Patent Publication Number: US-7900786-B2

Title: Telescoping, uncoupling lever and glide housings for a railroad car

Description:
BACKGROUND AND SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 
     This invention is directed to a telescoping, uncoupling lever and glide housings for railroad cars to replace the conventional three piece uncoupling lever which has been in use in the railroad industry for decades. Uncoupling levers having L-shaped glides and lever members of rectangular cross-section are shown and described in U.S. Pat. No. 4,602,717 and these uncoupling levers are installed on many railroad cars now in service. Uncoupling levers of this type utilize rectangular glide housings for the rectangular lever members. Handle and lock lifter rods are welded to the rectangular lever members to complete the uncoupling lever. The improved tubular glide housing and glides shown and described in U.S. Pat. No. 6,739,464 provide glides which are less likely to be displaced from their glide housings due to damage and wear. However, the uncoupling lever shown and described in this patent still requires the welding of the round handle and lock lifter rods to the rectangular bar stock lever members thereby increasing the manufacturing cost of the uncoupling lever and introduces a possible point of failures at welds. 
     The novel aspects of this invention provide a telescoping, uncoupling lever in which the handle, lock lifter and other lever elements are each formed of one piece rods of circular transverse cross-section, each of which is bent into its desired shape and does not require welding of the handle or lock lifter rods to other lever elements. 
     Another feature of this invention is a cast steel tubular glide housing which can be attached to the handle and lock lifter rods for sliding movement on the track rods and also can be attached to the track rods to support and guide the handle and lock lifter rods during sliding movement. 
     A further feature of this invention is a tubular glide housing which utilizes an interior tubular plastic glide to receive and engage the handle, lock lifter or track rods. 
     Another feature of this invention is a tubular glide housing having inner locking retaining portions of the glide housing and the glide located inside the glide housing where they are less subject to injury and breakage. 
     Yet another feature of this invention is a glide that can be installed after a rod is installed in a tubular glide housing 
     Other features of the invention will be found in the following specification, drawings and claims. 
    
    
     
       BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
       The invention is illustrated more or less diagrammatically in the following drawings wherein: 
         FIG. 1  is a top plan view of a telescoping, uncoupling lever of this invention in its shortened or compressed condition; 
         FIG. 2  is a side elevational view of the telescoping, uncoupling lever of  FIG. 1 ; 
         FIG. 3  is a left hand end elevational view of the telescoping, uncoupling lever of  FIG. 1 ; 
         FIG. 4  is a top plan view of the telescoping, uncoupling lever of  FIG. 1  in its extended position; 
         FIG. 5  is a side elevational view of the telescoping, uncoupling lever of  FIG. 4 ; 
         FIG. 6  is an enlarged side elevational view of a elongated, tubular glide housing of the invention; 
         FIG. 7  is a cross-sectional view taken along line  7 - 7  of  FIG. 6 ; 
         FIG. 8  is a cross-sectional view taken along line  8 - 8  of  FIG. 6 ; 
         FIG. 9  is an enlarged side elevational view of the glide of this invention; 
         FIG. 10  is a cross-sectional view taken along line  10 - 10  of  FIG. 9 ; 
         FIG. 11  is an end view of a glide housing having a glide installed therein; and 
         FIG. 12  is a cross-sectional view taken along line  12 - 12  of  FIG. 11  with the rod omitted for clarity of illustration. 
     
    
    
     DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT 
       FIGS. 1-5  of the drawings are views of a telescoping, uncoupling lever  11  of this invention which is intended to be mounted on an end of a railroad freight car. The telescoping, uncoupling lever  11  includes a handle rod  13  having an integral handle  15 , a lock lifter rod  17  having an integral lock lifter  19  and a track assembly  21 . The track assembly  21  includes a handle rod track  23  and a lock lifter rod track  25 . Each of these elements of the telescoping, uncoupling lever, the handle rod lock lifter rod and track assembly are formed from one piece, one inch diameter round bar stock. The use of one inch diameter steel round bar stock for all elements of the uncoupling lever  11  eliminates the need for the more expensive rectangular bar stock used in previous telescoping, uncoupling levers. This new construction also eliminates the need to weld round bar stock handles to rectangular bar stock and does away with the possibility of failure at the welded joints. The handle rod track  23  and the lock lifter rod track  25  are formed from a single piece of bar stock bent back upon itself and welded at its ends. This forms a track structure or assembly in the shape of a closed elongated loop having a rounded end and a straight welded end as can be best seen in  FIG. 5  of the drawings. 
     The handle rod track tubular glide housing  27  is welded on one side to the handle rod track  23 . A lock lifter rod track tubular glide housing  29  is welded on one of its sides to the lock lifter track rod  25  at the opposite end of the track assembly from the tubular glide housing  27 . A tubular glide housing  31  is welded to the handle rod  13  and telescopes over the handle rod track  23 . In like manner, a lock lifter rod guide housing  33  is welded to the end of the lock lifter rod  17  and telescopes over the lock lifter rod track  25 . A handle rod compression stop  35  is welded to the tubular glide housing  31  and a similar lock lifter rod compression stop  37  is welded to the lock lifter tubular glide housing  33 . The compression stops  35  and  37  engage the rounded and straight ends, respectively, of the track assembly  21  in the compressed position of the telescoping, uncoupling lever. In the fully extended position of the telescoping, uncoupling lever, the engagement of the glide housings  27  and  31  and  29  and  33 , respectively, limit the opening movement of the handle rod and lock lifter rod relative to the track assembly. The glide housing assemblies  27 ,  29 ,  31  and  33  are identical in construction and are shown in detail in  FIGS. 6 ,  7 ,  8 ,  11  and  12  of the drawings. As can best be seen in  FIGS. 6 and 7  of the drawings, a glide housing assembly is formed of a cast steel tubular housing  41  having a longitudinal cavity  43  formed therein of irregular transverse cross-section. An opening  45  is located at one end of the cavity and another opening  47  is formed at the opposite end of the cavity. The cavity is defined by an interior wall  49  of irregular transverse cross-section. This interior wall includes an arcuate interior glide encompassing wall  51  which extends for more than 180° of the cavity and another arcuate inwardly facing wall  53  which is located diametrically inwardly a greater distance than the wall  51 . The arcuate wall  53  is bounded at its circumferential ends by stop surfaces  55  and  57 . 
     A segmented stop wall  59  is formed adjacent opening  47  into the cavity  43 . Gaps  61  are formed in the segmented wall  59  to allow foreign matter to escape from the cavity  43  of the glide housing  41  while preventing the exiting of the glide from the cavity as will be hereinafter discussed. 
     As can best be seen in the cross-sectional view of  FIG. 8  of the drawings, inwardly projecting lugs  69  spaced 90° apart are formed on the interior wall  51  of the cavity  43  of the tubular housing  41 . Facing the entrance opening  45  to the cavity as shown in  FIG. 6  are tapered ramps  71  which blend into the projections  69 . 
     A concave rod attachment surface  73  is formed on the exterior of a glide housing assembly for attachment to a rod by welding in the manner previously described. Referring in particular to  FIGS. 4 and 5  of the drawings, the attachment surface  73  of the glide housing assembly  27  is welded to the track rod  23 . The attachment surface  73  of the glide rod assembly  29  is welded to the track rod  25 . The attachment surface  73  of the glide rod assembly  31  is welded to the handle rod  13 . The attachment surface  73  of the glide rod assembly  33  is welded to the lock lifter rod  17 . Welding flats  75  and  77  are formed on opposite diametric walls of the housing  41 . Handle rod compression stop  35  is welded to flat  75  and lock lifter rod compression stop  37  is welded to flat  77 . 
     A glide  81  for installation in a glide housing  41  is shown in  FIGS. 9 through 12  of the drawings. The glide is formed of a resilient and flexible material such as a high density polyethylene with approximately 2% carbon added to provide ultra violet protection. Other suitable materials may also be used. The carbon is added as a cautionary measure and it may not be necessary in all situations because the glide is almost completely enclosed in the glide housing and exposure to the sun may be minimal. The glide is C-shaped in transverse cross-section with an arcuate extent of more than 180 degrees and is dimensioned to fit in the cavity  43  of a glide housing  41 . The glide is formed with longitudinally extending end walls  85  and  87 . When positioned in the cavity  43  as shown in  FIG. 11 , the end walls  85  and  87  are spaced from the stop surfaces  55  and  57  of the arcuate wall  53  and will only contact the stop surfaces upon excessive rotational movement of the slide. The outer longitudinally extending cylindrical surface  89  of the glide  81  has elongated outwardly opening notches  93  formed therein for receiving the projecting lugs  69  of the housing  41  to secure the glide in position in the cavity  43  with only limited rotational and longitudinal movement. One end of the glide  81  engages the segmented stop wall  59  of the housing  41  to prevent it from exiting that end of the cavity  43 . When a rod such as a handle rod lock lifter rod or rod track extends through the assembled guide and housing, an example of which is shown in  FIG. 11  where the handle rod  13  is depicted, the glide is prevented from sliding out of the glide housing. The inner concave surface  91  of the glide partially surrounds the rod  13  to provide both a sliding and bearing surface for the rod and to maintain the rod clear of the inner concave wall  53  of the glide housing  41 . Whereas, a single glide  81  is shown and described, it should be understood and appreciated that two or more shorter glides may be installed in the cavity  43  in place of the single glide shown. 
     The elements of the telescoping, uncoupling lever  11  and its glide housings are assembled and welded to one another as heretofore described. After assembly and welding, the glides  81  are inserted into their respective glide housings through the openings  45  into the cavities  43  of the glide housings. The glides will be properly positioned in the cavities  43  when the glides contact the segmented stop walls  59  located adjacent the opposite openings  47  into the cavities  43 . During the insertion of the glides into the cavities, the inherent flexibility and resiliency of the glides will permit them to engage the tapered ramps  71  of the lugs  69  and slide over these lugs so that the lugs seat in the notches  93  formed in the exterior walls of the glides and thereby retain the slides in position in the cavities. As is most clearly shown in  FIG. 11  of the drawings, the glide will receive and partially encircle its rod, in this instance the rod  13 , to provide a low friction surface for sliding movement of the rod and to maintain the rod away from the arcuate interior surface  45  of the housing.