US818592A - Mail-bag catcher. - Google Patents

Description

No. 818,592. PATENTED APR. 24, 1906. W. T. & E. B. WHITESELL.

MAIL BAG OATGHER.

APPLICATION FILED AUG. 1, 1905.

2 SHEETS-SHEET l.

w p lnventolls.

by [I /I No. 818,592. PATENTED APR. 24, 1906. W. T. & E. B. WHITESELL.

MAIL BAG GATCHER.

APPLIOATION FILED AUG. 1, 1905.

2 SHEETS-SHEET 2 Witnesses ea nventors m J by /v v Attorn eys ITED W PATENT OFFICE.

1 'lLLIAM T. WVHITESELL AND EDWVARD B. WVHITESELL, OF FISHERSVILLE,

VIRGINIA.

MAIL-BAG CATCH ER.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented April 24, 1906.

To MN 11-71mm it ntrty concern:

Be it known that we, WILLIAM T. VVHITE- SELL and EDWARD B. \VHITESELL, citizens of the United States, residing at F ishersville, in the county of Augusta and State of Virginia, have invented a new and useful Mail-Bag Catcher, of which the following is a specification.

This invention relates to certain improvements in mail-bag catchin and delivering mechanisms of that general class which are employed where mail is received by and discharged from a moving train.

The object of the invention is to improve, simplify, and cheapen the construction of de vices of this character whereby their utility and efliciency are materially increased.

A further object of the invention is to provide a novel form of mail-crane for supporting a mail-bag in position to be delivered to the car, said crane being also provided with means for simultaneously receiving a mailsack from the car and automatically locking the same in convenient position to be readily detached by the operator.

A still further object is to provide improved mechanism for attachment to the mail-car and adapted to cooperate with a crane for receiving the incoming mail and delivering the outgoing mail while the train is in motion.

\Vith these and other objects in view the invention consists in the construction and novel combination and arran ement of parts hereinafter fully described, illiistrated in the accompanying drawings, and pointed out in the claims hereto appended, it being understood that various changes in form, proportions. and minor details of construction may be resorted to without departing from the principle or sacrificing any of the advantages of this invention.

In the accompanying drawings, forming a part of this specification, Figure 1 is a per spective view of a portion of a car, showing a mail-sack in position to be delivered to the crane and a similar bag in position on the crane and ready to be delivered to the car. Fig. 2 is a perspective view of a mail-crane, showing the bag-delivering arms in inoperative position and a mail-bag locked in position on the receiving-arm. Fig. 3 is a front elevation, partly in perspective, of the interior of the mail-car, showing the mail-delivery and receiving mechanism swung inwardly against the side of the car.

Similar numerals of reference indicate cor responding parts in all the figures of the drawings.

In carrying out the invention we erect a crane standard or upright 5 parallel with the railway-track and preferably adjacent to the station at which the mail is to be received and delivered, said crane being provided at its upper end with a cross-arm 6, connected by inclined braces 7 to a bar 8, extending rearwardly from the standard, as shown. Secured to the front of the standard is a bracket 9, in which is mounted for rotation one end of a vertical shaft 10, the opposite end of which is journaled in a plate 11, fastened in any suitable manner to the top of the standard 5. Secured to and mounted for movement with the shaft 10 is a horizontally-swinging bar 12, provided with a terminal head 13, to which are hinged, as indicated at 13, oppositely-disposed pivoted catcher- arms 14 and 15, one of which is adapted to engage the mail-sack 16 when the car 17 is traveling in one direction and the adjacent arm to engage said sack when the car is traveling in the opposite direction.

The catcher-arms are normally maintained in horizontal alincment with each other by means of braces 18, having their intermediate portions hinged at 19 and their opposite ends pivoted to the catcher-arms and swinging bar, respectively, there being a flat spring 20 secured to the terminal head 13 and bearing upon the free ends of the catcher-arms, as shown. By having the arms 14 and mounted in this manner when either arm engages the sack 16 the impact of the bag will force the intermediate hinged portions of the braces toward the head of the bar 12, thereby causing the spring to swing the catcherarm carrying the mail-bag rearwardly against a stop-plate 21 and at the same time move the bar 12 laterally into engagement with a catch '22 on the cross-arm 6, as clearly shown in Fig. 2 of the drawings, and in which position the mail-bag may be readily removed by the operator after the train has passed the station.

Mounted on the vertical shaft 10 are coilsprings 23 for centering the swinging bar 12 with respect to the standard 5, said springs also serving to impede the movement of the IOL bar and prevent injury thereto as the same is swung rearwardly into engagement with the catcher 22, there being suitable buffers 24 secured to the opposite ends of the cross-arm to receive the impact of said arm.

Secured to the standard 5 immediately below the vertical shaft 10 are spaced supporting-brackets 26, to which are pivoted, as indicated at 27, a pair of horizontally-disposed arms 28, adapted to support a mailbag 29 in position to be delivered to the mailcrane of the car, said bag being supported on swinging clips 30, pivoted to the ends of the arms 28, as shown, so as to permit the bag to be readily detached. Fastened in any suitable manner to the standard is a fiat spring 31, the opposite ends of which engage the arms 28 when the bag is supported thereon and which serves to open or move the arms to inoperative position when the bag 29 is detached, as bestshown in Fig. 2 of the draw ings.

Journaled on the car at one side of the opening therein is a mail-bag catcher con slsting of a verticalshaft 32, provided with a laterally-extending arm 33, to which is pivoted, as indicated at 34, a catcher-arm 35, the latter being similar in construction to the catcher-arms of the crane-standard and adapted to engage the mail-bag supported between the pivoted arms 28 and deposit the same within the car. The shaft 32 is provided with a coil-spring 36, the normal tend ency of which is to hold the arm 33 at right angles to the side of the car or in position to receive the mail-bag from the crane or stand ard 5, said shaft being also provided with a ratchet-wheel 37, adapted to engage a pawl 38 for locking the arm 33 within the car when said arm is swung rearwardly against the tension of the spring 36 after engaging the mail-bag, as clearly shown in Fig. 3 of the drawings. Secured to the opposite side of the car-door opening and preferably near the top thereof are suitable brackets 39, in which is journaled the vertical shaft or rod 40 of the car-crane, said shaft being provided with a fixed arm 41 and a pivoted arm 42, between which are supported on pivoted clips 43 the mail-bag adapted to be delivered to the catcher-arms of the crane-standard. Fastened to the shaft 40 is a flat spring 44, which bears against the pivoted arm 42 when the mail-bag is suspended from the supportingclips and serves to move said arm to released position when the bag is detached by the catcher-arm on the crane-standard. The arms 41 and 42 are supported in position for delivering the mail-bag by means of a springcatch 45, fastened to the side of the car and engaging the pivoted arm 42, there being a coil-spring 46 mounted on the shaft 40 for swinging the arms rearwardly within the car when the bag is detached and the pivoted arm 42 released from the spring-catch by the action of the fiat spring 44. By securing cross-arms to the arms 41 and 42 as many mail-bags may be supported in position for delivery to the catcher-arms of the crane standard as desired.

From the foregoing description it is thought that the construction and operation of the device will be readily understood by those skilled in the art, and further description thereof is deemed unnecessary.

Having thus described the invention, what is claimed is 1. In a mail-bag catcher and deliverer, a trackstandard, a laterallyextending bar mounted for swinging movement in a hori zontal plane on said standard, oppositelydisposed catcher-arms carried by the bar, and bag-supporting arms pivoted to the standard.

2. In a mail-bag catcher and deliverer, a track standard, a laterally extending bar mounted for swinging movement on said standard, catcher-arms carried by the bar, a spring for centering the bar with respect to the standard, and bag-supporting arms pivoted to said standard.

3. In a mail-bag catcher and deliverer, a track-standard provided with a cross-arm, a laterally-extending bar mounted for swinging movement on said standard and adapted to engage the cross-arm, catcher-arms carried by the bar, means for locking the latter in engagement with the cross-arm, and pivoted bag-supporting arms pivoted to said standard.

4. In a mail-bag catcher and deliverer, a track-standard, a laterally-extending bar mounted for swinging movement on said standard, catcher-arms pivoted to the bar, and braces pivoted to the catcher-arms and bar, respectively, and having their intermediate portions hinged to thereby permit the catcher-arms to swing rearwardly and engage the bag.

5. In a mail-bag catcher and deliverer, a track-standard, a laterally-extending bar mounted for swinging movement on said standard and provided with a stop-plate, catcher-arms pivoted to the bar, a spring secured to the bar and engaging the catcherarms, and braces pivoted to the catcher-arms and bar, respectively, and having their intermediate portions hinged to thereby permit the spring to swing the arms rearwardly in engagement with the stop-plate and hold the mail-bag on said bar.

6. Ina mail-bag catcher and deliverer, a track-standard provided with a cross-arm, a laterallyextending bar mounted for swinging movement on the standard and adapted to engage the cross-arm, catcher-arms pivoted to the bar and adapted to swing rearwardly against said bar for supporting the mail-bag thereon, a spring for normally centering the bar with respect to the standard, and means for locking said bar in engagement with the cross-arm.

a laterally-extending bar mounted for swing ing movement on the standard and adapted to engage said catches, catcher-arms pivoted to the bar for engagement with a mail-bag and adapted to fold rearwardly against said bar, and a spring for normally centering the laterally-extending bar with respectto said standard.

8. In a mail-bag catcher and deliverer, a track-standard provided with a cross-arm, a

i 5'shaft joiirnaled on the standard, a laterallyextending bar secured to the shaft and adapted to swing rearwardly in engagement with the cross-arin, catcher-arms pivoted to the bar and extending in horizontal alinement on each side thereof, a spring for normally cen tering the bar with respect to the standard, and means for locking said bar against the cross-arm when said bar is swung rearwardly.

O. In a mail-bag catcher and deliverer, a

2 5 ti'iu-li-standard, a pair of bag-supporting arms pivoted thereto, and a spring having an intermediate portion thereof secured to the standard and its opposite ends bearing against the bag-supporting arms for moving said arms to 0 inc ieiative )osition when the ba is released. 3 i n ll). In a mail-bag catcher and deliverer, a ti'aeli-standard provided with a crossarm, a latei'allv-exteiiding bar mounted for swinging movement on the standard and adapted 5 to engage the cross-arm, catcher-arms car ried by the bar, a spring for normally center ing said bar with respect to the standard, a pair of bag-supporting arms pivoted to the standard below the laterally-extending bar,

0 and a spring having its intermediate portion secured to the standard and its opposite ends engaging the pivoted supporting-arms for moving said arms to inoperative position when the bag is detached.

11. In a mail-bag catcher and deliverer, the combination with a car having a door opening therein, of a vertical shaft journaled on the car at said opening and provided with a fixed and a pivoted bag-supporting arm, a catch secured to the car and adapted to engage the pivoted arm for holding said arms in operative position, a spring for disengaging the pivoted arm from the catch when the mail-bag is detached, and a spring carried by the shaft for swinging said arms rearwardly within the car.

12. In a maiLbag catcher and deliverer, the combination with a car having a door opening formed therein, of a vertical shaft journaled on the car at said opening and provided with a fixed and a pivoted bag-supporting arm, locking means carried by the car and engaging the pivoted arm for holding said arms in operative position, means for disengaging the pivoted arm when the mailbag is released, and means for automatically swinging said arms to inoperative position within the car.

In testimony that we claim the foregoing as our own we have hereto aliixed our signa tures in the presence of two witnesses.

WILLIAM 'I. \VIII'IESELL. EDWARD B. WIIIIESELL.

IVitnesses as to illiam 'I. Whitesell:

E. P. Wiii'rEsELL, n. BAKER.

WVitnesses as to Edward B. \Vhitesell:

J. L. BARKSDALE, J. FRANK WrLLsoN.

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