US1063643A

US1063643A - Folding car-step.

Info

Publication number: US1063643A
Application number: US70281012A
Authority: US
Inventors: John S Blake; Fred D Blake
Original assignee: BLAKE CAR STEPS WORKS Inc
Current assignee: BLAKE CAR STEPS WORKS Inc
Priority date: 1912-06-10
Filing date: 1912-06-10
Publication date: 1913-06-03
Anticipated expiration: 1930-06-03

Description

J. S. 8; F. D. BLAKE. rename GAR STEP.

APPLICATION IILED JUNE 10, 1912. I 1,063,643, Patented June 3, 1913.

2 SHEETS-SHEET l.

Witnesses Attorneys COLUMBIA PLANOURAPH CO.. WASHINGTON D c J. s. & PQ D. BLAKE.

FOLDING OAR STEP. APPLIOATION IILED JUNE 10, 1912'.

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COLUMBIA PLANOGRAPH 50.. WASHINGTON, n. c.

" TED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

JOHN S. BLAKE AND FRED D. BLAKE,

OF CHARLOTTE, NORTH CAROLINA, ASSIGNORS TO THE BLAKE CAR STEPS WORKS'INCORPORATED, A CORPORATION OF NORTH CAROLINA.

FOLDING OAR-STEP.

Patented June 3, 1913.

Application filed June 10; 191 2. Serial No. 702,810.

To all whom it may concern.

Be it known that we, JOHN S. BLAKE and FRED D. BLAKE, citizens of the United States,

residing at Charlotte, in the county of Mecklenburg, State of North Cai'ollna, have 1nvented a new and useful Foldlng Car-Step,

of which the following is a specification.

This invention relates to folding car steps for use in connection with the ordinary fixed steps of passenger cars, one of the objects: of the invention being to provide folding: car steps which can be applied readily to; the fixed steps ordinarily in use and which;

have means whereby the steps will be auto-f matically folded out of the way when the? car to which they are connected is moved;

a predetermined distance in either direction. t

A further object is to provide a folding attachment of this character which is simple;

in construction and which, Wlll not get out of order.

consequently j ends of the hangers and these side strips 4 A further ob ect is to provide improved;

means whereby the foldable steps are held; in proper relation to each other while sup-j ported in active positions, said means serving to prevent the foldable steps from sag-j ging while in use.

Another object is to provide step actuating means so constructed as to remain eX- tended after the car has been set in motio-ng provided one or more persons occupy the? steps, the operating means, however, being adapted to allow the steps to slightly lower under these conditions so that the occupants of the steps will thus be Warned to leavef them.

With the foregoing and other objects in view which will appear as the description@ proceeds, the invention resides in the com-,1 bmation and arrangement of parts and m the details of construction hereinafter described and claimed, it being understood that changes in the precise embodiment of the invention herein disclosed can be made% within the scope of what is claimed without departing from the spirit of the invention.

In the accompanying drawings the preferred form of the invention has been shown.

In the drawings :-Figure 1 isa side elevastructure constituting the present invention B. The platform of the car produced.

& end of an actuating shaft being shown partly in elevation. Fig. 8 is a plan view of a po1= tion of the step operating mechanism.

Referrinoto the figures by characters of reference 1: designates a portion of a car structure to which are connected fixed steps is provided with the usual form of hinged trap door C which is adapted to swing upwardly against the wall of the car structure so as to be out of the way while the steps are in use. Pivotally connected to the bottom of the lower step 13 at each end thereof are two parallel hangers l the lower ends of which are pivotally connected to a substantially horizontal side strip 2. Secured between the outer end portions of the side strips is the lower step 3 of the attachment. Side strips 4. are extended between and pivotally connected to the hangers 1 at points equidistant from the section and partly in are secured to the ends of the upper step 5 of the folding attachment. Links 6 are pivotally connected to the outer ends of the side strips 4 and are similarly connected to the strips 2 at points preferably midway between the outer ends of the strips 2 and the outermost hanger 1. Thus it will be seen that the lowermost step 3 is supported by the two links 6 and by the four hangers 1 while the upper step 5 is supported by the four hangers. Obviously, therefore, the two steps of the attachment are held positively against sagging relative to each other and to the fixed steps and a durable structure is As the hangers 1 and the links 6 are parallel it will be apparent that, when desired, the

steps

3 and 5 may be folded together and under the lowermost step B. The mechanism provided for this purpose will now be described.

Extending back of one of the steps B and parallel with the back edge thereof is a shaft 7 having a bevel gear 8 which meshes with another gear 9 secured to the lower 10. This last named shaft is preferably vertical and extends upwardly above the car platform and is provided, at its upper end, with a radial arm 11 to which a handle 12 is pivotally connected, this handle normally hanging downwardly, as shown in Fig. 2. An arm 13 is fixedly secured to and extends radially from the shaft and is connected, by means of a link 14:, to a rod 15 which connects the side strips 2 and constitutes the lower pivot of the two outer hangers 1. Another arm 16 extends radially from the shaft 7 and is provided, at its free end, with a weight 17 preferably L-shaped as indicated by dotted lines in Fig. 2. A pin 18 extends laterally from the Weight and is adapted, when the weight is elevated, to engage a shoulder 19 formed on the lower edge of a pivoted catch 20. An arm 21 is extended from this catch and is connected to the weight by means of a normally slack chain or other flexible connection 22. The free end of the catch 20 extends under and is loosely connected to one end of a lever 23 which is pivotally attached, as at 24, to the car structure. This lever includes a frame 25 in which a transverse shaft 26 is secured and a sleeve 27 is mounted to rotate on the shaft and has acam 28 secured thereto. An annular groove 29 is formed in the sleeve and receives a yoke 30 extending upwardly from truck D of the car.

For the purpose of manually actuating the mechanism for the purpose hereinafter described a rod 31 is slidably mounted within the car platform at a point where its en larged upper end 32 can be engaged and depressed by the trap door C when lowered. The lower end of rod 31 is pivotally connected to one end of a lever 33 fulcrumed, as at 34, upon a bracket 35 extending from the car structure. The other end of the lever extends under the catch 20 at a point between lever 23 and pin 18.

The cam 28 is so located as to engage the rim of a car wheel E when the folding steps are extended to active positions and while the catch 20 is engaged by the pin 18. When the steps are thus located it will be apparent that they can be used by passengers entering or leaving the car. hen it is desired to fold the steps, the operator depresses rod 31 either by placing a foot on the enlarged end 32 or by lowering the trap door C. In either event the lever 33 is actuated so as to lift up the catch 20 and disengage shoulder 19 from pin 18. As the weight 17 is thus released it will swing downwardly by gravity and cause the shaft 7 to rotate. Arm 13 will, therefore, be moved to the position indicated by dotted lines in Fig. 2 and will pull on link 14: so

as to fold the steps together and against the lower face of the lower step B. It will be noted that under normal conditionsnvhile the folded steps are extended, the arm 13 and the link 14? do not aline. Furthermore the rod at the point a of step 4: bears against the link 14 and, as the shoulder 19 is in engagement with the pin 18 it will be seen that the movable steps are thus locked against swinging movement relative to the fixed steps. Should one or-more passengers be standing on the steps at the time the catch 20 is elevated the steps would not, of course, fold upwardly as hereinbefore described because the weight 17 would not be suflicient to operate them. Instead, the. movable steps would swing backwardly until the hangers 1 are brought to vertical or substantially vertical positions, this movement of the steps being intended to warn the occupants of the steps of the fact that they should leave them.

As hereinbefore stated the cam 28 contacts with the rim of wheel E when the movable steps are extended. As a result of this arrangement, should the operator, as a result of neglect, or for any other reason, fail to depress the rod 31 or lower the trap door G, the steps will be automatically elevated. This automatic operation results from the rotation of the wheel E and the consequent rotation of cam 28 and. as the cam is eccentrically mounted, such rotation will result in the actuation of lever 23 and the elevation of the shoulder 19 from engagement with pin 1.8. Thus the weight 17 will be released and the steps folded as hereinbefore described. As the weight is connected to arm 21 by the flexible connection 22 it will be seen that during the downward movement: of the weight, said arm will be pulled downwardly and the catch 20 thus held elevated. Lever 23 is in turn supported by the elevated catch and the cam 28 supported out of contact with the wheel. The cam 28 is limited in its movement relative to the frame 25 by a laterally extendingpin 36 and by a strip 37 which is mounted in the frame 25 and in the path of the pin. By providing the yoke 30 and the slidable sleeve 27 it will be seen that, when the truck D and wheel E shift laterally relative to the car body, as when the car is traveling along a curve, the shaft 26 will slide within the sleeve and thus permit relative movement of the frame 25 and the cam so that the said cam will be maintained constantly in engagement with the wheel rim.

Importance is attached to the fact that in the structure herein described it is unnecessary to employ any springs and that the foldable steps and their operating mechanism can be applied readily to cars already in use. a

hat is claimed is 1. The combination with a fixed car step, of parallel hangers extending downwardly from the front and back portions of the ends of the fixed step, upper and lower movable steps, and means extending rcarwardly from each of the movable steps and pivotally connected to said hangers.

2. The combination with a car structure, of a foldable step, a weight for holding the same normally retracted, a catch, means upon the weight and cooperating with the catch for locking the step in extended position, means for extending the step, and means for shifting the catch to unlock the step.

3. The combination with a car structure, of a foldable step, a weight for holding the same retracted, a catch, means on the weight and cooperating with the catch for holding the step extended, means for extending the step, means for disengaging the catch from the weight, said weight being movable by gravity to normal position.

4-. The combination with a car structure including a fixed step, of foldable steps, a weighted shaft, an arm radiating therefrom, a link connection between one of the movable steps and the arm, the other movable step, when extended, engaging the link connection, a catch, means on the weight and cooperating with the catch for locking the steps when extended, means for extending the steps, and means for unlocking the catch from the weight.

5. The combination with a car structure, of a foldable step, yielding means for holding the step normally retracted, a locking element, means for extending the step to active position, means for engaging the looking element to hold the step extended, means operated by a car wheel, when rotating, for unlocking the step, and means actuated by the step when projected, for placing said unlocking means in operative relation with the wheel.

6. The combination with a car structure, of a foldable step, yielding means for holding the step normally retracted, means for projecting the step to operative position, means for automatically locking the step when extended, means adapted to be actuated by the rotation of a car wheel, for unlocking the step, and means operated by the step when moved to operative position, for placing said unlocking means in operative relation with the wheel.

7. The combination with a car structure, of a foldable step, yielding means for holding the step normally retracted, means for projecting the step to active position, means for automatically locking the step when projected, an unlocking lever, a cam movabl connected thereto, means operated by the step when projected, for shifting the cam into engagement with a car wheel, said wheel, when rotating, constituting means for actuating the cam to shift the lever and unlock the step.

8. The combination with a car structure, of a foldable step, means for projecting the same, means for automatically retracting the same, means for automatically locking the step when projected, unlocking mechanism, said mechanism including a cam mounted for rotation, and means operated by the step, when projected, for placing the cam in operative relation with the wheel of the car.

9. The combination with a car structure, of a foldable step, means for projecting the same, means for automatically retracting the same, means for automatically locking the step when projected, unlocking mechanism, said mechanism including a cam mounted for rotation, means operated by the step when projected, for placing the cam in operative relation with the rim of a wheel of the car, and means for maintaining the cam in contact with the wheel rim during the lateral movement of the car body relative to the wheel.

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

JOHN S. BLAKE. FRED D. BLAKE.

Witnesses:

SELINA WVILLsON, J. F. FLOWERS.

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