Year: 1897

page_text: Date of Application, 25th Jan., 1897-Accepted, 27th Mar., 1897
A communication from abroad by JOHN J. HOLLOWAY and JAMES WILLIAM
STARKWEATHER, citizens of the United States of America, both residing at
Los Alamos, in the County of Santa Barbara and State of California, United
States of America, Gentleinen.
1, PETER JENSEN, of No. 77 Chancery Lane, London, Chartered Patent
Agent, 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 :-
Our invention relates to improvements in car fenders the object of the same
being to provide a simple and convenient device to be attached to the front ends of
electric or other cars for preventing persons or other objects struck from coming
in contact with the wheels of the car and being thereby injured.
The invention consists of a framework secured to the forward end of the car, a
padded chair or buffer supported by the frame, a cylinder at the forward end of
the frame which is rotated by means of suitable gearing from the wheels of the car,
in a reverse direction to that of said wheels, and an apron or carrier belt extending
from a point just behind said cylinder leading rearwardly to said padded chair or
buffer and means for rotating the drums upon which said apron is mounted.
The invention also consists in other details of construction and combinations of
parts which will be hereinafter more fully described and claimed.
In the drawings forming part of this specification
Fig. 1 represents a perspective view of a car with our improved fender attached
thereto, certain parts being broken away.
Fig. 2 is a longitudinal sectional view through the same.
Fig. 3 is a plan view showing the gearing on one side.
Like reference numerals indicate like parts in the different views.
The car 1 to which our fender is adapted to be secured is provided with the
usual wheels 2 and platform 3. To the under side of the car 1 are connected
a series of brace rods 4, 5, 6, constituting the supporting framework of our fender.
In the outer end of the bars 4 is pivotally mounted a cylinder 7 having a sprocket
wheel 8 upon one end thereof. Projecting upwardly from the forward ends of the
bars 4 are two upright rollers 9, 9, the shaft upon which said rollers 9 are mounted
being braced from its upper end by the brace rod 6. Extending around the sides
and rear end of the fender supporting frame is a padded chair or buffer 10, as
clearly shown in Fig. 1. Mounted in suitable bearings in the fender-supporting
frame, at a point just in the rear of the cylinder 7, is a drum or roller 11 around
which passes an apron or carrier belt 12 which also passes around a second drum or
roller 13, mounted in suitable bearinge and provided with a sprocket wheel 14 upon
its outer end. 15 is a shaft mounted in bearings in the fender-supporting frame at
a point just beneath the front platform of the car. This shaft carries a sprocket
wheel 16 around which and around the sprocket wheels 14 and 8 passes a sprocket
chain 17. The said shaft 15 has further secured to it a pinion 18 which meshes
with a cog wheel 19 upon a shaft 20 mounted in the fender-supporting frame just
in the rear of the shaft 15. The shaft 20 has secured to it a sprocket wheel 21
around which, and a sprocket wheel 22 on the shaft upon which the car wheel 2 is
mounted, passes a sprocket chain 23. Upon the upper end of the shafts upon which
the rollers 9 are mounted are deflecting shields 24, 24' for the purpose of deflecting
•

page_text: objects coming in contact with the fender to the outside of said rollers, the
rollers 9, 9 serving the same function. On the under side of the brace rod 6, at a
point near the forward end thereof, is mounted in a suitable bracket, an idler
roller 25, which tends to support the forward end of the fender-supporting frame
and prevent the roller 7 from falling down into contact with the ground.
From the foregoing description it will be seen that the forward movement of the
car will transmit, through the wheel 2, the sprocket wheel 22, sprocket chain 23,
sprocket wheel 21, cog wheel 19 (pinion 18) sprocket wheel 16, sprocket chain 17
and sprocket wheels 14 and 8, a rotary movement to the cylinder 7 and drum 13 in
a direction opposite to that of the rotation of the wheels 2. This being done, a
person or other object struck by the forward end of the fen ler will be lifted by the
cylinder 7 on to the apron or carrier belt 12 and carried thence back into the
padded chair or buffer 10. Dangerous or fatal accidents to persons struck by
the car are thereby effectually prevented. In constructing our improved fender,
we propose to cover the cylinder 7 and rollers 9, 9 with rubber or other suitable
material.
For rapidly moving cars we may substitute, if we desire, for the single roller 7
a pair of rollers arranged angularly one to the other after the manner of an
ordinary cow-catcher, which shall be located at the front of the fender frame and
operated by the same mechanism as we have described with reference to the
roller 7.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of our said inven-
tion, and in what manner the same is to be performed we declare that what we
claim is :
1. The combination with a car mounted upon suitable wheels, of a fender
therefor secured to the under side of the car by suitable brace rods constituting a
fender-supporting frame, a cylinder located in the forward end of said frame,
a pair of drums or rollers in the rear of said cylinder, an apron or carrier belt
surrounding said drums and means, actuated by the forward movement of the car,
for rotating said cylinder and drums in a reverse direction to that of the car
wheels, substantially as and for the purpose described.
2. The combination with a car mounted upon suitable wheels, of a fender
therefor secured to the under side of the car by suitable brace rods constituting a
fender-supporting frame, a cylinder located in the forward end of said frame
having a sprocket wheel upon its outer end, a pair of drums or rollers located just
in the rear of said cylinder, one of said drums having a sprocket wheel upon its
outer end, an apron or carrier belt surrounding said drums, a countershaft mounted
in said frame having a sprocket wheel upon its outer end, a chain surrounding the
sprocket wheels on said counter-shaft, on said drum and on said cylinder, a pinion
on said counter-shaft, a gear wheel meshing with said pinion and secured to a
second counter-shaft, a sprocket wheel thereon, and a sprocket chain connecting
said sprocket wheel and a similar sprocket wheel on the shaft upon which said
wheel is mounted, substantially as and for the purpose described.
Dated this 25th Jan1007
JENSEN & SON,
77 Chancery Lane, London, W.C., Patent Agents.