US514964A - Oar couplina - Google Patents

Description

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' W. H. ROBINSON.

- CAB GOUPLING.

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GAR GOUPLING. N0. 514,964.l 'Patented Peb. 20, 1894.

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IUNITED VSTATES .PATENT OFFICE.

WILLIAM H. ROBINSON, OF NEW YORK, N. Y.

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SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Iatent No. 514,964, dated February 20, 1894.

Application iiled February 21, 1893l Serial No. 463,274. (No model.)

To all whom t may concern:

Be it known that I, WILLIAM H. ROBINSON, a citizen of the United States, residing in the city and county of New York, in the State of New York, have inventeda certain new and useful Improvement in Automatic Oar-Coup' lings, of which the following is a specification.

My coupling is of that class in which the engagement is effected by a hook carried on each car, swinging laterally and actuated by a spring which tends to hold it in engagement wit-h the hook of a similar coupling of the next car, which I will term the opposite car. I provide each hook with a housing which protects the hook and guides it in relation with the opposite coupling in effecting an engagement, and afterward holds it properly conditioned either for continuing engaged or for being drawn outward and disengaged. I provide a spring-catch which when the parts are adjusted for uncoupling may hold any hook back out of use. It the cars are not immediately drawn apart, my catch will hold the hook in the position for uncoupl-ing for any length of time. I provide that the act of drawing the cars apart whenever it is performed shall disengage the catch and set the hook free, ready to be again engaged with the corresponding hook of a similar coupling in any car on presenting the parts'together.

The accompanying drawings form a part of this specification and represent'what I consider the best means of carrying out the invention.O

Figure 1 is a plan view of one of the couplings engaged. Fig. 2 is a corresponding horizontal section. I Fig. 3 is a corresponding side elevation. Fig. 4-is a horizontal section of a portion on a larger scale. Fig. 5 is an end view of a box oar provided with my coupling, showingthemeans for operating the hook from the ground and also from the top of the car.

Similar letters of reference indicate corresponding parts in all the iigures where they appear. l

A is the end of a draw-bar, which may be equipped with the ordinary springs for yielding elastically both to pulling and pushing strains, and maybe strongly pinned to the car in any ordinary manner, and supported by the ordinary'stirrup, for allowing lateral motion of this-draw-bar and for limiting the extent of such motion.

The couplings are counterparts of each other, and a description of one will suttice for both.

B is the housing or coupling-head, certain.

parts being designated, when necessary, by super-numerals, as B. This head-has two arms; the longest and main arm is marked B', the shortest, B2. These arms extend out substantially parallel each with the other. The head is knuckled to the draw-bar A by means of a pin C with liberty to swing laterally to a small extent. The outer end ot the long arm B is provided with a holev b which may receive an ordinary coupling-pin, and may serve to couple the car, when necessary, to another car equipped with the ordinarycoupling-head. This mode of coupling uses an ordinary link and attains the ordinary ends. It is only to be resorted to in emergencies. Under all ordinary conditions the devices described below are used, and the'holes b are of no effect.

DD, is a swinging hook pivoted to the coupling-head near the inner end by a stout pin E. It is capable of being drawn outward or away from the central line into a sufcient pocket b in the long arm B', and is urged inward or toward the center line of the coupling by a spring F. It maybe drawn outward into the pocket by means of a cord or rope K, which is preferably a wire rope. The hook D, D', is prevented from ever swinging too far inward by the engagement. of its end with a sufficiently stout stop BS formed on the inner face of the arm B at the outer edge of the recess or pocket b.

H, H', H2, is a small bell-crank lever pivoted to the long arm B at h, and subject to the force of a spring I mounted in a recess in the housing (see Figs. 2 and 4t). This lever swings horizontally in a mortise in the arm B. The end H which extends inward is catch-formed, and the end H2 which extends rearward is slotted and receives a pin P fitted in an arm P which is riveted to a curved spring M which is iitted in a shallow recess on the outer face of the arm B. The ends of the spring M are free to slide longitudinally in the shallow recess as the spring is flattened by the pressure of the arm B of the opposite coupling, and are guided by the sides of the recess in the obvious manner, and also by studs B5 which are set in the arm B and are received in longitudinal slots m provided in the sprin The curved slot h2 in the arm I'l2 receives the pin P' and enables the latter pin to exert a force when required to turn the lever H and disengage its coupling Il'. The slot provides sufficient lost motion to allow the lever ll to work under the control of its gentle spring l when required. The catch Il' is adapted to engage with a pin D2 (see Fig. 2) which eX- tends vertically through a sufficient cavity (l in the back of the hook D. When the two coupling-heads are drawn apart, the short arm B2 of each head being drawn away releases the spring M of the oppositev coupling-head, and such spring immediately turns its lever Il on its pivot 7L and causes its catch Il to release its hold on the pin D2 in its hook D, D', if such have been previously engaged, and when thus liberated the spring F forces the hook D, D', into its innermost position, that shown in strong lines in Figs. l and 2, ready to engage again with the corresponding hook of the same or anothersimilarcoupling-head.

When two of my coupling-heads are moved together to be coupled, the hooks D are always inward in their working positions. Thus conditioned, the act of bringing the couplingheads together will present the beveled faces of these hooks to each other so as to force each hook outward or backward partially in to its pocket, but by reason of the fact that each hook performs a part of the necessary movemeut neither is compelled to move so faroutward as to be engaged bvits respective catch H'. The movement effects the couplingaction, because so soon as the points of thehooks D, D', have passed each other, each is promptly moved inward by the force of its spring F and engaged, each hook D, D', with the corresponding hook of the opposite coupling. It follows that the presentation of two couplings to each other will cause their stout hooks D, D', to effectively and firmly engage together. They may remain strongly coupled for any period.

When it is desired to uncouple the cars, the attendant pulls on the rope K of either coupling and draws the corresponding hook D, D', outward. If the cars are not drawn apart immediately, the spring-catch Il' performs an important duty by engaging with the corresponding hook D, D', by its pin D2 and holds such hook for any required period out of use. VVheuever under such conditions the cars are drawn apart, they are allowed to separate.

An important duty is performed by the short arm B2, that of flattening the spring M and holding it inert, and allowing the lever I-I to be controlled by its gentle spring I and caused to engage with the pin D2 and thus with the hook D, D and hold it so long as the coupling-heads are together. This condition is changed when the cars are drawn apart. After the points of the hooks D' of the respective couplings have passed each other in the separating movement, each short arm B2 being drawn away liberates the spring M of the opposite coupling and allows it to assume its bent condition, and through its arm I and pin P to compel the lever H of the opposite couplingr to turn in opposition to the force of its spring I and disengage its catch lrl' and set the corresponding hook D, D', free, and such hook consequently moves promptly inward. It is now ready to serve again in coupling, and so on indefinitely. It will be seen that the moving of the cars apart under these conditions will have the effect to disengage the catch Il' and allow the hook D, D', to move inward in obedience to the force of its spring F. But this will not take place until after the points of the hooks D' have passed each other so that there is no engagement at this period, but the parts are sct free ready to engage the next time they are brought together. The long arm B' of each housingis provided with a stout plate B1 at the top and bottom which affords great strength to the arm notwithstanding the deep cavity orpocket b' therein. Each hook D, D', has an arm or horn D"l reaching upward, which is acted on by the oblique edge of the plate BAl of the opposite coupling-head so as not to interfere with the uncoupling when the hook D, D', of the opposite coupling is drawn outward.

I have shown each hook D, D', as drawn outward by a flexible cord or wire rope K extending partly around a pulley J carried on the outer face of the long arm B', and lcd from thence upward. L is a lever pivoted on the end of the car at l, and provided with an operating handle by which the rope K can be forcibly pulled upward by an attendant standing on the ground and reaching up to this handle. The rope is continued up to the top of the car and is attached to another operating lever L which can be conveniently operated by a person on the car. Instead of a lever at this point or either point, the rope may be pulled directly, if preferred.

lt will now be understood that thelong arin lB of each coupling-head is received in a corresponding space between the similar arms in the opposite coupling-head and serves to insure the correct position of the centers of the hooks D, D', underall conditions. These hooks when allowed to engage are always held by the arms B', B2, of their respective housings in the positionvwhich is favorable for resisting the strain, and for serving as efficient couplings in haulingthe cars. NVhen it is desired to uncouple and the tension on the coupling is relaxed, either hook D, D', may be drawn outward by the attendant acting through the proper wire rope K, and so soon as it is sufficiently moved outward its pin D`- engages with the catch I-l' and holds the hook out of the path of the corresponding hook of the opposite coupling. This condition obtains because the spring M is restrained by the presence of the short arm B2 of the op- IOO posite coupling. So soon as the cars are drawn apart a little, the short arm B2'of one coupling-head by moving away releasesV the spring M of the opposite coupling, and consequently the catch-lever of such opposite coupling, and 'turns the latter in the direction to disengage the catch H. This liberates the hook D, D', and it is moved promptly inward by its springF and is thereafter in position to again serve in coupling the cars together.

I claim as my inventionl. The hook D, D', subject to the influence of a spring F and mounted pivotally by means of the pin E in a casing or head, having the long arm B' and' short arm B2` attached to the car withliberty'to turn laterally on such pin to a small extent, and with means as the rope K and operating levers L and L for drawing the hook out of use when required, all substantially-as herein specified.

2. The hook D,D, subject to the influence of a spring F, and mounted pivotally in a casing or head, having the long arm B and short arm B2 attached to the car by a pivot or pin C with liberty to turn laterally to a small extent, and with means as the rope K and operating levers L and L' for drawing the hook out of use when required, and with the springcatch I-I' and the pin D2 on the hook D, D', to hold such hook in the outward position when required, as herein specied.

3. The hook D, D', subject to the influence i of a spring F, and mounted pivotally in a casand'L for drawing the hook out of use when g it is desired to uncouple, and with the spring- `catch H engaging with a pin D2 on the hook D, D', to hold the latter in the outward position when required, and with means as the spring M liberated bythe removal of the short arm B2 for automatically detaching such catch when the lhooks D, D', have moved beyond the position to engage, all substantially as and for the purposes herein specified.

4. The automatic coupler described, having the hook D, D', turning on a pin E, in combination with the spring F and with the head B having a long arm B' and short arm B2, and with the draw-bar A and pin 0 allowing lateral motion, and with the spring-catch H and means as the spring M, arm P and pin P' working in the slot h2 controlled by the arm B2 of the opposite coupling for automatically dsengaging it when the cars are moved apart, all combined and arranged for joint operation substantially as herein specified.4

In testimony that I claim the invention above set forth I afx my signature in presence of two witnesses.

W. H. ROBINSON.

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