US1231874A - Truck. - Google Patents

Description

J. E. GALLANORE & J. L. PA'TMAN.

.THUCK.

APPLICATION FILED JUNE 21, 1916.

l,%31,@?% Patented July 3, 1917,

2 SHEETSSHEET 2.

INVENTOR mminm WITNESSES ATTORNEY an snsirnrunr FF1@11.

JOHN E. GALLANORE BIND JOHN L. BATMAN, OF EL BEING, OKLAHOMA.

TRUCK.

assists.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Jully 33, 1%17.

Application filed June 21, 1916. Serial No. 105,055.

To all whom it may concern.-

Be it known that we, JOHN E. GALLA- NORE and JOHN L. PATMAN, citizens of the United States, residing at El Reno, in the county of Canadian and State of Oklahoma, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Trucks, of which the following is a specification.

This invention relates to trucks and more especially to safety trucks. 7

As the primary object, this invention contemplates the provision of a platform truck, particularly adapted for use in connection with the postal system and it embodies principally, novel means for inclosing the truck platform in such a manner as to prevent surreptitious access thereto by unauthorized persons.

This invention also contemplates the prooperation, cheap to manufacture and when manufactured can be placed on the market and sold at a reasonable price. p Other objects as well as the nature, characteristic features and scope of this invention Will be more readily understood from the following description taken in connectioh with the accompanying drawings and pointed out in the claims.

Figure 1 is a side elevation of our invention. 7 v

Fig. 2 is a front end elevation of the same. Fi 3 is a section on line 33 of Fig. 1 showing the doors or sldes inan open position. 7

Fig. 4 is a section on line 4r4= of 1. Fig. 5 is a section on llne 55 of Fig 1. Fig. 6 is an enlarged detail of a portion of a door in a closed position. I Fig. 7 is a section on llne 77 of Fig. 5. Fig. 8'is an enlarged detail showing one of the connecting chains and the rollers for facilitating the operation thereof.

Referring more particularly to the drawings'in which similar reference numerals designate like and corresponding parts throughout the various views, we provide a truck, comprising a platform 1 on the under surfaces of which are mounted a rear bolster 2 and a front bolster 3. A rear axle 4 is rigidly connected to the rear bolster While a front axle 5 is pivotally mounted on the front bolster, supporting wheels 6 being rotatably mounted on the respectiveends of the axles for rotatably supporting the platform. Brackets 7 extend from the front axle and a tongue 8 is pivotally connected therebetween to facilitate the movement of the truck from place to place. it will be understood that the foregoing description regarding the truck proper forms no essential part of the invention and it will like wise be understood that the following description of the device may be readily associated with any of the standard type of trucks now in use.

In order to prevent thefts of packages from the truck and thereby increase the efliciency of transportation of packages and mail matter, and incidentally safeguard the interests of the public in general, we have mounted vertical end pieces 9 on the upper surfaces of the platform adjacent the respective extremities thereof, suitable braces 10 being employed for increasing the rigidity of the end pieces with respect to the platform. The upper surfaces of the end pieces are rounded as illustrated to advantage by the numeral 11 while the inner sur faces along the outer edges are provided with grooves 12 and further provided with vertical grooves 13 arranged centrally therein and communicating with the grooves 12. llhe grooves 13 register with openings 14 in the platform. Connected to the respective sides and adjacent the ends of the platforms are chains 15 preferably of the flat link type, said chains operating in the grooves 12 in the end pieces about spaced rollers 16 rotatably mounted at the point of communication of the grooves 12 and 13 as illustrated to advantage in Fig. 3 of the accompanying drawings. A clip 17 connects the inner ends of the chains 15 while another chain 18 is connected to each clip 17 and is arranged in one of the vertical grooves 13. In order to inclose the platform and the end ieces we have provided sides or doors 19. '1 ese doors are of a flexible character and are preferably formed from a plan rality of slats 20, the respective edges of each of which are rounded and grooved so that when the adjacent edges are arranged in intimate contact with each other they will flex, the arrangement being illustrated to advantage in Fig. 3 of the drawings.

For the purpose of raising the doors to a closed or locked position a shaft 21 is rotatably mounted in the bolsters 2 and 3, the shaft being pivotally mounted in spaced relation with and longitudinally of the platform, the respective ends of the shaft proj ecting beyond the bolsters. A crank handle 22 is mounted on the front end of the shaft and facilitates the rotation thereof. Drums 23 are rigidly mounted on the respective projecting ends of the shaft 21 and have rigidly connected'thereto the lower ends of the chains 18 so that when the handle 22 is operated the chains 18 will be wrapped about the drums and consequently exert a pull on the chains 15 drawing them through the grooves 12, the latter also serving to guide and support the flexible doors 19 as they are pulled therethrough.

The casing 24 is arranged about the rear projecting endof the shaft and the drum thereon and rigidly connected to the end surface. of the platform serving to prevent unauthorized persons from tampering with the operating means. The larger casing 25 is also arranged about the forward projecting end of the shaft and rigidly connected to the end surface of the platform to serve a similar purpose. In order to removably hold the doors in a closed or locked position, we have provided our improved looking means. In this instance this means consists of a ratchet wheel 26 which is rigidly connected to the forward projecting end of the shaft preparatory to application of the casing 25 thereabout, the wheel being positioned adjacent one end of the casing so as to receive the engaging end of a pawl 27 pivotally mounted on the inner surface of the front wall of the casing 25. As is apparent, when the crank handle is being op erated to raise the doors to a closed position the pawl 27 will allow the rotation of the wheel 26 but as soon as the handle is released the pawl, gravity operable, will engage the teeth of the ratchet wheel and prevent the doors from sliding, by their own weight, to an open position. Now in order to release the pawl a spindle 28 is rotatably and transversely mounted in the front wall of the casing while a lug 29 is extended laterally from the spindle and is arranged above the outer end of the pawl as illustrated to advantage in Fig. 7 of the accompanying drawings. The spindle is provided with a slot 3O in which a key may be inserted in order to rotate the spindle and consequently lift the pawl from engagement with the teeth of the ratchet wheel to eventually permit the doors to automatically assume an open position, due to the force of gravity.

For the purpose of housing the chains 18 and to prevent packages carried by the truck from interfering with the operation of the chains we have rigidly connected strips 31 to the inner surfaces of the end pieces over the grooves, through the medium of suitable fastening devices 32.

The operation of our invention is as follows;

Assuming that a number of packages have been placed on the platform 1 of the truck and it is desired toraise the doors and prevent access to the interior thereof, the handle 22 is rotated to wind the chains 18 about the drums 23, the resultant pull thereof being exerted on the chains 15 and the doors 19, the chains 15 being drawn through the grooves 12 and 13 while the doors are drawn within the grooves 12 and guided and supported thereby. 'When the chains have been wound a sufficient extent and the front edges of the doors abut each other the handle is released and the pawl 27 being in engagement with the teeth will prevent the reverse rotation of the'shaft. In other words, the pawl automatically glocks the doors in a closed position and prevents unauthorized persons from opening them. An

opening of doors, however, may be. readily ages, is obvious. The device is of especial .use when the sacks and packages are bein transferred from a train to the station an also when the truck is not in use but where if left unguarded thefts would ordinarily occur without the use of the safety means.

Although we haveshown and described the preferred embod1ment of our-invention,

we desire to be understood that we are not to be limited to the exact details shown;

however, we desire that great stress be laid upon the arrangement of the novel means for inclosing the truck platform as well as the operating means therefor. Attention is also directed to the means for releasing the operating means to permit the access to the interior of the truck.

- From the above description taken in connection with the accompanying drawings, it

can be easily seen that we have provided a mascara device that is simplein construction, containing but a few simple parts that can be cheaply manufactured and assembled and when assembled can be placed upon the market and sold at a minimum cost.

it will be understood that the above description and accompanying drawings comprehend only the general embodiment of the invention and that various minor changes in detail of construction, proportion and arrangement of the parts may be made within the scope of the appended claims without sacrificing any of the advantages of my invention.

Having thus fully described our invention, what we claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is:

1. A truck including a platform, a shaft rotatably mounted longitudinally and medially of the platform, end pieces connected to the platform and provided with guiding grooves adjacent the outer edges thereof and further provided with vertical grooves communicating with the outer grooves medially of the end pieces, flexible doors, flexible means connected to the platform and to the doors and to the shaft and operating in the grooves, and means for rotating the shaft whereby to consequently raise the doors to completely inclose the platform.

2. A truck including a platform, end piecesconnected thereto and provided with supporting and guiding grooves, chains connected to the sides of the platform and operating in the grooves, doors composed of a plnrahty of slats connected to the chains, a shaft rotatably mounted beneath the platform and having the chains connected thereto whereby when the shaft is rotated to wind the chains the doors will be drawn and supported within the grooves, a casing over a portion of the shaft, coacting locking means arranged in the casing and on the shaft for holding the doors in a closed position and means removably insertible in the casing for releasing the locking means to consequently permit of the automatic loweri ng of the doors to an open position 3. A truck including a platform, end pieces connected thereto and provided with guiding grooves adjacent the outer edges thereof and further provided with vertical grooves communicating with the outer grooves, doors, operable chains for carrying and raising the doors to a closed position in the grooves in the end pieces, and means for housing the chains in the vertical grooves in the end pieces to prevent interference with the eflicient operation thereof by packages on the platform.

4. A truck including a platform, end pieces connected thereto and provided with guiding grooves adjacent the outer edges thereof and further provided with vertical grooves communicating with the outer grooves, flexible doors, chains for carrying the doors, other chains connected to the door carrying chains and operable in the vertical grooves, rollers mounted at the point of communication of the grooves for facilitating the operation of the chains, and means for winding the last mentioned chains for consequently drawing the doors into the guiding grooves and into a closed position so as to inclose the platform In testimony whereof we hereby afin our signatures on this 15 day of June, 1916.

JOHN E, GALLANQRE. JUHN L. FATE/IAN. Witnesses:

FRANK MEYER, EMMA Hart.

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