US547566A - And george - Google Patents

Description

(No Model.)

B. SHERWOOD & G. B. PARSONS.

5 v GAR FENDER. No. 547,566.

Patented 0011.8, 1895.

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EARL SHERWOOD, OF HONESDALE, PENNSYLVANIA, AND GEORGEB.

PARSONS, OF SHAWNEETOWN, ILLINOIS.

CAR-FENDER.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent N0. 547,566, dated October 8, 1895.

Application filed July 13, 1895. Serial No. 555,906. (No model.)

To alZ whom it may concern.-

Be it known that we, EARL SHERWOOD, residing at Honesdale, in the county of Wayne and State of Pennsylvania, and GEORGE B. PARSONS, residing at Shawneetown, in the county of Gallatin and State of Illinois, citizens of the United States, have invented a new and useful Oar-Fender, of which the following is a specification.

This invention relates to an improvement in car-fenders; and the object thereof is to provide a simple, cheap, and efficient guard or fender which may be readily attached to and detached from any ordinary street-car, said guard or fender consisting of a pivoted scoop having a hinged connection with the front of the car and a longitudinally-sliding trip-frame surrounding said scoop and engag ing the latter in such manner as to support it in a raised position entirely clear of the ground, said trip-frame being projected in advance of the pivoted guard or fender and being capable of releasing the latter and allowing the advance end thereof to descend to the plane of the track or into position to receive and pick up a person caught between the tracks without injury tosuch person.

Other objects and advantages of the invention will appear in the course of the ensuing description.

To the above end the invention consists in an improved car-fender embodying certain novel features and details of construction and arrangement of parts, as hereinafter fully set forth, illustrated in the drawing, and finally pointed out in the claims.

The accompanying drawing represents a perspective view of an improved car-fender constructed in accordance with this invention and illustrating the application of the fender to a street-car.

Similar numerals of reference designate corresponding parts in the figure in the drawing.

Referring to the drawing, 1 designates the pivoted scoop or guard of the improved carfender,the same comprisinginits'construction arectangular or loop frame 2, which is preferably made of tubing for affording the necessary strength and lightness, although it will be apparent that such frame may be made of wood or any other desired material. This frame when completed is continuous or in effect a one-piece frame, and the side portions or bars thereof are given corresponding bends, as indicated at 3, in such manner as to impart to the rear portion of said frame an upward inclination, so that the rear cross-bar 4: of the scoop-frame will lie just in front of the dashboard or fender of the car. Over the frame just described is stretched wire or rope netting or fabric of any suitable mesh and strength, and the length of said netting or fabric is made slightly less than the length of the side bars of the. frame to which it is secured, so that it will sag and take a gradual curve from the rear cross-bar 4 to the forward cross-bar 5 of the pivoted scoop or guard frame, as shown in the drawing. The scoop or guard frame is pivoted to the platform of the car by means of a brace-frame 6, which in shape resembles the letter W, comprising the central oblique portions, to which the reference-numeral 6 is applied, and the terminal portions 7, preferably formed integrally with said oblique portions, said frame being rigidly connected to the pivoted scoop or guard frame at the bends 3 in the side arms of the latter by brazing or in any suitable manner. The extremities of the terminal portions 7 of this brace-frame are provided with hooks 8, which engage with eyes attached to the car, thus providing for the ready attachment and detachment of the scoop or guard frame.

9 indicates a centrally-disposed and rearwardly extending arm or catch, which is brazed or otherwise secured to the central portion of the W-shaped frame referred to and extends beneath the platform of the car for a purpose that will appear.

10 designates a rectangular trip frame, which is preferably made of very light tubing, which composes three sides of said frame and a section of rope 11, which constitutes the front bar of said frame. This trip-frame is supported about a foot above the ground by means of brackets 12, secured beneath the car-bottom upon opposite sides thereof and adjacent to the front end of the car, said brackets comprising each a pair of depending arms having at their lower ends guiding-eyes 13, in which the side arms or portions'of, the trip-frame slide longitudinally. The tripframe is thus held in substantially-horizontal relation and the rear cross-bar 14 thereof is adapted to pass over the rear end of the arm or catch 9 on the scoop or guard frame.

By means of this construction the scoop or guard frame is upheld at its front end and caused to assume a substantially horizontal position. The forward ends of the side arms or portions of the trip-frame are deflected inwardly toward each other, as indicated at 15, and perforated to receive the opposite ends of the connecting-rope 11, forming the front bar of said frame. This construction obviates the liability of the forward ends of said arms injurying a person, which would surely occur were they left straight.

16 indicates an oppositely-disposed pair of shoes, which are secured to the forward corners of the scoop or guard frame and adapted to rest upon the track or ground upon the descent of the scoop or guard for holding the front edge thereof clear of and above the ground.

In operation the scoop or guard 1 is lifted at its front end and the trip-frarne drawn forward until the rear bar thereof passes over the rear end of the arm or catch on the guardframe. This arm or catch will now rest be neath the rear arm of the trip-frame and serve to support the forward end of the guard-frame at any predetermined distance above the ground. The cross-rope 11 forming the front bar of the trip-frame will first come in contact with a person standing upon the track, and said trip-frame will thereby be thrust rearwardly in such manner as to slide the rear bar of the trip-frame off the arm or catch 9 referred to. The guard-frame will thus immediately drop at its front end in position to pick up the person standing in the way, and this will be accomplished with safety and without injury to such person by reason of the particular construction of the open rectangular guardframe, the manner in which the rope or wire nettingis suspended thereon, and the disposition of the oblique braces 6 referred to, there being nothing for the body of such person to come in contact with except the wire or rope netting.

Upon reaching the end of the route should it be desired to remove the fender or change the same from one end of the car to the other this may be accomplished by simply unhooking the scoop or guard frame and pushing the trip-frame entirely beneath the car. Upon reaching the other end of the car the tripframe at that end is drawn out and the guardframe hooked to such end of the car, as above explained, and engaged with the trip-frame for upholding the same in a manner that will be readily understood from the foregoing descrlption.

The car-fender above described is very simple in construction, not liable to get out.of order, may be manufactured at slight cost, may be applied to any ordinary car, may be readily removed and applied or changed from one end of the car to the other, and will be found generally efficient in practice.

Changes in the form, proportion, and minor details of construction may be resorted to without departing from the spirit or sacrificing any of the advantages of this invention.

Having thus described the invention, What is claimed as new, and desired to be secured by Letters Patent, is-

1. In a safety guard or fender for cars, an open and substantially rectangular trip frame mounted to slide beneath the car platform, in combination with an open and substantially rectangular guard frame having netting stretched across the same and being pivotally connected with the car and also capable of swinging independently of said trip frame, said guard frame being extended in rear of its fulcrum and engaged by the trip frame,

substantially in the manner and for the purpose described.

2. In a safety carfender, the combination of a pivoted guard frame made in open rectangular form and having its rear portion defiected upwardly, a net stretched across and secured to said guard frame, the rearwardly converging obliquely disposed braces connecting the side arms or portions of said guard frame, a rearwardly extending arm or catch on said guard frame, and a trip frame surrounding said guard frame and engaging said rearwardly projecting arm or catch, substantially as and for the purpose specified.

3. In a safety car-fender, the combination of an open rectangular guard frame having a hinged connection with the car and provided with a net stretched across and secured thereto, a rearwardly extending arm or catch affixed to said guard frame andprojecting beneath the ear platform, add a rectangular trip frame surrounding said guard frame and mounted to slide longitudinally in guiding eyes beneath the car platform, the rear bar of said frame being adapted to engage with the arm or catch on the guard frame and the forward extremities of the side arms of said.

trip frame being deflected inwardly and connected by a flexible strap, all arranged for joint operation, substantially as set forth.

4. In a safety car-fender, the combination of an open rectangular frame having its rear portion deflected upwardly, a net stretched between the front and rear bars of said frame, a W-shaped brace frame rigidly connected with said guard frame and having its terminals hooked to engage eyes on the car, a centrally disposed rearwardly extending arm or catch upon said frame, and a longitudinally movable rectangular trip frame surrounding said guard frame and engaging said arm or catch thereon, substantially as and for the purpose specified.

In testimony that we claim the foregoing as our own we have hereto affixed our signatures in the presence of two witnesses.

- EARL SHERWOOD.

GEO. B. PARSONS.

Witnesses:

J. H. SIGGERS, REXFORD M. SMITH.

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