US852792A - Mail catching and discharging apparatus - Google Patents

Description

a, .ha n La PATENT OFFICE;

ABRLidLt-alii KEMER, OF iNDiANAPOLl-S, lNDIANA, ASSIGN OR OF ONE-FIFTH TO FEWARD. TREAT, ONE-FFTH TO HARRY E. DREW, ANDv ONE- FFTH TO FRANK' C. LORY, ALL OF INDANAPOLIS, INDIANA.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented May '7, 1907.

Application filed April 23, 1906. Serial No. 313,135.

To all whom it may concern.:

Be it known that l, ABRAHAM Kleiman, a citizen of the United States, residing at lndianapolis, in the county of ,Marion and State of indiana, have invented certain new. and useful improvements in Mail Catching and Discharging Apparatus, of which the foilowin is a specification.`

The oject of my invention is to provide a convenient and efficient apparatus for receiv in and delivering mail sacks to and from a railway postal car while in motion.

The nature of said'invention will appear from the drawings and the following description.

Referring to the accompanying drawings, which are made a art hereof, and on which similar reference c aracters indicate similar parts, Figure 1 is aside elevation of .a/postal car equipped with apparatus embodying my said invention; Fig. 2 a view when looking in the direction indicated by the arrows from the dotted line 2 2 in Fig. 1; Fig. 3 a view on an enlarged scale of a doorway of a car equipped with my apparatus; Fig. 4 a vertical sectional view as seen-from the dotted line 4 4 in Fig. 5; Fig. 5 a horizontal sectional view as seen when looking downwardly from the dotted line 5 5 in Fig. 3, and Fig. 6 a detail sectional view at the point indicated by the dotted line 6 6 in Fig. 8.

In preparing to use this apparatus, the mail sacks (as is common) are supported lupon a suitable post arranged in proximity to the railway traclr. Said post 21' is ecgiplped with two arms 22 and 2 3 upon W 'c the sack 25 is immediatelyymounted. These arms (when not in use) swing in opposite directions from each other, 1under the force of suitable springs orweights, (as 26 or 27) until they occupy the positions shown b y dotted lines in Fig. 2. Said springs or weights, when the sack is carried upon the arms, serve to pull it lengthwise somewhat, so that it is held in a condition of tension. When the mail sack is encountered by the catching device the supporting structure will be swung around sufficiently to permit the sack to escape easily from the ends of the arms.

The car 31 is of the usual or any approved construction, and has the customary door openings in its sides. These door openings are equipped with my improved catching and side. lthe ap aratus may be adjusted to operate delivering a paratus. Just inside the doorjams are roc - shafts 32 and 33, one on each There are two of these in order that when t e car is running 1n either direction. As but one of them is in use at a time I will confine my description to one of them. In the illustration the shaft 33 is the one which is in active service. This shaft has two latch arms, 34 and 35, one' at the top and the other at the bottom. The latch arm 34 serves to hold the main catcher member 36 out into the position in which it is ready to receive a mail sack, (see especially Fig. 5) and the other or lower arm 35 serves as a latch to hold the discharging plate 37 open and ready to\ discharge a sack placed thereon. The main sack-catching member 36 is mounted'upon a pivot shaft 38 and has an end which extends beyond said pivot shaft and rests against a suitable s ring 39. The operation is (when the car is 1n motion) that vthe latch arm 34 will come in contact with a mail sack 25 carried by the post 21. The force of the .contact will push this arm 34 around, thus releasing the catcher member 36, and enabling the spring 39 to swing said member in toward the side of the car with considerable force, thus carrying the said mail sack into the door opening of the car.` The same movement swings the latch arm 35 out ofengagement with the platform 37. Said platform, being also actuated by a spring 40, will, upon being released, fly up suddenly and throw a mail sack (as 45 in Fig. 2) which has previously beenplaced thereon out through the open doorway. The path of movement of platform 37 is indicatedby dotted lines in Fig. 4. The receiving and discharging of the mail sacks to and from the car is thus effected simultaneously. If it is not desired to discharge a mail sack at the same time one is received, the platform 37 may be held in its lower or receiving position las long as desired by a suitable catch or detent 41.

' A rod or bar 42 is placed across the doorway just behind Athe main catcher member 36, and when said catcher member is thrown inwardly by the force of the spring 39 the result is to grasp and hold the mail sack (which has just been caught) firmly between said member 35 and .said bar and there hold it until the clerk desires to remove it. ln order to prevent the mail vsack from pass- IOO ing lin too far, and also to strengthen the catcher member 36, I rovide a connectin rod 43,`which is hngecily connected to sai catcher member and extends over and partially around the rod 42.

v I prefer to make the'main catcher member 36 quite broad, asis shown in the drawings, in order that a wide surface shall come in .lontact with the mail sack. The purpose of this is to render the use of the catcher less destructive to the sacks.- A narrow rod or bar has a tendency to cause the sack to double up which brings a more severe strain on the rings by means of which the sack is supported on the arms of the support. The wider surface also distributcs'the force of the blow and the consequent wear over a greater ortion of the surface of the sack. It may )e found to be of advantage to provide perforations in this member 36 when made of the width shown, in order that its movement (which is very sudden) shallvnot be retarded by the resistance of the air against a large imperforate surf ace.

have'already stated that this apparatus is adapted to be arranged for use when the car is moving in either direction. To effect this change it is only necessary to take out the pivot shaft 38 from its bearings, adjacent to the door opening, by which it is secured to the side of the car, turn the catcher member (together with the spring 39) end for end, insert said spring 39 in the pocket 51 provided therefor at the opposite side of the door open ing, and insert the pivot shaft 38 in the bear-4 ings provided .therefor at the same side of said door opening. The rock-shaft 32' will then be the one in active use, Aand the rockshaft 33 will be idle. The operation'of the parts when thus arranged will be precisely the same as when in the position which h'as already been described.

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

1. The combination, with a postal car, of a mail-catching apparatus arranged at the door opening of said car, comprising a rockshaft, an ar on 'said rock-shaft, a pivotally mounted catcher member ada ted to be held outwardly by said arm, an a spring arranged to force said catcher member inwardly when said arm is removed from engagement therewith, said arm being arranged in the path of'a suitably supported mail sack and adapted to be operatedthereby when the same comes in contact therewith.

2. The combination, in a mail catching and delivering ap aratus, of a spring mountq ed catcher memffer, a spring-mounted de livery member, anda rock-shaft provided with catching arms adapted to engage with both said catching and delivering members and having one member extending into the path of a mail sack when suspended along-` sidethe railwayl track and adapted to be operated thereby.

3. TheA combination, with a postal car, of

*ya mail-catching 'a paratus embodying "a main catcher mem er-pivotally -mounted,

a spring whereby said catcher member is normally forced inwardly, a seat for said spring at each side ci the door opening, and bearings for the pivot shaft 'at each side of the door opening whereby said catcher member may be reversed and thus `adapted ,to operate when the car is moving in either direction.

4. The combination, with a pos/tal car,of a mail handling apparatus embodying' a s ring mounted delivery platform, a rocksliaft having a catch arm for securing said delivery platform in its primary osition, and an arm extending out and a apted to be actuated by a mail sack hung adjacent to the track, whereby-said rock-shaft may be moved and the delivering platform released. The combination, with a postal car, of a mail handling apparatus comprising a pivotally mounted and spring-actuated main catcher member, means whereby Athe same is held out in position to catch a mail sack, and

a bar extending across the doorway within and opposite to said catcher member whereby w en said catcher member is released the mail sack will be caught and held be-` tween said main catcher member andsaid bar.

'6. The combination, with a railway mail car, of mail-catching apparatus comprising a main catcher member, means for actuatin the same, a bar opposite to said main .cate er member, and la connecting rod connected to said main catcher member and eX- tending over and partially around said rod. 7. The combination, with a railway postal car, of a mail catching and delivering ap aratus comprising a main catcher member pivotally supported'at the door opening of -the car, means whereby said catcher mem` ber is forcibly held toward the car, a delivery member normally within the car, means whereby said delivery member is held in o erative osition, and means adaptedA to e actuated) by a mail sack held adjacent thereto by means of which both the catcher member and the delivery member are released from engagement and enabled to operate upon the mail sacks' simultaneously.

8. The combination, with a railway postal IOO IIO

car, of a mail catching and delivering ap aratus comprising a main catching mem er supported at the door opening of the car, means for moving said catcher member toward `the door opening, means for holding said. member extended, a delivery member normally within the car, means for pro elling said delivery member toward the oor opening, and intermediate connections between the catcher member and delivery member `Whereby when a mail sack is er1- ,l my hand and seal at Indianapo1is,1ndiana,. gaged by the catcher member, the catcher this 19th day of April, A. D. one thousand' member will be moved toward -the door nine hundred and six.

opening and the delivery member Will be y ABRAHAM KIIMBER. [L.s.] 5 moved toward the door opening in opposite Witnesses:

` directions. CHESTER BRADFORD,

In Witness whereof, I, have hereunto set v THOMAS W. `MoMEANs-

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