US519528A - Clifton wharton clifton - Google Patents

Description

(No Model.) G. W. CLIFTON.

ATTACHMENT FOR TRUNKS.

No. 519,528. Patented May 8, 1894'.

. FIGA MTNESSES: v WA ATTORNEYS.

UNIT D ST TES PATENT OFFICE.

QCLIFTON WHARTON CLIFTON, OF NEW YORK, N. Y.

ATTACHMENT FOR TRUNKS.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 519,528, dated May 8, 1894. Application filed February 8, 1894. Serial Ne. 499,473. (No model.)

To all whom it may concern.-

Be it known that I, CLIFTON WHARTON CLIFTON, a citizen of the United States, and a resident of New York city, New York county, New York, have invented Improved Attachments for Trunks, of which the following is a specification.

My invention consists in certain improvements in the construction of attachments for trunks of the characterdescribed and claimed in the Letters Patent granted to me August 28, 1888, No. 388,634, the main object of my present invention being to simplify the construction and operation of such attachments, while at the same time making them as strong as possible.

In the accompanying drawings, Figure 1 is,

a perspective view of a trunk provided with my improvements, and Figs. 2, 3 and 4 are views drawn to a larger scale to illustrate the improved features of construction.

In general principle, the present construction of my attachments for trunks is the same as that of my above mentioned patent, that is to say, there is combined with the trunk opposite frames pivoted to the trunk nearthe lower outer corners, whereby the frames can be turned down to serve as supports for the trunk, or be turned up so as to constitute braces for the same, and by preference each of the said frames comprises opposite sidebars connected at their outer ends by a transverse bar and such frames when raised, engage with catches or clasps of suitable char actor to confine the lid to the body of the trunk.

Referring to Fig. 1, T is the body of the trunk, and L is the lid, both of which may be of any suitable or convenient construction, and I may here observe that my invention is applicable not merely to various construc- I tions of trunks while they are in course of manufacture, but may be applied to trunks which have already been constructed.

The side-frames A which are pivoted to the lower corners of the trunk, are each composed of opposite side bars a and a connecting cross bar d. The manner of pivoting the side bars to the lower corners of the trunk will be better understood on reference to the enlarged views, Figs. 2, 3 and 4.. There is secured to each corner of the trunk a bearing plate B,

which is preferably in the form of a malleable iron casting provided, as shown in Figs. 2 and 3, with teats 1), adapted to engage with corresponding openings in the frame of the trunk to take the strain ofl": the pivots of the in a vertical direction. Asa convenient construction for this purpose, I form upon the end of the side-bar a a projection 5, which constitutes a pivot to be adapted to an opening or bearing 6 in the plate B, and the relative shapes or sizes of the pivot 5 and the bearing 6, are such that the pivot can move vertically to a limited extent within the hearing. In the drawings I have shown the pivot as being of an oval shape and the bearing as being of a circular shape of a diameter equal to or larger than, the longaxis of the oval pivot, so that the latter can, as will be understood by reference to Fig. 2, have a limited motion vertically within its hearing. The pivot is, however, retained within its hearing by any suitable means. In the drawings I have shown a washer 7, secured by riveting or otherwise to the inner face of the pivot, for this purpose. A sunken recess 1) is preferably formed on theinner face of the plate B for the reception of .this washer, as shown in Figs..2 and 3, care being taken to make the recess and washer of such relative shapes or diameters as to allow of the samevertical play as in the case of the pivot and its hearing. I provide these pivoting parts with catches to lock the side frames in their operative positions as supports.

Each side bar a is provided with a shoulder 8 at such a distance from its pivot as to conveniently engage at the proper time with either the upper or the lower edge of the plate 13. At one side of this shoulder there is formed a hook 9 which, when the leg is turned down to the lower position as indicated in the drawings, will engage and become locked with a.hook or catch 10 on the plate B.

The outer ends of the side-bars a are pro v vided .with suitable projections a to engage- 7 V in) I with spring catches or clasps O on the lid when the frames are turned up to brace and lock the trunk. Any well-known form of snap catches C may be provided on the trunk for this purpose, as will be readily understood.

Supposing the trunk to be closed and the frames A to be in their upturned position, and attached to the lid, as shown by full lines at the left-hand side of Fig. 1, and it is desired to open the trunk and raise and support it upon the legs, it is preferable to proceed in the following manner: First, unclasp the side frame A at one end of the trunk and allow it to turn down upon its pivot, then lift that end of the trunk by the usual hand strap, pushing the outer end of the side frame under the trunk by means of the foot. The trunk is raised at that end a little higher than the length of the side-bars a, so that owing to the play in the pivotal connection between the side bars and bearing plates, the catch or hook 9 can pass beyond the corresponding catch 10 upon the pivot plate B: then the raised end of the trunk is lowered to let-v the bearing plate 13 rest on the'shoulder 8 of the side bar a, with the parts locked together by the hooks or catches 9, 10, as shown in full lines at the right of Fig. l, and in Figs. 2 and 3. The devices described constitute what I may term an automatic gravity latch, and hold the supports firmly so that braces are unnecessary. Then the operation is repeated at the other end of the trunk. When it is desired to lower the trunk again, first one end is slightly raised by means of the usual end strap, sufliciently to free the catches 9, 10, as shown in Fig. 4, when the end frame A may be pulled out by means of the foot, and turned upon its pivots from the position shown by full lines at the right hand side of Fig. 1, to the position there shown by dotted lines, to clasp the lid. The operation is then repeated at the opposite end of the trunk.

As it may he sometimes desirable to open the trunk without turning the supports a entirely down,'I prefer to provide on the upper edges of the bearing plate 13, shoulders 12 such as to engage with suitable shoulders 11, upon the corresponding side-bars a. so as to support the side-bar as indicated by the dotted lines in Fig. 2, in a partially turned position, when desired. The side-frames are sufficiently freed from the clasps and the lid to allow the latter to be turned up on its hinges.

I claim as my invention- 1. The combination of a trunk with side frames pivoted thereto near the lower outer corners whereby they can be turned down to serve as supports for the trunk, and catches near the pivoting points to lock the supports in their operative positions, substantially as described.

2. The combination of a trunkwith sidetrames pivoted thereto with a lost motion and catches on the pivoting parts, constituting a gravity latch to lock the side frames in their turned-down positions to serve as supports for the trunk, substantially as described.

3. The combination of a trunk having hearing plates provided with bearings, with side frames having pivots adapted to said bearin g so as to be free to have a vertical play therein, and engaging catches on the side frames and bearing plates, to constitute a gravity latch, substantially as and for the purpose described.

4:. The combination of a trunk having hearing plates provided with circular bearings with side frames having oval pivots whose long axes are less than the diameters of the bearings and engaging catches on the plates and frames, substantially as and for the purpose described.

5. The combination of a trunk, having hearing plates, provided with recessed bearings with side frames having pivots adapted to the bearings with a lost motion and retaining washers adapted to said recesses with engaging catches on the plates and side frames, substantially as and for the purpose described.

6. The combination of a trunk, having hearing plates provided with shoulders 12 with side frames pivoted to the said bearing plates and having shoulders 11 toen'gage therewith to hold the frames in a partiallyopen position, substantially as described.

7. The combination of a trunk with opposite side frames pivotedthereto near the lower outer corners, whereby they can beturned down to serve as supports for the trunk or be turned up so as to constitute braces for the same, and springclasps on the lid to engage with projections on the side frames, substantially as described.

8. Atrunk having bearingplatesprovided with teats to engage the trunk and with bearings in combination with side frames pivoted to said bearing plates, as andfor the purpose described.

In testimony whereof I have signed my name to this specification in the presence of two subscribing Witnesses.

CLIFTON WHARTON CLIFTON.

Witnesses:

O. W. PARSON, W. MCMAS'IER MILLS.

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