US1043483A - Mechanism for operating car doors and steps. - Google Patents

Description

G. W. VOIGT. MEGHANISM PoR OPERATING GAR DOORS AND STEPS.

l APPLICATION FILED PEB. l, 1911. v 1,043,483, Patented Nov. 5, 1912.

2 BHEETS-SHEBT l.

www HIM COLUMBIA PLANOURAPH C13-,WASHINGTON D. C.

, G. W. VOIGT. MEOHANISM FOR OPERATING OAR DOORS AND STEPS.

.APPLIATIOH FILED FEB. 1, 1911.

Patented Nov. 5, 1912.

2 SHEETS-SHEET 2 coLuMulA PLANOGRAPH co., WASHINGTON, D. c.

'UNITED sTATEs PATENT OFFICE.

GEORGE W. VOIGT, 0F CHICAGO, ILLINOIS, ASSIGNOR TO JOI-IN 'I.

. ILLINOIS.

GIBLIN, or CHICAGO,

MEOHANISM FOR OPERATING CAR VDOORS AND STEPS.

Specification of Letters Patent;

Application led February 1, 1911.

' Patented Nov. 5, 1912".

Serial N o. 605,985.

To all whom it may concern.:

Be it known that I, GEORGE W. Voler, a

citizen of the United States, residing at` Chicago, in the county of Cook andV State of Illinois, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Mechanism `for Operating Car Doors and Steps, of which the following is a specification.

This invention relates to mechanism for opening and closing the doors of street railway cars and for moving into and out of operative position a step adjacent to said door, the primary object of the invention being to produce means for this purpose which may be conveniently operated by the motor-man, and is simple, efficient and strong so that it will be capable of withstanding the rough usage which in practice it is apt to receive.

Further objects and advantages of the invention will be understood from the detailed description hereinafter set forth'.

In the accompanying drawings, Figure l is a view showing in dotted outline a vertical longitudinal section through a street railway car platform, the door appearing in inside elevation, said view further illustrat ing inoperative association with the platform a mechanism embodying my 4invention for opening and closing the doorand for moving the step into and out of operative position, the step also appearing in inside or rear side elevation. In this view the door is shown closed and the step in its inoperative position. Fig. 2 is a fragmental plan view of the platform and operating mechanism, the platform being indicated in dotted outline. Figs. 3 and t are fragmental trans verse vertical detail sectional views in the plane of line 3 3 of Fig. 2, showingl'the step in its inoperative and its operative po sitions respectively. Figs. 5, 6 and 7 are fragmental detail views of the means for connecting the operating leverto the door. Fig. 8 is a fragmental detail sectional view illustrating the stop means for the operating staff, the view being taken in the plane of line 3 8 of Fig. r1. y

The port-ion of the mechanism herein shown for opening and closing the door is substantially similar to that shown in myl prior Patent No. 965,770 issued July 26, 1910, but it should be understood that the means for operating the step may be con-` nected with a door operating mechanism of vdifferent construction.

In the drawings, A indicates a street railway car platform having a door B movable thereon.. In the form herein shown, the i `the doorB so that when said lever is swung,

the door will be opened and closed. The connection herein shown between the lever 1 and the door is somewhat different from that shown in my said patent, the present connection comprising a rounded member 3 secured to the rear edge ofthe door, a rod 4: spaced from the member 3 and having. its ends fixed tofbrackets 5 which are secured to the edge of the door, and a grooved stud 6 securedto the upper end of the lever land adapted to travel between the member 3 and the rodt in the swinging movement-s of the lever 1. A

In `order-to cushion the closing movement I of the door so as to prevent injury to a p,er sons hand or clothing which may happen to be in thepathofmovement of the'door, and

`also fora furtherpurpose to be later descr-ibed, I provide,` a coiled spring 7 sur- `The means for swinging th-elever 1. to i open and close the door `may comprise a rcckshaft 9^mounted inbearings 10, carried by the platform A, the shaft being positioned at some distance below thepivot point 2u of the lever l.` Fixed tothe shaft 9 l is an arm 11 which carries at its upper end a block 1.2 slidable :in a slot 13 in the lever l. The shaft-9 may be rocked by means of the `vertical staff `14 mounted in suitable bearings on theplatform A, said staffn having at fits upper` end `a handle orcrank 15 and at .its lower. end a crank arm 16 which 1s connectedby means o-f a link 17 with an arm 18 upon the rock shaft 9. The staff lll isrotated clockwise when the door is being closed.. The arm 16 at the lower end of the staff 14 is arranged to throw over center whenA the door Ais closed, as shown in Fig 2,

so asfto lock said door in its closed position.

Any common or suitable' means such as that shown in Fig. 8 may be provided to prevent the staff 14 from rotating farther in a clockwise direction than the position shown in Fig. 2. In the present instance, said stop means consists of a collar 31 fixed by means of a set screw 33 on the staff 14 and having a stop 29 thereon which strikes against a lug 30 on a bracket 32, which is attached to the car frame and in which the upper end of the staffl 14E turns. v

When the parts are in the position indicated in Figs. 1 and 2 the door is fully closed and the spring 7 is compressed between the roller 6 and the lower bracket 5. Said spring therefore tends to raise said roller Vand open the door, thus swinging the lever 1 rearwardly and moving link 17 endwise rearwardly. It will therefore be seen that the action of therspring 7 tends to hold crank arm 16 and link 17 in their over center position, as indicated in Fig. 2.

The step 19 is movably mounted in any suitable way, being pivoted in the present instance to brackets20 fixed to the platform A so as to be tiltable into a vertical or inoperative position, as shown in Fig. 3, or into the horizontal or operative position, as

shown in Fig. et. At the rear edge of the step l19V is an extension 21 which may be longer than the step 19, as shown in Fig. 1, said extension serving, when the step is in its inoperative position, as a guard to prevent persons or objects from being thrown beneath the wheels of the ear, in a manner well understood. The step 19 is arranged to be swung by means of a bell-crank lever 22 pivoted at its angle to any suitable part such as a bar 23 secured to the under side of the platform, one arm of saidl bell-crank being connected by means of a link 24 with an ear .25,011 the rear edge of the step 19 and the extends through a slot 28 in the extension 21 upon the step 19. The relation of the parts is such that when the door is opened and closed, the step will be correspondingly lowered or raised. The step 19 and the Vguard or extension 21 lie at opposite sides of their pivot line and substantially counterbalance each other so that the action of the f step mechanism is even and smooth.

In operatiomwhen the car is stopped to `let oif passengers, the motorman swings the handle 15 to open the door 13 and to lower the step 19 so that the passengers may dei scend from the car.

rock shaft, an operative connection between said staff and said rock shaft, a bell-crank lever, a connection between one arm of said bell-crank lever and said rock shaft, and a connection between the other arm of said lever and said step. y

2. The combination with a car platform, a door movable thereon, and a step pivotally attached to the platform beneath said door, of mechanism for operating said door and said step comprising a rock shaft, a lever pivoted at one end and connected at its other end with said door, an arm on said rock shaft engaging said lever, a vertical stati' having a handle at its upper end, an arm on the lower end of said staff, a second arm on said rock shaft, a link connecting the two last mentioned arms, a bellcrank lever pivoted at its angle upon said platform, a link connecting one arm of said bell-crank lever with said step for swinging the latter, a third arm on said rock shaft and a link connecting the other arm of said bell-crank lever with said third arm.

3. The combination with a car platform having' a door and a step movably mounted thereon, of means for operating said door and step comprising a vertical staff mounted in the platform to oscillate on its main axis, an operating handle on the upper end of said staff and a crank arm on its lower end, a horizont-al rock shaft mounted beneath the fioor of said platform and extending transversely of the car, an arm on said rock shaft, alink connecting said arm with the crank arm on said operating staff, an arm on said rock shaft operatively connected with said door, and an arm on said rock shaft having a link connection with said step.

4. Tie combination with a car platform having a door movably mounted thereon and having a step pivotally attached thereto bcneath said door, of a staff mounted on the platform, means connecting the lower end of said staff with said door for opening and closing the latter, a connection between said door moving means and said step for pivotally moving the latter into and out of operative position, and an elongated board-like extension at the rear edge of said step serving as a guard when in a vertical position and acting as a means for counterbalancing said step whereby to facilitate operation of the mechanism.

l5. rIhe combination with a car platform having a door slidably mounted in the forward portion thereof and having a step pivotally mounted thereon beneath said door, of mechanism for simultaneously operating said door and said step comprising an operating staff mounted on the platform, a horizontal rock shaft extending transversely of the car beneath the floor of said platform and adjacent the rear end thereof, a connection between the lower end of said staff and said rock shaft for rocking the latter, an tending forwardly and being connected to arm on said rock shaft having an operative said lever. 10 connection with the rear edge of said door, In testimony whereof I aiiix my signature a lever pivoted to the platform adj aeent said in presence of two witnesses.

step, a transversely extending link oonnect- GEORGE W. VOIGT. ing said lever with saidstep, a second arm Vitnesses:

on said rook shaft, and a link Connected to C. PAUL PARKER,

said second arm, the last mentioned link eX- L. L. MILLER.

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

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