US1620376A

US1620376A - Accessory container for railway use

Info

Publication number: US1620376A
Application number: US44168A
Authority: US
Inventors: Frank P Miller
Original assignee: Individual
Current assignee: Individual
Priority date: 1925-07-17
Filing date: 1925-07-17
Publication date: 1927-03-08
Anticipated expiration: 1944-03-08

Description

March 8, 1927.

F. P. MILLER ACCESSORY CONTAIER FOR RAILWAY VUSE Filed July 17. 1925 March 8 1927.

F. P. MILLER ACCESSORY CONTAINER FOR RAILWAY USE Filed Julbr 17,v 1925A 3 Sheets-Sheet 2 F. PJMlLLER ACCESSORY CONTAINER FOR RAILWAY USE 4 March 8 y Filed July 1v, 1925 s sheets-sheet s Patented Mar. 8, 1927".

UNITED STATES FRANK r'. MILLER, er eIIICAGof, ILLINOIS.

AoeEs'soRY CONTAINER ron'- RAILWAY ssn.

Application filed' .Tilly 1`7, 1925.

This application relates to' improvements in accessory container lfor railway use, and refers more particularly to a unitary construction taking' the form of a container adapted to' carry various signal and safety appliances and accessories used by the ern'- ployees of railroads, particularly by brakemen and lagm'en. j j n The rules and regulations governing the operation of railroads' require that certain' signal and safety appliances' and accessories' must ,be provided for the' use o1 brakemen and lagmen, such as the` red' flag", danger lights and torches, torpedoes', matches' and the like. These accessories are inconvenient to carry, because it is diilic'ul-t to? distribute them Ain'l the pockets or clothes it frequently happens that the article required is missing when the emergency' arises for its use. This is particularly true in rainy' Weather and at night. Oitenti-mes, an'v employee will be using a lantern and daylight comesbefore the emergencyis over, and he is without his red flag.y Torpedoes being small, are lost through holes in pocket'smor fall out when the carrier bends over. The sharp points on the signal'` torches tear the clothes and sometimes inflict physical injury to the carrier. i Y Y To overcome the above cliliculties and many others, I have conceived acontainer taking the form of an elongated tube divided into compartments, land having its ends closed by `removable caps. The red Hag and signal lights are kept in separate compartments of the tube; torpedoes may be kept in one end closed by the cap; r-uatches or other small accessories may be kept in the other end. j y j Various other objects and advantages will beapparent from the following description. ln the drawings:

l is an exterior plan view of the appliance. y j

v Fig. 2 isy a cross sectional view taken onv line2-*2 ofV Fig. l, looking inthe direction of the arrows. I

Fig.. 3 is an enlarged view of one end einen Fig-s. l and 5 are' respectively cross sec# tional views taken on lines 4.-4 and 5-5 of Figi.- 3, look-ing in the direction of the arrows.

serial' No; 44,168.

Fig. 6 is across sectional view taken on line 6 6 of F ig. l.

Fig. 7 is a cross sectional view line 7 7 of F 2.

Fig. S is side' elevational view of one form of adjustable flag stalli and flag.y

Fig. 9 is a top plan view of the construction shown'i-n Fig. 8.

Fig. l0 is a side elevational view of another formof' adjustable flag staff and Hag.

Fig. 1l is an eijilarged sectional view showing the adjustable construction shown inFig. l0.

Fig. 12 is a cross sectional View talenr on line l2v-l`2 ofvv Fig. ll.

Referring in detail to the drawings,- 1 des`- ignates as a whole the container which is preferably cylindrical in formhaving endclosing caps. The container comprises a hollow cylindrical tube 2' having the inte; graliy formed outwardly extending e-reu-rn--y i'erential ribsor flanges 3 substantially `1m meda'tely adjacentthe ends. The tube may bei of cast aluminum or other non-rusting metal, it being desirableI to com-bine inthe container maximum strength'with minimum weight. A dividing partition pla-tel 4 is in; serted in the grooves eb extending longitudinally of the tube, said partition dividing taken on the interior of the tube into c'on-ipartmen-tsf.-v

It is understood that any number olf comlpartments may be provided by increasing the number of partition plates 4. One 'end oi' the tubejis closed by means of the` plate 6 and auxiliary Hang-ed plate 61 where the `latter is desirable, plate 6 being preferably lnjadeintegraly with the tube. This end ot' `the device is adapted to be closed by theremovable 'eap 7' having ring 8, the latter connecting with ring 9 on one lendlef cha-in l0. The opposite en'd' of chain l() has ring 11, adapted to connect `withrin'g 12' on the tube 2. It' will be readily seenthat when the capI 7 i's removed" from the end of the device, that it will not be lost, dueV to the anchoring' chain 10. TheV cap may belocked in posi tion' on' the end el the' tube 2 by means of the pin 13 protruding from the surface' of the end of the tube registering' with angled slot 14 on the capk Torpedoes designated 15- lnay be placed inl the compartment formed on the end of the tube 'ustnde'scribed-, this end of' the device being eld upright when the cap is taken ofi' to prevent torpedoes from falling out. It is understood, of course, that small appliances other than torpedoes may be kept in this end of the device, and the use of torpedoes is merely illustrative.

Referring now to the opposite end of the device, it will be instantly noted that this end is formed dierently from the other, not being closed by closure plates similar to 6 and 6, but is left entirely open. This end is closed by the closure cap 16 having ring 17 connected with a free ring 18 attached to one end of a chain 19. The other end of chain 19 has a similar free ring 2O connected with ring 21 protruding from the Isurface of the tube. The cap 16 is provided with the angled slot 22 adapted to register with pin 23 on the end of the tube to loclr said cap on that end. The circumferential ribs 3 prevent excess inward movement of the caps 7 and 16 on the ends.

The cap 16 may be provided with the outer closure plates 24. and 25 mounted in the interior thereof. The outer plate 25 is preferably centrally apertured as shown at 26. Tn the separate compartments formed by the partition plate 4: are adapted to be inserted from the free end of the tube the flagstaff and flag designated as a whole v27 and the red signal torches 28.

Describing now Vmore in detail the construction shown in Figs. 3 to 6, in the compartment formed betwe-en the plates 24e and 25 is adapted to be inserted the metal box 29 which is a three sided substantially rectangular box having an open top. The front of the box is provided with the flanged extensions as shown at 30 in Fig. 5, which preferably conform in shape with the shape of the cap, setting in the grooved face of the cap so that the front faces of the flanged extensions are flush with the wall of the cap, the wall of said cap being provided, of cour-se, with the opening into which the boxl is inserted. The front portion of the box is provided with the knob handle 31 to facilitate the movement of the box. The upper end of the front end of the box is provided with the forwardly facing flange 32 dished on its upper surface as shown at 33 to register with the locking stud 34E held under spring tension by coil spring 35. A hollow housing 36 is provided, preferably as an integral part of the upper end of the cap 16 in which the spring 35 and stud 34 are mounted. The front face of this housing is slotted as shown at 36 to allow for movement of the pin 37 screw threaded on the stud 34. This pin and slot arrangement prevents the stud 34 and Spring 35 from dropping into the box 29 when the latter is withdrawn. A lug 38 is screw threaded into the bottom of the box 29 which is adapted when the box is withdrawn to abut against thefront wall closing the opening 26, preventing the box from being entirely withdrawn. The ad vantage of this feature will be instantly apparent. The match box can be readily opened or closed; in open position, means are provided for preventing the box from being entirely withdrawn and the box or matches lost; and in closed position, it is securely locked.

Describing now the collapsible flag-staff, it is preferably made in two pieces, an elongated solid stem 39 of restricted cross sectional width or diameter is adapted to be slid into and out of the telescoping sleeve 40. ln the construction shown in Figs. 8 and Si, a screw lf preferably having an enlarged head is threaded to the stein 39, said lug being adapted to register with the elongated slot 42 in the telescoping sleeve 40. The arrangement is such that stem is adapted to Islide freely into and out of the sleeve, but is prevented from being entirely withdrawn. It is impossible therefore, for the stem to be accidentally displaced entirely from the sleeve holder. The flag 43 may be attr-.cheri by means of the rings 4A at both ends of the flag, and preferably at an intermediate point as shown, by attaching the outer end of the flag to the outer end of the stein at point 5, to an intermediate point 46 on the stem, and the inner end of the flag at the point i7 on the sleeve. Rings l5 and 47. are iixedly attached respectively to the stein and sleeve, whereas ring 46 is movable on the stein. When it is desired to push the stem into the sleeve, the movable ring f6 slides forward on the stem, and the flag is drawn together in plait form to the position shown in dotted lines in Fig. 8. The flag is then folded around the upper part of the sleeve and is ready to be placed in one compartment of the container.

A slightly modified form of construction is shown in Figs. 10 to 12. The forward end of the sleeve 4l() is provided with longitudinal slots 48 and may taper inwardly in an outward direction, shown clearly in the cross section shown in -Fig. ll. The sleeve may be externally screw threaded as shown at 4-9 adapted to register with the internal screw threaded portion 50 on the tightening nut 51. By rotating the nut 51 and decreasing or increasing the width of the slots 48, the degree of friction tension between the stem and sleeve can be carefully controlled. Thus it is possible to loclr the stem in the sleeve in extended as well as inoperative position.

A strap 52 having clamps or rings 53 may be attached to the rings 12 and 21 to assist in carrying the container, which can be slung over the shoulder and out of the way, allowing freedom for the hands for carrying a lantern and the like. One use for the matches in box 29 is for lighting the signal lantern. Where electric lanterns are used,

lll)

batteries may be carried in box 29. Fuses for electrical use may be carried in the compartinent which has been illustrated as containing torpedoes. y

The container as shown in Figs. l and 2 is very light and is constructed entirely of metal. rIhe filled container is adapted to be hel-d in place in a car in a horizontal position between spring tensioned clamps.

- I claim as my invention:

l. In a railway appliance, the co-mbination with an elongated tube internally divided into longitudinal compartments by a longitudinal partition element, said tube having a closed end and an open end, and removable caps adapted to have engagement with both the open and closed ends of the tube.

2. In a railroad appliance, the combination with an elongated hollow container interiorly divided into longitudinal compartments having one closed end formed by a closure element and an open end, of removable closure caps adapted to close both ends of the container, said container having a continuation beyond the closure element, providing an auxiliary compartment for hol-ding small accessories for railroad use.

3. In a railway appliance, the combination with an elongated tube internally divided into longitudinal compartments by a longitudinal partition element, said tube having a closed end .and an open end, and removable caps adapted to have engagement with both the open and closed ends of the tube, one of said caps being provided with means whereby it serves as an .auxiliary compartment for holding small accessories.

4. In a railroad appliance, the combination with an elongated hollow container interiorly divided into longitudinal compartments having one closed end formed by a closure element and an open end, of removable closure caps adapted to close both ends of the container, said container having a continuation beyond the closure element, providing an auxiliary compartment for holding small accessories for railroad use, and a movable container in the cap closing the opposite end adapted to contain small accessories.

5. A collapsible stad for railroad signal flags, comprising a sleeve and a stem movable therein, of means fixed both to the stein and to the sleeve to which portions of a signal flag are attach-ed, an element movable on the stem between the said fixed means .also attached to the flag at intermediate portions thereof, means for preventing the stem from being withdrawn entirely from the sleeve, including means for locking the stem in the sleeve in either extended or telescoped position.

6. A collapsible staff for railroad signal flags, comprising a sleeve and a stem movable therein, of means fixed both to the stem and to the sleeve to which portions of a signal fiag are attached, an element movable on the stem between the said fixed means also attached to the flag at intermediate por- FRANK P. MILLER.