US890415A - Mail-bag-handling apparatus. - Google Patents

Description

N 0 1 PATENTED JUNE 9 1908.

o 89 A 5 J. D. DOWELL.

MAIL BAG HANDLING APPARATUS. APPLIOATION FILED MAR.3.190 8.

3 SHEETS-SHEET 1.

witnesses amuomtoz '4 JEFFERSON D. DOW-ELL,

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PATENTED JUNE 9, 1908.

J. D. DOWBLL. MAIL BAG HANDLING APPARATUS.

PPLIOATION FILED MAR. 3, 190 A B 3 SHEETS-SHEET 3.

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JEFFERSON D. DOWELL, OF SPRINGFIELD, ILLINOIS.

MAIL-BAG-HANDLING APPARATUS.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented June 9, 1908.

To all whom it may concern:

Beit known that I, JEFFERSON D. DowELL, a citizen of the United States, and a resident of Springfield, in the county of Sangamon and State of Illinois, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Mail-Bag Handling Apparatus, of which the following is a specification.

This invention is an improvement in apparatus for handling mail bags in discharging the same from and delivering them to moving cars; and the invention consists in certain novel constructions and combinations of parts as will be hereinafter described and claimed.

In the drawing Figure 1 is a perspective view of a portion of a car provided wlth my improvements. Fig. 2 is a detail top plan view, the car being partly in section, of means for delivering and receiving mail bags. Fig. 3 is a detail view showing a portion of a car and means for delivering bags therefrom. Fig. 4. is a detail vertical section illustrating the bag carrier as tilted upwardly at the lower end of its movement. Fig. 5 is a perspective view of a bag discharging means differing somewhat in detail construction from that shown in Figs. 1 to 4 inclusive. Fig. 6 is a detail sectional view illustratin the discharging spring construction empdoyed in Fig. 5, and Fig. 7 is a sectional view illustrating the bag catching means used in the construction shown in Fig. 5.

In carrying out my invention as shown in Figs. 1 to 4, I provide in connection with the car A, a track base B, which is pivoted at its upper forward end B so that its other end may swing out and in with res ect to the car, and the pivot B is sufficiently oose to permit the rear end B of the track to move vertically so that when the track is pushed out to the position shown in Figs. 1 and 2, it may lower to the position shown in Fig. 3 forming a suitable incline down which the bag carrier may travel with considerable speed in discharging the bags from the car. Near its rear end the track has connected with it the outer end of a slide plate C which passes through an opening at A into the car and connects with a lever D by which the track B may be moved out and in at its rear end in the operation of themvention. Thus in operation, when it is desired to deliver bags the lever D may be operated to throw the rear end of the track B out away from the car as shown in Figs. 1 and 2 and after the bag has been discharged the lever D may be operated to readjust the track B close to the car so it will not strike Obstructions along side of the railway. For supporting the lower rear end of the track in both of its positions, I provide a chain E connected at its outer end with the track B near the rear end of the latter and extended thence up through an opening A in the side of the car A where the chain may be secured in any suitable manner, such for instance as by catching one of its links over a pin A in the car as will be understood from Fig. 2 of the drawing. By the described construction, the track may be adjusted out and in at its rear end and may be supported at such end when in position for use as well as when adjusted close to the side of the car.

The bag carrier F is movable along the track from the position shown in Figs. 2 and 3 to that shown in Fig. 1, and comprises a body F which may be flared or may be in dove-tail form to fit the track B which latter is similarly formed as shown in Fig. 1, and a tilting saddle F pivoted at F to the body F and having a tongue F beyond said pivot in position to abut the lower end of the track when the carrier reaches its lowest position.

A buffer F of rubber or the like may be provided as shown in Figs. 1 and 4 to cushion the stroke of the tongue F against the track. In the operation of this construction, the mail bag will be placed in the saddle F when the latter is in the position shown in Figs. 2 and 3, and then as the carrier moves quickly down the bag will be carried to the lower end of the track where the saddle will be tilted forcibly to the position shown in Figs. 1 and 4 to eject the mail bag and deliver the same sufficiently far from the railway to prevent any injury to the delivered bag.

The carrier F may be readjusted from the position shown in Fig. 1 to that shown in Figs. 2 and 3, by means of the cord G connected with the carrier passing over a guide pulley G and leading into the car, and when so readjusted will compress a spring H and be held by a latch I until the bag is placed in thesaddle. VVhenthebagisplacedinthesaddle the latch I may be released and the spring H being under compression will start the carrier quickly down the track to discharge the bag as desired. Thus in this operation I am able to provide a track on which is mounted a carrier, which carrier has a tilting saddle and may be held in place to receive a bag and then be released to permit a starting spring to initiate a movement of the carrier down its track toward discharging position, and the track may be conveniently adjusted into and out of position to discharge the bag, the entire manipulation of the track and carrier being carried on safely from within the car. It will be understood that the car is moving in the direction indicated by the arrows in Figs. 1 and 2, and in order to receive a bag from any suitable crane alongside of the track, I provide a hook J, see Figs. 1 and 2, which hook is pivoted at J and has its pivot in the form of a bolt on which is mounted a winged nut J 2 which may be tightened to clamp the shank J of the hook to such an extent as to hold the said hook from freely swinging on its pivot and yet will permit the swinging of said hook when engaged with a bag in which event the hook will swing from the position shown in full lines, Fig. 2, to the position indicated in dotted lines in the same figure, and when in the latter position will be held by a spring catch J within the car. This construction enables me to catch a bag from alongside of the track and to swing the same into the car and to hold it when so swung so that the bag can be taken off from within the car.

In Fig. 5 I show a somewhat different construction for discharging the bags from the car. In this construction shown in Fig. 5, I employ a track alongside the car and inclined toward its rear end and swinging at such end out and in with respect to the car, together with means for holding the bag carrier which in this construction is a ring K, and for initiating the movement of the bag carrier down the inclined track as well as means operated from within the car for adjusting the inclined track toward and from the car. I also provide in this construction a mechanism for holding the bag carrier until it is desired to release the same against the tension of its starting spring all of which will be more fully described. In the construction shown in Figs. 5 and 6 the track is a rod L having at its upper end a horizontal shaft L journaled in bearings L mounted on the car alongside the doorway A and the inclined track L merges at its upper end in an upright portion L which is made hollow at L to receive the latch L and the cord L for releasing said latch as best shown in Fig. 6. A spring M encircles the upright portion L of the track and will be compressed by the carrier ring K when the latter is adjusted to the position shown in Figs. 5 and 6 in which position it will be held bythe latch L until the bag is applied to the carrier K, after which the lever N may be operated to throw the track L out away from the car and the cord L can be pulled to operate the latch L to release the carrier K when the starting spring M will operate to initiate the rapid movement of the carrier down the track. In this construction the hook O for catching the bag may be arranged to operate similarly to the hook J of the construction shown in Figs. 1 and 2 of the drawing, the said hook being carried by and movable with the track devices for discharging the bag.

It will be understood that in operation the inclination of the track towards its discharging end and the action of the starting spring produces an acceleration of movement suflicient to overcome the momentum of the train so that when the carrier comes to a stop at the lower end of the track it would have a tendency to throw the bag off and the little kick given by the tongue of the saddle to the bag will aid. in throwing the bag sufficiently far from the railroad to avoid any injury to the delivered bag.

I claim:

1. In a mail bag delivering device, the combination of a car, a track pivoted at its forward end thereto and movable at its rear end laterally and vertically with respect to the car, a plate connecting with the rear end of the track and extending thence into the car, means connected with the plate for moving the track out and in, a supporting device extending between the rear end of the track and the car, a bag carrier movable along the track and having a body portion and a saddle pivoted thereto, and having a projecting tongue adapted to abut the track, and tilt the saddle to eject a bag when the carrier is in its lowermost position, means for retracting the carrier, a spring under compression and acting upon the carrier when the latter is in its starting osition, and latching devices for holding t 1e carrier in such position, substantially as set forth.

2. A mail. bag delivering device comprising a track, and a carrier movable along the track and comprising a body portion and a saddle mounted thereon and adapted to tilt to discharge a bag- 3. In a mail bag delivering device the combination of a track and a bag carrier movable thereon, and having a tilting saddle whereby to eject a bag.

4. A mail bag discharging device comprising a track, and a bag carrier movable thereon and comprising a body portion and a saddle pivoted thereto, and having a projecting tongue adapted to engage an abutment whereby to tilt the saddle and discharge a bag, substantially as set forth.

5. The combination of a car, a track alongside of and inclining outwardly away from the car, and a bag carrier movable along the track and having bag ejecting means.

6. The combination of a track inclining downwardly toward its rear end, means for moving said track out and in with respect to the car, a bag carrier movable alongside the track and retaining means for holding the bag from such movement along the track.

7. A bag discharging means comprising a track inclining outwardly and rearwardly with respect to the car, a bag carrier movable along the track, means for holding the said carrier in starting position and for releasing the same, and a starting spring put under compression by the bag carrier when the latter is adjusted to starting position.

8. In an apparatus for handling mail bags, the combination With a car, of a receiving hook having a shank, a pivot for such shank having means for clamping the shank from free movement, and a latch for holding the said hook When adjusted in operation into the car.

9. The combination of a car, a track pivoted at its forward end thereto, and adapted at its rear end to move laterally and vertically with respect to the car, means operated from within the car for adjusting the track laterally thereto, a supporting device, connected With the rear end of the track, and leading thence into the car, a bag carrier having a body portion held to and movable longitudinally along the track and a saddle pivoted to the body portion and having a projecting tongue for abutting the track whereby the saddle may be tilted to discharge a bag, means for retracting the carrier, a starting spring put under compression by the carrier When the latter is adjusted to starting position, and a latch for holding the carrier in starting position and for releasing the same substantially as described.

10. The combination of a car, a bag delivering device comprising a track connected at one end With the car, a carrier movable along the track and having a tilting saddle adapted to receive a bag and to discharge the same and a slide bar between the track and car, substantially as set forth.

JEFFERSON D. DOXVELL. l/Vitnesses:

EDITH Boorn, J. A. RAYNOLDS.

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