US1000653A - Mail-bag catcher. - Google Patents

Description

E. WIESER.

MAIL BAG GATOHER.

APPLICATION FILED JUNE 2, 1911.

Patented Aug. 15, 1911,

3 SHEETS-SHEET l.

INVENTOR, Em mus \n/lese P WITNESSES A7TORNEY.

COLUMBIA PLANUGIIAPHCO.WASHINGTON. n. c.

E. WIESER.

MAIL BAG UATGHBR.

APPLICATION FILED JUNE 2, 1911.

Patented Aug. 15, 1911.

3 SHEETS-SHEET 2.

INVENTOR, [a IDIUS Wnese momma WITNESSES COLUMBIA PLANOGRAPH co., WASHINGTON. I). c.

' E. WIESER.

MAIL BAG GATGHBR.

APILIOATION FILED mm: 2, 1911.

1,000,653, Patented Aug. 15,1911.

3 SHEETS-SHEET 3.

INVENTOH, Eqnmus Wncsem w/r/vEssE's momvsy COLUMBIA PLANOGRAPH ccu. WASHINGTON n. c.

' them certain of taking up EGIDIUS WIESER, OF IPASSAIC, NEW JERSEY.

MAIL-BAG CATGHEB.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Aug. 15, 1911.

Application filed June 2, 1911. Serial No. 630,861.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, EGIDIUS WVIEsER, a subject of the Emperor of Germany, residing at Passaic, in the county of Passaic and State of New Jersey, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Mail-Bag Catchers, of which the following is a specification.

This invention relatesto devices for use on moving trains to pick up mail-bags held in suitable supporting means beside the track, and it has for its object to improve contrivances of this character by making the mail-bags in every instance and generally more reliable and eflicient than such devices now are.

According to my invention the improved mail-bag catcher, once it engages the bag, positively grips and holds the same, instead of merely passively sustaining the same after the manner of the plain or straight swinging arm over which the bag is slung or doubled by the force of the impact. Again, my device is so constructed as to be adapted automatically to recede into the car after having picked up a mail bag, thus making it unnecessary for the attendant to perform a service which if not performed might be the cause of some accident.

Referring to the accompanying drawings, Figure 1 is a plan view of the device, showing it attached to the car and in operative position; Fig. 2 is a rear elevation of the device, attached to the car and in operative position; Fig. 3 is a plan view of the part of the device which directly receives the mailbag, the parts being in the gripping position and a mail-bag being shown in broken lines and held thereby; Fig. 4: is a front elevation of what is seen in Fig. 3, showing certain parts in section; Fig. 5 is a rear elevation' of a detail illustrating the means for locking one of the gripping levers in the open position, certain parts appearing in section; Fig. 6 is V a transverse sectional view of Fig. 3 substantially in the vertical plane of one of the bolts, certain parts appearing in elevation; Fig. 7 is a fragmentary view of one of the gripping levers showing the face thereof which adjoins the bolt; Fig. 8 illustrates a detail of the trigger mecha nism; and, Fig. 9 is a plan view showing a car, the improved device attached thereto and the mail-bag and its support all in plan.

To the inner surface of the side wall a of a car 6 near the side door 0 of the latter are secured the brackets (Z in which is pivoted the head 6 of a T-shaped arm f made in two sections, the section g thereof being preferably a plain piece of tubing and the section h a substantially yoke-shaped member having a stud 2' at one end telescoped into and suitably secured to the free end of the section 9.

Before describing the mechanism which is carried by the yoke-shaped section h it may be remarked that when the device is in operative position to pick up a mail-bag i suitably held in the usual manner by a support j along side the track on which the car moves it stands as shown in full lines in Figs. 1, 2 and 9. In that position its arm 7 is opposed at the back thereof by a spring buffer k carried by a bracket Z secured to the outside of the wall a of the car. When the device comes in contact with the mail-bag, the impact tends to swing the device backward on its pivot, compressing the spring of the bulfer, and the ensuing distension of the spring then operates to swing the device forward on its pivot and around the latter into the position illustrated by broken lines in Fig. 1. The attendant has thus merely to set the device and see that it is swung out into operative position before passing each mail station, and then remove the bag which has been taken up.

Projecting forwardly from the section it are two flaring arms m, which, with said section, make a substantially fork-shaped member. These arms may be detachably secured to the sect-ion h' by bolts, screws or other securing means a.

On the bolts 0, as pivots, are fulcrumed two levers p, one being above and the other below the section it, the long arm of each lever being curved and the short arm being formed as a disk 9 which is pivotally connected by a link 1* with a stem 8 whose free end is threaded and carries a conical nut 1. over which is fitted the reduced or conical end of a tension spring a which is coiled about the stem and has its other end held by the jaws o (engaging between coils of the spring) removably secured to a bracket w attached to the section it and apertured to guide the stem and provided with a longitudinal horizontal slot w to permit articulation of the link 1' and with a longitudinal vertical slot in which is guided the pivot .2 (connecting the link and stem). The springs tend to hold the levers in the position shown in Fig. 1, and when the levers are forced against the tension of the springs into their folded positions (Fig. 3) since the pivots 2 are arranged to slide in the slots y of the brackets w the pivots are supported by the brackets in such a way that no bending strain is imposed on the stems .9. Each stem and its spring is supported in its free end-portion by a bracket 2 projecting rearwardly from the section it.

To the back of the section it adjacent each bolt 0 is attached a fitting 3 in which slides vertically a bolt 4, the right-hand bolt being drawn down and the left-hand bolt up by a spring 5 (Fig. 5) suitably connecting the bolt with one of the securing screws 6 for the fitting 3. The face of the disk q of each lever p which adjoins the sect-ion h is formed with an arc-shaped camsurface 7 struck about the fulcrum of the lever as a center, said cam-surface terminating in a shoulder 8. When each lever is moved into the folded position (Fig. 3) its cam-surface 7 wipes over the bolt, which finally springs into engagement with the shoulder 8 to hold the lever in the folded position.

Each bolt is controlled by a blade 9 penetrating a slot 10 in the bolt and having an inclined or cam-edge 11. The blade 9 forms a part of the sliding bar 12 arranged to move in a bore 13 formed in the section h and the fitting 3. To each arm n is secured a bracket 14 on a pivot 15 in which is fulcrumed a lever 16 movable around its pivot in a slot 17 in the arm m from the position shown in full lines in Fig. 3 to the position shown in dotted lines in said figure. (18 is a set-screw whereby to adjust each lever 16 when it stands in the full line position in Fig.

The short arm of each lever 16 is pivotally connected by the link 19, including an adjusting turn-buckle 20, with the bar 12. A spiral spring 21 coiled about each link 19 and connecting it with a fixed hook 22 projecting from the section h normally holds the trigger mechanism for each lever p, comprising the sliding bar 12, lever 16 and link 9, in the full line position shown in Fig. 3.

The operation is as follows: Before the device is swung out from the car into the position shown in Figs. 1, 2 and 9, the attendant turns each lever 79 on its fulcrum into the open position, until it latches with and is held by its bolt 4:. The springs 21 normally hold the blades or sliding bars 12 in the position illustrated in Fig. 6, at which time, as stated, the levers 16 extend across the space between the arms m, overlapping each other and each substantially parallel with the section h. Then the mail-bag, held extended by its support as shown in Fig. 2, is reached, the levers 16 come into contact therewith and are swung back into the dotted line positions thereof shown in Fig. 3. The cam-edges 11 of the sliding bars 12 are thus caused to force the bolts 4 back against the tension of their springs until they release the levers p which, under the tension of their springs u, immediately swing into folded relation to the section 72, and coact therewith to grip the bag securely. The bag now remains firmly held by the device and cannot release itself therefrom. lVhen the device swings into the car under the impulse of the buffer, as described, the attendant draws the arms 19 into the full line position in Fig. 1, where they are then latched and held, the mail-bag being thus of course released.

Having thus fully described my invention, what I claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent is 1. The combination of the arm adapted to project laterally from the car, a spring-actuated lever fulcrumed therein and normally movable into folded relation thereto, a latch mechanism adapted to hold the lever in its openposition and a trigger means controlling the latch mechanism and having its operating portion arranged in position to receive the impact of the bag, substantially as described.

2. The combination of the arm adapted to project laterally from the car, a lever movable into and out of folded relation to said arm and fulcrumed therein, and means, carried by said arm and having its operating portion arranged in position to receive the impact of the bag, for controlling said lever, substantially as described.

8. The combination of the arm adapted to project laterally from the car and having a forwardly open forked member, a springactuated lever fulcrumed in said arm and normally movable across the space of its forked member into folded relation to the rear part thereof, a latch mechanism adapted to hold the lever in its open position, and a trigger means controlling the latch mechanism and having its operating portion arranged in position to receive the impact of the bag, substantially as described.

4. The combination of the arm adapted to project laterally from the car and having a forwardly open forked member, a lever movable across the space of said forked member into folded relation to the rear part thereof and fulcrumed in said arm, and means, carried by said arm and having its operating portion arranged in position to receive the impact of the bag, for controlling said lever, substantially as described.

5. The combination of the arm adapted to project laterally from the car,'a spring-actuated lever fulcrumed therein and normally movable into folded relation thereto, a bolt to lock the lever in its open position, another lever disposed forward of the arm, and

7. In combination, with the car, a mailbag catching-arm pivoted therein on a substantially vertical axis and adapted to project laterally therefrom, and an elastic buffer yielding rearwardly and disposed back of the arm when the latter occupies its laterally projecting position, substantially as described.

In testimony whereof I affix my signature in presence of two witnesses.

EGIDIUS WVIESER.

Witnesses:

JOHN W. STEWARD, WM. D. BELL.

Copies of this patent may be obtained for five cents each, by addressing the Commissioner of Patents, Washington, D. G.

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