US1229103A - Mail-catching device. - Google Patents

Description

L. H. LLOYD.

MAIL CATGHING DEVICE.

APPLICATION man N0\!.20. 1916.

Patented June 5, 1917. 2 SHEETS-SHEET :15 co.. #nom-umo" WASHING mu. n c.

L. H. LLOYD.

MAIL CATCHING DEVICE.

APPLICATION FILED Nov.20.191e. I

1,2Q9J03. Patented June 5,1917.

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LEWIS HENRY LLOYD, OF BLOOIVIINGTON, ILLINOIS.

IVIAIL-CATCI-IING DEVICE.

Application filed November 20, 1916.

To all whom it may concern.

Be it known that I, LEWIS HENRY LLOYD, a citizen of the United States, residing at Bloomington, in the county of McLean and State of Illinois, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Mail-Catching Devices; and I do hereby 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 present invention relates to improvements in mail catching devices, and has for an object to provide improved means both for delivering mail bags from moving railway cars at stations and for receiving mail bags by the cars while passing stations at a high rate of speed.

My invention aims to simplify and improve on devices as now in general use for the above described purposes, and proposes an improved mail catching device which will be of a more'durable construction, better calculated to withstand the shocks and jars imposed on the various parts which are necessarily incidental to the transfer of heavy mail bags to and from rapidly moving trains.

With these and other objects in view the invention consists in the novel details of construction and combinations of parts more fully hereinafter disclosed and particularly pointed out in the claims.

In the accompanying drawings forming a part of this application, and in which similar reference symbolsindicate corre sponding parts in the several views:

Figure l is a side elevational view of a mail catching device constructed in accordance with the present invention.

Fig. 2 is a top plan view thereof.

F ig. 3 is a fragmentary sectional view of a railway mail car showing my improved catching device as applied thereto.

Fig. 4 is a horizontal sectional view of the car with the mail catching device illustrated in top plan.

Fig. 5 is an enlarged bottom plan view of the catching device; and

Fig. 6 is a perspective view of the detached mail bag gripping jaws.

Referring more particularly to the drawings, 1 designates a mail bag, which is being carried by a moving train, and 2 a mail Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented June 5, 1917.

Serial 1\To.'132,'405.

bag which is supported at a station in readiness to be received by the passing train.

The mail bag 1 is supported in the manner shown in Figs. 1 and 2 in a head 3, which is attached to, or formed with, a hollow sleeve 4 fitted over a rod 5 and secured thereto as by set screws 6, through which it may be readily detached therefrom.

The rod 5 has its inner end passing through the door 7 of a railway mail car 8, as shown more particularly in Figs. 3 and a, where it is supported on a vertically extending shaft 9. In Fig. 3 there is shown a socket 10 to one side of the door 7, and in Fig. a a second socket 11 in the floor of the car to the opposite side of the door 7, both of which sockets are provided to receive the lower end of the vertical shaft 9, accordingly as it is desirable or convenient to place the device at one side or the other of said door 7.

As illustrated in Fig. 3, there are pivoted bearings 12 above each socket 10 and 11 in which the upper end of the vertical shaft 9 is journaled, and which is elongated to provide a clearance space 13, permitting the shaft 9 to be raised sufficiently to detach the lower end from the socket 10 or 11. This forms a convenient means for detachably journaling the shaft 9, and it will be readily understood that the same may be transferred without difficulty from one to the other side of the door 7, or be demounted from the car entirely.

On the sleeve 1 is an eye-bolt, or a screw eye, 1%, in which is attached a ring 15 connected to a rod 16, which extends into the car and is adapted to be grasped by the mail clerk to swing the head 3 in and out of the door 7.

The head 3 is preferably formed of a single casting providing forward and rearward flaring months 17 and 18, with enlarged outer ends to readily receive a mail bag, and having their sides formed with in wardly extending teeth 19 and 20. These teeth, as advantageously disclosed in Fig. 5, do notoppose the entrance of the mail bag within the mouths l7 and 18, but are extended in such a direction that, when the bag is once in, it will not be apt to dislodge itself therefrom.

Associated with the mouth 17 are a pair of movable jaws 21 and 22 pivoted on the under side of the head, as indicated at 23 and 24, they having rearwardly extending arms 25 and 26 to which are connected the links 27 and28 of a toggle joint jointed centrally at 29. The jaws 21 and 22 are supplied with prongs 30 and 31 for enabling a better grasp on the mail bag, and with .handles 32 and 33 for manually opening said jaws after they receive a mail bag.

Similarly, the rearward mouth 18 also has a pair of jaws 34 and 35 having prongs as shown at 36 and 37, and handles at 38 and 39; said jaws 34 and 35 being pivoted at 40 and 41 to the sides of the mouth, and having arms 42 and 43 connected by the links 44 and 45 of a toggle joint joined centrally at 46.

The jaws 21 and 22 are shown closed, while the jaws 34 and 35 are in the open position prepared to receive the mail bag. lVhen the jaws are fully closed, as they are shown to be at 21 and 22, the links 27 and 28 of the associated toggle joint are in alinement and are held against further movement by stops 47 and 48, so that said toggle joint forms an effective lock for preventing the jaws 21 and 22 from being accidentally opened. There are similar stops 49 and 50 against which the links 44 and 45 of the other toggle joint are adapted to abut.

One set of jaws, such as 21 and 22, are shown in perspective in Fig. 6, where there are illustrated lugs 51 and 52 formed on the links 27 and 28,0f the toggle joint near the central pivot 29; these lugs having for their function to prevent the jaws 21 and 22 from being opened wider than the jaws 34 and 35 shown in Fig. 5.

At the station, as shown in Figs. 1 and 2, are a pair of elevated rails 53 and 54 running substantially parallel with the railway, and on these rails 53 and 54 is supported a carriage 55 mounted on wheels 56 having rollers 57 carried in hangers 58 from the carriage, and operating beneath the rails 53 and 54 to prevent the likelihood of the car riage leaving the rails. This carriage 55 is adapted to travel back and forth on the rails 54 freely, but is brought to a gradual stop at each end by springs 59 attached to the lower sides of the rails, as at 60, and having their free ends engaging beneath and carrying compressible blocks 61, of rubber or other suitable material. These spring devices are engaged by the rollers 57 and have the efiect of binding on the same so as to bring the carriage 55 to a stop at the ends of the track.

The carriage 55 is provided with a forward mouth 62 and a rearward mouth 63 formed flaring and provided with teeth 64 and 65, and being in other respects complemental to the mouths 17 and 18 on the head 3 supported from the railway car.

Comparing Figs. 1 and 2, it will be seen that the head 3 on the railway car passes directly above the carriage 55, and is adapted to deliver the mail sack 1 into the mouth 63 thereof. V] hen receiving'the sack 1 the car riage 55 is in the position shown in Figs. 1 and 2, and the momentum of such sack operates to cause said carriage to travel along the rails 53 and 54 a proportionate distance; and if the train from which the bag is received is traveling at a higher rate of speed, the carriage 55 will receive a proportionate speed from the mail bag 1, which 7 will be retarded by the spring devices 59 at the opposite end of the rails 53 and 54, and which will finally bring the carriage 55 to a stop. The mail bag received in the mouth 63 may be then removed.

The mail bag 1 is placed in the rearward mouth 18 of the head 3, with its upper enlarged end engaged by the prongs 36 and 37 of the jaws 34 and 35. The jaws are, however, only partially closed, so that the toggle joints 44 and 45 will be prevented from looking. This is clearly indicated in Fig. 2. In this position the mail bag depends, and when approaching a station will be re ceived between the rails 53 and 54, bringing its central reduced portion in the mouth 63 of the carriage 55. The carriage being at rest when the mail bag 1 strikes the same, the impact will open the jaws 34 and 35 to release the same. In moving into the mouth 63 of the carriage 55, the mail bag 1 will strike the center 66 of the toggle links 67 and 68, which will swing the pronged jaws 69 and 70 into the mouth 63 to thereby grip the bag. The bag will thus be effectively held within the carriage 55 until the station agent manually moves such jaws 69 and 70 to release the same.

At each end of the track are standards 71 and 72 having each arms 73 and 74 with oppositely turned ends 75 and 76 for receiving eyes '77 and 78 on the mail bag 2 which is to be delivered to the passing train. The bag is supported in such a position that the central reduced portion thereof will be received into the forward mouth 17 in the head 3, and when so received therein will strike the center 29 of the toggle joint formed by the links 27 and 28, thus moving the jaws 21 and 22 to close about the bag and firmly hold it until the clerk within the car draws the catching device in through the door 7 by means of the rod 16 and manually opens the jaws to release the bag. After the bag has been removed, the device is again revolved about the shaft 9 and extended on the outside of the car in the position shown in Figs. .3 and 4, where it is in readiness to receive a bag at the next station.

The mouth 62 on the carriage 55 is also provided with similar pivoted jaws 9 and 80 having a toggle joint 81, 82, connected thereto, and operating in a manner which will now be well understood. This mouth 62 is for receiving mail bags from trains running in the opposite direction to that shown by the arrows in Figs. 1 and 2, and in such case the carriage is initially placed at the opposite end of the rails 58 and 54.

It will, of course, be appreciated that, while I have shown the apparatus as employed to catch and deliver but a single sack, a number of sacks may be transferred by the device without altering the operation.

From the foregoing description the construction and operation of my improved mail catching device will be readily understood by those skilled in the art, and I desire it to be understood that I do not wish to be limited to details of construction, as various changes may be made in the combinations and arrangements of parts without departing from the spirit of my invention. 1

I claim:

1. In a device of the character described, the combination of a fixed support for carrying a bag, a catching device carried by the train and including a head having a mouth for receiving the bag, inwardly inclined teeth in said mouth, a pair of pronged jaws for grabbing the bag and holding the same in said mouth, and a toggle joint for automatically operating said jaws to grasp the bag and for locking the jaws in closed position, substantially as described.

2. In a device of the character described, the combination of a fixed support for carrying a bag, a bag catching device adapted to be mounted on the train and including a head having a flaring mouth for receiving the bag, a pair of pivoted jaws for grasping the bag and holding it in said mouth, a pair of links connecting said jaws and pivoted together to constitute a toggle, stops for holding said toggle with the pivots in alinement whereby to lock the jaws in closed position, and other stops for limiting the outward movement of said jaws, substantially as described.

3. In a device of the character described, the combination with means on the railway car for holding the mail bag, of a track running longitudinally of the railway, a carriage supported to move on said track and having a flaring mouth for receiving the mail bag from the moving car, a pair of movable jaws in said mouth for grasping the mail bag, and a toggle joint for operating said jaws to close upon the mail bag, substantially as described.

1. In a device of the character described, the combination with means on the car for holding the mail bag, a track disposed longitudinally of the railway, a carriage traveling on said track and having a mouth for receiving the mail bag from said car, a pair of pivoted jaws in said mouth for closing about and grasping the mail bag, a toggle joint for connecting said jaws and adapted to automatically close the same when struck by the mail bag, and stops for limiting the movement of said toggle joint and holding the same in a position to lock the jaws closed, substantially as described.

5. In a device of the character described, the combination with means on the car for holding the mail bag, -a track disposed longitudinally of the railway, a carriage traveling on said track and having a mouth for receiving the mail bag from said car, a pair of pivoted jaws in said mouth for closing about and grasping the mail bag, a toggle joint for connecting said jaws and adapted to automatically close the same when struck by the mail bag, stops for limiting the movement of said toggle joint and holding the same in a position to lock the jaws closed, and other stops for limiting the opening movement of said jaws, substantially as described.

6. In a device of the character described, the combination of means on a railway car for supporting a mail bag, a track disposed longitudinally of the railway, a carriage traveling on said track and having a mouth for receiving the mail bag from said means, movable jaws in said mouth for grasping the bag when received; and springs encoun-' tered by the carriage for stopping the same, substantially as described.

7 In a device of the character described, the combination of means on a railway car for supporting a mail bag, a track disposed longitudinally of the railway, a carriage traveling on said track and having a mouth for receiving the mail bag from said means, movable jaws in said mouth for grasping the bag when received, springs having one end each attached beneath said track, compressible blocks carried by the free ends of said springs, and rollers on said carriage for engaging said springs to stop the carriage, substantially as described.

In testimony whereof, I afliX my signature.

LEWIS HENRY LLOYD.

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

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