US1536132A - Car-uncoupling mechanism - Google Patents

Description

May 5, 1925.

. "1,536,132 H. c. PRIEBE m UNCOUPLING MECHANISM Filed'Mai-ah 9, .1921

will" NITEDVSTVATES PATENT OFFICE.

: iinaivmn c. PBIEBE, or BLUE ISLAND, ILLINOIS.

CAR-UNCOUPLING MECHANISM.

Application filed March 9, 1921w Serial No. 451,010.

To all whom it may concern."

Be it known thatI, ITERMAN C. Pruner, a citizen of the United States, residing at Blue Island, in the county of Cook and State of Illinois, have invented a certain new and useful Improvement in Gar-Uncoupling Mechanism, of which the following is a full, clear, concise, and exact description.

My invention relates to mechanism for uncoupling or separating the knuckles of couplers which are employed to join railway cars into trains.

The invention has for its object the provision of a single piece lever in direct withdrawing engagement with the coupler lock of acar coupler. These single piece levers are devoid of joints and connections which have hitherto been employed in levers that were used to withdraw coupler locks. Owing to the joints and connections that have hitherto been employed in coupler lock withdrawing levers, such levers have been liable to breakage and misadjustment, and have been faulty and unreliable in action.

I will explain my invention more fully by reference to the accompanying drawing showing the preferred embodiment thereof and in which Fig. 1 is a plan view showing an end portion of a car equipped with the device of my invention, the uncoupling position of the parts being shown in dotted lines; Fig. 2 is a view in elevation of the parts shown in Fig. 1, the uncoupling positions of the parts being also here shown in dotted lines;.and Fig. 3 is a perspective view of the structure as it appears in full lines in Figs. 1 and 2. j

Like parts are indicated by similar charactors of reference throughout the different figures. i i

The drawing shows part of an underframe and the portion of an end sill 1 included in. such underfraine which may be of any usual or suitable construction. Said end sill carries a bracket 2 near one end thereof, an eye 3 being formed in the upper end of said bracket. This eyeserves as a loose bearing for the shank l of the lever, this shank carrying a handle 5 at the outer end thereof and a crank '6 at its inner end, this orankbeing connected with the stem 4; by an arm 7. The crank passes loosely through the eye 8 of any usualor suitable knuckle lock 9 carried by the coupler knuckle 10 and serving to connect this coupler knuckle with a complemental coupler knuckle upon the next car. The lever structure 4, 5, 6, 7 is a one piece structure, being preferably formed of heavy rod cut to proper length and thereafter bent in suitable shape. To guard against the disassembly of the coupler lock 9 and the crank 6, this crank is desirably angularly extended as indicated at 11. The portion of the coupler lock 9 carrying the eye 8 is in the nature of a vertically movable pin. In order that the lever may operate upon the pin to move it vertically without, binding the pin in the knuckle structure that holds it, the lever shank 4 is provided with a floating bearing 12 adjacent the crank arm 7, the lever shank passing loosely through this bearin Said bearing is desirably carried upon one end of an arm 13 whose other end is so pivotally connected at 1a upon the adjacent bumper block 15 as to permit said arm to swing horizontally. The coupler lock is located between the ends of said arm as is also the crank member 6 of the lever. When the uncoupling operation is to be performed the handle 5 is turned from its normal depending vertical position shown in full lines in the drawing to a horizontal position. Due to this movement of the lever the coupler lock 9 iselevated but as this coupler lock is confined substantially to a straight line vertical movement such lock will force the crank member 6 of the lever to move also in a substantially vertical line thereby causing the lever to swing in the loose bearing 3 while it is turning. The lever, in swinging, will carry with it its support or bearing 12 upon which the inner end of the lever shank 4: turns in order to raise the knuckle lock. The horizontally swinging arm 13 is the device upon which the inner portion of the lever structure is supported in a manner to permit the lever to swing or shift while it is being turned. The lever rod is journaled upon the horizontally swinging arm at a point substantially fixed with re spect to the arm, whereby the arm need not drawingengagement with said look; and horizontallyswinging a rni upon which the inner portion of said lever is journaled at a substantially fixed point with reference to the arm a'ndservi1rg-to permit shifting of the lever as it is operated to Withdraw the look;

In witness whereof, I hereunto subscribe my name this twenty-fourth day of F ebru- 2 why A. 1)., 1921. y I I I z IIER'MAN C. PRIEBE.

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