US984814A - Railway mail-exchanger. - Google Patents

Description

G. HOLSOPPLE RAILWAY MAIL EXGHANGER. APPLICATION 111.111) AUG. 22, 1910.

984,814. Patented Feb.21,19111 GUY HOLSOPPLE, OF HOLLSOPPLE, PENNSYLVANIA.

RAILWAY MAIL-EXCHANGER.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Application filed August 22, 1910.

Patented Feb. 21, 1911.

Serial No. 578,415.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, GUY HoLsorrLn, a citizen of Hollsopple, in the county of Somerset and State of Pennsylvania, have invented a new and useful Improvement in Railway Mail-Exchangers, of which the following is a specification.

This invention relates to an improved rai1- way mail exchanging apparatus, and its object is to provide a satisfactory device for the convenient and mutual exchange of light or heavy mail and the like with moving trains with minimum damage to the articles exchanged, and is characterized by extreme efiiciency and simplicity in construction.

The predominating feature of the apparatus is: that, instead of making the exchange of mail-bags by having them come in direct contact with their respective rigid catching-devices, as is the case in devices now commonly used, the mail-bags are secured to the lower end of a long suspended cable and the exchange is made by catching the upper end of the cable on the outer end of a swinging arm as the car passes. In so doing the mail bags are left free to describe an easy swinging motion, which greatly reduces the impact, a result especially desired in the exchange of heavy mail with swiftmoving trains.

A preferable embodiment of the invention is shown herein and will be understood by the accompanying drawings and the following description and claims.

In the drawing, Figure 1 is a perspective view of a section of a railway mail car, with the parts in operative position for the mutual discharge and receipt of mail-bags. Fig. 2 is an enlarged side view of the upper end of the cable with the node in section. Fig. 3 is an enlarged perspective view of the spring washer; and Fig. 4 is a plan view of the outer end of the arms 2 as seen in Fig. 1.

The numeral 1, Fig. 1, represents the body of a mail car having the combined delivering and receiving device or arm 2 perpendicularly hinged to the eyes 3 and 3, which are secured to the outer wall of the car near the upper forward corner of its side door and in a manner permitting said device or arm to extend outwardly from the car and to swing substantially in a horizontal plane under impact. A spring washer 4 is placed between the upper eye 3 and the nut 5, which is threaded on the angular inner end of the device or arm 2 so as to frictionally resist a too easy swinging of the device or arm. A hook 7 projects outwardly from the outer end of the arm 011 which the eye 8 formed on .thespherical stop or node 9 is adapted to releasably hang, thus suspending therefrom the cable 10 to which the stop or node is secured. The cable has formed at its lower end a loop 12 to which the mail bags 141 are attached by the band 13, and are releasably suspended by the loop from the hook 11, located on the outer wall of the car near the lower forward corner of its side door.

A track standard 15 is located beside the track and has hinged to it the receiving device or arm 16 by the eyes 3 and 3 in a manner permitting it to extend trackward and to swing substantially in a horizontal plane under impact. A spring washer 1' is also attached to it by the bur 5 similar to and for the same purpose as that of the spring washer 4:, above indicated.

The arm 16 is adapted to lie in a plane slightly below that of the arm 2 with its outer end under-lapping the outer end of the arm 2 when in operative positions. The arm 16 has its outer end curved about rearwardly forming a jaw or bight 17, and when the arm 2 passes over the arm 16. the upper part of the cable, at a point slightly below the stop or node, strikes the rearward edge of the arm 16 at a point slightly inward from the opening of its jaw or bight, then in the forward movement itpushes the arm 16 forwardly. The cable slides outwardly along the edge of the arm and enters the jaw or bight. The cable is pulled from the device or arm 2 and is drawn downwardly through the jaw or bight until it reaches the stop or node, which is too large to slip through the jaw or bight. Thus the mailbags are pulled from the hook 11 and are permitted to swing gracefully around to the rear of the standard 15 to be removed by the local operator. Instead of the jaw or bights being constructed with the usual V- shaped mouth with the two branches of the V about equal in length, the out-ward branch. is considerably shortened, being only of sufiicient length to form the base, or the jaw or bight proper, and it is curved about spirally as indicated in the drawing, Fig. 2, to prevent the accidental displacement of the cable after it has once entered into the jaw or bight proper, thus avoiding the use of a detent spring for the purpose. The bag holding jaws are in the form of flat spirals, so

that the terminals of the jaws will act as guards to prevent the accidental removal of the bags, under the influence of the momentum imparted thereto by the rapidly moving trains, and these terminals are directed inwardly so that the linear thrust of the bags will be converted into a rotary motion, thereby dissipating the force of the thrust. The trackward, or inner branch of the V is, of course, long, consisting of the device or arm itself which the cable strikes before entering the jaw or bight proper. Then, instead of the cables deviating from its path to follow along on the arm, to the jaw or bight proper, the device or arm itself is pushed forwardly on its hinge by the cable. and the jaw or bight proper swings into line with the cable and the results are as above indicated.

A track standard 18 is also located beside the track distantly forward from the standard 15 and carries a delivery device or arm 19 adapted to extend traekwardly therefrom in a plane slightly above that of the arm 2 and with its outer end overlapping the outer end of the arm 2 when in operative position. The arm 19 has a trackwardly extending hook 20 located on its outer end from which another cable 10, having attachments simi lar to those of the cable 10 above described, is adapted to releasably suspend, while the mail-bags 14: which are attached to the cable are suspended by the loop 12 from the hook 21 of the track standard.

In order that the device or arm 2 may be used as a cable-catching arm as well as a oable-holding arm, its outer end is curved about forwardly forming a jaw or bight 6 similar to that of the jaw or bight 17 above described. The train operator, upon approaching the place of exchange. holds the device or arm 2 rigidly outward from the car until it has passed the arm 16 and has been relieved of its cable and the attached mail-bags; and when the device or arm 2 reaches the arm 19, the operator yieldingly allows the device or arm 2 to move rearwardly under the pressure of the cable 10 of the track standard 18. The cable enters the jaw or bight 6 by an operation similar to that of the arm 16 above described, the mail bags are similarly pulled from the hook 21 oft-he track standard and are permitted to swing rearwardly across the side door of the car to be pulled into the car and removed by the train operator.

The device may be readily adapted to opcrate in either direction on the sameside of the track. To do so, a track-standard, similar in equipment to that of the standard '18 above described, is placed on either side of the standard 15. The devices or arms 2 and 16 are each furnished with two j aws or bights, one opening on either side of each device or arm, anda pair of eyes 3 and 3, and a hook 11 are placed in corresponding positions respectively on either side of the side door of the car so that the device or arm 2 may be readily transferred from one set of eyes to the other by removing the nut 5 with the spring washer t and using them in the readjustment of the device or arm.

In order that the cables may be used interchangeably, they and their respective attachments are constructed of uniform dimensions and the distances between the outer end of each cable-holding arm and the respective bag-holding hooks are uniform.

lVhat I claim and desire to secure by Letters Patent is: r

1. A mail bag handling device comprising a mail bag receiving arm having flat spiral bag holding means thereon.

2. A. mail bag handling device comprising means having a flat spiral bag holding jaw thereon.

3. A mail bag handling device comprising means for supporting a mail bag having a horizontally disposed flat spiral bag holdlng jaw.

at. Amail bag handling device comprising supporting means having a horizontally disposed flat spiral bag holder.

5. A mail bag handling device comprising a horizontally swinging bag holder having a flat spiral jaw and adapted to be carried by a car and a flexible cable having a stop on one end adapted to engage the flat spiral jaw of the bag holder and having bag securing means on the other end.

6. A mail bag handling device comprising a flexible cable adapted to be secured at one end to a mail bag and provided with a stop, and bag receiving means having a flat spiral jaw for attachmentto a car for engaging the flexible cable and the stop and adapted to permit a bag secured to said flexible cable to swing toward the car.

7. A mail catcher comprising an arm with one of its ends frictionally hinged to a support in a manner permitting it to swing in a horizontal plane under impact and adapted to extend outwardly therefrom substantially in a horizontal plane and at right angles to the railroad track, having formed atits outer end a bight with the mouth thereof opening in the direction of the approaching mail bags to be caught and in a manner adapted to engage therein a cable to which the mail-bags are attached, that is held uprightly in its path; said arm having also means for swinging and holding same into or out of its operative position, all substantially as alleged.

S. A mailbag handling device comprising a horizontally swlnging arm having a flatspiral jaw and a flexible cable having a spherical stop at one end to engage the jaw and adapted to be secured at the other end to a mail bag.

9. In a mail bag handling device, a swinging arm having a spiral and horizontally disposed flat spiral terminal jaw, a flexible cable adapted to be secured to a mail bag having a stop to engage the jaw, and means for supporting the cable in position to be engaged by the terminal jaw of the arm.

10. In a mail bag handling device, a swinging arm having a flat spiral horizontally disposed jaw, means for supporting the arm 011 a car for horizontally swinging movement, and a bag supporting member adapted to be engaged by the spiral jaw.

11. In a mail bag handling device, a swinging arm mounted for horizontal move ment and formed with a flat spiral jaw having its mouth disposed laterally of the arm, and bag supporting means having a stop thereon and adapted to engage the jaw.

19. In a mail handling device, a swinging arm having bag holding means thereon, said arm being formed with an angular end, an

eye for supporting said arm for swinging,

movement, a nut threaded on the angular end, and a spring washer interposed between the eye and the nut on said angular end.

13.111 a mail bag exchanger, a car carried device comprising a bag supporting member having a hook thereon for supporting a bag to be delivered and a spiral jaw for receiving a bag, and means for supporting the member for swinging movement; and a stationary device comprising a support, an arm swingingly mounted on the support and formed with a spiral jaw; and a bag support comprising a flexible cable adapted to be secured at one end to a mail bag and having a stop on the other end and an eye extending from the stop, the stop being adapted to engage the jaws of the car carried member and the stationary arm.

14. In a mail bag exchanger, a car car ried mail bag delivering and receiving device comprising, eyes, an arm mounted on the eyes for swinging movement, means for securing the arm to the eyes, a support adapted to be secured on a car below the arm, said arm being provided with a spiral jaw extending from the end thereof and a hook extending from said jaw, and a cable of flexible material having a stop on one end to engage the spiral jaw and an eye to engage the hook extending from said jaw and means on the other end to engage support and to be secured to a mail bag.

15. In a mail bag exchanger, a car carried device comprising a swinging arm having a terminal spiral jaw and a hook, a bag holder consisting of a flexible cable having a stop on one end and an eye adjacent the stop and a loop 011 the other end, said loop being adapted to be secured to a mail bag, and a support located below the arm adapted to engage the loop and hold the bag carried by said cable against swinging; a stationary support, a swinging arm carried by the support and provided with a spiral terminal jaw adapted to engage the cable and the stop thereof; and a second stationary support located distantly from the first stationary support and having an arm pro vided with a terminal hook adapted to hold a bag supporting cable so that the stop of said cable will be engaged by the terminal jaw of the car carried arm.

16. A mail bag exchanger comprising, a stationary support, an arm having a spiral terminal jaw, means for securing the arm to the support for swinging movement, a friction member mounted on said arm for preventing the tree movement thereof under impact; a bag supporting member consisting of a flexible cable having means on one end to be secured to a mail bag and a stop and eye on the other end, said stop being adapted to engage the spiral terminal jaw; a second stationary support located distantly from the first stationary support and provided with an arm having a terminal hook adapted to engage the eye of said cable and releasably support said cable thereby, a support on said second stationary support adapted to hold a mail bag carried by said cable against swinging; and a car carried device comprising a swinging arm having a spiral terminal jaw and a hook adjacent said jaw, a support located below the arm, and a second flexible cable havinga stop on its upper end to engage the terminal jaw of said last arm and an eye to engage the hook thereof, the hook of said last arm being adapted to hold the second cable in position to be delivered to the first arm, said cable being adapted to be secured to a mail bag at its lower end and having means to engage the support of the car carried device, whereby the mail bag carried by said second cable will be held against swinging.

17. In a mail bag exchanger, a mail bag supporting arm having a horizontally disposed flat spiral terminal jaw adapted to hold a mail bag, the terminal of said jaw being directed inwardly to act as a guard therefor and prevent the accidental removal of a mail bag supported by the jaw.

18. A mail bag exchanger comprising a .cable arranged at one of its ends for attachment to a mail bag and having a node secured at the other end, a delivery arm for releasably supporting the node, and a support for the mail bag located remotely below the arm; in combination with a catcher comprising an arm with one of its ends frict-ionally hinged to a supportin a manner permitting it to swing in a horizontal plane under impact and adapted to extend outwardly therefrom substantially in a horizontal plane and i atright angles to the line of travel, said arin having fol-med on its outer end a spiral jaw with themouth thereof opening on the side of the arm toward the direction of delivery and in a manner adapted to engage the cable.

In testimony whereof, I have signed my name to these sij'ecificatlens in "the presence of two subscribing Witnesses.

GUY HOLSOPPLE.

Witnesses 2 JAMES H. CLEAR, R. MCGLUEMER.

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