US632504A

US632504A - Railway mail receiving and delivering apparatus.

Info

Publication number: US632504A
Application number: US72120299A
Authority: US
Inventors: Harry F Sharrer
Original assignee: Individual
Current assignee: Individual
Priority date: 1899-06-20
Filing date: 1899-06-20
Publication date: 1899-09-05
Anticipated expiration: 1916-09-05

Description

0.632,504. Patented sept. 5, |399.

H. F. SHARRER.

-RAILWAY HAIL RECEIVING AND DELIVERING APPARATUS.-

(Applicaton led, June 20, 1899.)

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No. 632,504. Patented Sept. 5, |899.

' H. F. SII-IARRER.

RAILWAY MAIL RECIVING AND DELIVERING APPARATUS.

(Application filed .Tune 20, 1899.) (No Model.) 2 Sheets-Sheet 2.

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NITED STATES PATENT Ottica.

HARRY F. SHA'RRER, OF BALTIMORE, MARYLAND.

RAILWAY MAIL RECEIVING AND DELIVERING APPARATUS.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 632,504, dated September 5, 1899.

Application iiled June 20, 1899. Serial lIo.l 721,202. (No model.)

.T0 LZZ whom, it may concern.-

Beit known that I, HARRY F. SHARRER, a citizen of the United States, residing at Baltimore, in the State of Maryland, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Railway Mail Receiving and Delivering Apparatus, of which the following is a specification.

This invention relates to an automatic de-v vice for railway mail service for receiving and delivering mail to and from moving trains.

The object of the invention is to provide improved means for effecting the automatic collection and delivery of mail-bags from a moving train.

The invention is illustrated in the accompanying drawings, in which- Figure l is longitudinal section through a portion of acar-body and illustrates an inside view of a car having my improved device. Fig. 2 is a horizontal section on the line 2 2 of Fig. l and shows a plan view of the parts. Fig. 3 is an inverted plan View of the upper rack and guide. Fig. 4 is a section on the line 44 of Fig. 3. Fig. 5 is a horizontal section through one side of the car and illustrates a plan view of the post on the ground and the parts in the operating position. Fig. (i is an interior side view of a portion of a car, and illustrates the mail-bags in positionv for both delivery and collection.

Referring to the drawings, the letter A designates a car-body having the usual sliding door a, which in the present instance is suspended by top rollers b from the usual trackwayb'. A rack-bar c is horizontally secured on top of the door a and moves therewith, and said rack-bar extends substantially the entire width of the door.

Secured to the wall of the car A at one side of the doorand above the trackway b is a stationary horizontal guide d, and said guide is provided with a guide-groove rl', having at one end a curved extension d2. Just below the guide d the side of the car is provided with a longitudinal slot or opening c, which extends entirely through the wall of the car. A movable rack-bar fhas position beneath the stationary guide d, and one end of said rack-bar cari-ics a pivoted L-shaped contactarm g, and said arm is provided with an upward-projecting pin 7i, which takes in the stationary guide-groove d'. The other end of said rack-bar f engages with a pinion if, which latter also engages with the rack-bar c on the door.

The wall of the car A at the other side of the door is provided with a second longitudinal slot j, which, like the slot e, extends entirely through the wall of the car, and an L-shaped contact device k has one end pivoted at 7a2 to the car-door a, and the other end of said device has an arm 7a', which projects through said slot and has a horizontal sliding movement therein. A stationary horizontal guide Z is secured to the wall of the car preferably flush with the lower edge of said slot j and is provided with a guide-groove Z, and said groove at one end curves inward, as at Z2. A downward-projecting pin Z3 is carried by the contact-arm 7c, and said pin takes in the guide-groove Z'.

The sliding door a of the car carries on its inside face across its entire width a horizontal rack-bar m.

A vertical standard n is secured to the cariioor by its base n', and said standard is provided with a central socket 0. A pinion p engages the rack-bar in and is supported on the standard n by a central pinion p', which takes and revolves in the said central socket 0. A projecting horizontal arm q has one end rigidly secured to the upper side of the pinion p, and the pinion and arm turn together. The free end of said arm q carries a vertical rigid bar r, which projects above and below the arm, and said vertical bar is provided at each end with a pivoted cross-arm i" r2, and the upper arm i" carries at one end a weight r3. The two cross-arms i" and r2 are each provided with a pin r4, which engages a ring on a mail-pouch s and supports it. The horizontal arm q is provided on its side opposite the vertical bar i' with a spring-clamp t.

The parts so far described are all carried by the car; but in carrying out the invention I have provided a special construction of post to be placed at mailing-stations, which post coacts with the parts carried by the car, whereby the operation of receiving and delivering mail will be automatic.

Referring now to Figs. 5 and 6, a post l is suitably mounted in theground near the railroad-track and carries at the top a lateral arm 2, having a pivoted extension 3, which is adapted to be projected toward the track IOO when in use and to be turned upward when not in use. Below the said arm 2 the post is provided with a suitable bag-holding frame consisting of a rigid upper arm 4 and lower arm 5, each of said arms havinU a pin u projecting in the direction the train is moving and adapted to take in rings on the mailpouch s. The same post l on the opposite side or on the side facing the direction in which the train approaches is provided with an arm 6, and said arm has a spring-clamp 7 similar to the clamp t on the car.

The operation is as follows: Before reaching a station where mail is both collected and delivered the mail-clerk on the train suspends the pouch s that is to be delivered to the crossarms fr and r2 by means of the pins r4, (see Fig. 1,) which holds the pouch in a vertical position. The mail-clerk at the station likewise suspends the pouch s that is to be collected between the arms 4 and'5 of the post l. The balance of the operation of delivering and collecting the pouches is automatic, and is as follows: When the mail-car arrives at the post l, (see Fig. 5,) the projecting arm k of the sliding contact device lo on the car strikes the pivoted extension 3 on the post, and as the car advances in the direction indicated by the arrow the said arm k is held stationary. The contact device Zo being secured at one end to the sliding door ct will open the door, and the horizontal rack-bar fm, being in engagement with the pinionp,will cause said pinion to revolve and swing the arm q around with it. This revolution of the pinion will cause the arm q, carrying the mail-pouch s, to describe an are, as illustrated by broken lines in Fig. 2, and this revolution of the pinion will continue as long as the arm lo is in engagement with the eXtension 3. To release the arm 7D" from engagement with the extension 3, the pin Z3 takes in the groove Z and slides therein until it releases the inward curve Z2, whereupon the arm k will be released from the extension 3. It will now be seen that at this particular moment the arm q has swung around and projects outward beyond the side of the car, (see Figs. 5 and 6,) with lthe spring-clamp t pointing toward the front of the train. Now by referring to Fig. 6 it will be seen that the spring-clamp t, carried by the car, and the spring-clamp 7, supported by the post l, are both to receive a pouch, the clamptengaging the pouch s and the clamp 7the pouch s. It will also be seen that the two clamps are in dierent horizontal planes in order that they may pass each other and that the clamp 7 on the post receives the pouch s rst. After the clamps have each received its pouch the car moves forward and the contact-arm g strikes the pivoted extension 3 on the post and is held stationary for an instant while the car continues to move forward. Here the stationary guide d, havinga groove d and a curved extension d2, cooperates with the pin g, and as the car moves h on the contact-arm forward the curved extension d2, actingY on the pin h, draws the arm g out of engagement with the pivoted extension 3 on the post. During thisfoperation it willbe seen that the rack-barf, being secured to the arm g, must necessarily move therewith, and such move- -ment of the rack-barf causes the pinion 2' to revolve and close the door ce through the medium of the rack-bar c, secured on top of said door. Now the operation of closing the door causes-the pinion p to revolvefand thereby swings the arm q around into the car, said arm carrying with it the collected mail-pouch. The collected mail-pouch is then removed and another pouch to be delivered hung on the cross-arms r and r2, and the device is ready for another operation. f

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

l. The combination of a car havinga sliding door; means for automatically opening and closing the door; a rack-bar, m,V secured to the inner side of the door; a pinionengaging said rack-bar; and a pouch-carrying frame carried by said pinion whereby when the door is opened the said frame will be swung out of the open car-door. v

2. The combination of a car having a sliding door; a rack-bar, c, carried by said door; a rack-bar, f, having a contact-arm,g,which projects through a slot in the side of the car; a pinion engaging said two rack-bars, and a stationary post near the railway-track, said post having an arm which contacts with the arm, g, on the car, whereby the door of lthe car will be automatically opened, for the purpose set forth.

3. The combination of a car having asliding door; two horizontal slots in the side of IOO the car, one at either side of the door; contact-arms projecting through and sliding in said two slots; means connecting the said contact-arms with-the door and a stationary post which coacts with the said two contact-arms on the car, whereby the door will beV iirst opened and then closed, for the purpose set forth.

4. The combination of a car having a sliding door; a rack-bar, c, carried by said door; a rack-bar, f, having a contact-arm, g,which projects through aslot in the side of the car; a pinion engaging said two rack-bars; a contact device, 7c, secured to the car-door and having au arm, 7c', which projects through a slot in the side of the car; and a stationary post near the railway-track and having an arm which eoacts with the arms, g, andJc', on the car whereby the car-door may be automatically opened and closed.

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

HARRY FQSH'ARRER.

Witnesses: Y

CHARLES B. MANN, J r., CHAS. T. SHARRER.

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