US600183A - Automatic car-fender - Google Patents

Description

(No Model.) 2 Sheets-Sheet 1.

' 0. E. STAHL.

AUTOMATIC OAR FENDER.

N0. 600,183. Patented Mar. 8,1898.

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(No Model.) 2 Sheets-Sheet 2.

v 0. E. STAHL. AUTOMATIG OAR FENDER.

Patented Mar. 8, 1898.

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UNITED STATES;-

PATENT OFFICE.

OLIVER STAHL, OF BALTIMORE, MARYLAND.

AUTOMATIC CAR-FEN DER.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 600,183,'dated March 8, 1898.

Application filed October29, 1897. Serial Ilo. 656 ,744. (No model.)

To all whom it may concern.

Be-it known that I, OLIVER E. STAHL, a citizen of the United States, residing at Baltimore, in the State of Maryland, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Oar-Fenders, of which the following is a specification.

This invention relates to fenders for attachment to street-cars; and the object of the invention is to provide new and improved means for preventing a person who may be caught on the track from being run over by the moving car, the operation of the fender being to pick up the person who may be struck.

The invention is illustrated in the accompanying drawings, in which Figure 1 is a side elevation of the fender attached to the front of a car, the parts being in the position required for practical use. The broken lines show the position which certainparts take after a person has been struck. Fig. 2 is a horizontal plan view looking down on the parts below the line 2 2 in Fig. 1. Fig. 3 isa front elevation of the fender. Fig. 4 is a front elevation separately of the pendent yielding tripper. Fig. 5 is a'vertical section of same.

The letter A designates an arm attached at o. to the front platform B of the car and proj ecting forward and at its front end having a pivot 19. An upper side rail 0 has its upper end attached at a to the car and'its lower end to the front end of said arm A. A similar arm A and side rail 0 is at each side. Between them the tilting fender is hung on the pivots b.

The fenderis of novel construction and comprises at each side a bar F, which is secured to the said pivot 19. Its lower front end 6 inclines down and projects forward, and its rear partcurves up at cl and forward at d. The upper ends of these two side bars F are connected by a horizontal cross-bar F, and the lower cross-bar F connects the side bars at a pointsome distance back of the side pivots b. The two side bars F, upper bar F, and.

lower bar F constitute a frame and may be made of iron pipe. A guide and stay rod G connects the upper end of the frame with the lower front end 6 of side bars F. When the fender-frame is in the normal running position, as in Fig. 1, the stay-rods G are nearly vertical.

When the fender tilts back and down, the side bars F of the fender take position inside of the fixed side rails .C; but the guide and stay rods G take position on the outer side of said fixed rails. One or more chains h extend from the upper end of the frame back to the car, where it is made fast. This chain prevents the fender-frame from tilting too far forward. At each side a spiral spring I has one end attached to the lower front end 6 of the side bar forward of the pivots b, and the other end of the spring is attached to the car'- platform B. When the fender is in its normal ruunin g position, these spiral springs pull down on the downward-inclined ends e, and thereby hold the curved part of fender up in readiness for action.

When the fender-frame is tilted back on its pivots. b and takes the position shown by broken lines in Fig. 1, the spiral springs I must first yield or stretch a little to allow the said front end of the springs to move up and pass the center point of said pivot, and then the springs will retract, and their effect will be to pull up on the ends e, and thereby the springs will hold the curved part of the fender back and down in the position to retain a person.

Attached to the lower cross-bar F are V- shaped prong spring clamps J, inclining downward and with their point ends forward. Each V-shaped prong is composed of two yielding rods or tubes having one end suitably secured to the cross-bar F where they are spaced apart. ject forward and incline toward each other, and their front ends are united and covered by elastic cushion-trips Z. This construction of a series of V-shaped prongs leaves an open V-shaped space between every two adjoining prongs, the widest part m being between the cushions. This space is sufficient to receive the legs of a man. If a man were standing on the car-track, an approaching car with this fender on it would cause these prongs to take on either side of the mans legs. His legs would then become wedged in the narrow part m of the space. This action would catch or grip the man without injuring him or throwin g him over. The narrow part of the spaces, it will be observed, are back of or to the rear of the pivots b, and also are at the highest These two rods propart of the inclined prongs J. Any weight placed on the fender at this part will cause it to tilt back and down.

A trip device N is loosely jointed or hinged to the lower cross-bar F and hangs pendent below the tilting frame and has a yielding cross-bar which serves to trip up the feet of a person whose legs may become wedged in the narrow part m of the space. When the legs of a standing person are wedged in the narrow part m between the V-prongs, the advancing cross-bar 3 below the prongs will push forward the persons feet and trip him. The moment a person is thus tripped by the device N he will fall over into the net receptacle P back of and above the cross-bar, and thereupon the fender will tilt back and safely carry him. The trip device comprises the rods 0, each having an eye g at its upper end, which joints on the cross-rod F leaving the lower end free to swing forward. It is prevented from swinging backward by a chain 0', which connects the rod 0 with the side bar F. A yielding cross-bar s connects across between the two pendent rods 0, and a cushion-strap t, of rubber, canvas, or leather, extends horizontally at the lower edge of the cross-bars s. The tripping of a persons feet is done by this cushion-strap. At the lower end of each pendent rod 0 is a roller or small wheel a, which when the fender tilts back comes down on the track-rail, but normally is elevated above the rail.

At the under side of each of the two side V-prongs which are directly over the trackrails a roller or small wheel 1) is attached. In the normal or ordinary position these rollers 11 will be elevated above the rail; but as the prongs are yielding it will be seen that if a weight, such as a mans body, were to fall on the side prong and depress it the effect would be to bring the roller 1 in contact with the track-rail.

From the description here given the operation of the device will be understood.

Having thus described my invention, what I claim is 1. A tilting car-fender comprising the following elements in combination: side pivots; a lower cross-bar back of and above the said pivots; V-shaped prongs attached to the said cross-bar and inclining downward and forward to a point in front of said pivots; and a net receptacle back of and above the crossbar.

2. A tilting car-fender comprising the following elements: side pivots; a lower cross-bar back of and above the said pivots; V-shaped prongs attached to the said cross-bar and inclining downward and forward to a point in front of said pivots; and a net receptacle back of and above the cross-bar; in combination with a trip device hanging pendent below the tilting fender to trip a person who may be caught between the V-prongs.

3. A tilting car-fender comprising the following elements: side pivots; alower cross-bar back of and above the said pivots; V-shaped prongs attached to the said cross-bar and inclining downward and forward to a point in front of said pivots; and a net receptacle back of and above the cross-bar; in combination with a spiral spring at each side attached by one end to the car and by the other end to the lower front end of the fender forward of said pivot.

4. Acar-fenderhavingaside bar, F, at each side and pivoted; a cross-bar F back of and above said pivots and connecting said two side bars; aseries of V-shaped prongs-each prong composed of two yielding tubes having one end secured. to the cross-bar where they are spaced apart and which then project forward and incline toward each other and at their front ends are united; an elastic cushion sleeve or trip, Z, covering said united front ends; and a receptacle back of and above the cross-bar.

5. A car-fender havinga sidebar, F, at each side and pivoted; a cross-bar F back of and above said pivots and connecting said two side bars aseries of V-shaped prongs-each prong composed of two yielding tubes having one end secured to the cross-bar where they are spaced apart and which then project forward and incline toward each other and at their front ends are united; an elastic cushion sleeve or trip, I, covering said united front ends; two rods, 0, jointed to the said crossbar one at each side of the fender and hang ing pendent below the fender; and a yieldin g cross-bans, connecting horizontally across between the lower ends of said two pendent I rods.

In testimony whereof I affix my signature in the presence of two witnesses.

OLIVER E. STAHL. Witnesses:

CHARLES B. MANN, J r., CHAPIN A. FERGUSON.

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