US1043786A - Elevated-carrier latch. - Google Patents

Description

M. B. MOYER. ELEVATED CARRIER LATCH. APPLICATION FILED FEB-29, 1912.

Patented Nov. 5, 1912.

2 SHEETSSHEET 1.

M. B. MOYER.

ELEVATED CARRIER LATCH.

APPLICATION FILED 315.29, 1912.

1,043,786. Patented N0v.5, 1912.

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UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

MALCOLM IB. MOYER, OF MONTEVIDEO, MINNESOTA, ASSIGNOR TO MOYER MANUFAC- TUBING COMPANY, OF MONTEVIDEO, MINNESOTA.

ELEVATED-CARRIER LATCH.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Nov. 5, 1912.

Application filed February 29, 1912. Serial No. 680,609.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, MALCOLM B. Moran, a citizen of the United States, residing at Montevideo, in the county of Chippewa and State of Minnesota, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Elevated- Garrier Latches; and I do declare the following to be a full, clear, and exact description of the invention, such as will enable others skilled in the art to which it appertains to make and use the same.

This invention relates to elevated carriers, and more especially to those employing a pivoted bucket; and the object of the same is to provide an improved latching device for holding the bucket upright within the traveling carriage, which latch may be tripped by hand or by a trip mounted on a track. This object is accomplished by constructing the latch and the catch therefor in the manner hereinafter more specifically described and claimed, and as shown in the drawings wherein Figure 1 isa side elevation showing the parts of this improved. device in position with the latch engaged with the catch to hold the bucket upright. Fig. 2 is a similar view with the bucket in vertical section showing. the parts in the position they assume after the latch has been tripped so that the weight passes the center of gravity and rests upon the catch. Fig. 8 is a somewhat similar view showing the bucket as turned slightly on its trunnions, and illustrating the catch as restoring the latch to its normal position. Fig. 4 is an end elevation illustrating the position of parts as the bucket is being restored to its vertical position.

In the drawings is illustrated a bucket B having trunnions below its centerof gravity pivoted as at P in the arms of a yoke Y forming part of a carriage supported by wheels W on an overhead track or cable C.

and the letter T designates a trip attached to said cable for actuating the trlgger hereinafter described. No novelty whatever is claimed for all these parts, as they are commonly employed in overhead carriers. such as are used for conveying articles frompointto point in the bucket, and dumping the latter when the point of delivery is reached. The dumping may be done by hand orautomatically, and if done automatically the trip T is set at a proper point upon the cable C so that when the bucket reaches that point the trigger is engaged by the trip and the latch is moved to permit the bucket to dump. The trunnions of the bucket are pivoted at P below the center of gravity of the bucket and its contents, and therefore the bucket must be connected in some manner with. the

yoke Y to prevent it from turning over undesirably, although such turning over hecomes desirable when the bucket reaches the point where it is to be dumped. The details of this latch mechanism form the subject matter of the present invention.

The latch proper consists of a short bar 1 pivoted at 2 across the yoke Y at a point nearer its inner end or tip than its outer end or heel, and pivoted at its outer end at 3 to a rod 41 which leads thence upward and is pivoted at 5 to the trigger 6, which in turn is pivotedat 7 to a suitable support 8.

are so proportioned and the pivots so located that in their normal position the trigger stands upright and the bar 1 stands, horizontal. Attached to the bar 1 in any suitable manner as by casting it integral therewith, is a weight 10 whose shape is immate rial although preferably .it will be of the oval configuration shown in the drawings, so that it is narrower at the point 11 where it joins the bar 1 somewhat outside of the.

main pivot 2, thus producing an acuteangled-notch 12 at the inner side ofthe latch having a straight lower edge 13 and an inclined upper edge 14; and it is essential that this weightand. the bar be so relatively disposed and pivoted thatwhen the parts stand as seen in-Fig. 1 the center of gravity will be between the two pivots 2 and 3 and the weight as a whole will stand upright while the baras a whole stands horizontal. The catch member. of thisimproved latch mechanism consists essentially of a fiat plate 15 (which may well be one leaf'of an angleiron) secured to and projecting beyond one end of the bucket B and standing on a chord across the dotted circle 16 shown in Fig. 4 as struck around the pivot P, and at the center of the length of this plate is a notch 17 Said notch is deep enough to receive the tip of the bar 1 as shown in Fig. 1, but not loodeep enough to receive the weight 10 when the parts stand as shown in Fig. 2; and the bar and weight are of proper size and the main pivot 2 properly disposed with respect to the pivot P to produce this condition. All parts are by preference of metal and of the desired proportion, and details of con struction, other than as described, are unimportant.

The operation of this improved latch is as follows: With the parts standing as seen in Fig. 1, thebucket B is prevented from tilting to either side because the notch 17 engages the inner end of the bar 1, and as the, weight 10 has passed outward beyond the main pivot 2 the center of gravity of the entire latch holds the parts in this position. The entire carriage and bucket may now be moved along the track or cable C on which the wheels W travel freely, and when the point is reached where the bucket is to be dumped the latch may be actuated by hand or the trigger 6 may be moved by bringing it into contact with the trip T. In either case the latch is turned from the position shown in Fig. 1 to that shown in Fig. 2, where the weight 10 moves beyond the center of gravity over the main pivot 2. and rests upon the plate 15 while the inner end of the bar 1 moves out of the notch 17 so that the bucket is no longer latched. Being freed of restraint, the bucket (which is top heavy by reason of the low position of its pivots or trunnions P) turns to one side or the other, and in doing so the plate 15 swings bodily around the center P so that its lowest point (its center, which is nearest the pivot P) is replaced by a point near one end which is higher or farther remote from said pivot, and therefore the upper face of v the plate 15 rides under the beveled upper edge 14 of the notch in the inner side of the latch and the latter is raised around its pivot 2. Fig. 3 illustrates the position of parts at this time. Just as the higher end of the plate 15 passes out from under the weight-and passes off from above the inner end of the bar 1, the entirelateh stands on about its center of gravity and the momentum imparted to it by the bucket-which will then be moving quite rapidlycauses it to pass said center of gravity and reassume the position shown in Fig. 1. The bucket now completes its half circle of rotation around its trunnions, and its load is dumped. To restore the parts to their normal position, the operator swings the bucket back to the position shown in Fig. 1,

and in doing so the high end of the plate 15 passes into the notch 12 and out of contact with either the upper edge 14 or lower edge 13 thereof until thebucket reaches the position shownin Fig. 4, and at this time the lower face of the plate 15 engages upon the upper edge of the inner end of the bar 1 at the point 13 and pitches the entire latch to about the position shown in Fig. 3 although the contact of the edge 14: with the upper corner of the plate 15 prevents the latch from tipping as far as shown in Fig. 2. The parts are so proportioned that the latch in this action will not be tipped beyond its center of gravity, and hence when the notch 17 reaches a point vertically above the pivot P the weight 10 reassumes a vertical position and the inner end of the bar 1 rises into the notch 17, and the parts are again locked in the position shown in Fig. 1. Thus it will be seen that I have produced a latching mechanism which is entirely automatic in its action in latching the bucket and which, when a trip T is employed, is also automatic in its action in unlatching the bucket; and yet I have avoided the use of any spring or adjustment, or other complications. The extreme simplicity of the device commends itself to the user, and renders it unlikely to be affected by snow or sleet, or by dust or chaff if the bucket be employed for conveying articles of that character.

What is claimed as new is:

1. The combination with a support, a bucket pivoted below its center of gravity therein, and a catch consisting of a plate projecting beyond the end of the bucket and standing on the chord of a circle around its pivot, the plate having a notch in its outer edge; of a bar pivoted to said sup-port with its tip normally engaging said notch, means for limiting the rise and permitting the descent of said tip, and a weight connected to said bar for holding the tip raised.

2. The combination with a support, a bucket pivoted below its center of gravity therein, and a catch projecting from the bucket and having a notch; of a bar pivoted to said support so that its tip may engage said notch, a stop for limiting the rise and permitting the descent of said tip, and a weight rigidly connected with and rising from said bar and having its center of gravity in rear of the pivot thereof, for the purpose set forth.

3. The combination with a support, a bucket pivoted below its center of gravity therein, and a catch consisting of a plate projecting beyond the end of the bucket and standing on the chord of a circle around its pivot, the plate having a notch in its outer edge at a point where said chord is nearest to the pivot; of a latch pivoted to said support and including a bar and a member rigidly projecting therefrom at an angle so as to leave between it and said bar a notch of sufiicient depth to receive said plate, the notch in the latter being of a depth to permit the passage of the tip of said bar but prohibit the passage of said member,

4. The combination with a support, a bucket pivoted below its center of gravity therein, and a catch consisting of a plate projecting beyond the end of the bucket and standing on the chord of a circle around its pivot, the plate having a notch in its outer edge at a point Where said chord is nearest to the pivot; of a latch pivoted to said support and including a bar and a weight rising rigidly from the bar at an angle so as to leave between it and said bar a notch of sufficient depth to receive said plate, the notch in the latter being of a depth to permit the passage of the tip of said bar but prohibit the passage of said weight, a trigger pivoted to said support, and a flexible connection between the trigger and the outer endof the bar to check the turning of the latter on its pivot when its tip has engaged the notch in the catch.

5. The combination with a support, a bucket pivoted therein, and a catch consisting of a plate projecting beyond the end of the bucket and standing on the chord of a circle around its pivot, the plate having a notch in its outer edge at a point where said chord is nearest to the pivot; of a latch comprising a straight, bar standing across said support and pivoted between its ends thereto and a weight rising rigidly therefrom and at right angles thereto and standing in rear of its pivot, the weight being oval in contour so as to leave between it and said bar a notch of sulficient depth to re eeive said plate, the notch in the latter being of a depth to permit the passage of the tip of said bar but to prohibit the passage of the weight through it, a rod pivotally connected with the outer end of said bar and rising therefrom, and means for checking the descent of said rod when the entire latch stands in a position where the tip of the bar engages the notch in said plate.

I11 testimony whereof I have hereunto set my hand in presence of two subscribing witnesses.

MALCOLM B. MOYERQ Witnesses HARRY W. Porr, DAVID H. LARSON.

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

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