US653689A - Thill-coupling. - Google Patents

Description

No. 653,689. Patented .luly I7, |900.

W. M. MORTUN.

THILL GDUPLING.

(Application led Oct. 30, 1899.)

(Nn Model.)

Nrrnn STATESl einen.

PATENT THlLL-COUPLINCL sPncIFIcATIoN forming part of Letters Patent No. 653,689, dated July 17, 190e.

Application nea october 30,1899. sean No. 735,160. da man.)

To @ZZ whom t may concern,.-

Beit known that I, WILLIAM M. MoRToN, a citizen of the United States, and a resident of New Haven, in the county of New Haven and State of Connecticut, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Thill-Couplings, of which the following is a specification.

My invention relates to an improvement in thill-couplings; and it consists in certain details of construction, to be more fully set forth in the following specification.

To enable others to understand my invention, reference is had to the accompanying drawings, in which- Figure l represents a side elevation of the thill-coupling locked and broken view of the thill or shaft. Fig. 2 is a bottom plan view of the thill-coupling and broken view of the shaft. Fig. 3 representsabroken loot tom view of the thill-coupling and handle portion of the locking cam-lever, with said lever partially disengaged from the hinged eye-section. Fig. et is a broken hot-torn view of the thill-coupling with the locking cain-lever thrown to one side to unlock the hinged eye-section. Fig. 5 is a broken View of the thill-coupling with the lever disengaged from the hinged eyesectlon and such eye-section dropped. Fig. 6 is a detail perspective view of the hinged eye- Section.

The construction and operation are as follows:

l represents the thill-iron, attached to the thill 2. Said iron has the seinicircular head 2, adapted to partially embrace the shaftbolt. (Not shown.)

3 (see also Fig. t5) is the eye-section, adapted, in conjunction with the head 2a of the thill-iron, to form a complete eye.

4I- is a semicircular seat formed in the upper surface of the said hinged eyesection, against which seat the end of the locking-lever, presently to be described, cams.

5 is a rearwardly-prejecting tongue adapted to be inserted between the ears 6 6a of the thill-iron, which tongue, combined with the hole 7 and the pin 8, pivotally connects said section with the head of the thill-iron.

9 is the locking-lever, pivotally supported on the pin 10, projecting from the thill-iron. 9a is the head portion of said lever, provided with the cam-face 9b, adapted to be engaged or disengaged with the'seinicircular seat of the hinged eye-section. The head portion 9a is considerably thicker than the handle portion of said locking or cam lever, so as to proi vide a firm rear support for the hinged eyesection 3.

ll is the ordinary strap-loop, projecting from the thill-iron l; but in this instance it is provided with the projection 12, adapted to engage with the notch or opening 13 in the end of the locking-lever handle. 138M are beveled portions of the side walls of said opening to provide means for disconnecting the lever from the'projection 12 of the loop l1. As before remarked, the handle portion of this locking-lever is much thinner than the head, for the rea-son that in locking or unlocking the same this thin portion is slightly depressed or sprung down in the direction of arrow a, Fig. 1, to engageor disengage it from the projection l2.

Devices of this character have been made where thelocking-lever is pivotallysupported on a pin or stud projecting from the outer surface of the hinged eye-section. In such a construction when the coupling is locked the handle of the lever, lying as it does'along the thill-iron, is fulcrulned on said tliill-iron, and the strain. will have a tendency to open the hinged eye-section by reason of the fact that such handle portion must necessarily be made thin enough to be sprung over onto the thilliron to lock the saine. Therefore this strain will partially open the coupling` sufiiient to produce rattling, if nothing more serious should happen. In my improved construction the strain, which is in the direction of arrow b, Fig. l, is exerted against the cam end 9b of the lever, which in connection with the large stud 10 offers a resistance sufficient to prevent the slightest opening of the closed eye. Another advantage of this method of securing the said hinged section is that should the handle of the lever becoinedisengaged from its fastening it will hold such section if only a small portion Vof the cam end of said lever and the semicircular seat of the eye-section are engaged, as shown at Fig. 3, as nothing short of swinging such cam portion clear of said seat will release said eye-section, as shown at Fig. 4. The under surface of the head portion of the locking-lever also rests IOO on the horizontal surface 5a of said eye-section. When the hinged eye-section is opened, as shown at Fig. 5, it is closed by simply swinging the locking-lever around to engage the cam 9d of said lever with the seat 4:, which will carry such section up to close about the shaft-bolt..

From the forgoing description it will be observed that my device is simple of construction, easily and quickly operated, and very eective for the purpose for which it is adapted.

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

In a thill-coupling, of the character described, consisting, in combination with a hinged eye-section, having a semicircular seat formed therein, of a swinging locking-lever pivotally supported on the thill-iron, a camface on the end of the head portion of said lever adapted to en gage with said seat to close said eye-section and hold it firmly in place, means substantially as shown for securing the handle portion of said lever when the hinged eye-section is closed all substantially as described and for the purpose set forth.

Signed at New Haven, in the county of New Haven and State of Connecticut, this 16th day of October, A. D. 1899.

WILLIAM M. MORTON. /Vitnesses:

GEORGE E. HALL, REUBEN H. BROWN.

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