Year: 1889

page_text: Date of Application, 20th Feb., 1859
Specification Accepted, 30th Mar., 1889
.
A communication from WILLIAM C. JOHNSTON, Jr., of Lynn, County of Essex, and
Commonwealth of Massachusetts, United States of America, Agent.
I, ALFRED JULIUS BOULT of 323 High Holborn in the County of Middlesex,
M.L.M.E., 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 relates to improvements in electric signalling apparatus for uso on
railway trains and in the accompanying drawings.
Fig. 1 is a central section of a coupling embodying this invention.
Fig. 2 is a side elevation representing the two parts of the coupling locked
together.
Fig. 3 is a view partly in side elevation and partly in section, representing the two
parts of the coupling disconnected.
The shell or casing A is composed of wood or other suitable non-conducting material.
It is desirable that it should be light as possible and to that end I prefer to make it
of wood and cover it with a coating of enamel which is baked thereon in the usual
manner of enamelling wooden articles. It is provided with longitudinal channels e, f
in which are pivotted the levers a, b as represented in Figs. 1 and 3.
The case B is also provided with channels and levers 44 in other respects the case B
is a duplicate of the case A. The cases are each provided on one end with sectional
flanges 6 that dovetail with each other when the coupling is closed together (see Fig. 2)
and form a shield to prevent the dust and cinders from working in to the chamber of
the shell and lodging between the contiguous ends of the coupling.
The cases are provided each with a metallic ring 7 which ring is attached to the
rear end of the case and is provided with an extension and connected with the
levers a b4 4 are springs 9 which operate to hold the ends of the levers respectively
against the ring 7 when the coupling is drawn apart as shown in Fig. 3. Said levers.
are provided on their front ends respectively with a double inclined boss 10.
The electric conducting wires are attached, one which may be the direct to one of the
levers and the other which may be the return to the other of said levers; in each case
the conducting wires traverse the entire car and a case is secured to the wires, at each
end of the car in the usual manner. At the rear end of each case is a tube 12 composed

page_text: of rubber or similar flexible material which surrounds the conducting wires and is
provided with a flange on its inner end that is impinged between the ends of the
case and screw cap 15. The other end of said tube is extended outward from the case
through said cap and is wound tightly to the conducting wires. In this manner dust
and dampness is prevented from entering the case or interfering with the action of the
conducting wires at this point.
The normal position of the levers a b44 when the cases are drawn apart is
represented in Fig. 3 and their normal position when the cases are coupled together
is represented in Fig. 1. The cases are coupled together by bringing them to each
other with the inclined faces of the levers lined with each other and pushing the cases
together allowing the levers to pass each other and interlock as shown in Fig. 1
which position the respective levers operate to hold each other out of contact with the
metallic ring 7 and thus establish direct communication from the respective conductors
in one car or section and those of the other car or section through the intermediate
levers. The conductors are thus made complete and continuous and also independent
of each other from one end of the line to the other. When the cases are drawn apart
which may be effected by pulling the cases in opposite directions, the springs 9 operate
to automatically force the levers into contact with the ring 7 and thus establish a con-
nection between the conducting wires throughout the intermediate ring.
The cases are held together by the levers a 6 4 4 interlocking each other as shown
in Fig. 1. The inclined bosses 10 on the levers operate to hold each other and this
effect is increased by action of the springs 9 against the tension of which the levers are
held when interlocked.
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 of the two part separable conductors A B having the metallic
conducting rings 77 the pivotted levers a 6 4 4 pivotally supported in the parts of the
coupling an electric conductor attached to each pivotted lever the levers a b being
adapted to engage with the levers 44 when the coupling is closed thus establishing
electric connection between the conductors attached to one part of the coupling
and those attached to the other part and means for automatically establishing
connection between the conductors and metallic ring when the parts of the coupling
are separated.
2. In a coupling for uniting the detached sections of a direct and return conductor
constituting a railway train signalling circuit the combination of a shell or case as A
and with the conducting wires a flanged tubular section of flexible material as 12
for enclosing the wires and a screw cap as 15 for securing said tubular section to
the casing.
3. A coupling for both mechanically and electrically uniting the detached portions
or sections of a direct and return electric conductor constituting a railway train signal
circuit which consists in the combination substantially as hereinbefore set forth of two
hollow shells or cases of non-conducting material pivotally, supported levers in the
exterior of each shell for grasping and holding to the adjacent shell which respective
levers are also electrically united with each other when in this position to form a con-
tinuous conductor inside of the coupling and means for automatically closing the circuit
in each section when the coupling is open substantially as, described.
Dated this 20th day of February 1889.