US1273575A - Mail-bag-transferring mechanism. - Google Patents

Description

J. T. CAMPBELL.

MAIL BAG TRANSFERRING MECHANISM.

APPLICATION FlLED NOV-3.19!!- 1 ,27 3,57 5. Patented July 23, 1918.

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INVENTOR ATTORNEY J. T. CAMPBELL.

MAILBAG TRANSFERRING MECHANISM.

APPLICATION FILED NOV. 3. 19H- 1 373,575. Patented July 23,1918.

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WITNESSES TOR gm raw/ m ATTORNEY UNITED STATES PATENT onnica.

JOHN T. CAMPBELL, OF RICHMOND, INDIANA.

MAIL-BAG-TRANSFERRING MECHANISM.

Application filed November 3, 1917.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, JOHN T. CAMPBELL, a citizen of the United States, residing at Richmond, in the county of Wayne and State of Indiana, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Mail-Bag- Transferring Meehanisimof which the following is a specification.

This invention relates generally to mail bag transferring mechanism, and has for its primary object to simplify and improve the construction and operation of devices of this character, as well as to increase their efficiency.

A further object of the invention is to provide a transferring device by the use of which mail pouches may be transferred from a stationary train to a moving car and from a moving car to a stationary holder with but small possibility of the bags or their contents becoming damaged or destroyed.

Still further objects reside in providing a transferring mechanism of the type mentioned which shall be of extremely simple and inexpensive construction, which involves but a slight departure from the mechanisms now in use for the same purpose, which is wholly automatic in its interchanging operations, which requires no attention after once being set, which has its parts so constructed and arranged as to minimize the opportunity for wear or breakage, and which will prove highly practical and eflicient in use.

With these objects in view, together with others which will appear as the description proceeds, the invention resides in the novel formation, combination, and arrangements of parts, all as will be described more fully hereinafter, illustrated in the drawings, and particularly pointed out in the claims.

In the drawings Figure 1 is a sectional plan view taken through a conventional form of railway mail car, and illustrating the mechanism both upon the car and beside the track by the use of which the interchanging of mail bags is carried out,

Fig. 2 is a side elevation of a railway mail car equipped with a mechanism of my invention,

Fig. 3 is an elevation, parts broken away, of the stationary bag receiving device, and

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented July 23, 1918.

Serial No. 200,146.

Fig. 4: is a sectional view taken upon line 4l1 of Fig. 1.

Referring now more particularly to the drawings, 5 indicates a conventional form of railway mail car, having the vertically disposed posts 6 defining the edges of the door therein. Projecting outwardly from the exterior of the car adjacent the edges of the doorway are bearings 7, the same being in horizontal alinement. These bearings support the extremities of the catcher arm supporting bar 8, and the latter is adapted to be easily removed from the said supporting bearing. The catcher or grabber which is supported by the bar 8 is of the ordinary construction, and includes the outwardly and forwardly extending arm 10 having a loop portion 11 at its juncture with the said bar, and within which bags received by the arm are adapted to rest. To hold the bags against becoming lost from the grabber arm after once becoming engaged thereby, a lever 12 is pivoted as at 13 to the arm support, and a spring 14 normally holds the said lever across the open end of the loop 11. It is obvious, therefore, that when a bag is engaged by the arm 10, the same will move inwardly and will snap past the lever 12, and the latter will hold the ba from becoming disengaged from the gra ber arm. The grabber mechanism may be provided with the usual operating hand grip 14', which is grasped by the mail clerk Within the car to properly position and hold the catcher arm so as to engage a bag supported on a suitable crane beside the track. The bar 8 and the grabber mechanism carried thereby may be readily disengaged from the supporting plates 7 so as to enable the same to be reversed upon the car.

Secured in spaced relation and in vertical alinement to the car 5 and preferably to the vertical posts 6 defining the door opening are brackets 15. These brackets are adapted to rotatably'support the ends of a detachable crane pintle or rod 16, which is provided with right .angularly disposed arms 17. The arms 17 are adapted to support between them a mail pouch for delivery to a station, and are of such length that the bag supported thereby will be held an appreciable distance beyond the side of the mail car. This car crane is capable of swinging toward or away from the door way and the side of the car, to facilitate the application of mail bags to the device, and may also be readily removed from the brackets upon the car and positioned upon either side of the car or either side of the door way.

The mechanism which is'to be arranged beside the track for the purpose of taking j bags'supported upon the car by the arms 17, includes a horizontally disposed supporting bar or rod 18, the latter being rigidly supported by the spaced posts 19.

Mounted for sliding movement upon the bar or rod 18 is a sleeve 20, having a grabber arm 21 extending outwardly from one side thereof. The grabber arm 21 is bent adjacent its juncture with the sleeve, so as to provide a loop 22, similar to the'loop 11 in the mail car grabber arm, for the purpose 7 of receiving and retaining mail bags. T

securely hold the mailbags within the loop 2 2 and also to hold the sleeve 20 against sliding movement uponthe support 18 is a lever 23, the latter beingpivoted to one end of-the sleeve; as at2 l. One end of this lever, designated at 25, normally extends across theopen end of the loop 22, while the short end 26 of the lever is adapted to engage the bar or support 18 to firmly hold the sleeve 20 againstfsliding V movement thereon, A spring 27 normally holds the lever in bag retaining and bar engaging pooperative position. When the sleeve 20 is moved rearwardly upon the support 18 until the pin 28is withdrawn from the aperture in the post,'the weight of the arm 21 and abag or bags held thereby will cause the sleeve to rotate so that the said grabber arm will be disposed downwardly and in inoperative position.

' In order that .ing movement of the'sleeve 20 may be the vlolent rearward slid-' cushioned, the rod 18 at its rear endis encircled by an expansion spring 29, the said springbearingat its rear end against one of the supporting posts for the said bar.

.A collar 30 is held by the forward end of the spring 29, and against which the rear endof the sleeve 20 engages. It is obvious,

therefore, that when the grabber arm 21 has delivered thereto a mail bag from a fast moving train, the rearward movement of the grabber mechanism will be gradually checked by the spring mechanism.

As it is the purpose of the invention to provide for mail bags being taken from trains moving in either direction upon the tracks,.two of the grabber arm mechanisms above described are provided, both being of identical construction but facing and operating from difierent directions.

The crane beside the track for properly holding bags to be transferred to the movmg car may be of conventlonal form, and 1s lllustrated 1n F1g.. a of the draw ngs.

This crane comprises a pair of spaced out wardly extending crane arms 31, supporting betweenthem at their outer ends a bag indicated at 3 2 and are of such length as to hold the bag in the path of travel of the grabber arm 10 upon the car when the said arm is swung outwardly to catching position. i i

' Whenit is desired to causethe transfer ofmail bags from a car to a station beside the track, and vice versa, the crane upon the car ispositioned in the brackets 15 in the rear of the grabber arm 10 therein. The bag to be delivered to the station beside the track is then secured between the arms 17 of the car crane, whereupon the latter is swung outwardly, as shown in .Fig. 1. The bag to be transferred from the stationary mechanism to the moving car is in a like manner "interposed between the arms 31 and the stationary crane. The sleeve 20 is then moved forwardly upon the arm 18, and is rotated so that the pin 28 thereon will venter the aperture in the post 19. By so positioning the sleeve, the grabber arm 21 will be extendedtoward the track or in operative position, and the pin 28 will hold the sleeve 20 against rotation. 'As the mail car approaches the station, the clerk, by

means of the handle 14, swings. the catcher arm 10 outwardly, so as to grab the bagf32 held by the. crane arm 31. The bagheld by the outwardly projectingarms' 17 of the car crane will be engaged by the outwardly and forwardly projecting arm 21, and the-said bag will enter the loop portion 22, of the said catching mechanism. The inward. movement of the bag will cause the lever 25 to open, permitting the bag to enter the loop portion, opening movement of the lever, the,;catch arm 26 of the'leve'r will .release the. sleeve 20. The sleeve will at once move rearwardly upon the support. 18, and will be checked in this movement by the spring 29 at the rear end of the, support. The sup,-

port 18 may be ofany preferred length.

and simultaneously with this The bag-32 will be engaged ty he gr ber 7 arm 10 upon the crane, and, by means of the lever 12, will be held againstbecoming lost for mail pouches which involves but a very slight departure from mechanisms of a similar nature now in use, but which will greatly facilitate the interchange of mail bags. It Will be impossible for the mail pouches being dropped from their grabber arm to become damaged or destroyed, and the bag delivered from the moving train does not touch the ground.

l/Vhile the present is a disclosure of What is believed to be the preferred embodiment of the invention, it is to be understood that the invention is not limited thereto, but that various changes in the minor details of construction, proportion, and arrangement of parts may be resorted to if desired without departing from the spirit of the invention as defined by the appended claims.

I claim 1. In a mail transferrin device, a horizontal rod, a sleeve slidably mounted on said rod, a grabber arm secured to said sleeve, a lever pivoted inwardly from its ends to said sleeve, a spring for normally holding one end of said lever between said sleeve and said arm and for holding the opposite end of said lever frictionally en gaged with said rod.

2. In a mail transferrin device, a horizontal rod, a sleeve slida ly mounted on said rod, an arm secured at one end to said sleeve and having a loop portion adjacent its juncture with the said sleeve, a lever pivoted inwardly from one end to said sleeve, a spring on said sleeve yieldably holding one end of said lever disposed across said 100p portion, and the other end of said leger being irictionally engaged with said ro In testimony whereof I afiix my signature in presence of two witnesses.

JOHN T. CAMPBELL. Witnesses:

ALBERT BROWN, S. R. DOLAN.

Copies of this patent may be obtained for five cents each, by addressing the Commissioner of Patents, Washington, D. 0.

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