US968353A - Cattle-guard. - Google Patents

Description

' H. H. HERRING.

CATTLE GUARD.

APPLIUATIOK FILED APB..19. 1910.

Patented Aug. 23, 1910.

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H. H. HERRING.

CATTLE GUARD.

APPLIOATIOH FILED un. 19, 1910.

Pa tented Aug. 23, 1910.

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UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

HENRY H. HER-RING, OF ATASGOSA, TEXAS.

CATTLE-GUARD.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Aug. 23, 1910.

Application filed April 19, 1910. Serial No. 556,306.

To all whom it may concern.

Be it known that I, HENRY H. HERRING, a citizen of the United States, residing at Atascosa, in the county of Bexar and State of Texas, have invented new and useful Improvements in Cattle-Guards, of which the following is a specification.

This invention relates to devices for preventing cattle, horses, or other stock from passing upon a railroad from one field to the other, and the primary object of the invention is to simplify and improve devices of this character by providing a cattle guard which is of a comparatively simple structure, cheap to manufacture, and which will perform the functions for which it is intended with ease and with accuracy.

With these and other objects in view, which will appear as the description progresses, the invention resides in the novel construction and combination of parts hereinafter fully described and claimed.

In the accompanying drawings there has been illustrated a simple and preferred embodiment of the improvement, and in which drawings, Figure 1 is atop plan view ofa cattle guard constructed in accordance with my improvement. Fig. 2 is a transverse sectional view upon the line 22 of Fig. 1. Fig. 3 is a longitudinal sectional view upon the line 33 of Fig. 1. Fig. 4 is a fragmentary plan view taken upon an enlarged scale and illustrating the method of connecting the plates to the longitudinally extending members. Fig. 5 is a perspective view of the central plate, the same being shown in an inverted position.

In the drawings, the numeral 1 designates a pair of railway rails. These rails are spaced apart in the usual manner and are positioned upon the ties 2 through the medium of the usual spikes.

The numeral 3 designates the improved guard. This guard 3 comprises a plurality of members, designated by the numeral 1, and arranged in pairs adjacent the sides of the rails 1 and between the rails. The longitudinally extending members 1 are retained in position adjacent the rails through the medium of suitable spikes 5. These members 4 each comprise a section constructed of suitable metal or other material having a vertical flange 6 and an offset or horizontal flange 7, the latter being provided with openings adapted for the reception of spikes whereby the members are retained upon the ties. The vertical members 8 are each provided with alining openings 9,'and the said openings are each adapted for the reception of a removable pintle 10 upon which is secured a plate 11. This plate 11 provides a substantially rectangular arcuate member 12 having offset sides adapted to provide a pocket wherein the weights may be introduced to sustain the plates in a substantially horizontal position. By this arrangement, it will be noted that the arcuate members 12 having the pockets 13 may be balanced according to the added or extracted weights to sustain the said plate in a substantially horizontal plane. Each series of plates 11 are connected together through the medium of suitable flexible elements 14 so that should one of the plates be tramped upon by an animal the remainder of the plates will be also tilted. The chains or other connecting members 1 are not only adapted to tilt the remaining plates but to impart a noise to the plates when the same are tilted and thus frighten the animal so as to cause him to retract his course and move away from the railway track.

The numeral 17 designates a transversely arranged bar positioned between the tracks 1. This bar 17 is centrally provided with a serrated, preferably metallic surface, and the central plate 18 lying directly above the said serrated surface is provided with a depending flexible member, such as a knotted chain 19. By this arrangement, it will be noted that should an animal tread upon any one of the plates 11 the central plate rotated upon its shaft will cause the knotted or sound making member to pass over the irregular surface provided by the transverse member and thus sound an alarm to cause the animal to retreat.

From the above description, taken in connection with the accompanying drawings, it will be noted that I have provided a simple and inexpensive device for the purpose intended, it being apparent that an animal stepping upon any of the plates will cause the remaining plates to be tilted and a grating noise, sufiicient to frighten the animal will be caused by the chains contacting the adjacent plates and the serrated bar 17, and it will be still further noted that the plates being provided each adjacent their pivotal connection with the pockets wherein weights are positioned will cause the said plates to swing for a considerable length of time before the plates regain their equilibrium, and while I have illustrated and described the preferred embodiment of the improvement, as it now appears to me, minor details of construction, within the scope of the following claims, may be resorted to if desired.

Having thus fully described the invention, what I claim as new is 1. In combination with railway rails and ties therefor, of longitudinally extending members arranged in pairs between the ties and adjacent the sides thereof, said members being provided with pivots, plates connected with the pivots, each of the series of plates being flexibly connected together, and a sounding member connected with one of the plates.

2. In a device of the class described, a cattle guard for railway rails, said cattle guard comprising a plurality of pivoted metallic plates having their ends connected together through the medium of flexible sound making elements, substantially as described.

3. In a device for the purpose set forth, the combination with a pair of railway rails and ties therefor, longitudinal members arranged in pairs between the rails and adjacent the sides of the rails, said members being provided with alining openings, plates having pivots engaging the openings, resilient sound making elements connecting each of the adjacent plates, the central plate being provided with a depending sound making element, and a contact for the said element.

4. In a device for the purpose set forth, a plurality of plates, flexible sounding connections for said plates, one of said plates being provided with a downwardly extending flexible sound producing element, and a transversely arranged member positioned beneath the central plate and adapted to be contacted by the said sound element so as to add to the tonation thereof.

5. In a device of the class set forth, a plurality of pivoted plates, said plates being each connected together through the medium of a flexible sound producing element, the plates adjacent their pivotal connections being provided with curved pockets adapted for the reception of weights, and whereby the said plates will be caused to rotate upon their pivots after any of the said plates have been contacted.

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

HENRY H. HERRING. lVitnesses E. R. VISDOM, Horny L. MANN.

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