US1034639A - Mail-bag deliverer and receiver. - Google Patents

Description

D. W. M lLLsA-PSL MAIL BAG DELIVEEER AND RECEIVER.

APPLICATION FILED JULY 8, 1910.

1 ,034,639. Patented Aug. 6, 1912.

' s sHEnTs-sHEBT-1.

35 A v 2? 2p Q l 3 4 20 f4 P( X Y Je 2] J9 fx K X 20,

Y fh 36 n 31 28, Ks 3,9 38 2 9 544mm A Wma/.wam i039 @6% 'z l l y `41 L@ @uw 47mm tr commun mrngux co.. wAsmNuToN. n.

D. W. MILLSAPS. MAIL BAG DELIVERER AND RECEIVER. APPLIGATIQN EILED JULY 8, 1910.

1,084,639. y Patented Aug. 6, 1912,

3 SHEETS-SHEET 2.

COLUMBJA FLANDGRAPH CD., WASHING'I'-N. D. C.

D. W. MILLSAPS. MAIL BAG DELIVERER AND RECEIVER.

APPLICATION FILED JULY B, 1910.

Patented Aug. 6, 1912.

3 SHEETS-SHEET 3.

COLUMBIA PLANDGRAPM C0., WASHINGTON, D. C.

Cil

DANIEL w. MILLSAPs, or MARION, SouTH cHEoLINA, AssIeNoE, EY MESNE ASSIGN- MENTS, To THE MILLSAES MAIL EXCHANGE COMPANY, or MARION, SOUTH cAEo- LINA, A CORPORATION OF DELAWARE.

MAIL-BAG- DELIVERER AND RECEIVER.

Specication of Letters Patent.

Patented Aug. 6, 1912.

Application filed July 8, 1910. Serial No. 571,082.

.l'o all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, DANIEL W. MILLSAPS, a citizen of the United States, residing at Marion, in the county of Marion and State of South Carolina, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Mail-Bag- Deliverers and Receivers, of which the following is a specification.

This invention relates to means for receiving mail bags and delivering mail bags from a moving'train.

It has been my object to produce a device which when set in operative position will automatically receive and deliver mail bags with absolute certainty, and with the least possible injury to the bags themselves.

It has also been my purpose to make the device so simple in construction that itcan be easily andcheaply made and can be easily operated. l

My device makes use of the principle of an inclined chute for receiving the mail, as in the case of my prior Patent No. 914,442, granted March 9, 1909, but in the present case I have departed in many respects from the construction disclosed in that patent.

The novel features of my invention will be apparent from the following description taken in connection with the accompanying drawings.

In the drawings,-Figure 1 is a horizontal section through a port-ion of a car showing a plan view of my mechanism in operative position; Fig. 2 is a cross section through my device when in operative position; Fig. 3 is a side elevation of the receiving and delivering mechanism along the side of the track; Fig. 4 is an end elevation partly in section of the construction shown in Fig. 3; Fig. 5 is a sectional view on the line 5-5 of Fig. 3; Fig. 6 is a detail perspective view of one of the mail delivering arms: Fig. 7 is a detailed view 'of the ends of the supporting arms for the mail chutes; Fig. 8 is a horizontal section similar to Fig. 1, showing the modified construction; Fig. 9 is a view similar to Fig. 2, showing this modification; and Fig. 10 is a detail view of my preferred form of mail delivering arm.

In practical operation mail bags arefsin multaneously received on and delivered from a train, and therefore it is necessary to have on the car means for catching and re-` ceiving mail vbags hanging along the track as well as means for supporting mail bags from the car, in such a position that they may be caught by corresponding receiving mechanism placed by the side of the track. Since the mail car, particularly on single track roads, travels in opposite directions past the point where the mail is to be received and delivered, it is advantageous to have the receiving and delivering mechanism reversible, so that it will operate when the car is moving in either direction.

In Fig. 1, 1 represents the side of a car which may be an ordinary mail car, and my receiving and delivering mechanisms are mounted to project through the side opening or door in the car. Posts 2 and 3 are at the sides or edges of the opening and these postsmay be the door posts of the car or separate; posts of a frame set in the door on the oar. In the upper part of the opening I place a reversible mail chute which I prefer to make in the form shown, embodying an outer Sheet metal plate 4 which lit-s in and closes the upper part of the opening. This plate has a strengthening frame of metal rods 5, 6, 7, S, 9, 10, secured along its sides and extending horizontally within the car. The rods 6 and 9 which extend horizontally from the plate some distance from its ends are connectedA at their inner ends by a rod 11 parallel to the plate. The framework along each edgeof the plate is the same on both sides and the two rods 6 are connected at their inner ends by the vertical rod 12, and the two rods 9 are connected by the vertical rod 13, vthese rods 12 yand 13 serving as handles which may be grasped by the operator within the car for the purpose of turning the device, as hereinafter described. A bar 14 extends horizontally across the opening at the bottom of the plate 4 and serves as a support for that plate as well as for the frame made up of the rods above described. The rods 7 and 10 are connected to the vertical end rods 74, 15 'around which the'ends of the plate 4 are bent, and the ends of these rods 74 and 15 extend slightly beyond the edges of the plate so as to run in grooves 16 in the bar 14 and in grooves 17 in the top of the opening, these grooves serving to assist in holding the chute as a whole in position. The side posts 2 and 3 are provided with pins or stops 18, 19 projecting from their inner faces and being in such position that the ends of the plate 4 will make contact. with them when the plate occupies a position in the opening, as shown in Fig. 2. Spring stops 20 having rounded outer ends projecting slightly beyond the surface are placed on the side posts as well as on the bar 14 in such position that they will be outside of the plate 4 when the plate is pulled back against the stops 19, and consequently these yielding spring stops will hold the device yieldingly in place.

The frame, composed of the plate 4 and the strengthening rods above described,

1 constitutes the chute for receiving the mail bags which are supported along the sides of the track, the width of the plate being such as to form a chute wide enough to receive the mail bag particularly when it is supported longitudinally. T he distance between the rod74 and the rod 13 is substantially the same as the length of the plate 4, and this is true also of the distance between the rod 15 and the rod 12, so that when the frame is turned to project the plate 4 from the car at an angle, as shown in Fig. 1, the rod 12 will strike against the inner sides of the pins or stops 1S, and will retain the mail receiving chute in the position shown. The force of the mail bag striking the plate 4 will of course tend to draw the forward end of the device out of the car, but there is no tendency to draw out the rear end, and therefore the rod 15 stays in contact with the stops 10.

In shifting the chute so as to occupy the inclined position shown in Fig. 1, or the reverse inclined position, the horizontal rods 5, 6, 7, 8, 9 and l0, rest upon the cross bar 14 and slide thereon while the operator moves the device by grasping the upright rods 12 and 13 which serve as handles. I have found by actual use of the device that it is not necessary to have a closed bottom for the chute and that the inclined vertical plate 4 is suflicient, since the bag in entering the car will by its motion pass along over the strengthening bars before falling, and therefore for the sake of lightness I prefer not to use a closed chute, and make use of the light framework. I have also found that a sheet steel plate 4 will for ordinary purposes be suiiiciently strong to receive the mail bags even when the train is going at a high rate of speed, but in order to prevent any lbending a strengthening angle bar 21 may be placed along the middle of this plate on the outside as shown in Fig. 2. Since t-he mail bag travels along the plate 4 at considerable speed I find it advisable to use a buffer at the inner end of the chute formed by this plate so as to stop the mail bag properly within the car. This buffer is composed of al plate 22 hinged at its outer edge 23 to the frame 24and supported at an angle from that frame by springs 25. This plate 22 may be co-vered with a soft pad 25 and it is held in position by a chain or other means 27 connecting it to the frame 24. This yielding buffer is therefore practically in line with the chute and the mail bag strikes it when it enters the car, the springs yielding sufficiently to break the force of the blow, and tending to throw the bag forward along the car, but since the car itself is moving forward the result is that the bag simply drops to the door beneath the edge of the butler. It will be observed that there are two of these buffers, one at each end of the chute, so as to be in operative position,

`whether the chute is arranged as shown in Fig. 1 or is reversed.

In order to deliver the mail bags from the car I may make use of pivoted arms composed of the upper and lower members 28, 29, which are hinged at 30, 31, along the inner side of t-he posts 2 and 3, these arms preferably being made of fiat bars of metal. The upper and lower members aire in the form shown 1n Figs. 1 and 2 separated at the pivoted end and come together at the free end so as to hold between them the cross arm 32 which is adapted to support the mail bag, a pivoted pin 33 'passing thro-ugh those members and the cross' arm This cross arm is of the construction more clearly shown in Fig. 6 and hereafter described, and it will be'understood that it can be turned on its pivot so as to reverse its position, it being held in either position by a locking pin 34 passing through it and the ends of the members. These arms are held in their inner position within the car by an automatic latch or catch 35 mounted on the post 86, and they are adapted to be swung through the door opening below the cross Abar 14 so as to occupy a position outside of the car and at right angles thereto, as shown at the left hand side of Fig. 1. In passing to the outer position the upper and lower members enter slots 37, 38, in the side posts so as to be out ofthe way, and to permit the door 89 to be closed. The arms are held in their outer position by the automatic catches 40 on the outer side of the post, and it will be observed that in the form sho-wn, the door 39 is hinged at the bottom 41 and is turned up against the inner edge of the cross bar 14. ll/Then this door is closed and the plate 4 is pulled into the position shown in Fig. 2 the entire opening in the side of the car is closed. It will be understood that the bag is hung from the Across bar 32 while the arm is within the car, and that the armthen swings to the outside or operative posit-ion, and is automatically held there so that the bag` will be in the position to be caught by the apparatus hereafter described Vbythe side of it is somewhat different.

the track. As shown in Fig. l, two of these arms may be used and one `ormore mailbags may be supported from each arm.`

Instead of using the form of delivering arms 32 which are shown in Fig. l and which must be bodily turned in order to deliver mail in the reverse direction, I preferablyuse the form of arm sho-wn in Figs. 9 and 10, which permits the reverse delivery without turning. As shown, this preferred form embodies the swinging arm made up of the sections 76, 77, which are pivotally secured to the door facing having holes in their ends fitting over the vertical pins 78, 79, carried by brackets secured to the door facing, and thus the arm may be lifted off and removed when desired. At the free end f the arm a cross arm 8() is rigidly secured, and this cross arm has in its end portion the open-ended slots 81, 82. Pivotally secured to the cross arm by the side of the slot at the central portion are the pins 88, 84, which are adapted to hold the links 85, 86 which carry the mail bag, and it will be observed that any push 0r pull on the mail bag longitudinally of the slots 8l, 82 will turn the pins 83, 84 on their pivots until their ends stand over the open slot inclined in the direction in which the bag is moving, so that the rings may simply slide off the ends of the pins. This construction provides reversible fastening means, but the reversal is effected automatically, and it is not necessary for the Inail clerk to adjust 'the arm in any particular way to deliver' mail in either direction, and all that he has to do is to hang the bag on the arm, as shown in Fig. 10, and swing that arm from inside of the car to the outside where it is ready to deliver the bag. It will be understood that it may be necessary to lift the arms off of the pins 78, 79, when it is desired to close the door, such as is illustrated in Fig. 2.

v The modified construction of bag receiving device shown in Figs. 8 and 9 is designed particularly for use on those cars where the door openings are narrow, and it is adapted to lit within a door between two and three feet wide. In this form I make use of the steel plate 87 which is similar to that described in connection with Fig. l, ,but in this instance the plate is shorter and the framework for supporting The framework consists of top and bottom end bars 88, 89, which are secured to the plate in the same manner as indicated in Fig. l, but at their inner ends these bars come together and have openings at the po-int 90 through which the cent-ral rod or bar 91 passes. and bottom hars 91 are oined by the vertical operating bar or rod 92. The ends 93, 94 of the-plate are a distance apart equal to the distance from them to the rod. 92. Thus 'in plan view the receiving device forms The top an equilateral triangle, and when either end of the plate is turned outward, as indicated in Fig. 8, the rod 92 will come against the inner faces of the stops on the door facing on one side or the other, in accordance with the way in which the plate is turned.

The apparatus for receiving the mail bags from the train consists of a box 42 placed along the side of the track and having inclined chutes 43,44 entering it from opposite sides. The open ends of these chutes are at such a height as to just receive the mail bags V,carried by the swinging arms 32 carried by the car, and as described in my prior patent, inclined spring pressed plates 45 may be placed within these chutes in order to break the force of the mail bag" as it passes down them. Since the two chutes enter the box on opposite sides it is found advisable to place across that box a screen 46 against which the mail bag will strike in passing down either chute, and I have found that this screen will operate satisfactorily if it is simply placed loosely within the box, and that it is not necessary to have any fixed support for it. Secured to the sides of the box 42 are the upright posts 47, 48 for carrying the mail bags which are to be delivered to the car. At the upper ends of these posts I place the arms 49 pivotally hinged at 50 to the posts and having their ends 51 heavier than the forward ends so that these arms will automatically t-urn on their pivots and occupy an upright position when no weight is applied -to the forward end. To the forward end I pivot the cross arms 52 for the purpose of carrying the mail bag, and these cross arms may be reversed on their pivots and secured in adjusted position by the locking pin 53 which passes through the two arms. The arm 52 is preferably made of a flat bar of metal having one end 54 reduced in size and rounded in cross sect-ion and turned up slightly to receive the strap or ring secured to the mail bag, as shown in Fig. 3. The other end of the cross arm has a reverse bend 55, making a rounded hook to receive the other strap secured to the mail bag, and it will be observed that by this construction both ends face in the same direction, so that the straps carrying the mail bag may slide off of both supports moving in the same direction. I .may use two of the arms 49, as shown in Fig. 3, and may support one or more mail bags from each arm. Below the arms 49 I preferably place a platform 5G supported by the posts 47, 4S and 57 and secured to the cross brace rod 59 which is attached at its outer ends to the upper ends of the chutes 43 and 44 for the purpose of strengthening them.

Since it is contrary to the rules of railroads to permit anything to stand permanently` within a certain distance of the track, I have found it advisable to make my y receiving and delivering device along the side of the track movable, so that it may be pushed up to or away from the track at pleasure, and I have also provided means,y

shape of small wheels carried by the shafts 62, and I make use of the guard rails 63 which extend up over the top of the rollers so as to make sure that they remain on the track. The tracks 61 run at right angles to the line of railroad rails 64 and lead up to those rails so that the device may be moved to a position close along the side of the railroad train. The box 42 -is provided with a staple or other fastening means 65, 66 on its front and rear faces for the purpose of securing the boX in posit-ion. At one end of the track there is a metal piece 67 having an eye through which the staple passes so that' a lock 68 may be secured lto it for the purpose of holding the parts in position.` A similar metal piece 69 is secured at the opposite end of the track to coperate with the staple 66 to hold the device in its position away from the railroad track. In order to steady andsupport the-outer ends of the inclined chutes .L3-and 44 I make use of the braces 70, 7l, which extend from the chutes to a po-intnear the side support, but not quite in contact therewith. These braces are made in the form of boards having considerablewidth, the lower edges 72 being cut at an angle, as shown in Fig. 7, and when the device is pushed up to the railroad track, as shown in Fig. 4, this inclined end 7 2 comes into close engagement with the 'inclined portion 73 o'f the support by `a wedging action so that when the device is in operative position theends of the chutes will be positively supported by the lbraces and 7l. As described in my prior patent above noted, the chutes 43 and 44 are provided with slots 7 4l in their bottoms near the lower edge so as to permit any water which enters the chutes to escape without passing into the mail receiving boX. TheboX itself may be provided with a lock 7 5,-and it will be understood that the arms 49'are prevented from twisting when the bag is `pushed from them by entering slots in the cross bar 76a.

It will be observed from the abo-ve description that my device along the side `of the track to receive and deliver mail bags may be moved up into operative position and secured there, and that it will then operate automatically when the train passes, the bags from the train hitting the inclined surfaces of the chutes 'and passing down into the locked box, where they are 'protected from the weather. The construction is such that all of the bags from both of the arms shown in Fig. l will be received by and taken into the chute. In fact I have received as many as four bags at one time, two bags being supported on each arm. The receiving and delivering device on the car is also automatic in its operation, and it is simply necessary for the mail clerk before he reaches the point where mail is to be received or delivered, to set the device by pushing one end or the other end of the frame carrying the plate 4 and by hanging the mail bags to be delivered on the arm 32 by the side of the car. I-Ie does not have to stand by and watch the device, but may proceed with his other work, since the mail bag will be automatically deposited on the floor of the car and can be picked up by him at any time. This device within the car may of course be built as a part of the car itself, and when this is done I prefer to place the mechanism at the end of the car with the side opening at that' point, leaving a small room at the end of the car for receiving and delivering mail, and having the balance of the car free for the use of the mail clerks. It will :be understood that the mechanism shown in Fig. 1 on one side of the car may be duplicated for the other side if necessary.

Having thus described the invention, what is claimed is:

l. The combination with a railroad track, of a mail bag receiving device including an inclined chute arranged along said track, means permitting thel free movement of said device toward and from said track, posts carried by said device, hinged arms carried by said posts at the top, and reversible means at the forward ends of said arms for supporting mail bags, the said arms being overbalanced at the rear end whereby they will assume an upright position when not supporting mail bags.

2. In a device of the class described, the combination with `a hinged arm,of a cross arm secured thereto at the free end, and means on :said cross -arm for supporting a mail bag, the said means-being so constructed as to release the :bag when moved in either direction. l

3. In a device of the class described, the combination with a hinged arm secured thereto at the free end, and means at the side opening therein, of a frame movably mounted therein and having a deliecting plate at its outer edge, and means permitting the said frame to be turned so as to project either end of said plate from the 'car to form a mail receiving chute.

`mounted therein, means permitting the turning of said frame so as to project either end of said chute from the car at an angle, and means for holding said frame in adjusted posit-ion.

S. The combination with a car having a side opening therein, of a frame constituting an open ended mail receiving chute mounted therein, means permitting the turning of said frame so as to project either end of said chute from the car at an angle, means for holding said frame in adjusted position, and buffers within said car in line with said chute.

9. The combination with a car having a side ope-ning therein, of a frame constituting an open ended mail receiving chute mounted therein, means permitting the turning of said frame so as to project either end of said chute from the car at an angle, means for holding said frame in adjusted position, and cushioned spring supported buffers within said car in line with said chute. Y

10. The combination with a car having a side opening therein, of a reversible mail receiving chute mounted in and adapted to close the upper part of said opening, swinging mail delivering arms adapted to project through said opening below said chute, and a door for closing said opening below said chute.

11. The combination with a car having a side opening therein, of a reversible mail receiving chute mounted in and adapted to close the upper part of said opening, swing mail delivering arms pivotally supported at one end at the sides of said opening below said chute, and adapted to swing through said opening so as to project from said car, and reversible means on the free ends of said arms for releasably holding mail bags.

12. The combination with a car having a side opening therein, of a reversible mail receiving chute mounted in and adapted to close the upper part of said opening, swinging mail delivering arms pivot-ally supported at one end at the sides of said opening below said chute and adapted to swing through said opening so as to project from said car, reversible means on the free ends of said arms for releasably holding mail bags, and automatic releasable catches adapted to hold said arms in their outer position.

13. The combination with a car having a side opening therein, of arms pivotally supported at one end within said car by the side of said opening and adapted to swing therethrough, the side post of said opening being provided with notches to receive said arms and to serve as stops when said arms reach a position at right angles to the car, and automatic catches on said posts for retaining said arms in their outer position.

14. The combination with a car having a side opening therein, of a movable plate tit ting in said opening, stops on the walls of said opening against which said plate tits, brace rods secured to said plate along its top and bottom edges extending within said car, and vertical rods connecting the brace rods at their inner ends, the vertical rod at one end of the device being a distance from the opposite end of the plate substantially equal to the length ot' said plate whereby said rod will strike the inner side of said stops when one end of said plate is projected from the car.

15. The combination with a car having a `side opening therein, of a movable Plate iit ting in said opening, stops on t-he walls of said opening against which said plate ts, and a trame work of rods secured to said plate along its top and bottom edges and eX- tending inwardly therefrom the ends of said frame being inclined toward the center to such an extent that when one end of the plate is projected from the car the inner edge of the frame will make contact with the inner side of said stops.

16. The combination with a car having a side opening therein, of a movable plate tting in said opening, stops on the walls of said opening against which said plate tits, a :trame connected to said plate along its top and bottom edges and extending inwardly therefrom, a support along the bottom of said opening on which said frame rests whereby said frame may be turned with either end oi said plate projecting from the car at an angle, and means for limiting the turning of said frame.

17. The combination with a car having a side opening therein, of a movable plate litting in said' opening, stops on the walls of said opening against which said plate tits, yielding spring pressed stops in said walls between which and said iirst mentioned stops said plate is releasably held, and a frame connected to said plateialong its top and bottom edges and extending inwardly therefrom constituting means for turning said plate to project either end from the car at an angle.

18. In a device of the class described, t-he combination with an arm having open-ended longitudinal slots at its ends, of pivoted cross pins extending across said slots to serve as supports and adapted to be turned to released position in either direction.

19. In a device of the class described, the combination with a bag support having a slot therein, of a cross supporting pin pivoted atone end extending across said slot and adapted to be turned to released position in either direction.

20. The combination with a car having a side opening therein, of a movable plate litting in said opening, stops on the Walls of said opening against which said plate iits, and a traine secured to said plate'along its top and bottom edges and extending in- Wardly therefrom, the ends ot' said frame being inclined toward the center so as to permit turning to project either end of said plate from the car.

21. rIhe combination With a car having a side opening therein, of a movable plate fitting in said opening, stops on the Walls of said opening against Which said plate fits, and a frame secured to said plate along its top and bottom edges and extending inwardly therefrom, the ends of said frame being inclined toward the center so as to permit turning to project either end of said plate from the car, and a support on Which said frame rests.

In testimony whereof I affix my signature in presence of tWo Witnesses.

DANIEL W. MILLSAPS.

Witnesses:

C. l?. EVANS, I-I. C. GRAHAM.

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

Images