US499393A - Thill-coupling - Google Patents

Description

(No Model.) T. OLIVER.

THILL COUPLING. No. 499,393. PatentedJun' 13, 1893.

UNITED STATES.

PATENT OFFICE.

THOMAS OLIVER, OF NEWARK, NEW JERSEY.

THlLL-COUPLING.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 499,393, dated June 13, 1893.

Application filed December 12, 1892. Serial No. 454,868. (No model.)

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, THOMAS OLIVER, a citizen of the United States, residing at Newark, in the county of Essex and State of New J orsoy, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Thill-Oouplings; and I do hereby declare the following to be afull, clear, and exact description of the invention, such as will enable others skilled in the art to which it appertains to make and use the same, reference being had to the accompanying drawings, and to letters of reference marked thereon, which form a part of this specification.

The objects of this invention are to facilitate the attachment and removalof thills and poles to and from vehicles, to prevent rattling, and to secure other advantages hereinafter referred to.

The invention consists in the improved thill coupling and in the arrangement and combination of the parts thereof, as herein set forth and finally pointed out in the claim.

Referring to the accompanying drawings, in which similar letters of reference indicate corresponding parts in each of the several views where they occur, Figure 1, represents, in elevation, a thill-coupling embodying my improvement, and Fig. 2, represents a top plan View of the same. Fig. 3, represents a modification.

In said drawings, a, designates an ordinary iron or steel axle, such as is used on buggies.

b, designates the bed-piece, c, a clip, d, the clip-bar and e, the nuts by which the parts are held in place. A

A, designates the jaws of the coupling, which have an opening, f, at the upper side the front wall of which is inclined from the front to the rear to permit the journals, g, of the thill-irons h to be slipped into their bearings or seats, as indicated in the drawings.

B,-designates a flat plate of tempered steel one end of which is secured between the clipbar and nut, the other end or portion being bent and formed intoa spring which passes upward between the jaws and engages with the rear end of the thill-iron, the normal tendency of which is to press and firmly hold the journals g, in engagement with their bearings and eifectually prevent any rattling, as will be understood. As shown in the drawings, the free end of the spring projects above and forward of the rear wall of the openingin the coupling and also above the lower end of the front wall so that when the thill is in place, the end of the spring will be at a point above the journals g which will thereby prevent them from being raised out of the opening, even though they are forced backward in the coupling until they are in line with the opening.

The rounded ends of the thill-irons,instead of being secured to the jaws A, by means of bolts and nuts, as is frequently the case, are provided with the journals, g, preferably formed integrally or solidly thereon, as indicated, thereby avoiding all danger of the thills or poles becoming accidentally detached by the loss or displacementof said bolts.

The thills or poles may be readily detached and replaced by simply pressing the spring backward and slipping the journaled portions out or in position, as will be understood.

The modification shown in Fig. 3, with an elongated bearing may be preferable for thills or poles with straight ends or ironsinst'ead of the upwardly-curved irons shown in Fig. 1, as the thills would not be likely to slip from the bearings in the event of backing.

Having thus described the invention, what I claim, and desire to secure by Letters Patcut, is-

In a thill coupling, the combination, with the clip and its bar and the coupling jaws A, each of said jaws having an elongated bearing and an opening thereinto, the front wall of which opening is inclined from the front to the rear, and a thill iron h having journals g on the end and adapted to be passed through the openings into the bearings of the jaws, and a spring secured to the clip and bar at one end and having its front end extended above and forward of the rear wall of the openings in the jaws and adapted to bear downwardly and forwardly upon the end of the thill iron, substantially as set forth.

In testimony that I claim the foregoing I have hereunto set my hand this 3d day of December, 1892.

THOMAS OLIVER.

Witnesses:

OSCAR A. MICHEL, CHARLES H. PELL.

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