US898504A - Mail-bag catching and delivering appliance. - Google Patents

Description

W. M. PORTEE. MAIL BAG UATCHING AND DELIVERING APPLIANCE.

APPLICATION FILED SEPT. 30,1907.

Patented Sept. 15,1908.

' 3 SHEETS-SHEET 1.

auuenfoz wi l'n eases THE NoRms PETERS cm. WASHINGTON. n. c.

W; M. PORTBE. MAIL BAG CATGHING AND DELIVERING APPLIANCE.

' APPLIGATION FILED SEPT. 30, 1907.

898,504, Patented Sept. 15, 1908.

a SHEETS-SHE-ET 2.

v M. PORTEE. MAIL BAG OATGHING AND DELIVERING APPLIANCE;

APPLICATION FILED'SBPT.30,1907;

Patented Spt. 15, 1908 3 SHEEN-SHEET 3.

Suvanl'oz N QT co wnsnmcrau, :14 c.

WILLIAM M. PORTEE, OF MURPHYSBORO, ILLINOIS.

MAIL-BAG- CATCHING- AND DELIVERING APPLIANCE.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Sept. 15, 1908.

Application filed September 30, 1907. Serial No. 395,232.

T 0 all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, WILLIAM M. PORTEE, a citizen of the United States, residing at Murphysboro, in the county of Jackson, State of llinois, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Mail-Bag Catching and Delivering Appliances; and I do hereby declare the following to be a full, clear, and exact description of the invention, such as will enable others skilled in the art to which it appertains to make and use the same.

The present invention has reference to mail-bag catching and delivering mechanism designed for receiving a mail-bag from a moving train and, at the same time, delivering one thereto, the object of the invention residing, generally, in the provision of a simple and exceedingly effective mechanism of that nature.

More particularly, however, the invention resides in the construction of the mechanism located at the receiving station, or, in other words, the mechanism complementary to that located upon the mail-car, such mechanism consisting, primarily, of a post hinged to a receptacle, and foldable thereinto when not in use, and a pair of receiving wings and a supporting hook carried by the post, the wings being held normally apart from each other by a trigger against which the bag received from the train strikes, whereupon the movable wing is drawn towards the stationary wing by means of a coil-spring, thus clamping the bag between the wings and holding it in safety until removed by the postal clerk.

With the above and other ends in view, the invention consists in the particular construction of parts and in their combination and arrangement, all as hereinafter fully described, specifically claimed, and illustrated in the accompanying drawings in which like parts are designated by corresponding reference numerals in the several views.

Of the said drawings :Figure 1 is a front elevation of the post and its attachments, the latter being shown in operative position. Fig. 2 is a top plan view showing also a portion of the car and the delivering arm carried thereby. Fig. 3 is a perspective view of the receiving wings. Fig. 4 is a fragmental rear elevation of the post and the bag-supporting arm. Fig. 5 is a detail view of the car arm. Fig. 6 is a side elevation, showing the post arm partly folded into its receiving box, the Wings and arm having been removed therefrom, the view being partly in section, to illustrate the hinge connection between the lower end of the post and the receptacle.

Referring more particularly to the drawings, 7 designates the post which is mounted within a suitable box 8 secured to the platform 9 at the receiving station, the box being located at the requisite distance from the track upon which the car 10 travels. The post is hinged at its lower end to the bottom of the box so as to permit of its being folded thereinto when not in use, the hinge connection being indicated by the numeral 11. The post is further provided with a latch 12 secured to the front face thereof and adapted for engagement with a keeper 13 secured to the front end of the box, to retain the 0st in its operative or upright position. T e box is closed by a lid 14 hinged thereto, so as to protect the post and its attachments when in place therein. At its upper end the post is provided with. bag-catching and bagsupporting mechanism 16, both of said mechanisms being reversibly engaged therewith so as to permit of their change from one side to the other of the post, according as the train approaches from one direction or the other.

The first mentioned or catching mechanism comprises a pair of horizontal wings 17 and 18 connected at their inner ends to a cap 19 provided with a stem 20 adapted to fit in a socket formed in the post and retained in place by a set screw 21. The connection between the wing 17 and the cap is-rigid, while that between the Wing 18 and the cap is in the nature of a hinge,- so as to permit the latter wing to be moved towards or from the former, saidwings being normally forced to wards each other by an expansible coilspring 22 which embraces a pin 23 secured at one end to the stationary wing and ex tending through a slot formed in the movable Wing, the outer end being headed, as shown. The spring bears at opposite ends against the outer face of the wing 18 and the headed end of the pin 23. To hold the movable wing away from the stationary wing, against the action of said spring, the latter wing carries a horizontal trigger 24 pivoted thereto at its inner end and provided with a beveled free end adapted to bear against the movable wing, as shown in Fig. 2, the movable wing being provided with a longitudinal slot 25 located slightly in the rear of the point at which the trigger contacts with said wing when in operative position.

It will be apparent, therefore, from the foregoing, that when the wings are in the position shown in Fig. 2 and the train is traveling in the direction indicated by the arrow, the bag held upon the supporting arm 26 of the car-carried mechanism will pass between the wings and will strike, directly against the trigger, the impetus of the blow forcing the latter rearwardly towards the post until it reaches the slot 25, through which it moves, the spring 22 forcing the slotted wing towards the stationary wing and thus clamping the mail-bag in place therebetween.

The bag-supporting mechanism 16 consists, as shown, in Fig. 4, of a vertical metal rod 27 bent laterally intermediate its ends to provide a lower section and an upper section, the former having its free end fitting bearing formed in a metal bracket 28 projecting laterally from the rear face of the post, said section being thus held away from said post. The upper section of the rod 27 is provided with a hollow sleeve 29in which the downwardly bent inner end of a horizontal rod 30 fits, the last-mentioned rod being likewise provided with a sleeve 31. The sleeve 31 is provided with a pair of sockets in which the inner ends of a horizontal arm 32 and a vertical arm 33 fit, the last-mentioned arm having a lateral extension 34 disposed directly beneath and parallel with the arm 32. The arms 32 and 34 extend forwardly towards the track rails. Owing to the attachment of the wings 17 and 18 to the cap 19, and to the particular mounting of they latter, as above described, the catching mechanism can be reversed, after the screw 21 has been loosened, in order to render it capable of cooperatingwith the car-carried mechanism 26 irrespective of the direction in which the car is traveling, the supporting mechanism being likewise reversible and held in proper position by any suitable fastening means.

The car-carried mechanism as shown. in Fig. 5 comprises, in part, a horizontally-disposed bar 35, whose opposite ends fit in bearings secured exteriorly of the car in opposite sides of the openings or doors formed therein, and a U-sha ed rod 36, the free end of the inner arm 0 the rod being curved laterally inwards and connected to the latter, thus providing a bag-receiving portion. This rod arm is further provided with a de pending arm 37 whose free end is, in turn,

ent laterally so as to extend directly beneath. and parallel with the outer arm of said rod. The outer armiof the bar and the bent portion of the arm 37 thus serveas supports for the mail-bag to be removed by the wings carried by the post, the disposition of said arms with respect to the wings being such that one passes directly above and the other directly beneath said wings. The bar is provided with a handle 38 by means of which it is rotated so as to bring said arms into operative position. The catching or bag removing arm carried by the bar has not been shown, since it is of the ordinary type and forms no part of the present invention. The post 7, which is hinged at its lower end to the bottom of the box 8, is preferably formed in two parts which arehinged together at their inner ends so as to be capable of being folded one upon the other when the post is not in use.

From the foregoing description, it will be apparent that when the several parts, of the different mechanisms have been set in their operativev position, as shown on Fig. 2, the.

1. The combination, in a mechanism of the class described, of a post, a rotatable cap provided with a finger adapted to fit in a socket formed in the upper end of the post, and a pair of horizontal bar-removing wings secured to the cap and movable therewith so as to extend to one side or the other of the post, according to the direction of travel of the mail car, one of said wings being stationary and, the other wing being movable towards and from the stationary wing, to clamp a mail bag therebetween.

2. The combination, in a mechanism of the class described, of a post, a rotatable cap provided, with a finger adapted to fit in a socket formed in the upper end of the post, a pair of horizontal bag-removing wings secured to the cap and movable therewith so as to extend to one side or the other of the post, according to the direction of travel of the mail car, and means adapted for engagement with said finger to retain the wings in fixed position atoneside or the other of the 0st. p 3. The combination, in a mechanism of the class described, of a post, a rotatable cap provided with a finger adapted to fitoin a socket formed in the upper end of the post, a pair of horizontal bag-receiving wings secured to the cap and movable therewith so as to extend to one side or the other of the post according to the direction of travel of the mail-car, one of said wings being sta. tionary and the other movable, means for holding the movablewing in contact with the stationary wing, means for holding the movable wing away from the stationary wing against the action. of the first-mentioned -wings, and means adapted for engagement with said finger, to retain the wings in fixed position at one side or the other of the post. 4. In a mechanism of the class described, the combination of a post, a pair of horizontal wings carried thereby, one of said wings being movable towards and from the other, a spring adapted to bear against the movable wing, to force it towards the stationary wing, and a trigger pivoted to one of said wings and adapted to engage the other wing, to hold said wings out of contact with each other, and to extend through a slot formed in the last-mentioned Wing, the disengagement of the trigger from said wing being effected by the blow of the bag removed by the wings.

5. The combination, in a mechanism of the-class. described, of a box, a post hinged at its lower end to the box bottom and comprising a plurality of sections foldable one upon another, to permit the post to be disposed within the box, and bag-sup orting and catching mechanisms removab y connected with said post.

6. The combination, in a mechanism of the class described, of a box and a cover hinged thereto, a post hinged at its lower end to the bottom of the box,said post comprising a plurality of sections foldably connected together, so as to permit the post to be completely disposed within the box when not in use, cooperating means carried by the bottom section of the post and the front wall of the box for retaining the post in upright position when not in use, and bag-supporting and catching mechanism removably connected with the top section of the post.

7. The combination, with a post, of a bagsupporting mechanism comprising a vertical rod, and means for connecting the same to the post, a sleeve secured to the upper end of said rod, a horizontal rod having its inner end bent so as to fit in said sleeve, a sleeve secured to the outer end of said horizontal rod, and a horizontal and a vertical arm carried by said last-mentioned sleeve, the vertical arm being provided with a horizontal extension disposed directly beneath and parallel with the horizontal arm.

In testimony whereof, I aflix mysignature,

in presence of two witnesses.

WILLIAM M. PORTEE. Witnesses:

B. S. SMITH, T. F. PELLETT.

Images