Improvements in Car Couplings.
Year: 1893

page_text: Date of Application, 6th Feb., 1893-Accepted; 18th Mar., 1893
COMPLETE SPECIFICATION.
[Communicated from abroad by THE LA BURT ELECTRIC BLOCK SIGNAL
SYSTEM AND CAR COUPLER COMPANY, of 203, Broadway, New York,
U.S.A., Manufacturers.]
Improvements in Car Couplings.
I, REGINALD WALTER BARKER, of Monument Chambers, King William
Street, London, Middlesex, 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 :-
My invention relates to that class of car-couplers having a bifurcated head and a
swinging locking jaw, and the object of my invention is to provide an improved
locking device together with certain positive means whereby when the jaw is
unlocked it will be automatically carried to the wide open position and held in such
open position until the head is brought into contact with another coupler, when the
two heads will become automatically intercoupled.
In order that my invention may be properly understood and explained in detail
I have attached drawings hereto, upon which like letters of reference indicate
corresponding parts in the several figures.
Figure 1 is a plan view of a coupler embodying my invention.
Fig. 2 is a left side elevation of the same showing more clearly the inclines on
the upper surface of the head and on the underside of the pin head.
Fig. 3 is an inverted plan of the pivotal pin showing clearly the incline formed
thereon.
Fig. 4 is a side elevation partly in section of the same.
Fig. 5 is a side elevation in detail of the locking pawl, and,
Fig. 6 is a plan view in detail of the locking jaw showing a recess formed thereon.
The coupler consists of the usual head A having the jaw B pivoted in said head
by the pivotal pin C. D represents my improved locking pawl, which is pivoted
in the head at a in a hole or slot and adapted to be lifted vertically at its free end
by the inward movement of the arm 6 of the jaw B, the said pawl D falling into its
normal position in front of the arm b and locking it in the closed position when
said arm has passed the end of the pawl. The pawl D is provided with an
extending lipe adapted to rest over and upon the locking jaw, a recess d being
formed on said jaw to receive said lip which thus limits the downward movement of
the pawl when the jaw is in the locked position. A rod or pin e is inserted in a
vertical position within the head, passing through a suitable opening in the bottom
of the bead, being in a position at the back of the arm (when said arm is in the
locked position) to have a free vertical movement, the said rod e serving to impinge
against the underside of the lipe for the purpose of raising the pawl D to free the
jaw. The rod e may be operated by any suitable lever having connection with its
lower end.
I provide an inclinef upon the upper pivotal bearing of the coupler head and a
corresponding incline g is formed upon the under side of the head of the pin C.
These inclines extend about half way around the circumference of the pin hole i and
pin C, and are formed to correspond with each other, the incline 9 being adapted
to ride up and down the incline f.
The pin C is secured in the jaw B by sweating, pinning or otherwise, and it will
therefore be seen that as the jaw B is turned into the locked position the incline g
will ride up over the incline fand the jaw will be held in a slightly elevated position
when locked by the pawl D. When the pawl D is removed from the path of the
arm b of jaw B the said jaw will at once turn outwardly to the open position, this
action being caused by the weight of the jaw taking effect and causing the incline g

page_text: to travel down the incline f. The jaw being opened the said inclines serve to keep
it in the open position until sufficient force such as that caused by the impact of
another coupler is brought to bear.
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 a car coupler composed of a bifurcated head with a swinging locking jaw,
a locking pawl pivoted transversely at one end within the head, the other or free
end of said pawl being adapted to engage the locking arm of the jaw to retain it.in
the locked position, the said pawl having an extending lip adapted to rest in a recess
formed in the locking arm of the jaw; together with a lifting rod placed within
the head, passing through an opening-in-the-bottom of said head, the said lifting
rod bearing against the under side of the extending lip on the pawl to raise said
pawl out of engagement with the jaw, substantially as shown and described.
2. In a car coupler composed of a bifurcated head, with a swinging locking jaw,
an incline formed upon the upper pivotal bearing of said coupler head, together
with a corresponding incline formed on the under side of the pivotal pin head, the
face of the latter incline lying in a plane parallel with the face of the first mentioned
incline, as and for the purposes set forth.
3. The improvements in car couplers, substantially as and for the purposes
herein before set forth and illustrated.
Dated this 6th day of February 1893.
REGINALD W. BARKER.