US1114690A - Mail-bag catcher. - Google Patents

Description

E. E. HAYWORTH. MAIL BAG OATGHER.

APPLICATION FILED D3013, 1913. 1,1 14,690.

Patented Oct. 20, 1914.

2 SHEETSSHEBT 1.

THE NORRIS PETERS C0.. PHOTO-LITHO.. WASHINGTON. c.

E. E. HAYWORTH.

MAIL BAG GATCHER.

APPLIGATION FILED DEO.13, 1913.

1,1 14,690 Patented 0013.20, 1914.

2 SHBETS-SHEET 2.

THE NO RRIS PETERS CO PHOTQ LIT! WASHINOILHM I: H

EVERETT E. I-IAYWORTI-I, OF HIGH POINT, NORTH CAROLINA.

MAIL-BAG CATCHER.

nuance.

To all whom it may concern Be it known that I, Evnnn'r'r E. HAY- WORTH, a citizen of the United States, residing at High Point, in the county of Guilford and State of North Carolina, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Mail-Bag Catchers; 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. I

'My invention relates to new and useful improvements in mail bag catchers and re sides in the provision of a catcher of the character described constructed and arranged to automatically release and catch mail bags in a reliable and expeditious manner.

An important object of my invention is to provide a device of the character described which is simple as to construction and number of parts, may be readily attached to railway cars and which is capable of being moved into operative position for use or in an out of the way position when not ready for operation so that little space is consumed. I

Another important object of my invention is to provide a deviceof the character de-' scribed which is reliable and efficient in operation, is comparativelycheap to install and which is light strong and durable.

The above and additional objects are accomplishedby such means as are illustrated in the accompanying drawings, described in the following specification and then more particularly pointed out in the claims which are appended hereto and form a part of this application.

With reference to the drawings, wherein I have illustrated the preferred embodiment of my invention as it isreduced to'practi'ce, and throughout the several views of which similar reference numerals designate cor-- responding parts ;Figure 1 is a front elevation illustrating the device as it would appear when attached adjacent the door of a baggage car or the like,.Fig. 2 is a section taken through a baggage 'car'illustrating the device attached thereto and in plan and showingthe mail. bag catching arms in operative position, Fig. 3 is a planview of the mechanism for closing the catching arms showing the detachable plate for the body portion of the device removed and the supporting rod for pivotally supporting the de- Specification of Letters E'atent.

Application filed December 13, 1913.

Patented Oct. 20, 1914.

Serial No. 806,626.

vice within the door of a railway car, Fig. 4 1s a cross sectional view illustrating the means for supporting and releasing the mail bag to be dropped or deposited from the car and showing one of the snap hooks with which the mail bags are to be equipped, F 1g. 5 is a sectional view taken through line 35 of Fig. 2 showing the means forscur mg the supporting rod tothe device and for preventing the device from turning on the supportlng rod, and Fig. 6 is a sectional view taken on line 6--6 of Fig. 1- showing the means for holding the trigger rod in operatlve position.

Referring to the drawings formin a part of this specification and in which ike numerals are employed to designate corresponding parts, the numeral 1 designates as an entirety the body portion of the device which in the preferred form is preferably rectangular andis preferably constructed of some suitable light metal.

A supporting rod 2 is inserted through the body portion intermediate the ends thereof and is adapted to be rotatably journaled in the sides of a railway cardesignated 3 as an entirety. A pin 4 is inserted through the body portion 1 and rod 2 so as to prevent turning of the device upon the supporting rod 2. I The device is arranged in the usual manner adjacent the door of a baggage or mail car so that the catching mechanism 1s disposed 1n a plane parallel to the sides of the car, when in operation;

The body portion 1 is provided adjacent its inner end with a reduced handleportion 5 by means of which the operator may swing the devlce into operatlve or inoperative position. As a means for holding the devlcein operativeposition there has been provided an angular bracket 6 that is pivoted as at 7 if if to an angular bracket 8 which is secured to the side edge of the door or someothei' suitable place. The bracket 6 is provided with a flange, 9 that is adapted toengage the side edge of the body'portion adjacent the handle portion thereof and serves to securely .hold the bracket 6 in place so that the device so that the body portion 1 is free to swing into a vertical position from the operative horizontal position such as illustrated in' Fig. 1.

The bracket 6 The body portion 1 is reduced adjacent its outer end as at 10 and provided adjacent the outer end of the reduced portion 10 with a recess 11 for the purpose of mounting the mechanism for closing one of the catcher arms and for automatically releasing the mail bag to be deposited or dropped. A plate 12 is adapted to fit upon the reduced portion 10 and is secured by bolts 13 or other suitable fastening means sothat its upper surface is flush with the upper surface of the body portion and sides thereof.

Secured by a bolt 14 or other suitable fastening means to the outer end of the reduced portion 10 of the body portion 1 is a rectangular body portion 15 of an angular fixed grabbing arm 16. This arm 16 diverges toward its outer end from the end of the reduced portion 10 and is adapted for cooperation with a pivoted grabber arm 17 which will be later described. The body portion 15 of the arm 16 is disposed flush along one longitudinal edge and end with the reduced portion 10 of the body portion 1 and is arranged transversely of the body portion so that its inner end abuts a shoulder 18 formed on the reduced portion 10 by recessing as at 11. Openings 19 are formed in the body portion 15 of the arm 16 and in the reduced portion 10 to receive the securing member 13 for the plate 12.

The pivoted grabber arm 17 is provided with an enlarged body portion 18 that is disposed at right angles to the arm 17 and pivoted within the recess 11 by means of a tooth pin 20. This body portion 18 is provided with an end opening recess 21 at its free end in which is pivotally mounted as at 22. a releasing rod 23. This rod 23 is slidable through a transverse opening 24 in the reduced. portion 10 and through a preferably rectangular slot or opening formed through the reduced portion 10. The opening 24- is reduced adjacent its outer end to provide a shoulder 25 to engage the end of the rod 23 to limit its movement in one direction. The plate 12 is provided with an opening 27 similar to the one 25 in the reduced portion 10 and adapted to register therewith whereby a snap hook provided with an elongated eye and designated. 28 as an entirety may be inserted so that the rod 23 passes through the eye portion of the snap hook. This snap hook 28 is adapted to be connected with a mail bag not shown. It will thus be seen that a mail bag to be de posited, is arranged or supported after the manner described by means of the releasing rod 23. The action of releasing the mail bag will be later more fully described. Mounted within the recess 11 of the reduced portion 10 is a helical retractile spring 29 which is secured at its terminals to the outer portion of thereduced portion 10 and to the inner end of the body portion 18 of the arm 17. This spring 29 serves to operate the pivoted arm 17 so that a mail bag is held securely between the two arms 16 and 17 The arm 17 is similar in shape to the one 16 hereinbefore described and is adapted to be held in spaced open position relative to the fixed arm 16 by a trigger rod 30. This trigger rod 30 is pivoted at one end as at 31 to the pivoted arm 17 adjacent the outer end thereof, and at its other end is adapted to releasably engage the arm 16 intermediate the ends thereof. An enlarged recess portion 82 is formed upon the arm 16 at the point Where the member 30 is adapted to engage the arm and is arranged so that the recess 33 therein is open adjacent its inner end to facilitate the free inward movement of the rod 80 relative to the outer end of the fixed arm 16; It will thus be seen that the free end of the arm 16 is fitted within the recess 33 of the arm 32. and will readily and freely move to permit the arm 17 to;

grasp a mail bag, upon the contact of the member 30 with. a mail bag.

When the arm 17 is in the position as illustrated in Fig. 2 the releasing rod 23 is in supporting position, that is, is adapted toextend through the opening 25 so that it will readily support thehook member 28 to which a mail bag is to be secured. It will be readily seen that when the arm 17 is arranged as disclosed in Fig. 2 and as hereinbefore described, in open position, the contact of the rod 30 with a mail bag, facilitates the ready grasping of the bag by the movement of the arm 17 owing to the action of the spring 29 and the releasing rod 23 is drawn through the opening 24': and out of engagement with the eyeportion of the snap hook 28, thus the bag to be deposited is dropped or released and the bag to be removed from the stand along the track is readily grasped between the arms.

16- and 17. The operator then swings the bracket 16 so that the device may be readily lowered to a vertical position relative to the sides of the car and the mail bag is removed from the arms 16 and 17 which remain closed and in clamping engagement with the bag, by the action. of the spring 29hereinbefore described.

The provision of the removable plate 12 facilitates the ready access to the working mechanism of the device for repair thereto or renewal of parts which may have become worn or broken.

It will be readily seen with reference to the foregoing description and accompanying drawings that I have provided a device for catching and releasing mail bags which is capable of performing all the functions hereinbefore described in a reliable and expeditious manner. It is desirous of emphasizing the fact that the device is extremely simple as to construction and number of parts, is light, strong and durable, capable of being cheaply and readily installed in baggage and mail cars, and which takes up comparatively small space when in either extended operative position or out of the way inoperative position.

In reduction to practical have found that the form of my invention, illustrated in the drawings and referred to in the above description, as the preferred embodiment is the most efficient and practical; yet realizing that the conditions concurrent with the adoption of my device will necessarily vary, I desire to emphasize the fact that various minor changes in details of construction, proportion and arrangement of parts may be resorted to, when required, without sacrificing any of the advantages of my invention, as defined in the appended claims.

What is claimed is:

1. In a device of the character described, the combination with a swingingly mounted body portion adapted to be secured to a car, of a fixed catching arm on said body portion, a pivoted catching arm mounted on the body portion, spring means for holding the arm in clamping relation to a mail bag, a trigger rod secured to one of said arms and releasingly engaging the other of said arms for holding the arms in open position, said body portion having an opening therein, a mail bag hook adapted to be mounted within the opening, and a rod pivoted to said pivoted arm and adapted to support the mail bag hook and mail bag when the pivoted arm is in open position and to release the mail bag upon the disengagement of the trigger arm with one of the catcher arms.

2. In a device of the character described, the combination with a swingingly mounted body portion, of a fixed catcher arm on the outer end of said body portion, a pivoted catcher arm adapted for clamping coopera- Copies of this patent may be obtained for tion with a fixed arm mounted upon the body portion, spring means for moving the pivoted arm in clamping cooperation with the fixed arm, a trigger rod pivoted to said pivoted arm adjacent the outer end thereof and adapted to releasably engage the fixed arm adjacent the outer end thereof, and for engagement with a mail bag, means for releasably securing the free end of the trigger arm to the fixed arm, and means carried by said pivoted arm for releasingly supporting a mail ha and releasing the mail bag upon the springing of the trigger arm.

3. In a device of the character described, the combination with a swingingly supported body portion adapted to. extend into and out of a railway car when in operative position of a fixed catcher arm secured to the outer end of the body portion, a second catcher arm pivoted on the body portion, a trigger interposed between the arms intermediate the ends thereof and adapted for engagement with a mail bag, spring means for moving the-pivoted arm into cooperative clamping position relative to the fixed arm upon the action of the trigger, said body portion having an opening therethrough, means adapted to be mounted within the opening for supporting a mail bag to be delivered, and a rod pivoted to said pivoted arm, slidable through the opening in the body portion and adapted to support the mail bag supporting means and to release the supporting means upon the clamping action of the catcher, arms.

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

EVERETT E. HAYWORTH.

Witnesses: DORAN B; SHEPARD, J OSEPH D. CRAWFORD.

five cents each, by addressing the Commissioner of Patents, Washington, D. G.

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