US3173380A

US3173380A - Wheel stop

Info

Publication number: US3173380A
Application number: US243918A
Authority: US
Inventors: Stanley W Hayes
Original assignee: Hayes Track Appliance Co
Current assignee: Hayes Track Appliance Co
Priority date: 1962-12-11
Filing date: 1962-12-11
Publication date: 1965-03-16
Anticipated expiration: 1982-03-16

Description

United States Patent 3,173,380 WHEEL STOP Stanley W. Hayes, Wayne Township, near Richmond,

Wayne County, Ind., assignor to Hayes Track Appliance Company, Richmond, Ind., a corporation of Indiana Filed Dec. 11, 1962, Ser. N0 243,918 3 Claims. (Cl. 104-258) The present invention relates to wheel stops and may be utilized with wheel stops such as disclosed and claimed in my copending application Serial No. 168,336, filed January 24, 1962 which matured into Patent No. 3,097,611, dated July 16, 1963 and assigned to the same assignee as the present application.

More particularly, the present invention has for an object the provision of a new and improved wheel stop having latch means for latching the wheel stop in clamp ing engagement with the rail so that it may not be removed without unlatching the latch means.

Another object of the present invention is to provide a new and improved wheel stop having latch means that is readily movable between an unlatched position in which removal of the stop from the rail can be accomplished and a latched position in which the stop is retained in clamping engagement on the rail.

Still another object of the present invention is to provide a new and improved latch means for a wheel stop which can be easily and rapidly installed on existing wheel stops to provide the latching feature.

Yet another object of the present invention is to provide a new and improved latch means of the character aforesaid which is simple in construction and operation, positive in'latching operation and which is small in size and low in cost.

In brief, the foregoing and other objects of the present invention are accomplished by the provision of a new and improved latch means for use with a wheel stop having a wheel abutment structure adapted to be placed on a rail and rail clamping elements movably mounted on opposite sides of the structure for movement between rail clamping and released positions. The latch means is manually movable between a latched position for preventing the movement of the rail clamping elements from their rail clamping position and an unlatched position wherein the rail clamping elements are freely movable to their released position. In its preferred form, the latching means comprises a generally J-shaped pin having its longer leg pivotally received in the abutment structure and having a latch block on its shorter leg for insertion into a slot or the like in which there is movably mounted clamping element control means and preventing movement of the latter when the block is inserted into the slot.

Other objects and advantages of the present invention will become apparent from the following detailed description of an illustrative embodiment thereof, in the course of which reference is had to the accompanying drawing in which:

FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a wheel stop with latch means constructed in accordance with the present invention;

FIG. 2 is a fragmentary cross section taken along line 22 of FIG, 1; and

FIG. 3 is a fragmentary cross section taken along line 3-3 of FIG. 2.

Referring now to the drawing, a typical wheel stop utilizing latch means constructed in accordance with the present invention is referred to as a whole by the reference numeral 10. The wheel stop is provided with a Wheel abutment structure including the vertical plate 12 which is adapted to be positioned on top of a rail 14. The stop includes a thrust transmitting structure 16 which extends downwardly and outwardly on both sides of the rail to abut against the side face of a rail tie 18. While the drawings illustrate but a single rail stop, it is to be understood that two such stops are generally used, with a stop applied to each of the rails.

v The wheel stop also includes rail clamping means 20 each of which includes a movably mounted rail head engaging clamping element 22. The clamping elements are provided with rail engaging surfaces 24 for engaging undersurfaces of the head of rail 14 to slidably hold the stop on the rail in vertical position. The clamping elements 22 are pivotally mounted upon pins or shafts 26 which are mounted in transversely extending spaced apart brackets 28 secured to the plate 12.

The clamping elements are pivotally movable about the axes of the pins 26 between the illustrated rail clamping position and a released position wherein the surfaces 24 thereof swing away from the undersides of the rail head so that the stop can be removed from the rail.

The clamping elements 22 are held in rail clamping position by wedge means 30 which are mounted for vertical movement on the plate 12. The wedge means include a pair of wedge elements 32 on either side of the plate 12 joined by a crosspiece 34 which passes through a slot 36 provided in the abutment plate. When the wedge means are moved downwardly relative to the plate by gravity or otherwise to the position shown in FIG. 3, the wedge elements 32 engage surfaces 38 on the clamping elements 22 to hold the latter in their rail clamping position. When the wedge means is moved upwardly relative to the plate, the wedge elements 32 move out of en gagement with the clamping elements 22 and the latter swing freely to their released positions free from engagement with the rail so that the stop can be removed therefrom if desired.

During these upward and downward movements of the wedge means, the wedge crosspiece 34 moves up and down in the slot 36 helping to guide the wedge means as they move.

In accordance with the present invention, manually operated latch means 40 are provided for preventing movement of the rail clamping elements out of their rail clamping position. The latch means includes a generally J-shaped pin 42 which extends transevrsely of the plate 12 and has its longer leg journaled for sliding and pivotal movement relative to the plate in a hole 44 provided in the plate. The longer leg of the pin is provided at its end with an enlarged head 46 for limiting the sliding movement of the pin in a leftward direction (as viewed in the drawings) and preventing it from sliding out of the hole 44 in the plate. The shorter leg of pin 42 has a latch block 48 attached to it.

The latch block 48 is dimensioned to fit within the slot 38 of the plate above the wedge means 30 when the latch means is in its latching position, thus to prevent the upward movement of the wedge means so that the clamping elements are maintained in their rail clamping position. The latch means is movable from this position to its unlatched position wherein the latch block 48 is slidably moved out of the slot 38 and can be pivoted to the position shown in dotted lines in FIGS. 1 and 2. In this position, the wedge means is free to move upwardly to free the clamping elements and permit the stop to be removed from the rail. It should be noted that the block 48 does not tightly fit within the slot but is loose enough to allow some upward movement of the wedge means without freeing the wedge means for release of the clamping elements from their rail clamping position.

When the latch means is in unlatched position, the end of the latch block 48 abuts the left face of the plate preventing the pin from sliding rightwardly (as viewed in the drawing). When it is desired to latch the mechanism, the pin 42 is pivoted until the latch block is aligned with the slot 48 and then moved toward the right until the block is engaged within the Walls of the slot. The block is then secured in the latched position by placing a cotter pin 50 in the pin 42 to prevent leftward movement. If it is desired to prevent unauthorized persons from unlatching the pin, a padlock or the like could be used instead of the cotter pin.

The latching means of the present invention may also be applied, if desired, to previously made stops having means such as the wedge means 30 associated therewith for controlling clamping means such as the clamping elements 22.

While the present invention has been described in connection with the details of an illustrative embodiment, it should be understood that the details thereof are not intended to be limitative of the invention except insofar as set forth in the accompanying claims.

What is claimed as new and desired to be secured by Letters Patent of the United States is:

1. A wheel stop for installation upon a rail, including in combination, wheel abutment means adapted to be placed on the rail including an abutment structure extending above said rail and having a slot therein, means including rail clamping elements movably mounted on opposite sides of said abutment means for movement between rail clamping and released positions, wedge means movably mounted on said abutment structure and engageable with said clamping elements, said wedge means including a member extending into and slidable in said slot in said abutment structure, and latch means movably mounted on said abutment structure for movement between a latched position wherein said latch means extends into said slot for preventing movement of said wedge means out of engagement with said clamping members and an unlatched position wherin said latch means is removed from said slot for permitting movement of said wedge means out of engagement with said clamping members to permit the latter to move to their released position, said latch means including a pin transversely journaled for sliding and pivotal movement relative to said abutment structure and a latch block at one end thereof movable into said slot in the latched position and removable therefrom upon sliding and pivotal movement of said pin to the unlatched position.

2. Apparatus as defined in claim 1 wherein stop means are provided for limiting the sliding movement of said pin relative to said abutment structure.

3. A wheel stop for installation upon a rail comprising an abutment plate adapted to be held on a rail, said abutment plate including a vertically disposed slot therein and a hole spaced to one side of said slot, rail clamping means, control means for said rail clamping means including a member extending through said slot, said rail clamping means being movable between a clamping position wherein said member is spaced below the top of said slot and a released position wherein said member is raised toward the top of said slot, and latching means for maintaining said clamping means in its rail clamping position, said latching means including a latch block adapted to be inserted into the space in said slot above the rail clamping means, said latching means additionally including a generally J-shaped pin having a long leg extending through said hole and a short leg affixed to said latch block, said long leg serving as a handle for the manipulation of said latch block.

References Cited by the Examiner UNITED STATES PATENTS 1,473,817 11/23 Gorsline.

2,204,328 6/40 Swanson --377 2,652,787 9/53 Keleher 105-377 2,963,992 12/60 Schroeder l05369 3,043,238 7/62 Hayes 104258 3,094,945 6/63 Hayes 104259 3,097,611 7/63 Hayes 104258 LEO QUACKENBUSH, Primary Examiner.

Claims

1. A WHEEL STOP FOR INSTALLATION UPON A RAIL, INCLUDING IN COMBINATION, WHEEL ABUTMENT MEANS ADAPTED TO BE PLACED ON THE RAIL INCLUDING AN ABUTMENT STRUCTURE EXTENDING ABOVE SAID RAIL AND HAVING A SLOT THEREIN, MEANS INCLUDING RAIL CLAMPING ELEMENTS MOVABLY MOUNTED ON OPPOSITE SIDES OF SAID ABUTMENT MEANS FOR MOVEMENT BETWEEN RAIL CLAMPING AND RELEASED POSITIONS, WEDGE MEANS MOVABLY MOUNTED ON SAID ABUTMENT STRUCTURE AND ENGAGEABLE WITH SAID CLAMPING ELEMENTS, SAID WEDGE MEANS INCLUDING A MEMBER EXTENDING INTO AND SLIDABLE IN SAID SLOT IN SAID ABUTMENT STRUCTURE, AND LATCH MEANS MOVABLY MOUNTED ON SAID ABUTMENT STRUCTURE FOR MOVEMENT BETWEEN A LATCHED POSITION WHEREIN SAID LATCH MEANS EXTENDS INTO SAID SLOT FOR PREVENTING MOVEMENT OF SAID WEDGE MEANS OUT OF ENGAGEMENT WITH SAID CLAMPING MEMBERS AND AN UNLATCHED POSITION WHEREIN SAID LATCH MEANS IS REMOVED FROM SAID SLOT FOR PERMITTING MOVEMENT OF SAID WEDGE MEANS OUT OF ENGAGEMENT WITH SAID CLAMPING MEMBERS TO PERMIT THE LATTER TO MOVE TO THEIR RELEASED POSITION, SAID LATCH MEANS INCLUDING A PIN TRANSVERSELY JOURNALED FOR SLIDING AND PIVOTAL MOVEMENT RELATIVE TO SAID ABUTMENT STRUCTURE AND A LATCH BLOCK AT ONE END THEREOF MOVABLE INTO SAID SLOT IN THE LATCHED POSITION AND REMOVABLE THEREFROM UPON SLIDING AND PIVOTAL MOVEMENT OF SAID PIN TO THE UNLATCH POSITION.