US1303854A

US1303854A - Vehicle.

Info

Publication number: US1303854A
Application number: US75590713A
Authority: US
Inventors: Earl W Clark
Original assignee: Individual
Current assignee: Individual
Priority date: 1913-03-21
Filing date: 1913-03-21
Publication date: 1919-05-20
Anticipated expiration: 1936-05-20

Description

E. W. CLARK.

VEHICLE.

APPLICATION FILED MAR. 2|. 1913.

1,303,854., Patented May 20, 1919.

2 SHEETS-SHEET I.

E. W. CLARK.

VEHICLE.

APPLICATION FILED MAR. 21. l9l3. 1 33,85, Patented May 20, 1919.

2 SHEETS-SHEET 2.

%tnesse. jii/gflfof' 65%, @MWM 7( JJM I 5 WMfl/M tan-m STATES PATENT carton.

EARL w. CLARK, or snAltoN, PENNSYLVANIA.

VEHICLE.

Lseassa.

To ail whom it may concern:

provements in vehicles invented by E. L.

\ Clark and myself, the said application bearing Serial No. 734,079, filed November 29th,

1912, there are described certain-features of vehicle construction, including a separable chassis and body, and means by which the body can be elevated from the chassis and supported independently ofthe chassis at any point or locality where-loading or unloading might be desired. In consequence while the body is being loaded or unloaded, the chassis can be used for other purposes or in connection with other bodies in such a manner that the cost of transporting merchandise is greatly decreased, and the efliciency of the truck service is rendered much higher than is the case if thechassis is idle, while the body is 'being loaded or unloaded. In the preferred embodiment of the invention described in said application there are utilized a body elevating and supporting means comprising a plurality of legs which are adapted to be connected to the body so as to elevate an support the same independently of the chassis, and when not in use are detached from the body.

The present invention in one of its aspects relates to a somewhat similar body supporting and elevating means, and in this respect, the .invention has for itsobject to provide means by'which the supporting and elevating legs are attached to the body in a manner such that when not in use, they can be folded up alongside the base of the body in a compact manner, and when it is desirable to use the same, they-can be swung downwardly and moved outwardly to operative position, and firmly positioned with respect to the body, so that the latter can be Specification of Letters Patent.

elevated and supported very firmly and securely, independently of the chassis.

Patented May 20, 1919.. Application filed March 21, 1913. Serial No. (55,907. I

In another respect, the present invention relates to certain improvements in means for detachably connecting the body and chassis, the Ob]6Ct being to provide'mea-ns by which the body can be locked to or released from the chassis quickly, easily and efi'ectively.

My invention may be-here 'briefly'summarized as consisting in certain novel details of construction and combinations and arrangements. of parts which will be described'in the specification and set forth in the appended claims. In the drawings, Figure 1 is a side eleva- Fig. 2 is a transverse sectional view of the same; Fig. 3 is a partial horizontal sectional view substantially along the 'line- 33 of tion. of a truck embodying my improve- Fig. 2, looking downward; Fig. 4 is a side elevation of a portion of the body and chas- SIS, showing the manner oi retaining the supportlng and elevating legs in inoperative position, or when folded intothe body sill;,

Fig. "5 is a horizontal sectional iew substantlally along the line 55 of F ig. 4:, looking downwardly; Fig. 6 is a detail transverse sectional View substantially along the line 66 of Fig. 2; Fig. 7 is a detail horizontal view substantially along the line 77 of Fig. 2, looking downwardly; Fig. 8 is a transverse sectional view through the chassis and' lower part, of the body, showing a modification of the locking and unlocking means by which the body can be readily attached to or detached from the chassis; and

Fig. 9-is a similar view showing a further modification of the same feature.

Referring now to the drawings, 10 represents the body, and 11 thechassis, both of which may have 'any suitable construction. The principal, requisite, however, of the body and chassis is that the body should .be detachably connected to the chassis in such a manner that it can be detached and elevated, or lowered onto the chassis and se-- cured thereto for the purpose of transportat1on. It may be here stated, however, that my invention has particular utility in connection witlf folding bodies, for with bodies of that type, I am enabled with a single chassis to distribute a group of empty bodies to various points where loading is desired, as will be hereinafter described. The manner of detachably connecting anddisconnecting the body and chassls will be. de scribed later.

To elevate and support the body independently of the chassis and in a manner such that the chassis can be run from beneath the body when thus supported, or backed underneath the body, so that the can-be again lowered onto the chassis,

.I utilize a plurality of elevating and supporting legs or jacks 12, two of which are preferably employed at each side of the body. In accordance with the present invention, these legs are attached to the body 'both when in use, and when not in use, and

are in the nature of swinging legs which can be swung from operative position and folded out of the way alongside the lower part of the body. Each of these legs includes in this instance a screw threaded standard or oppositely shank 12 which is provided at its lowerend with a suitable base 12, and-a relatively movable part 12, adapted to .travel up and down along the threaded shank 12. In this instance, the part 12 carries anut '12 which is provided on the exterior with ratchet teeth adapted to be engaged by a dou'bleacting ratchet dog 12 carried by an operating handle 12. The part 12 of each leg 12 is.

provided with a laterally extending a -rm 12 which has a pivotal connection with the-- body. It will be observed that the body, as here shown is provided along the bottom with side sills 10, which are in the form of channels arranged with their flanges extending outwardly. Each of the laterally projecting arms l2 extends through an opening in the web .of the channel and is seated in a socket, including an outer part 13 secured to the channel between the outwardly extending legs or flanges, and aninner part 13 which is secured to the frame in any suitable manner, the inner and outer partshaving suitably alined openings through wh ch. the arm 12 freely extends,

and in which the arm may turn to swing the leg to or from vertical position. When the legs are in use, or in the position for elevating and supporting the body, they are of course vertical, and the'standards or vertical portions are located, as shown in Fig. 2, laterally beyond the body. When the legs are not in use, they are swung 90 from vertical position about the axes of the arms 12 and are thence moveddnwardlyiinto thechannels and are retained in that position by suitables'pring clipsxle; see particularly Figs. 4 ands. Whenthe legs are so folded,

any '12 and the socket which receives it.

disposed sockets or notches 13 in the inner end of the inner socket member 13*, when the leg is swung to vertical position, and thence moved outwardly to elevating and supporting position. The lugs enter into these notches 13 and assist in holding the legs rigidly in upright position and prevent To prevent -endwise movement, .while the legs are in elevating'and supporting positionf'I prefer to 'use a tapered key 15 which is adapted toibe inserted in a suitably provided opening in the arm 12 and when so inserted, bears agains the base of a notch or slot in the outer socket member 13. As before stated, the legs are ordinarily not removed from the. body, but with the construction which I prefer they may be removed when desired. To permit the removal or insertion of the leg with respect to the

socketmembers

13 and 13, these two members are provided with a pair ofj slots 13-, (see particularly Fig. 5), which slots k extend throughout the length of the socket and are oppositely disposed in a plane at right angles to the plane of the oppositely disposed notches 13. When thelegs are swung to a horizontal position, the lugs 1'2 come into alinement with the notches, and accordrelative turning action between the arm ingly the legs can be removed by withdraw- I ing the arms from the sockets.

Another feature of my invention resides in the means for attaching and detaching the bodv and chassis, as before stated. In Fig. 2, the body is adapted to be detachably connected to the chassis by means of pairs or sets of dogs or levers; 17 which are pivotally connected to the eh-assis, and have at their. upper ends ,-heok-shaped portions adapted to be swung outwardly over pro-- jecting portions 18, of angle membersr18 secured to the frame of the body. In the construction shown in Fig. 2, each pair of dogs or legs 17 is adapted to be shifted simultaneously by a screw rod 19 having right and left hand threaded portions which engage in trunnion nuts 20 carried by the lower ends of the dogs or levers. By turning the threaded rod 19; by a hand wheel 19, or I equivalent means, the two dogs are simultaneously moved toward or-away from the cooperating projections 18 on'the body. Between the dogs and below the pivotal connections of the latter with the chassis is a meas es stop meni'ber 21 against which one or the backed beneath the body; and permits a as other of the dogs may abut to stop the swinging movement thereof by the screw rod in case the chassis is not centrally located beneath the body If the chassis is not centrally located beneath the body, when the one dog engages the stop, further move-' ment of the screw i'od will cause the other dog to shift the chassis laterally in .one direction, or to shift the body in the other direction until they are brought into aline-.

ment.

In the modification shown in Fig. 8, the body and chassis are adapted to be locked together by pairs of locking'members 22 in the .form of nuts, two of which are adapted to travel along a screw rod 23, having right and left hand threaded portions engaged by the nuts. This rod is carried by the body and when turned by a crankor other suitable means causes the nuts to move toward or from the side channels or sills of the chassis. The lower portions of the nuts are providedwith projecting parts 22 which are adapted to be moved under and hence into locking engagement with the upper flanges of channels, the said flanges extending inwardly. Usually two pairs of the traveling nuts will sufice to hold the body and chassis together. With this construction, if the chassis is not centrally beneath the body, the engagement ofv one nut with the channel will move either the body or the chassis to a position such that the chassis is centrally beneath the same. k

In Fig. 9 there is shown a construction in some respects similar to that shown in Fig. 2. In this case, the side sills of the chassis are provided with separate and independent.

locking dogs or levers 24, which are pivotally connected to the outer sides of the channels, and are adapted to be moved inwardly, so that the hook portions at the outer ends of the dogs will engage over looking pins 25 on the frame ofthe body. Each of these dogs'24 is adapted to be actuated separately from the other by means of a short screw.

rod 26, which may be turned by a crank or equivalent means, each-of these rods engaging a suitablenut 27 carried by the dog and a nut 28, secured to the chassis.

As was before stated, when the legs or jacks are in position to elevate and support the body, the'upright or vertical portions of the legs are located laterally beyond the sides of the body. This arrangement has numerous advantages over an arrangement wherein the legs are beneath or in line with the of the body. Among these advantages may be mentioned increased stability,

- while the body is supported by the said legs;

increased clearance between the legs and the wheels of the chassis, this being of particular utility when the chassis is being number of folding bodies to be placed on the chassis and distributed at the different points at which loading isdesired.

To explain the third mentionedadvantage, it might be said that a number of folded bodies can be placed one upon the other on the chassis, and can be distributed one at a time by supporting the uppermost body on its elevating and supporting legs, and removing the chassis, and the bodies beneath from the uppermost body, this being rendered permissible only by reason of the fact that the standards or legs, when in operating position, are located laterally beyond the sides of the body.

By employing the adjustable elevating and supporting legs for supporting the body independently of'the chassis, the body can be placed at any desired point, practically regardless of an inequalities of the ground beneath the b0 y. A still further advantage in having the elevating 'means in the 4 1. In combination, a vehicle comprising a chassis, a body adapted to be supported by the chassis, and detachable therefrom, means 7 for supporting the body independently of the chassis comprising a plurality of adjustable supporting legs, said body having sockets and the said legs having laterally proje'cting arms extending into the sockets, said sockets permitting an end-wise movement of said arms, and a turning movementby which the legs may be swung from a lower vertical position to a position alongside of the body.

2. In combination, a vehicle comprising a chassis, a body adapted to be supported by the chassis, and detachable therefrom, means 'f0l' supporting. the body independently of the chassis, comprising a plurality of supporting legs having pivotal connections with the-body, said body having sockets and the said legs having arms which are received in the sockets and are adapted to move endwise in the sockets and to be turned therein, the.

its

the chassis, comprising a plurality of supportin legs having pivotal connections with the b0 y, said body having sockets, and the in the sockets andto be turned therein, each of thesaid arms having at lts inner end a pair of lugs, and the sockets having slots extending lengthwise thereof, with which said lugs register when said legs are turned to one positioniagnd thesaid sockets ha 'at their 0 inner ends notches with which sa'i lugs register when the legs are in another position. In, testimony whereof I hereunto aflix my sigmiture in the presence of two witnesses. EARL W. CLARK.

Witnesses; WILLIAM A. MAITLAND,

Amen ANDERSON.