US393181A - Chables l - Google Patents

Description

(No Model.)

' G. L. SNYDER.

GRIPPER FOR CABLE RAILWAY CARS.

No. 398,181. Patented Nov. 2 0, 1888.

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UNITED STATES PATENT @FFICE.

GHARLES L. SNYDER, OF KANSAS CITY, MISSOURI, ASSIGNOR OF ONE-HALF TO ISAAC M. RIDGE, OF SAME PLACE.

GRIPPER FOR CABLE-RAILWAY CARS.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 393,181, dated November 20, 1888.

Application filed January 31, 1888. Serial No. 262,543.

To all whom it may concern.-

Be it known that 1, CHARLES L. SNYDER, a citizen of the United States, residing at Kansas City, in the county of Jackson and State of Missouri, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Grippers for Cable-Railway Cars; 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.

My invention relates to an improvement in grippers for cable-railway cars.

The object is to provide a gripper which shall consist of few parts assembled in such manner as to render it capable of being readily operated under all ordinary circumstances, and in which the wear due to friction shall be reduced to a minimum.

A further object is to provide a gripper in which the means for adjusting the gripperframe to take up the wear shall at the same time serve as standard-supports for a portion of the supporting-frame of the gripper-operdescribed, and pointed out in the claims.

In the accompanying drawings, Figure 1 is a view of the gripper and its operating mechanism in side elevation, and Fig. 2 is a view of the same in transverse vertical section about centrally through the gripper.

Fig. 3 is a view of one of the gripping-teeth. Fig. 4 is a partial plan view of one of the jaws, showing the recess for inserting the gripping-teeth.

Arepresents the supporting-bar,adapted to extend horizontally along the floorof the car, or beneath or above the floor, as may be desired, and is conveniently provided with mortises a near its ends for convenience in securing'it in position above the opening between the slot-irons in the road-bed. (Not shown.)

(No model.)

The central portion of the supporting-bar A is provided with an elongated vertical slot, at, in which the gripper-head B is adapted to slide. From the bar A, at opposite ends of the said elongated slot a, depend the supporting bars or standards 0, to the lower ends of which the lower stationary grip-jaw, D,'is firmly fixed.

The upper or movable gripping-jaw, E, is provided near its ends with vertical sockets e, adapted to loosely embrace the depending standards 0, to serve to guide the jaw in its movements toward or away from the lower stationary jaw, D. The jaw E is connected with the gripper-head by a flat plate, b. The standards 0 and plate I) are intended to be of substantially the same thickness, and are intended to travel freely along the narrow opening between the slot-irons, hereinbefore referred to.

The lower or stationary jaw, D, is provided at each end with a pair of loose pulleys, d, for supporting the cable when the same is released from between the jaws-as, for example, when the train is standing at a station. The ends of the jaw D are projected convenient distances from the body of thejaw, and terminate in upv wardly-inclined ears d, through which extend. axial bolts d, on which the pulleys d are mounted, one on each side of each ear d. The axial bolts d are provided with enlarged I rounded heads or washers d which determine the position of the pulleys on the bolts.

The ends of the movable jaw E are provided with vertical perforations e, in which are secured the ends of vertical bolts F, on which are mounted vertical spools G, the latter terthe spools G are conveniently held in the proper position on the bolts F by means of providing the bolts with annular shoulders f, adapted to be seated in corresponding sockets in the. lower ends of the spools.

The uppermost portions of the pulleys d are slightly above the upper face of the stationary jaw D, so that when the movable jaw E is raised a short distance the cable rests on the jaw D.

Both the upper and lower jaws of the gripper are provided on their grippingfaces with dovetail recesses II, extending longitudinally along the jaw and adapted to receive the dovetail heads or backs of the gripping teeth or bars I. I prefer to provide the faces of the gripping jaws at some one point with slots 0 sufficiently large to admit one of the gripping teeth or bars I to be inserted therein by a movement directly from the face of the bar toward the back of the same, and to then slide the said teeth or bars along the dovetail groove II toward the opposite end of the bar until the groove is filled with the said teeth or bars, or until a sufficient number have been inserted to afford the desired extended contact with the cable, and to then look the teeth or bars firmly in that position by means of a set-screw, K, inserted in the end of the jaw, with its end in contact with and pressing against the end tooth or bar, I; but it is obvious that the said teeth or bars I might be slid into the dovetail groove II at the end of one of thejaws, the same being left open for that purpose, and might be locked therein by a set-screw extending through the back of the jaw into engagement with the end tooth or bar; or other well-known and approved means might be employed to lock the teeth or bars in their positions in the dovetail grooves. This construction admits of renewing the grip-faces as often as may be desired and with very little loss of time, and ren- ,ders it feasible to employ for such grippingii'aces other than metallic substances-such, for example, as vulcanized fiber, wood, or the like-of which material I make the teeth or i bars I.

The gripper is operated by means of the following mechanism: A cross-head, L, is provided with an elongated vertical opening, Z, in which a pair of segment gear-wheels, M, are located and journaled in the opposite sides of the cross-head. Between and above the gear-wheels M the actuating segment gearwheel N is journaled in position to simultaneously mesh with the gear on the wheels M. A pair of pitmen, O, are loosely secured at one end eccentrieally to the gear-wheels M and loosely secured at the opposite end to lugs b, extending upward from the opposite ends of the cross-head B of the gripper. The connection of the pitman with the gear-wheels M is such that when the wheels are rotated in the 1 same direction the pressure will be equal upon the pitmen, and hence the opposite ends of the cross-head B will be pressed down or drawn .up simultaneously with the same amount of force. This serves to effectually overcome any tendency which the gripper may have to bind because of the slight retracting of either of its edges or ends from any cause, and serves to slide it up and down with the least possible amount of friction or undue wear.

It will be observed that the location of the actuating gear-wheel N and gear-wheels M will cause the two wheels M to simultaneously rotate in the same direction when the gearwheel N is rocked in either direction.

The cross-head L is supported in its position, above and parallel with the bar A, by means of a pair of bolts, I, extending through vertical sockets Z in its ends and through corresponding sockets, aF, in the-bar A. The said bolts 1? are secured in position in the bar A by means of jam-nuts p, and the upper ends of the said bolts are threaded for a considerable distance and provided with nntsp,adapted to engage the opposite ends of the sockets Z and thereby secure the cross-head L in the desired adjustment toward and away from the bar A, thereby giving the pitmen Oa greater or less throw, and hence causing the movable jaw E of the gripper to move a greater or less distance toward and from the stationary jaw D, and hence serving to take up any wear that may occur on the grip-faces.

The gear-wheel N is secured to the lower end of an operating-lever, 7c, said lever being provided with a slot near its lower end, through which extends a segment-bar, S, the ends of which are secured firmly to the cross-head L. The segment-bar S is provided with teeth on its outer edge, and the operating-lever k is provided with a dog, 1-, pivoted thereto and adapted to engage the teeth on the segmentbar and thereby lock the lever in a position to hold the movable jaw E in gripping contact,

with the cable. The dog a" is held in a normally-depressed adjustment by means of a spring, 0*, inserted between its upper face and the stop or shoulder r on the lever, and the said dog is operated by means of a rod leading from a small bell-crank lever, T, near the handle end of the lever B, to the dog, as is common in operating-levers of this class.

To grip the cable, throw the lever R forward in the direction of the arrow until the movable jaw E has been brought in snug contact therewith. The dog 0* will hold it in this position. To release the cable, grasp the oper' ating-lever It with the hand at a point where the handle of the bell-crank lever T is located and press the handle of said bell-crank lever toward the operating-lever R, thereby releasing the dog 1- from the teeth of the segment-bar, and then throw the lever B back in the direction opposite to that in which the arrow points,which movement will elevate the movable jaw E, and by means of the spools G will throw the cable onto the loose pulleys d.

Having thus fully described my invention, what I claim as new, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is

1. The combination,with asuitable support,

and a gripper-jaw secured to the support in sliding adjustment, of a pair of gripper-operating pitmen located on opposite sides of the center of the gripper-jaw, cranks for operating the pitmen, and a lever adapted to simultaneously operate the cranks, substantially as set forth.

2. The combinatiomwith a suitable supporting-frame and a grippingjaw secured to the frame in sliding adj ustn1ent,ofa pair of gear wheels journaled in the frame, a pair of pitmen eccentrically connected with the gear-wheels and connected with the gripper-jaw on opposite sides of the center, a gear-wheel in mesh with the two aforesaid gear-wheels, and a lever for operating the said gear-wheel,whereby force is exerted simultaneously upon opposite ends of the grip -j aw, substantially as set forth.

3. The combination,with a suitable supporting-frame, of a gripping-jaw secured thereto in sliding adjustment, a cross-head, a flat plate connecting the cross-head with the sliding jaw, a pair of segment gear-wheels journaled in the frame, pitmen connecting the gearwheels with the cross-head, said pitmen secured to the gearwhecls eceentrieally,an actuating gear-wheel journaled in the frame be tween the two segment gear-wheels and in mesh therewith, a lever for operating the said actuating gear-wheel, a toothed segment-bar embraced by thelever, aspring actuated dog pivoted to the lever in position to engage the toothed segment-bar, and means for operating the dog, substantially as set forth.

4. The combination, with a stationary supporting-frame, a stationary jaw secured thereto and a sliding jaw mounted therein. and a supporting-frame for the grip-operating mechanism, of a pair of standard-bolts provided with screw threads and nuts, the said bolts having seats at their lower ends in the stationary supporting-frame and at their upper ends in the supporting-frame for the gripactuating mechanism, whereby the frame for the grip-actuating mechanism may be adjusted toward and away from the stationary frame, substantially as set fort-h.

5. The combination, with the gripping-jaw provided with a dovetail recess closed at its end, of a dovetail tooth or bar set in the dovetail recess,the said tooth or bar being provided with shoulders in engagement with the face of the jaw, substantially as set forth.

6. The combination, with a gripping-jawprovided with a dovetail recess in its face, of a series of grip teeth or bars provided with dovetail backs seated in the said recess in the grippingjaw, and a set-screw in engagement with the side of one of the end teeth or bars for locking the gripping-teeth in position in the jaw, substantially as set forth.

7. The combination,with the stationary jaw provided with loose pulleys at its ends and a movable jaw, and means for actuating the movable jaw, of bolts secured in the ends of the movablejaw-and provided with end extension adapted to slide freely in the perforations in the stationary jaw, and flaring-faced spools located vertically on the said bolts, whereby the cable is thrown outwardly off the loose pulleys when the movable jaw is raised, and the movable jaw is held against lateral displacement during its upward and downward movement, substantially as set forth.

8. The combination, with the stationary j aw provided with loose pulleys at its ends, a movable jaw, and means for actuating the movable jaw, of bolts secured in the ends of the movable jaw and provided with end eX- WVitnesses:

F. O. FARR, BEssIE E. YOUNG.

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