US1310030A - Latch foe - Google Patents

Description

EUGENE J'. MOYNIHAN, OF SAN FRANCISCO, CALIFORNIA.

LATCH roa DREDGER-BUGKETS.

Application filed July 13, 1918.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known thatI, EUGENE J. MOYNIHAN, a citizen of the United States, residing in the city and county of San Francisco and State of California, have invented a new and useful Improvement in Latches for Dredger- Buckets, of which the following is a specification.

My invention relates to improvements in latches for dredger buckets and the like wherein a bar operates in conjunction with anti-friction means to eliminate undue friction occasioned by the weight of the contents on the bucket bottom.

In the present state of the art latches are generally formed by means of a bar longitudinally mounted within a pair of parallel stirrups, which become disalined after a period of usage and no longer maintain a true bearing for the bar forming the latch. These stirrups comprise two pieces and extend'l-aterally from the bar and parallel to each other. When some of the rivets or other securing means become loosened through wear or usage the bar-supporting means no longer form a true sup-port to guide the latch and said latch occasionally binds, which, taken in connection with the excessive weight of the material within the bucket, so effectively resists a movement of the bar that it is sometimes difficult or impossible to operate it.

In the present invention I propose to provide a latch wherein one frame member is provided with a series of alined apertures within which the bar is mounted thereby providing an integral support for said bar which cannot become disalined with the aperture in the bucket engaged by the latch to retain the bottom of' said bucket in a closed position.

It is another object of the present invention to provide a simple latch composed of the least possible number of pieces and capable of being mounted within a comparatively narrow or small space such as the back of a narrow strengthening rib or strut on the lower surface of the hinged bottom of the bucket.

Another object of the invention is to form a single supporting member in such a manner that anti-friction rollers may be interposed to support the entire weight of the bucket bottom and thereby reduce to a minimum the friction occasioned by the weight of material in the bucket, said rollers being Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented July 15, 1919.

Serial No. 245,776.

arranged to roll with the movement of the bar and provided with simple means for preventing their longitudinal movement.

It is a still further object of the invention to provide a latch of the character described wherein the latch and supporting rollers will be automatically retained in their proper positions for engaging the bucket by the action of gravity when the door or bottom of the bucket is opened and swinging freely from said bucket.

A further object of the invention is to provide a device of the character described having a few and simple parts, requiring a minimum space on the bottom of the bucket bottom, and having a maximum efliciency.

I accomplish these several objects by means of the construction in the drawings forming a part of the present specification wherein like characters of reference are used to designate similar parts throughout the said specifications and drawings, and in which Figure 1 is a broken sectional view of a portion of a dredger bucket and hinged bottom thereof and disclosing my improved latch applied thereto;

Fig. 2 is a bottom and Fig. 3 is a transverse sectional view taken on line 33 of Fig. 1.

Referring to the drawings the numeral 1 is used to designate the lower front portion of a dredger bucket having the usual aperture 2 for engagement with the end of the latch on the bottom of said bucket.

The bottom 3 of the bucket 2, which is usually hinged to the bucket 1, in the present invention is provided with a latch frame 4.- having preferably three lateral extensions or portions 5 each apertured as at 6, within which apertures 6 a bar 7 is slidably mounted having a beveled end 8 for engagement with the aperture 2 in the lower front portion of the bucket 1.

The frame 4: is also provided with a portion 9 spaced apart from and parallel with the bottom 3 of the bucket 1. Between this spaced apart portion 9 and the under side of the bar 7 I have provided a roller 10 having annular flanges 11 formed on each end thereof to prevent longitudinal movement of said roller 10.

A second roller 12 also provided with annular flanges 13 is mounted between the upper surface of the bar 7 and the bottom 3 plan view of Fig. 1;

of the bucket 1, or that portion ofthe frame 4 adjacent thereto, at a point between the first mentioned roller 10 and the bucket engaging or beveled end of the bar.7.

A suitable pin 14: is secured laterally through the bar between two of the lateral extensions or portions 5 of the frame 1 to.

, projected too'far through the said aperture2. v

llhe end of the bar 7 opposite the engaging end is provided with an eyelet or aperture 16 to which the usual operating line may be attached.

Referring to Fig. 1 of the drawings it will be seen that the direction of forces or pressure upon the bar 7 maybe compared to the power, weight and fulcrum respectively, of a lever in which the engaging end of said bar 7 is the fulcrum, the point of contact with the roller 12 the weight, and the point of contact with the roller 10 the power of the lever.

The flanges 11 and 13 of the rollers 10 V and 12 respectively prevent a longitudinal movement of the saidrollers' as said flanges engage the sides of the frame 4 and the bar 7 during any movement. a

When the latch or bar 7 is moved to disengage it from the aperture 2 of the bucket 1 the rollers 10 and 12 move in the same direction and this rolling contact considerably reduces the excessive friction caused by the weight of material on the bucket bot-tom 8, thereby permitting the latch to be easily removed with comparatively little energy.

When the bucket 1 is again lowered to scoop up the next load the forward end is generally lowermost which causes the bar 7 to be inclinedwith the beveled end 8 thereof lowermost. Gravity will then cause the bar 7 and the rollers 10 and 12 to move to the positions indicated in Fig. 10f the drawings and as the bottom is swung into a closed position the beveled end 8' of the bar 7 is engaged by thelowermost edge of the bucket 1 thereby receding said bar" 7 until the beveled end 8 thereof registers with the aperture 2 when gravity will again move the bar into engaging relation with said aper' ture 2 and cause the rollers 10 and 12 to as sume their proper positions.

It is obvious that from the foregoing that I have provided an improved latch for dredge/r buckets and the like wherein a simple and eflic'ient construction renders a maxibottom thereof in a closed position, and

anti-friction rollers mounted between the spaced apart portion of the frame and the bottom of the bar and between the said bar and the bottom of the dredger bucket bottom.

2. The combination with a' dredger bucket of a frame mounted upon the lower surfaces of the bucket bottom and having apertured portions extending laterally from said bottom and a portion spaced apart from and parallel with said bottom; a bar slidably mounted within the apertures and arranged to engage an aperture in said bucket to support the bottom thereof in a closed position; and anti-friction rollers mounted between the spaced apart portion of the frameand the bottom of the bar and between the said bar and the bottom of the dredger bottom; and means secured to the rollers to prevent the same from moving longitudinally. I e

3. The combination with a dredger bucket of a. frame mounted upon the lower surface of the bucket bottom and having apertured portions extending laterally from said bot tom and a portion spaced apart from and parallel with said bottom; a bar slidably mounted within the apertures and arranged to engage an aperture in said bucket to support the bottom thereof in a closed position; and anti-friction rollers mounted between the spaced apart portion of the frame and the bottom of the bar andbetween the said bar and the bottom of thedredger bottom; and annular flanges formed on each end of the rolls to engage .the sides of the bar and frame within which it is mounted to prevent longitudinal movement of the said'rollers.

4. The combination with a dredger bucket of a frame mounted upon the lower surface of the bucket bottom and having apertured portions extending laterally from said bottom and a portion spaced apart from and parallel with said bottom; a bar slidably mounted within the apertures and arranged to engage an aperture in said bucket to support the bottom thereof in a closed position; anti-friction rollers mounted between the spaced apart portion of the frame an-dthe bottom of the bar and between the said bar and the bottom of the dredger bottom.

5. The combination with a dredgerbucket and hinged bottom therefor of a frame mounted upon the lower surface of said bottom and having apertured lateral extensions and a portion spaced apart from and parallel with said bottom; a bar beveled at one end to engage an aperture in the bucket to support the bottom thereof in a closed posi tion and slidably mounted within the apertures in the lateral extensions; a roller flanged at each end and mounted between the lower side of the bar and the spaced apart portion of the frame; a second flanged roller mounted between the upper surface of the bar and the bottom of the bucket at a point between the first mentioned roller and the bucket engaging end of the bar; and means for limiting a longitudinal movement of the bar.

In witness whereof I hereunto set my signature.

EUGENE J. MOYNIHAN.

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

Images