US463237A - Bridge-gate - Google Patents

Description

(No Model.) 2 sheets-sheen 1.

H. H. SGHLEB, W. P. BACH s. T. MOONEY.

' BRIDGE GATE.

` 10.463,237. Patented Nov.17,1891.

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(No Model.)

` H. H. SCHLEE, W. P. BACH u T'. MOUNEY.

BRIDGE GATE.

lis. llllllll Il l m mkg@ UNITED STATES HERMAN H. SCHLEE,

PATENT OFFICE.

TILHELM FRIEDRICH BACH, AND THOMAS MOONEY,

OF CHICAGO, ILLINOIS.

BRIDGE-GATE.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 463,237, dated November 17, 1891.

Application filed May 13l 1891. Serial No. 392,575. (No model.)

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that we, HERMAN H. ScIILEn, WILHELM FRIEDRICH BACH, and THoMAs MOONEY, citizens of the United States, residing at Chicago,'in the county of Cook and State of Illinois, have invented a new and useful Bridge-Gate, of which the following is a specification.

This invention relates to automatic gates for draw-bridges; and it has for its object to provide a gate of this class which shall be simple in construction, durable and efficient in operation, and which while not in use shall be sunk below the-level of the street so as to be out of the way of traffic.

The invention consists in the improved construction, arrangement, and combination of parts, which will be herein-after fully described and particularly pointed out in the claims.

In the drawings hereto annexed, Figure 1 is a plan view showing the bridge approach or abutment, and showing also one end of a draw-bridge partly swung open. Fig. 2 is an end elevation of the abutment, showing the gate lowered. Fig. 3 is a vertical sectional view taken through the abutment and bridge while the latter is closed, said view'being taken on the line 3 3 in Fig. 1. Fig. 4 is a vertical sectional view taken on the line 4t 4. in Fig. 1. Fig. 5 is a transverse section on an enlarged scale, taken on the line 5 5 of Fig. 1, but with the draw closed. Fig. 6 is a detail `perspective view showing the draw returning .ment

At the sides of the approach are arranged the vertical grooved posts 6, which extends downwardly to the abutmcntupon which they Arest and to which they arersecured. Said fgrooved posts form guides for the verticallymovable gate 7, which may be constructed of metal in any suitable manner, and which are arranged to slide vertically in the grooves in the said posts, said gate Lbeing of such a height that when not in use'it may be sunk entirely below the level of the street approach.

At the end of the street approach,between the sidewalks and the carriage way, are mounted the vertical casings 8 8, at the upper ends of which are mounted pulleys 9, over which pass the chains, cables, or other flexible connections 10, `the outer ends of which are connected with the gate, While the inner ends of said iiexible connections carry the weights 11, which lare sufficiently heavy to overbalance the gate and to raise the latter to an operative position when the` bridge is swung open. ,The front sides of the c'asings 8 have vertical guide-strips l1b to engage the guidelugs 12b upon the rear side of the gate.

12 designates a transverse shaft, the ends of which have bearings in the casings S,which Vlatter accommodate the segmental gears 13 mounted upon said shaft. The front sides of the casings 81-that is, the sides facing the bridge-are provided with vertical slots let to receive the racks 15, which are secured to the rear side of the gate and which engage the segmental gears 13 upon the ends of the shaft l2. By this mechanism the ends of the gate will move simultaneously and the gate will move smoothly and easily and without danger of getting stuck, as would be the case if it were possible for one end of the gate to move faster than the other end.

The front side of the gate is provided at its lower edge with a centrally-located bracket 16, in which is journaled a horizontal roller 17. The approach is provided with a central casing 18, having bearings for a vertical shaft 19, the lower end of which is provided with IOO a weight 24, the tendency of which is to rock the shaft 19, so as to throw the arm 20 of the latter and the front arm of the cross-bar 2l in a forward direction.

lVhen a bridge having only a single carriageway is used, the foregoing arrangement will become sufticien t. When, however, the bridge, as in the drawings hereto annexed, has a double carriage-way, we prefer to add a centralcasing t, mounted centrally upon the approach and having a pulleyl, over which passes a rope or chain 10a, the ends of which are connected, 1espectively,with the upper edge of the gate and with a weight arranged within said casing. By this arrangement the increased weight of the gate may be more readily sustained and the strain is also distributed lnore evenly.

The end of the bridge is provided at each side with a downwardly-extending bracket 25, having a liange 26, adapted to engage the latch-arm 20, so as to operate the latch when the bridge is closed. The end of the bridge is also provided with a track 27, inclined from the ends downwardly to the center to engage the roller 17 at the lower edge of the gate for the purpose of lowering the latter.

It will be understood that the herein-described arrangement is to be the sameat both ends of the bridge and its approaches.

In operation, when the bridge is swung open, the track 27 at each end of the bridge gradually passes out of engagement with the rollers 17 at the lower edges of the gates, which latter are thus gradually elevated by the counter-weights 1l until the highest point is reached, when, by the action of the weight 24, the rock-shaft 19 is oscillated, thus throwing the cross-bar 21 at the upper end of the said shaft in a forward direction, as well as the arm 2O at the lower end of said shaft. The said cross-bar, it will be observed, forms a latch that engages the lower edge ofthe gate and supports the latter in an elevated position, while the arm 21 is disposed in the path of the brackets 25, having the flanges 2G at the sides of the bridge. When the latter is closed, one of the said tlanged brackets at each end will engage the arm 2O of the rock-shaft 19, thus oscillating the latter to swing the latch 21 out of the path of the gate and enabling the latter to i be lowered by the action of the inclined track 27 engaging the roller 17. The gate, it will be seen, will thus be gradually lowered until by the time the bridge is closed it will be lowered entirely below the level of the street.

Our improved gate, as will be seen from the foregoing description, is very simple in construction, and it may be applied to bridge approaches at a moderate expense. The gate and its working parts are out of the way of travel, and are therefore not liable to be injured by accident or overthrown by windstorms. The working parts are also so protected as to prevent unauthorized interference therewith, and the gate is not liable to .get out of order. Our improved gate forms a complete protection for the bridge approaches when the bridge is open. It is certain in operation and entirely automatic in its action.

Having thus described our invention, what we claim is- 1. In a gate for draw-bridges, the combination of the vertically-grooved posts, the vertically-sliding gate mounted in the grooves of said posts, the casings mounted upon the approach and having pulleys at their upper ends, weights arranged in said casings and connected with the gate by flexible connections passing over said pulleys, a transverse shaft having bearings in said casings and provided with segmental gears within the latter, and the racks mounted upon the rear side of the gate, workin g in slots in different sides of the casin gs, and engaging the segmental racks within the latter, substantially as set forth.

2. In a gate for draw-bridges, the combination of the grooved guide-posts extending below the level of the street, the gate mounted slidinglyin said posts, the casings havingpulleys and counter-weights connected with said gate by flexible connections, a friction-pulley upon the front side of the gate, a vertical rock-shaft having an operating-arm and a latch-arm, the latter adapted to be extended in the path of the gate below the latter, and the swing-bridge or draw-bridge having the double-inclined track to engage the frictionpulley of the gate and the lianged brackets to engage the latch-shaft, substantially as set forth.

3. The combination of the guide-posts, the

vertically-sliding gate, coun ter-weights adapted to normally raise the said gate, a frictionpulley upon the front side of the latter, a vertical shaft having a forwardly-extending operating-arm and provided at its upper end with a cross-bar, one end of which is adapted to swing forwardly in the path of the lower edge of the gate, a counter-weight connected with the opposite end of said cross-bar by a iiexible connection passing over a suitable guide-pulley, whereby when the gate is raised the latch shall4 be automatically swung into position, and the swing-bridge having the double-inclined track and the downwardlykextending ianged brackets, substantially as movable gate, and the counter-weights for.

elevating the same, of the vertical latch-shaft arranged centrally below the gate and havlng at its upper end a cross-bar, one end of IOO IIO

463,23*? e y e which may swing into the path of theigate While the othei` end is connected with a Weight by a flexible connection passing overa guidepulley, said latch-shaft being provided at its lower end with an operating-arm adapted to be engaged by one of a pair` of anged bracket-s extending downwardly from the end of the bridge at the sides of the latter, substantially as and for the purpose set forth. l

6. In a gate for draw-bridges, the combination of the groovedguide-posts, the oasings 8, having guide-strips 1lb, the gate mounted to slide vertically in said groovedguide-posts and having inwardly-extending guide-lugs 12b, adapted t0 take oversaid strips 1lb, eoun- 15 ter-Weights mounted in the oasings 8 to elevate the gate, and suitable operating mechanism, substantially as and for the purpose set forth. A

In testimony that We claim the foregoing as zo our own We have hereto affixed oui` signatures inpresenoe of two Witnesses.

HERMAN I-I. SCHLEE. IVILHELM FRIEDRICH BACH. y THOMAS MOONEY. Witnesses:

FRED WoRMsTADT, FRANK C. KUHN.

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