Improved Collector for Conduit and similar Electric Railways and the like.
Year: 1896

page_text: Date of Application, 5th May, 1896-Accepted, 18th July, 1896
COMPLETE SPECIFICATION.
Improved Collector for Conduit and similar Electric Railways and
the like.
We ALVARO S. KROTZ, Electrical Engineer, of 19 Euclid Avenue, Springfield,
Ohio, United States of America, WILLIAM P. ALLEN, Travelling Salesman, of
336 55th Street, Chicago, Illinois, United States of America, and OLIVER S.
KELLY, Manufacturer, Arcade Hotel, Springfield, aforesaid, 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
and accompanying drawings:-
Our invention relates to improvements in contacting devices especially designed
for use with sub-ways or conduits in which a slotted opening is employed through
which the supporting standard of the contacting device or trolley is adapted to
extend.
.
The object of our invention is to provide a contacting device of simple
construction which is adapted to be raised or lowered through the slotted
opening in said conduit or sub-way; the construction being such that the
moving contacting devices or trolley may be thrown out of or into engagement
with the conductors in said sub-way or conduit..
We attain these objects by the constructions shown in the accompanying
drawings, in which Fig. 1 is a plan view of a device embodying our invention.
Fig. 2 is a transverse sectioual view of the same. Fig. 3 is a partial sectional
elevation of the same.
Like parts are represented by similar letters of reference in the several views.
In the said drawings, a represents a supporting frame or casing, which may be
of any suitable or desirable shape and construction. We have shown a simple
supporting frame, but it may be found desirable to construct this in the form of a
casing which will completely enclose the parts, as illustrated by dotted lines in
Fig. 2. This frame or casing a is designed to be connected to the moving car or
vehicle in any well known and suitable manner. It is provided at the center with
a slotted opening a 1, in which there is supported a movable head b, to which there
are secured vertical standards 61, carrying at their tops a cross bar 62. The cross
bar b 2 is extended at each end beyond the standards 61 and to the outer extremities
are attached springs 63, preferably of the coiled extensible type; the remaining
ends of said springs being connected to suitable hooks or projections 64 on the
frame a. This head b preferably consists of metallic plates b5, preferably of
steel, which are riveted together at the ends through spacing blocks 66, which
are preferably shouldered down to receive the plates, as shown. The intermediate
space between the plates and the spacing blocks is filled with insulating material,
such as indurated fiber, or other similar effective insulator, and through the
insulator thus formed there is provided two narrow openings, which extend from
the top to the bottom of the head b, and through which there are extended
spring standards cc, which are adapted to slide vertically in said openings and
through the insulator. These spring standards c c are connected together at the
top by a cross bar c 2, also of insulating material, and connected to the said cross
bar and extending upwardly therefrom is a rod or stem c 3, which carries thereon at
a point above the cross bar b 2, au arm c4. To the extremities of the arm c4
there are connected springs c5, the lower ends of which are attached to suitable
hooks or projections c6 on the head b. If desired, and to prevent unnecessary

page_text: expansion of the supporting frame, the cross bar 62 and arm c4 may be placed at
an acute angle to each other, as shown in Fig. 1.
The springs c5 are formed of a less tension of resiliency than the springs 63, 80
that the standards cc may be raised or lowered, thus expanding said springs without
raising or lowering the head b.
The standards cc are provided at their lower ends with contacting shoes c 1,
which are adapted to contact with the conductors e in the sub-way or conduit;
the bead or sleeve post being adapted to extend down through the slotted sub-
way or conduit, as shown at el in Fig. 2. The spring standards c are so
formed that when forced downwardly through the head or sleeve post b, they will
be projected outwardly in opposite directions so as to bear against the inside of
the respective conductors and be held yieldingly in contact therewith. An
electrical connection is formed from the spring standards cc to the motor through
suitable conducting wires c7 c8 in the usual way.
b
From the above description it will be understood that the head or sleeve post 6 is
formed of a size to permit it to enter the slotted opening e 1 of the sub-way or
conduit, with the contacting devices on the spring standards in contact with the
conductors in said conduit. In raising the contacting device out of said slotted
way or conduit, the rod c 3 is moved vertically, thus raising the spring standards c
through the head or sleeve post until the contacting shoes are drawn upwardly and
inwardly and rest in contact with and below the lower end of said head or sleeve
post, the yielding of the springs c5 permitting this operation. As soon as the
shoes c I have been sufficiently elevated, a further upward movement of the rod c3
will cause the head or sleeve pust to move vertically through the slotted opening
in the frame, the yielding of the springs 63 permitting the upward movement until
the head or sleeve post has cleared the conduit or sub-way. In lowering the
contacting device into place, the operation is reversed; the rod c3 is lowered, and
the springs 3, being under tension and of a greater elasticity than the springs c 5,
will cause the head or sleeve post to be moved downwardly until it enters the
slotted opening e 1, after which the continued movement of the rod c3 will
permit the spring standards to he forced downwardly through the agency of
the springs c5 through the head b, and, by the resiliency of said spring standards,
to move outwardly so as to contact with the conductors in said conduit.
It will be seen from the above description that we are enabled to raise and lower
the contacting devices from or into the conduit or subway at any time and at any
point in the line of said sub-way, as the contacting devices are adapted to be
brought into a space less than the width of the slotted opening; the construction
being such that all the operating parts necessary to pass through the slotted
opening may be made in a full sized device so as to require not over seven-eighths
of an inch.
It is obvious that any suitable mechanism may be employed for raising and
lowering the standard or rod c 3. It may be provided with a simple handle adapted
to be grasped by the operator and raised vertically, or it may be connected to any
other well known and suitable mechanical device by which motion may be imparted
thereto.
We have described the above invention as employing two contacting devices,
such as designed for a return circuit. It is obvious that the same construction
could be applied to a ground return where a single conductor or contacting device
is employed in the sub-way or conduit.
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. In a contacting device, the combination with the supporting frame, a movable
head or post, and sliding contacting devices in said head or post and insulated
therefrom, said contacting devices being constructed to move inwardly and
outwardly as they are raised or lowered, a yielding connection from said

page_text: contacting devices to said post, and a yielding connection from said head or post
to said frame, substantially as specified.
2. In a contacting device, a supporting frame, a movable head or post supported
in said frame, and movable sliding standards insulated in said post and provided at
their lower ends with contacting shoes, said standards being constructed of resilient
metal adapted to spring outwardly in opposite directions when moved downwardly
through said head or post, a raising and lowering device connected to said standards,
a connection from said raising and lowering device to said head whereby said head
is caused to move after said standards have been moved to a limited extent,
substantially as specified.
3. The combination with a supporting frame and a movable head, sliding standards
in said head and insulated therefrom, contacting devices on said standards adapted
by a vertical movement of said standards to be forced outwardly and inwardly in
opposite directions, as described, a lifting device connected to said standards, and a
connection from said lifting device to said head whereby said head is adapted to
be moved in either direction by said lifting device after a limited movement of said
standards, substantially as specified.
4. The combination with the supporting frame having a slotted opening therein,
a sliding head or sleeve post in said frame, springs connecting said head to said
frame, standards mounted slidingly in insulated bearings in said head or post, and
a lifting device connected to said standards, a spring connection from said lifting
device to said head, and means, substantially as described, to cause said standards
to move outwardly and inwardly in opposite directions as they are lowered or
raised in said head or post, substantially as specified.
5. The combination with a supporting frame having a slotted opening therein,
a head or sleeve post formed of inetallic plates secured together at the ends by
spacing blocks so as to enclose an insulating block as described, sliding spring
standards extending through said insulating block and connected together by an
insulating bar, a lifting bar connected to said insulating bar, and springs from said
lifting bar to said head or post, and a spring connection from said head or post
to the frame, the spring connection between said bead and frame having a greater
tension than the springs between said moving device and head or post, substantially
as specified.
6. The combination with the supporting frame, a movable head, a sleeve post
therein, a sliding standard in said sleeve post, a shoe on said standard, said standard
being formed so as to move outwardly and inwardly as it is raised vertically through
said post, a lifting device connected to said standard, and a connection froin said
standard to the head or post whereby said head or post is moved after a limited
movement of said standard, substantially as specified.
7. A contacting device consisting essentially of spring standards having contacting
shoes, a supporting post formed of steel plates secured together through the medium
of spacing blocks, and insulating material included between said plates and spacing
blocks, and a frame for supporting said head or post, substantially as specified.
8. A contacting device consisting essentially of a supporting post, a standard
slidingly mounted in said post and insulated therefrom, a contacting device on the
end of said standard, and means, substantially as described, for deflecting said
standard laterally as the same is moved longitudinally through said post, substantially
as specified.
9. A contacting device consisting essentially of a supporting post, standards
slidingly mounted in said post and insulated therefrom and from each other, and
means for causing the free ends of said standards to move laterally in opposite
directions froin said post when moved longitudinally through the same, substantially
as specified.
10. In a contacting device, the combination with a supporting frame, of a head
or post having sliding contacting devices therein, which contacting devices are
insulated therefrom, said contacting devices being constructed to move inwardly
and outwardly as they are raised or lowered through said post so as to unmake or

page_text: make a yielding contact on opposite sides of said post and laterally beyond the same,
substantially as specified.
11. A contacting device consisting essentially of a supporting post, a spring
standard slidingly mounted in said post and insulated therefrom, the contacting
end of said standard being formed on a curve, the curved portion being adapted to
be straightened when drawn into said post and move laterally from said post when
moved longitudinally through said post, substantially as specified.
D.
For the Applicants,
E. K. DUTTON & Co.,
5 John Dalton Street, Manchester, Chartered Patent Agents.