US581657A - Car-fender - Google Patents

Description

3 Sheets-Sheet 1.

J. P. BUTLER.

GAR FENDER.

Patented Apr. 27, 1897.

clforlfg (No Model.) 3 Sheets-Sheet 2.

J. F. BUTLER.

CAR FENDER..

Patented Apr. 27, 1897.

(No Model.) a sheets-sheets."

' J. P. BUTLER.

GAR FENDER. No. `58]L,65'7. Patented Apr. 27, 1897.

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TNS NORHIS PEYES CU PHDTC-LITHO WASHINGYON. D. C.

lhvrrn Srnrns Artnr JAMES F. BUTLER, OF PHILADELPHIA, PENNSYLVANIA.

CARFENDER.

SPECIFICATICN forming part of Letters Patent No. 581,657, dated April 27, 1897.

Application filed April 2li 1396- To all whom, t may concern:

Be it known that I, JAMES F. BUTLER, a citizen of the United States, residing at Philadelphia, in the county of Philadelphia and State of Pennsylvania, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Car-Fenders, of which the following is a specification.

My invention relates to a new and useful improvement in car-fenders, and has for its object to provide a device of this description which, when applied to a car, will prevent said car from passing over a person coming in contact with the wheels; and with these ends in view my invention consists in the details of construction and combination of elements hereinafter set forth, and then specifically designated by the claims.

In order that those skilled in the art to which this invention appertains may understand how to make and use the same, I will describe its construction and operation in detail, referring by numbers to the accompanying drawings, forming a part of this specification, and in which* Figure lis a perspective of one end of a car, showing my improvement applied thereto; Fig. 2, a plan view of the fender removed from the car Fig. 3, a central vertical section showing the guard-frame in its lowered position; Fig. 4, a plan view of my improvement adapted for attachment to the front end of a fender of ordinary construction; Fig. 5, a front view of the same; Fig. 6, a slightly-modified form of connection for the trip-rod; Fig. 7, a further modification of this connection; Fig. 8, a detail of a method of attaching my improvement to a car, and Fig. 9 a modification thereof.

Referring to Figs. l, 2, and 3, l represents the front end or dashboard of a car, to which are secured the brackets 2 in any suitable manner, so that they may be attached or detached without removing any portion thereof,

` and 3 is a platform of rectangular shape secured thereto.

A cross-bar l connects the two brackets in such manner as to give the latter rigidity, and to this bar are pivoted at 5 the swinging arms 6, and these have pivoted to their' outer ends the drag-bar '7, which latter is slotted at S, so as to permit the pivoting-bolts 9 to come Serial No. 588,487. (No model.)

' and go when said bar is moved up and down.

The drag-bar is provided with a locking-slot l0, with which the bolt ll is adapted to engage for the purpose of holding the bar in its elevated position. To this bolt is hinged a yoke l2, the arms of which extend forward and support the trip-rod 13. In order that the drag-bar, when brought to its elevated position and locked by the engagement of the bolt with the ,locking-slot, may be securely held in place, I provide a housing 14:, into which said said drag-bar passes and also upon which the yoke rests when supporting said bar, and this housing is in turn supported by the cross-bar et.

To the outer end of the yoke-arms is attached the trip-rod 13, which extends across the front of the fender and in advance thereof, being provided with right-angled sections l5, extending rearward and pivoted at 16 to the springs 17, said springs being attached to the rear side of the cross-bar 4: in such manner as to normally hold the trip-rod forward, yet permit its rearward movement when suficient pressure is brought thereon for the purpose hereinafter set forth. From this it will be seen that should a car provided with my improvement run down a person the trip-rod will first come in contact with such person and be forced rearward against the action of its springs by the impact, thus releasing the drag-bar by the withdrawal of the bolt therefrom and permitting said bar to drop of its weight into close proximity to the road-bed or in contact therewith, and when in this position it will be obvious that a person cannot pass beneath the car, as they will be caughtby the drag-bar and moved along the roadbed until the car can be stopped; and in order to increase the facility of the frame composed of the drag-bar and swinging arms 6 one or more ribs 1S may be pivoted to said arms, as clearly shown, by the passage of suitable bolts through the slots lf). I have shown one of these ribs, but any number may be used as occasion may require.

Should it be found desirable to put the tripping of the drag-bar frame within control of the motorman, a lever 2O may be pivoted to the dashboard at 2l and connected by the chain 22 to the trip-rod, whereby said trip- LOO rod may be operated to release the dra g-frame by the motorman moving the upper end thereof outward against the action of the spring 23.

It is obvious that the fender may be attached to the end of the carin a number of ways, but I have found that for this purpose the devices shown in Figs. 1,3, and 8 are well adapted therefor, which consistof suitably-shaped loops 24, secured to the dashboard and having collars 25 arranged to slide thereon, the upper ends of the brackets being bent at right angles thereto, so as to pass within the holes 2G, where they are held by the collars 25, embracing the lugs 27, projecting upward from these rightangled pieces. This arrangement permits the ready removal of the brackets from the car, so that the fender may be changed from one end of said car to the other or detached therefrom.

Another construction which answers the same purpose and is equally as advantageous in practice is shown in Fig. 9 and contemplates the bendingof the upper ends of the brackets into L shape, as at 2S, so that they may be passed into the opening 2G in the loops, the upper ends thereof'being engaged by the collars 25.

In Figs. 4, 5, G, and 7 I have shown my improvement as applied to the front end of a fenderof ordinary construction, in which case a cross-bar 30 is adapted to be secured to the end of the fender-frame 3l by suitable gears 32, and this bar takes the place of the crossbar 4 and has pi voted thereto at 33 the swinging arms 34, which carry the drag-bar 35, and, as shown in these figures, this baris composed of a metal rod having offsets 3G secured thereon and arranged for the attachment of the drag-rod to the swinging arms by the passage of the bolts 37 through the spaces formed between said offsets and said bar. In like manner the rib -rod 38 is attached to the swinging arms by the offsets 39.

In Figs. 4 and 5 the trip-rod 40 is connected to the cross-bar30 by its ends being bent inward and engaging the ears 4l, which are slotted for the reception of these ends. 42 is a plate-spring secured at 43 to the rear side of the cross-bar and adapted to bear against the yoke 44, which carries the bolt 45 and is also attached to the trip-rod at 4G. The dragrod 35 is provided with an offset 47, having a locking-slot 48 therein for the engagement of the bolt 45, in order that said drag-bar may be supported in its elevated posit-ion, as before described in connection with Figs. l, 2, and 3. By providing the rod 35 and rib 33 with the offsets, as just described, the strength of said rod and rib is not diminished by the formation of holes or slots therethrough for attachment to the swinging arms 34.

In Fig. 6 the connection between the said trip-rod and the cross-bar is reversed, an d the inner ends of the former are slotted at 49 for engagement withlugs 50, secured to or formed with the cross-bar 30; but it is obvious that many such modifications might be made in the forms of attaching the trip-rod to the frame or the attachment of the fender to either the car or the outer end of the Ordinary fender, and I therefore do not wish to be limited to these details of construction, as the gist of my-invention rests in the broad idea of providing a drag-frame which normally is held out of operative position, but will be brought into such position automatically when coining in contact with a person, thereby precluding such person-from coming in contact with the wheels of the car.

One of the advantages of the constructions above described is that the trip-rod after having automatically performed its work of releasing the drag-frame will swing upward in riding over the prostrate form of a person, so as not to interfere with the action of said drag-frame.

The swinging arms of the drag-frame may be arranged in any convenient manner, but I prefer to pivot their upper ends at considerable distances from the outer ends of the cross-bars, as clearly shown, and extend their lower ends outward, so as to steady the dragbar, which is attached to these lower ends, and enable it to better perform the function for which it is intended.

If desired, the drag-frame with its tripping mechanism may be located at any point upon the ordinary fender, either at the front thereof, as above described, midway thereof, or at the rear of such fender, the only requisite being that the trip-rod shall extend in front of the fender in order that it may be the first part thereof to come in contact with the person. It is also obvious that this trip-rod may be made of sufficient strength to support a person thrust thereon, and by proper sheathing or covering it may serve as an auxiliary platform.

Itis to be noted that when a person is struck bya fender embodying my improvements and is thrust thereon the platform will remain in its normal position as well as the trip-rod, thus supporting said person until the car can be stopped.

Having thus fully described my invention, what I claim as new and useful isl. In a car-fender, a drop-frame composed of a cross-bar, swinging arms pivoted thereto, bolts projecting from the swinging arms, ribs having slots slidable on the bolts and means for normally holding the frame in its elevated position and automatically releasing it on striking an Obstruction, as and for the purpose described.

2. A fender consisting of a drag-frame supported by the car or parts attached thereto, said frame consisting of swinging arms, a drag-bar pivoted thereto and one or more ribs carried thereby, a bolt adapted to engage with the drag-frame to hold the latter in its elevated position, a trip-rod attached to the fender adapted to lock said drag-frame in its IOO IOS

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elevated position, and one or more springs for maintaining the normal position of the trip-rod and permitting it to be moved rearward when coming in contact with an obstruction, whereby the drag-frame is released and permitted to drop by gravity into juxtaposition to the road bed, substantially as shown and described.

3. The herein-described drag-fra1ne adapted to be attached to a car or fender carried thereby, a bolt for securing said frame in its elevated position, a yoke hinged to said bolt, a spring-actuated trip-rod lconnected to said yoke, and means within control of the motorinan for actuating` said trip-rod, substantially as shown and for the purposes set forth.

4E. The herein-described combination ofthe swinging arins G, cross-bar 4 to which said arms are pivoted, a drag-bar attached to said arins by bolts passing through slots, one or incre ribs also attached to said arms, a housing into which the drag-bar and ribs may be folded, a bolt resting upon said housing for locking the drag-bar in its elevated position, a yoke hinged to said bolt, a trip-frame to which said yoke is attached, springs 17 by which said trip-rod is carried, and meansas a lever and chain attacl11nent-foractuating said trip-rod, substantially as and for the purposes set forth.

5. In a device of the character described, loops having openings therein secured to the front of a car, collars sliding on the loops, brackets having projections to pass through the openings of the loops, and lugs formed on the brackets adapted to be engaged by the collars, as and for the purpose described.

G. In a car-fender, brackets secured on a car, a rectangular frame attached thereto, a cross-bar con necting the brackets, springs on the cross-bar, a trip-rod pivoted to the springs and extending beyond the frame,a drop-frame attached to the cross-bar havin ga locking-eye, a housing on the cross-bar through Which said locking-eye projects when the drop-frame is raised,a yoke secured to the trip-rod and a bolt hinged thereto adapted to slide in the housing and engage the eye of the drop-france, as and for the purpose described.

In testimony whereof I have hereunto afiixed iny signature in the presence of tWo subscribing Witnesses.

JAMES F. BUTLER.

Vitnesses:

S. S. WILLIAMSON, MARK BUFORD.

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