Improvements in Couplings for Railway and other Vehicles.
Year: 1892

page_text: Date of Application, 8th Apr., 1892-Accepted, 30th July, 1892
COMPLETE SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in Couplings for Railway and other Vehicles.
I, JOSEPH WILLIAM KLINGLER of Beaver Springs, in the County of Snyder,
State of Pennsylvania, United States of America, Gentleman, do hereby declare
the nature of my invention and in what manner the same is to be per-
formed, to be particularly described and ascertained in and by the following
statement:-
My present invention relates to improvements in automatic car couplings which
may be used with or without the ordinary links; and the object of my invention is
to provide a simple and automatic coupling which can be easily and readily adjusted
in position for operation.
With these and other ends in view my invention consists of the draw-heads
constructed in the usual manner and provided with the longitudinal central
openings to receive a sliding buffer. Pivotally secured on opposite sides of the
draw-heads are two jaws, which have short angular projections engaging with
the buffers, and they are arranged and adapted to be automatically operated by
the buffers when the two cars are brought together to bring each jaw into
engagement with a flange or shoulder on the opposite draw-head. The coupling-
link is held in position in one of the buffers, and coupling-pins are arranged to
pass through the draw-heads, buffers, and link to secure the cars together.
To enable others to more readily understand my invention, I have illustrated the
same in the accompanying drawings, in which-
Figure I is a top plan view of my improved car-coupling.
Figure II is a plan view showing the buffers coupled, and,
Figure III is a detail view of one jaw and buffer.
Referring to the drawings, in which like letters of reference denote corre-
sponding parts in all the figures, A, A¹, designate the draw-heads, which have
the usual draw-bars a, a', respectively, and the front abutting faces of the draw-
heads are bevelled or curved to enable the cars to pass around a curve without
interfering with the coupling mechanism. These draw-heads are provided with
a longitudinal central opening B, and a buffer is arranged within the same and
adapted to slide back and forth, as will be hereinafter described. Each of these
buffers has a slot or recess C in its front end, and the coupling-link c is inserted
in the recess in one buffer and retained in proper position by a pin D, which
passes through an opening d in the draw-head and another aligning opening d'
in the buffer when the cars are coupled. On the opposite sides of the two
opposing draw-heads is a longitudinal groove or recess E, which opens at its
In each of
rear end into the central opening B, through a short passage e.
these grooves E at the rear end thereof is pivotally secured an angular jaw F
on a vertical pivot-pin 1, and the long arm of each of these jaws is provided
with a hook G, which is adapted to be automatically engaged with a flange or
shoulder g on the other draw-head..
The jaws F are each provided with a short arm H, which extends at an
obtuse angle to the long arm thereof, and these short arms are arranged to
enter a transverse opening in the rear end of each buffer. By this arrange-
ment it will be readily seen that when the buffer is projected beyond the front
of the draw-head the hooked end of the jaws will be extended laterally their
full limit, and when the cars are brought together and the buffers are pushed
back into the central openings B the short arms of the jaws will also be carried
back and the hooked ends of the jaws brought into engagement with the flange
or shoulder on the opposite draw-head. For the better operation of these pivoted
jaws F, I prefer to incline the inner face of each jaw, making them wider at

page_text: :
the pivot than at the hooked end, and also incline the opposing side of the
grooves or recesses E correspondingly.
The operation of my improved automatic coupler is very simple. The
coupling-pins are elevated and the hooked end of the jaws drawn away from
the draw-head, thus projecting the buffers, and the pins will then rest on the
rear end of the buffers. The link is inserted in the slot in the forward end of
one buffer and the coupling is in position for operation. The cars are brought
together, and, as the draw-heads are substantially in the same plane, the link
will enter the slot in the other buffer, and the buffers coming in contact will
be forced back into the openings in the draw-heads, and at the same time the
hooked ends of each jaw will be brought into engagement with the shoulder on
the opposite draw-head.
From the peculiar construction and arrangement of parts it is obvious that
the coupling-link may be dispensed with and the jaws simply used to connect
the cars, and it will also be observed that cars having draw-heads of different
heights can be readily coupled, and in case of a wreck or accident the side
movement will leave each car independent of the others, as the jumping of one
or more cars will cause the side jaws to become disengaged..
I am aware that changes in the form and proportion of parts and details of
construction can be made without departing from the spirit or sacrificing the
advantages of my invention, and I therefore reserve the right to make such
changes as fall within the scope of my invention.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of my said inven-
tion, and in what manner the same is to be performed, I declare that what I
claim is-
1. In an automatic car-coupling, the draw-heads having the longitudinal central
openings, the buffers arranged to slide in said openings, and the hooked jaws adapted
to be operated by the buffers to engage with shoulders on the draw-heads, substan-
tially as described.
2. In an automatic car-coupling, the draw-heads having the central longitudinal
openings, the buffers arranged to slide in said openings and adapted to receive the
coupling-link, and the hooked jaws pivotally secured in recesses in the draw-heads
and connected with the buffers, substantially as described.
3. In an automatic car-coupling, the draw-heads having the central longitudinal
openings, the buffers arranged to slide within said openings, the grooves or recesses
on opposite sides of the draw-heads communicating with the central openings therein,
and the angular jaws pivotally secured in said grooves or recesses, substantially as
described.
4. In an automatic car-coupling, the draw-heads having the longitudinal central
openings therein, the buffers arranged to slide in said openings and having recesses
in their abutting ends adapted to receive a coupling-link, and the coupling-pins
fitted in pin-holes in the draw-heads, the buffers, and the link, substantially as set
forth.
"
5. In an automatic car-coupling, the draw-heads having the central longitudinal
openings, the buffers arranged to slide in said openings, and the angular jaws
pivotally secured on opposite sides of the draw-heads having their short ends
arranged to operate in slots in the buffers and their long arms provided with hooks
to engage with shoulders on the draw-heads, substantially as described.
Dated this 22nd day of March 1892.
HASELTINE, LAKE & Co.,
45, Southampton Buildings, London, Agents for the Applicant.