US1348071A

US1348071A - Mail-bag catcher

Info

Publication number: US1348071A
Application number: US319178A
Authority: US
Inventors: John M Williams; Vernon E Smith
Original assignee: Individual
Current assignee: Individual
Priority date: 1919-08-22
Filing date: 1919-08-22
Publication date: 1920-07-27
Anticipated expiration: 1937-07-27

Description

J. M. WILLIAMS AND V. E. SMITH. MAIL BAG cn'cnsa.

APPLICATION FILED AUG. 22. I919. 1,348,071.

2 suns-sugar I.

H l||1| I III I WITNESS;

INVENTORS. BY LZWZ.7V

A TTORNE Y.

Patented July 27, 1920.

.l. M. WILLIAMS AND V. E. SMITH.

MAIL BAG CATCHER. APPLICATION FILED AUG. 22. I919.

1 348,07 1 en d uly 27, 1920.

2 SHEETS-SHEET 2- WITNESS: 4 INVENTORS. BY @7724 W v 141'. mzz/ A TTORNE Y.

UNITED. STATES.

PATENT OFFICE,

101m in. wiLLmMs AND vnmron E. SMITH, or HA LEM MONTANA.

' MAIL-BAG chroma.

Specification of Letters Patent. Patented fl 217 I Application filed au ust 22, 1919. Serial in. 319,178.

To all whom it may concern: 4

Be it knownthat we, JOHN M. \VILLIAM's and TERNON E. SMITH, residing at Har'lenn in the State of Montana, have invented new and useful Improvements in MaiLBag Catchers, of which the following is a specification.

This invention relates-to mailbag catchers adapted for use upon trains for catching bags of mail suspended at the sides of the track, while the train is in motion, and has for its object the provision ofa basket structure pivota'll-y mounted within a inail car and swingabl'e' to be disposed exteriorly thereof in position to engage and c'atch'a sack of mail suspended at the side of atrack, this basket structi'ire having connected therewith a catch for holding" it inbag catching position and furthermore having connected" therewith a spring whereby'upon: release of the catch the basket will be swung into the car.

An important 'objeetis the provision of adevice of this character in which the basket member is det'achably' mounted upon the car so that-it maybe'removed andused upon difierent cars. g I 7 Another object is the provision of a device of this character inwhich'the bag catching basket is provided at its'upper andlower ends with knives adapted to sever cords by means of which" the mail bag issuspended.

An additional object is the provision of a device of this-character which will be com paratively simple and inexpensive in manufacture and installation, highly efhci'ent in use in being quick in action, whi'ch will not tear or otherwise damagexthe' mail sacks,

which will be durahle in service, and ag'ene eral improvement in the art. i y

' ith the above and other. objects and advantages; in view, the invention consists in the details of construction to bef hereinafter more fully described andclaimed, and illustrated in theaccompanyi'ng drawings in which- Figure 1" is a fragmentary side elevation showingiche outside of mail car and showing our device extended or swungontwardly into o 'erativeposition, V

Fig. 2 's a side elevation showing the inside of'the car with the basket swung inwardly,

3 -i's a verticalcross seetitnaivi w on the line 3:3 of Fig.1; shpwingtne front of the basket member.

Fig. 45 is a horizontal sectional view onth'e line 4 4; of Fig. 1, showing the basket in toppla-n -i Fig. 5'is a horizontal-sectional view on the line 55' of Fig. 2, the line of section being taken through the basket member nd The remaining figures (7 and 8') are detail views of the mounting of the shaft carrying the basket member.

Referring more particularly to the drawing's, the letter-A designates the side of a mail car. In'car'ryin'g out our invention we provide a-bearing member 10 which is secured upon theunderside of the. roof of the car on' the inside thereof and which includes downwardly extending tubular portion 11 which may, in practice, be a section ofpi-ping. Secured upon the 'iioor' of the car in vertical 'alinement with the bearing member 10' is a bearing member 12'inc 1'uding an upstanding tubular portion-13 iv hich bases" vertically disposed front bars 20 which are spaced apart and which provide the en trance openingtothe basket. The frame 1 8% is so shaped that the forward edge of the bottom is considerably higher at the rear edge thereof whereby to .provide'a' pocket which will retain the mail bag; in pos'ition after it iscaught. At the top of the basket member are providedlfran'ie bars 21 which converge rearwardly and upon which are secured knife bliL'ClGS'QZ which. are inclined with respect to; each other and which prefer? ably have serrated'ed'ges. At the'lower'. forward edge of. the basket meinbe'r'i's provided a knife'blade 23 which is angularlydisposed and which also has pr'eierably a" serrated edge. The 'blades 22' and 23 are so arranged with respect to each other' 'that the lower blade 23' will bein' advance of and cut in advance of the. upper blacle's 22, The purpose of this .constrjiction will. be hereinafter made apparent. Connected-to or formed upon one of the fi'ontb'ar's 20 of the frame 18 are laterally extending arms 24- which are secured to a vertical shaft journaled within

tubular portions

11 and 13 of the bearing members. This shaft 25 is inserted within the bearingfmembers by insertinglts 7 upper end within the tubular portion 11 of away portion 14:, but revoluble so that the with the cutaway portion. 1

slot 27 may be moved "out of registration A spring 28 is provided and has one end detachably connected with an eye bolt- 29 secured upon the inside of the car and its other end connected with one of the frame bars 20. The tendency of this springis to swing; the basket member into the car. qWe further providea catch member 30 pivoted upon the edge of the doorway of the car and. engageable with'one of the arms 24 for holding the basket member in adjusted position ex'teriorly of the car. I V

In the use of the device, a sack of mail to be cau ht is suspended from the usual hanger, theuonly diiferencebeing thatit is suspended by means of cords at each-end of the sack instead ofby the ordinaryhook. The sack being thus suspended, when it is desired to catch the same, the operator'stationed within the mail car swings the basket memberso that it will he disposed'outside of the car andrengages the catch 30 uponzthe associated arm 24. The basket member will thus be held in position. During the travel of the train, when the basket member reaches the mail sack the knives 22 at the top of the basket member and the knife 23 at the bottom, thereof will sever the cords which suspend the sack, the cord holding the bottom of the sack being severed in ad-.

vance of the cord holding the top of the sack. fThe sack will then bedisposed within the backet member and will be effectually retained therein by virtue of the fact that theforward lower end i of, the basket is higher than the rear lower edge. The oper ator then disengages the catch 30 from the associated arm 24, whereupon thespring 28 will swing the basket member intothe car,

after which the sack of mail is of course removed from thebasket member. a.

When it is desired'to remove the basket member from one car to another, it is merely necessarythat the operator grasp the sleeve from the upper tubular portion ing the shaft downwardly.

therein may be disengaged from the lower tubular bearing portion 13 by lateral movement, subsequent to which theshaft' is disengaged 11 by mov- Vhilewe have shown and described the preferredembodiment of our invention, it is of course to be understood that we reserve the right to make such changes in the form, construction, and arrangement of parts-as will not depart from the spirit of theinvention or the scope of the subjoined claims. 7 V I Having thus described our inventiomwe claim l V V r I 1. A mail bag catcher comprisinga bearing member secured at the upper portion of a car upon the interior thereof, a; second, bearing member disposed at the lower portion of the car verticallybeneath said first named'bearing member and including an upstanding tubulanportion provided with a cut out portion, a basket structure, a shaft carrying said basket structure and disposable within' said bearing members and adapted for rotation whereby to dispose said basket interiorly or exteriorly of the car, and a ,sleeve journaled upon said tubular portion and provided with ,a' slot adapted to register'with the cut away portion-insaidv tubular portion whereby to permit inser-- tion or removal'of 'thejlower end of said shaft. 7

2. A device of. thexcharacter described comprising bearing members secured upon the interior of a mail car-in spaced vertical relation, a shaft detachably j ournaled within said bearing members, a basket structure secured to said shaft and including .a rectangular frame covered withrwire screen, said basket structure being swingable to be disposed either exteriorly or interiorly of the car, a spring connected with the car and the frame of the basket memberi whereby to hold the same normally interiorly of. the car, and acatch pivoted upon the car and engaging one element of said'frame for holding the basket structure exteriorly of the car. l

3. A device ofi'the character described comprising bearing memberssecured upon the inside of amailcar in vertical spaced relation, a shaftjournaledflwithin said bearing members, a basket structure"including arms secured to said shaft, a substantially rectangular frame-work secured to 7 said arms and covered with w1re-mesh,,and knife bladesat the top and bottom of said basket member adapted to sever cords between which a mail bag is suspended 4s A device of the character described comprising a vertically disposed shaft ournaledinteriorly of, a car,' a basket structure comprising. a substantially rectangular frame including spaced front bars forming the entrance opening to the basket structure, arms extending from one of said bars and secured to said shaft, rearwardly converging bars at the top of said basket structure, knife blades secured to said last named bars, a knife blade secured at the lower forward edge of said basket structure, and wire mesh covering said frame.

5. A device of the character described comprising bearing members secured upon the inside of a mail car in spaced Vertical relation, a shaft journaled Within said bearing members, a basket structure secured upon said shaft and including a substantially rectangular frame covered with wire mesh, and cutting members at the top and bottom of said basket member adapted to sever cords between which a mail bag is suspended, the vWire mesh forming the bottom of the basket structure and extending downwardly beyond the frame whereby to define a pocket.

In testimony whereof we aflix our signatures.

J. M. WILLIAMS. V. E. SMITH