US1081879A - Folding car step and door. - Google Patents

Description

A. V. WINEGARDEN. FOLDING GAR STEP AND DOOR.

APPLICATION FILED OOT.8, 1913.

Patented Dec. 16, 1913.

2 SHEETS-SHEET 1.

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APPLICATION FILED 00T.B, 1913.

Patented Dec. 16, 1913.

2 SHEETS-SHEET 2.

Amy F WITNESSES ATTORN EY UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

AREY WINEGAIR-DEN, 0F ELIDORADO, KANSAS, ASSIGNOR 0F ONE-HALF T0 ARTHUR J. PALMER, OF ELDORADO, KANSAS.

FOLDING CAR STEP .ANID DOOR.

To all whom it may concern Be it known that I, AREY V. WINEGAR- DEN, a citizen of the United States, residing at Eldorado, in the county of Butler and State of Kansas, have invented a new and useful Folding Car Step and Door, of which the following is a specification.

The invention relates to improvements in folding car steps and trap doors.

The object of the present invention is to simplify and improve the construction of folding car steps and doors, more especially thatv shown and described in Patent No. 1,052,636, granted to me Feb. 11, 1913, and increase the etliciency, strength and durability of the same and to arrange practically all the mechanism in the space beneath the fixed step.

The invention also has for its object to enable the folding step and the trap door to be operated either simultaneously or independently as desired.

With these and other objects in view, the invention consists in the construction and novel combination of parts hereinafter fully described, illustrated in the accompanying drawings, and pointed out in the claims hereto appended: it being understood that various changes in the form, proportion, size and minor details of construction, within the scope of the claims, may be resorted to without departing from the spirit or sacrificing any of the advantages of the invention.

In the drawings :-Figure 1 is an end elevation partly in section of a portion of a car provided with a folding step and trap door, constructed in accordance with this invention, the parts being folded. Fig. 2 is a vertical sectional view, taken transversely of the car, the foldable step being extended and the trap door being raised. Fig. 3 is a similar view, taken at a point beyond the inner side of the side steps, the device being shown in elevation. Fig. 1 is a reverse plan view partly in section. Fig. 5 is an enlarged detail sectional view, illustrating the construction of the mechanism for opening and closing the trap door. Fig. 6 is a detail perspective view, illustrating the construction for mounting and actuating the foldable step.

Like numerals of reference designate corresponding parts in all the figures of the drawings.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Application filed October 8, 1913.

Patented Dec. 16, 1913.

Serial No. 794,097.

In the accompanying drawings in which is illustrated the preferred embodiment of the invention, the folding extension step comprises in its construction a riser 1 and a tread 2, hinged together by intermediate and lower leaves 3 and 4 and a connecting lower pintle 5 passing through alined eyes in the adjacent ends of the leaves. The intermediate and bottom leaves 3 and 4, which are located at the ends of the folding step, are provided at the lower edge of the riser 1 and at the inner edge of the tread 2 with angle bends G and 7, and the outer ends of the bottom leaves 1 are connected by a bar 8, riveted or otherwise secured to the leaves 4 and having its upper edge flush with the upper faces of the said leaves, which are angularly bent at 9 to arrange the parts in flush relation. The intermediate leaves 3 are provided at their upper ends with eyes for the reception of an upper pintle rod 10, which also passes through eyes of the upper leaves 11. and the latter are secured to the lowermost step of the fixed flight 12, as

clearly illustrated in Fig. 2 of the drawings.

The hinges permit the riser 1 to swing upwardly and inwardly beneath the fixed bottom step, and the tread 2 swings upwardly and folds against the riser 1. The folding step is securely supported in its extended or operative position by means of the foldable stays or braces, composed of upper and lower links or sections 13 and l-l, connected together at. their adjacent ends by pivots 15 and pivoted at their other ends to the upper pintle 10 and the connecting bar 8, respectively. The upper pintle 10 and the connecting bar 8 have their ends reduced to form terminal pivots 1t and 17, and the upper ends of the lower links or sections of the foldable stays or braces are provided with integral inwardly extending lugs or flanges 18, forming stops and arranged to engage with the rear edges of the upper links or sections 13 adjacent to the lower ends thereof to limit the outward swing of the links, so that the stays or braces will break and fold easily when the extension step is folded.

The folding or extension step is actuated by a transverse rock shaft 19, journaled in suitable bearings of brackets 20 and provided adjacent to its ends with straight arms 21, bifurcated at their outer ends to receive short arms 22 of approximately L- shaped links 23, extending from the arms 21 of the rock shaft to the lower pintle 5 and pivoted to the steps by the terminals 24 of the said pintle 5. The rock shaft is adapted to be rotated to swing the arms 21 outwardly to extend the folding step and in Wardly to fold the said step and the arms 22, which are formed by short bends of the links 23, permit the arms of the rock shaft to drop to the position illustrated in Fig. 2 of the drawings to form a lock for firmly retaining the folding step in its extended position. The brackets 20, which are substantially L-shaped, are secured to the fixed fiight of steps 12 at opposite sides thereof and are provided with depending supports 25, approximately l -shaped to extend beneath the links 23 and limit the downward movement of the arms 21 and for supporting the parts in their locking position. The folding step is guided in its inward and outward movements by means of a central rear- Wardly extending bar or member 26, having an outer attaching portion 27 and. an inner loop 28. The outer attaching ortion 27 1s secured to the lower face of t e tread 2 at the center thereof and the loop 28 receives and forms a slidable connection with the rock shaft 19.

The rock shaft 19 carries at its outer end a vertically disposed mutilated pinion or gear 29, which meshes with a horizontal mutilated pinion or gear 30 of a vertical shaft 31 extending through the platform 32 of the car or coach 33 and equipped at its upper end with a crank handle 34. The upper end of the shaft 31 is journaled in a suitable bearing of a bracket 35 having a horizontal flange 36 and provided at opposite sides of its bearing with perforations 37, adapted to be engaged by a locking pin or projection 38 for retaining the crank handle in the position occupied by it when the folding step is extended, and also in the position occupied by the handle when the said step is folded. The pin 38 is slidably mounted in a perforation 39- of the handle 84 and is provided at its upper end with a head 40, engaged by a spring 41 and pivoted by a rivet 42 or other suitable fastening device to a pair of ears 43 of a latch lever 44. The latchlever 44, which is of bell crank form, is pivoted at its angle at 45 being composed of vertical and horizontal arms and having spaced sides located at opposite sides of the crank handle and connected at the vertical arm to form a handle, which is arranged adjacent to the grip portion of the crank handle. The ears 43 are carried by the spaced sides of the bell crank lever at the horizontal arm thereof, and the spring 41, which is secured at one end to the crank handle, has its other end free and bearing against the head of the locking pin. When the locking pin is at the limit of its downward'movement,

as clearly illustrated in Fig. 1 of the drawing, and the vertical arm or handle portion of the latch lever is spaced from the grip of the crank handle, and is adapted when the latter is grasped by the operator to be compressed and moved in the direction of the said grip portion of the crank handle to lift the locking pin out of engagement with the flange of the bracket 35 to free the'vertical shaft and permit the same to be partially rotated to fold or extend thefolding step. The gearing for communicating motion from the vertical shaft to the horizontal roek shaft, is preferably arranged within a suitable gear case 46 of substantially cylindrical form, secured to the outer L-shaped bracket, which also supports a suitable bearing 47 for the lower end of the vertical shaft 31.

The rock shaft 19 is equipped with a cam consisting of a curved arm 48 provided with an eccentrically arranged curved slot 49 extending longitudinally of the curved arm and gradually receding from the shaft and adapted to actuate a vertically movable rack bar 50, provided at its lower end with a projecting pm 51 carrying an antifriction roller 52, which, operates in the cam slot to provide an easy upward and downward movement of the rack bar. The rack bar is provided at its upper end with a series of teeth 53 meshing with a mutilated pinion 54, which is suitably fixed to a pintle 55 of a trap door 56. The trap door.56 is provided with hinge elements 57 having eyes receiving the pintle 55, which is arranged at the inner side of the fixed flight of car steps to permit. the trap door to swing downwardly over the same to form aeontinuation or extension of the platform in the usual manner for vestibule cars. The rack bar, which is raised and lowered simultaneously with the outward and inward movements of the folding step, is arranged in a lower fixed guide 58 and in an upper adjustable guide 5%), consisting of a lever fulcrumed at an intermediate point on the pintle 55 to form upper and lower arms and provided at the outer end of its lower arm with a flange or car 0 having an opening through which the rack bar passes. The upper arm is provided with a movable catch (51 bifurcated at one end to straddle the upper end of the guide or lever 59 and connected with the same by a pivot 62 or other suitable fastening device and adapted to extend inwardly from the upper arm to the adjacent fixed portion of the car to hold the upper arm of the guide or lever 59 against inward movement, and the lower arm thereof against outward movementfor maintaining the teeth of the rack bar in mesh with the pinion 54 of the pintle 55 to cause a simultai'ieous operation of the folding step and the trap door. Should, however, it be desired to operate the trap door and the folding step independently of each other, the catch, which is maintained in the position shown in full lines in Fig. 5 of the rawings. b gravity, is swun outwardly to the dott line osition to ena Ie the lever 59 to be oscillate for carrying the teeth of the rack bar out of mesh with the pinion 54 of the pintle 55. This will permit either the folding etc or the trap door to he operated indepen ently.

What is claimed is 1. In a device of the class described, a platform having a fixed step, a folding step hinged to the fixed step, a rock shaft mounted in rear of the folding step and having an arm, a link connecting the folding ste with the arm of the rock shaft which 15 adapted to be rotated to fold and extend the folding step, said link and arm bein arranged to form a lock for retaining tie foldin step in its extended position.

2. In a device of the class described, a platform having a fixed step, a folding ste hinged to the fixed step, a rock shaft mounted in rear of the folding step and having" an arm, a link connecting the folding step with the arm of the rock shaft which is adapted to be rotated to fold and extend the folding step, said link being provided at its inner portion with a relatively short downwardly extending arm arranged to permit the arm of the rock shaft to move downwardly a sufficient distance to form a lock for holding the folding step in its extended position.

3. In a device of the class described, a platform having a fixed step, a folding step hinged to the fixed step, a rock shaft connected with and adapted to move the folding step inwardly and outwardly, and a bar or member fixed to the folding step and having a sliding connection with the rock shaft for guiding the folding step in its inward and outward movements.

4. In a device of the class described, a platform having a fixed step, a folding step comprising a tread, and a riser hinged to the fixed step and to the tread, a rock shaft connected with the folding step and arranged to move the same inwardly and outwardly, and a bar or member fixed to the tread of the folding step and having a slidable connection with the rock shaft for guiding the folding step in its inward and outward movements.

5. In a device of the class described, a platform having a fixed step, a folding step comprising a tread, and a riser hinged to the fixed step and to the tread, a rock shaft having arms connected with the folding step for moving the same inwardly and outwardly, and a bar fixed to the tread and provided with a longitudinal slot receiving the rock shaft and guided by the same.

6. In a device of the class described, a platform having a fixed step, a folding step com rising a tread and a riser hinged to the xed step and to the tread, a bar fixed to and extendin rearwardly from the tread, relatively fixed means arranged in rear of the folding step and slidably receiving the said bar for guiding the folding step in its inward and outward movements, and mechanism connected with the folding step for actuating the same.

7. In a device of the class described, a platform having a fixed step, a folding step comprising a tread and a riser hinged to the folding step and to the tread, a rock shaft mounted in rear of the folding step and having an arm, a link connecting the folding step with the arm of the rock shaft, the latter being adapted to move the folding step inwardly and outwardly and the arm of the rock shaft coacting with the link to form a lock for holding the folding step in its extended position, and a support arranged to limit the movement of the arm and the link and adapted to support the same in their locking position, and means for rotating the rock shaft.

8. In a device of the class described, a platform having a fixed step, a folding step comprising a tread and a riser hinged to the treadand to the fixed step, a folding stay or brace pivotally connected at its lower end with the trend and at its upper end with the fixed step and composed of upper and lower links or sections having means for limiting their movement in one direction, and mechanism connected with the folding step for extending and folding the same.

9. In a device of the class described, a platform having a fixed step, a folding step hinged to the fixed step, a rock shaft connected with and adapted to actuate the folding step, a vertical shaft, gearing for communicating motion from the vertical shaft to the rock shaft, a crank handle carried by the vertical shaft, and a locking device comprising a pin slidably mounted on the crank handle, a spring for holding the pin in a projecting position to lock the crank handle, and a latch lever pivotally mounted on the crank handle and connected with the pin for withdrawing the same from its engaging position.

I0. In a device of the class described, a platform having a fixed step, a folding step hinged to the fixed step, a rock shaft connected with and adapted to actuate the folding step, a vertical shaft, gearing for communicating motion from the vertical shaft to the rock shaft, a crank handle carried by the vertical shaft, and a locking device comprising a pin slidably mounted on the crank handle, a spring for holding the pin in a projectin position to lock the crank han- (He, :1 bell crank latch lever having spaced sides pivotally mounted on and straddling the crank handle and connected with the" pin, said latch lever being adapted to withdraw the pin from its engaging position.

11. In a device of the class described, a platform having a fixed step, a folding step hinged to the fixed step, a rock shaft connected with and adapted to actuate the folding step, a trap door provided with a gear, a pinion arranged to mesh with the gear for actuating the trap door, means carried by the rock shaft for reciprocating the rack bar, and means for holding the rack bar in and out of mesh with the pinion to permit either asimultaneous or independent operation of the trap door and folding step.

12. In a device of the class described, a platform, a fixed step, a hinged trap door having a pinion, a rack mesh with the pinion, and a pivotally mounted lever having a guide receiving the rack bar, said lever being adapted to be oscillated to move the rack bar into and out of mesh with the pinion.

13. In a device of the class described, a platform, a fixed step, a hinged trap door having a pinion, a rack bar arrangedto mesh with lever having means for guid ng the rack bar and adapted to be oscillated to carry the rack bar into and out of mesh with the pinion, and a pivotally mounted gravity lock arranged to hold the lever against movement to retain the rack bar in mesh with the pinion and adapted to be swung from such position to permit the lever to move the rack bar out of mesh with the pinion.v

14. In a device of the class described, a platform having a fixed step, a hinged trap door having a pinion mounted on the pintleof the trap door, a rack bar meshing with bar arranged to the pinion, a pivotally mounted 1 trically arranged the pinion, a lever fulcrumed at an intermediate point on the said pintle and having upwardly and downwardly extending arms,

the lower arm being provided with a guide receiving the rack bar, and a locking device connectedvwith the upper arm of the lever.

15. In av device of the class described, a platform having a fixed step, a hinged trap door provided with a pinion, a rack bar meshing with the pinion, a rock shaft having a curved arm forming a cam, and means for connect-ing the curved arm of the rock shaft with the rack bar for reciprocating the latter.

16. In a device of the class described, a platform having a fixed step, a folding step hinged to the platform, ed in rear of the folding step and having an arm connected with the folding step, a trap door having a pinion, a rack bar mesh ing with the pinion, and a cam carried by the rock shaft and consisting of a curved arm having a slidable connection with the rack bar for reciprocating the same.

17 In a device of the class described, a

platform having a fixed step, a hinged trap door, a pinion connected therewith, a rock shaft having a cam provided with an eccencurved slot, and means the rack bar for operating whereby the rack bar shaft is projecting from in the slot of the cam, will be reciprocated when the rock turned.

In testimony, that I claim the foregoing as my own, I have hereto afiixed my signature in the presence of two witnesses.

AREY V. WINEGARDEN.

Witnesses: v

CLAY SHRIVER, A. B. EWING.

a rock shaft mount-

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