US1196310A - Pay-as-you-enter car. - Google Patents

Description

E. L. STEPHENS.

PAY-AS-YOU-ENTER CAR.

APPLICATION FILED Aue.5. I9I2.

I 1 96,3 1 Q, Patented Aug. 29, 1916.

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E. L. STEPHENS.

PAY-AS-YOU-ENTER CAR. APPLICATION FILED AUG.5, 1912.

L1 96,810, Patented Aug. 29, 1916.

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EDWARD L. STEPHENS, OF LOS ANGELES, CALIFORNIA.

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Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented r111 29, 1916.

Driginal application filed May 16, 1910, Serial No. 561,753 Divided and this application filed August 5, 1912. Serial No. 713,469.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, EDWARD L. STEPHENS, a citizen of the United States, residing at Los Angeles, county of Los Angeles, and State of California, have invented a new and useful Pay-as-You-Enter Car, of which the following is a specification.

This invention relates to street cars of the type provided with doors arranged in such manner as to require payment of the fare before the passenger enters the body of the car.

This application is a division of my application, Serial No. 561,753, filed May 16th, 1910.

The main object of the present invention is to adapt cars of the combination type provided with open and closed portions for use as pay-as-you-enter cars.

Other objects of the invention will appear hereinafter.

I have shown herein, the door operating mechanism, but the same is not claimed as it forms the subject matter of the application herein before referred to..

The accompanying drawings illustrate the invention, and referring thereto:

Figure 1 is a horizontal section of a car with the middle portion broken away. Fig. 2 is a vertical longitudinal section on the line m 00 in Fig. 1. Fig. 3 is a vertical transverse section on the line w w in Fig. 2. Fig. 1 is a side elevation partly in section of the pneumatic operating means for the door, the pneumatic operating connec tions therefor being shown diagrammatically. Fig. 5 is a horizontal section of the controlling valve in operative position. Fig. 6 is a vertical section of said controlling valve.

1 designates the floor of the car body, 2 the posts or frame work and 3 the roof. At each end of the floor 1 there is provided a free space or portion 5 of the floor forming the front or rear platform, according to the direction of motion. At one side of this platform there is provided a relatively narrow exit passage 6 and at the other side there is provided a wider passage divided by a post or stanchion 7, into exit and entrance portions 9 and 8. Steps 10 and. 11 are provided at the respective passages aforesaid. The post or stanchion 7 is shown as secured to a step located below the platform 5, this step being the upper one of two steps 11 at that side of the platform.

The exit passage 6 is controlled by a sliding door 13 mounted to move longitudinally of the car by means of rollers let running on rail 15, said door moving into and out of position across said passageway and moving when in open position between the side 16 of the car and a protecting shield 17 which is built parallel to the side of the car at a suflicient distance therefrom to form a way in which the door moves.

The sliding door 13 is moved in both directions by pneumatic operating means comprising a cylinder 20, a piston 21, sliding therein, a piston rod 22 connecting said piston with the sliding door and means for admitting air pressure to either end of said cylinder and simultaneously exhausting or allowing escape ofair from the other end. Admission and exhaustof the air in this manner is controlled by a valve 25 (see Fig. 6) comprising a casing formed with a lower member 26 having a flat seat 27, an upper member 28 clamped on to said lower member by bolts 29 to give a tight joint, and a rotatable valve member 30 formed as a disk resting on said seat 27. Said valve member is provided with a transverse groove 33 in its top engaged by transverse ribs or lugs 34: on an operating member 35 rotatably mounted in the upper member 28 and provided with a shank 36 for reception of an operating handle. A spring 37 interposed between the operating member 35 and the valve member 30 serves to press said valve member against the seat 27. Said valve member 30 is provided, on its under face, with a segmental groove 10 cooperating with ports 41, 42, 43, in the valve seat 27, and valve member 30 is further provided with a vertical channel 38, for connection with said ports 11, 42, alternatively. Port 41 is an exhaust port, communicating with the outer .air. The valve seat is provided with a central passage 15 communicating by pipe 16 with a suitable source of compressed air supply, for example, the ordinary air line for the pneumatic brakes, and valve member 30 has a central channel 39 for connecting with the air supply passage 45 and admitting air pressure to the space above valve member 30. A valve 25 is preferably located at each end of the car adja cent to the controlling means for the motive and brake devices of the car so that the motormancan operate the said valve without shifting his position. Port a2 in the valve seat 27 is connected by pipe 47 with one end of the cylinder 20 and port 43 is connected by a pipe 48 with the other end of said cylinder.

In the position shown in Fig. 4, which is the normal or inoperative position, the groove 40 in the movable valve member is in communication with the port 41, but not with either of the ports 42 and 43, and channel 38 is also out of register with either of the openings 42, 43. The compressed air supply passes through pipe 46, passage 45 and central bore 39 in the valve member 30 to the space 50 above said valve member, the pressure ofsuch air tending to hold the valve against its seat. In this position of the ports there is no tendency to move the door either way. Assuming that the door is closed and that it is desired to open the same, the motorman will move the valve so as to bring the groove 40 into communication with port 43 as well as with port 41 and channel 38 into connection with port 42. Air can then pass from the space 50 above the valve member 30 through the channel 38 in said valve member through the port 42 to the pipe 47 and the forward end of the cylinder 20. At the same time the groove 40 in the rotary valve member establishes communication between the exhaust opening 41 and the port 43 allowing air to exhaust from the rear end of cylinder 20 through pipe 48 and ports 43 and 41. The pressure thus produced on the piston causes the door to be opened and the action being pneumatic the door is opened quickly and smoothly, and while the action may be made sufliciently powerful to open the door with the requisite speed, it has the advantage that being pneumatic it can be instantly arrested if neces sary or if any obstruction comes in the way the pressure is not such as to rupture the mechanism or injure a person or object in the way of the door. The various parts of the door and its guard means are, however, so arranged that there is no liability of any portion of a passengers body being caught by the door.

Gate means are providedfor the exit and ent" ance passageways 9 and 8 on the other side of the platform from the passageway 6, said gate means comprising gates 52, 53 for the respective passageways 8 and 9, and a fixed partition wall 54 serving as a back stop for the gate 52 and as a barrier for the passengers. At the front of the car these gates 52, 53 will be closed and at the rear end they are open so as to provide for exit and entrance, the conductor standing adjacent to the barrier 54 and said barrieraiding the conductor in directing the outgoing passengers to the exit and in preventing the in coming passengers from entering the body of the car until they have paid their fares. By means of this construction of gates, I am enabled to adapt the combination car having open and closed portions, for use as a pay-asyou-enter car. Catches 55, 56 may be provided for holding gates 52, 53 in open position.

Exit 9 is an emergency exit and the closure 53 therefor will generally be held in closed position by suitable means but may be held open when required by catch means 56.

The cars above referred to as combination cars having open and closed portions are provided with open portions at each end, such open portion having seats, as indicated at 4 in Fig. 4, there being rows of seats 4 along each side, with a passageway or aisle 1 between the rows of seats, this passageway being midway of the width of the ear. The barrier 54 is placed directly facing this passageway, so that the passengers coming down this central passageway will encounter the barrier and will turn to one side to reach the emergency exit, whereas the passengers entering at 8 and passing over the platform 5 will pass around the barrier at the other side thereof, to reach the central passageway 1.

What I claim is:

In a car, a platform at both ends united unobstructedly with the same and extending the width of the car and on the same plane as the floor of the car, transversely disposed seats on said floor, an aisle between the inner ends of said seats, a relatively small stationary barrier secured on one of the platforms between the seat and the platform-end and in line with the aisle, a passageway at one side of the car between said seats and platform-end, a post or stanchion secured to said platform in said passage-way and between the end seat and the end of the said platform and adapted to divide such passage-way into separate passageavays, steps at said passage-ways leading to the platform, gates adapted to open and close said passage-ways, and to be independently extended toward the stationary barrier to close the space between said post and the stationary barrier, and a passageavay through the side of the car and on the opposite platform between its end and the end seat on the same side as the double passage-way, and a gate and steps therefor.

In testimony whereof, I have hereunto set my hand at Los Angles, California this 26th day of July, 1912.

EDIVARD L. STEPHENS.

In presence of ARTHUR P. KNIGHT, MARTHA M. LANGE.

' Copies of this patent may be obtained for five cents each, by addressing the Commissioner of Patents,

' Washington, D. G.

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