US872454A

US872454A - Car-coupling.

Info

Publication number: US872454A
Application number: US14392603A
Authority: US
Inventors: Gilbert P Ritter
Original assignee: Individual
Current assignee: Individual
Priority date: 1903-02-18
Filing date: 1903-02-18
Publication date: 1907-12-03
Anticipated expiration: 1924-12-03

Description

No. 872,454. PATENTED DEC. s, 1907. G. -P. RITTER.

GAR COUPLING.

APPLICATION rmm rm. 1a, 1903.

GILBERT P. BITTER, OF CHICAGO, ILLINOIS.

GAR-COUPLING.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Dec. 3, 1907.

Application filed February 18, 1903. Serial No. 143.926.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, GILBERT P. BITTER, a citizen of the United States, residing at Chicago, in the'county of Cook, State of Illinois, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Car-Couplers; and I hereby declare the following to be a full, clear, and exact description of the same, reference being had to the accompanying drawing, in which Figure 1 is a plan view of a car coupler embodying my invention; Fig. 2 is a view partly in elevation, and partly in section in a vertical plane just forward of the lock, the knuckle being in its locked position; Fig. 3 is a view similar to Fig. 2, showing the lock sup orted in an unlocked position and the knuc le in its locked position; Fig. 4 is a view similar to Fig. 2, showing the relative relation of the parts of the coupler when the knuckle is partly open Fig. 5 is a view similar to Fig. 2, showing the relative position of lock and coupler head when the knuckle is fully open; Fig. 6 is a view showing a modification ofmy invention; and Fig. 7 is a plan view of the knuckle.

Like symbols refer to like parts wherever they occur.

My invention relates to the construction of car couplers of the vertical plane, or J anney type, articularly those having gravity locks, and has for its objects to combine in a single member a lock for the knuckle, a lockset for supporting the lock in an unlocked position to permit an uncoupling movement of the knuckle, and a knuckle-opener for causing an uncoupling movement of the knuckle when the latter is free to rotate.

To this end the main feature of my invention embraces in combination, a knuckle pivoted to the coupler-head, a unitary element comprising a lock interposed between the knuckle tail and a wall of the coupler head and a lock-set and knuckle opener member which, after the lock is set to uncouple, rides upon and moves outwardly with the knuckle in its uncoupling movement, and means for displacing said unitary lock, lock-set and knuckle -opener member from its seat upon the knuckle. I

There are other, minor, features of invention all as will hereinafter more fully appear.

I will now roceed to describe my invention more fully so that others skilled in the art to which it appertains may apply the same.

In the drawings 1 indicates the couplerhead to which is pivoted by the knuckle pin 2, the knuckle 3 with which the unitary lock, lock-set and knuckle-opener member 4 is caused to engage by means of an off-set on one of the members, whereb y the parts travel in unison through a part at least of the outward or uncoupling movement of the knuckle, and the lock-set and knuckle-opener arm is seated upon said knuckle. In the construction shown in the principal figures a seat or off-set 3 on the knuckle is provided for the rece tion and su port of the lower end 4 of the lbck-set and knuckle-opener arm 4.

The unitary lock, lock-set and knuckleopener member 4 is composed substantially of a lock-set and knuckle-opener arm 4 which extends downwardly behind the tail of the knuckle 3 and which, when the several parts are in a locked position, enters an opening 1 in the bottom wall of the coupler, and of a locking block or lock member 4 which, when in its lowest position is interposed between the tail of the knuckle and a wall of the coupler head and thus prevents the outward or uncoupling movement of the knuckle, the said parts or

members

4 and 4 being rigidly connected by an intermediate member 4 which acts as a lever in the knuckle-- opening function and as a support for the locking block in the setting of the lock preparatory to uncoupling. And the said intermediate member v4 is adapted, by reason of its bearing upon the projection, or fulcrum 1 of the coupler head, to be pivotally rotated about said fulcrum 1 when the unitary lock, lock-set and knuckle-opener member has been lifted vertically by means of the lineally movable lifting pin or member 5, which latter is pivotally connected to the locking block 4 of the unitary member 4.

The modification shown in Fig. 6 of the drawings is similar in all respects to the construction hitherto described, except that in lieu of forming the off-set or seat 3 upon the knuckle for the reception of the lower end 4 of the lock-set and knuckle-opener arm 4, the said lock-set and knuckle-opener member is provided at a point above its lower extremity with a shoulder a which is adapted to be seated on the tail of the knuckle and to thus support the lock in an unlocked position when it is desired to perform an uncoupling operation.

The construction being substantially such as herein pointed out, the operation of the device will be as'follows: The knuckle being in a locked position and the unitary lock, lockset and knuckle-opener member 4 being in its lowest position, an upward pull upon the lifting pin 5 will cause a vertical translation of the said unitary member 4, said vertical movement being subsequently followed by a rotary movement of said unitary member 4 by reason of the continued upward pull upon the lock lifting member 5 and the engagement of the portion 4 of the unitary lock, lock-set and knuckle-opener member 4 with the projection or fulcrum 1 of the coupler head. In case the coupler is in engagement with another coupler, this rotary movement will be of such extent merely as to cause the lower end 4 of the lock-set and knuckleopener arm 4 to engage and rest upon the seat 3 of the knuckle 3 (in the modification to cause the shoulder a of the arm 4 to seat itself upon the tail of the knuckle 3), thus supporting the lock portion 4 of the member 4 in an elevated position to allow an un coupling movement of the knuckle. The knuckle being in a locked position and the locking block 4 being supported in an elevated position as above explained, an uncoupling movement of the knuckle 3 will cause a further rotation of the unitary member 4 about the fulcrum 1 of the coupler-' tion it remains until the return or coupling movement of the knuckle engages said lockset and knuckle-opener arm' and forces it back so that the end 4 of the arm 4 'may enter the opening 1 in the bottom wall of the coupler, when the operative parts of the de vice will all be in a locked or coupled relation. If however the knuckle is in a locked position but the coupler is not in engagement with another coupler, the initial vertical lift of the unitary lock, lock-set and knuckle-opener member 4 is succeeded by a rotary movement limited only by the abutting of the top of the locking block 4 against the coupler-head and as the lock-set and knuckle-opener arm 4 is in contact with the tail of the knuckle during such rotation an impulse is imparted to the knuckleffland the latter is opened, the unitary member 4 finally seating itself upon the bottom wall of the coupler-head and being returned to a locked position as heretofore explained. It will be noted that in performin either its lock-setting or knuckle-opening ction as the knuckle opens the unitary lock, lock-set and knuckle-opener member 4 has in succession a vertically upwardmovement, a rotary movement and a vertically downward movement.

Having thus described my invention, what I claim and desire to secure by Letters Patent is:

1. In a car coupler, the combination with a pivoted knuckle, of a unitary lock, lock-set and knuckle opener member adapted to have a rotary movement and tobe supported in unlocked position by' engagement with said knuckle, the lock portion of said unitary member being interposed between the front of the knuckle tail and a wall of the coupler head and the lock-set and knuckle-opener portion thereof being caused to travel outwardly with and by said knuckle as the latter rotates to uncoupled position while supporting said unitary member in unlocked position, substantially as and for the purposes specified.

2. In a car coupler, the combination with a pivoted knuckle, of a unitary gravity lock, lock-set and knuckle-opener member, the lock portion of which is interposed between the front of the knuckle tail and a wall of the coupler head and the lock-set and knuckleopener portion of which extends downwardly behind said knuckle, said unitary member being adapted to be supported in unlocked position by engagement with said knuckle and said lock-set and knuckle-opener portion being eaused to travel outwardly with and by said knuckle as the latter rotates to uncoupled position while supporting said unitary member in unlocked position, substantially as and for the purposes specified.

3. In a car coupler, the combination with a pivoted knuckle, of a unitary lock, lock-set and knuckle-opener member adapted to be seated upon the knuckle and to have a rotary movement to open said knuckle, the lock portion of said unitary member being interposed between the front of the knuckle tail and the coupler head'and the lock-set and knuckle opener portion thereof being caused to travel outwardly with and by said knuckle as the latter rotates to uncoupled position while said unitary member is seated thereon, substantially as and for the purposes specified.

4. In a car coupler, the combinatlon with a pivoted knuckle, of a unitary lock, lock-set and knuckle-opener member adapted to be seated upon the knuckle and to have a rotary knuckle-opener portion thereof being caused to travel outwardly with and by said knuckle as the latter rotates to uncoupled position while said unitary member is seated thereon, means for displacing said unitary member from its seat upon said knuckle, and means for returning said unitary member to its locked position, substantially as and for the purposes specified.

5. In a car coupler, the combination with a pivoted knuckle, of a unitary lock, lock-set and knuckle-opener member adapted to be seated upon the knuckle and to have a rotary movement to open said knuckle, the lock portion of said unitary member being interposed between the front of the knuckle tail and the coupler head and the lock-set and knuckle-opener portion thereof being caused to travel outwardly with and by said knuckle as the latter rotates to uncoupled position while said unitary member is seated thereon; andmeans for displacing said unitary member from its seat upon said knuckle, substantially as and for the purposes specified.

6. In a car-coupler, the combination with a pivoted knuckle, of a unitary lock, lock-set and knuckle-opener member which rides upon and moves outwardly with said knuckle,

the lock portion of said unitary member being interposed between the front of the knuckle tail and the coupler head, substantially as and for the purposes specified.

7. In a car coupler, the combination with a. pivoted knuckle, of a lock for said knuckle having integral therewith an arm extending downwardly behind the knuckle, a lineally movable lifting member, and means whereby said arm and said knuckle may mutually co-act to retain said lock in unlocked posihave a vertical movement succeeded by a rotary movement and to be supported in unlocked position by engagement with said knuckle, the lock-set and knuckle-opener portion of said unitary member being caused to travel outwardly with and by said knuckle as the latter rotates to uncoupled position while in supporting engagement with said unitary member, substantially as and for the purposes specified.

9. In a car coupler, the combination with a pivoted knuckle, of a unitary lock, lock-set and knuckle-opener member adapted to be supported in unlocked position by engagement with said knuckle and also adapted to have both vertical and rotary movements, the lock portion of said unitary member being interposed between the front of the knuckle tail and the coupler head and the lock-set and knuckle-opener portion theredf being caused to travel outwardly with and by said knuckle as the latter rotates to uncoupled position while supporting said unitary member in unlocked position, substantially as and for the purposes specified.

In testimony whereof I affix my signature, in presence of two witnesses this 18th day of February 1903.

GILBERT P. BITTER.

Witnesses:

VVM. E. DYRE, HUer-I M. STERLING.