US415727A

US415727A - Car-starter

Info

Publication number: US415727A
Authority: US
Publication date: 1889-11-26
Anticipated expiration: 1906-11-26

Description

(No Model.)

J. J. A. MILLER.

GAR STARTER.

Patented Nov. 26, 1889.

I U ITE STATES PATENT OFFICE.

JOHN J. A. MILLER, OF CHICAGO, ILLINOIS.

CAR-STARTER.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 415,727, dated Nbvember 26, 1889. Application filed September 7, 1889. Serial No. 323,385. (No model.)

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, JOHN J. A. MILLER, a citizen of the United States, residing at 0hicago, in the county of Cook and State of Illinois, have invented a certain new and useful Improvement in Car-Starters, of which the following is a specification.

My invention relates to car-starting devices involving as a matter of constructionahandlever provided with a fulcrunnwhich is pivoted to the lever and made of such length that when resting upon the ground the lever can be operated for the purpose of starting a car.

The object of my invention is to render a device of such character readily applicable to and detachable from a car, to insure a direct forward push of the car when the hand-lever is operated, to avoid injury to the car, and to provide certain novel and improved details "serving to generally promote the serviceability of car-starters.

To the attainment of the foregoing and other useful ends my invention consists in matters hereinafter set forth, and particularly pointed out in the claims.

In the accompanying drawings, Figure 1 represents in side elevation a ear-starter embodying my invention applied for starting a car, the car herein partially represented being a street-car adapted for a cable railway or other street service, it being understood, however, that my improved car-starter can be employed for starting cars of any character. Fig. 2 represents the application of my improved car-starter to a flat or platform car. Fig. 3 is a perspective viewof my improved car-starter, with the fulcrum omitted for convenience of illustration. Fig. 4 represents the same in side elevation. Fig. 5 represents the forked portion of the fulcrum-piece.

The han d-lever A is provided with a swinging fulcrum B, which is pivoted to the handlever a comparatively short distance back from the forward end of the lever, so as to provide the latter with short and long arms. The swinging fulcrum is of such height that when resting upon the ground, as in Fig. 1, the lever will be so elevated as to permit its forward end to be conveniently brought opposite the rear end of the car-platform, and

as a means for adapting the fulcrum i n height to cars having platforms at different heights, the fulcrum is constructed with the two sections Z) and b, which can be adjust-ably held together in any suitable wayas, for example, the section b can be held in a socket in the upper portion of the section b by a setscrew or the like. The short arm a of the hand-lever carries an abutment-block 'O, which is hinged to the lever in such way that the forward end of the lever shall be directly opposite and abut against the rear side of said block. The lever is connected with the abutment-block by a swinging hinge-connection, herein shown as consisting of pintle straps or leaves D, embracing and attached to opposite sides of the lever and connected with the abutment-block midway or substantially midway of the ends of the latter by a pintle d, in which way the forward end of the lever can abut directly against the abutment-block and at the same time be capable of a free and powerful action. The rear side of the abutment is provided with a concave recess, in which the forward rounded end of the lever engages, as indicated in dotted lines in Fig. 4, by which arrangement steadiness and reliability of action are attained.

For cable-railway cars and other street-cars I provide the abutment-block with a chain E, which may be provided at its outer end with a hook, by which the abutment-block can be readily suspended from the dash-board and permitted to hang in position to lie directly against the rear end of the platform, as'in Fig. 1. hen, therefore, the lever is operated by an attendant, the push of the lever will be directly against the abutment-block, which will in turn transmit the push directly against the end of the platform without tendency to lift the same. I also provide the abutmentbloek with folding rests 0, consisting of arms which can be either folded (swung) back within recesses c, Fig. 3, in the front face of the block or unfolded (swung) out from the block to an extent to project at right angles therefrom. These rests permit the abutm entblock to be conveniently applied to a platform-car, as in Fig. 2, wherein the rests are shown projected from the abutment-block and resting upon the top of the car-platform.

The swinging fulcrum B is preferably forked at its lower end, so that when so desired it can be positioned to straddle a rail of the track, it being, however, a serviceable feature in case the fulcrum is positioned between the rails, since the two prongs when resting upon the ground will steady the fulcrum and prevent it from tipping to either side.

hat I claim as my invention is- 1. A car-starter comprising in combination and arrangement the abutment block 0, adapted for application to a car, the hand-lever A, provided with a. swinging fulcrum B, and having its forward end arranged to abut directly against the rear side of the abutmentblock at a point between the ends of said block, and a swinging hinge-connection between the abutment-block and the hand-lever, consisting of pintle-straps attach ed to said members and embracing the forward ends of the lever, so as to permit its said end to abut against the abutment-bloek, substantially as described.

2. The combination, with the hand-lever and the abutment-block pivotally connected therewith, of the folding rests arranged to fold into and unfold from recesses within the abutment-block, substantially as described.

JOHN J. A. MILLER.

\Vitn esses:

CHAs. G, PAGE, 'A. L. CoATEs.