US887176A - Mail-bag catcher and deliverer. - Google Patents

Description

PATENTED MAY 12, 1908. H. ASKBLI, W. JACKSON & P. P IETILA. MAIL BAG GATGHER AND DELIVERBR.

APPLICATION FILED MAR. 3, 1908.

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n1: NORRIS PETERS cu, \VASHINGTOJy, 04 CV PATENTED MAY 12, 1908. W. JAOKSON & F. PIETILA. MAIL BAG GATCHER AND DELIVERER.

H. ASKELI APPLICATION FILED MAR. 3. 1908.

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HENRY ASKELI, WILLIAM JACKSON, AND FRANK PIETILA,

OF EVERETT, WASHINGTON.

MAIL-BAG CATCHER AND DELIVERER.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented May 12, 1908.

Application filed. March 3, 1908. Serial No. 418,980.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that we, HENRY AsKELI, WVILLIAM JACKSON, and FRANK PIETILA, citi- Zens of the United States, residing at Everett, in the county of Snohomish and State of Washington, have invented new and useful Improvements in Mail-Bag Catchers and De liverers, of which the following is a specification.

Our invention relates to apparatus for transferring mail bags from a moving train to a stationary holder and vice versa; and it has for its object to provide an apparatus of said type which is, at once, simple, inexpensive and compact in construction, reliable in operation, and well adapted to withstand the shocks and strains to which such apparatus is: ordinarily subjected.

The nature of the invention, and its novelty, utility and practical advantages will be fully understood from the following description and claims when the same are read in connection with the drawings, accompanying and forming part of this specification, in which:

Figure 1 is a perspective view showing a part of a car, the stationary holder of our improvements and the car portion of said improvements. Fig. 2 is an enlarged inverted plan view of the shuttle comprised in the apparatus. Fig. 3 is a transverse section taken through the stationary holder and the shuttle in a plane at one side of the mail bag carrier. Fig. 4 is a longitudinal central section showing the shuttle in the stationary holder and also showing portions of mail bag car riers as properly positioned relative to the holder and shuttle. Fig. 5 is an inverted plan of the holder, with parts in section.

Similar letters designate corresponding arts in all of the views of the drawings, relerring to which:

A is the stationary holder of our improvements which may be located at a station or at any other desired point alongside of and in close proximity to a railway. The said holder is carried by fixed supports B, and is channeled, as indicated by a, and provided with an overhanging portion 1) and a bottom ortion or platform 0. This latter reaches forwardly to a point below the vertical center of the channel a, and is provided on its forward edge with longitudinally-disposed and oppositely directed lingers d, and is also provided with bowed springs e disposed in the spaces f at the inner sides of the "lingers d.

' registered with that B is so much of a railway mail car as is necessary to illustrate the application of the car portion of our improvements. The said car is provided in its side wall with a transverse opening and connected to the outer side of the said side wall and arranged over said opening is a plate C having an opening g in the car wall, and also having a crossbar 71 disposed across said opening for a purposepresently set forth.

In addition to the plate C, the car portion of our improvements comprises a vertically adjustable frame D hinged to lugs "L on the car, a bar E pivoted at to the frame D and arranged to extend through the opening g in the plate C and having a plurality of notches is designed to engage the crossbar h of said plate 0 w'th a view of adjustably fixing the frame D in its extended position, a shuttle F shaped to pass through the channel a of the stationary holder A, bolts G connected to the said shuttle and passed. loosely through apertures in a head Z on the frame D and having heads m located at' the inner side of said head Z, and coiled springs H surrounding the said bolts G and interposed between the frame head and the shuttle F and having for their office to yieldingly retain the shuttle in the position illustrated, relative to the frame,

and to cushion the said shuttle incidental to the passsage of the same through the channel of the stationary holder. The shuttle F is provided with longitudinal grooves r, of T- form in cross-section, which extend in opposite directions from points at opposite sides of its transverse center and are open at their outer ends; and it is also provided with bowed springs s positioned in the said grooves '2" for a purpose hereinafter pointed out.

M is the mail-bag carrier forming part of our novel apparatus. The said carrier comprises a stem 15 having spaced. heads a, hinged jaws c constructed with a view of securely gripping and holding mail bags, and links to interposed between and connecting the stem. and the jaws.

In the practical use of our improvements, when it is desired to deliver a mail bag from the stationary holder A to a moving mail car, the bag is secured in the carrier M, and the said carrier is arranged with its stem t in the proper space f of the holder A and with the lower head a resting on the bottom 0 of the holder. With, the carrier thus arranged, relative to the stationary holder, it will be manifest that when the shuttle F on the mail car passes through the channel a, of the stationary holder, the forward groove 1' of the shuttle will engage the headed ortion of the carrier stem and in that way ta (e the carrier and the mail bag from the stationary holder. It will also be manifest that when the headed portion of the carrier stem is received in the groove 1" of the shuttle, the spring .9 will serve to cushion the stem and also to hold the stem" in the shuttle until the carrier and bag are detached from the shuttle by an attendant in the mail car.

When it is desired to transfer a mail bag from the shuttle F to the stationary holder A, the stem t of the carrier is arranged in the proper groove 7 of the shuttle-i. (2., the rear groove 7", with the lower head of the stem below the shuttle, and hence it will be apparent that when the shuttle passes through the channel of the stationary holder, the stem of the carrier will enter the opposed space f of the holder and be retained therein by the spring 6 While the shuttle passes on.

It will be further understood from the foregoing that by reason of the construction of our improvements, the shuttle is calculated to deliver a mail bag to and take a mail bag from the stationary holder incidental to a single passage of the shuttle through the channel of the holder.

It will be gathered from the foregoing that in addition to the practical advantages ascribed to our novel apparatus, the apparatus is materially advantageous because of its sini plicity, compactness and durability.

he construction herein illustrated and described constitutes the best practical embodiment of our invention of which we are aware, but we would have it understood that in the future practice of the invention such changes in the form, construction and relative arrangement of the parts may be made as fairly fall Within the scope of our invention as defined in the claims appended.

Having described our invention, what we claim and desire to secure by Letters-Patent, is:

1. In an apparatus for the purpose described, the combination of a bag carrier having a headed stem, a stationary holder having a longitudinal channel and also having a platform in which is a longitudinal space 0 en at one end and positioned to receive t e stem of the carrier, and a shuttle designed to be carried by a car and to pass through the longitudinal channel of the holder and having a longitudinal space open and a shuttle designed to be carried by a car and to pass through the longitudinal channel of the holder and having a longitudinal space open at one end and arranged to receive the V stem and the head thereof and also having a resilient stem retainer in the said space.

3. In an apparatus for the purpose described, the combination of a bag carrier having a headed stem, a stationary holder having a longitudinal channel and also having an overhanging in which latter are longitudinal s aces eX- tending from points at opposite sic es of the transverse center of the holder and open at their outer ends and also having resilient stem retainers in said spaces, and a shuttle designed to be carried by a car and to pass through the longitudinal channel of the portion and a bottom portion.

holder and having longitudinal spaces or a grooves of T-form in cross-section in its underside and extending in opposite direc* tions from points at opposite sides of its transverse center and 0 on at their outer ends and also having res' ient st r t i in the said grooves or spaces.

4. In an apparatus for the purpose described, the combination of a car having a transverse opening in its side wall, a plate connected to the side wall of the car and havj ing an opening registered with that in the side wall and also having a cross-bar extending across the said opening, a frame hinged to the car below the said plate and arranged to swing vertically, and a bar pivoted to the said frame and extending through the opening in the plate and the opening in the car wall and having notches arranged to receive the cross-bar of the plate.

In testimony whereof we have hereunto set our hands in presence of two subscribing witnesses.

HENRY ASKELI. WILLIAM JACKSON. FRANK PIETILA.

Witnesses:

NOAH SHAKESPEARE, M. J. Fox.

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