US1455293A - Adjustable track - Google Patents

Description

May l5, 1923. 1 11,455,293

. H. C. KOLL|NG ET AL ADJUSTABLE TRACK Filed May 24, 1922 Patented May l5, 19,23.

insana rita FATNA HENRY C. ROLLING ANI) WILLIAM MGGILL, F WICHITA, KANSAS.

ADJUSTABLE TRACK.

Application filed May 24, 1922. Serial No. 563,218.

To all whom mag/ concern Be it known that we, HENRY C. KOLLING and WILLIAM MGGILL, citizens of the United States, and residents of y`Wichita, in the county ofL Sedgwick and State of Kansas,

have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Adjustable Tracks, of which the 'following is a specification. This invention relates generally to tracks and more particularly to a track which is adapted to be placed upon a series of steps, such as the steps leading to a dwelling orl like structure, to provide a plain surface over which wheeled `and rollingly supported articles of furniture and vehicles, such as baby-carriages, can be moved without being subjected to theshocks and jars that would be incident to their movement vover a series ofsteps.r

`An object of our invention is to provide a track vof the character described which includes fa pair of rail members, at least one of'which is movable relatively to the other toadjust thewidth or gauge of the track as required for the accommodationV of vehicles and articles of furniture of various widths. y

"Other objects and advantages will be apparent'from the following description, and

the novel features of the invention will be particularly outlined in the appended claims.

Our invention is illustrated in the accompanying drawings, forming a part of this application, in which Figure l fis a side elevation showinga practical embodiment of the invention operatively applied 4to a series of steps. leading to an elevated structure,

Figure 2 is a vertical section through the 40 structure exhibited in Figure l,

Figure 3 is a fragmentary view similar to Fig. l, showing the rail members of the trackin folded or inactive position, and

. Figure a is Aa perspective view showing a hinge member comprised in the device. y

In carryingout our invention, we provide a pairl ofllongitudinal rail members l, 2 which are of equal length and of substantially identical construction, both being of channel-formation `and being formed of any suitable material, such as a light gauge metal, wood or in fact any relativelylight material of suiiicient strength to sustain the weight of articles which may be moved therealong, as will presently appear. The track member 2 is arranged transversely of the steps of a series of steps indicated generally at 3 so that the web portion of the rail member is disposed against the outer edges of the horizontal members of the respective steps and the upper end of the rail member abuts the outer edge of an elevated horizontal platform 4, which may be the floor of a porch or like structure, and the lower end of the rail member rests upon a horizontal surface 5 at the lower end of the series of steps. Therail member 2 is secured to the steps in the position described in any suitable manner, as by means of nails or screws 6 projected therethrough into the horizontal members of the steps and having their heads counter-sunk or Hush 'with the upper or outer face of the web Y portion of the rail. It is to be observed at this point that the rail member 2 is positioned `adjacent to one side ofthe series of steps so as to leave the major portion of the series of steps unobstructed and available for use in the usual manner.

The rail member l is movably supported in parallel relation to the rail member 2 by means of a pair of spaced guide members 7-T having offset end portions 8 secured by 4screws 9 or the like to the vertical members of the upper and lower steps of the series, and a pair of connectors l0 having portions mounted to slide upon the guide members 7 and outstanding portions 1l to which the flange of the rail member l proximate to the rail member 2 is swingingly connected. The guide members 7 extend transversely of the rail members l, 2 and the end portions thereof underlying the fixed rail member 2 need'not be offset but can be extended' in axial alignment with the intermediate or maj or portion thereof into engagement with any suitable support, such as a side member 12 of the frame for the series `of steps, as indicated by the dotted lines in Figure l, It is only essential to my invention that/the members 7 and the hinge members l() cooperating therewith be so disposed that the rail member 1 can be moved bodily toward and away from the rail member 2 in parallel relation to the latter and in the plane of the latter when in active position.

,As illustrated to advantage in Figure a, each of the connectors 10 is made of a single piece of wire bent to provide a loop 13 at one end thereof, a second loop 14C intermediately of the ends thereof and the outstand-` ing portion 11 which is provided with an eye or a loop portion 15 at its end. The loop portions 13 and llare adapted to slidably embrace one of the guide members T at l spaced apart points andthe loop portion 15 is adapted to enter one of the cut away portions 16 in the hollow bead or rolled portion 17 at the outer edge of the iiange of the rail member 1 proximate to the rail member 2. A pintle 18 `extending through the bead 17 passes through theloop 15 of the lconnectors 10, j whereby the rail member 1 is held against any appreciable axial movement lrelatively to thev guide members 7, 7. The

second ange of the railmember 1 and the flanges of the rail member 2 are shown as `being provided with beads similar to the bead 17 along the outer edges thereof and the same reference numeral has therefore been used -to designate the respective beads of the two rails. u

From the foregoing description of the various parts of the device, the operation thereof may be readily understood. The

rail member 1 can be slidably moved along l throughout its length `for engagement with one of the hooks 19 or like coperating element carried by the rail member 1.

`When the device 1s not 1n use, the chains 18 are disconnected from the rail member 1 and the latter is slidably moved along the guide member 7 until adjacent to the rail member 2. rllhe web portion kof the rail member l1 is then swung upwardly and downwardly about the axis of the pjintle 1S to rest in superimposed position upon the raihmemberi2, as illustrated `in Figure 3. It will be apparent that both rail members `will occupy but little space when in inactive position and will not interfere with the use4 of the series of steps 3 in the usual manner.

Obviously, our invention is susceptible of embodiment in forms other than that illustrated in the accompanying drawings,` and we therefore consider as our own all modifications of the forms of the devicedisclosed herein, which fairly fall within the scope' of the appended claims.

Vile claim 1. A track of` the character described comi in whichit is disposed laterally of the other rail to a position in which it is superimposed upon the latter. j

2. A traclr of the character described comprising a pair of longitudinal rail members, means adjustably 'connectingl the rails together in parallel relation and permitting-of movement of onev rail from aposition in which it ils-disposed laterally of the other railto a position in which itis superimposedv a support, a pair of guide members extending transverselyV of said fixed rail member adjacent tol the ends thereof,and a pair of connectors, each vattached `at one end to the second rail member and slidably embracing one of said guide members to positionthe second rail member in parallel ,relation to the fixed rail member and to permit vof .bod-

ily movement of the formerrelatively tothe latter.

1. A track lof the character described comprising a pair of longitudinal rail members, each being of channel formation, meansffo'r tixedly securingone of said rail members kto a support,`a pair of guidemembers extending transversely of said fixed rail member vadjacent to the ends thereof, and a pair of connectors, each pivotally attached "at one end to the side of the second rail member proximate to the fixed rail memberandV slidably embracing one of theA guide members, whereby the second rail member-is disposed in parallel relation to the xed rail member and is movable bodilyjrelative to thezlatter and is also swingable in the arc of va circle from the plane of the fixed rail'memberto a superimposed 'position upon the latter,A A track of the character described comprising a pair of longitudinal rail members, each being of channel formation,mean$ for tixedly securing one of said rail members to a support, a pair of guide ,IIlHlDIS en 'tending transversely of said fixed-rail member adjacentlto the ends thereof, a pair-.of connectors, each pivotally attached, at onek end to the side of the second lrail member proximate to the fixed rail member and slidably embracing one of the guide members, whereby the second rail member is disposed in parallel relation to the fixed rail member and is movable bodily relative to the 5 latter and is also swingable in the are of a circle from the plane of the fixed rail member to a superimposed position upon the latter, and other means for detaohably conneoting the rail members together in adjusted position to hold the movable rail member against movement away from the fixed rail member.

HENRY C. KOLLING. WILLIAM MCGILL.

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