US820660A - Thill-coupling. - Google Patents

Description

PATENTED MAY 15,- 1906,

R. E. MILLER.

THILL COUPLING.

APPLICATION FILED JULY 25, 1905,

2 SHEETS-SHEET 1.

Q wvemtoz (WM 5 Z oL erfg/ fi /er No. 820,660. PATENTED MAY 15, 1906.

R. E. MILLER. THILL COUPLING.

APPLICATION FILED JULY 25, 1905.

2 SHEETS-SHEET 2.

Ba '6 lg snvewtoz UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

THlLL-COUPLING.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented May 15, 1906.

Application filed July 25,1905. $erial No. 271,179.

To all whom, it may concern:

Be it known that I, ROBERT EDMUND MILLER, a citizen of the United States, residing at Russellville, in the county of Pope, State of Arkansas, have invented certain new and useful Improvementsin Thill-Couplings; and I do hereby declare the following to be a full, clear, and exact description of the invention, such as will enable others skilled in the art to which it appertains to make and use the same.

This invention relates to thill-couplings.

One object of the invention is to provide an exceedingly simple, inexpensive, durable, light, and efficient thill-coupling.

Another object of the invention resides in the provision of a thill-coupling embodying such characteristics that rattling thereof is positively prevented.

With these and other objects in view the present invention consists in the combination and arrangement of parts, as will be hereinafter more fully described, shown in the accompanying drawings, and particularly pointed out in the appended claims, it beingunderstood that changes in the form, proportion, size, and minor details may be made within the scope of the claims without departing from the spirit or sacrificing any of the advantages of the invention.

In the drawings, Figure 1 is a side view of my invention in position for use. Fig. 2 is a vertical longitudinal section illustrating the relative position of the different parts in their unloosened position. Fig. 3 1s a top plan view. Fig. 4 is a bottom plan view of the plate for preventing movement of the draft-bolt. Fig. 5 is a top plan view of the spring. Fig. 6 is a modified form of plate for preventing movement of the draft-pole.

Referring now more particularly to the accompanying drawings, the reference character 1 designates an axle, embracing which is the usual draft-eye 2, provided with the outwardlydirected ears 3, having the alining perforations 4 in their ends, the legs 5 and 6 of the said draft-eye being screw-threaded.

This draft-eye 2 is secured to the axle l by means of a plate 7, provided with a perforation in each of its ends for engagement in the legs 5 and 6 of the draft-eye, the said plate being disposed against the under face of the axle 1 and held thereagainst by means of suitable nuts 8 and 9.

In order to secure the shaft 9 in the ears 3, I provide the inner end of the shaft with a perforation and pass a draft-bolt- 10 through the aforesaid perforations 4 of the ears and the said perforation at the inner end of the shaft. This coupling-pin is provided with a pair of alining notches 11 and 12 at its ends, which notches are disposed adjacent the outer face of the corresponding ears 3. To prevent turning of the draft-bolt 10, I provide a plate 13, having slotted ears 14 and 15, directed upwardly at each end for engagement each with its slot in the corresponding notches 11 and 12 of the coupling-pin. It will be understood that the plate 13 bears directly under the perforated inner end of the shaft 9, and reference to the drawings will disclose that it has formed therewith intermediate its ends a clip 16, which is directed inwardly toward the axle and then bent backwardly toward the said plate and in spaced. relation thereto, as indicated by the reference character 17 ,with its free end turned into or substantiallyinto engagement with the plate. This clip 16 is designed to receive the slot 18 of the curved spring 19, which has its inner lower end bifurcated, as at 20, to embrace the opposite edges of the said clip 16 in advance of the connection of the latter with the aforesaid slot 18. This curved spring 1 9 prevents rattling of the thill-coupling, and it will be observed that in order to prevent this rattling action the spring is curved into engagement with the rear of the shaft 9 and then toward and in engagement with the forward face of the draft-eye, as at 21, and then outwardly from the latter and over it, with its rear end provided with an eye 22, which is pierced by a pin 23, fitted in a pair of cars 24, which latter depend from the lever 25, the lever also having a perforation arranged at its end above the ears for the engagement therein of a link 26, whose opposite end is bent, as at 27, whereby the bight portion 28 thereof which is opposite to the bight portion fitting in said perforation arranged for engagement behind the nut 8 of the leg 5 of the draft-eye. The device illustrated in Fig. 1 is in its operative position, and when it is desired to uncouple the shaft from the draft-eye it is simply necessary to raise the lever 25, whose ears 24, serving as a cam, will throw the said link 26 forwardly at its upper end until the lever has reached its full outward swing, when the bight portion 28 of the link 26 may be readily removed from behind the nut 8, such action releasing the said spring 19 of tension and permitting of the ready detachment of the spring from the aforesaid clip 16 and the ears 14 and 15 of the said plate with the corresponding notches 11 and 12 of the couplingpin 10, which latter may be readily removed from the ears 3 to permit of the withdrawal of the shaft from between the latter. It is obvious that when it is desired to connect the shaft with the draft-eye and prevent its rattling the operation just described is reversed. It will be noted that the cam-lever 25 is provided with a rib 29 upon its under face for engagement with the rear end of the spring 19 to hold the curved end 30 of the lever sufficiently far away from the spring to permit its ready engagement by ones hand for operation.

In Fig. 6 there is disclosed a somewhat different form of plate, which may be employed in substitution of the aforesaid plate 13. In this second form the plate 30is substantially of the same form as the plate 13, including the oppositely-disposed ears 31 and 32 thereof. Therefore the only difference resides in the peculiar form of clip for engagement with the spring 19. In the first form the slot 18 of the spring 19 is sprung into engagement with the clip 16, but in the second form the hook 33 of the plate 30 is directed downwardly, as shown.

What is claimed is 1. A thill-coupling comprising a draft-eye provided With spaced ears, a shaft disposed.

with its inner end between said ears, a bolt piercing said ears and said shaft to secure the atter within the former, a plate having spaced ears for connection with the respective ends of said bolt to prevent turning of the latter, the said plate having a projection intermediate its ends, a spring havin one end constructed and arranged for detachable engagement with said projection, a lever connected to the opposite end of the spring, and a support for the lever.

2. A thill-coupling comprising a draft-eye having spaced perforated ears, a bolt engaging the perforations of the ears, a plate having slotted ears between which the ears of the eye are received and in the slots of which the ends of the bolt are held, such plate having a depending portion, a spring-plate bearing at one ,end against the under slde of the firstnamed plate and having an opening through which the depending portion of the firstnamed plate is received, said spring-plate extending upwardly and over the draft-eye, and means for placing said spring-plate under tension.

In testimony whereof I afliX my signature in presence of two witnesses.

ROBERT EDMUND MILLER.

Witnesses:

J. C. FAULKNER, A. LEWIS SCHAEFFER.

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