US1497681A - Retaining latch for carrier trolleys - Google Patents

Description

June 17, 1924. 1,497,681

W. GUTENKUNST RETAINING LATCH [FOR CARRIER TROLLEYS Filed May 5, 1923 Fig.1. T

Patented June 17, 1924.

WILLIAM GUTENKUN'ST, OF MILWAUKEE, WISCONSIN.

RE'I'ADTING LATCH FOR CARRIER TRJOLLEYS.

Application filed May 3, 1923.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that 1, WILLIAM GU'rnN- KUNST, a. citizen of the United States, residing at Milwaukee, county of Milwaukee, and State of Wisconsin, have invented new and useful Improvements in Retaining Latches for Carrier Trolleys, of which the following is a specification.

This invention relates to improvements in retaining latches for the trolleys of suspended carriers, said latches being designed to prevent the trolley wheels from leaving the track by engaging underneath the track when the wheel tends to lift therefrom.

The object of this invention is to provide a form of latch adapted to perform its function underneath track members of differing depths, i. e., of different dimensions invertical section; also to provide a form of latch which may be automatically retracted laterally upon approaching an obstruction in its normal line of travel; also to provide a form of latch which may be laterally retracted to carry one portion out of its operative position underneath a. trackway and to substitute anotherportion at a different level for the performance of the retaining function underneath a section of trackway of different depth; also to provide a latch. with means carried thereby for deflecting it from one retaining position to another retaining position in accordance withthe requirements of trackways having portions depending from the surfaceengaged by the trolley wheel to a greater extent than other portions. a

In overhead carriers it is common to employ wires or cables supported a'tintervals by hanger bars and relatively rigid track; rails or sections to the ends of which the wires are coupled. These hanger supported track rails are relatively deep, i. e., their. vertical dimension is considerably in excess of that of the wireor cable. This makes it diflicult to employ. latchesfor holding the trolley wheel to the track by engagement underneath the trackway, because, when the wheel is travelin along the wire, the latch in proximity to 518 wire will be obstructed by the increased depth of beam in the hanger supported track rail, ,and'will alsobe obstructed by the coupling member, although the need of a retaining latch isincreased where the wheel is passing over the coupling member.

Serial No. 636,381.

In the drawings:

Figure l is a side elevation showing one of the hangers of an overhead track with a portion of an associated supporting rail and coupling, including a, fragment of a track wire coupled thereto, and also showing a trolley harp and wheel as it appears when tralveling over said coupling member and mi Figure 2 is a side elevation of; the same, showing the track wire in cross section.

Figure 3 is a sectional view drawn to line 33 of Figure 1.

Figure is a sectional View drawn to line H of Figure 3.

Figure 5 is a fragmentary sectional view of the lower portion ofthe trolley, drawn to the same plane as in'Figure 3, tyfndshpwing the latch in normal pos1tion,.1 e.,.as it appears when a trolley Wheel is traveling along the wire or cable.

Like parts are identified by the same reference characters throughout the several views.

The track wire 1 is coupled to the supporting member or rail 2 by a coupling member 3. The rail 2 is supportedby'the hanger 4. The carrier wheel or trolley 5 is journaled in a frame or so-called harp (j which extends downwardly along the side of the track opposite the supporting hanger 4 and is adapted to support a container or other object to be carried in a suspended position along the trackway. All of the above mentioned parts maybe assumed to be of any ordinary construction.

A retaining trigger or latch member 7 is pivoted to the lower portion of the harp 18, the harp being provided with. an L-shaped lower end, in theangleof which projecting ears 9 are located. The pivot pin or bolt 8 extends thi'ouglrthese ears and through an eyepiece 10 at the lower end of the latch member 7. A coil .spr in 11 is seated in a suitable socketed boss 12 ormed in the harp,

and the opposite endof this'spring presses against the latch member 7, the latter being provided with an anchoring stud '13 to re ceive the end of thespring. The latch member 7 has an outwardly projecting arm 14 which extends through an opening'l5 in the harp and carries an upwardly projecting lip 16 which is adapted to engage the harp above the opening 15 to limit'the inwardly s nging mo ment of he'l c und r are? pressure of the spring 11. The elbowed portion 20 of the latch member carries a projection 21 adapted, when the latch is in normal position, to extend in close proximity to the outer peripheral flange 22 of the trolley wheel. When in this position the upper surface of the arm 14 will be inclined as clearly shown in Figure 5, and near the end provided with the lip 16, it will be in close proximity to the inner peripheral margin 24 of the trolley wheel.

The latch member 7 is also provided with an arm 25 which projects from the opposite side of the latch member from that occupied by the arm 14. The latch member is also provided with a shoulder at 26 between the projections 21 and 25, whereby the portion of the latch member 7 to which the arm 14 is attached is offset in the direction of said arm from the lower portion of such latch member which carries the arm 25.

When the latch member is in normal position, as shown in Figure 5, it is adapted to prevent the trolley wheel 5 from leaving the cable 1. The wheel cannot lift from the cable without lifting the latch member correspondingly, whereby the arm 14 will, by engagement with the cable, limit the upward movement of the wheel. Any tendency of the wheel to move laterally is also prevented, since the space between the latch member and the wheel flanges 22 and 24 is too small to allow the cable to pass. But when the latch member is retracted by engagement with the obliquely disposed end portion29 of a coupling member, the arm 25 serves as a retaining arm to prevent the trolley wheel from jumping the track or upper surface of the coupling member, this arm 25 being then in the position in which it is illustrated in Figure 3, whereby any upward movement of the trolley wheel will bring the-arm 25 into engagement with the beam of the coupling member to limit the upward movement of the wheel and harp.

The shouldered portion 26 is utilized for sliding engagement with the lower marginal portion or base flange of the rail 2, whereby the portion 27 of the latch arm is kept away from the rail so that it will clear the heads 28 of bolts or rivets connecting the web flanges of the rail with the hanger and with the couplin member.

The portion of the latch member between the elbow 20 and the arm 25 is provided with obliquely disposed wing flanges 30 and 31. flanking the latch member on opposite sides thereof and adapted to co-operate with the obliquely disposed surfaces 219 of the coupling members 3 to ensure the retraction of the latch and prevent the latch frompassing to the wrong side of the couplin member, which might otherwise occur if t e carrier should be swayin at the time it reaches the track coupling. he short arm. of the trolley frame or harp is also provided with a cross bar guide 32 having its respective ends slightly outturned or obliquely faced to prevent this arm from catching against the ends of the coupling members, which are of slightly increased width as compared with the thickness of the wire or cable 1.

I claim:

1. The combination with the trolley wheel and harp of a suspended carrier, of a laterally movable latch adapted, in one position, for holding the wheel to a track of ordinary vertical dimensions and in another position, for holding the wheel to a track of greater vertical dimensions.

2. The combination with the trolley wheel and bar of a'suspended carrier, of means for continuously retaining the wheel upon a track notwithstanding variations in the vertical dimensions of the track greater than the normal distance between the retaining means and the wheel.

3. The combination with the trolley wheel and harp of a suspended carrier, of a movable latch provided with arms at different levels adapted to project underneath trackways having different cross sectional dimensions in the vertical plane, and means for automatically moving the latch to retract one arm from beneath a trackway and place the other arm in operative position when the wheel is passing from one track section to another of different dimensions.

4. The combination of a trolley wheel adapted to sfipport a suspended carrier from an overhead track, a hanger member in which said trolley wheel is ournaled, a transversely movable latch having portions normally in close proximity to the respective side flanges of the wheel and provided with a shoe having oblique surfaces whereby the latch may be crowded laterally from normal position by an obstruction in its path, and an arm carried by an intermediate portion of the latch and adapted to project under the trolley wheel at a greater distance therefrom than the first mentioned portions thereof.

5. The combination with a trolley wheel and harp, of a latch member provided with a plurality of keeper arms offset from each other and located at different distances from the wheel, one of said arms being ada ted to retain the wheel upon a cable trac way when the latch member is in normal position and the other being adapted to retain the wheel upon a trackway of deeper cross section when the latch member is in a retracted position.

6. The combination with a trolley wheel and harp of a latch" member pivoted to the lower portion of the harp and projecting upwardly toward the under side of the wheel, an elbowed arm having an extremity adapted to engage the harp to limit the swinging movement of the latch in one direction, a spring arranged to urge the latch in such direction, and another arm connected with the latch between its pivotal axis and said elbowed arm and projecting in the opposite direction.

7. The combination with a trolley wheel and harp,

of a latch member provided with a pluralit of keeper arms projecting in opposite irections and at different levels, and means carried by the latch for encountering an obstruction in the path thereof to retract the same, together with its upper arm, out of the path of the obstruction while allowing the lower arm to pass beneath it in wheel retaining relation thereto.

8. The combination with a trolley wheel and harp, of a latch member pivotally connected with the harp and projecting upwardly in the direction of the wheel and adapted at its upper end to be retracted in the direction of the harp, a retaining arm carried by the upper end portion-of the latch member and extending into interlocking relation to the harp to limit the movement of the latch member away from the harp, another arm projecting in the opposite direction from the latch member at a lower level, means for urging the upper portion of the latch member outwardly from the harp to carry the upper arm into wheel retaining relation to a track wire, and a cross arm carried by the latch and provided with an oblique face for contact with a track rail extending below the level of said track wire to retract the latch while passing along said track rail.

9. The combination with a trolley wheel and harp, of a latch member pivotally connected with the harp and projecting upwardly in the direction of the wheel and adapted at its upper end to be retracted in the direction of the harp. a retaining arm carried by the upper end portion of the latch member and extending into interlocking relation to the harp to limit the movement of the latch member away from the harp, another arm projecting in the opposite direction from the latch member at a lower level, means for urging the upper portion of the latch member outwardly from the harp to carry the upper arm into wheel retaining relation to a track wire, and a. cross arm carried by the latch and pro vided with an oblique face for contact with a track rail extending below the level of said track wire to retract the latch while passing along said track rail, said latch having a shoulder adapted for sliding bearin pressure upon one portion of the track rai to hold other portions of the latch out of contact therewith.

10. The combination with a supporting track rail, track Wire, and coupling for connecting the track wire to the track rail, of a trolley and harp in which the trolley wheel is journaled having one portion depending from one side of the trolle wheel below the track, a laterally movable latch member carried by the depending portion of the harp and having one portion in normal wheel retaining relation to the track wire, and another portion adapted to be adjusted in a wheel retaining relation to the track rail and coupling when the latch memher is retracted from normal position, and means for automatically retracting the latch member when the wheel approaches a track rail and coupling member.

11. The combination with a trolley wheel and harp, of a laterally movable latch member flanked at the front and rear by obliquely disposed latch retracting arms, said latch member having one portion adapted to normally extend underneath a track wire in close proximity thereto, and another portion adapted, when the latch is retracted, to travel underneath a coupling member and track rail of predetermined vertical dimensions greater than that of the track wire to retain the wheel upon the coupling member and track rail while passing thereover.

WILLIAM GUTEN K UN ST.

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