US716659A - Emergency releasing apparatus. - Google Patents

Description

No. 7l6,659. Patented apec. 23, I902.

- J. F. BJUBLUND.

EMERGENCY BELEASING APPARATUS.

(Application filed Nov. 22, 1901.) Q10 Model.) 2 Sheets-Sheet i.

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No. 716,659. PatentedDec. 23, 1902.

.1. F. BJURLUND. EMERGENCY RELEAS ING APPARATUS.

v (Applipation flled Nov. 22, 1901.) (No Model.) 2 Sheets-Sheet 2.

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NlTE JOHN F; BJURLUND, OF NEW YORK, N. Y.

EMERGENCY RELEASING APPARATUS.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 716,659, dated December 23, 1902. Application filed November 22, 1901. Serial No. 83,273. (No and.)

To all whom, it may con-corn;

Be it known that 1, JOHN F. BJURLUND, a citizen of the United States of America, and a resident of Richmond, Hill, borough of Queens, New 'York city, and State of New York, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Emergency Releasing Ap-, paratus, of which the following is a specification.

My invention relates to improvements in apparatus for quickly releasing animals tied in stalls and other tied or connected things in cases of emergency, as in the case of fire and other conditions demanding hasteor preventing the usual modes of effecting release.

In the accompanying drawings, forming part of this specification, I represent two examples of my invention, whereof- Figure 1 represents a front elevation of the apparatus specially. designed for releasing animals tied in stalls for quick escape in case of fire, the apparatus being in the conditions for retaining the halter. Fig. 2 is a top view of the same. Fig. 3 is a rear elevation with the cover of the case inclosingthe opera tive parts removed. Fig. 4 is a front elevation with the apparatus in the conditions subsequent to release of the halter. Fig. 5 is an edgewise view of the apparatus. Fig. 6 is a front elevation of the apparatus adapted for automatic release of extensible gates used to close the gaps between thelplatforms of cars of trains on roads having curves of short radius to prevent damage when the gaps open wider than the extensible range is provided for, as whena car may be derailed, and the like. Fig. 7 is a side elevation of the apparatus of Fig. 6. Fig. 8 is a transverse section on the line 2 2 of Fig. 6. Fig. 9 isa front elevation with the part corresponding with the halter detached. Fig. 10 is a vertical section on line 3 3, Fig. 7. Fig. 11 is a top view of the running slide of the gate which antomatically effects the release. Fig.12 is an elevation of an extensible guard, such as em ployed in the gaps between car-platforms of cars running on roads having curves of short radius, showing the application of my improved releasing apparatus thereto. Fig. 13 is a plan view of the holding and releasing hooks detached from the rest of the apparatus.

The essential feature of the invention consists of two hooks, as "a, pivoted at b intermediately of the point ends and the other ends a the latter being lever-shanks by which to open and close the hooks and to hold them securely when closed, said hooks forming a ring or eye when closed to hold a halter tied therein or a coupling-pin or other object, together with means for opening and closing said hooks and securely holding them in the closed position, said means being adapted to be operated for opening the hooks automatically or from a distant position by hand either singly or in series as Well as by hand in direct application to the individual opening and closing devices.

The means for operating the lever-shanks of the hooks consists of a sliding piece, as 0, working transversely to the plane in which the hooks swing and having a Wedge part between the ends of said levers that forces them apart to close the hooks when the sliding piece moves one way and also having inclined prongs e passing, outside of said lever ends and closing them inward to open the hooks when said sliding piece moves the other way, said Wedge and prongs adapted to lock and securely hold the hooks in the respective positions they are caused to assume by the respective movements of the slide-piece.

The hooks a are preferably arranged in a horizontal plane and the sliding piece in a vertical plane, with the wedge d so placed that it closes the hooks and locks them when moved downward, and a spring, as f, is employed to hold the slide down and keep the hooks locked, said spring beingin this case a coiled wire placed on a stem 9 of the sliding piece, which slides in a guideway at h and has a knob i by which to lift the slide and open the hooks by hand when desired. The spring is compressed when the sliding piece is raised, and it forces the sliding piece down when released, and its tension keeps the sliding piece in the position for maintaining the closure of the hooks.

For raising the sliding piece at a distance from the hook device a laterally-sliding bar j is placed under the pointed end 75 of the sliding piece, said bar having a notch in its upper edge for the resting place of said pointed end. The notch has inclined walls Z, so that whichever way it is shifted said inclined walls will raise the sliding piece and open the hooks.

Chains or wire ropes, as j, are to be connected to the ends of barj and extended to a place where they may be operated in safety in case of fire, and when a series of stalls are used the sliding bars j of the several stalls will be connected in series, so that they may be operated simultaneously by pulling at either end of the range of the series. In a lengthy series it may be necessary to employ lever-power on account of the greater resistance.

Over the hooks or under them,as preferred, a stud 'm is arranged with a notch 97, in the end coincident with the eye of the closed hooks as a guard to insure the escape of the halter, coupling-pin, or other connecting device. from the points of the hooks when the hooks open by preventing lateral pull of the halter or other device into the bow of the hook which might otherwise happen.

The wedge and prong carrying piece is arranged in a slideway 0 of a suitable case If, and the barj is arranged in a slideway p, in which they are suitably confined by a detachable cover 8.

A stop-stud u, extending from the caseinto the slot o of bar j, limits the sliding movements of said bar to their proper range. A stop-stud may be placed in one or the other of the holes a according to the direction in which the slide is to be pulled for opening the hooks, to prevent the slide from overrunning when pulled back for closing the hooks.

In the application of the apparatus for automatic release, as for releasing in an emergency, the extensible guard w, employed at the gaps between car-platforms 0c in railroadcar trains running on roads having curves of limited radius,the sliding barj is omitted and an extension y of the hook-actuating sliding piece 0 is substituted, so that any moving part in any way caused to operate when the conditions are such that release is desirable will take efiect on said extension and shift said hook-operating piece and open the hooks. Thus in the said extension-guard to there is a part 2, to which one of the bars 3 of the guard is pivoted, which slides up and down the vertical end bar 4 of the guard Within certain limits as the guards extend and contract when the cars are turning on curves, the greatest range being when the cars are turning the shortest curves; In such application of my improved releasing apparatus the case, as t, is attached to the bar 4 by a suitable clasp t say at about midway between its endsso that the hooks a may serve as part of the coupling device connecting the guard to the post 5 on the car-platform, the other part of said coupling being a bracket 6, attached to said post and having-a pin 7 to be engaged by the hooks, which in this case are preferably bifurcated to receive the end of the bracket between the two parts separated by the bifurcation which engage the pin both sidesof the bracket, said pin being extended both sides of said bracket, and the application is such that the extension 3 reaches downward toward the verticallysliding part 2, but terminates a little above the limit of the highest range of said part z in the regular operation of the cars, whereby in case of an unusual extension of the guard, as in case of some unusual occurrence, as the derailment of the car, a little higher rise of part 2 will cause it to touch extension y and lift the hook-operating slide and release the guard from the post, and thus avoid the damage now always incident in such cases to the lack of automatic release. Similar guardstuds, as m, will be used in connection with the hooks in this case also.

It is apparent that my improved releasing apparatus may be employed with advantage in various other applications.

What I claim as my invention is 1. In releasing apparatus the combination of a pair of lever-hooks adapted to close together and form a retaining-eye for hitching and coupling purposes, and to open for releasing the hitched or coupled device, a hookoperating part adapted for positively opening and closing said hooks respectively according as it is moved one Way or the other relatively to and transversely of the levers of said hooks, and means for automatically operating said part.

2. In a releasing apparatus the combination of a pair of lever-hooks adapted to close together and form a retaining-eye for hitching and coupling purposes, and for opening for releasing the hitched or coupled device, a hook-operating part adapted for opening and closing said hooks respectively according as it is moved one way or the other relatively to said hooks, means for operating said part, and guards to insure release of the hitched or coupled device from the open hooks.

3. In releasing apparatus the combination of a pair of pivoted lever-hooks adapted to close together and form a retaining-eye for hitching and coupling purposes, and for opening for releasing the hitched or coupled device, a hook-operating part having a wedge for closing said hooks, by moving one way relatively to them and prongs for opening them when moving reversely, and means for operating said hook opening and closing part.

4. In releasing apparatus the combination of a pair of pivoted lever-hooks adapted to close together and form a retaining-eye for hitching and coupling purposes, and for open ing for releasing the hitched or coupled device, a hook-operating part having a wedge IIO for closing said hooks by moving one way rela- I Signed at New York city this 1st day of tively to them and prongs for opening them November, 1901.

when moved reversely, and means for operating said hook opening and'closingpart eon- 1 JOHN BJURLUND' sisting of a spring for moving it one way and the sliding notched bar for moving it the reverse way.

Witnesses:

A. P. THAYER, G. SEDGWIOK.

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