US1036278A - Car-coupling. - Google Patents

Description

R. B. H. LEIGHTON & V. W. ZILEN.

OAR COUPLING. APPLICATION IILBD NOV. 7, 1910. 1,036,278, Patented Aug. 20, 1912.

2 SHEETS-SHEET 1.

' v y i I v ATTORNEY COLUMBIA PLANOCIRAPH (10-. WASHINGTON. D. c.

R. B. H. LEIGHTON & V. W, ZILEN.

GAR COUPLING.

APPLICATION FILED NOV. 7, 1910.

Patented Aug. 20, 1912.

2 SHEETS-SHEET Z.

INVENTORS WITNESSES ATTORNEY UNTTED S RICHARD B. H. LEIGI-ITON, OF CHAT'I'ANOOGA, TENNESSEE, AND VICTOR W. ZILEN, OF RICHMOND HILL, NEXVVYORK.

CAR-COUPLING.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Aug. 20, 1912.

Original application filed February 19, 1909, Serial No. 478,961. Divided and this application filed November 7, 1910.

To all whom 2'25 may concern:

Be it known that we, RICHARD B. H. LnIorrroN, a citizen of the United States, residing at Chattanooga, in the county of Hamilton and State of Tennessee, and Vioron VJ. ZILEN, a subject of the Emperor of Russia, residing at Richmond Hill, in the county of Queens and State of New York, have invented a new and useful Car-Cow pling, of which the following is a specification.

The invention relates to improvements in car couplings, and is a division of an application, filed by us on or about Feb. 19, 1909, Serial No. 478,961.

The object of the present invention is to improve the construction of car couplings, and to provide a simple and comparatively inexpensive car coupling, adapted to meet the present requirements of the Master Car Builders Association, and capable of automatic coupling, and equipped with a lock set for enabling it to be arranged for automatic uncoupling.

Another object of the invention is to enable the knuckle locking mechanism to be readily connected with an operating device, located at either the top or right hand side of a freight car, or the left hand side of a passenger coach.

With these and other objects in view, the invention consists in the construction and novel combination of parts hereinafter fully described, illustrated in the accompanying drawings, and pointed out in the claims hereto appended; it being understood that various changes in the form, proportion, size and minor details of construction, within the scope of the claims, may be resorted to without departing from the spirit or sacrificing any of the advantages of the invention.

In the drawings :Figure 1 is a plan view of a car coupling, constructed in accordance with this invention. Fig. 2 is a horizontal sectional view of the same. Fig. 3 is a vertical sectional view on the line m-w of Fig. 2. Fig. 4. is a horizontal sectional.

Serial No. 591,132.

its lower or engaging position for locking the knuckle. Fig. 7 is a similar view, the locking pin being supported in an elevated position by the lock set. Fig. 8 is a transverse sectional view, illustrating the arrangement of the several passages for the chain of the operating mechanism. Fig. 9 is a reverse plan view of the draw head. Figs. 10 and 11 are detail views of the knuckle. Fig. 12 is a detail View on the line 22 of Fig. 6, illustrating the construction and arrangement of the lock set.

Like numerals of reference designate corresponding parts in all the figures of the drawings.

The numeral 1 designates a draw head provided with a shank or draw bar 2, having a relatively large longitudinal opening 3, and adapted to afford a greater space for the attachment of a tail pin or bolt when required. The draw head is provided at one side with the usual guard arm 1, and it has spaced ears 5 at opposite sides for the reception of a knuckle pin 6, on which a knuckle 7 is pivotally mounted. The arm 8 of the knuckle is provided at the inner side with a laterally projecting tapered portion or bill 9, arranged to enter a recess 10 at the adjacent wall of the draw head when the knuckle is closed,-whereby the knuckle is interlocked with the draw head and is effectually prevented from pulling out of the same in event of breakage of the pin. The knuckle is locked in its closed position by a vertically movable locking pin 11, consisting of a fiatvertically disposed rectangular head 12 and a round lower portion or shank. The rectangular port-ionor head operates in a recess or cavity 13 of the top of the draw head, and the shank extends through an opening 14 of the bottom of the draw head. The bottom is provided at the said opening with depending flanges forming a lower pocket 15. The rectangular engaging portion or head of the locking pin extends longitudinally of the draw head, and is fitted against one of the side walls thereof, as clearly illustrated in Fig. 2 of the drawings. The said head 12 presents a flat side face to the arm of the knuckle, which is providedat the side edge with a shoulder 16, formed by cut-ting oil the cor.-

*by an upper coiled spring 17, adapted to assist gravity in causing the locking pin to drop into engagement with the knuckle, and capable of also cushioning the upward movement of the locking pin to prevent the same from being injured should it be thrown suddenly upward with considerable force. The draw head is provided at the top of the recess or cavity 13 with a depending pin 18, which extends into the upper portion of the coiled spring 17, and the lower end of the coiled spring is received in a socket 19, formed in the head of the locking pin.

The lower round portion or shank of the locking pin is provided with a vertical slot 20, extending longitudinally of the locking pin and arranged at the lower portion to form a shoulder 21 for receiving a stationary lock set 22. The lock set 22 provides a fixed horizontal support and is adapted to engage with the shoulder 21 to support the locking pin in an elevated position, as illustrated in Fig. 7 of the drawings. The upper portion of the slot is of a width sufiicient to receive the lock set to permit the locking pin to drop into engagement with the arm of the knuckle, and when the latter is lifted by the operating mechanism hereinafter referred to, it is moved upward and its lower portion is drawn forward to carry the intermediate shoulder 21 onto the seat, formed by the upper edge of the lock set. The shoulder 21 is inclined and the upper edge of the lock set is beveled downwardly and forwardly to correspond with the inclination of the shoulder, so as to retain the locking pin in engagement with the lock set. The inclined seat afiorded by the lock set, however, does not interfere with the backward movement of the lower portion of the locking pin necessary to release the latter, and the arm of the knuckle is equipped with a horizontally projecting rounded lug or portion 23, which in the opening movement of the knuckle, is carried into engagement with the rounded lower portion of the locking pin. When the lug 23 strikes the locking pin, it moves the latter rearwardly and disengages the shoulder 21 from the lock set and causes the locking pin to drop. The projecting head of the locking pin, when released, drops upon the knuckle. During the closing movement of the knuckle it passes inwardly from under the head 12 of the locking pin, and the latter is then positively moved downward into engagement with the knuckle by the spiral spring 17. The downward movement of the locking pin is limited by the lock set, which supports the engaging portion or head 12 of the locking pin a short distance above the bottom of the draw head, and the upper face of the end portion of the arm of the knuckle presents a curved inclined plane 24:, as clearly illustrated in Fig. 10 of the drawings, whereby the arm of the knuckle in its closing movement is adapted to engage the lower edge of the head of the locking pin and lift the same, so as to pass beneath and beyond the head, thereby effecting the operation of automatic coupling. The lock set preferably consists of a split key piercing the opposite walls of the pocket 15 and provided at one end with a head and having the terminals of the metal spread at the other end of the key, as clearly illustrated in Fig. 9 of the drawings, whereby the key is securely retained in place.

The draw head is provided at its bottomv portion below the upper face of the bottom with horizontally disposed transversely arranged passages 25 and 26, extending laterally from opposite sides of the pocket 15, and adapted to permit a chain 27 to extend downward from the lower end of the looking pin through either side of the draw head. The draw head is also equipped with a vertical chain receiving passage 28, located at one side of and in parallelism with the passage for the locking pin and separated from the same by an intervening vertical wall. These passages are flared at their terminals and present rounded surfaces to the chain for enabling the latter to be readily operated. The lower end of the locking pin is provided with an eye for the reception of a 2 pin 29, or other suitable fastening device for securing a U-shaped link 30 to the locking pin. The chain is attached at one end to the U-shaped link, and is designed to be connected with suitable operating mechanism, which may be located at either side or the top of a car. This enables the chain to be operated by the usual mechanism, located at the right hand side or top of a freight car, or at the left hand side of a passenger coach. The chain extends upward in advance of the lower portion of the locking pin, as illustrated in Figs. 6 and 7 of the drawings, and when it is pulled upon it lifts the locking pin and at the same time moves the lower portion forwardly and seats the intermediate shoulder upon the lock set. The lower end of the vertical chain receiving passage 28 communicates with the horizontal passage 25 at the right hand side of the coupler.

The knuckle when released is free to move I outward and is automatically opened by a spring 31, preferably coiled horizontally. The inner portion of the spring is bent to form a horizontal loop 32, which receives a squared pin 33. The pin 33 is arranged in upper and lower grooves 34:, formed in the upper port-ion of the draw head and in a projecting flange 35. The outer end of the spring is doubled to provide a thickened portion 87, bearing against an upwardly extending stud 38 of the arm of the knuckle and provided with a projecting lug 39, which operates in an arcuate slot 40 in the top wall of the draw head to limit the outward movement of the spring.

The knuckle opening mechanism is not claimed in the present application, as it forms the subject-matter of the aforesaid application.

Having thus fully described our invention, what we claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is

1. A car coupling including a draw head, a pivoted knuckle, a locking pin for engaging the knuckle, said locking pin being provided with a longitudinal slot and having a shoulder located at a point intermediate of the ends of the slot, and a lock set seat extending through the slot and arranged to engage wit-h the shoulder for holding the locking pin in an elevated position and limiting the downward movement of the looking pin and supporting the engaging portion thereof above the bottom of the draw head in spaced relation with the same when the locking pin is at the limit of its downward movement.

2. A car coupling including a draw head, a pivoted knuckle, a locking pin for engaging the knuckle, said locking pin being provided with a longitudinal slot enlarged at the lower portion to form an intermediate shoulder, and a fixed lock set extending through the slot of the locking pin and having a seat arranged to receive the shoulder to support the locking pin in an elevated position and limiting the downward movement of the locking pin and supporting the engaging portion thereof above the bottom of the draw head in spaced relation with the same when the locking pin is at the limit of its downward movement.

3. A car coupling including a draw head, a pivoted knuckle, a locking pin coacting with the knuckle and provided with a longitudinal slot closed at its ends, said locking pin being provided at a point intermediate of its ends with an inclined shoulder, and a key passing through the slot of the looking pin and piercing opposite portions of the draw head and having a beveled upper edge arranged to be engaged with the in clined shoulder of the locking pin.

4. A car coupling including a draw head provided in its bottom with an opening and having depending exterior flanges at the said opening, a vertically movable locking pin extending through the opening in the bottom of the draw head and provided with a longitudinal slot closed at the ends, said locking pin being provided at a point intermediate of the ends of the slot with a shoulder, a fastening device piercing the flanges of the draw head and passing through the slot of the locking pin and forming a fixed lock set to coact with the shoulder of the locking pin, and a pivoted knuckle having means for disengaging the locking pin from the lock set.

5. A car coupling including a draw head provided at the top with an interiorly arranged recess and having an opening inits bottom, said draw head being also provided at the opening with depending exterior flanges, a vertically movable locking pin having its upper end arranged in the recess in the top of the draw head, the lower portion of the locking pin being extended through the openingin the bottom of the draw head and provided with a longitudinal slot and having a shoulder at a point intermediateof the ends thereof, a fastening de vice piercing the flanges of the draw head and extending through the slot of the looking pin and forming a fixed lock set to coact with the said shoulder for supporting the locking pin, a spring arranged within the said recess and engaging the upper end of the locking pin for forcing the latter downward, and operating means connected with the lower end of the locking pin for raising the same.

6. A car coupling including a draw head, a vertically movable locking pin provided at its upper end with a head and having a lower shank portion, a spring engaging the locking pin and arranged to urge the same downwardly, a relatively fixed lock set seat for supporting the locking pin in an elevated position and limiting the downward movement of the locking pin to support the head thereof above the bottom of the draw head in spaced relation with the same when the locking pin is at the limit of its downward movement, and a pivoted knuckle having an arm beveled at its upper face and provided at its end with a projecting lug located at an intermediate point between the side edges of the arm and arranged to strike the looking pin to move the same out of engagement with the lock set seat.

7. A car coupling including a draw head, a vertically movable locking pin operable in the draw head, the latter being provided at opposite sides of the locking pin with transverse passages and having an upwardly extending passage communicating with one of the transverse passages, and means connected with the locking pin and adapted to operate in any one of the said passages for raising the locking pin.

8. A car coupling including a draw head, a vertically movable locking pin operable in the draw head, the latter being provided at one side of the locking pin with a vertical passage and having transverse passages extending from opposite sides of the locking pin and located below the plane of the bottom of the draw head, and means connected with the locking pin and operable in any: one of the said passages for raising the said i locking pin.

9. A car coupling including a draw head} provided in its top with an interior recess and having an opening in its bottom, a vertically movable locking pin operable in the draw head with its upper end in the saidj recess and its lower portion extendedj through the opening in the bottom of the? draw head, the latter being provided at opposite sides of the locking pin with trans-l verse passages and having an upright pas-1 sage communicating with the transverse passages and extending through the top of the draw head and arranged at one side of the locking pin, the said draw head having a vertical wall located between the locking pin and the said upright passage and flexi- 1 ble means vconnected with the locking pin and operable in any one of the passages for rais-' ing the said locking pin.

In testimony, that we claim the foregoing as our own, we have hereto afiixed our signatures in the presence of two witnesses.

RICHARD B. LEIGHTON. VICTOR w. ZILEN.

Witnesses for Leighton:

J. G. RICHARDSON, S. M; HUDLEsoN. Witnesses for Zilen:

A. H. BIsoHoF, CHAs. T. BISGHOF.

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

Washington, D. G.

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