US1107378A - Apparatus for freight transference. - Google Patents

Description

G. E. TITOOMB.

APPARATUS FOR FREIGHT TRANSFERENGE.

APPLICATION FILED APEHZ, 1912.

Patented Aug. 18, 1914,

5 SHE ETSSHEET 1."

G. E. TITGOMB. APPARATUS FOR FREIGHT TBANSFBRENCE.

APPLICATION FILED APR. 2, 1912. I

Patented Aug. 18, 19M.

5 SHEET$SHEET 2.

a Mme-m? o dim Patented Aug. 18, 1914,

5 SHEETS-SHEBT 3.

J's w G. E. TITGOMB. APPARATUS FOR FREIGHT TRANSPERENGE.

a APPLIOATION FILED .APILZ, 1912. L1 91,6? 80,

G. B. TITGOMB;

APPARATUS FOR FREIGHT TRANSPEBENOE.

APPLICATION TILED APR. 2, 1912. 1,107,378 Patented Aug.18,1914,

5 SHEETS-SHEET 4.

I U a e w G. E. TITCOMB.

APPARATUS FOR FREIGHT TRANIS'FERBNGE.

' 4 APPLICATION FILED APR. 2, 1912. 1 1 9 1 O7, 378'. Patented Aug. 18, 1914.

5 SHEETS-SHEET 5.

Hh H HHHHH w Hu a UNITED STATES PATENT 'EOFFICE.

enonen E; TITCOMB, or NEW ROCHELLE, NEW Yonm APPARATUS FOR FREIGHT TBANSFERENGE.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, GEORGE E; TrrooMB.

' fa citizen'of' the United States, andresident of New Rochelle, in the county of Vestjcliester and State of New York, have in:

vented certain "ments in Ap aratus for Freight Transfer ence, of whic new and useful Improve- 'theentire invention forming, asit were, a

straight line system of freight transference.

'In systems heretofore known for this same general purpose,

traveling trucks were used,

running on overhead tracks and, of course,

- limited in their movement to the location of the tracks. Complicated power distributing arrangements and extensive switching devices were required in such cases. The necessity of having numerous trucks travel unidirectionally over the same track, caused a standstill of all the trucks, wheneverone truck was stopped for the purpose of loading or unloading.

' The system forming the subject matter of i the present invention is characterized by its great flexibility, inasmuch as an operating floor is provided, entirely separated from the warehouse or storage floor or floors, and

' adapted for the free movement thereon of under the continuous 'hatchways, vided near a shipping pier,

traveling trucks. in every direction.

Among other'objects of the invention is the provision of a storage or warehouse, having; one or'more stora'ge floors and an operating floor. A series of, usually closed hatchways is arranged on a so-called run way of the operating floor, and a series of continuous, normally open, hatchways, having channel rails or tracks contiguous thereto, is arranged the operating floor.

The floor under the runway of the operating floor,'is provided with'railr'oad tracks for stalling freight cars. The floor or floors may be diinto storage eompartmentsv-The storage house is preferably located on or so that fi eight to. and

from cars or ships may be handled and'distributed or stored in the building.

on the remaining portion of Specification of Letters Patent. I Patqyfitd A 01. 1914 Application filed'April 2, 1912. Serial No. 687,991.

A traveling tower forms another feature 'of this invention and is distinguishedby an overhanging platform or boom,iont'o which the traveling trucks are runf'The toweritself is moved along the pierline on suitable tracks so that its boom coincides with the hatchways of a vessel, located alongside the pier. The truck on the overhanging boom drops the load, taken from a railroad car or a storage compartment, into the hatchway of the ship. I

A system of overheadconductors is 'arranged for the purpose of distributing electrical energy over substantially any part of the operating floor, so as to move the trucks all over the floor and hoistor lower a load of merchandise wherever such trucks may be located.

A system of apparatus of the. forementioned general description is peculiarly adapted for handllng large amountsof mere chandise and freightwithgreater economy I in time and labor than inany analogous sy'sf' tern heretofore in use.

The accompanyingdrawings illustrating the invention in one of its forms show in Figure 1, a side elevation and partly a seetion of a portion-of a warehouse 'anda vessel adjacent thereto, comprising the main features of this invention. Fig. 2 is a plan view of the operating floor, at a reduced scale, on line A-A of Fig. 1. 3 is a detailed plan view ofthe traveling-tower shown in Fig. 1. Figs. 4 and 5 are details of construction of the operating mechanism of the traveling tower. Fig. 6 is an enlarged detail showing the arrangement of the closedand open hatchways of theoperating floor. Fig. 7 is a view on line B B of Fig. 1, showingthe arrangement of the conductors for the distribution of electrical energy. Fig. 8 are details of construction of the closed hatchways." Figs: 9 and 10 are a plan view and an elevation, respectively, of a traveling truck. 1

The general views, Figs; 1 and 20f the drawing, illustrate astorage house located on the corner of a shipping pier and adapted to directly receive merchandise from or deliver to railroad ears or floating vessels.

The main storage floor is represented at 1, on which car platforms 2 are provided adja cent to car tracks 3 so that freight cars i may be stalled thereon and loaded and 'unloaded in the usual manner! The balance-of the mai floor 1,'ma'y be'used for storage storage compartments 6'. The warehouse may also have more; than one storage floor.

., "and these located at different 'levels,'-all how:

ever, accessible from the one 0 era-ting floor, as fjheremafterf more ,-f ull'y es'cribed. A. floating vessel,- such a's'a steamer 7-, -barg'e,

etc., is shown fastened; to the pier and hav fletoragefr compartments.- The" part: a of the floor,---located overthef' railroad tracks vforms a runway 10, of: preferably steel or rein-1 forced concrete construction, having a series of normallyclosed ha tc,hwayls 11 conven iently. arranged over the car tracks 3 and-the Q atform 2 and provided' with. hatchway r P, covers 12410 close the hatchways;

' x The hatchwaycovers l2 are'p rovidedwith annular rims. 3 made .of 'channeliron and .restin-gnpon==brackets ,114 of] th'e floor' constructlonof. the operating. floor and are in:

. tendedltob'e removed by means ofthe hoist,

mg devices of the travelingtrucks, as will bedescribed farther below. In order to pre- 7 vent accidents when the hatchways. 11 are kept'opem'guards 15 are inserted -into the hatchways comprising rings made of channel; iron iresting upon the brackets'l l and extending above the level of the floor-so that "the wheels of the traveling-trucks moving on the operating'fioor are prevented from slipping off into the hatchways. v 1

The portions of the operatingfioor, 10'- ca'ted above the storage floors show continuone hatchways 16 provided with channel iron guards or rails 17, adjacent to the hatch ways and substantially parallel to the longitudinal axes" thereof. These rails prevent the truck wheels from sliding into the open hatchways. The hatchways over the storage 45. I

" suitable covers, if so desired.

compartments may obviously be closed, by

In the process of loading and unloading vessels, docked at the shipping pier, a traveling tower 18. is used, clearly shown in detail and its relation to the warehouse and the vessel, in Figs. 1, 2 and A substantially vertical frame 19 extend- 5 ing suitably above the roof of the entire 5 building, has rollers or wheels 20 to support the frame 19 andpermit its-travel on conven'ient tracks 21 of the runway 10. A horizontal frame work 22, at right angles to frame 19, extends over the front portion of the storage house and carries a series of rollers or wheels 23 at its rear end and adapted totravel ontracks-24 of the roof'of the building. Suitable struts 25 connect the upper end of' the frame 19 with the rear end of the frame 22 so as-to form a rigid and j substantial structure. on which: a counte roof; A suitable clutch mechanism connects to t bia-7 weight26'oveseomes and balances any strain along its-tracks, or' lifting or lowering the overhanging boom.

The' machinery for moving the tower 18 is v M 'illustrated in Figs. 3, 4 and 5 and comprises The lg 'rating fl oor[9. extends on, one of'the'f upper. floors, throughout theentire building over the {railroad tracks ,aslwelll as-over the aprimary motor 28 transmitting motion through'a shaft-.29 and convenient gears to la second shaft 30 and a-set of bevel gears 31 then to a third shaft 321and-through-a sec ond set of bevel gears 33 to a vertical shaft 34:. ",Anotherset of bevel gears 35, causes the wheels 20, to trav'el on the track 21. A set of'lntermeshlng gears 36 on the rear end of shaft- '32,'Fig. 5, cause acorresponding movement of the wheels 23 on the track 24 of'the or disconnects the entire operating mechanism from its. primary motor, so that either the-tower maybe caused to travel along its tracks, as forthwith will bedescribed, or the overhanging. boom, may be raised soas to clear the rigging of a vessel docked at the v pier. For this" latter purpose a pair of cables 30 run from-the hoisting drums 37 of. the power mechanism 27 over a roller 38 at the upper. end of the beam 19to a roller 39 at theouter end of the upper boomframe 40.

This boom is pivoted to-the main frame at its inner end and connecting rods 41, 42, carry the lower boom frame 43' which is pivoted at its inner end in a similarmanner as the upper boom. The entire boom, therefore, represents a parallelogram pivoted at the rear ends of the booms 40 and 43 and, in 'its raised position, indicated; dotted lines, in Fig. 1 receiving additional security when overhanging by the toggled tie rods The traveling truck 46 is shown in detail in Figs. 9 and 10 and comprises a stationary platform 47 forming a rectangular central opening l8 in the bottom of the truck, through which, by means of a movable platform 49, loads may be raised or lowered.

The platform .47, by means of suitable b arings 50,-rests upon theaxles 51, having wheels 52, to run freely on the operating floor. To one of-the shafts 51, rotation is imparted from a motor 53 through a suitable transmission, such asgears or achain, .and.

the wheels on this shaft are swiveled, as shown at 54,. and steered by a'steeringgear 55, controlled the truck. I

The hoisting machinery comprises a primary motor 53, atransmission .device56 and the hoistingdrums 57. The hoisting cable 58,..runningjover cable roller-s59, 60, is ac cured .tofthemovahle 'platform 4:9, whereby by the'operator or driver ofinto theibody ofthje truck and, aiterftravelv of the operating -'thereon or the "holdoif a vessel docked theiea't. i Q

" like princip hoisting truck-consists in'lii'ting a load from in}; any desired distance, depositing the same "against and to a pQintbBlQWthe fioo'r'of the truck, without requiring more floor space floor than the actual size of thetruck'.

Devices of a similar character, heretofore in use, required the employment ofaswi'nging boom for lifting-and lowering a load, occupying,- therefore} considerable 'fioor space outside ofthe truckand'causin g frequent collisions between thetraveling unlessextreme care was used, to prevent the sa ne. A contact device or current collector 61 is heldagainst the electrical conductors 62 by the usual tension device and supplies electrical energy necessary for the operation of the motors on; the truck;

The system of electrical conductors Fig. 7,

for the supply of current to the motors'of the traveling trucks, comprises a set of substantially parallel-overhead wires or bars 61, another similar set of the same 62 at right angles thereto and conductors 63 located above the open hatchways 16 and conductors .64; forthe overhanging booms of the travel-.

ing tower 18. The distance between the conductors is such that the current collectors of the traveling trucks are in contact with the conductors in whatever position on the. operating floor they may be and, thereby enabling the truck to travel in any desired dimotion on the floor What applicant regards as his invention or'discovery and desires to secure by Letters Patent of the United. States is- 1. The combination Zvi'th a building, of one or more storage floors, an operating floor, hatchways on said operating floor leading to said storage floors, traveling'trucks adapted to move loads on said operating floor and through said hatchways from and onto said storage floors, a power device on al feature I of this automobile trucks,

' each of said trucks,;and means adapted to supply electric energy to said power devices in any location on said operating fioor.

2. The 1combination-with one or more storage floors, 03: an operating E1001 located.

parallel to said -stmragefloors, a series oi iatchways on said operating floor and 163ding to said storage floors, trucks freely traveling on said operating floor adapt ed to move loads through said hatchways .irom and onto any part of said storage iioors, a power device on each of said trucks,

andv a series of stationary electrical condnctors capable of supplying current to said. power-devices in any iooation on said. operat ing doors.

said operating floor giving access to said railroad tracks and storage compartments, traveling trucks adapted to freely move loads on said operating floor and through said hatchways from'and onto said railroad tracks and storage compartments, a power device on each of said trucks, and means adapted to supply electric energy to said power devices in any location on said operating floor.

4. The-combination with a building, of one or more storage. floors, an operating floor, hatchways on said operating floor leading to said storage floors, a traveling tower movable along said building, an overhanging boom on said tower, trucks adapted to travel on. said operating floor and said boom and to move loads thereon and through said hatchways from and onto said storage floors, a power deviceon each" of said trucks, and means adapted to supply electric energy to said power devices in any location on said operating floor and said boom.

In witness whereof the inventor has hereunto set .his name in the presence of two subscribing Witnesses, at New York, in the county of New York, this 25th day of March 1912.

RALPH J. SAonEns, GERTRUDE M. GRINDLAY.

York and State of New

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