US896575A - Mail-bag catcher. - Google Patents

Description

No. 896,575. PATBNTED AUGyls, 1908. E. W. REGB. MAIL BAG OATCHER.

APPLICATION FILED JAN. 2B, 1908.

3 SHEETS-SHEET 1 No. 898,575. K PATBNTED AUG. 18, 1908. v

E. W. RECH.-

MAIL BAG CAMPER.

APPLICATION FILED JAN. 28, 1908.

3 SHEETS-SHEET 2.'

Ewfc' Zfaec@ 618mm Mou l PATENTED AUG. 18, 1908.

E. W. RECE.

MAIL BAG CATGHER. v APPLIGATIQN FILED nu. 2a, 190e.

BSHEETS-SHEET 3.

wi h1 @ons EUSTAGE W. RECE, OF CHELYAN, WEST VIRGINIA.

MAIL-BAG CATCHER. u

Specification of Letters Patent.

'Patented Aug. 18, 1908.

Application led January 28, 1908. Serial No. 413,042.

To all whom it may concern.'

Be it known that I, EUsrAoE W. Rnon, a citizen of the United States of America, residing at Chelyan, in the county of Kanawha and State of West Virginia, have invented new and useful Improvements in Mail-Bag Catchers, oi' which the following is a specilication.

This invention relates to mail bag catchers, and one of the principal objects of the same is to provide means actuated by a moving train for swinging the mail bag crane into position to support a mail bag and to move the catcher into line with the bag so that the latter is caught and carried into the mail car as the train moves on.

Another object of the invention is to provide means for automatically presenting a mail bag in position to be caught by a catcher on the mail car, means being provided to automatically return the catcher and crane to a position out of the way of another train which may be coming on the same track.

These and other objects may be attained by means of the construction illustrated in the accompanying drawings, in which,-

Figure 1 is a diagrammatic view of two railway tracks in which the cars are supposed to run in the directions indicated by the arrows thereon. Fig. 2 is an enlarged sectional view of the trigger and its operating mechanism. Fig. 3 is a side elevation and partial section, showing the mail bag catcher and crane forming part of my invention.

Fig. 4 is a side elevation and partial section of the crane support. Fig. 5 is a detail perspective view showing the two channel bars forming the support for the crane and the pivoted stops. Fig. 6 is a detail view partially in section, showing the mechanism for operating the catcher member. Fig. 7 is a detail perspective view of the horizontal arm, the latter being broken away.

Referring to the drawings for a more specific description of my invention, the numerals 1 and 2 designate two railw.r y tracks lying side by sido, and located between the two tracks is the crane lor supporting the mail bag. The crane consists of the supporting legs 3 and the upright members 4, the latter being shown as formed of angle iron bars secured to a base disk 5 by means of angular brackets 6. Secured to the disk 5 are handles or stops 7, said stops being ivoted at 8 to angular brackets 9, one at eac side of the double standard. Supported between the legs 3'is a metal plate 10, and secured to said plate is a socket 1 1 in which is seated a rotary bolt 12 around which is coiled a spring 13, one end of which is secured to the socket 11 and the opposite end secured to the rotary bolt. The upper end of the rotary bolt is squared, as at 14, to it a squared opening in the disk 5.

Pivoted at 15 between the uprights 4 is the crane 16 having suitable means for 'supporting a mail bag 18 at its outer end, while its inner end 19 is weighted. The parallel arm 20 is pivoted at 21,.and a wire or other flexible connection 22 is attached at one end to the weight 19 and the opposite end of the arm 20. The result of this construction is that when the mail bag 13 has been removed the weight 19 will swing downward and thus swing the crane 16 into a vertical position, while the arm 20 will drop to a position in alinement with the members 4 and will lie between the same.

Located at some distance from the crane and at the side of the inner rails of the two tracks are the triggers, each consisting of a casing 23 having a central opening 24 therein. The casing is tapered from a central point outward to the ends, and disposed in the opening 24 is a trigger 25 provided with a shank 26 to which is pivoted at 27 a lever 2S, said lever having a stop or detent 29 and said lever being pivoted at 30 to the casing. A spiral spring 31 supports the trigger 25 nor mally. A slide rod 32 extends through the casing 23 and is rovided with a shoulder 33 which is engage by the stop 29 on the lever 28. The slide bar 32 is centrally recessed, as at 34, and extending through this recess is the shank 26 of the trigger 25. A spiral spring 35 is connected at one end to the sliding rod 32, and the opposite end bears against the casing 23. One of the ends of the sliding rod 32 is slotted, as at 36, and a lever 37 pivoted at 38 is connected in the slot 36 to the sliding rod 32. Flexible wires or connections 39 are attached to the ends of the lever 37, said connections passing over pulleys 40 and being connected at their opposite ends to a three-armed lever 41 pivoted at 42 and provided with an arm 43 to which a connecting rod 44 is pivoted.

Connected to the rod 44 is a bell crank lever 45 pivoted at 46 and having connected to one of its arms an upright rod 47, one upon each side of the crane support or standspring is secured to the shaft, and the opposite'end bears against the side 'of the car. When it is desired to hold the catcher out of operative position a p in is inserted in an eye 56 which-passes through a slot 57 in a lug 5S formed on the shaft 52. A lug 59 extends from the end of the shaft 52. A connecting rod 60 mounted to slide in keepers 61 is attached to a lever 62 pivoted at 63. The'endko'lY the lever 62 projects through a sleeve 64 and engages a notch 65 in a rod 66 which supports at its lower end a wheel 67 adapted to run upon the car track. Braces 68 extend from the sleeve 64 to the car. The rod 66 at its upper end passes through the car loor and is provided with a pin 69 to form a stop for said rod, and a weight 70 ada ted to bear upon the upper end. o'l' the rod liolds the wheel 67 down upon the track.

As the wheel 67 passes over the trigger 25 the latter is depressed against the tension of spring 31, and the stop 29 is withdrawn `from the shoulder 33 of the sliding rod 32. The spring 35 then exerts its force to push the rod 32 outwardly to operate the lever 37 and the flexible connections 39 which operate the lever 41 to push inward on the rod 44. This pulls downward upon one of the upright rods 47, and alter the up er end of said rod has been pulled down be ow one of the handles 48 the tension of spring 31 rotates the bolt 12 and with it the disk 5 and the standards 4 to throw the crane 16 and a mail bag toward the moving train. In the meantime the rod 66 is raised, and the connecting rod 69 is depressed from underneath the lug 59.

The spring 54 then exerts its tension to throw the catcher arm 51 downward until the diverging arms 50 are in line with the center of the mail bag. rIhe handles 48 and the springs are set by hand and are operated by the moving train.

Having thus described the invention, what is claimed as new, is

1. A mail bag catcher comprising a crane, crane-operating means tending to dispose the crane in position to permit the bag carried thereby to be icked up by a passing car, means for securing the crane in an inoperative position against the tension of its operating means, a trigger arranged adjacent one of the track rails and adapted to engage and secure the crane-supporting means in operative position, a bag catcher' mounted on the car, means for holding said catcher normally in inoperative position, and means carried by the car to engage and operate the trigger to release the cranesecuring means, said car-carried means being ada )ted to simultaneously release the bag cato er.

2. In a mail bag catcher, a crane comprising spaced angle irons, arms pivoted between said angle irons, one of said arms being weighted, a flexible connection extending from one arm to the other, and means for supporting a mail bag between said arms.

3. In a mail bag catcher, the combination of a crane, means for supporting a mail bag upon said crane, a bag catcher mounted on the car, means whereby said catcher is normally held parallel with the side of the car, a shaft, a roller thereon, a sleeve through which said shaft extends, a lever actuated by the movement of said shaft, and means for moving said bag catcher out into line with the mail bag, said means comprising a trigge'r secured to the car track.

In testimony whereof I aiiix my signature in presence of two witnesses.

EUSTACE IV. RECE. Witnesses C. C. MOORE, E. I-I. MEADows.

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