US963589A - Automatic step for cars. - Google Patents

Description

' m E. LANDIN.

I AUTOMATIC STEP FOB GARB- A P PLIOATI01I rum) ram-2a, mo.

- Patented July 5,1910.

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NILS E. LANDIN, OF BROOKLYN, NEW YORK.

AUTOMATIC STEP FOR CABS.

Specification of Letters Patent. 7

Application filed February 23, 1910. Serial No. 545,336.

Patented July 5,

To all whom it may concern: I p

- Be it known that I, NILS E. LANDIN, a citizen of the United States of America, and a resident of Brooklyn, county of Kings, and State of New York,have invented" certain new and useful Improvements in Automatic Steps for Cars, of which the following is a specification.

This invention has reference to improvements in automatic steps for cars.

It is the special object of my invention to produce a step forming a permanent part of a car which is automatically operated by the trainman or guard when he opens or closes a sliding door. This is so arranged that the step is out of the way and flush with the side wall of the car when the door is closed and down in position for use when the door is open forming then a flat projection or tread upon which the foot may be placed while entering or leaving the car.

vThis invention has been primarily devised for use on cars which run up close to a platform in such manner that the truck and wheels of the car are below and the floor of same is about level with the platform. In many cases, particularly in subways it so happens that the car tracksund'er the streets are slightly curved and the platform therefore is sometimes closeto the door of the car and sometimes a foot or so away from same leaving thus a dangerous space and extra guards are required to vcall the attention of the passengers to that gap for the purpose of preventing accidents. 7

It is the purpose of the present invention to produce a step which automatically falls onto the platform when the guard opens the sliding door of the car forming a bridge over the dangerous ap. WVhen all the passengers are in or out of the car the guard closing the door simultaneously draws up the step, thus the guard does not need to pa special attention to it. When the plat orm is level with the car floor or somewhat lower a straight step or bridge may be used. However when the platform is somewhat higher than the floor of the car a straight projection or bridge is undesirable. In order to render the novel automatic stepuseful under the latter condition it is longitudinally divided and the front part independently movable from the rear part. Further, care has been taken to produce an easily movable and secure device to avoid delay, all as will be fully described hereinafter with reference to the accompanying drawing in which:

Figure 1 represents in side elevation part of a car with the automatic step applied thereto embodying in desirable form the to present improvements, showing the door closed and the step flush with the side wall of the car. Fig. 2 is alike elevation showing the door open and the step down ready for use. Fig. 3 is a vertical section on line 3-3 of Fig. 2, and Fig. 4 is a horizontal section on line 4-4 of Fig. 2.

Similar characters of reference denote like parts in all the figures. i

On the drawing a represents the side wall of a car and b is a sliding door. The automatic step is secured in front of the door at the bottom of same. The step is supported by blocks 0 on pins 03 formed directly at the inner ends of same. The step is formed of two parts 6, e suitably connected preferably by forming two downward extensions e on the front part c and two like projections e on the rear part of same which are connected by short bolts f. In this manner the front part e may fall downwardl but can not moveupwardly beyond the plane of the rear part because the inner straight surfaces of the two parts will prevent this when meeting so that normally a level surface of both parts is formed. To prevent hurting the foot of a passenger when the step falls Y down the front portion of the part c of same is covered with rubber, as shown in Fig. 3. A coiled spring 9 is secured to the side wall of the car as shown in- Figs. 3 and 4. The lower end 9 of the spring runs into a groove of the inner part 6 of the step. This spring keeps the step normally down in a position for use. To the front/part e of the step a 95 chain 72. is secured which runs over a sheave 01' pulley 71 secured to the front wall a of. the car before the door. From here the chain 71. runs vertically up to thetop of the car below the roof and passes over a sheave j mounted rectangularly to the sheave i in the front wall of the car so that the chain It may pass horizontally over to a sheave is mounted like the sheave j in the side wall of the car. The chain it then runs across to the forward 105 top portion of the door and is secured there in a securing device Z which preferably con-.4 sists of a small iron part Z having a notch through which the chain passes which latter is provided with an enlarged end. To .pre-

- To e opefiationsofi th device easily 5 de'rstood 'from thee OYe, A Assumingjtha't the door is vclosed "asshbw'n i'n" illigifl thena the step isin a vertical, position and flush" with .-the'-'side Wall fifthe car. -When the trainmanfnow opens the door by means of the door handleflmthe chain it passes ac" rsjforoed'down by the spring g. '-When the door iscompletelyopei the step is'down in "position; ready for use asshown in I igs, 2, 3 dH l SIYWhen-the guard closes the door it hfain it trav'els over the sheave "a,the sheave "7' and the 'sh'ea'vejc and thereby ulls I the stepautomatically u'pint'o' avertica position. If howeverithefloor of-the car is somewhat higher than the stationaryplat-- A the step descendsto' meet it. 1 Should y however thepl-atformbe'a little highe'r'than- 7 "fiber ofthe' car a rigid 'stepwould point inconvenient" for the; passengers to board same For this reason the step divided above'fde'sci ibed and when the' step desfceiidsrit's' front'portion rests flatly on the i, h jis'hel'din a definite corresponding position i In thefdeserib ed manner an automatic h 'tefp', produced particularly'u'seful on sub-'; c ars 'stoppin nearplatforms which f ofteiifsomewha away from the car leavg j dangerous f gaps between. j'l cla'i'm'as-iny'invention. l'f'An-au'tomati" tep for oarscomprising ajstep'properfsecuredinfront of the sliding s'idedoorofthecar' at the bottom of same,

a coiled 'spiing' on the'f side wall of the car 1 'with lower portion extending onto the step kee it normally down; three sheaves; one

fnear't ebottom on the front wall of'the car,

i 91 1c near theft'op on said wall mounted recngularly to the first n'amedjsheave and ordih'gly over the sheave 7c," the sheave -j and. 1.

.anjlipward direction "and render it very- 7 platform leaving the outer edge of. the rear portion atltheplatforn level while its chain.

bnidn tlie "innertop portion of h Side jyvall, ,achain secured at one end to the frontportion of the step running over the sheaves and then across the top portion of the door, anda' securing device for the chain in the o'uter top,p'ortionof the door.

2. An automatic step for subway cars 5 comprising a step .proper longitudinally dividedlinto alfrontand rearpart so con- :nected that the front. part may move downwardonly relative to the rearpart, three sheaves one near ,the bottom on, the front 0 wallofthe car, one near-the top on said walk mounted rectangularly to the" first. named and one on the inner top portion of the side wall, a chain secured at one end to the front part of the step, running over 5 the sheavesv and then across the topi'portion 'OfgllllQSlldlIlg side door, and a securing device forthe chain in the outer top portion of the door. 1

In combination ,with the slidin door of. a. car, a stephoperati vely in connection with: said door-comprising a divided projection ortrea'd, afspr ng adapted to keep the tread normally down, and neansdn connection with thefront part of the step and the door to raise andlow'erfthe step automatically when the door is; operated.

.4..In a stepifor cars'automatically operated by opening and closijn a sliding door, a step=or tread composed 0t two parts, h'aving downward-projections on the side portions ,where they, meet adjacent to each other and boltedto'g'ether so that the front part may movet'downward only relative'to the rear part-,"Saidyrearpart having a transnormallyi down- 'and two pins oneat eaei this use; (m 0 THoMAs; DONNELLAN. 'j

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