Improvements in Car Couplings.
Year: 1896

page_text: Date of Application, 11th Feb., 1896-Accepted, 21st Mar., 1896
COMPLETE SPECIFICATION.
[Communicated from abroad by CHARLES ALBERT GOULD, of 66 Broadway,
New York, in the County and State of New York, United States of
America.]
Improvements in Car Couplings.
I, HENRY HARRIS LAKE, of the Firm of Haseltine, Lake & Co., Patent Agents,
45 Southampton Buildings, in the County of Middlesex, do hereby declare the
nature of this invention and in what manner the same is to be performed, to
be particularly described and ascertained in and by the following statement :-
This invention has more especial reference to twin jaw car couplings which
comprise a swinging coupling jaw or knuckle, a lock for retaining the jaw in its
closed position and an automatic device, commonly called a kicker, whereby the
jaw is thrown to its open position when released by the lock.
Among other jaw-opening devices, springs of various kinds have hitherto been
employed, but these have proved unsatisfactory, because if compressed or strained
sufficiently to throw the coupling jaw open they were liable to become set, while if
compressed to a less extent they failed to give the jaw the necessary impulse to
open it.
My invention has for its object to produce an effective jaw opening device of
this character which will reliably and fully throw the jaw to its open position
without requiring the spring to be unduly strained, thus rendering the same more
durable.
In the accompanying drawing :-
Figure 1 is a horizontal section of a car coupling containing my improvement,
showing the coupling jaw in its locked position.
Figure 2 is a similar view showing the position of the parts when the coupling
jaw is thrown open.
Figure 3 is a transverse vertical section of the coupling, in line 3-3, Figure 1.
Figure 4 is a bottom plan view of the same, partly in section.
Figure 5 is a detached bottom plan view of the coupling jaw and the "kicker"
or shifting lever.
Figure 6 is an inverted perspective view of the shifting lever.
Figure 7 is a horizontal section of a coupling showing a modified construction of
my improvement, the coupling jaw being in its closed position.
Figure 8 is a similar view showing the position of the parts when the coupling
jaw is open, and
Figure 9 is a transverse vertical section in line 9-9, Figure 7.
Like letters of reference refer to like parts in the several figures.
A represents the drawhead, preferably constructed according to the well known
standard lines and having the usual recess or chamber for receiving the movable
parts of the coupler.
B is the horizontally swinging knuckle or coupling jaw which is pivoted in a
common manner to the bifurcated arm a of the drawhead and b is the locking arm
of the jaw. C is the lock or pawl whereby the coupling jaw is held in its locked
position and which may be of any well known or suitable construction and operated
by any usual means. In the drawing is shown a pivoted lock arranged to swing
horizontally and adapted to interlock at its free end with the arm of the
coupling jaw.
The lock may be withdrawn for releasing the coupling jaw by any suitable or

page_text: well known means, but it is preferably operated by a transverse link C¹ connected
at its inner end to the outer portion of the lock and extending laterally through an
opening c formed in the adjacent side wall of the drawhead, as shown in the
drawings. This operating link carries at its onter end a clevis or loop C whereby
it is connected with the usual actuating chain, which latter is not shown in the
drawings.
D Figures 1 to 6, is the shifting lever or "kicker" arranged in the lower portion
: of the drawhead in rear of the coupling jaw and swinging horizontally on a vertical
pin or pivot d which is preferably formed integrally with the lever. This pivot is
seated in a vertical opening formed in the bottom of the drawhead and is confined
therein by a pin or cotter d¹.
The long front arm of this shifting lever extends forwardly and outwardly under
..the locking arm of the coupling jaw, in the locked position of the latter, as shown
in Figure 1,. and is formed at its free end with an upwardly projecting lip or lug d²
. which stands in the path of the locking arm of the coupling jaw and is adapted to
bear against the rear side thereof, when the same is closed.
E is a spring bolt or rod arranged transversely on the underside of the drawhead
and bearing with its head or enlargement e against an actuating pin or projection f
depending from the short rear arm of the shifting lever, the head of the bolt
having a concave seat, as shown, which receives said actuating pin. This pin
extends downward through a transverse slot f¹ formed in the bottom of the
drawhead. The bolt E is guided in a transverse housing or pocket G formed on
the underside of the drawhead.
H is a spring surrounding the bolt E and bearing at one end against the
head of the bolt and at its opposite end against the closed rear end of the
pocket G.
The shifting lever is preferably seated in a recess i formed in the bottom of the
drawhead, as shown in Figure 3.
When the coupling jaw is swung into its closed or locked position, its locking
arm, striking the lip d2 on the front arm of the shifting lever swings said arm
outwardly or laterally to the position shown in Figure 1. This causes the short
arm of the lever to swing toward the spring bolt E causing the pin f of the short
arm to push the bolt outward and compressing the spring. The lock C retains the
coupling jaw in this position against the pressure of the spring bolt. As soon as
the lock is operated to release the coupling jaw, the spring bolt reacts and exerting
its force against the pin of the short arm of the shifting lever, swings the latter on
its pivot to the position shown in Figure 2, thereby causing the long front arm of
the lever to throw the coupling jaw to its open position, as shown in said figure.
The front arm of the shifting lever is considerably longer than its rear arm, so
that a short stroke of the rear arm produces a comparatively long stroke of the
front arm and as the spring bolt bears against the short arm of the lever its spring
is compressed to a comparatively small extent when the jaw is closed, thus
effectually guarding against over straining of the spring while at the same time
producing sufficient movement of the long arm of the shifting lever to insure the
complete opening of the coupling jaw.
In the modified construction of the automatic jaw-opening device shown in
Figures 7, 8 and 9, the shifting lever D¹ is arranged in rear of the locking arm and
swings on horizontal pivots or trunnions d³ journalled in bearings d formed on the
adjacent wall of the drawhead, and its long front arm D2 stands vertically in rear
of the locking arm of the coupling jaw in the normal or closed position of the jaw,
as shown in Figure 9, while its short arm D³ is arranged horizontally on the rear
side of the lever pivot. In this modification the spring bolt E is arranged
vertically and guided in an upright pocket G' formed in the drawhead in rear of
the shifting lever. The upper end of the spring bolt is connected with the
bifurcated short arm of the lever preferably by a T-head E' which straddles the
jaws of said arm, as shown in Figure 8. His the spring of the bolt, which is
interposed between the upper end of the pocket G' and a collar H³ secured to the

page_text: lower portion of the bolt, as shown in Figure 9. In this case when the coupling
jaw is in its open position the long arm of the shifting lever assumes a forwardly
inclined position, as shown in Figure 8, and when the coupling jaw is swung into
its closed position, its locking arm strikes the long arm of the shifting lever and
swings the same inwardly or toward the opposing wall of the drawhead. This
causes the short rear arm of the lever to swing upward and as the spring bolt is
connected with said arm it is caused to take part in this movement, thereby
compressing its spring. Upon releasing the coupling jaw by withdrawing the lock,
the compressed spring reacts and draws the bolt and the rear arm of the shifting
lever downward, thereby swinging the long arm of the lever forwardly and
causing it to throw the coupling jaw to its open position as shown in Figure 8.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of the said inven-
tion and in what manner the same is to be performed, as communicated to me by
my foreign correspondent, I declare that what I claim is :-
1. The combination with the drawhead, a movable coupling jaw and a lock, of a
shifting lever arranged in the drawhead and provided on the front side of its pivot
with a shifting arm adapted to bear against the coupling jaw for opening the same,
and on the rear side of its pivot with an actuating arm, and a spring operating on
said arm, substantially as set forth.
2. The combination with the drawhead having a slot in its bottom, a swinging
coupling jaw having a locking arm and a lock, of a shifting lever pivoted within
the drawhead, arranged to bear against the locking arm of the coupling jaw and
provided with an operating pin or projection passing through the slot of the
drawhead, and a spring bolt arranged on the underside of the drawhead and
bearing against the actuating pin of the shifting lever, substantially as set
forth.
3. The combination with the drawhead having a slot in its bottom, a swinging
coupling jaw having a locking arm, and a lock, of a horizontally swinging shifting
lever arranged within the drawhead, pivoted between its ends and having its front
arm provided with a lug adapted to bear against the locking arm of the coupling
jaw and its rear arm with an actuating pin extending through the slot of the
drawhead and a transverse spring bolt or rod guided on the underside of the
drawhead and bearing against the actuating pin of the shifting lever, substantially
as set forth.
D
1000
HASELTINE, LAKE & Co.,
45 Southampton Buildings, London, W.C., Agents for the Applicant.