US1990435A - Time saving trolley base - Google Patents

Description

Feb. 5, 1935.

H. A. LEONHAUSER 1,990,435

TIME SAVING TROLLEY BASE Filed Sept. 19, 1931 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 rfv-WV w W? Y 447V A.

ATTORNEY Feb 5, 1935. A. LEONHAUSER TIME SAVING TROLLEY BASE Filed Sept. 19, 1951 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 INVENTOR /e/fy f4. O7a user' BY ATTORNEY Patented Feb. 5, 1935v` UNlTED star-13s TIME SAVING TROLLEY BASE -Henry A. Leonhauser, Baltimore, VApplication September 19, 1931, Serial No. 563,880

,3 Claims.

The invention relates to trolley 'bases of the detachable pole type and has forits general object the provision of a novel arrangement or structure whereby the wor-kof removing ,and replacing a damaged pole will be facilitated and expedited.

It is well known that in .service a trolley pole frequently becomes bent or otherwise damaged from some cause or other, necessitating its replacement by a new one. Ordinarily it ,is neces'- sary to send to the shopfor a new pole and .the Work of making the change consumes .considerable time as it is necessary to remove several bolts and then place them .back in proper position when the replacement pole Sis applied. .Naturally this is extremely objectionable as it ties .up .traffic and causes Ainconvenience and .annoyance -to the public. l

It is with the above .facts in view that I 'have devised the present invention whichcontemplates a trolley construction in which the pole issimply .clamped in place by lmeans which .may be released and subsequently reclamped 'without the necessityV for ,employing any tools whatsoever so that the work of effecting replacement of .adamaged pole may begreatly expedited, the intention being that the Icar be .equipped .Witha Yspare pole ready for any emergency which may arise, the spare pole .being carried for instance on `the .runningboard as disclosed .in my companion application for patent lfor spare .trolley pole carrier led of even .date herewith.

An important `object of the invention is .to provide a construction `of this character .embodying a novel clamp for positively securing ,therdetache able pole jin. place, the clamp :embodying tti-ecombination of a stationary saddle, a hinged clamping member .and .bolt means eiecting'connection, 4it being'morecver .a feature that the clamping .device is located within and `alouttingly engages the end of .a cut Naway.portion inthe tubular base portion within'w'hich the detachable pole is `inserted and held, the purpose 'being to 'brace'the structure andv .to avoid bringing bending strain upon the pole.

Another object is toprovide a construction of this ,character which" in one form thereof em- .bodies a pivoted bolt for'electingthe clamping action, .the bolt carrying a nut'formed with'an elongated handle serving the purpose of a wrench and the .clamp itself having means thereon cooperating with the ynut to prevent swinging .of the bolt into released position even though the nut might from .some unaccountable cause .become somewhat loosened.

inafter more fully described vand claimed, and il-v 1Q lustrated 4in the .accompanying drawings: in which:

Figure 1 Vis a fragmentary plan View .of a trolley poile structure embodying my invention,

.Figure 2 isa .side elevation, .Figure 3 is a side elevation showing the clamping member and ythe spring pressed yoke ,removed, y

.Figure 4 is a detail .cross section taken on the line 4 4 of 1'i, g,fure."l,`

'Figure 5 is a cross .section taken on the line 15-5 .Of Figure 1,

' ,'gure .6 is a view similar to'Figure 5 uillustratinga modification, Figure 7 is aside elevation thereof, and

Figure 8 is a top plan view.

-'Referring more particularly. to thegdrawings the numeral 10 designatesatubular sleeve or socket which ispivoted ,as customary to the trolley base, not shown in its entirety as it forms nov part of the present invention which has to do only with novel 'clamp means for vsecuring the detachable trolley pole. Slidable upon this sleeve is a collar 11 carrying the ordinary yoke 12y and a superposed `angle bar. 1,3, The-yoke has the usual prongs or -'horns 14 to vvhichlare connected the springs 1 5 whichjlead to and .connect with the trolley base for the purposeof .urging the trolley pole upwardly and maintaining the contact wheel thereof in proper engagement with thev trolley Wire. The forward or outer end ,of the sleeve 10 is `partially cut away clearlyy illustrated in 'FigureV 3, the cut away portion jbeing indicated at 16 4and .defining a transverse ,shoulder 17 ,as Well .as longitudinally extending' Shoulders ;18,1the latter being diametrically opposite. Thesleeve receives -and supports the detachable trolley pole as will be explained.

Secured, for instance as by welding., upon this .Outer .end of the ,sleevelO is av bracket structurehere represented Aas comprising a saddle 19 carryingan anglebar `2.0"which is .secured thereto .and which has an '.upstanding or vertical ange .through which passes, in slidable relation thereto. a.v bolt ,2.1 having', .its y.threaded end passing the angle bar 13 and equipped with a pair of nuts 22 and 23 at opposite sides thereof so that the bolt will be immovable with respect to the collar 11 but slidable with respect to the saddle 19 and angle bar 20, this movability being desirable to permit adjustment of the tension of the springs 15 by adjusting the nuts 22 and 23.

The bracket comprised by the angle bar 20 and saddle 19 is intended to be part of or to support a clamp and I have therefore provided a stationary plate or leaf 24 secured upon the horizontal flange of the angle bar 20 and having a'downturned end 25 terminating in knuckles 26' between which is pivoted at 27 a knuckle formed ,on one end of a curved clamping plate 28 terminating in a lateral extension 29 formed witha hole 30 adapted for the passage of a bolt 31 which extends through similar holes in the horizontal flange of vthe angle bar 20 and through theplate24 and which is equipped withl a nut 32 having ani elongated handle 33 of a wrench-like character.' The bolt is preferably prevented` from turning by engagement of its head within'a U-'shaped retainer 31@ on the underside of the extension lug 29.

The numeral 34 designates the detachable trolley pole which is naturally provided with the usual or any preferred harp and trolley wheel, both of which are not shown, and which is telescopically engaged through the sleeve 10 and which fits in the base in the usual manner'.` 'The point is that this pole is located within the confines of the pivoted clamping member 28 and is clampingly engaged thereby when the nut 32 is turned down tightly by means of the handle 33. Clearly the clamping action' of the member L28 acting against the pole will hold it rmly against displacement inany direction. ,N-

In Figures 6, 7 and 8 I have shown a slight modication in which the abovedescribed bolt 31 is replaced by a bolt 34a pivoted at 35 between ears 36 on a movable clamping member 37 corre-'- sponding to the member 28 and mounted in identically the same manner. In this. instance the angle bar 38 and plate 39, corresponding respectively to the angle bar 20 and plate 24, are formed with slots 40 for the passage of the bolt 34a, the plate 39 being, moreover, provided at its end at opposite sides of the slot with upturned lips 4l coacting with the nut 42, corresponding to the nut 32 for preventing the bolt 34a'from slipping out of the slot 40 in the event that the nut 42 should become more or less loosened from some cause or other. f

In the use of the device, it is of course to be understood that the trolley pole 34 is held rigidly by the clamping member 28 or 37 as the case may be so that the trolley will be just as strong as any other. In the event that the pole becomes bent, broken or otherwise damaged, it is a simple matter for one of the car crew to grasp the elongated handle of the nut 32 or 42 and loosen it or remove it if necessary so that the damaged pole 34 maybe withdrawn from the sleeve 10 and a new one insertedafter which the nut is tightened to clamp the new pole in place. If desired upon removal of the nut 32 therbolt 31 may be taken out entirely so that the clamping member 28 may be swung down in nonobstructing relation to the pole and, similarly,rin 'the modied form of the invention, upon loosening the nut 42 to a certain predetermined extent so as'to clear the lips 41 the bolt may be swung down as shown by dot and dash lines in V Figure 6 so that the clamping member 37 will be" en# through a suitable hole in the vertical flange of tirely freed from engagement with the pole. Naturally when the clamping members are thus entirely disengaged the Work of removing a damaged pole and inserting a new one is still further simplified. It should be noted that the lower clamping member 28 or 37 is located at the cut away portion 16 of the sleeve 10 as clearly illustrated in Figures 2 and 7, the circumferential shoulder 17 coming against the edge ,of the lmovable clamping'rnember and one of the longitudinal shoulders 16 coming opposite the top of the lug or extension 29 or the ears 36, as the case may be. The cutting away ofthe forward or outer end of the sleeve 10 in this manner makes it possible for the movable clamping member 28 or 37 to react directly against the pole 34- and the uncut or projecting portion of the sleeve without bringing any bending* strains upon the pole itself.

In the use of the deviceit should be clear that there is but theone nut to be loosened, or removed if preferred, when itis desired-to replace a damaged pole.V Moreover, as the nut is provided With the` long handle which fulfills the purpose of a Wrench, thereisy no necessity for using any tools. Obviously the work of eifecting repairs will require much less time than with trolley poles of the ordinary construction and traffic will not be interrupted, Wtliresultant inconvenienceand annoyance :tolv the public, for more thana few moments. i' e' 'From'the foregoing description and a study of the drawings it will be apparent that I have thus provided a very simply andinexpensively constructed trolley base wherein the pole itself may be quickly and easily detached when necessary and that, moreover, without tools.'` The obvious advantages of the arrangement should recommend it, especially as allof the parts areof rugged construction and Well capablev of withstanding prolonged wear.k It is thought from the above that the beneficial aspects of the'various features kshould be understood and appreciated by one skilled in the art without further explanation. y

While I have shown and described the preferred `embodiments of theinvention, it should be understood that the disclosure is merely-an exemplication ofthe principles involved as the right is reserved to make all such changes in the details of construction will widen the eld of utility and increase the adaptability of the device provided such changes constitute noV departure from the spirit of the invention or the scope of the claims hereunto appended.

Having thus described the invention, I claim:

1.'In a trolley pole structure, a sleeve forming part of a trolley base,'a collar mounted on said sleeve and carrying an angle bar and a yoke, said yoke being adapted for connection of springs therewith, said sleeve having a partially cut-away en'd portion, a trolley pole telescopicallyengaged within the sleeve; and. means for securingthe pole comprising'a yoke mounted upon the sleeve at the uncut-away portion of the end'thereof, 4an ,angle bracketxrigid upon said second named yokebolt means., connecting said anglev bai' and said angle`bracket,a clamp formedas an angular leaf overlyingfan'd "secured upon thehorizontal i sleeve for clampingly engaging fthe trolley pole,

a bolt carried by the free end of said curved member, said angle bracket and said leaf superposed thereon being formed with openings for the reception of said bolt, and a nut screwed onto said bolt and engageable with the top of said leaf and having an elongated integral handle.

2. In a trolley pole structure, a sleeve forming part of a trolley base and having one end partially cut away, a collar mounted upon the sleeve and carrying an angle bar and a yoke, said yoke being adapted for connection of springs therewith, a trolley pole telescopically engaged within the sleeve, an angle bracket secured upon the end of the sleeve at the uncut-away portion thereof, a bolt connection between said angle bar and said angle bracket, and means for clampingV the trolley pole comprising a leaf superposed and secured upon the horizontal portion of said angle bracket and having a depending end, a curved member pivoted at one end to said depending end and entering said cut-away portion of the sleeve for clamping the pole, said angle bracket and the leaf superposed thereon being formed with registering slots opening out at the end, a bolt pivoted upon the free end of said curved member and received within said registering slots, and a nut screwed onto said bolt and reacting against the top of said leaf for forcing said curved member into engagement with the pole, said nut having an elongated integral handle.

3. In a trolley pole structure, a sleeve forming part of a trolley base and having one end partially cut-away, a. collar mounted upon the sleeve and carrying an angle bar and a yoke, said yoke being adapted for connection of springs therewith, a trolley pole telescopically engaged within the sleeve, an angle bracket secured upon the end of the sleeve at the uncut-away portion thereof, a bolt connection between said angle bar and said angle bracket, and means for clamping the trolley pole comprising a leaf superposed and secured upon the horizontal portion of said angle bracket and having a depending end, a curved member pivoted at one end to said depending end and entering said cut-away portion of the sleeve for clamping the pole, said angle bracket and the leaf superposed thereon being formed with registering slots opening out at the end, a bolt pivoted upon the free end of said curved member and received within said registering slots, a nut screwed onto said bolt and reacting against the top of said leaf for forcing said curved member into engagement with the pole, said nut having an elongated integral handle, and the slotted end of the leaf being formed with upstanding lugs engaging against the side of said nut.

HENRY A. LEONHAUSER.

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