Air powered storage device for pneumatic transport system

A device for temporarily storing carriers within a pneumatic transport system, comprising:

• a pneumatic tube having an internal bore sized to permit passage of a pneumatic carrier, an inlet for receiving a carrier from a pneumatic transport system and an outlet for discharging a carrier to the pneumatic transport system;
• a stopper selectively positionable into and out of said internal bore via linear movement of said pneumatic tube for engaging a pneumatic carrier to stop movement of a pneumatic carrier through said internal bore;
• and
• a blower having a fluid outlet extending through a sidewall of said pneumatic tube at a location upstream of said stopper, wherein said blower is selectively operable to inject a fluid flow into said internal bore at a location upstream of a stopped carrier to reinitiate movement of the stopped carrier.

A device for temporarily storing carriers within a pneumatic transport system, comprising:

• a pneumatic tube having an internal bore sized to permit passage of a pneumatic carrier;
• a first gate member, said first gate member being selectively positionable into and out of said internal bore of said pneumatic tube for stopping movement of a pneumatic carrier through said internal bore;
• a second gate member spaced from said first gate member, said second gate member being selectively positionable into and out of said internal bore of said pneumatic tube, wherein a spacing between said first gate and said second gate is sized to accommodate a pneumatic carrier therebetween;
• and
• a blower, said blower having a first fluid inlet fluidly interconnected to said internal bore of said pneumatic tube on a first side of said first gate member, a first fluid outlet fluidly interconnected to said internal bore of said pneumatic tube on a second side of said first gate member, and a second fluid outlet fluidly interconnected to said internal bore of said pneumatic tube between said first and second gate members.