US1079651A - Platform-indicator. - Google Patents

Description

' o.- J. KINTNER.

PLATFORM INDICATOR. APPLICATION FILED FEB.14,1913.

Patented Nov. 25, 1913.

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CHARLES J. KINTNER/or NEW YORK, 1v. Y.

PLATFORM-INDICATOR.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Nov. 25, 1913.

Application filed February 14, 1913. Serial No. 748,354.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, CHARLES J. KINTNER, a citizen of the United States, and a resident of New York, borough of Manhattan,

county and State of New York, have made a new and useful Invention in Platform- Indicators, of which the following is a specification.

My invention has an especial utility in connection with platforms or stations adjacent to curves on lines of railways where it is impossible to entirely close the space between the platform and the cars, owing to the curvature of said platform. Under these conditions, where the curves are relatively short, no pro-vision has yet been made to prevent accidents due to the space between the doors of the cars and the platform.

My invention consists in means for attracting the attention of the passengers to this space and enabling them, therefore, to avoid the danger. I-Ieretofore attention has been called to this danger by permanently illuminating, with a series of incandescent or other lights, the space underneath the edge of the platform and the bottoms of the cars, and employees of roads are iiistructed to caution passengers with regard to this danger; however, notwithstanding this fact accidents often occur. Also where lights are used beneath the platform they are always left in circuit during the night-- time when the road is above ground and on roads which are located in subways these lights are left glowing all the time, so that the expense is very great.

The present invention is designed to overcome these troubles by the use of the apparatus hereinafter described and illustrated in the accompanying drawings, in which Figure 1 is a plan view of a curved portion of an electric railway showing diagrammatically the railway rails, third rail, an electrically propelled car standing at the station and dynamo for generating the current, together with my improvement located underneath a platform, shown in plan view, the latter partly broken away. Fig. 2 is an enlarged side elevational view of one form of apparatus by which I call the attention of passengers to the danger. Fig. 3 is an enlarged end elevational view as seen looking at Fig. 1 from left to right; and Fig.

4 is an enlarged diagrammatic View, illustrating my improved apparatus.

Referring now to the drawings in detail in all of which like numerals represent like or equivalent parts wherever used, 1 represents the platform of a railway station, partly broken away at the right-hand corner, said platform being curved, as shown, to correspond with the curvature of the tram rails 3. 2 represents a tram-car adjacent to said platform with my invention in operation.

4 represents aflexible metal curved contact rail located closely adjacent to the outer curved tram rail 3 and supported upon any well known form of insulators 5 which in turn are rigidly secured to a curved insulating timber 6 secured in turn to the ties of the track. 7 represents the third rail similarly insulated in the usual manner and parallel with the track.

8, 8, represent the tram-wheels and 9, 9 the axles of a tram-ear. V

10 represents a motor and 11 the controller therefor, these matters being well understood by those versed in the art.

12 12 represent two parallel insulated conductors located under the edge of the platform and conforming to the curvature thereof.

13 represents a parallel insulated conductor similar to the conductor 12, and 14 represents a conductor running from the inside conductor 12 to the flexible contact rail 1. 15 represents another insulated conductor running from the outside conductor 12 to the third rail 7.

16 represents the usual insulated conductor running to the motor 10 from a movable contact shoe l7 resting upon the third rail 7 connected with the dynamo 10.

18 represents a plurality of protecting or inclosing boxes or casings for protecting a like number of electric motors 20 located in multiple circuit with the conductors 13, 12.

19 represents a plurality of electric lamps, preferably incandescent,located between the conductors 12 and preferably under the edge of the platform. s

21 represents a phonograph cylinder driven by the motor 20 and inclosed in the casing 18, and 22 is a sound intensifying horn, such as are used with machines of this type. 24 and 2 1 represents switches (see Fig. 3) for connecting or disconnecting the lamps and the motors from circuit. 25 rep resents a phonographic record of well known form with the exception that the record is placed upon this cylinder in direct or parallel lines, preferably four or five. In instruments of this type, as usually devised, the small end of the sound intensifying horn 22, the repeating diaphragm, and stylus are moved together by a screw over the record from end to end of the cylinder 21. As this phragm for succeeding records when one'ofi them becomes damaged. This repeated record be the words WVatch your step a well known expression which train-men use in connectionwith trains when they enter stations, when the distance from the platform to the car is such that there is danger of passengers misstepping and injuring.

themselves.

26 represents a switch in the conductor 15 and 27 an additional conductor shown in dotted lines Fig. 3 and connected directly to the tram rail 3; 28 being a storage battery or other source of'electrical energy. It is the function of this switch and storage hat I tery to use the invention on railway lines which are not run by electricity, as where steam cars run, or where steam cars or cars propelled by any source of energy are used; this source of electrical energy takes the place of the dynamo 10 used with electrically propelled cars.

. The operation of the device is as follows: Solong as a car or train of cars is relatively distant from a station the lamps 19 and electric motors 20 are without current and are, therefore, not wasting energy; but when a train approaches and the flanges of the wheels 8 of the cars enter between the tram rail 3 and flexible contact rail 4: immediately the circuit is closed, as will be understood on inspection of the circuits, and all of the lamps 19 are lighted; at the same time all of the motors 20 are set in operation and the phonograph 21 rotated, so that the record 25 produces,.through the horn, the words F Watch your step over and over again during the time that the train or car remains in the station. When the wheels pass out to the right or left of course the current is immediately disrupted and the lamps 19 and motors 20 are out of circuit, so that with this arrangement I produce. an apparatus which is capable of giving both visual and audible signals which are similar to existing modes of alarm, with the exception that the audible signals are surely produced and at all times when a car or train stands at the station, and immediately discontinued when it leaves the same. Vith the addition of a battery 28 in the circuit 27, and the switch 26, I am enabled to provide means for producing these results for ordinary railway cars driven by steam gasolene, storage batteries, or any other source of power; or, I am enabled to use this device'on any type of railway cars. It is obvious that with the switches 24 and 24 I can cut out either the motors 20 or the lamps 19 thus leaving stations which are located outdoors without the use of the light in day-time, and with the use of the phonograph at that time. I am also enabled to use both together by properly regulating the switches at night time.

My invention also has an especial utility in connection with railways located in subways, tunnels, and kindred places where it is customary to maintain a system of lamps burning or glowing continuously, in that it is adapted to be utilized, as will be appre ciated, only during the time that a car or train is passing therethrough, thereby greatly decreasing the expense.

I am aware that it has heretofore been proposed to accomplish the results which are accomplished by my invention by providing a source of electrical energy, and a series of translating devices, as electric lamps, at a station, and a plurality of electromagnetic or other switches which are operated by a train as it enters a station so as to cut the lamps or translating devices into circuit with a source of electrical energy and to cut them out again as it leaves the station, and I make no claim hereinafter to include such a structure, as my invention is distinctly limited to any kind of translating device for giving either visualor audible indication of the presence of a car or train by connecting the circuit of a source of electrical energy thereto through either one or both of the tram rails, the wheels of a car and a parallel yielding conducting rail which is connected electrically directly to the translating devices and with a source of electrical en erg my invention having only one point where the circuit is closed from the generator to the translating devices; namely, through the tram rail, the wheels and their flanges and the flexible contact rail, the nature of these conducting parts being such that they will always assure the passage of the current because of the burnishing effect of the car wheels and the flanges thereof upon the tram rail and the flexible contact rail.

Having thus described my invention what I claim and desire to secure by Letters Patent of the United States is 1. In a railway system a platform, electrical translating devices located below said platform and near the edge thereof, a pair of tram rails adjacent thereto, and one or more cars adapted to pass over said tram rails; together with an electrical generator, electrical circuits, and a flexible contact rail adjacent to one of the tram rails for automatically closing the circuit of the generator through the translating devices and the wheels and flanges of the car during the time that it remains in close proximity to the station, substantially as described.

2. In a railway system a platform, a pair of tram rails adjacent thereto, a car or train adapted to pass over said tram rails in proximity to said platform, translating devices located under the platform for attracting attention, an electrical generator and circuits and circuit connections embracing one of the tram rails, the car wheels and a flexible contact rail for causing said translating devices to operate automatically during the time that any portion of the car or train remains in proximity to the platform, substantially as described.

3. In a railway system a pair of curved tram rails, a platform having its adjacent edge to the rails curved to correspond there with, one or more electrical translating devices located between the platform and the tram rails, a source of electrical energy, circuits and circuit, connections between the translating devices and the generator, and a flexible contact rail adjacent to one of the tram rails for automatically closing the circuit from the generator through the translating devices and the wheels and flanges of the car during the entire time that the car or train remains adjacent thereto, the generator being connected with its negative pole to the tram rails, substantially as described.

4. In a railway system a flexible contact rail adjacent to one of the track rails, a plurality of translating devices, a source of electrical energy having its negative pole connected to the track rails and its positive pole connected to said translating devices, which devices are in turn electrically connected to the flexible contact rail, the arrangement being such that when the wheels of a car or train make contact with the flexible rail the translating devices will be energized and the current will flow from the generator through the translating devices to the flexible contact rail, through the flanges and faces of the wheels and the track rail, back to the generator, substantially as described.

5. In a railway system a flexible contact Copies of this patent may be obtained for five cents each, by addressing the Washington, I). G.

rail adjacent to one of the track rails, a plurality of electric lamps, a source of electrical energy having its negative pole connected to the track rails and its positive pole connected to said electric lamps, which lamps are in turn electrically connected to the flexible contact rail, the arrangements being such that when the wheels of a car or train make contact with the flexible rail the electric lamps will be energized and the current will flow from the generator through the electric lamps to the flexible contact rail, through the flanges and faces of the wheels and the track rail, back to the generator, substantially as described.

6. In a railway system a flexible contact rail adjacent to one of the track rails, a-plurality of visual and audible translating devices, a source of electrical energy having its positive pole connected in multiple to the translating devices and its negative to one of the track rails; together with switches for connecting either or both sets of translating devices in circuit, and means for closing the circuit through said flexible contact rail, the arrangement being such that when the wheels of a car or train make contact with the flexible rail the translating devices will be energized and the current will flow from the generator through the translating devices to the flexible contact rail, through the flanges and faces of the wheels and the track rail, back to the generator, substantially as described.

7. In a railway system a pair of tram rails, an insulated flexible contact rail adjacent to one of said tram rails, a source of electrical energy having its negative pole connected to one or both of said tram rails, electrically actuated indicating means for giving warning of the presence of a car within the distance occupied by the contact rail, and electrical connections between the flexible and tram rails including wheels and flanges thereof, whereby said wheels and flanges make circuit through the indicating means each time a car enters upon and remains with the wheels and flanges in circuit with the tram rail and the adjacent contact rail, substantially as described.

In testimony whereof I have signed my name to this specification in the presence of two subscribing witnesses.

CHARLES J. KINTNER.

Commissioner of Patents,

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