US2896032A - Trolley shoe - Google Patents

Description

y 1959 F. G. CHIRISTMAN 2,896,032 I TROLLEY SHOE Filed Feb. 16. 1953 INVENTOR. v FRED GEORGE CHRISTMAN ATTORNEY.

United States Patent 'I ROLLEY SHOE Fred George Christman, Edmonton, Alberta, Canada, as-

signor to The Ohio Brass Company, Mansfield, Ohio, a corporation of New Jersey a This invention relates generally to overhead current collecting devices and, more particularly, to improvements in current collectors for trolley cars and buses wherein the removal and replacement of collector shoes and inserts is facilitated.

The invention is concerned with current collector heads of the type illustrated and described in United States Patent No. 2,044,886, issued June 23, 1936, to E. A. La'rsson. In the current collector apparatus of that patent, a trolley shoe is fastened to the saddle piece of the collector head by a hooked portion of one end of the shoe and a stud and cotter pin at the opposite end thereof.

In the above referred to current collector apparatus, the trolley shoe is provided with a carbon insert for use during warm or frost free weather and a steel insert for use when the current carrying lines are liable to become coated with frost. When changing from carbon to steel, or vice versa, it is necessary to remove'the trolley shoe from the collector head and to substitute another trolley shoe having either a carbon or steel insert.

The chief difficulty in changing these shoes relates to the fact that the change is usually necessitated when the outside temperature is close to or below the freezing point and the removal of the cotter pin and stud can only be done efficiently by a workman when not wearice the direction 4-4 in Fig. l, and illustrating, particularly, the arrangement of the latching device; and

Fig. 5 is an isometric view of the insert holder of the invention in an inverted position. Referring to Figs. 1, 2 and 3, the collector head of the invention comprises a lower saddle member 11 'of malleable iron or the like with a generally hernispheric outer wall 12, a flat top wall 13, and a wall 14 constituting a hemispheric recess 15 in the top wall. The Wall 14 has a longitudinal slot 16 therein to receive the shank of a support member 17. The member 17 is formed at the upper end with a hemispheric flange 18 received between the wall 14 and the ball 19 of an upper saddle member 20. The arrangement of the lower saddle member 11, the support member 17 and upper saddle member 20 is such as to provide rotational and limited rocking movement of the collector head 10 with respect to the support member 17. The upper saddle 20 is secured to the top of the lower saddle 11 by means of studs 21 which extend through the top wall 13 of the lower saddle member. The top saddle member 20 supports and restrains an insert holder or collector shoe 22 which in turn holds a carbon or metallic insert 23.

The support member 17 is suitably carried on a trolley pole and is provided with electrical connecting means,

' all as shown and described in US. Patent 2,044,886

-' securing the collector shoe 22 to the upper saddle memher 20 and to the'lower saddle member 11 in such a manner that the shoe 22 and insert 23 are simultaneously positioned on the two saddle members, while permitting ready removal of the shoe and insert as a unit and re- 1 placement by a new shoe and insert.

ing gloves or other protective covering. It is usual that workment suffer frozen or bruised fingers while changing collector shoes and, generally, that much time is lost during even moderately cold weather.

I have, therefore, provided a simple, eflicient latch arrangement for holding the shoes to thetrolley head.

The latch arrangement is one which may: be manipulated readily by a sharp instrument as, for example, a screw driver held in the gloved handof 'a' 'w'orkman'. Further, only very simple movements are necessary to release the old shoe and the new shoe may be inserted As is shown particularly in Figs. 2 and 5, the shoe 22 is formed at its forward end with a downwardly projecting part 24 which is divided, with the body of the shoe, by an angularly directed slot 25. The slot 25 permits the shoe to be spread apart to remove or insert the insert 23 and the two portions of the part 24 are held by a screw 43 in order to clamp the insert in the shoe. The bottom of the insert is flush with the bottom of the central part of the shoe and rests with the shoe upon the top surface 45 of the upper saddle member 20.

consideration of the following detailed specification and Thepart 24 of the shoe 22 includes a rearwardly di rected tapered part 26 (Fig. 2) and (the part 24 with the part 26) is designated as a downwardly and rearwardly directed hook-like member. The part 26 is received under a forward and upwardly tapered part 27 of the upper saddle member when the insert holder is in position on the saddle 20. The part 26 is thus tightly wedged between the forward part 27 of the upper saddle member 20 and the upper wall 13 of the lower saddle member. I

The after part 44 of the shoe22 is provided also with a downward and rearwardly projecting member 28, here in designated as a rearwardly directed hook-like memher. 7 The member 28 is received in an open part 29 of the top wall of the lower saddle member and is engaged with a transverse or counter-part member 30 which ex: tends across the after extremity of the lower saddle member. The longitudinal extent of the opening 29 and the opening 32 is such that the after hook-like member 28 may be received through the opening and the entire shoe moved rearwardly to engage the member 28 with the counterpart part 30 and further engage the part 26 with the part 27.

The shoe 22 is held in locking engagement with the saddle members and retained against forward movement v3 by a latch mechanism 31 (-Fig. 2) which is supported within an opening 32 in the body and top wall of the lower saddle. The latch mechanism 31 comprises a latch bar 33 slidably mounted tup'ontwo pins 34 :and 35 which are fixed in the parts 36 and 37ofthe lower saddle-member. Two springs 38 and 39, received over thezpins 34 and35, urge the bar 33 upwardtto engage the after part'of the upper saddle '20 which ,projects'outwardly \over the path of the -bar (Fig. 1). The bar-33 is thus normally -disposed in a position just forward of the after hook-like member '28 of the collector shoe and .prevents forward movement of the shoe while the-collector head is in use.

The latch bar 33-is formed with a lug 40 which projects downwardly from the middle part ofthe bar a distance such that a slot '41 in the rearward face of the piece is disposed below the member 28. The slot 41 is intended to receive a screwdriver or likeinstrument for unlocking the latch mechanism. I

-In"order to replace the collector shoe and insert of a collector head, the old shoe -is removed by inserting -a screw drive through the opening 42 at the after extremity of the lower saddle member and into the slot 41. The handle ofthe screw driver is moved upward to move the latch bar 33 downward and'out of its locking position in front of the member .28. The shoe can then be moved forward, with the bottom of the shoe 22 and the insert 23 sliding on the top surface 45 of the upper saddle member 20, until the after hook-like member 28 clears the counterpart member 30. The after part of the collector shoe is then .lifted upward from the lower saddle member at its after extremity and moved forward to disengage the holder from the upper saddle. The latch bar is then released. 7

A new collector shoe and insert -it mounted in place by fitting the forward hook=likemember 26 of the insert holder loosely over the forwardly projecting part-27 of the upper saddle member'and the'after hook-like member '28 is placed against the top 'of the latch bar 33. The shoe can then be pushed'downward and moved rearwardly into position. The collector head is then ready for operation.

The lower saddle member has openings 46 in the top wall 13 thereof for reducing'the weightof the device.

It is to be understood that-the foregoing description is not intended to restrict the scope of the invention and that various rearrangements of the parts and modifications ofthe design may be resorted to. The following claims are directed to combinations or elements which embody extremity of the collector shoe and atransverse counterpart member on the support means engaged by the after hook-like member of restraining, with the forward hooklike member and the said under-cut part, vertical movement of the shoe, the said counterpart member being spaced from the said-elevated part sufficiently to permit movement of the shoe in the forward direction to disengage the said hook-like members from the said underout part and from the said counterpart member respectively, latch means comprising a transversely directed and vertically movable latch member carried by the support means forwardly of and below the said counterpart member and engaged with the forward side of the after hook-like member in an upward one of two positions to prevent forward movement of the shoe relative to the support means and disposed below the after hook-like member in a second of the said two positions and spring means between the support means and latch member for normally 'h'oldin'gthe latch member'in the said one position.

2. A current collector head comprising a lower saddle member for attachment to a trolley pole, an upper saddle member having forward "and after extremities secured to the top of the lower saddle member, an under-cut part at the forward extremity of the said upper saddle member, a trolley shoe carried 'on the top surface of the said upper saddle member with adownwardly and rearwardly directed 'hook-like member at the forward extremity of the shoe engaged with the said undercut part, a downwardly and rearwardly projecting hook-like member at the after extremity ofthe collectorshoe and a transverse counterpart member on the lower saddle member engaged by the after'hook-like member for restraining, with the forward hook-like member and the said under-cut part, vertical movement of the shoe, the said counterpart member being spaced from the said upper saddle sufficiently-to permit movement of the shoe in the forward direction to disengage the said hook-like members from the said under-cut part and from the said counterpart member-respectively, latch means comprising a transversely directed and vertically movable latch member carried by the support means forwardly of and below the said counterpart member and engaged with the forward side of the after hook-like member in an upward one of two positions to prevent forward movement of the shoe relative to the support means and disposed below the after hook-like member in a second of the said two positions, and spring means between the support means and latch member for normally holding the latch member in the said one position.

3. The invention 'inaccordance with claim 1 in which the said vertically movable latch member comprises a horizontal latch bar with two vertically directed .pins mounted. on the lower saddle member at each side of and below the upper saddle member, the latch bar sliding on and being guided by the pins.

4.- Theinvention in accordance with claim 3 in which the said bar has a downwardly directed lug extending below the said counterpart member and is accessible from the exteriorof the lower saddle member.

5. The invention in accordance with claim 2 in which the upper saddle member projects over the latch member to serve asan upper stop for the latch member.

References Cited in the file of this patent STATES PATENTS 664,459 Brown et a1 Dec. 25, 1900 870,080 Bos'tian Nov. 5, 1907 874,979 Murphy Dec. 31, 1907 1,684,178 "Gouty Sept. 11, l928 2,044,866 Larsson June 23, 1936 2,127,613 Namp'a Aug. 23, 1938 n2,'155,242 Ryan Apr. 18, 1939

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