A Car Fender.
Year: 1894

page_text: Date of Application, 22nd May, 1894
Complete Specification Left, 22nd Feb., 1895-Accepted, 23rd Mar., 1895
A Car Fender.
I, JAMES PHIL CRON, of 38, Basinghall Street, in the City of London,
Merchant, do hereby declare the nature of this invention (a communication>to me
by Bernhard Cron, Jeweller, and Werner von Münchhausen, Gentleman, both of
26, Second Avenue, New York City, New York, in the United States of America,)
to be as follows:-
-
This invention relates to a fender for street cars which is so constructed that
when it strikes a human or other body it is automatically thrown forward to project
the same into a net between the fender and the car.
In a suitable arrangement for carrying out the invention the car is provided
with a pair of tubes which extend longitudinally beneath the bottom to a
short distance from the dash-board. These tubes contain telescoped' rods and
springs, the latter having a tendency to throw the rods outward a considerable
distance beyond the front end of the car. To the forward ends of the rods, there
is secured by spring-hinges a frame having a pair of rearwardly extending eyes.
This frame is attached to a buffer by means of eyes through which the frame
passes and is surrounded by springs so that a yielding connection between the
frame and buffer is established. The buffer may be provided with a padded
striking edge of rubber or other material.
The rods are surrounded at the back of the buffer by rings to which a uet of flax
or other material is attached, the said net also being attached to the rear edge of
the buffer and the front edge of the car.
To the front of the car body, there is secured, below the centre of the platform,
a spring-catch adapted to engage the eyes. Normally, the buffer is thus locked to
the car and the net is folded but when a body strikes the buffer, the catch is
automatically released and thus the springs are free to throw the buffer forward
and to spread the net. The body that has been struck will in this way be
precipitated over the buffer and into the net to escape serious injury.
The spring-catch consists of a pair of jaws within a lock-case and adapted to
be held normally in engagement with eyes by the last named springs. Centrally
between the jaws there is secured within the lock-case a slotted cylinder containing
a spiral spring which is stronger than the springs. Through the rear end of the
cylinder there projects a plunger in contact with the ends of the said jaws,
and provided with a pin projecting upwardly through the slotted cylinder and out
of the lock-case.
A pin is engaged by the hook-shaped rear end of a spring-lever the curved front
contact edge of which projects slightly in front of the car and is adapted to be
struck by the buffer.
Normally no pressure is exercised upon the lever by the buffer and its rear book-
shaped end will engage the pin, and will hold, the springs compressed so that the
springs are free to throw the jaws outward and into engagement with the eyes of
the buffer. In this way the buffer is securely locked to the car.
As scon,
however, as the buffer strikes an object, it is forced back slightly against: the
action of the springs and against the contact edge of the spring-lever. In this
way the lever will be vibrated to release the pin, when the spring will at once
throw the plunger backward to oscillate the catches and withdraw them from the
eyes. The buffer thus being unlocked from the catch and from the car body will

page_text: be at once propelled forward by the springs to spread the net and catch the
body in the manner already described.
After the buffer has performed its work, it is thrust back by hand, and the lever
is brought back into its normal position by means of a foot-bar adapted to operate
an elbow lever, and which in turn engages the pin above the lock-case.
The foot-bar projects upwards through a slot in the car platform and when it is
moved laterally, it will vibrate the elbow lever to move the plunger forward,
by means of the pin and to compress the spring. The lever will now by a small
spring be thrown back into engagement with the pin so as to lock the spring in
its compressed position, while the springs will be free to throw the jaws outward
and back into engagement with the eyes. Thus all the parts will be placed again
into the normal position.
The foot-bar may be locked temporarily by a pressure upon the button of a
spring-catch that will then engage a pin of the foot-bar. As long as the foot-bar
is thus locked, its lever will hold the plunger locked in its forward position and
prevent the mechanism from being set off by pressure upon the lever. This
locking attachment is desirable, because when the car strikes trucks and similar
inert objects the buffer should not be projected forward. As soon as pressure
on the button is released, the apparatus is again put into working order.
In practice it is advantageous to adapt under the flax or other net an additional
net of wire.
Deted this 00nd due of Mar 1901
G. F. REDFERN & Co.,
4, South Street, Finsbury, London, Agents for the Applicant.
A Car Fender.
I, JAMES PHIL CRON, of 38, Basinghall Street, in the City of London,
Merchant, do hereby declare the nature of this invention (a communication to me
by Bernhard Crou, Jeweller, and Werner von Münchhausen, Gentleman, both of
26, Second Avenue, New York City, New York, in the United States of America)
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 a fender for street cars which is so constructed that
when it strikes a human or otlier body it is automatically thrown forward, to
project the same into a net between the fender and the car.
In the accompanying drawings,-
Figure 1 is a side elevation, partly in section, of my improved car fender:
Figure 2 a bottom view thereof, with the lock case open :
Figure 3
vertical cross section on line -, Figure 1:
Figure 4 a longitudinal section on line y-y, Figure 3:
Figure 5 a plan of part of the fender, with the car bottom removed; and,
Figure 6 a top view of the lock case :.
Figure 7 a side elevation of a modification of the invention; and,
Figure 8 a front view of the swinging frame:
Figure 9 is an underside view of a modified form of the net, shewn in Figure 7.
The letter A represents a car, provided with a pair of tubes, a, a that extend
longitudinally beneath the bottom, to a short distance from the dashboard. These
tubes contain the telescoped rods a, a', and springs a³, the latter having a tendency
to throw the rods outwards, a considerable distance beyond the front end of the car.
To the forward ends of the rods a', there is hinged by pins surrounded by coiled
springs (Figure 5) a frame b, having a pair of rearwardly extending eyes . This

page_text: ام
frame is attached to a buffer c by means of eyes through which the frame passes
and is surrounded by springs, so that a yielding connection between frame and
buffer is established. The buffer may be provided with a padded striking edge c
of rubber or other material. The rods a are surrounded at the back of the buffer
by rings to which a net d is attached, the said not being also attached to the rear
edge of the buffer and the front edge of the car.
To the front of the car body, there is secured, below the centre of the platform
a spring catch adapted to engage the eyes 6. Normally the buffer is thus locked
to the carriage and the net is folded, but when a body strikes the buffer, the catch
is automatically released and thus the springs a are free to throw the buffer
forward and to spread the net. The body that has been struck, will in this way be
precipitated over the buffer and into the net, to escape serious injury.
The spring catch consists of a pair of jaws e within the lock case e¹ and adapted
to be held normally in engagement with the eyes 6 by the springs e². Centrally
between the jaws e there is secured within the lock case, a slotted cylinder e³
containing a spiral spring et which is stronger than the springs . Through the
rear end of the cylinder there projects a plunger e in contact with the ends of
the jaws e and provided with a pin es projecting upwardly through the slotted
cylinder and out of the lock case. The pin e' is engaged by the hook-shaped rear
end of a spring lever the curved front contact edge of which projects slightly
in front of the car and is adapted to be struck by the buffer. Normally no pressure
is exercised upon this lever by the buffer and its rear hook-shaped end will engage
the pin and will hold the spring e compressed (Figure 2) so that the springs e
are free to throw the jaws e outward and into engagement with the eyes of the
buffer. In this way the buffer is securely locked to the car. As soon however, as
the buffer strikes an object, it is forced back slightly, against the action of the
springs a² and against the contact edge f¹ of the lever f. In this way the lever
will be moved so as to release the pin e whereby the spring e will at once throw
the plungere backward to strike the catches e and withdraw them from the eyes
(Figure 5). The buffer being thus unlocked from the catch and from the car body,
will be at once propelled forward by the springs a to spread the net and catch the
body in the manner already described.
After the buffer has performed its work, it is thrust back by hand and the lever
is brought back into its normal position by means of a foot bar 9 adapted to operate
an elbow lever g which in turn engages the pin ef above tlie lock case el (Figure 6).
The foot bar projects upward through a slot in the car platform, and when it is
moved laterally, it will cause the elbow lever g¹ to move forward carrying with it
the plunger e³ by means of the pin e and compressing the spring e. The lever /
will now, by a small spring, be thrown back into engagement with the pin e so
as to lock the spring in its compressed position, while the springs e³ will be free
to throw the jaws e outward and back into engagement with the eyes 6'. Thus all
the parts will be placed again into the normal position, shewn in Figure 2. The
foot bar g may be locked temporarily, by a pressure upon the button of a spring
catch (Figure 3) that will then engage a pin g' of the foot bar. As long as the
foot bar is thus locked its lever g' will hold the plungere locked in its forward
position and prevent the mechanism from being set off, by pressure upon lever f.
This locking attachment is desirable, because when the car strikes trucks and
similar inert objects, the buffer should not be projected forward. As soon as
pressure on the button is released, the apparatus is again put into working order.
In cases where additional certainty of automatically releasing the buffer is
desired I employ the modified arrangement shewn in Figure 7 wherein a swinging
frame is hinged to the dashboard. The swinging frame (Figure 8) is made
preferably of wire network and to the centre of its lower free end is attached a
rod j which is in contact with the rear end of the spring leverf. When therefore
a body strikes against the swinging frame the rod releases the catches e, e from
the eyes b¹, b' and the buffer is projected forwards.
I sometimes use in place of the hereinbefore described folding net d a net shewn

page_text: in Figures 7 and 9, fixed in a framework which framework is fixed to the
rods a!, a' and is therefore projected forwards with these rods when the buffer or
swinging frame strikes a human or other body.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of the said inveu-
tion and in what manner the same is to be performed, I declare that what I
claim is :-
1. The combination of a car with a catch, a movable yielding buffer engaged by
he catch, propelling springs and a spring actuated rod put in action by the rearward
movement of the buffer and adapted to open the catch and liberate the buffer when
pressed backward, substantially as specified.
2. The combination of a car with a pair of .tubes, a buffer having rods that are
telescoped by said tubes, springs for throwing the buffer outward and an automatic
catch for locking the buffer to the car, and a spring bolt to release the same upon
impact of an object on the track with the buffer substantially as specified.
3. The combination of a car with an independently movable buffer, spring jaws
secured to the car and engaging the buffer; and a lever adapted to be operated by
concussion with the buffer and to oscillate the jaws, substantially as specified.
4. The combination of a car with an independently movable buffer, spring jaws,
spring plunger operating the same, a lever operated by concussion with the
buffer and engaging the plunger, and with a foot bar, for setting the plunger,
substantially as specified.
5. The combination of a car with an independently movable buffer spring jaws,
a spring plunger, an operating lever, a foot bar and a catch for locking the foot
bar, substantially as specified.
6. The combination of a car with a pair of tubes, a spring buffer having rods
telescoped by the tubes, a catch on the car body and a lever operating the catch
and adapted to be moved by contact with the buffer substantially as specified..
7. The combination of a car with a pair of spring propelled rods, a frame hinged
to the rods, a spring buffer secured to the frame and a catch for locking the buffer
to the car, substantially as specified.
8. The combination of a car with a catch, a movable yielding buffer and a
swinging frame engaged with the catch, propelling springs and a spring actuated
rod put in action by the rearward movement of the buffer or of the swinging frame
and adapted to open the catch and liberate the buffer when pressed backward, and
a net attached to the back of the buffer and the front of the car or attached to the
buffer frame alone substantially as and for the purposes specified.
9. The combination of a car with a pair of spring propelled rods, a swinging
frame, movable yielding buffer and a catch for locking the buffer to the car which
catch is released when pressure is applied to the swinging frame or the buffer
substantially as specified
Dated the 20th day of February 1895.
G. F. REDFERN & Co.,
4, South Street, Finsbury, London, Agents for the Applicant.