New or Improved Means for Instantaneously Detaching the Chains or Straps by means of which the Two Horses are Yoked to the Pole-head or Crab of a Van, Carriage, or other Vehicle.
Year: 1892

page_text: Date of Application, 22nd Dec., 1892-Accepted, 25th Mar., 1893
COMPLETE SPECIFICATION.
New or Improved Means for Instantaneously Detaching the Chains
or Straps by means of which the Two Horses are Yoked to the
Pole-head or Crab of a Van, Carriage, or other Vehicle.
I ALFRED WOOD, of Fairlight House, Bouverie Street, Folkestone, Kent,
Carriage Builder, 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 new or improved means for instantaneously detaching
the chains or straps by means of which the horses are yoked to the pole-head or
crab of a van, carriage, or other vehicle.
According to my invention I form the pole-head or crab, of either two, three or
more parts placed one in front of the other, the two first parts containing the two
ears to which the chains or straps are attached and which according to my invention
are the parts that are designed to be detached or released.
My improved means comprise four different arrangements or modes of forming
the pole-head and of securing the ears thereto.
In the first arrangement the pole-head is formed of two parts, the bead or chuck
and the face-plate, the ears being locked within the chuck by a spring-bolt actuated
by a suitable strap. In the second and third arrangement, the pole-head consists
of a head or chuck, a face-plate and a cap. The ears are locked in the second
arrangement by a pin or device entering a recess formed in the former, while
according to the third arrangement a screw is used for the same purpose.
In the fourth arrangement as in the first, the pole-head consists of two parts
only, the chuck and the face-plate, the ears secured in the former by means of two
pins passing through holes formed in both parts of the pole-head and provided with
recesses to allow the reduced portions of the pin to enter a slot formed in the end
of each ear. These pins are locked by a spring-plate projecting from the face-plate.
According to a modification of my invention, I form the pole-head or crab
preferably of three parts, viz.: a front piece, a plate and a back or base-piece,
arranged one in front of the other.
The back or base-piece is provided on either side with an extension forming half
the ear to which the yoke chain is attached. In front of this base-piece I securely
fix, by means of bolts or in any other suitable manner, a plate forming the second
part and provided with two holes and two recesses in which spring-bolts enter for
the purpose of locking the half ears together, and with a central boss upon which
the front piece can turn. This plate however may be formed integrally with the
back-piece before described, thus reducing in this case the parts of the pole-head
to two. The front piece is furnished on either side with an extension similar to
that of the base piece and forming the other half of the ear.
The front piece aforesaid is provided centrally with a recess in which enters the
boss before mentioned, and on either side with another recess in which the bolt
springs are located.
In the accompanying drawings,
Fig. 1 is a longitudinal section of the pole-head, Fig. 2 is a plan, and Fig. 3 an
end view illustrating my first arrangement.
Fig. 4 is a half plan of the pole-head, and Fig. 5 shows details relating to my
second arrangement.
Fig. 6 is a half plan and Fig. 7 a corresponding end view of the third arrange-
ment.

page_text: Fig. & 18 a front view, Fig. 9 a sectional plan and Fig. 10 a detail of my fourth
arrangement.
Figs. 11 to 13 show a modified form of pole-head in which Fig. 11 is a plan of
the same with the front piece A removed.
Fig. 12 is a central longitudinal section of one end of the pole-head and Fig. 13
an underside view of a part of the front piece A.
Like letters of reference indicate corresponding parts throughout Figs. 1 to 10.
With reference to Figs. 1, 2 and 3, my improved apparatus consists of a socket d
in which the pole is placed and bolted as shown.
This socket terminates with a head consisting of a box or chuck a containing
the inner ends of the two ears, the outer ends of which are furnished with per-
forations to attach thereto the ends of the chains or straps fastened to the collars
of the horses. These inner ends are provided with recesses wherein the prongs kl
of the bolt enter normally. This bolt is secured at the bottom to the front end of
a strong flat spring rivetted at the flap of the pole socket d. To this spring is
fixed a spring, depressed by the thick end of a sliding bolt ¹ which end is located
in the box while its other end enters an opening formed in the face-plate b. The
bolt is surmounted by a knob i, the shank of which can slide to and fro in a slot
formed in the bottom of the box j; to this shank is attached one extremity of a
strap furnished at the other with a ring g'. The face-plate which is secured
to the chuck by four-screws 61 is formed with a curved bar ffixed to the
prolongation of the socket and furnished with a slot through which the strap g
passes.
When it is required to release the ears, the strap g is pulled by means of its
ring g¹ the end of the bolt j¹ being withdrawn from the opening in the face-plate b
while depressing the spring h¹, this enables the flat spring hand with it the bolt k
to withdraw its prongs from the recesses in the ears, thus releasing the latter.
According to my second arrangement shown in Figs. 4 and 5, I provide a cap c
which is secured to the face-plate and chuck by screws f which are outside the
ears e.
I then form a recess in each ear e and chuck a wherein I place a ferrule m
furnished with flanges bearing on the face-plate b; in this ferrule enters the conical
end of a key on the shank of which is mounted a spiral spring preferably of a
conical shape.
This key
provided with two pins which enter the slots formed in the cap c.
To fix the key in position the pins are placed so as to enter the slots & hori
zontally, being guided in this motion by the projection and as soon as the pins
have passed the latter, they can be turned in a vertical direction and thus lock the
ears e, face-plate b and cap c, the pins bearing against the edges of the opening
formed in the cap. To release the ears, the key is turned so as to bring the pins l
in a horizontal position and is subsequently pulled out.
In the arrangement shown in Figs. 6 and 7, I use a screw n which is secured in a
tapped opening formed in the face-plate b. The head of the screw is provided
with a perforation n' in which a pin n' secured by a chain n³ to the cap c can be
inserted whenever it is required to loosen and remove the screw n.
In the arrangement shown in Figs. 8, 9 and 10, I dispense with a cap and I
provide each ear with a notch r (Fig. 10) this notch being formed with a circular
extension of the same diameter as the bolts o, which are free to turn, being secured
to the end of the chuck by a nut or otherwise. The bolts o are likewise recessed
or notched on each side at o' so that when the solid reduced portions of the said
bolts are engaged in the circular extension of the notch r as shown in Fig. 10, the
ears e are locked, but when the bolts o are turned in a reverse position, the recesses o¹
and the circular extension of the notch r coincide, and the ears are released.
These bolts are locked by the spring plate p projecting out of the central recess n
formed in the face-plate (Fig. 9) and wherein the springs is located.
4
This modified form of pole-head consists of a front and a back piece A and B

page_text: respectively, the extensions e, e¹ of both of which form the ears of the pole-head.
To the piece B is securely fixed by screws a plate F provided with a central boss
entering a corresponding recess g¹ in the front piece A and with recesses d, d¹
leading to the bolt-holes c, c'.
The top-piece A is provided on both sides with a recess k (Fig. 12) containing
the spring (Figs. 12 and 13) coiled on the bolt h carrying a cross-pin i at the
bottom and a ring n at the top for convenience of handling; a screw or bolt s
connects the three parts A. F. B together. This spring ; bears at one end against
the cross-pin i and at the other against the surface of the recess k.
To open the ears and release the yoke-chains, the spring-bolts h are grasped in
the hands by their ring n and pulled out clear of the holes c, c', thus allowing of
the front piece A being turned by hand upon the boss 9 to separate the two
parts.e, e of the ears, the bolts sliding away in the recesses d, d'.
To close the ears, the front piece is turned back into its normal position, the
bolts h spring into the holes c, c and lock the front piece.
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. The improved pole-head consisting of a chuck a and a face-plate b, the chuck a
containing the ears e which are released by a pronged bolt and a spring bolt acted
upon by a strap, substantially as herein described and shown in Figs. 1, 2, 3.
2. In combination with the pole-head above claimed, the mechanism for
locking and releasing the ears e, substantially as herein described and shown in
Fig. 8, 9, 10.
3. In combination with the pole-head above claimed, a cap c and a key or device
for locking and releasing the ears e, substantially as herein described and shown in
Figs. 4 and 5.
4. In combination with the pole-head above-claimed, the cap c and the screw n
for locking and releasing the ears e, substantially as herein described and shown in
Figs. 6 and 7.
5. In combination with the pole-head above described, the mechanism for locking
and releasing the ears by means of recessed thumb pins o and a spring-plate p,
substantially as herein described and shown in Figs. 8. 9 and 10.
6. The modified form of pole-head shown in Figs. 11 to 13 in which the ears
are made in two parts which are separated for the purpose of releasing the collar
chains or straps, substantially as herein described.
Dated this 22nd day of December 1892.
HUGHES, SON & Co.,
38, Chancery Lane, London, W.C., Agents for the Applicant.