US606583A - Car-coupling - Google Patents

Description

(No Model.)

G. T. ROHNI GAR COUPLING;

No. 606,583. Patented June 28, 1898-.

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amummr nwntoz U IT D STATES as will enable others skilled in the art to which.

car to enable the trainman standing upon one PATENT QFFTCE.

GEORGE T IIEOPHILUS ROHN, OF HERSMAN, ILLINOIS.

CAR-COUPLING.

SPECIFIGATICN forming part of Letters Patent No. 606 583, dated June 28, 1898.

Application filed January 12, 1898- Serial No. 666,430. (N0 model.)

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, GEORGE THEOPHILUS' ROHN, a citizen of the United States, residing at Hersman, in the countyof Brown and State of Illinois, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Oar-Couplers and I do hereby declare the following to be a full, clear, and exact description of the invention, such it appertains to make and use the same.

My invention relatesto a no vel car-coupler,

and has for its obj ect the production of a simple and efficient device of this character which.

A furtherobject is to provide means whereby when one of the hooks is elevated or released it will cause the elevation and uncoupling of the opposing hook carried by the other of the cars to simultaneously uncouple the hooks carried by both cars and designed, respectively, to engage the opposing coupler.

To these ends the invention consists in providing what is known as a twin-hook coupler, with a laterally-extending yielding arm upon the hook designed to engage the opposing hook and to cause thesimultaneous elevation or uncoupling of both hooks when one or the other is actuated for the purpose of uncoupling the cars. r

Referring to the drawings, Figure l is a side elevation of the contiguous ends of two cars equipped with" my device. Fig. 2 is a top plan view'of the coupler'on a somewhat enlarged scale. Fig. 3 is a similar View showing the parts in the positions they assume when the vehicles are apart.- Fig. 4 is a plan View, on a large scale, of one of the hooks, showing the several positions of the hook-elevating arm and Fig. 5 is an end view of a car equippedwith my coupler. Fig. 6 is a Vertical section of my coupler.

Referring to the numerals on the drawings, 1 and 2 indicate vehicles-as, for instance,'cars designed to be coupled togetherprovided with the usual draw-heads 3, at the contigudepressions to permit slightmovement of the' hook within the coupler when the cars are brought together with some violence, this play of the hook within the coupler preventing its being jostled out of engagement under the somewhat violent shock which usually accompanies the coupling of the cars. The rear or pivoted ends of the coupling-hooks are enlarged somewhatand the forward lower faces 13 of these enlarged ends are inclined and are opposed to a similarly-inclined face 14 at the upper forward corner of the side of the opposing coupler,which contains the depression 8 for the reception of the hook.

It will now be seen that when two couplers constructed-in accordance with the foregoing description are brought together the inclined faces 10 of the hooks will contact with the opposed inclined faces 14 upon the opposing coupler, and the hooks'will ride until the nose 9 has advanced far enough to drop into the depressionS. Opposite movement of the couplers will, now bring the opposedperpendicular faces of the hook and recess into engagement and a positive coupling will be'effected.

In order to effect the uncouplingof the cars, I

it was originally contemplated to provide elevating devices upon each car which could be actuated to raise the hook out of engagement with the coupler; but it will be observed that such a construction would necessitate the operation of the hook-releasing mechanism carried by both cars, and as this would be practically impossible I have devised simple means for causing either of the hooks when elevated to effect the elevation of the hook upon the opposing coupler. In this manner the trainman standing upon either car can simultaneously effect the coupling or disengagement of the hooks carried by both cars. Each of the hooks is provided at a point adjacent to and slightly above its pintle with an elongated longitudinally-disposed slot 5, in which is terminally pivoted what may be termed a hook-elevating arm 16, consisting of the pivoted end 17 and the somewhat elongated end 18 in parallel planes and the intermediate right-angular portion 19. This arm is pivoted within the slot, as indicated at 20, and the end 18 extends laterally from the said face of the hook at a point in advance of the arm 17, a spring 21 being located between one end of the slot and the contiguous face of the end 17 of the arm for-the purpose of retaining the latter in its normal position. \Vhen the coupling of the cars is effected, the arm 18, carried by each hook, is extended slightly under the opposing hook, which is either provided with a depression for the extremity of the arm or the latter may be located immediately under the portion of the hook in front of the nose. It will now be seen that when one of the hooks is elevated the arm carried thereby will simultaneously elevate the opposite hook until the latter has cleared the coupler. As the cars are now drawn apart should the nose of one hook engage the arm of the opposing hook, if said arms were stationary or fixedly secured, a second coupling would be effected. For this reason I have pivotally mounted these arms and have provided the springs which, while retaining said arms in their proper positions to engage the hooks, will permit of a sufficient yielding of the latter to enable the hooks to be immediately disengaged therefrom as the couplers are drawn apart. It will be seen that the disengagement of the hooks from the yielding arms takes place after said arms have been raised sufficiently to clear the shoulders 1i, and while the hooks thus raised will not pull in a direct line upon the yielding arms the movement will be sufficiently approximate thereto to cause the arms to yield for disengaging the hooks in a manner that will be readily understood. Any suitable means for elevating these hooks may be employed; but I prefer to mount a transverse shaft 22 upon each of the cars immediately above the draw-heads and having forwardly-extending levers 23, connected to the hooks, as by flexible pieces 2%, and, if desirable, the arms or levers 23 may be also connected to the lower extremities of upwardly-extending connecting-rods 25, provided with handles 26, above the top of the ear to permit the trainman to elevate the arms 23, and thereby effect the elevation of the connected hook which automatically effects the elevation of the opposin g hook, as we have seen heretofore.

Suitable handles 27 are secured to the opposite ends of the shafts 22 to permit the trainman standing at the side of the ear to effect the coupling of the parts in an obvious manner.

Thus I am enabled to produce a simple, durable, and efficient coupling of the class known as twin hooks, which will be automatically coupled and which may be uncoupled by a trainman standing upon either car or to one side thereof, the usual danger to life and limb being absolutely eliminated; but while the present embodiment of my invention appears to be preferable I do not desire to limit myself to the structural details set out, but reserve the right to change, modify, or vary them at will within the scope of the protection prayed.

Having thus described my invention, what I claim as new, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is

1. The combination with a coupling and pivoted hook, of a laterally-extended, springactuated pivoted arm carried by the hook, and designed to effect the elevation of the opposing hook, substantially as specified.

2. The combination with a coupler provided with a depression adjacent to one side, and with a pivoted hook adjacent to its opposite side, of an angular laterally-extended arm pivoted within the slot in said hook, and a spring bearing against said arm, substantially as specified.

3. The combination with a coupler provided with a depression adjacent to one side, of a pivoted hook adjacent to the other side of the coupler, an angular laterally-extending hookelevating arm pivotally mounted in a longitudinal slot in said hook, a spring mounted within the slot and designed to retain the arm in its normal position, a shaft extending laterally across the car, an arm carried by the shaft and operatively connected with the hook, a connecting-rod likewise connected to said hook and extending to the top of the car, and handles upon the connecting-rod and shaft, whereby the hook may be elevated to uncouple the cars and may cause the uncoupling of the opposed hook through the medium of the laterally-extending arm, substantially as specified.

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

GEORGE TIIEO'IIIILUS ROIIN. lVitnesses:

JOHN \VATKINS,

JOHN A. McCA'nn.

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