US447470A

US447470A - John f

Info

Publication number: US447470A
Authority: US
Publication date: 1891-03-03
Anticipated expiration: 1908-03-03

Description

(N-n Model.)

J. P. MAINS.

MAIL SACK DROPPER.

Patented Mar. 3,181.

J OIIN F. MAINS, OF INDIANAPOLIS, INDIANA, ASSIGNOR OF THREE-FOURTHS TO BRUCE CARR, HARVEY M. LA FOLLETTE, AND EDIVARD J. ROBISON,

ALL OF SAME PLACE.

MAIL-SACK DROPPER.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters latent No. 447,470, dated March 3, 1891.

Application filed July 10, 1890. Serial No. 358.292. (Nomodeh) To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, JOHN F. MAINS, a citizen of the United States, residing at Indianapolis, in the county of Marion and State of Indiana, have invented a new and useful Improvement in Mail-Sack Droppers, of which the following is a specification.

My invention relates to an improved device for dropping mail-sacks from a moving rail- IO way-train.

The object of my improvement is to provide means for securely attaching the mailsack to the outer end of the swinging arm mounted in the doorway of a mail-car and adapted to extend laterally therefrom, and means for disengaging the sack from the arm at any desired point along the road while the train is in motion, all as hereinafter fully described.

The accompanying drawings illustrate my invention.

Figure 1 is a plan of the dropping-lever having the top plate removed. Fig. 2 is a section at a, Fig. 1, with the top plate in position. Fig. 3 is a View in perspective showing the device in operative position on a mail-car.

A is a lever adapted to be pivotally mounted on a stud B, secured to the door-jamb C of a mail-car, so as to swing in a vertical plane thereon. The outer end of lever A terminates in a hollow casing D, having a removable top plateE and having near its outer end in its under side a transverse slot F.

G is a sliding bar mounted in casing D so as to slide longitudinally therein, and arranged to extend across the slot F. Bar Gis provided with a broad shoulder H, and is held normally outward, so as to extend across slot F, by a spiral spring I.

J is a T-shaped trip-lever mounted on a pivot k in casing D, so as to swing laterally thereon in either direction. Lever J engages with its shorter end the shoulder ll of bar G, and its longer end projects from the outer end of the casing, being held normally central and in line with lever A by spring I.

For the purpose of automatically swinging lever J during the passage of a mail-car on which the device is'mounted, I erect at the side of the road a mast L or some other suitable obstruction, arranged so as to be in the path of the outer end of lever J when lever A is extended laterally from the car. The shorter end of lever A forms a handle m, Fig. 3, which projects within the car and is tem- 5 porarily engaged when the lever is extended by a pawl n, attached to the car-door jamb O.

In operation lever A hangs normally vertically from stud B along the side of the car. lVhen approaching a station atwhich a mailsack is to be delivered, the agent on the car swings lever J to one side, thus forcing bar G backward and compressing springl and leaving slot F in casing D clear. The ring of the mail-sack, (shown in dotted lines at 1), Figs. 1 and 2,) is now inserted in slot F, and leverJ being released bar G is forced forward by the recoil of the spring across slot F and through the ring 19, thus securing the sack to the dropping-lever A. Lever A is now swung by the agent to a horizontal position, as shown in Fig. 3, thus suspending the sack at a distance from the side of the car sufficient to prevent it from being drawn upon the track when released. The dropping-lever is held in its extended position either by the agent or by pawl 9?. until lever J comes in contact with the post L or its equivalent, when the lever J is turned to one side by the movement of the car. Bar G is thereby withdrawn from the ring of the mail-sack, and the sack is allowed to fall either to the ground or into a special receptacle connected witha mail-sack crane, which forms the subjectmatter of another application for a patent filed of even date herewith, and which therefore need not be here explained.

I claim as my invention 1. In a mail-sack dropper, the combination of a dropping-lever pivoted to the car so as to swing thereon in a vertical planeand arranged to be extended laterally from the car, said lever having a transverse slot formed near its outer end, a bar arranged to slide across said slot and adapted to enter the ring of a mailsack, and a trip-lever pivoted to said droppinglever so as to swing in a plane at a right angle to the plane in which the dropping-lever itself swings on the car and proj ecting beyond the end of the dropping-lever, said tripping- 10o sliding bar, and is discharged therefrom by The contact of the trip-lever with a post dur- :5

ing the movement of the car, as set forth.

3. In a maiLsaek dropper, lever A, having easing D and slot F, sliding; bar G, having shoulder II, spring I, and trip-lever J, all

combined and arranged to eo-operate sub- 20 stantia-lly as set forth.

JOHN F. MAINS \Vitnesses:

II. P. 1100]), "V. M. Noon.