US607872A - Robert webb morgan - Google Patents

Description

No. 607,872. Patented July 26, [898. R. W. MORGAN.

CURTAIN FUR VESTIBULES 0F CARS, 8L6. (Application filed Mar. 17, 1898.) (No Model.) 2 Sheets-Sheet l.

TWQLL.

I I L THE NORRIS PETERS CO PNOYO-LITHO WASHINGION, D. C.

No. 607,872. Patented July 26, I898.

R. w. MORGAN. A CURTAIN FOR VESTIBULES 0F CABS, 8L0.

(Application filed Mar. 17, 1898.)

2 Sheets-Sheet 2.

(No Model.)

W/ TNE SSE S ATTORNEY.

m: cams germs cc. PMDYO-LITHQ. WASHKNGYON, a. cv

, made detachable, so that upon the uncoupling ATENT FFTGE.

ROBERT \VEBB MORGAN, OF NElV YORK, N. Y.

CURTAIN FOR VESTIBULES'OF CARS, 84 0.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 607,872, dated July 26, 1898.

Application filed March 1 7, 1898.

To all whom it may concern: i

Be it known that I, ROBERT WEBB MORGAN, a citizen of the United States, and a resident of New York, (Brooklyn,) in the county of Kings and State of New York, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Ourtains for the Vestibules of Cars, (vestibule- Trains,) of which the following is a specification.

The invention relates to improvements in curtains forthe vestibules of cars, and pertains more particularly to means for applying the curtains to and permitting their automatic detachment from the adjoining parts of the cars of what is known as a vestibuletrain.

It is customary to employ inner curtains of attractive material within the vestibules of cars, and these curtains are customarily held at their opposite vertical edges upon the heads of screws or pins and are necessarily of cars the curtains may be removed. The vestibule-curtains are also of an elastic character, so as to yield with the lengthening and shortening of the vestibule portion of the car, due to the jarring of the cars and their'travel around curves in the road. The present invention pertains to novel means whereby the opposite edges of the curtain may be very quickly and securely applied in position and to means by which one side of the curtain will, upon the uncoupling of one of the cars from the train, become automatically detached.

It is the duty of. the porter in a vestibuletrain to detach the vestibule-curtain when one of the cars is to be uncoupled, but it sometimes happens that the porter fails to do his duty in this regard and also that a car may be uncoupled without the porter having any previous notice of the same, and in either case the moving on of the train, leaving the un-f coupled car, would result, according to my invention, in the automatic detachment of one entire edge of the'curtain, and thus the latter would be prevented from being destroyed.

The invention will be more fully understood from the detailed description hereinafter presented, reference being had to the accompanying drawings, in which-- Serial No; 674,158. (No model.)

Figure 1 is a central vertical longitudinal section through a portion of the adjoining cars of a vestibule-train and illustrating in position a curtain equipped with fastening devices and automatic releasing devices of the character made the subject-of this application. Fig. 2 is an enlarged view of the lower portion of a vestibule-curtain provided with fastening devices embodying my invention, the curtain and fastening devices being illustrated in their normal position. Fig. 3 is a like view of same, but illustrating the curtain as having been extended on horizontal lines sufficiently to have effected the release of the fastening devices at one edge of the curtain; and Fig. 4 is an enlarged detached sectional view of one of the fastening-devices and a portion of the curtain on the dotted line 4 t of Fig. 2.

'In the drawings, A A designate the adjacent portions of two vestibule-cars, and B the curtain therefor. The curtain B is, as usual, provided with the inner elastic strips 0, by which the curtain is held in a somewhat wrinkled condition. The opposite vertical edges of the curtain are held upon the headed pins or screws D, which are of usual character and are illustrated on an enlarged scale in Fig. 4.

- My invention pertains to the means applied to the'opposite vertical edges of the curtain B for engaging the heads of the pins or screws D and to the means by which the devices engaging said pins or screws at one edge of the curtain may become automatically released upon any undue lateral force being exerted against the curtain, but which will not being force exerted upon the curtain due to the cars passing around curves.

The features composing the present invention are more fully illustrated in Figs. 2, 3, and 4, in which it will be seen that upon the opposite vertical edges of the curtain B are come released under the customary stretchand at its inner end the arm L. The inner edge of the hook K is inclined downward andv outward and passes on the outer side of the pin or screwD within the recess G. The pivot of the plate J is substantially in line with the recess G, and the arm L of said plate J extends upward and inward beyond the vertical plane of the pivot a, which secures the plate J. To the arm L of the plate J is pivotally secured the link I), and this link at its lower end is pivotally secured to the link d, Whose lower end is pivotally secured to the plate E at a point inward from the vertical plane of the pivot Ct. The adjoining ends of the links I) d are secured by a pivot which terminates in the head (2, and upon this pivot is preferably'secured the small link f to receive one end of the chain g, whose function will be described hereinafter.

The plate J, having the hook K, and the links I) d are shown in their closed position in Fig. 2 and in their open position in Fig. 3, and upon reference to these two figures it will be observed that when the hook K is in its lower position around the screw or pin D the ad joining ends of the links Z) d are substantially in line with the pivot CL and outward beyond a vertical line extending through the pivots h i, by which the outer ends of said links are secured.

In the position just described for the hook K and links Z) d, which position is illustrated in Fig. 2, it will be observed that the hook K securely engages the screw or pin D and retains the side of the curtain in secure position, and that to release the edge of the curtain it is necessary to press on the head e, so as to move the links I) d to the position in which they are illustrated in Fig. 3, thereby causing the upper end of the link I) to pull downward on the arm L of the plate J, and thereby lifting the hook K from the screw or pin D. During the moving of the cars around curves and the natural stretching of the curtain B thereby, the hook K will not be able to release itself from the screw or pin D, since the strain created by the stretching of the curtain causes the pin or screw D to press against the downwardly and outwardly inclined inner edge of the hook K, and this results in a natural tendency to elevate the hook K and thereby throw the arm L of the plate K inward and downward.

It will be seen upon an inspection of Fig. 2 that any action tending to move the arm L of the plate J inward and downward while the links I) d are in their normal position shown would simply the more securely retain the adjoining ends of the links I) d outward beyond the vertical plane of the pivots h 2,

the pins or screws D, and if it were always desirable to rely upon the porter for the detachment of the curtain it would be unnecessary to employ the chain g, since the porter or other attendant may easily release the hooks K from the pins or screws D by simply pressing on the heads 6 of' the rivet connecting the adjoining ends of the links I) d, in order to move said links and through them the hooks K into the position illustrated in Fig. 3; but since it is desirable to provide means for the automatic release of the hooks K along one edge of the curtain from the pins or screws D a chain 9 for each fastening is provided, and this chain, as shown in Fig. 2, extends from the small linkfof the fastening at one edge of the curtain to the plate F at the other edge of the curtain, the said chain being normally slack, so as not to affect the hook K until the curtain B has been unduly extended and all of the slack in the chain has been taken up thereby. It is desirable to only provide for the automatic release of the fastening device at one edge of the curtain, and hence but one chain for each fastening device at one edge of the curtain is provided, and while this chain is illustrated as extending from the plate E at one side of the curtain to the plate F at the other side of the curtain it need not thus extend entirely across the curtain nor directly to the plate F. It will be found con\ 'enient,'however, to extend the chain 9 entirely across the curtain, since the plates F afford suitable means for receiving the end of the chain not connected with the links f.

Fig. 2 illustrates the curtain and fastening devices in their normal position, and, as above explained, the porter may detach the curtain by simply moving the adjoining ends of the links b d inward to the position shown in Fig. 3. In case of accident, however, or of a failure of the porter, either through neglect or for want ofinformation, to detach the curtain upon the uncoupling of a car of the train and the starting onward of the train without the uncoupled car the curtain B would become unduly stretched and the chains g would become taut and pull on the links I) d and thereby elevate the hooks K from the pins or screws D, as shown in Fig. 3, the result being that by means of the chains g the hooks K at one edge of the curtain would-become automatically released from the screws or pins D, and thus the curtain would be saved from being torn by the separation of the cars. The chains are simply flexible connections, and I illustrate chains in view of their durability, but do not limit the invention to the use of either chains g or cords, but include by the term chains g any connection which may free the hooks K upon any undue stretching or extension of the curtain B.

The fastening devices illustrated, without the chains g, are important in that the opposite edges of the curtain may be not only securely held thereby, but also in that by means of said fastening devices the curtain may be very readily, conveniently, quickly, and securely applied in position, the porter having plication without regard to the chains 9 may be very readily and quickly accomplished by simply moving the adjoining ends of the links 6 cl inward, as shown in Fig. 3, since upon this being done the curtains become instantly free of the pins or screws D, and their release requires no further attention upon the part of the porter or other attendant.

It is a feature of importance thatin case of accident or a failure on the part of the attendant to release the fastening devices at the edge of the curtain said devices will become automatically released upon any undue stretching or extension of the curtain B, since thereby in the instance above referred to the curtains are prevented from being destroyed.

The words pins or screws D are used in the specification and claims of this application in a generic sense, and this application is not limited to any special pins or screws to be engaged by the fastening devices on the curtain. The pins or screws D simply represent, so far as the present invention goes, convenient knobs or projections to be engaged by the hooked plates J. Noris the invention limited to the special forms or details of parts shown in the drawings, since said drawings represent but one embodiment of my invention.

What I claim as my invention, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is-

1. For vestibulecars, the curtain, and

7 means for attaching the opposite side edges of said curtain to the adjoining portions of the cars, combinedwith means for automatically releasing the edge of the curtain upon the undue extending or stretching of the curtain; substantially as set forth.

2. For vestibule-cars, the curtain provided with elastic means for creating a tension therein when the curtain is in use, and means for attaching the opposite side edges of said curtain to the adjoining portions of the cars, combined with means for automatically releasing the edge of the curtain upon the undue extending or stretching of the curtain; substantially as set forth.

3. For vestibule-cars, the elastic curtain, and means for detachably securing the opposite side edges of said curtain to the adjoining portions of the cars, combined with means for automatically releasing the edge of the curtain upon the undue extending or stretching of the curtain; substantially as set forth.

l. For vestib'ulecars having the headed screws or pins the curtain having along its vertical edge the plates recessed to pass di rectly on said screws or pins, combined with the pivoted hooks on said plates to pass over the outer side of said screws or pins and close the recesses in said plates, and means for automatically releasing or opening said hooks upon the undue stretching or extending of the curtain; substantially as set forth.

5. For vestibule-cars having the headed screws or pins, the curtain having along its vertical edge the plates recessed to pass di rectly on said screws or pins, combined with the pivoted hooks on said plates to pass over the outer side of said screws or pins and close the recesses in said plates, the connected links pivoted at one end to said plates and at the other end to said hooks, and means for operating said hooks and links; substantially as set forth.

6. For vestibule-cars having the headed screws or pins, the curtain having along its vertical edge the plates recessed to pass directly on said screws or pins, combined with the pivoted hooks on said plates to pass over the outer side of said screws or pins and close the recesses in said plates, the connected links pivoted at one end to said plates and at the other end to said hooks, and means for automatically releasing or opening said hooks upon the undue stretching or extending of the curtain; substantially as set forth.

7. For vestibule-cars having the headed screws or pins, the curtain having along its vertical edge the plates recessed to pass directly on said screws or pins, combined with the pivoted hooks on said plates to pass over the outer side of said screws or pins and close the recesses in said plates, the connected links pivoted at one end to said plates and at the other end to said hooks, and the normally slack connections held at one end and at the other end secured to said links for automatically releasing or opening said hooks upon the undue stretching or extending of the curtain; substantially as set forth.

8. For vestibule-cars having the headed screws or pins, the curtain having along its vertical edge the plates recessed to pass directly on said screws or pins, combined with the pivoted hooks on said plates to pass over the outer side of said screws or pins and close the recesses in said plates, the connected links pivoted at one end to said plates and at the other end to said hooks, and means for operating said hooks and links, the said hooks, at their inner engaging edges being inclined whereby all usual pulling on the curtain serves to more securely hold them in closed position; substantially as set forth.

9. For'vestibule-cars having the headed screws or pins, the curtain having along its vertical edge the plates recessed to pass directly on said screws or pins, combined with the pivoted hooks on said plates to pass over the outer side of said screws or pins and close the'recesses in said plates, and the normally slack connections held at one end and at the other end secured to said hooks forautomatically releasing or opening said hooks-upon the undue stretching or extending of the curtain substantially as set forth.

10. For vestibule-cars having the headedscrews or pins, the curtain having along its vertical edge the hooks to engage said screws or pins, combined with the flexible connections for releasing said hooks upon the undue stretching or extending of the curtain; substantially as set forth.

Signed at New York, inthe county of New York and State of New York, this 16th day of March, A. D. 1898.

ROBERT WVE BB MORGAN.

Vitnesses:

WM. PATERSON, O. R. LINCOLN.

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