US373987A - Car-coupling - Google Patents

Description

(No Model.)

T. KIRBY 87 A. SINGER.

GAR COUPLING.

No. 373,987. Patented Nov. 29, 1887 WITNESSES:

, INVBNTOR:

ATTORNEYS.

. ABRAM SINGER, of Petoskey,

UNITED STATES PATENT Erica.

THOMAS KIRBY AND ABRAM SINGER, OF PETOSKEY, MICHIGAN.

cAR-couPuNe.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 373,987, dated November 29, 1887,

Application filed April 26, 1887. Serial No. 236,178. (No model.)

To all whom it may concern.-

Be it known that we, THOMAS KIRBY and in the county of Emmet and State of Michigan, have invented new and useful Improvementsin Car Couplers, of which the following is a full, clear, and ex act description.

Our invention has for its object to provide an improved car-coupler so constructed andarranged that it will be perfectly automatic and effective in action and can be conveniently used in connection with the ordinary draw-head and link-coupling.

The invention consists in certain novel features ofconstruction and combinations ofparts,

as hereinafter fully described, and then defi nitely claimed.

Reference is to be had to'the accompanying drawings, forming a part of this specification, in which similar letters of reference indicate corresponding parts in all the figures.

Figure 1 is a plan view, partly in section, showing the couplers in full lines about to couple and in dotted lines both coupled and uncoupled. Fig. 2 is a side elevation of our improved coupling applied. Fig. 3 is a face View of the coupler. Fig. 4 is asectional elevation of the same on the linear m, Fig. 1. Fig. 5 is a detail view illustrating the pivoted coupling-block, its operating-lever, and spring.

A designates the draw-heads of the couplers, which areoi' like but reverse construction, and are formed on the usual draw'bars, B. Each draw-head A is formed'in one side with a longitudinal recess, 0, opening laterally in a longitudinal sl0t,D. In the rear end of the recess 0, on a vertical pin or bolt, E, is pivoted the enlarged inner end of the coupling-hook F, than which the recess 0 is somewhat deeper, but which is fitted to swing outward in the side slot, D. The recess 0 diverges forwardly to allow of a limited lateral play of the coupling-hook when in position for coupling, and a laterally-extending slot,

G, is cut in the rear part of the lowerwall of the slot D, in which the hook F is rested when not to couple, as indicated in dotted lines in Fig. 1, the hook being raised to disengage it from the outer wall of the recess O and swung rearward in the side slot, D, to said position of rest. The other side of the draw-head A is formed with a rearwardlyextending recess, H, which is much deeper than the hook-holding recess 0, and hence than the coupling-hook, in order to receive hooks at different elevations. The upper and lower walls of the hook-receiving recess H extend horizontally to the rear, but the side Walls, I J, approach each other until the inner wall, I, is offset laterally to form a right-angled shoulder, I, and the outer wall, J, is cutaway to form a recess, J, in which the couplingblock K may swing. v

The coupling-block K is adapted to swing laterally on a bolt or pivot, L, passed vertically through the draw-head at the rear outer part of the recess H and loosely through rounded lugs K K K projecting from the convex back of thecoupling-block at the top, bottom, and a point therebetween, respectively. The face of the coupling block K is straight vertically, but concave horizontally to correspond with the engaging-head of the coupling-hook F and to form a continuation of the converging side walls, I J, of the recess H when in position for coupling, so that the head of the coupling-hook will be accurately guided against the concave face of the coupling-block. Said concave face is arranged at one side of the pivot L, so that when the entering hook strikes the block the samewill be swung inward, the outer part of the concave face thereby forcing the headof the hook inward into engagement with theshoulder I, as indicated in dotted lines in Fig. 1.

Upon the vertical bolt or pivot L is also pivoted the operating-lever M, which rests on the medial lug, K and is pressed down thereupon by a spring, N, coiled on the pivot L between the lugs K and K The inner end of the lever M terminates in a pronged extension, M, curved forwardly to engage the convex back of the coupling-block, and the outer handled end of the lever passes through a right-angled slot, 0, in the side of the draw-head into a position convenient for operating without the necessityofgoing between thecars. Astraight shoulder, K is formed on the top of the medial lug, K, and is adapted to engage the lever M at a point outwardly beyond the pivot L.

The lever M is held out of such engagement with the shoulder Ktwhen resting in the hori- ICO zontal branch of its guide-slot O, the block K being in position for coupling. When the couplingblock is swung on its pivot by the hook F, as before described, the outer arm of the lever M is swung forward in the slot 0 by the engagement of its extension M with the back of the coupling block, and is pressed downward by the spring N into engagement both with the shoulder O at the forward end of the slot 0 and with the shoulder K on the coupling-block. Thecoupling-block is thus locked in its turned position, thereby securely holding the coupling-hook in engagement with the shoulder I. In uncoupling, the lever M is raised from engagement with the shoulder O and swung to the rear, thereby, through the action of its extension M, swinging the coupling-block outward and releasing the hook F.

A verticallyapertured keeper, P, is provided on the top of each draw-head A for use withtheordinarypin-and-linkcoupling. The rear wall, Q. of the recess H is curved to correspond with the curve of the rear inner part of the coupling-block K and its lugs K KK so that when the block is in its inner locking position it will have a broad bearing against the back of the recess H to withstand any shocks due to sudden stoppage, 8m.

Having thus described our invention, what we claim as new,and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is-

1. The combination,with one drawhead and its couplinghook, of the other draw-head recesscd to receive said hook and having a lata head, of the coupling'bloek adapted to swing eral shoulder to engage the hook, a couplingblock pivoted to swing in the draw-head toward and from said shoulder, and having a concave hook-receiving face arranged at one side of its pivot, a lever-arm swung by and with the coupling-block, and a second shoulder on the draw-head to engage and lock the lever-arm, substantially as shown and described.

2. In a car-coupler, the drawhead formed in one side with a hook-receiving recess and in the other side with a hook-holding recess, 0, opening laterally in a slot, D, and a laterally-extending slot, G, in the lower wall of the slot D, the recess Gbeing wider at its forward end and deeper than the coupling-hook, and the slot D of equal depth therewith, in combination with the coupling-hook pivoted at the rear end of the recess 0, substantially as shown and described.

3. The draw-head formed with the recess H, the upper and lower walls of which extend horizontally to the rear, the side walls, I J, of which converge, the wall I extending to a lateral shoulder or offset, 1, the wall J to a lateral recess, J, in combination with the coupling-block K, having a vertically-straight concave face adapted to register with and form a continuation of the converging walls I J and to swing laterally toward the shoulder 1, substantially as shown and described.

4. The drawhead formed with the recess H, the upper and lower walls of which extend horizontally to the rear, in combination with the coupling-block K, havinga concave hookreceiving face, rearwardlyprojecting curved lugs, and pivoted at the rear outer part of the recess K, the rear wall, Q, of said recess being curved to correspond with the curve of the rear inner part of the couplingblock and its lugs, substantially as shown and described.

5. The draw-head formed with the recess H and coupling-shoulder 1, in combination with the coupling-block K, adapted to swing toward and from the shoulder I, the pivot L, the operating-lever M, swinging on said pivot and adapted to engage the eouplingblock on opposite sides of the pivot L, and the shouldered slot 0 in thedraw-head,through which the lever extends, substantially as shown and described.

6. Thecombinatiomwith the recessed drawlaterally in said recess, having a convex hack: and formed with the upper, lower, and medial lugs, K KK, the medial lug having a shoulder, K, the pivot L, passed through the lugs K K" K, the lever M, having a curved extension, M, to engage the convex back of the block K, and the spring N, pressing the lever on the shouldered lug K, substantially as shown and described.

THOMAS KIRBY. ABRAM SINGER. \Vitnesses to the signature ofThomas Kirby:

DAVID 0. PAGE, D. D. WHITTEN. Witnesses to the signature of Abram Singer:

M. S. WORTH, HIRAM PARKER.

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