US824670A - Hose-coupling. - Google Patents

Description

PATENTED JUNE 26, 1906.

J. F. MoELROY. HOSE COUPLING. APPLICATION FILED MAE.15. 1904.

2 SHEETS-SHEET 1.

No. 824,670. PATENTED JUNE 26,1906.

J. F. MoELROY.

HOSE COUPLING.

APPLIOATION FILED MAR. 15. 1904.

2 SHEETS-SHEET 2.

MHFEET 4 Invent? '73 f K m 6?,14%z 7 K m E UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

JAMES F. MGELROY, OF ALBANY, NEW YORK, ASSIGNOR TO OONSOEL DATED OAR HEATING COMPANY, OF ALBANY, NEW YORK, A COR- PORATION OF WEST VIRGINIA.

HOSE-COUPLING- Specification of Letters Patent.

Application filed March 15, 1904. Serial No- 198,286.

Patented June 26, 1906.

.To alt whom it may concern: I

Be it known that I,'JAMEs F. MCELROY, a citizen of the United States, residing at Albany, county of Albany, and State of New York, have invented certainnew' and useful Improvements in Hose-Couplings, of which the following specification and accompanying drawings disclose, as an illustration, one embodiment thereof which I now regard as the best out of the various forms in which the principles of the invention may be applied.

In the drawings, Figure 1 is a side elevation of the Sewall straight-port gravity-coupling e nipped with my invention. Fig. 2 is a plan t ereof. Fig. 3 1s a rear elevation thereof, partlyin section. Figs.4 and 5 and 6 are respectively side elevations, Ian, and rear elevation, partly in section, 0 a form wherein the latch is applied to an existing coupler; and Figs. 7, 8, 9, and 10 are respectively front elevation, side elevation, plan, and reverse side elevation of a modification.

My invention relates to hose-couplers particularly designed for use in the steam-heatmg of railway-vehicles wherein the steam is conducted from car to car by means of a flexible hose forming the terminal of the trainpipe on each car and adapted to be coupled to the corresponding hose of an adjoining car. The invention particularly relates to couplers of the type mentioned, wherein a retaining-spring is provided to secure a more reliable union between two couplers without preventing their automatic uncoupling when the cars are drawn apart; and it consists in a pivoted latch on each coupler adapted to be turned into or out of engagement with the overlapping projection of the adjoining coupler and when in its engaging position to be automatically lifted against the force of the spring when the cars draw apart.

Turning to Fig. 1 of the accompanying drawings, A represents the body portion of an ordinary coupler of the kind described, and B rep.-

resents a'forwardly-projecting rigid wing on one side of the body portion which is adapted to overlap and engage with a rigid lug on the body portion of a complementary coupler when the two are brought into engagement and preserve an interlocked engagement by the usual wedging action. On one side of the body portion A and to the rear thereof I pro- D and is surrounded by a spring F, which tends to draw the pin downward and with it the latch D against its seat on the upper horizontal face of the projection O. The vlatch D may be turned out of its engaging position aforesaid into the position indicated by the dotted lines in Fig. 2. When so turned aside, it lies entirely out of the path of movement of the engaging wingand is of no effect in maintaining or protecting the engagement of the two parts of the coupler. In order that the latch may be retained in either of its two described positions, I provide a pin on the under side of the rear end of the latch, which may engage with one or the other of the pits or sockets (1 (P. This engagement with the pits isso slight that it does not interfere with the free turning of the latch from one side to the other.

When the two parts of the coupler have been brought into engagement with each other in' the manner well known to the art,

the latch D is then turned from its dottedline position, 'Fig. 2, to its full-line position,

when, as above noted, it will project over the wing of the adjoining coupler and serve to maintain the locking engagement thereof against ordinary interrupting tendencies. When, however, the two couplers are to be forcibly disconnected from each other by the cars drawing apart, then, as well known, the wings tend to rise up as the two couplers swing round an axis, hinge, or fulcrum located approximately at the lower edge of their meeting faces, and the overhanging latch D will be also lifted against the force ofthe spring F and will allow the wing to be drawn out from under it and the connection of the two couplers broken. This action of the latch D is permitted by reason of the conical opening through which the pin E passes and also by reason of the fact that the under side of the pin-head bears upon the peak of'a ridge with inclined-surfaces formed on the upper side of the latch. This allows the latch D, to turn vertically around a horizontal transverse axis approximately coincident with the rear edge of the latch to a degree suflicient to permit the escape of the coupler- Wing, as aforesaid, while the latch is'also free to turn horizontally about the pin E, as already described. The vertical movement of the latch will be resisted by the spring F, and after the escape. of the coupler-wing the s ring will draw the latch down to the position indicated in Fig. 1.

In Figs. 4, 5, and 6 I have shown a similar arrangement adapted to be applied to an existing coupler, wherein the body A'oithe coupler is not provided with the cast projec tion C. in this case I make the part C a separate piece with a curved seat adapted to embrace the curved portion K of the coupler back of the body portionA. The projection is then held in place by a clamp C lying on the opposite side of the part K and secured to the projection C by means of short bolts above and below thecoupler.

Turning to Figs. 7; 8, 9, and 10, there is' shown therein a modified form of the arrangement just described, wherein the latch D lies transversely across the rear portion o1 the body instead of parallel therewith, as in the arrangement just described. In this case the pin E passes down through the body A at one side of the internal passage therethrough, as indicated in Fig. 9,v and is provided with a-spring F, surrounding the pin see,

and contained in a socket formed by an enlargement of the hole through which the pin I passes, as shown in Fig. 10. The latch D in i this form may be turned out of its engaging f position by movingit backward to the posii tion shown'in dotted lines in Fig. 9, and in like manner the latch may be held in its diiferent positions by the lug on its under side engaging suitably-located pits in the surface over which the rear end'oi the latch sweeps as it is turned from side to side. The action I of the latch in this modified arrangement is the same as inthe other form already described. In each case it will be observed] that the'operative end of the spring-latch ex- 0 erts a direct pressure on the wing B of the l complementary member in the direction of i the locking-lug over whichsaid the fulcrum at the lower edge of the port 1 twe -which pressure is a direct application of yielding force tending to keep the interlocking devices engaged-,- and hence maintain the portfaces-oi the coupler parts in contact. Couplers have been made in which the spring action was merely frictional, or if not wholly frictional. then cam-likeor Wedge-likemherewing hooks l that-is, tangent to a circle concentric with i by only one component of a resolved force acts in this direction. Such a locking action is evi- 7dently inferior to the action which I have described, and couplers employing theformer are much more likely to separate partially or accidentally and are much harder to separate or connect ii the spring is made strong.

What I claim as new, and -desire to secure by Letters Patent, is

1. The combination with. a train-hose coupler composed of two parts having rigid interlocking members which hold the parts in coupled position by a wedging action and v are automatically disengaged by a longitu dinal pull on said parts, o'f'an' automatic ally-releasing latch exerting its main pressure in a direction counter to the unlocking moveto exert its main pressure in a direction counter to the unlocking movement of the parts.

3. The 'combination'with a hose-coupler having two complementaryparts 'provided with interlocking members which connect and disconnect by a pivotal movement of said parts about an axis, of an additional spring-latch on one, part adapted .to engage the other and so disposed asto act thereon with a substantially unresolved yielding lUO pressure counter to the unlocking movement of -the parts so to hold the interlocking members together.

4. The combination wi h a hGSeCUllP1B1" having two complementary parts connecting by a hinging movement about a fulcrum, of a .forwardly-projecting wing, a locking mem ber adapted to engage with asimilar Win on the other couplerpart, and a spring-late in the path of the complementary wing exerting .a substantially unresolved pressure toward said locking member in a direction tangent to a circle concentric with the fulcrum.

5. The combination with a hose-coupler having'two complementary parts, of a semiautomatic latch on one part having a manually-imposed movement of engagement and disengagement with the complementary member in one path, and a separate auto matic movement of disengagementtherefrom in a different path.

6. The combination with a nose-coupier having two complementary parts, of a semiautomatic spring-latch-onone part having a manually-imposed movement in. one path to engage and disengage it with the complementary part, and. a separate automatic movement in another path to disengage it when the parts uncouple, and a spring resisting the last said movement,

'7. The combination with a two-part gravity-cou ler' having interlocking means auto matically disengaging by a relative pivotal movement of the parts produced by a longitudinal pull thereon, of a semi-automatic spring-latch exerting pressure which tends to hold the interlocking means in engagement and mounted for two movements in difierent paths, one of which places it in or out of operative position, and the other of which permits the automatic uncoupling of the parts.

8. The combination with a hose-coupling composed of two interlocking parts having provision for automatic disengagement by a pull exerted thereon, of a pivoted automatic spring-latch mounted on one part and adapted to be turned into and out of a position overhanging the other part for resisting such dise agementn 9.- he combination with a hose-coupler having two complementary parts, of a spring-latch pivoted on one part so as to swing on one axis to engage with the other part when both parts are in their engaging position and on another axis so as to automatically release when the parts are uncoupled.

10. The combination with a hose-coupler having two complementary parts each provided with a side wing overlapping and engaging with the other, of-a spring-latch pivoted to one part and adapted to be turned into or out of a position overhanging the wing of the other part when the, two parts are in engagement, and capable of yielding to permit the disengagement of the two parts.

11. The combination with a hose-coupler having two complementary parts, each provided with a side wing overlapping and engaging with the body portion of the other part, of a spring-latch pivoted to one part so as to be turned into and out of engagement with the wing of the other part but capable of yielding in the plane of its pivotal axis to permit the escape of the engaged wing when the parts are uncoupled.

1 2. The combination with a hose-coupler having two complementary parts each provided with a side wing to overlap and engage the other, of a latch engaging one. part and loosely pivoted to the other part so as to move in one path into and out of engagement with the wing of the other part and in another path while in engagement therewith,

and a spring for said latch adapted to yield- 14:. The combination with a two-part hose-coupler having provision for automatic uncoupling, of a latch device on one of the coupler parts for enga ing the other part and resisting such uncoup ing, said device comprising an axially-movable pintle, a sprin acting axially thereon, and a latch adapte to turn on said pintle into and out of operative position.

15. The combination with a two-part hose-coupler having pi'ovision for automatic uncoupling, of a lat device on one of the coupler parts for engaglipg the other part and resisting such uncoup g, said device comprising an axially-movable pintle, a spring acting axially thereon, a latch adapted 'to turn on said intle into and out of o erative position, an means-for retaining the latch in a plurality of pivotal positions.

16. The combination with a coupler having two complementary parts each provided with a side wing to over the other part, of a detachable spring-latch holder on one part, and a spring latch mounted on said holder and engaging the other part but adapted to yield to permit the disengagement of the two parts.

In witness whereof I have hereunto sub-' scribed my name -before two subscribing witnesses this 12th day ofMarch, 1904.

JAMES F. MoELROY Witnesses:

WILLIAM A. MORRILL, Jr., ERNEST D. JANSEN.

ap and engage with

Images