US48617A - Improved car-coupling - Google Patents

Description

PATENTBD JULY 4, 1865.

W. Ci CLARK.

GAR GOUPLING.

fyi. l

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE. t

WM. c. CLARK, orrouTLAND, MAINE, AssieNon To HIMSELF, W. D. mou. AuDs, `or LYNN, AND WM'. H. sKINNER, or LEXINGTON, MASS.

IMPROVED CAR-COUPLING.

Specification forming' part of Letters Patent NO. 48,6117, dated July 4, 1865.

To all whom it may concern: A

Be it known that I, VILLIA'M G. ULARK, of Portland, in the county ot'- Cumberland and State of Maine. have invented an Improved Coupling for Railway-Garriages; and l do hereby declare the same t0 be fully described in the following specification and represented inthe accompanying drawings, of which- Figure 1 is a top view, and Fig. 2 'a longitudinal section, of itl My invention may beregardedinthe lightof an improvement on that for which Letters Patent ot' the United States numbered 40,820, and dated theSth day 0f December, inthe year 1863,. weregranted to me. Themain inven tioncovered by such patent consisted in the application of' the link-holding pin to the bunter-bar, so that such pinmay be capable not only ot'swinging on a fulcrum in manner and under circumstances as stated in thespecification of such patent, but of bein graised oft the fulcrunzf in order to disconnec't the link from the bunter-bar.

In carrying out my presentinveution criniprovementl. employ, instead of a link and a bar for supporting' the link-pin, not only a headed arm projecting' from the said pin, but a socket in the bunter to receive thehead otsuch arm, such socket being provided with a springlatch, wliich'serves to keep the head of such arm Within the socket, under ordinary circumstances, and allows it to be withdrawn therefrom on an attempt being` made to raise the hook in order to free the link from the bunter. The headed arm facilitates the elevation of the lower end of the pin during the operation of coupling the link to the bunter-bar.' Furthermore, the arrangement of the spring-latch is' such that au upward pull on the pin will cause the latch to retreat and allow the escape of the Leading from the link-recess, and out of the upper part ofthe bunter-bar, and just in rear ofthe mouth b, is a slot or passage, c, formed as shown in the drawings, such slot being for the reception of mclink-pin C,which at its top hasa stapleor eye, f, tor enabling a chain or rope to be attached to the pin for the mirpose of' elevatingit out ot' the bunter-bar, so as to uncouple -the link-therefrom. From the pin an arm, d, is extended, as shown in the drawings,

' such arm beingprovided with a round head, g,

which enters a socket or'recess, h, arranged in the bunter-bar, as shown in Fig. 2. In the upper part of the said' socket there is a springlatch, i, formed asshown in the said figure, the

spring for operating it bein g exhibited inred lines at 7c in Fig. 1. On pressing the headg'ot' the arm d against the end of the latch the latch will give way and allow the head to enter the socket h. ,After the entrance of the headinto the socket h may` have been eiected the latch will be forced over the head and so as to preserveitinthesocket until the pinmaybe pulled upward, in order to disengage the link from the bunter. The latch will give way under the force operating to extract the pin, and will allow the head ofthe arm to be drawn out ofthe socket. i

In the operation of coupling .two carriages the link projecting from the bunter-bar ofone will be driven into the mouth of the btinterbar ofthe other, and in so doing will beforced eudwise against theconnection-pinof the latter bar, and will press it backward and cause its arm-headto t-nrn in thesocket suticiently for the link to enter the recess of the bunter far enough to allow the p in to drop down through the link and into place against a shoulder, k', formed in the bunter-bar. After the pin may have so descended, which by the action ot' gravit-y it will be caused to do, the link will be coupled to the bunter-bar.

Anotherand important advantage ot' the headedarm and its socket is thatthey prevent the pin from becoming accidentally disengaged from the bunter-bar by a sudden forward motion ofthe link while the lower end ofthe pin may be passing over the round end ofthelinkan accident to which my formerinvention may be said to be liable. Thus it willbe seen that although the headed arm and its sockets applied to the pin and bunter-bar embrace my patented invention they contain one or more additional mechanical elements or features lwhich render them capable of performing one or more additional functions.

With my improved coupling all necessity of the dangerous exposure of a person to eii'ect the coupling of twocars by going between'them will he avoided, it being Well known that in consequence ofsuch exposure many individuals have been either killed outright or severely injured. l

I do not herein claim what is or may be claimed in my said patent; but

Wje. CLARK.

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