US1309080A - Train-order holder - Google Patents

Description

E. H. SMITH.

.TRAIN ORDER HOLDER. APPLICATION FILED MAY 5.- 191'9.

awwm/tez THE COLUMBIA PLANOGRAPH c0.,- wASHINdTON. D. C.

EMERSON HOWE SMITH, 0E PARSONS, KANSAS.

TRAIN-ORDER HOLDER. v

Specification of Letters Patent.

Application filed May 5, 1919. Serial No. 294,717.

To all whom it may concern:

'Be it known that I, EMERSON Hown SMITH, a citizen of the United States, re-

and State of Kansas, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Train- Order Holders; and I do declare the following to be a full, clear, and exact description 5 of the invention, such as will enable others skilled in the art to which it appertalnsto make and use the same.

This invention relates to train-order holders, and especially to the class of holders to be held in the hand of a person to deliver a message or train order to an engineer or other person on a train.

It has come within the observation of the inventor, who is a train-master, that many accidents and fatalities have occurred to persons delivering messages or train orders with previously devised means for delivering messages, such accidents and fatalities usually resulting from the inability of the person to deliver the message without standing too near the passing train or locomotive. Moreover, because of the weight, non-resiliency and other inherent features of devices previously known for this purpose, the hand of a person receiving the train message is likely to be injured by its contact with the message-holding device when the train is moving very rapidly, and furthermore, in view of the foregoing dangers, and the timidity which results therefrom, a failure to deliver the message is often the result, and very serious accidents occur because of such failure.

Therefore, it is an object of this invention to overcome the foregoing difliculties and disadvantages by providing an improved train-order holder which is exceedingly light and resilient consistent with sufficient length, breadth and strength to render it perfectly effective, eflicient and practical, and thereby to minimize danger to the deliverer and receiver of messages or train orders.

Another object is to provide an improved device of this character which is very simple of construction and can be manufactured at a very low cost.

Other objects and advantages may become apparent to persons who read the following details of description in connection with the accompanying drawings, in which:-

slding at Parsons, in the county of Labettev 'Figure 1 is a side elevationof my improved train-order holder with a trainorder held thereby.

Fig; 2 isan enlarged detail view illustrating the spring element for holding the message.

Fig. 3 is a transverse sectional view along the line 33 of Fig. '1.

Fig. 4g'isf-an edge view illustrating the wedge-shaped member detached.

"Referring to these drawings indetail, in

which similar reference characters correspond with similar parts throughout the several views, the device consists of a racketshaped device comprising a member 5, a wedge-shaped member 6, a spring 7,'a securing wire 8 and securing elements 9.

The member 5 consists of a strip of hickory wood or other relatively tough, strong and elastic material of comparative lightness; the end portions of the strip being brought together in juxtaposed parallel relation and secured to one another by means of the nails or other securing elements 9 so as to form a handle, as indicated at 10, the middle portion of the strip being formed into a loop 11, and intermediate portions 1'2 converging from the loop to the handle. The wedge-shaped member 6 is secured between the converging portions 12, and the spring 7 has its intermediate portion seated between the member 6 and one of the portions 12, a groove 13 being provided in the member 6 to receive the said intermediate portion. An aperture or lateral bore 14 is formed in the wedge-shaped member 6, and the inner end portion 15 of the spring 7 is seated in this aperture to prevent the spring 7 from turning or becoming otherwise disengaged from its seat. The outer end portion 16 of the spring 7 constitutes a clamping element which cooperates with the inner surface of the loop 11 to clamp a message or train-order, as indicated at 17, this end portion being preferably formed into a loop or eye, as illustrated, to provide a convenient manipulative means for moving this clamping element away from the adjacent surface of the loop 11.

In order to generally strengthen and stiffen the device and to obtain the best clamping results from the spring 7, the wire 8 is pre erably wound not only around the outer sides of the strip 5, but crosses itself between the diverging portions of the strip immediately above the wedge-shaped mem- Paten ted July 8, 1919.

which comprises a clamping ber 6, and this not only prevents the Wire from slipping longitudinally of the strip, but also acts as an auxiliary means 'for holding the Wedge-shaped member -6 in its seat. The strip 5 is preferably about eight feet long and one-quarter by one-half inches in cross section, so that the complete holder is approximately three and one-half feet long, the loop being about fourteen inches across, and the Weight of the entire device is approximately six ounces. However, the invention is not limited to these exact dimensions nor to the exact construction and arrangement as described, but changes inay be made Within the scope of the inventive idea as described and claimed herein.

What I claim as my invention is A train-order holder comprising a strip formed into a loop and a handle and having portions converging from the loop to the handle, said handle comprising the united end portions of the strip, a Wedgeshaped member between and secured to the converging portions of the strip, and a spring having its inner end portion embedded in said Wedge-shaped member, the outer end of said spring being disposed in said loop and forming a clamping element to hold a train-order to be delivered, said Wedge-shaped member being provided with a groove extending longitudinally thereof and containing the portion of said spring between said inner and outer end portions.

In testimony whereof I have hereunto set my hand.

EMERSON HOWE SMITH.

Copies of this Epatent may be obtained for five cents each, by addressing the Commissioner of Patents,

' Washington, 'D. G.

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