US757630A - Safety device for trolley-poles. - Google Patents

Description

No. 757,630. PATENTED APR.v '19, 1904. P. MGGULLOUGH, T. BLANEY & R. BARON.

SAFETY DEVICE FOR TROLLEY POLBS.-

APPLIGATIOK mum JAN. 22. 1901.

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UNITED STATES Patented April 19, 1904.

PATENT OEEIcE.

PHELAM MGOULLOUGH, THOMAS BLANEY, AND ROBERT BARON, OF LIVERPOOL, ENGLAND.

SAFETY DEVICE Fen TROLLEY-POLES.

I SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent N0. 757,63O,da.ted April 19, 1 904;.

7 Application filed January 22, 1901- Serial No. 44,276. (No model.)

To all whom it na/y concern.-

Be it known that we, PHELAM MoOUL- No. 22,958, dated December 15, 1900,) of which the following is a specification.

- This invention relates to safety appliances applicable for that class of current-collectors' in which. a rolling contact-wheel or the like moves along in contact with the overhead wire of electric railway and tramway systems. As is well known, the trolley is supported against the overhead wire by means of a pole, which latter has springs which keep the trolley pressed in contact, and in cases where the trolley accidentally runs ofi the wire the pole' hitherto immediately flew upward by the force of the springs, and thus was liable to come in contact with the transverse supporting-wires or other obstructions Which are liable to be met with before the car could be brought to a standstill or before the man in charge has time to reset the trolley by means of the loose cord provided for the purpose, and thus cause damage and delay. Now our present invention is designed to avoid these defects, and has for its objecta device which will automatically pull the trolley downward below the level of the overhead wire should the trolley accidentally come out of. contact.

The invention will be understood from the following description, reference being had to the accompanying drawings, in which Figure 1 is a front view of the device; Fig. 2, a side view thereof, partly in section; Fig. 3, a plan; Fig. 4, a side elevation of the hollow-ball device suspended from the hooks; Fig. 5, a vertical section through the outer ball; Fig. 6, end view of ball with one-half removed to show the interior; Fig. 7, an end view of barrel, showing the dogs; Fig. 8., a modification of the device shown in Fig. 4.

A designates a rotary spring-roller or flanged barrel mounted on a suitable spindle or axis B Within ahollow ball C or other shaped object also mounted on the axis B; The weight of this entire mechanism exceeds somewhat the upward pull of the trolley-pole. Around the barrel A is wound acord E, which cord is secured at one end to the barrel and passes at its free end through a hole or slot F in the top of the ball C and up to the trolley-pole. (Not shown.) -The roller or barrel A is provided with a coiled spring Z, which exerts suflicient power to rotate the barrel and wind the cord thereon and take up the slack.

The barrel A and the ball O are provided with means whereby they can under certain conditions be made -to interlock. Thus the barrel A is provided with pawls or dogs N, and the ball is provided with ratchet teeth O. These dogs N are pivoted and coupled together by link P, so that when a sudden pull is exerted on the barrel the dogs -N instantly fly outward by centrifugal force and engage the ratchet-teeth O on the other part, and thus the ball and barrel are interlocked and move upwardly together off. of the books 1 by the pull of the cord E. v

The device is supported in position by'the ends of the spindle B, resting in suspensionhooks I, Fig. 4, which are counterweighteol by the part 1;. These are pivoted near the top of dashboard of the car to supporting-uprights J, Figs. 1, 2, and 3, which extend from being guided in its descent by the guides, thus pulling the trolley-pole down below the level of the wire. The spindle B itself is prevented from rotating by being provided at the ends with rollers L, which roll in the guides J.

M, Figs. 2 and 4, is a bar secured to the spindle B at opposite ends and bent so as to form a handle. This enablesthe device to be lifted by hand from one end of the car to the other when it is desired to reverse the trolleysuspension-hooks, the barrel A will rotate on its axis B and wind up any slack of the cord or pay it out, according as the position of the overhead wire varies relatively to the car, so long as the trolley rolls on the wire, as the dogs N on the barrel will remain out of contact with the teeth 0 on the ball. If, however, the trolley runs ofl the wire or gets out of contact, the cord E will thereby be sharply pulled by the trolley flying upward, and the cord acting on the barrel will rotate it instantly and cause its dogs to fly out and lock it to the ball, thus preventing any more cord being paid out. This insures the device being lifted off its hook I, whereon it previously rested, by the sudden upward pull or jerk of the pole. The hook falls to one side into the position shown by dotted lines, Fig. 4, and the-device being thus freed from its support exercises its full weight to pull the pole downward, the weight of the device being arranged, as aforesaid, to exceed the upward pull of the pole. The device thus slides down the guides J to the bottom of the dashboard, being guided in its descent by the rollers L aforesaid, and the pole is pulled down below the level of the wire, where it can do no damage. It will thus be seen that so long as the trolley runs on the overhead wire the barrel Will always pay out or take up suflicient cord to allow for any difference in the varying height of the overhead wire or its position relative to the car. It is only the actual running off of the trolley and its flying upward that stops any paying out of the cord and puts the device into operation.

Instead of the suspension-hooks I the hooks Q may be used, engaging the ball itself, as shown in Fig. 8, instead of the spindle.

We declare that what we claim is 1. A safety device for trolley-poles and other like current-collectors, comprising a spring-barrel mounted on a suitable axis, a weighted hollow ball or frame within which the spring-barrel is mounted, teeth mounted on one part, pivoted dogs or the like mounted on the other part, and a trolley-cord pass ing to the barrel round which it is wound and attached at one end thereto, whereby in ordinary use'the spring barrel will pay out or take up any slack therein, while if there be a sudden pull on the cord this will give a certain movement to the barrel which will cause the dogs on the one part to fly out by centrifugal force and interlock with the teeth on the other part and so look the two parts together, substantially as and for the purpose described.

2. In asafety device, of the kind mentioned,

the suspension-hooks pivoted to an upright,

frame or guide, a weighted hollow ball or frame supported thereby, said supporting device for the ball being arranged with a counterweight as to move clear of the ball or its spindle, whenthe ball is raised sufliciently to liberate it substantially as described.

3. In a safety device, of the kind mentioned, a bar attached to the spindle at each end, and bent upward at the center to form a handle by which the device can be carried, whereby the barrel-spring is prevented from coming unwound, substantially as described.

In witness whereof we have hereunto signed our names, this 11th day of January, 1901, in the presence of two subscribing witnesses.

'PHELAM MOCULLOUGH. THOMAS BLANEY. ROBERT BARON.

Witnesses K I G. O. DYMOND, F. P. EVANS.

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