US1037490A

US1037490A - Car-coupling.

Info

Publication number: US1037490A
Application number: US66914712A
Authority: US
Inventors: Joseph Kelso
Original assignee: McConway and Torley LLC
Current assignee: McConway and Torley LLC
Priority date: 1912-01-03
Filing date: 1912-01-03
Publication date: 1912-09-03
Anticipated expiration: 1929-09-03

Description

J. KELSO.

lGAR GOUPLING. APPLIoATmN FILED JAN. s, 1912.

Patented Sept. 3, 1912.

J. KELSO.

GAR GOUPLING. APPLICATION IILIID JAN. 3, w12.

1,037,490. Patented Sept. 3,1912.

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JOSEPH KELSO, OE PITTSBURGH,` PENNSYLVANIA, ASSIGNOR TO THE McCONWAY.&

TOB'LEY COMPANY, OF PITTSBURGH, PENNSYLVANIA, A CORPORATION OF PENN- SYLVANIA.

CAR-COUPLING.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Sept. 3,1912.

Application led January 3,1912. ySerial No 669,147.

,and use the same.

My invention relates to the construction of car couplers of the vertical plane type and is more particularly directed to the production of a strong, durable and efficient device of this character which, by reason of the compactness of its locking and knuckle opening mechanism, is especially well adapted for use upon passenger cars. Generally stated, I attain these objects by employing ya horizontally slidable lock for the knuckle and by combining therewith a horizontally rotatable knuckle-opener lever, the lock being recessed or chambered to receive a spring which is interposed between said lock and the knuckle-opener lever, and the knuckle-opener lever being adapted to rotate into engagement with the lock to limit the expansion of the spring as well as to limit the forward movement of the 'lock when the knuckle is rotated to open position; and such a construction embodies the principal feature of my invention.

In the drawings illustrating my invention, the scope whereof is pointed out in the claims, Figure 1 is a view of a car coupler embodying my invention, a portion of the coupler head being shown in plan and a portion being shown in horizontal central section, and the knuckle, knuckle-opener and lock being shown in plan in locked positions; Fig. 2 is a front elevation of the construct-ion shown in Fig. 1, the knuckle being removed and the lock and knuckle-opener being in locked positions; Fig. 3 is a detail vertical section taken on the line 3-3, Fig. 1,; Fig. t is a detail view showing the knuckle-opener in plan and the knuckle, lock and a portion of the coupler head in horizontal central section, the parts being illustrated in the relation occupied when the coupler is locked; Fig. 5 is a de-r tail horizontal section taken on the line 5 5,

Fig. 2, the .parts being shown in the positions occupied when the knuckle has been rotated outwardly to open position; Fig. G 1s a detail sectional view illustrating the relation of the lock actuating device to the lockland to the coupler head; Fig. 7 is a detail vertical section taken on t-he line 7-7, Fig. 6; Figs. 8 and 9 are detail perspective views of the lock; and Fig. 10 is a detail perspective view of the knuckle-opener.

Like symbols refer to like parts whereever they occur.

I will now proceed to describe my invention more fully, so that others skilledin the art to which it appertains may apply the Same.

In thedrawings, l is the coupler head andy 2 is the knuckle, the coupler head `being illustrated as of the type which ris connected to the car through the intermediacy of a plurality of draft stems, and the knuckle being preferably pivotally connected to the head in the usual manner by means of a knuckle pin 3. The centerv draft stem 4, which may be conveniently formed in two parts so as to embrace a portion of the couplerhead, is preferably connected to the soy latter by means of a pivot pin or bolt 5.

Lugs la, la and 1b, l", which project lat erally from the coupler head afford means for pivotally connecting the side steins of the coupler to the coupler head. y

Slidably mounted in the coupler headL l is a horizontally movable lock or catch 6 which, when in locked position, serves to prevent the outward rotation of the knuckle 2. This lock member is formed with a spring pocket or ychamber 6a that is adapted to receive a coiled spring 7 one end of which rests upon the catch 6 and the other end of which bears upon a rotatable knuckle opener lever 8. As more particularly shown in Fig. 5, the rearward or unlocking movement of the lock 6v is limited by the engagement of the shoulders 6b of the latter with the corresponding stop faces 1 of the coupler head. The unlockingmovement of the lock 6 may be conveniently eifected through the instrumentality of a bell-crank unlocking lever 9 which may be pivotally mounted'beneath they coupler head Ion the bolt or pivot pin 5 by which the center stem et is connected to the coupler'head, said unlocking lever being provided with a lock-actuating pin 9L which extends upwardly through an arcuate slot ld inthe lower wall of the coupler head and enters an openingor recess o"z formed in the lock 6C, the recess 6, as shown, being elongated transversely so as to allow the lock to move rectilineally while the unlocking lever 9 is turning upon its pivot. ment of the unlocking lever, as well as of the lock 6, is arrested by the engagement of the portion 9b of the unlocking lever with a stop or lug le which is formed on the under side of the coupler head adjacent to the forward end of the arc shaped slot ld therein.

The knuckle 2 is rotated to open or coupling position by means of a horizontally rotatable knuckle-opener lever S which is pivotally mounted in the coupler head l by means of a pin or bolt 10. The inner end of the lniuckle-opener, or end upon which the spring 7 bears, is preferably formed with a tapering stud 8a which extends into the interior of the spring and thus prevents the latter from becoming accidentally disassocia-ted from the knuckle-opener when the coupler is in service. The outer end, 8b, of the knuckle-opener extends behind the tail of the knuckle 2 and operates to impart an opening rotation thereto when the spring 7 is energized by an unlocking movement of the lock 6 and the knuckle is free to rotate outwardly. For convenience of manufacture and ease of assembly, the opening in the lever S for the reception of the pivot pin 10 is, as more particularly shown in Fig. l0, preferably formed as a slot 8c leading in from the rear face of the knuckle-opener.

In order to attain a compact arrangement of parts the forward end of the lock 6 is preferably formed with a recess 6e which is adapted to receive the inner or lock-engaging end of the tail of the knuckle 2; and the side of the lock 6 which is adjacent t0 the knuckle-opener lever 8 is recessed or slotted to vreceive a portion of the knuckleopener, as more particularly shown in Figs. fi, 5 and 8.

Projecting upwardly from the upper face of the knuckle-opener 8 is a lug 8d Which, as shown in Fig. 5, is adapted to move into the path of locking movement of the lock 6 and to engage the inclined face 6d upon the adjacent side thereof when the knuckleopener lever has performed its knuckle opening rotation. This engagement of the lug 8(l with the face 6d of the lock not only serves to limit the outward rotation of the knuckle-opener S but also serves to limit the outward or locking movement of the lock 6, the extent of expansion of the spring 7 being thus jointly controlled by the lock and ,knuckle-opener and all liability of `it jumping out of its receiving chamber 6EL in the lock G or becoming unseated from the knuckle-opener 8 being thus overcome.

The construction and arrangement of the several elements of the coupler'being substantially such as hereinbefore pointed out,

The lockin 0' movethe operation of the device will be as foilows: Assuming the parts to be in locked or coupled position, as illustrated in Figs. l, 2, 3, t, 6 and 7, an unlocking rotation of the bell-crank lever 9 causes the lock 6 to slide rearwardly, thus compressing the coiled spring 7. When the lock 6 has been withdrawn sufficiently to permit the knuckle 2 to rotate outwardly, the spring` 7 expands, thus rotating the knuckle-opener lever around its pivot pin 10 and causing the outer end Sb of the knuckle-opener to impart a strong rotative impulse to the tail of the knuckle 2, thereby impelling the knuckle to rotate to open or coupling position as illustrated in Fig. 5. `When the knuckle 2 is rotated inwardly to locked or coupled position from the coupling position, shown in Fig. 5, the rear face of the tail of the knuckle 2 engages the outer end 8b of the 11inuckle-opener 8, forcing the latter to rotate upon its pivot pin l0. As the inner end 2 of the knuckle tail prevents the lock 6 from moving forwardly while the knuckle-opener is being forced rearwardly by the knuckle, this rotation of the knuckle-opener S causes the spring 7 to be energized, so that when the knuckle 2 has rotated inwardly sufficiently far to permit the lock 6 to move forwardly the latter will be forced to locked position and there maintained against accidental unlocking` by the spring 7.

I claim:

l. In a car coupler, the combination with a coupler head, of a knuckle pivotally mounted thereon, a lock for said knuckle, a knuckle-opener lever movably mounted on said coupler head, a spring operatively interposed between said lock and said knuckleopener lever, and coacting means upon said lock and said knuckle-opener lever that are movable into engagement to limit the extent of movement of the lock in a locking direction when the knuckle is rotated to open position.

2. In a car coupler, the combination with a coupler head, of a knuckle pivotally mounted thereon, a horizontally slidable lock for said knuckle, a horizontally rotatable knuckle-opener lever pivotally mounted on the coupler head, said lock being slotted to receive said knuckle-opener, a spring interposed between said lock and knuckle-opener, and a lug on said knuckle` opener which is adapted to move into engagement with the lock to limit the movement of the latter toward locked position when the knuckle is rotated to open position.

3. In a car coupler, the combination with a coupler head, of a knuckle pivotally mounted thereon, a horizontally slidable lock for said knuckle, said lock having an inclined face, a knuckle-opener lever pivotally mounted on the coupler head, and a spring interposed between said lock and knuckle-opener, and a lug on said knuckle opener lever which is adapted to move into engagement with the inclined face of said lock .to thereby limit the movement of the latter toward locked position when the knuckle is rotated to open position.

il. In a car coupler, the combination with a coupler head, of a knuckle pivotally mounted thereon, a lock for said knuckle slidably mounted on the coupler head, a knuckle-opener lever, a pivot pin on which said knuckle-opener is rotatably mounted, a spring interposed between said lock and knuckle-opener, said lock being slotted to receive a portion of the knuckle-opener and being recessed to receive the inner end of the tail of the knuckle, and said knuckleopener being slotted to receive a pivot pin, and a lug on said knuckle opener lever which is adapted to extend into the path of movement of and to engage the lock to thereby limit the movement of the latter toward locked position when the knuckle is rotated to open position.

In testimony whereof I atiX my signature, in the presence of two subscribing witnesses.

JOSEPH KELSO.

litnesses J. W. HARTLEY, F. D. EoKnR.

Copies of this patent may be obtained for vc cents each, by addressing the Commissioner of Patents, Washington, I). C.