US905455A - Storm-apron device. - Google Patents

Description

J.. H. POWERS; STORM APRON DE V IGE.

APPLICATION TILED FEB.11, 1908.

Patented Dec. 1,1908.

4 BHEETS-SHEET 1.

M. WW M J. H. POWERS. STORM APBON DEVICE.

APPLICATION FILED r213. 11, 190B.

Patented Dec. 1, 1908.

4'SHEETSSHEET 2.

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J."H. POWERS. j

STORM AP'RON DEVICE. I APPLICATION FILED FEB. 11, 1908. I

Patented Dec. 1, 1908.

4 SHEETS-SHEET a.

'J. H. POWERS.

STORM APRON DEVICE.

APPLICATION FILED FEB. 11, 1908.

4 SHEETS-SHEET 4.

Patented Dec. 1,190

vofthe apron; Fig. slots upon an enlarged scale, showing a flap JOSEPH H. POWERS, OF ELKHORN, WISCONSIN.

STORIVLAFRON DEVICE.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Dec. 1, 1908.

Application filed February 11, 1908. Serial N 0. 415,404. 1 i

'10 all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, J osnri-i: H. lownns, a citizen of the United. States, residing at Elkhorn, in. the county of \Valworth and State ofWisconsin, haveinvented certain new and useful Improvements in Storn1-Apron Devices, of which the following is a specification.

My invention relates to in'i provements in storm-apron devices for vehicles, its object being, among other things, to provide a spring controlled apron which can be readily manipulated and automatically rolled up when not in use.

More particularlythe invention consists in the construction, combination and arrangement of parts hereinafter described and claimed.

In the accompanying drawings forming part of this specification, Figure l is a perspective View of the body of a buggy fitted with my improvements, the apron being shown drawn out andsecured in protecting position; Fig. 2 is a vertical longitudinal section through the casing and rollers on line ww of Fig. a; Fig. 3 is a horizontal section on line a-o of Fig. 2;Fig. 4 is a vertical cross section through the casing and rollers on line 1 2 of Fig. 2; Fig. 5 is a vertical. cross section through the roller casing on line .2-Z

. of Fig. 2, showing the rollers in elevation;

Fig. 6 is a. detail of the locking mechanism shown in Fig. 3, but with the parts in loclo ing position; Fig. 7. is a perspective detail of the actuating rod for the locking mechanism, the locking lever being shown partly broken away; Fig. 8 is anelevation of the groovedwheel forming part of the locking vmechanism; Fig. 9. isa section thereofon line w-m of Fig. 8-, showing a fragment of the locking pin; Fig. 10 IS a perspective View of therock frame-which intercepts and holds the apronroller against the tension of its spring; Fig. 11. is a. horizontal section through the apron when the side flaps are folded over in position to be rolled up; Fig. 12 is an. elevation of a frgainent of the apron casing, viewed from within the vehicle, showing the slots for holding the side flaps 13 is a view ofone'ofthe heldtherein under S'JI'lIl )ressure' F i 14- is a top view of the roller casing; Fig. 15 is a longitudii'ial section through one of the slots showingin dotted lines a flap portion therein inserted, and Fig. 16 is a side elevation of a fragment of a buggy body showing the apron drawn out to cover the knees of the driver.

In the drawings A represents the body of the vehicle, Bthe canopy and C the dashboard. Integral with the dashboard, or secured to it in any suitable way, is a casing D having end walls 3 within which is arranged a spring roller 2 which carries a storm apron E.

As shown in Figs. 2 and 3 the roller 2 is a hollow cylinder journalcd upon the axle or spindle 4 which has its ends secured in the end walls orsupports 3. Arranged within the roller are one or more helical springs 5 surrounding the axle and having one end. secured to the roller and the other end to the axle. to the roller and passes thence over the idler roller 6, and then up over the rollers 7 and. 8 as shown in Fig. 4, these rollers being journaled in the supports or end walls 3 of the casing.

Revolubly mounted upon the shaft 9 of the roller 7 is a rocking shell 10 arranged above said roller and below the horizontal bar 11 which extends across the casing between the rollers 7 and 8, as shown in F 2 and 5. The shell is formed with pro; jecting curved lips 12 arranged in position to intercept and hold the ends of the stick 13 which is secured along the top of the front portion of the apron. T he shell is held northe roller 8. The, lugs are shown rectangularin section, and against each lug rests a spring strip 18 secured to the bar 11. This strip bearing against one' of the fiat sides of the lug will normally hold the shell from turning.

When the apron is rolled down out of the way the parts will stand in position shown in Fig. 5 with the rod 13 intercepted and held by the lips 12 against the tension of the The apron is secured at one end Fig. 4:, freeing the shell 10, which will be turned up by its spring against the bar 11. The flaps 19, which, whenthe apron was rolled up, were folded over upon the apron as shown in Fig. 11, are pulled out and buttoned or otherwise secured to the carriage body and the canopy, as shown in Fig. 1, the shell 16 being turned by hand over the roller 8 so as to shield it. It will be observed that the ends of the rod 13 project out through the apron at the corners of the canopy in position vto be interce ted by the lips 12. -Whenit is desired to lave the apron rolled up again, itis only necessary to fold theflaps 19 over against the inner side of the apron, to release the apron from the canopy and to turn'the shell 10 down so that its lips 12 will intercept the ends of the rod 13.

When it is desired to use the apron as a lap robe, the shell 16 is turned over upon its side, as shown in Fig. 5, so as to permit the apron to pass over the top of the roller without obstruction. The use of the apron in this way is illustrated in Fi 16.

In use it will be foun the apron out a certain distance and then secure it against being accidentally pulled or blown farther out, for, in driving against the wind, the wind will exert a tendency to unroll the apron, disarranging its position and subjecting the spring and roller to unnecessary working. To prevent this the locking mechanism about to be described is provided.

Passing loosely through one end 20 of the roller 2 is a spring pressed locking pin 21, held normally thrust out of the end of the .roller by means of the pressure of the spring 22. ,As shown in the drawings the end 20 of the cylinder is cored out to permit the spring -,to be inserted within the same, and the pin 21 is providedwith an inturned inner end 23 which forms a stop to prevent the in from being thrust too far out of'the cylinder end. Rotatably mounted upon the shaft 4 of the roller 2 adjacent to the end'of the pin 21 is a disk 24: which is capable of being moved longitudinally upon the shaft. This disk is formed with a groove 25 which starts at 26 flush with the inner face of the disk and extends around concentrically with the axle fl, growing progressively deeper towards its other end 27 which is close to the.

r i lhe groove and pin are so starting point. arranged that the pin will enter the groove when the disk is thrust inward towards the convenient to draw comes roller. The disk is operated-back and forth by means of a lever 28 having one end extending into a socket 29 in the periphery of the disk. The other end of the lever is connected with a rod 30 which extends within the casing and passes'out through a slotted hole 31 therein, terminating in an operating handle 32-. To look the roller against unrolling the. apron, ,it is only necessary to push the handle 32 sidewis This will cause the lever 28 to throw the disk 2st in enter the groove 25. Now, when the apron is drawn out farther, the pin 21 will travel around in the groove '24 until it abuts against the end wall at the deepest end 27 of the groove. This will prevent further turn-- ing in that direction,but will not prevent the roller from turning in the op osite direction. 'As a convenient means or holding the flaps of the apron when not in use 1 form the inner face of the casing with two narrow slots or sockets 33 each of suflicient width to receive one of the flaps 19, as shown in Figs. 13 and 15. ,To hold the flaps securely therein I arrange in each socket a spring towards the roller so that the'pin 21 will strip 34 to pinch the flap. In the drawings the rod 30 is shown bent at 35 to clear the socket. v I

It is obvious that the details of the device may be variously'modified without departing from the principle of the invention, the sco ev of which is defined in the claims.

claim as my invention:

1. The combination, with the dashboard of a vehicle,- of end supports carried thereby, a sprin roller mounted in said supports, idler ro lers also mounted therein, a storm apron secured to the spring roller and passing up over the idlerrollers, a rod secured along the free end of the apron, and a. lip I rotatably mounted within the end-supports in position to intercept and hold said rod.

2. The combination, with the dashboard of a vehicle, of'end-supports carried thereby, a shaft mounted in said supports, a spring roller revolubly mounted upon said shaft, a storm apron secured to theroller, a grooved disk revolubly and slidably mounted uponthe shaft, the groove being concentric with the shaft and growin progressively deeper, a spring pressed pin ongitudinally slidable in the ad acent end of the roller and having a projecting end adapted to fit into. sai groove, and mechanism for sliding the disk into cooperative relation with the pin.

3. The combination, with the dashboard of a vehicle, of a casing carried thereby, a spring roller mounted in the ends of the easing, idler rollers also journaled in the ends of the casing above the spring roller, a storm apron secured to the spring roller and passing up over the idler rollers, a rod secured along the free end of the apron, and spring controlled means rotatably mounted within sockets in position to receive the end edges the casing in position to intercept and hold of the flaps, and a spring arranged Within said rod against the tension of the roller spring. each socket for holding said flaps elastically 4. The combination, with the dashboard therein. oi evehicle, of a casing carried thereby, a In testimony whereof I aflix my signature 15 spring roller rotatably mounted in the casin presence of tWo Witnesses. ing, a storm apron comprising a front por- JOSEPH H. POWERS. tion and side flaps secured to the springl Witnesses:

roller elong the bottom of the front portion, EDWARD B. Ronmznnn, 10 the casing being formed With vertical slotted J. P. CHAFIN.

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