US1988840A - Tool - Google Patents

Description

H. HARTL Jan. 22, 1935.

TOOL

Filed April 25, 1934 I Hams H9071.

Patented Jan. 22, 1935 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE TOOL Hans Hartl, Milwaukee, Wis. Application April 25, 1934, Serial No. 7122,342

4 Claims. (01. 254-104 5 Of boards which are nailed in place.

This invention 'appertains to a novel device for facilitating the opening of grain doors of railroad cars.

In grain cars, the doorways are closed by means Considerable difficulty is experienced in removing these boards. It is the general practice to use an ax or similar heavy instrument to-break in the lower board. Not only does this consiune time and the expenditure of a great deal of labor, but injury to the boards and door jambs is sustained. This results in undue cost, and splinters of wood often become mixed with the grain, which causes injury to the machinery of the flour mill. Very often seriousinjury is caused to the personopening the door by the flying splinters.

It is, therefore, one of the primary objects of my invention to provide a tool which can be easily and quickly actuated, and which will effectively loosen the lower board of the grain door without injury, and thereby permit the expeditious unloading of the. grain.

Anotherrsalient object of my invention is the provision of a pair of opposed wedge-shaped members with mechanical means for slowly and forcibly urging the members between the ends of the board and the door jambs, so that the board with its nails will be gradually forced inwardly and loosened from the doorway without injury to the board or door jambs.

A further important object of my invention is the provision of novel means for forming the wedge members, so that the same will not be stopped by the securing nails as the wedges are forcibly urged between the door board and the door jamb.

A still further object of my invention is to provide an improved tool of the above character, which will be durable and efficient in use, one that will be simple and easy to manufacture, and one which can be placed upon the market at a reasonable cost.

With these and other objects in view, the invention consists in the novel construction, arrangement, and formation of parts, as will be hereinafter more specifically described, claimed, and illustrated in the accompanying drawing, in which drawing:

Figure 1 is a fragmentary side elevation of a grain car, showing my improved tool in its operative position for forcing open the lowermost board of the grain door.

Figure 2 is a top plan view of my improved tool with parts thereof broken away and in section to illustrate structural details, the tool being shown in its operative position for opening the; grain door, the fragmentof the car shown being in cross section.

Figure 3 is an enlarged, detail sectional view, illustrating the pawl and ratchet mechanism for actuating the wedges.

Figure 4 is a fragmentary detail section similar to Figure 2, but on a larger scale, illustrating the action of one of the wedge members as the same is forced between theboard'and door jamb.

Referring to the drawings indetail, wherein similar reference charactersdesignate corresponding parts throughout the several views, the

letter A generally indicates my improved appliance, and D a grain door for a railroad'car C.

The railroad car C is of the type generally utilized for transporting grain, and only a suilicient part thereof has been shown to illustrate the use of my improved appliance. The railroad car includes the side wall 5 having the door opening 6, and thegrain door D is adapted to be sec-uredin place by nails 7 to the door post, or jam'o, 8;

The grain door D, as in the usual practise, embodies a plurality of boards, or planks, 9, which, as stated, are secured in place by means of the nails '7.

To expedite the removal of the boards 9 without injury thereto and to the door post, I employ my improved appliance, or tool, A, which embodies a pair of companion, or like, wedge members 10 and 11. These wedge members 10 and 11 extend in opposite directions and are rigidly secured in any preferred manner to the shanks 12.

These shanks, or arms, 12 can be of a solid or hollow construction and are rigidly secured adjacent to the inner ends to collars 13. These collars 13 carry nuts, or threaded sleeves, 14, and these nuts, or threaded sleeves, receive respectively the rightand left-hand threaded ends of the feed screw 15. Rigidly secured to the central portion of the feed screw 15 is a ratchet wheel 16.

An operating lever 17 is provided for operating the feed screw, and this lever has its inner end bifurcated to provide a pair of arms 18 which are rotatably mounted on the feed screw 15 on opposite sides of the ratchet wheel 16. Thus, the lever 1'7 is freely movable on the feed screw.

A spring-pressed reversible pawl 19 is carried by the lever for engaging the teeth of the ratchet wheel. Hence, by changing the position of the pawl, the ratchet wheel can be turned in the desired direction upon manipulation of the lever. The extreme outer end of the lever can be provided with any desired type of hand grip.

Referring more particularly to the wedges 10 and 11, it will be noted that each of the same are provided with fiat inner faces 20 for fitting snugly against the door board which is to be loosened, and the outer faces thereof are inclined outwardly toward the free edge of the wedges to form a sharp leading end.

It is to be noted that the sharp leading end is provided with a plurality of inwardly directed, relatively long notches 21 which provide teeth 22. The teeth 22 facilitate the insertion of the wedges between the door board and the door post, or jamb, and the notches permit the wedges to ride past the nails, and thus the nails do not stop or hinder the movement of the wedges between the door boards and the door jambs. By referring to Figure 4, it will be noted that the nails 7 will ride into the notches as the wedges are being forced into their operative positions.

In use of my improved device, the wedges'are placed with their sharpened leading edges between-the door board and the door jambs, as clearly shown in Figures 1 and 2 of the drawing. The pawl 19 is set in the desired position and the lever 17 is operated up and down. This will rotate the feed screw and gradually move the threaded sleeves, or nuts, 14 outwardly in opposite directions and forcibly urge the wedges between the board and the door posts, or jambs.

This will quickly and effectively loosen the board and permit the escape of grain in rear thereof. As the pressure of the grain is released from the grain door, the other boards can be quickly loosened.

When it is desired to remove my improved appliance, the position of the pawl is reversed so that when the lever is manipulated, the wedges 10 and 11 will be brought inwardly toward one another.

From the foregoing description, it can be seen that I have provided an exceptionally simple and eflicient means for opening the grain doors of railroad cars without injury to the door or car.

Obviously, all splinter-ing of the door and door posts is eliminated. Hence, the danger of the person opening the door being injured by flying splinters is entirely obviated.

Changes inqdetails may be made Without departing from the spirit or the scope of this invention, but what I claim as new is:

1. The combination with a grain car including door posts and closure boards nailed to said posts, of means for loosening said boards comprising a. pair of wedge members extending in opposite directions for movement between a closure board and the door posts, forwardly projecting teeth on the free ends of the wedges, and means for forcibly urging the wedges in opposite directions.

2. An appliance for loosening the closure boards of grain cars comprising a pair of oppositely directed wedges having flat inner faces and inclined outer faces to provide sharp leading edges, and means operatively connecting said wedges together and for moving the wedges in opposite directions.

3. An appliance for loosening the closure boards of grain cars comprising a pair of oppositely directed wedges having fiat inner faces and inclined outer faces to provide sharp leading edges, and means operatively connecting said wedges together and for moving the wedges in opposite directions, said leading edges being provided with inwardly directed nail-receiving notches.

4. An appliance for loosening the closure HANs HARTL.

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