US1177453A - Mail-bag catcher and deliverer. - Google Patents

Description

w. 0. SMITH. I MAIL BAG CATCHER AND DELIVERER.

APPLICATION FILED NOV. 2,1915.

1,177,453. Patented Mar. 28,1916.

rm; COLUMBEA PLANOGRAPH co., WASHINGTON, D. c.

WILLIAM D. SMITH, OF TBENTON, NEW JERSEY.

MAIL-BAG CATCI-IER AND DELIVERER.

Specification of Letters Patent. Patented DIar, 28 1916.

Application filed November 2, 1915. Serial No.59,276.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known thatI, YVILLIAM D. SMITH, a citizen of the United States, residing at Trenton, in the county of Mercer and State of New Jersey, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Mail-Bag Catchers and Deliverers; and I do herebyr 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.

The invention relates to improvements in mail bag catchers and delivering devices.

The object of the present invention is to improve the construction of mail bagcatchers and delivering devices and to provide a simple, practical and comparatively inexpensive mail bag catcher and delivering device adapted to support a mail bag in position to be caught by the fork or other device of a train and capable of automatically swinging a mail bag catcher in position for removing the mail bag of a train from the same after the first mentioned mail has been.

caught by the train.

WVith these and other objects in view the invention consists in the construction and novel combination and arrangement of parts hereinafter fully described, illustrated in the accompanying drawings and pointed out in the claims hereto appended, it being understood that various changes in the form, proportion and minor details of construction may be resorted to without departing from the spirit or sacrificing any of the advantages of the invention.

In the drawing Figure 1 is a front elevation of a mail bag catcher and delivering device constructed in accordance with this invention, Fig. 2 is a side elevation of the same partly in section, Fig. 3 is a plan view.

Like numerals of reference designate cor responding parts in the several figures of the drawing.

In the accompanying drawing in which is illustrated the preferred embodiment of the invention, the mail bag catcher and delivering device comprises in its construction upper and lower mail bag supporting arms 1 and 2 pivotally mounted on a post 3 and provided at their outer ends with laterally projecting lugs or supports 4 adapted to receive a mail bag 5. The arms 1 and 2are provided with upper and lower pivots 6 and 7 and they are automatically swung upwardly and downwardly away from each other by upper and lower coiled springs 9 secured'at their lower ends to the post and connected-at their upper ends with the upper and lower arms in rear and in advance of the pivots thereof respectively. The upper arm is provided with a rearwardly projectinglug 10 extending beyond the pivot and enabling the upper spring with a downward pull to swing the upper arm upwardly away from the lower arm when the mail bag is removed from the said arms 1 and 2. The

lower spring is located below the lower arm and is adapted to swing the same downwardly.

The upper pivot 6 of the arm 1 is provided at its end opposite that at which the arm 1 is located with a ratchet wheel or member 11 and it supports an arm 12 carrying a hook 13 for catching the mail bag of a car. The hook 13 is, formed on the outer end of a rod 14 slidably mounted in guides or eyes 7 15 of the arm 12 and provided at the inner or upper end with a tooth 16 for engaging the ratchet wheel or member 11. The arm 12 is arranged in a depending vertical position when the arm 1 is in a horizontal position supporting the mail bag 5 and the coiled spring 17 is interposed between the lower ear or eye 15 and a pin 18 of the rod 1% for urging the same upwardly into engagement with the ratchet wheel. By this construction the depending arm 12 is connected with the ratchet wheel and when the mail bag 5 is removed by the device of a car the arml will be swung upwardly by its spring and the depending arm 12 will be elevated from a depending vertical position to a projecting horizontal position with the hook 13 in position for engaging the mail bag of a car. As soon as the hook 13 engages the mail bag of the car, the rod 14 will be withdrawn from engagement with the ratchet wheel and the arm 12 will swing downward automatically under the weight of such mail bag. In the operation of the device, the mail bag thereof is put on the train at the first door of a mail car and thehook 13 takes a mail sack or bag from the second door of the mail car.

The-ratchet mechanism of the mail bag catcher enables the arm 12 to be operated to swing the upper arm downwardly in reset-1 ting the delivery device.

What is claimed is r 1. A device of the class described including upper and lower pivctally mounted spring actuated arms provided with means for supporting a mailbag, the upper arm being provided with a ratchet member, a pivotally mounted mail catcher arm provided said pivot and a spring actuated hook carried by the mail catcher arm and having a tooth for engaging the ratchet wheel whereby the mail bag catcher arm. will be swung up wardly into position when the spring actuated arm is released.

8. A device of theclass described including a support, upper and lower mail bag supporting arms, theupper mail bag sup porting arm'being'provided with a pivot mounted on the said support, means forautomatically swinging. the. upper arm: up-' wardly when the same .is released by'a mail bag, a ratchet wheel mounted onthe said! pivct, a mail bag. catcher arm. also mounted 1 on'the said pivot and depending therefrom when the upper arm'is in'its supporting .po:

sition, a spring actuated rod 5 or member mounted on the mall lbagcatcher 'arm and engaging the ratchet wheel whereby the mail bag catcher arm will be automatically swung upwardly when the said upper arm+isE released, said rod i or memberbemg provided with means for catching a mall-bag,

In testimony whereof ?I .afiix my signature. 7

in presence of two Witnesses.

WILLIAM DJ SMITILi Witnesses:

THERESA B. FISH, THERESA H. HOGAN.

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

Images