US1263784A - Mail-bag catcher and deliverer. - Google Patents

Description

W. MANN. MAIL BAG CATCHEBQANDVDELIVERER,

APPLICATION FILED SEPT-29. 1911.

Patented Apr. 23, 1918.

\NVENTOR yp' V ATTORNEY W. MANN.

MAIL BAG CATCHER AND DELIVERER.

APPLICATION FILED SEPT.29. 1917.

Patented Apr. 23, 1918.

2 SHEETS-SHEET 2.

- I N V E-N TO R M/Wfim am/7 ATTORNEY WILZIAM menu, on naiv'eronn, sou'rrr DAKOTA.

MAIL-BAG CATCHER AND DELIVERER.

Specification of Letters Patent. Patented Apr. 1915..

Application filed September 29, 1917. Serial No. 194,041.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, WILLIAM MANN, a citizen of the United States, residing at Langford, in the county of Marshall and.

State of South Dakota, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Mail- Bag Catchers and Deliverers, of which the following is a specification.

This invention relates to improvements in mail delivering devices and the primary object is to provide a simple and eificient device of this character mounted in a railway car for the purpose of facilitating the delivery of mail bags to stations along the railroad while the train is in motion.

- One of the principal objects of the invention is to so arrange the device within the railway car that mail bags may be extended from either side of the car to permit delivery at either Si is of the track.

The invention also aims to provide a movable supporting structure adapted to be easily moved from side to side of the car to extend a mail bag from either side while the main portion of the supporting structure provides a compartment for the reception of empty mail bags or other articles.

a A further object of this invention is the provision of a mail catching and delivering device which consists of comparatively few parts and is simple in construction, but durable and well adapted to withstand the rough usage to which devices of this character are ordinarily subjected.

For a full description of the invention and the advantages and merits thereof, reference is to be had tothe accompanying drawings and the following description, wherein is illustrated the preferred form of my invention in which:--

Figure l is a transverse section through a railway car showing my invention applied thereto.

Fig. 2 is a fragmentary side elevation of the same. i

Fig. 3 is a detail cross section on the line 3-3 of Fig. 1.

Fig. 4 is a detail cross section on the line 44 of Fig. 1. I

Fig. 5 is a fragmentary view of a receiving device employed in catching the mail bags fromthe delivering apparatus.

Fig. 6 is a front elevation of the same.

Referring to the drawing, in which like numerals of reference indicate corresponding parts throughout the several views, the

car A is provided with the; usual side doorways B and C. Near the roof of the car, on

the interior thereof, 1 have provided trackways 1 and 2. Mounted inthe track-ways isa support 3 consisting of a hollow casing or receptable shown to advantage in Figs. 1 and 2 of the drawing. Laterally projecting flanges 3 are provided on the upper end of the receptacle and are received in the track-ways 1 and 2 thus suspending the support 3 within the car and permitting it to be moved from one side of the car to the other.

The side walls 4 of the receptacle or support 3 are suiliciently spaced apart to permit a number of empty mail bags or other articles to be stored in the receptacle when desired.

Fastened to the top of the support 3 is a bar 5, the ends of which project beyond the support whereby the projected ends of the bar may be extended through the car doors when the support is moved to either side of the car as shown to advantage in Fig. 1 of the drawing. Near each end of thebar 5 I have provided a hanger 6 to which is pivotally connected a suspension arm 7. One end end of each locking pin 9 is extendedthrough a suitable opening in the retaining bar 5 and a coil expansion spring 10 is coiled about each locking pin and is interposed between the retaining bar 5 and the end of suspension arm 7.

At the bottom of the support 3 is a lower retaining bar. 11 the ends of which are projected beyond the opposite sides of the support and are disposed directly beneath the projected ends of the upper retainingbar 5. A spring clip 12 is fastened to each end of the bar 11 and the lower end of the mail bag carries a rod 13 having one end adapted for engagement with one of the spring clips 12. Projecting upwardly from the top of the support 3 is an eyelet l4 fastenedto a link 15, the latter being connected to a coil tension spring 16. The opposite end of the spring 16 is joined to a link 17 which has one end reniovably engaged with an eyelet 18 fixed to the roof of the car A above the track-ways 1 and 2. The spring 16 acts to pull the support 3 toward the interior of the car, but prevents inward movement of the support 3, while the mail bag is mounted in the position shown in Fig. 1 of the drawing, the locking pin 9 is projected upwardly through the retainingbar and is thuspermitted to engage the wall of the car. The

weight of the bag on the end of the upper retaining bar 7 holds the opposite end of the retaining bar 7 in elevated position thus I causing the corresponding locking'pin 9 to i port 3 may be moved inwardly of the car.

be projected upwardly through the opening in the bar 5'. The spring 10, immediately upon removal of the bag,'will act'to withdraw the locking pin 9 whereupon the sup- 7 bottom of the track and its opposite end fixed to the pin- 20 for urgingthe head 21 upwardly above the surface of the track. The track is provided with a convenient opening for receiving the pin 20 and the surface of the track is recessed as indicated at 21 iii-Fig. .3 for the purpose of receiving the head 21 when the pin is pulled downwardly.

In this manner, the flanges 3 are permitted topass freely over the head 21 when the head is received in the recessed portion of the track.

Itwill be noted that the structure is the same at eitherside so hat a mail ag may b extended through either doorway of the car and when the mail bag'is'to be extended from the opposite side of the car to that shown in Fig. 1, the link 17 will be removed from the eye 18 and connectedto the'eye 24:

at'the opposite side of the car. When this change is made, the stop member 19 in the track-way 2 will be in operative position while-the stop member 19 in the track-way 1 will bein inoperative position.

In Fig. i of the drawing, I have illus trated a detail view of the hook for attaching theupper'end of the mail bag-to the eX- tended end of the suspension bar 7 and it will be. noted that this hook consists of a U- shaped yoke 25 to which is fastened aspring clip 26, the latter being engaged with and retaining a link 27 carried by the upper end of the mailbag. This arrangement permits thebag to be easily removed when it is caught by' a receiving apparatus. The lower end of the member-13 at the lower endof the mail bag is hook shaped as indicated at 13' for the purpose of facilitating engagement with thespring clip 12.

It will be understood that the above described "device may be employedwith any 7 type of receiving'apparatus arranged at the sides of the railway tracks. In Figs. 5 and '6 of the drawing, I have illustrated a form of receiving apparatus which may be used with the above described form of delivering device. A scoop like chute 28 is hinged at 29 to a convenient. support at the side of the track as indicated at 30. At the opposite edge, the scoop is provided with eye loops 31 embracing a rod 82 which may be employed to connect to a latch 33 for retaining the scoop in position. A projection is fixed to the scoop and is engaged by one end of a coil spring which will'aot to relieve the strain occasioned by the impact of the mail bag with the scoop when the scoop picks up the bag.

From the foregoing it will be observed that a comparatively simple mail bag delivering device has been provided, the de tails of which embody the preferred form. It will be understood, however, that slight changes in the minor details of construction may be made without departing from the spirit of the invention or the scope-0f the claims hereunto appended.

Claims: 7

1. A mail bag delivering apparatus comprising a support provided with upper and lower retaining bars having their ends projected beyond opposite sides of the support, suspension arms pivotally mounted on the extended ends of the said upper retaining bar, means carried by the ends of the suspension arm for releasably holding a mail bag, a locking pin connected to the opposite end of each suspension arm and adapted to project through openings in the said retaining bar when the opposite end of the suspension arm is held downwardly by the weight of the mail bag, tensioning means embracing each locking pin to draw the latter downwardly through its opening when the mail bag is removed from the opposite end of the suspension arm, and means connected to the supportand removably attached to a fixed point remote from the support to draw the said support inwardly when the said locking pin is released upon the removal of the mail bag.

2. In a mail delivering apparatus, a mail car, having track-ways extending transversely and near the top thereof, a support suspended from the track-ways and adapted to travel across the track-ways within the car, mail bag suspension means supported by the said support at opposite sides thereof, and Comprising pivoted retaining bars, each having one end provided with a yoke for releasably engaging a mail bag, each track having a recess formed in the surface thereof, a stop member including a pin projecting through the track-way and having a tached to the support and to theinterior of the car for urging the support inwardly toward the said stop member.

In a mail bag delivering apparatus, a mail car, having track-ways extending transversely and near the top thereof, a support suspended from the track-ways and adapted to travel across the track ways within the car, mail bag suspension means supported by the said support at opposite sides thereof and comprising pivoted retaining bars, having one end provided with a yoke for releasably engaging a mail bag, each track having a recess formed in the surface thereof, a stop member including a pin projecting through the track-way and having a head adapted to be received in the recess for permitting the said support to travel over the trackways when the said stop member is placed in inoperative position, and means attached to the support and to the interior of the car for urging the support inwardly toward the said stop member, each of the said retaining bars having a locking pin connected thereto, adapted to engage the interior of the car when a mail bag is mounted on one of the said retaining bars to withhold the support against the action of the said tensioning means.

In testimony whereof I aflix my signature in presence of two witnesses.

WILLIAM MANN. Witnesses:

C. T. HARDING, PAULINE E. WALLMAN.

Copies of this patent may be obtained for five cents each, by addressing the Gommissioner oi fatemts,

Washington, D. G.

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