to engage and disengage, respectively, the pin 122, its engaged position being shown in FIG. 11. The pin shaft 124 passes loosely through the partition wall 17 and is fitted at its other end with a transverse pawl 126 which rotates with the shaft 124 and is engaged by the inside face of the adjacent rim of drum 30, the latter maintaining the yoke 123 in the position shown in FIG. 11. In order to release the pawl 126, a recess 127 (see FIGS. 5, 8 and 11) is provided in the rim of drum 30 over a portion of its circumference. Once the pawl 126 is released, the shaft 124 rotates by virtue of the weight of yoke 123 and the latter drops away from the pin 122, whence the lock bar 119 can then be moved in the direction "A" and the key withdrawn. The location and circumferential extent of the recess 127 will be described in more detail hereafter in connection with the description of the operation of the depository entrance.

THE ELECTRICAL CIRCUIT AND OPERATION OF THE DEPOSITORY ENTRANCE

As FIG. 12 indicates, the electrical circuit is relatively simple. One side of the motor M and the pilot light PL are connected into one side of a typical 115 VAC line, brought into the housing 10 through a conduit connection 130 in its rear wall 15. The other side of the line is connected into the pilot light PL through a remote switch SW-4 and into the motor M and capacitor C through the door switch SW-1 and the drum switch SW-2 which in turn are interconnected as shown in "two-way" fashion. Before a depositing cycle begins the receptacle 35 is at rest in its normal or initial position P-1 shown in broken lines in FIG. 6 in which the trailing edge 36b of the receptacle opening 36 is somewhat below the trailing edge 84b of the receiving opening 84 so that the receptacle 35 is only in partial registry with the receiving opening 84. The door 87 is in its closed position shown in FIGS. 1-4, whence the roller 62 of SW-1 is seated in the well 103 and SW-1 is in its biased position with its circuit making member in its NC position designated in FIG. 12. In the same position P-1, the roller 70 of SW-2 is on the leading end of the cam surface 66a with respect to the driven direction of drum 30 and the plunger 69 thus depressed to hold the circuit making member of SW-2 in its NO position designated in FIG. 12. Hence there is no completed circuit to the motor M.

A customer now approaches to make a deposit. He raises the door 87 or unlocks and lowers it, depending upon whether an envelope or a bag deposit is involved. In either case, the plunger 61 of SW-1 is thereby depressed by the rear face of the mounting plate 95a, shifting SW-1 to its NO position and closing the circuit to the motor M through the contacts NO of both SW-1 and SW-2. The drum 30 thus revolves until the receptacle 35 reaches the position P-2 indicated in full lines in FIG. 6 at which point the trailing edge 36b of the article opening 36 is substantially flush with the trailing edge 84b of the receiving opening 84. At position P-2, the pawl 64 is at the leading end of its free sector 63a and the roller 70 has just run off the trailing end of the cam surface 66a, thus allowing SW-2 to move to its NC position and breaking the circuit to the motor M to halt the drum 30 since the door 87 is still open and SW-1 therefore still in its NO position. The location of the pawl 64 and the roller 70 in the position P-2 are those shown in FIG. 9. The deposit is then made and the door 87 reclosed, thus allowing SW-1 to return to its NC position and again closing the circuit to the motor M since SW-2 is also in its NC position. The drum 30 recommences rotation in the direction indicated. If before or by the time the trailing edge 36b of the receptacle opening 36 has reached the leading edge 51a of the receiving opening 84, that is, the position P-3 of the receptacle 35 shown in broken lines in FIG. 6, the deposited articles should jam against the blocking bar 51 because of improper loading and so stall the motor M, the door 87 can be reopened, thus shifting SW-1 to its NO position and breaking the circuit to the motor M. Since between positions P-2 and P-3 of the receptacle 35 the pawl 64 is between the leading and trailing ends of its free sector 63a with respect to the driven direction of drum 30, the receptacle 35 can be simply reversed as indicated in FIG. 6 to the position P-2 for repacking. Indeed, the drum 30 will automatically reverse on account of the weight of the articles in the receptacle 35. The door 87 is then reclosed to recommence the depositing cycle since SW-1 and SW-2 will again both be in their NC positions. The receptacle 35 thus continues to rotate past its depositing position P-4 shown in broken lines in FIG. 6 and back again to its initial position P-1 at which point the leading edge of the cam surface 66a engages the roller 70, thus returning SW-2 to its NO position and halting the motor M. Note that opening the door 87 at any time during the depositing cycle will halt the drum 30 by breaking the circuit to the motor M.

From the foregoing it will be apparent that the arc of the cam surface 66a must be equal to the arc of rotation of drum 30 between positions P-1 and P-2 and the cam plate 66 adjusted relative to the drive shaft 44 so that the roller 70 is engaged over that arc. Likewise, the arc of the free sector 63a of the ratchet wheel 63 must be equal to the arc of rotation of drum 30 between positions P-2 and P-3 and the ratchet wheel 63 relatively fixed on the drive shaft 44 accordingly. It will also be clear that the location and circumferential extent of the recess 127 in the rim of drum 30 must be such that the pawl 126 is disengaged from the latter over an arc equal to the arc of rotation of drum 30 from position P-1 to position P-3 so that thereafter the key cannot be withdrawn from the lock 115 until the receptacle 35 again reaches position P-1, thus forcing the customer (in the case of a bag deposit) to remain and visually see that his deposit has been completed. Furthermore, although obviously the cover 105 can be removed by extracting the screws 113, which is of little importance since neither it nor the door 87 is relied upon for security purposes, any removal of the mounting plate 80 will cause the bumper 83 to release the plunger 71 of the switch SW-3 and open the protection circuit. The latter is wired into the housing 10 through a separate conduit connection 131 on the rear wall 15.

Though the present invention has been described in terms of a particular embodiment, being the best mode known of carrying it out, and detailed descriptive language has been used, it is not so limited. Instead, the following claims are to be read as encompassing all adaptations and modifications of the invention falling within the spirit and scope thereof.

Claims

I claim:

1. In an after-hours depository entrance including a housing having an article receiving opening and an article depositing opening; a rotor disposed in said housing and mounted for rotation about an axis, said rotor having an article receptacle therein extending axially thereof and a receptacle opening thereto communicating with said receiving opening when said rotor is in a first position, said receptacle communicating with said depositing opening when said rotor is rotated in a first direction to a second position, said article receptacle being effective when communicating with said receiving opening to contain an article introduced therein through said receiving and receptacle openings and when communicating with said depositing opening to displace such article therefrom through said depositing opening; a plurality of fixed article interceptors spaced in said rotor axially thereof, said interceptors extending transversely of said rotor axis and into and through said receptacle to substantially the periphery of said rotor as said receptacle is rotated with said rotor in said first direction past said depositing opening effective to engage such article and prevent further rotation of said rotor unless such article has been displaced as aforesaid from said receptacle, the walls of said receptacle being apertured effective to permit said interceptors so to extend thereinto and therethrough during said rotation; and means for driving rotation of said rotor in said first direction, the improvement in combination therewith comprising: means to prevent rotation of said rotor in a second direction opposite to said first direction during rotation thereof through a first arc defined by the arc of rotation of the trailing edge of said receptacle opening as said rotor is rotated in said first direction from a third position of said rotor in which said receptacle trailing edge is substantially coincidental with the leading edge of said receiving opening to a fourth position of said rotor in trailing relation to said first position thereof and in which said receptacle has at least completely passed said depository opening, said rotor being rotatable in either of said directions through a second arc defined by the arc of rotation of said receptacle trailing edge between said third rotor position and substantially at least said first rotor position.

2. The depository entrance of claim 1 wherein said article receptacle also communicates with said depositing opening through said receptacle opening when said rotor is in its second position, said receptacle opening being disposed upon the periphery of said rotor; and wherein said first and fourth rotor positions are coincidental.

3. The depository entrance of claim 2 wherein said rotor comprises an integral cylindrical drum and said receptacle comprises a pair of side walls integral with said drum extending inwardly thereof from said receptacle opening parallel to the axis of said drum and intersecting each other, and a pair of end walls integral with said drum and said side walls, said article receptacle being sufficiently commodious to contain bagged articles for deposit.

4. The depository entrance of claim 3 wherein each of said article interceptors comprises a sector plate extending from said drum axis radially outwards to substantially the peripheral wall of said drum and between substantially the leading edge of said depositing opening and the trailing edge of said receiving opening, said interceptor apertures comprising a plurality of pairs of slots in said side walls to accommodate said sector plates during rotation of said drum, said pairs of slots being spaced from each other axially of said drum, each pair of said slots joining each other at the intersection of said walls and extending outwards therefrom in respective ones of said side walls substantially to the peripheral wall of said drum.

5. The depository entrance of claim 4 wherein the periphery of said drum is provided with a plurality of axially spaced circumferential grooves therein, said housing having a set of fixed blocking pins, said pin set being disposed closely adjacent and in leading relation to the leading edge of said housing depositing opening, each of said pins engaging respective ones of said grooves.

6. The depository entrance of claim 5 wherein said rotation preventing means comprises a pawl carried by said housing and a ratchet wheel rotating with said drum, the ratchets of said wheel operatively engaging said pawl only through an arc corresponding to said first arc of rotation in order to prevent rotation of said drum in said second direction.

7. In an after-hours depository entrance including a housing having an article receiving opening and an article depositing opening; a rotor disposed in said housing and mounted for rotation about an axis, said rotor having an article receptacle therein extending axially thereof and a receptacle opening thereto communicating with said receiving opening when said rotor is in a first position, said receptacle communicating with said depositing opening when said rotor is rotated in a first direction to a second position, said article receptacle being effective when communicating with said receiving opening to contain an article introduced therein through said receiving and receptacle openings and when communicating with said depositing opening to displace such article therefrom through said depositing opening; a plurality of fixed article interceptors spaced in said rotor axially thereof, said interceptors extending transversely of said rotor axis and into and through said receptacle to substantially the periphery of said rotor as said receptacle is rotated with said rotor in said first direction past said depositing opening effective to engage such article and prevent further rotation of said rotor unless such article has been displaced as aforesaid from said receptacle, the walls of said receptacle being apertured effective to permit said interceptors so to extend thereinto and there-through during said rotation; means to prevent rotation of said rotor in a second direction opposite to said first direction during rotation thereof through a first arc defined by the arc of rotation of the trailing edge of said receptacle opening as said rotor is rotated in said first direction from a third position of said rotor in which said receptacle trailing edge is substantially coincidental with the leading edge of said receiving opening to a fourth position of said rotor in trailing relation to said first position thereof and in which said receptacle has at least completely passed said depositing opening; and means for driving rotation of said rotor in said first direction, the improvement in combination therewith of closure means for said receiving opening; said closure means comprising: cover means surrounding said housing effective to provide weather protection therearound and fixedly spaced forwardly of said receiving opening, said cover means having an aperture therein in substantial registry with said receiving opening in said housing; and closing means movably mounted between said cover means and said receiving opening, said closing means overlying said receiving opening and being slidable entirely within said cover means across said receiving opening and said cover aperture from a position closing said receiving opening to a position affording access thereto, marginal areas of said cover aperture overlapping marginal areas of said closing means when in its closure position effective to prevent access to said receiving opening by weather elements entering said cover aperture.

8. The depository entrance of claim 7 including an electric motor providing said driving rotation of said rotor when connected to a source of electrical energy; and switch means operatively associated with said closing means for energizing said motor to cause rotation of said rotor in said first direction thereof when said closing means is moved from said access position toward said closure position and said rotor is in its first position, said switch means being also operatively associated with said rotor for de-energizing said motor to halt said rotor when said rotor is thereafter in its fourth position.

9. The depository entrance of claim 8 wherein in said fourth rotor position the trailing edge of said receiving opening is disposed between the leading and trailing edges of said receptacle opening.

10. The depository entrance of claim 9 wherein said rotation preventing means for said rotor permits rotation thereof in either of said directions through a second arc defined by the arc of rotation of said receptacle trailing edge between said third rotor position and substantially at least said first rotor position.

11. The depository entrance of claim 10 wherein said rotation preventing means comprises a pawl carried by said housing and a ratchet wheel rotating with said rotor, the ratchets of said wheel operatively engaging said pawl only through an arc corresponding to said first arc of rotation in order to prevent rotation of said rotor in said second direction.

12. The depository entrance of claim 10 wherein said switch means comprises first and second switches, each of said switches having first and second switch contacts, said first contacts being in parallel circuit relation to said second contacts, the circuit making members of both of said switches being in series with said motor, the circuit making member of said first switch being operatively associated with said closing means and engaging its second contact and the circuit making member of said second switch being operatively associated with said rotor and engaging its first contact both when said closing means is in its closure position and said rotor is in its fourth position, the circuit making member of said first switch moving to engage its first contact when said closing means is moved toward its access position, thereby energizing said motor to initiate rotation of said rotor in said first direction, the circuit making member of said second switch moving to engage its second contact when said rotor is thereafter in its first position, thereby de-energizing said motor, the circuit making member of said first switch moving to engage its second contact upon movement of said closing means toward its closure position, thereby energizing said motor to again initiate rotation of said rotor in said first direction, the circuit making member of said second switch moving to engage its first contact when said rotor is thereafter in its fourth position, thereby de-energizing said motor.

13. The depository entrance of claim 8 wherein said cover aperture and receiving opening are sufficiently commodious to receive therethrough and said article receptacle is sufficiently commodious to contain therein bagged articles for deposit; and wherein said closing means includes a restricted opening therethrough suitable only for the passage therethrough of envelopes or the like, said envelope opening being disposed to one side of said receiving opening and said cover aperture and out of communication therewith when said closing means is in its closure position, said closing means being slidable across said receiving opening in a first direction to an envelope depositing position in which said envelope opening is in communication with said receiving opening and said cover aperture and in a second direction opposite to said first direction to a bag depositing position in which substantially the entire area of said receiving opening is in communication with said cover aperture.

14. The depository entrance of claim 13 wherein said rotation preventing means for said rotor permits rotation thereof in either of said directions through a second arc defined by the arc of rotation of said receptacle trailing edge between said third rotor position and substantially at least said first rotor position.

15. The depository entrance of claim 14 wherein said closing means comprises a door panel and wherein the planes of said receiving opening, door panel and cover aperture are substantially vertical, said door panel being vertically slidably in each of said directions of movement thereof, said envelope opening being disposed below said receiving opening and cover aperture when said door panel is in its closure position, said door panel being raisable in said first direction of movement thereof to said envelope depositing position and lowerable in said second direction of movement thereof to said bag depositing position, and including means biasing said door panel to its closure position.

16. The depository entrance of claim 15 wherein a portion of said door panel is transparent sufficient to afford visual access therethrough and through said receiving opening when said door panel is in its closure position, and including means for locking said door panel against movement to its bag depositing position, said locking means being accessable from the front of said cover means for locking and unlocking of said door panel, said locking means permitting movement of said door panel to its envelope depositing position independently of said locking means.

17. The depository entrance of claim 15 wherein said article receptacle also communicates with said depositing opening through said receptacle opening when said rotor is in its second position, said receptacle opening being disposed upon the periphery of said rotor; and wherein in said fourth rotor position the trailing edge of said receptacle opening is disposed between the leading edge of said depositing opening and the trailing edge of said receiving opening.

18. The depository entrance of claim 17 wherein said switch means comprises a first switch operated by movement of said door panel and a second switch operated by rotation of said rotor, said switches having interconnected first switch contacts and interconnected second switch contacts in parallel circuit relation, the circuit making members of both of said switches being in series with said motor, the circuit making member of said first switch engaging its second contact and the circuit making member of said second switch engaging its first contact when said door panel is in its closure position and said rotor is in its fourth position; first switch operating means carried by said door panel for causing the circuit making member of said first switch to engage its first contact when said closing means is moved to either its envelope or bag depositing positions, thereby energizing said motor to initiate rotation of said rotor in said first direction; and second switch operating means carried by said rotor for causing the circuit making member of said second switch to engage its second contact when said rotor is thereafter in its first position, thereby de-energizing said motor, said first switch operating means causing the circuit making member of said first switch to engage its second contact upon movement of said door panel to its closure position, thereby energizing said motor to again initiate rotation of said rotor in said first direction, said second switch operating means causing the circuit making member of said second switch to engage its first contact when said rotor is again in its fourth position, thereby de-energizing said motor.

19. The depository entrance of claim 18 wherein said second switch operating means comprises a cam rotating with said rotor having a cam surface thereon operating the circuit making member of said second switch effective to cause said circuit making member to engage its first contact during an arc of rotation of said rotor in said first direction thereof from said fourth to said first rotor positions, said circuit making member being otherwise engaged with the second contact of said second switch during further rotation of said disc until said rotor is again in its fourth position.

20. The depository entrance of claim 18 wherein said rotor comprises an integral cylindrical drum and said receptacle comprises a pair of side walls integral with said drum extending inwardly thereof from said receptacle opening parallel to the axis of said drum and intersecting each other, and a pair of end walls integral with said drum and said side walls.

21. The depository entrance of claim 20 wherein each of said article interceptors comprises a sector plate extending from said drum axis radially outwards to substantially the peripheral wall of said drum and between substantially the leading edge of said depositing opening and the trailing edge of said receiving opening, said interceptor apertures comprising a plurality of pairs of slots in said side walls to accommodate said sector plates during rotation of said drum, said pairs of slots being spaced from each other axially of said drum, each pair of said slots joining each other at the intersection of said walls and extending outwards therefrom in respective ones of said side walls substantially to the peripheral wall of said drum.

22. The depository entrance of claim 21 wherein the periphery of said drum is provided with a plurality of axially spaced circumferential grooves therein, said housing having a set of fixed blocking pins, said pin set being disposed closely adjacent and in leading relation to the leading edge of said housing depositing opening, each of said pins engaging respective ones of said grooves.

23. For use with an after-hours depository entrance having a housing with an upright article receiving opening therein, a closing assembly for such opening comprising: means for mounting said assembly to such housing over such receiving opening; cover means carried by said mounting means having a front portion with an aperture therethrough effective to receive bagged deposits, said cover means being adapted to spacedly surround such receiving opening with the rear face of said cover front portion in spaced forward relation thereto and said aperture in registry therewith when said assembly is operatively mounted to such housing as aforesaid; and movable closing means overlying the rear face of said cover aperture and carried by said mounting means, said closing means including a restricted opening therethrough suitable only for the passage therethrough and through said cover aperture of envelopes or the like, said closing means being slidably movable across said cover aperture in a first direction to an envelope depositing position and in a second direction opposite to said first direction to a bag depositing position in which substantially the entirety of said cover aperture is available for bagged deposits therethrough, marginal areas of said aperture overlapping marginal areas of said closing means effective to prevent access to such receiving opening by weather elements entering said aperture when said assembly is mounted as aforesaid.

24. The closing assembly of claim 23 wherein said mounting means includes a mounting plate spaced from the rear face of said cover front portion and adapted to be secured to such housing about such receiving opening, said mounting plate having n aperture therein in registry with said cover aperture and sufficiently extensive for the passage therethrough of bagged deposits; and wherein said closing means comprises a door panel carried by said mounting plate and disposed between said mounting plate and said cover means for slidable movement across said cover and plate apertures in said directions to said envelope and bag depositing positions, said cover means being also carried by said mounting plate and closing the front face thereof.

25. The closing assembly of claim 24 wherein a portion of said door panel is transparent sufficient to afford visual access therethrough and through said plate aperture when said door panel is in its closure position; and including means connected to said mounting plate and door panel for biasing said door panel to its closure position.

26. The closing assembly of claim 25 including means for locking said door panel against movement to its bag depositing position, said locking means being carried by said closing assembly and accessible from the front face of said cover front portion for locking and unlocking of said door panel, said locking means permitting movement of said door panel to its envelope depositing position independently of said locking means.

27. The depository entrance of claim 7 wherein said article receptacle also communicates with said depositing opening through said receptacle opening when said rotor is in its second position, said receptacle opening being disposed upon the periphery of said rotor.

28. The depository entrance of claim 27 wherein said cover aperture and receiving opening are sufficiently commodious to receive therethrough and said article receptacle is sufficiently commodious to contain therein bagged articles for deposit; and wherein said closing means includes a restricted opening therethrough suitable only for the passage therethrough of envelopes or the like, said envelope opening being disposed to one side of said receiving opening and said cover aperture and out of communication therewith when said closing means is in its closure position, said closing means being slidable across said receiving opening in a first direction to an envelope depositing position in which said envelope opening is in communication with said receiving opening and said cover aperture and in a second direction opposite to said first direction to a bag depositing position in which substantially the entire area of said receiving opening is in communication with said cover aperture.

29. The depository entrance of claim 28 wherein said closing means comprises a door panel and wherein the planes of said receiving opening, door panel and cover aperture are substantially vertical, said door panel being vertically slidably in each of said directions of movement thereof, said envelope opening being disposed below said receiving opening and cover aperture when said door panel is in its closure position, said door panel being raisable in said first direction of movement thereof to said envelope depositing position and lowerable in said second direction of movement thereof to said bag depositing position, and including means biasing said door panel to its closure position.

30. The depository entrance of claim 29 wherein a portion of said door panel is transparent sufficient to afford visual access therethrough and through said receiving opening when said door panel is in its closure position, and including means for locking said door panel against movement to its bag depositing position, said locking means being accessable from the front of said cover means for locking and unlocking of said door panel, said locking means permitting movement of said door panel to its envelope depositing position independently of said locking means.

31. The depository entrance of claim 29 wherein said rotation preventing means for said rotor permits rotation thereof in either of said directions through a second arc defined by the arc of rotation of said receptacle trailing edge between said third rotor position and substantially at least said first rotor position.