US531738A

US531738A - Territory

Info

Publication number: US531738A
Authority: US
Publication date: 1895-01-01
Anticipated expiration: 1912-01-01

Description

(No Model.)

D. & A. MQGAUGHAN.

I GAR GOUPLING': N0. 531,738. Patented Jan. 1, 1895.

m Iyz UNITED STATES PATENT FFlCE.

DANIEL MOCAUGHAN AND ARCHIE MCCAUGHAN, OF MAMMOTH, UTAH TERRITORY.

CAR-COUPLING.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent N 0. 531,7 38, dated January 1, 1895.

Application filed February 19, 1894- Serial No. 500,790- (No model.)

To aZZ whom it may concern.-

Be it known that we, DANIEL MoCAUcHAN and ARCHIE MCCAUGHAN, citizens of the United States, residing at Mammoth, in the county of J uab, Utah Territory, have invented certain newand usefullmprovements in an Automatic Oar-Coupler; and we do declare the following to be a full, 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 bad to the accompanying drawings, in which Figure 1 is a longitudinal vertical section of the coupler. Fig. 2 is a front elevation. Fig. 3 is a horizontal section. Fig. 4 is a top plan view. Fig. 5 illustrates the automatic coupling device. Figs. 6 and 7 show one of the coupling jaws. Figs. 8 and 9 show one of the jaw cranks, and Figs. 10, 11 and 12 illustrate the coupling lever in detail.

The object of our invention is to provide an automatic car coupler which is simple and effective, and which will uncouple automatically in case the cars leave the track.

The coupler consists of a pair of hinged jaws in a draw-head, with which a headed link engages. A fixed'tongue opens the jaws automatically in case the drawhead swings to one side beyond a certain limit of safety.

The outer end of the draw bar A has a solid head with upper and lower flanges a forming semicircular recesses to receive similarly shaped ears 5 b on the rear end of the link chamber B. A vertical bolt 0 passes through registering holes in the ears and draw-head and hinges them together. On each side of these ears are shoulders which will strike the shoulders a, of the draw-bar and prevent the link chamber from swinging laterally beyond a certain angle. The draw-bar has a fixed tongue a projecting forward into the link chamber. The front of the link chamber is open, and in each of its side walls is a recess 1) whose front ends are preferably rounded, as shown best in Fig. 3. In the top of the link chamber and in line with these recesses, are holes of suitable size to permit the coupling jaws D to be dropped through them into the link chamber. At the upper end of each jaw plate d is a journal d, and at the lower end a journal d the latter fitting into a suitable hole in the bottom of the link chamber. A block B is fitted snugly into the hole in the top through which the jaw plate passes, leaving only room for the upper journal cl to turn easily. The rounded end of the recess b fits the edge of the jaw plate. Surrnounting each journal (1 and rising above the top of the link chamber is a square head (7. which receives a jaw crank E, consisting of a flat plate having teeth 6 at one end and asquare hole 6' at the other end to fit the head (1 On each side of the link chamber and adjacent to the journals of the jaw plates is an upright ear 12 A transverse shaft F is journaled in said ears, and serves as the fulcrum for the coupling lever F, which is preferably a bent lever having teeth f on one arm to engage with the teeth 6 on both jaw cranks E. On the other arm of the lever is a weightf, and in the end of the lever is an eye f for the attachment of a cord or chain connecting it with the unlocking devices at the side or top of the car. The weight keeps the lever normally in the position shown in Fig. 1, and by reason of the intermeshing teethf, e, the jaw plates are held out at an angle as shown in Figs. 3 and i.

The link G is a bar having at each end a head, provided with beveled shoulders g and a tapered end g".

The operation of our invention is as follows: The link enters the link chamber and pushes'the coupling jaws sidewise back into the recesses 5' until the head of the link passes through them, when they are automatically swung together again, by the falling of the weighted lever F, which the separation of the jaws has raised. The ends of the jaw plates close against the shoulders of the link and the coupling is efiected. To uncouple, it is simply necessary to lift the lever F, which operates to swing the jaw plates back into their-recesses 12' leaving the link free to be withdrawn. In case the car leaves the track, the link chamber will be swung so far to one side, that one of the jaws will come against the fixed tongue a and the jaw plates will be crowded apart and release the link as shown in Fig. 5, thus automatically uncoupling the cars.

Having thus described our invention, what we claim is 1. The combination with a draw bar, having a tongue, of a link chamber horizontally hinged on said drawbar, and coupling jaws mounted in said chamber on each side of said tongue, substantially as described.

2. The combination with a drawbar, of a link chamber horizontally hinged thereto, coupling jaws vertically hinged in said link chamber, a crank on each jaw, and an elbow lever fulcrumed on a horizontal aXis and positively interengaged With the adjacent ends of both cranks, substantially as described.

3. The combination with the chamber A, of the link chamber B horizontally hinged thereto, the jaws D having journals received in holes in the top and bottom of the link chamber, the cranks E having teeth e, and the weighted lever F having teeth f engaging the teeth e, substantially as described.

at. In a car coupling, a link chamber having holes in its top to admit coupling jaws, and blocks partially filling said holes to retain said jaws in place, substantially as described.

5. Acar couplingprovided with hinged jaws to engage with a headed link, and means for automatically opening said jaws when the car leaves the track, substantially as described.

6. A car coupling comprising a laterally movable draw-head, hinged coupling jaws mounted in said draw-head, and means for automatically opening said jaws when the draw-head swings beyond the limit of safety, substantially as described.

DANIEL MOGAUGHAN. ARCHIE MOOAUGHAN. WVitnesses:

FRED NELSON, J. S. WATTS.