US571622A - Car-coupling - Google Patents

Description

(No Model.)

' J. L. PLEDGER.

CAR COUPLING.

No. 571,622. Patented Nov. 17,1896.

M/VE/VTUR WITNESSES: I y 0 I ATTORNEYS. 4

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

JUNIUS L. ILEDGER, OF PELIIAM, ALABAMA.

CAR-COUPLING.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 571,622, dated November 17, 1896.

Application filed June 19, 1396. Serial No. 596.162. (N model.)

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known. that I, J UNIUS L. lnnncnn, of Pelham, in the county of Shelby and State of Alabama, have invented new and useful Improvements in Car-Couplings, of which the following is a full, clear, and exact description.

This invention relates to car-couplings of the automatic type, and more particularly to a class having a pivoted link adapted to couple with anothercoupling of analogous construction.

The object of the invention is to provide a car-coupling of the indicated character which is of novel simple construction that adapts it for reliable and ellicient service and which is susceptible of release from a car having the improvements to which it is coupled by manipulation effected on either coupled car or from the ground at the side of said cars.

The invention consists in the construction and combination of parts, as is hereinafter described, and defined in the claim.

Reference is to be had to the accompanying drawings, forming a part of this specification, in which similar characters of reference indicate corresponding parts in all the figures.

Figure 1 is a partly sectional plan view of two couplings having the improvements, which are in coupled condition. Fig. 2 is a side view seen in direction of the arrow 2 in 1, and Fig. 3 is a transverse sectional view substantially on the line 3 3 in Fig. l.

The body 10 of the draw-head and integral draw-bar thereon is shown broken in the drawings, but in complete form the latterinentioned portion is adapted for an attachment upon the frame of a carat its transverse center in any approved manner.

An elongated link 11 is pivoted by its rear end upon one side of the draw-head 10, as at ct, and projects in advance of the latter a suitable distance to permit its engagement with a hook'like lateral projection b on a corresponding side of a similar draw-head. The link 11 is slotted, as at c, which slot eX- tends from a point near the free end of the linkof sufficient length to permit-its free hooked engagement with the latch-block I) just mentioned.

As best shown in Fig. 1, the latch-block b is of considerable length and is outwardly inclined from the forward end rearwardly, terminating in the hook-formation d, and it will be seen that the inner side of the portion e of the link 11, that hooks upon the latch block b, is sloped toward the forward edge of said portion on the inner side, which serves to render the link end capable of freely sliding upon the sloped face of the latch-block when two of the improved car-couplings are moved toward each other for a coupled engagement. The link 11 is apertured, as at g, to receive the stud 12, which projects from the side of the draw-head whereon the link is pivoted, said aperture being in the form of a longitudinal slot.

Upon the stud l2, exterior of the link 11, a spring 13 is placed, which is held thereon by a cross-pin h or its equivalent that is at the outer end of the stud, and the spring resiliently engages the pin 71 and outer side of the link, whereby the latter is normally pressed toward the draw-head 10.

A transverse slot '5 is formed in the drawhead 10 a short distance from the front end of the same, which slot is above the stud 12 and projecting latch-block b, that are respectively placed on opposite sides of the drawhead.

A tripping-dog 14 is located in the slot 1' and centrally pivoted therein, as at m, said dog consisting of a block fitted to loosely rock in the slot it occupies and project therefrom farther at the side whereon the latch-block b is located. As shown, the dog 14 is sloped at each end and slightly rounded on these sloped faces, which adapts the dog to eifectively engage with the link 11, that is pivoted on the draw-head having said dog, and also at the same time have contact with the sloped face cl on the end of a similar link that is in latched engagement with the hook-block I) of the draw-head having the dog thereon.

The pivot m of the dog 1 1 projects through the top wall of the slot '2? far enough to receive the rock-arm 15, which is secured thereon, and said arm, which lies in a plane substantially parallel with the upper surface of the draw-head 10, is to be loosely connected with suitable mechanism of well-known construction, located on the end of the car, which will afford convenient means for rocking the arm 15 either from the car-roof or at one side of the car, as occasion may require.

It will be seen that on the approach of cars having the improved couplings thereon the projecting link 11 on each draw-head 10 will slide upon the sloped surface of the latchblock b it impinges, resulting in the automatic coupled engagement of the links of the two draw-heads With the respective blocks 1). WVhen it is desired to release the described connection of parts, it is effected by simply rocking either arm 15 in a direction that will press the sloped ends of the dog 14 against the end of one link 11 and inner side of the other link, Which will release the links from the latch-blocks if the drawheads are nearly in contact with each other.

Having thus described my invention, I

claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent The combination with a laterallyslotted draw-head having a rearwardly-sloped latchblock projected at one side thereof, a tripping-dog pivoted in said slot and having sloped ends that Will laterally project when the dog is rocked, and arock-arm on the pivot 0f the dog, of an elongated and longitudinally-slotted link pivoted on the side of the draw-head by its rear end oppositely from the latch-block, a stud projected from the drawhead through a slot in the link, and a spring on said stud adapted to press the link toward the draw-head, substantially as described.

J UNIUS L. PLEDGER. lVitnesses:

JAMES T. BALD, ROBERT lVIOMULLEN.

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