US1072129A - Automatic mail catcher and deliverer. - Google Patents

Description

H. 0. KUHLMAN.

AUTOMATIC MAIL GATOHER AND DELIVERER.

APPLICATION FILED JULY 22,1911.

Patented Sept. 2, 1913.

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AUTOMATIC MAIL GATCHER AND DELIVBRBR.

APPLIOATION FILED JULY 22, 1911.

Patented Sept. 2, 1913.

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,fiwenwl i/frman ltuizzman 7/15 lqilorney COLUMBIA PLANuonAPn c0., WASHINGTON. n. c.

H. G. KUHLMAN. AUTOMATIC MAIL CATOHER AND DELIVERBR.

APPLICATION FILED JULY 22, 1911.

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H. C. KUHLMAN.

AUTOMATIC MAIL CATGHER AND DBLIVERER.

APPLICATION FILED JULY 22,1911v Patented Sept. 2, 1913.

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Hus Attorney UNITE PATENT @iiiih ftijlll.

HERIZIAN C. KUI-ILILZAN, OF CLEVELAND, OHIO, ASSIG-NOR 01] ONE JTHIRD TO FREDRICK KE-S'INER AND ONE-THIRD TO MARTIN CALLAHAN, BGTI-I 0F CLEVELAND, OHIO.

AUTOMATIC MAIL GATOH'ER AND DELIVERER.

Specification of Letters Patent.

ntcnl ed tiept. 2;, 15912-5.

Application filed July 22, 1911. Serial No. 639,988.

1 0 all when? '1' i may concern Be it known that I, I'IERMAN (J. limin- MAN, a citizen of the United States, residing at Cleveland, in the county of (luyahoga and State of Ohio, have invented certain new and useful Imprm ements in Automatic Mail Catchers and Deliverers; 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 pertains to make and use the same.

This invention relates to mechanisms for delivering mail pouches and packages both :trom and to a moving car; said delivery bein accomplished in a safe and positive manner to and .t'roin the car without liability to injure either the mail matter or any person or persons employed in com'iection lhcrewith.

The object of this invention is to provide a mechanisn'i embodied within a mail car operated therefrom hence being under the control of the mail agents in the car, for the purpose oi setting the mechanism for the delivery of any mail matter to a station along the way and to collect any mail mattor for transit from said station or stations, the entire mechanism being, under the control of the mail car employees or in other words the postal employees.

A still further object of this invention is to obviate any dangerous conditions and to attain simplicity and ease of operation and not necessitating a knowledge ot mechanics for setting or operating the mechanism.

Still another object of this invention is the providing for the positive and safe delivery oi the mail to and, from the car or to and from the station regardless of the speed of the train while passing the station.

With the above and other objects in view my invention consists in the parts and combination of parts all of which will be hereinat'ter fully set forth and claimed.

in the drawings, Figure I, is perspective view of my device. Fig. II, is a cross sectional view taken through a air and its do livcring mechanism and also through the station delivering device showing in part some ot the setting mechanism. This view shows the device delivering the mail to the station from the car in operation and at the same time the mechanism set for the delivering of the mail from the station to the ca r. Fig. III, is a longitudinal vertical se tion taken through that portion ot a car contiguous to the door illustrating a system oi cables or chains and the manner of setting the apparatus by means of the guard or shield. l 'ig. :lV, is a plan view looking at the bottom ol the car with some parts removed showing more clearly certain parts oil? the sell ing mechanism not clearly brought out in either of the other figures. Figs. V, Vi, VII, Fill, and TX, are detached views showing enlarged details oil construction oi the setting mechanism.

.ln the drawings ,T have illustrated a systcm of setting device and the details oi construction as I consider them best adapted for performing their diilercnt functions while at the same time attaining economy in corn struetion. but I do not wish to be limited or confined to the same inasmuch as they may be altered or modified according to conditions or requirements.

To the drawings, 1. represents a car, usually a properly fitted mail car which may have either swinging or sliding doors, (I have illustrated swinging doors).

2 represents a trough shaped chute atlached one at either side of the car it neccs' sary. this chute or delivery device 2 is accessible from the inside oi the car through a trap door 3 opening upward from the floor ot the car through which the mail pouch or matter is introduced. it horizontally swinging and vertically hinged door t is provided for closing the delivery mouth oil the chute and kept in locked and closed position by means oi swinging latches 5--. which engage keepers (3 attached to the door 1- at either side oi. the same and it is by the release oi these latches 5---5 and positively operated arms 7 (see Figs. Ti and IV) that the door t is opened. The arms 7- 7 are in turn secured to cables or chains S-S which pass over sheaves 8-8 and from them to pivoted levers The pivoted levers 9---$l having at their ends vertically hinged engaging arms $l'---S (see more clearly Fig. Vll') these arms 9--9-- are projected through a medium oi a crank lever it) operated by chain or cable 10 thus one of the arms 9 being made to project out ward ilirom the car and comes in contact with a projection 9 (see Figs. I and It) attached to the station delivering mechanism which throws the lever 9 in 11Cl1 a direction as to force the door 1- open allowing the mail matter to slip from the chute 2 into a trough 2 located along the line of the track and in juxtaposition to the passing mouth of the chute 2. This trough 2 retains the pouch or mail matter, keeps it from injury and from being thrown beneath the car and hence should be made of such length (see Fig. I) as to provide for this.

The above sets forth my preferred mecha-. nism and its operation for delivery of the mail matter from the car to a by-station without the stoppage of the train and regardless of the speed of travel. Its simplicity is obvious.

Now taking up the mechanism whereby the mail is delivered to the car while the same is in motion it is described as follows: The aboye mechanism embodies a delivery device located on the station plat-form and in juxtaposition to the track and on either side of the said track as found convenient or necessary. This mechanism comprises a swinging post 11 mounted so as to be swung into or out of operative position and locked in either positionby means of a bolt 11 and a lever 11 or some such device whereby the post 11 may be swung by means of a lever 11 into either position. The manner of mounting the post 11 is immaterial providing it allows the apparatus to be shifted in operative or inoperative position and locked. Moiiinted on the upper end of the post 11. is an. elongated head 12 formed with a recess 12 for the reception of a piston or plunger 12 and its projection spring 18 which acts to keep said plunger or piston projecting from the head and by means of rods 14t-14 one on either side and attached to the back end of the piston 12 as at 14: and to the lower end of pivoted arms 15-15 as at 15 in turn attached to the projector 16 to keep said projector at rest (see Fig. I) in which position the mail matter or pouch is placed in said projector which is the normal condition or position of this mechanism. The forward end of the piston or plunger 12 may be provided with a friction roller17 which is adapted to be engaged by either of the two trips or cams 1818, depending in which direction the train is traveling, either of which is projected from the car, (see Figs. I, II and IV) which is accomplished through the medium of sliding projectors 19-49, either of which may be set into operation and thus as the friction roller 17 is engaged by a cam or tripper 18 the piston or plunger 12 is forced backward against the tension of the spring 13 carrying with it the rods 1 l1-t, pivoted to the short end of the arms 1515, the long end of said arms having a greater throw and hence a greater speed throws the projector 16 toward the door of the car which is open, and projects the mail matter into the car against the shield or guard 20 which may be formed of heavy flexible matter such as duck or canvas and with suitablesupporting frames, the same being hinged as at 20 so as to be folded up out of the way when not in use. This shield or guard 20 may be supported when in operative position by a guy rop 20 if oesired or found necessary, one of which may be placed at either side at the upper back corners.

In case swinging doors are employed on the earl so construct them as to swing inwardly and provide suitable apparatus such as springs to tend to open them and to hold them open, they being locked shut by means of a spring pressed bolt 21 (see Figs. II III and VIII) which engage the upper meeting edges of the doors thus when said bolt is raised and disengaged from the doors the doors fly open in position to receive the mail pouch from the projector.

In order to facilitate the setting of the different trips or cams 18 I have connected them severally with a series or system of cables or chains 10 which operates the arm 9 of the lever '9 and in which 21 operates the spring pressed bolt 21 for unlocking the doors, cables or chains 22 which operate the trips or cams 1818 through the sliding projectors 1919 and cables 23 which operate to release the latches '5 (see Fig. III) all of which are operated through the lowering into position of the guard or shield 20. A hook 24 being provided at either side for engaging said guard or shield 20 thus when said guard or shield is lowered the said cables or chains bring into action and set the different apparatus according to the direction of the travel of the train.

In Fig. V, of the drawings I have illustrated in enlarged form the catches 5-5 with cables 8S attached and connected to gether which lock the door 1: of the chute 2. In Fig. VI, I have illustrated a construction of trip or cam 18 illustrating it with a short arm provided with a spring 18 for return ing it to its normal position.

VII illustrates a construction of the trip lever 9 which operates to open the door 4 and the manner of throwing out the hinged arm of the same as is hereinabove set forth. In Figs. VIII and IX I have shown in elevation and top plan view the door bolt with cables attached for operating the same.

From the above description taken in con nection with the drawings it will. be seen that I have provided a simple, positive and safe apparatus for the delivery of mail to or from a car while at the same time providing an apparatus which will operate perfectly at any rate of train speed and have also provided a mechanism which cannot be disturbed through the action of the weather or climate. It being understood of course that the posts may be duplicated at either side of the car or track if found convenient or necessary.

I have set :torth and described what I have at the present time found to be best adaptable to this invention but I do not wish to be limited to the exact construction oit parts as they may be greatly modified without departing from this invention.

ivhat I claim is:

I. A mail pouch delivery apparatus comprising a stationary pouch support mounted in juxtaposition to the line of way, and adapted to be set into operation by the passing ot a car, in combination with a guard device located within the car, said guard device being connected to the mechanism for operating the device for delivering the mail to the car and the device for delivering the mail from the car.

2. A mail receiving and delivering device comprising the combination of a sta tionary delivery support mounted in juxtaposition to the line of travel of a passing car, means mounted on said passing car for setting into operation the stationary delivery support with a receiving guard mounted in said passing car, said guard adapted when adjusted in position to set into operative position the mechanism for delivering the mail from the passing ear to the station.

3. A mail delivery apparatus comprising a stationary support, a horizontal piston mounted in said support and being spring pressed, a pivotally mounted, vertically swinging projector mounted on said support and connected to said spring pressed piston, the whole being located in juxtaposition to the line of travel of a car to which mail is to be delivered by said apparatus, in combination with means carried by said car for operating said apparatus, substantially as set forth.

It. A mail receiving and delivering device comprising the combination of a stationary delivery support mounted in juxtaposition to the line of travel of a passing car, a horizontally mounted plunger located in said support, one end of said plunger being connected. to rods which in turn are connected to a swinging delivery arm, the opposite end ot said plunger being adapted to come into contact with means on the passing car :tor operating said plunger.

A mail receiving and delivering device comprising a stationary delivery support mounted in juxtaposition to the line of travel. of a passing car, a plunger mounted horizontally in said support, one end of said plunger being connected to rods which in turn are connected to the lower end oil? a pivotally mounted, vertically swinging delivery arm, the opposite end of said plunger adapted to come into contact with an opcrating mechanism located on the passing car, said plunger also being spring pressed substantially as and for the purpose set forth.

6. A mail delivery and receiving device ron'i 'n'ising a statimlary delivery support located in juxtaposition to the line of travel of a passing car, a plunger mounted horizontally in said support one end of said plunger being connected to rods which in turn are connected to the lower end of a pivotally mounted delivery arm, the opposite end ol said plunger adapted to come into contact with an operating mechanism located on the passing car, the location of said plunger and operating niechanisn'i be ing approximately level with the lioor of the :ar substantially as and tor the purpose set forth.

7. A mail delivering and receiving device comprising the combination ot a stationary delivery support located in juxtaposition to the line of travel (It? a passing car, a horizontally mounted plunger mounted in said support, said plunger adapted to operate a swinging delivery arm when contact is made between it and an operating mechanism located on the passing car, with a receiving guard located in the passing car, said guard adapted to set into operative position all operative mechanisms located on the passing car.

A. mail delivering and receiving device comprising a car, a receiving guard located within said car; means connected to said guard for placing into operative position all operative mechanisms located on said car; said operative meclninisms comprising a reccptacle located beneath the car body, said receptacle having a door leading from it to tl e interior of the car and another door leading from it to the exterior of the car; trippers located on the outside oil? said car and adapted to come in contact with a plunger of a stationary delivery support 10- called in juxtaposition to the line of travel of said car; triggers adapted to come into contact with a projecting portion of the stationary delivery support for releasing the outer door at said receptacle all substanlially as and tor the purpose set forth.

9. A mail delivering and receiving device com irising a car a receptacle located beneath the body oi. said ar said receptacle having a door communicating with the interior of said car and another door communicating with the exterior of said car, triggers mounted on said car with means coir necting said triggers with said outer door latch, said triggers adapted to come into contact with a projection locatml on the sta tionary delivery support located in juxtaposition to the line of travel oil said car, said support having a horizontally sliding plunger mounted therein, one end of said plunger connected to rods Which in turn are connected to the lower end of a vertically swinging pivotally mounted delivery arm the other end of said plunger adapted to come into'contaot with an operating tripper located on said car, a receiving guard located Within said car, said guard, when placed into position, adapted to bring all operative parts and mechanisms into 0p- July 1911. V

HERMAN C. KUHLMAN. Witnesses JOHN J. -DONNELLY7 FRANK C. GREGG.

Copies of this patent may be obtained for five cents each, by addressing the Commissioner of Patents. Washington, .D. U.

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