Patent ID: 8499695
Filing Date: 2013-08-06
Classification: E01B

Abstract:
1. A rail-tie connecting clip engagement/disengagement apparatus for slidably attaching opposite bottom portions of a rail to a tie thereunder with clips; each clip slidably positioned within a tie clip pocket, which while said clip is therein, slidably maintains the clip adjacent to the tie while allowing the clip to slide away from, or towards and over the rail for engagement thereof; and, each clip having a generally U shaped cross section—having a lower portion slidably positioned in the pocket, an upper portion for slidable engagement over the bottom portion of the rail, and an outer portion which attaches and biases the upper and lower portions together, and which has opposite lateral openings; wherein a first rail side of said apparatus, used to engage/disengage one bottom side of the rail to the tie with one clip, comprises: a) a pair of similar opposite lateral arms, each arm having an inner hooked end portion to engage one of the lateral openings in the outer portion of the clip, a central pivot portion, and an upper end portion carrying one of a cam and a cam follower; b) the other of the cam and the cam follower being an actuating arm, motivated along the outer end portion thereof to thereby cause appropriate engagement/disengagement of the pivoted hooked end portions of the lateral arms in the opposite lateral openings of the clip; c) lateral arm longitudinal movement means to jointly move the arms to and away from the rail, to thereby pull the clip when it is engaged by the hooked end portion of the arms; d) a gripper frame positioned between, and having opposite end portions pivoted to the central pivot portion of the lateral arms, wherein the lateral arm longitudinal movement means moves the gripper frame to longitudinally move the lateral arms; e) wherein the actuating arm appropriately motivates not only the lateral movement of the lateral arms, but additionally the gripper frame through a gripper link having an upper end portion linked to the lower end portion of the actuating arm and the other lower end portion linked to a central portion of the gripper frame, said gripper link having a longitudinal opening therein which enables initial lateral movement of the lateral arms without moving the gripper frame, and subsequent movement, when the actuating arm is at the end of the slot, to motivate only the gripper frame, said gripper link also having a lower pushing end portion; f) so that when the actuating arm moves up, first the hooked end portions of the pair of arms jointly engage the U shaped clip, and then, as the upward movement continues, when the movement of the actuating arm within the longitudinal opening in the gripper link comes to an end, the clip is pulled, thereby disengaging the bottom portion of the rail from the tie; and alternatively, g) when the actuating arm moves down, the upper portion of the lateral arms move inwardly causing the hooked end portions to move outwardly, releasing the rail clip, and then, as the downward movement continues, the lower pushing end portion of the gripper link pushes on the rail tie clip thereby engaging the bottom portion of the rail from the tie; thereby enabling a single hydraulic cylinder to bi-directionally move the actuating arm which in turn fully operates the rail-tie connecting clip engagement/disengagement apparatus, thereby greatly simplifying a previously sequential operation which required multiple controls to be sequentially manipulated by an operator.