US760801A - Automatic trolley-controlling device. - Google Patents

Description

No. 760,;301. A PATBNTBD MAY 24, 1904,. v H'.v W.NIGHOLS.

AUTOMATIC TRULLBY GONTROLLING DEVICE.

APPLICATION IIL-JED` SEPT. 9. 1903. N0 MODEL.

Patented May 24, 1904.

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

HORACE W. NICHOLS, `OF PHILADELPHIA, PENNSYLVANIA.

AuToMATiC TROLLEY-CONTROLLING DEVICE.

. 'SPEGIFICATIONforming part of 'Letters Patent No.' 760,801, dated May24, 1904.

" Appnaeon ineav september 9, 1903. serial No. 172,431. un model.)

To all whom it `may concern:

y Be it known that I, HORACE W. NICHOLS@ citizen of theUnited States, residing at Philadelphia, county ot' Philadelphia, and State of Pennsylvania, have invented a certainnew and useful Improvement in Automatic.` Trolley- Controlling Devices, of which the following@ is a specification. f My invention relates to anew and useful improvement'in vautomatic trolley-controlling devices; and it has forits `object to provide a i vdevice to 'be attached to the car which willautomatically pull thetrolley down below the wire at any time the trolleyvleaves the wire.

i" nation of elements hereinafter; ,set4fonth and;

then specifically designated bythe-claims this inventionappertains may understandfhow to make andusethe same,the cdnstruction Figure 1 =is 'a side elevationof a portion of `a car, showing my device applied thereto; Fig.

2, a vertical cross-section through my device, showingthe parts intheir normal position in full lines and the pawls raised ih dotted-lines; Fig. 3, a longitudinal section through the case, showing the operating parts in'` elevation.

A represents the casing, which may be of any suitable shape or design to properly contain the operating parts. This casing is provided with a slot A', formed through the upper side, through'which the trolley-rope extends tothe trolley. This vcasing may be permanently secured to the dashboard of. the car, but would preferably be made removable, so as to be changed from one end -of the car to the other when the trolley is reversed.

In the drawings I have shown the casingr adaptedto engage theratchetf-'wheels With this end linview 'this invention'consists in the details of construction andconbeend of the spring beingsecured to said axle l and thev other end to the drum.

' E is a trolley-rope, the lower end of which is secured to the drum and adapted to be wound thereon, this rope lpassing upward through the slot in the casing and' being secured at its upper -end to the trolley-pole. Upon each'end of the drum are secured the ratchet-wheels F. I y

c G is a longitudinal rod extending lengthwise of the casing and havingsecured. upon each end the' crank-arms G', which arel pivoted'to the casing, and secured to this rod-are the paviJlIs/ represents springs adapted' to throw the pawls into engagement with the ratchet-wheels. The

rod G is so located that when the pawls are in u engagement with the ratchet-.wheels said rod In order that those skilled in; theart to which `will lie above the, drum,"'so that when the trolley-rope is drawn taut'it will rock the rod upward and remove the pawls from engagement with thev ratchet-wheels; but as soon as the rope is slackenedthe springs Hl will act #to throw the pawls into engagement with the ratchet-wheels again. Of course two ratchetwheels need not be used, as it would probably fbe only necessary'to have one lratchet-wheel upon one sideand` one pawl.

y In operation the device is as follows: When the trolley-wheel is upon the wire and every- 'thing-is in its normal position,the spring withinthe drum is wound so as to be under tension, and the pawls will hold the drum from revolving against the action of the spring, and there is a certain amount of slack in the rope, as shown in Fig. l. When the trolley-wheel leaves the wire, the spring upon the trolleypole will force the trolley-pole upward, and thereby draw the trolley-rope taut, whichwill raise the pawls from out .0f engagement with the ratchet-wheels, and thus release the spring upon the interior of the drum, and as this spring is much stronger than the spring upon the trolley-pole this spring will revolve the drum, and therefore wind the trolley-rope upon the same and draw the trolley downward below the wire. Then. it is only necessary for the conductor to pull suiicient rope from the casing, thereby winding up the spring within the drum, and then by allowing the rope to IOO slacken the pawls will engage the ratchetwheels again, and he can place the trolley upon the wire in the usual manner.

In order to insure the rope winding upon the drum so that the coils will lie side by side and not overlap one another, I provide a gearwheel I, secured to the drum and meshing with to travel'along the rod with the proper speedv to guide the trolley-rope so that the coils of the rope will lie closely side by side upon the drum.

Pis a guide-rod, and the nut is provided with a fork M upon the opposite end from the fork M, which straddles the guide-rod, and thereby prevents the nut from revolving withA the rod K.

Secured in one end of the casing is the bell N, and secured at intervals upon the end of the drum are the clappers or strikers O, which when .the drum revolves will strike the bell, and therefore notify the conductor that the trolley hasv left thewire.

The advantage of this device will be apparent to anybody skilled .in the art or kfamiliar with-overhead electric-car systems. The great disadvantage of' the system as it now exists is that when the. trolley leaves the wireand the conductor is upon the interior of a crowded car the trolley-pole is liable to strike the crosswires and break such wires before the conductorA can reach the rear platform to pull the pole downward. i

With my automatic device the trolley-pole i will be pulled downward automatically within three or four feet from the point Where it has left the' wire. i v

Of course I do not wish to be limited to the exactconstruction here shown, as slight modiupon the rod, and' M is fications could be made without departing from the spirit of my invention.

Having thus fully described my invention, what I claim as new and useful is- 1. In combination with a trolley car, a spring-controlled drum journaled upon the car, the lower end of the trolley-rope heilig coiled upon said drum, means for normally holding the drum against rotation, means for releasing the drum when the trolley-rope is pulled taut so as to wind the trolley-rope upon the drum to pull the pole downward, means for automatically guiding the trolley-rope so that it will wind and unwind evenly from the drum, an alarm device actuated by the rotation ofthe drum to notify the conductor when the trolley has left the wire, as and for the purpose specified.

2. In a device of the character described, a casing removably secured to the car, the casing being provided with a slot in its upper side through which the trolley-rope extends,

.a drum arranged upon the interior of the casing, a stationary axle upon which the drum is journaled, a spring arranged upon the interior of the drum and coiled. around the axle, one end of said spring being secured to the drum and the other end to the axle, the lower end ofthe trolley-rope being coiled upon the drum, means for normally holding the drum against rotation, means adapted to be actuated by the trolley-ropewhen it. is drawn taut for releasing the drum and allowing the trolley-rope to be woundthereon by the action of the spring, automatic means for guiding the trolley-rope so as to cause it to be wound evenly upon the drum, an alarm de vice adapted to be sounded when the drum revolves, as and for the purpose specified.

In testimony whereof lI have hereunto affixed my signature in the presence of tw'o sub-

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