US904471A

US904471A - Automatic car-fender.

Info

Publication number: US904471A
Application number: US42948408A
Authority: US
Inventors: John A Byers
Original assignee: JOHN W THORNTON
Current assignee: JOHN W THORNTON
Priority date: 1908-04-27
Filing date: 1908-04-27
Publication date: 1908-11-17
Anticipated expiration: 1925-11-17

Description

J, A. BYERS. AUTOMATIC GAR FENDER. APPLICATION FILED APR. 27. 1908.

Patented Nov. 17, 1908.

AAQ:

if INVENTOR John .4. 33ers A By 2 ATTORNEY,

THE uokms PETERS co., 'WASHINGTON, n. c.

UNITED. STATES PATENT OFFICE,

JOHN A. BYERS, OF VANCOUVER, BRITISH COLUMBIA, CANADA, ASSIGNOR OF ONE-HALF 'IO JOHN W. THORNTON, OF

VANCOUVER, CANADA.

AUTOMATIC GAB-FENDER.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented. Nov. 1'7, 1908.

Application filed April 2'7, 1908. Serial No. 129,48.

T 0 all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, JOHN A. BYERs, a citizen of the Dominion of Canada, residing at Vancouver, in the Province of British Columbia, Canada, have invented a new and useful Improvement in Automatic Oar-Fenders, of which the following is a specification.

This invention relates to a street car fender designed to automatically drop to the track level when an obstacle is encountered, and thereby afford a better protection to life and limb than is usually obtainable with the majority of car fenders in use. The difficulty with such fenders is that projecting as they do in advance of the car, the front end must be normally at a considerable height above the level of the track to avoid its striking the track during oscillation of the car on its springs; under which circumstances although the fender will save a person from passing under the car if he should happen to be in an erect position when struck, if, as is frequently the case, the person has fallen while hurriedly crossing the track to escape an advancing car the body will pass under the fender and receive no protection from it. Attempts have been made to overcome this difliculty by supporting the fender in such a manner that the front end of it may be dropped by the motorman to the track level when an occasion arises for its use. This principle however does not satisfactorily meet the requirements as the motorman has quite suflicient to engage his attention in such an emergency, in cutting off the current from or reversing the motor, and in applying his brake, and might very readily neglect to lower the fender. I have therefore designed my fender that when an actuating bar beyond the front bar of the fender proper, encounters an obstacle it will automatically release the fender and allow it to drop to the track level.

I further furnish a supplementary fender under the car body and close in front of the leading wheels so that if a car be going at such a speed that the front fender will not drop in time to save the body passing under it the rear fender which is simultaneously lowered will insure the body being lifted ofi the track.

The invention is fully described in the following specification, reference being made to the drawings by which it is accompanied, in which:

Figure 1 is a side elevation of the front end of a car showing the application of my fender thereto, Fig. 2, a vertical longitudinal section of the same, and Fig. 3, an end elevation.

In these drawings 2 represents the forward end of a car frame, 3 being its platform level, and 4; the level of the track.

Supported in bearing brackets 5 secured to the front beam of the car is a shaft 6 on the ends of which are freely mounted suspension links 7 to the lower ends of which are connected the inner ends of side frames 8 between the outer ends of which side frames is secured a rod 9. The receiving net 11 of the fender is loosely suspended between this front rod 9 and a corresponding one 12 secured between upward extensions from the bearing brackets 5. The fender frame is supported in its normal position clear of the track as shown by the full lines in Figs. 1 and 2 by a chain 15 connected to each side frame 8 which chain passing over directing sheaves 16, is coiled on and attached to a sheave 17 keyed on each end of a shaft 18 rotatable in bearings secured to the car frame, and having a pawl or detent wheel 19 and a spring controlled pawl 20 to hold it in its sustaining position. When this pawl 20 is lifted from engagement with the detent wheel, the shaft 18 is free to rotate and the chains 15 which sustain the front end of the fender frame unwind ofi the sheaves 17 and permit the front end to drop to the track, as shown by dot and dash lines in Figs. 1 and 2. Small wheels 10 may be placed on each side of the rod 9 to facilitate its movement on the track when down.

The release of the sustaining mechanism is effected when an obstruction is encountered on the track bythe backward movement of a light cross rod 26 projected in advance of the front rod 9 and connected to side rods 25 endwise movable in guides 27 secured to each side frame 8. The backward end of each side rod 25 is connected to the free end of a lever 24: secured to the shaft 6 outside of the side frame suspension links 7 of the fender, and secured to the same shaft 6 is a lever 23 opposite to the position of the detent wheel 19, the free end of which lever is connected by a rod 22 to a downwardly bent extension 21 of the pawl 20. Thus if an obstruction is encountered on the track the advance bar 26 and its light side rods are driven back and by means of the levers 24: and 23 on the shaft 6 release the pawl 20 from engagement with the detent wheel and the front end of the fender falls to the track level.

It will be noted that the front bar 9 of the fender falls to the track in a backward curve and that as the fender frame is suspended freely on the shaft 6 is susceptible of further backward movement under the impulse of an obstruction that would release and drop the front end of the fender. The advantage of this is obvious in preventing a body from passing under the fender and in lessening the shock of the blow struck. The free suspension of the fender also enables it to be folded against the front end of the car when desired.

If it is feared that when the car is going at a high speed the fender might not fall quick enough to avoid overrunning a body that might be lying on the track a supplementary fender frame 30 may be furnished vertically movable in guides 31 just in advance of the leading wheels of the car. This supplementary frame is sustained clear of the track by chains 32 over directing sheaves 33 and secured to sheaves 34 on the shaft 18 in such a manner that the release of the detent wheel in the manner already described will allow the supplementary fender to fall to the track. This movement will be simultaneous with that of the front fender and will effectually prevent a body passing under the wheels which might have passed under the front fender.

To enable the motorman to effect the re lease of the sustaining pawl 20 and drop the fender a pedal lever 14 may be connected to the pawl as shown in Fig. 2. After the fender has been dropped it may be restored to its normal position by rotating the'shaft 18 in any suitable manner and the pawl will drop into its detent in the wheel 19 and sustain it there.

I Having now particularly described my invention and the manner of its use, I hereby declare that what I claim as new and desire to be protected in by Letters Patent, is:

1. As a car fender, a frame the after end of which is pivotally suspended from a shaft extending across the front end of the car and the front end of which frame is supported clear of the track by flexible connections to rotatable sheaves on the car frame, a pawl for preventing rotation of the sheaves whereby the front end of the fender is sustained, and means for releasing such pawl whereby the front end may be allowed to drop to the track level, said means comprising a light bar projected in advance of the front bar ofthe fender and connected to side bars slidably mounted on the side frames of the fender, and a lever secured to the shaft to which the after end of the fender is suspended.

2. As a car fender, aframe the after end of which is pivotally suspended from a shaft extending across the front end of the car and the front end sustained clear of the track by flexible connections to rotatable sheaves on the car frame, a pawl for preventing rotation of the sheaves whereby the front end of the fender is sustained, means projected beyond the front end of the fender for releasing said pawl from engagement with the sheave whereby the front end of the fender may be allowed to fall to the track and a secondary fender between the front end of the car and the leading wheels thereof, which secondary fender is sustained clear of the track by flexible connections to sheaves secured to the same rotatable shaft which supports the leading fender, and simultaneously released.

In testimony whereof I have signed my name to this specification in the presence of two subscribing witnesses.

JOHN A. BYERS.

WVitnesses:

JOHN W. THORNTON, ROWLAND BRITTAIN.