The transportation of items through pneumatic tubes is well known. Recently, a need has arisen to transport medical samples and other hazardous material within such carriers. For safety purposes, it has been desirable to seal the interior of the carrier from the outside in the event that a sample spills or leaks within the carrier. Examples of such designs are illustrated in U.S. Pat. No. 5,636,947 to Valerino Sr. et al and U.S. Pat. No. 5,655,677 to Fratello et al.
Typically, such designs use some type of a seal which is compressed when the carrier is closed to provide isolation. Normally, a latch of some type is used to hold the carrier in the closed position. However, a latch can be caught by sharp corners in a pneumatic tube, or sprung by sudden impacts or violent motion within the tube. If the latch opens, the seal of the carrier is jeopardized. A need exists for a design which preserves the integrity of the seal during the rough handling that such carriers often experience. Other critical applications for latches also exist, such as on luggage transported by airplane, etc, where the luggage is subject to severe handling, and the unintentional opening of a latch can lead to loss of the contents, etc.
USPTO Backgrounds
USPTO Backgrounds