Improvements in Apparatus for Fastening the Doors of Railway and other Vehicles.
Year: 1892

page_text: Date of Application, 29th Jan., 1892
Complete Specification Left, 29th Feb., 1892-Accepted, 2nd Apr., 1892
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in Apparatus for Fastening the Doors of Railway and
other Vehicles.
I, MARCEL VAUCHER, of Chambery in Savoy, France, Railway Engineer, do
hereby declare the nature of this invention to be as follows:-
The doors of railway vehicles are sometimes provided with two fastening devices,
an upper one which can be operated by the passenger and a lower one which can
only be operated from the outside of the vehicle. Heretofore these two fastening
devices have been independent of each other and two distinct operations have been
necessary to actuate both devices either the passenger performing one operation
and an attendant the other or the attendant performing both operations.
The object of this invention is to prevent the frequent accidents which arise
from doors being imperfectly fastened and for this purpose the upper and lower
fastening devices are connected in such a manner that, upon the operation of the
handle of the upper fastening device to fasten the door, the lower fastening device
will also be operated to fasten the door but upon the operation of the upper
fastening device in the reverse direction when the door is closed the lower fastening
device will not be operated. Thus, according to this arrangement only one
operation is necessary for actuating both upper and lower fastening devices, whilst
two entirely distinct operations are required to unfasten.
Referring to the accompanying drawing,
Figs. 1, 2, and 3, illustrate by way of example one form of apparatus for
fastening the doors of railway vehicles according to this invention, Fig. 1 being a
horizontal section of the upper fastening device;
Fig. 2 a vertical section of both the upper and lower fastening devices, and the
means of connecting them for the purpose of obtaining the proper action of the
lower fastening device, and
Fig. 3 a horizontal section of said lower fastening device.
On the spindle of the handle a (made square in cross section at this part for this
purpose) is fixed a faller b which effects the fastening of the door by entering a
recess c in the jamb of the door frame. The part of the faller which surrounds
the square portion of the key forms an eccentric which imparts on the handle
being turned to fasten the door, a rectilinear downward movement to a bar d which
is provided at its upper end with an anti-friction roller d. The lower end of the
bar d rests by its own weight upon one arm of a double lever which oscillates
about an axis. The other arm of the lever terminates in a nose f² which is
caused to bear upon the tail piece g' of a bolt by a spiral spring i. The bolt
which is bevelled, is caused to move rectangularly in a horizontal direction by the
post e and the wall e' so as to enter or leave a recess provided for its reception
in
the door frame. The tail piece of the bolt is provided with a notch g, and is
formed on its opposite side, with a rack. In this rack engages a pinion or
sector fixed on the spindle of a latch 1, which when in a horizontal or inclined
position (Fig. 4), is supported in a catch k fixed to the jamb of the door frame.
A spiral spring tends to force the bolt g forward.
Assuming the door to be fastened (Figs. 1, 2, and 3) then the faller bis in its
recess, as is also the bolt g, and the latch is supported in the catch &. To unfasten
the door, the handle a is rotated a quarter of a revolution to the right, so as to
disengage the faller and to bring the least eccentric portion of the eccentric b¹
opposite to the roller d' which renders the bar d free to rise. To complete the
unfastening of the door the latch is then raised from the outside which operation
throws back the bolt g. The nose of the arm f is then forced into the notch g³

page_text: of the tail piece of the said bolt, by the spring i, the rocking of the double lever f
bringing the roller d into contact with the eccentric b¹. The door can then be
opened. When the door is opened, the latch can be turned down, but then the
bolt and the latch oppose the closing of the door.
To fasten the door, the handle a is rotated a quarter of a revolution to the left
and by this single operation the nose 2 is withdrawn from the notch g² and all
resistance to the action of the spring j is removed, which spring effects the sliding
of the bolt and the turning down of the latch 1. So long as the handle a is in the
acting or fastening position, the latch cannot remain raised.
The double fastening is thus effected simultaneously and with complete
security.
The handle a can be operated from the outside of the vehicle as well as from the
inside. In operating the handle a from the inside, the fastening of the door is
effected as herein before described; for unfastening the door, it is always necessary
to raise the latch / from the outside, after having operated the handle a.
Figs. 5, 6, 7 and 8 illustrate a closing device similar to the preceding, but the
spiral springs are replaced by a leaf spring m for the rocking lever f, and by a
coiled spring n for the safety bolt g.
In Fig. 9, the faller of the handle is shewn replaced by a bolt p having a tail
piece formed as a rack which is driven by a sector 7 provided with an
eccentric portion and keyed on the spindle of the handle a or formed in one
therewith.
The bolt p is arrested in its two positions of opening and closing the door by
means of a spring-pressed abutment located and guided in clips
Fig. 10 shews another form of spring stop t and of the contact end of the bar d,
said bar being subject to the action of the lifting spring d².
Fig. 11 shews an arrangement of the connecting bar d arranged in the jamb of
the door frame, for use when the latch is pivoted on said jamb. The end d³ is
bevelled at d to facilitate the depression of the bolt.
Figs. 12, and 13 shew the construction of the latch mechanism and safety bolt
arranged in the jamb of the door frame. This construction is similar to that
herein before described with reference to Figs. 6, and 7.
Fig. 14 shews that the safety bolt g may, when the faller (Fig. 1) is being
closed, have a partial rotation about the pin on which the tail piece g¹ of said
bolt is pivoted. This movement caused by the spring a fixed to the bolt and
bearing against the pin a¹, operates the latch which is formed in one with the
sector that engages with the rack g³.
Dated this 20th dow of Ianuo 1900
M. VAUCHER,
By L. W., per F. B.
COMPLETE
SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in Apparatus for Fastening the Doors of Railway and
other Vehicles.
I, MARCEL VAUCHER, of Chambery in the Department of the Savoy, France,
Railway Engineer, 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:-
The doors of railway vehicles are sometimes provided with two fastening devices,
an upper one which can be operated by the passenger and a lower one which can
only be operated from the outside of the vehicle. Heretofore these two fastening
devices have been independent of each other and two distinct operations have been
necessary to actuate both devices either the passenger performing one operation
and an attendant the other or the attendant performing both operations.
The object of this invention is to prevent the frequent accidents which arise

page_text: from doors being imperfectly fastened. For this purpose the upper and lower
fastening devices are connected in such a manner that, upon the operation of the
handle of the upper fastening device to fasten the door, the lower fastening device
will also be operated to further fasten the door but upon the operation of the upper
fastening device, in the reverse direction, when the door is closed, the lower
fastening device will not be eperated. Thus according to this arrangement, only
one operation is necessary for actuating both upper and lower fastening devices to
fasten the door, whilst two entirely distinct operations are required to unfasten the
door.
Referring to the drawing left with my Provisional Specification
Figs. 1 2 and 3 illustrate by way of example, one form of apparatus for fastening
the doors of railway vehicles according to this invention, Fig. 1 being a horizontal
section of the upper fastening device;
Fig. 2 an elevation of both the upper and lower fastening devices, and the
means of connecting them for the purpose of obtaining the proper action of the
lower fastening device, and
Fig. 3 a horizontal section of the lower fastening device.
On the spindle of the handle a (made square in cross section at this part for
this purpose) is fixed a faller or latch (hereinafter called a faller) which effects
the fastening of the door by entering a recess c in the jamb of the door frame.
The part of the faller which surrounds the square portion of the key forms an
eccentric & which imparts on the handle being turned to fasten the door, a rectilinear
downward movement to a bar & which is provided at its upper end with an anti-
friction roller d. The lower end of the bar rests by its own weight upon one
arm of a double leverf which oscillates about an axis. The other arm of the
lever terminates in a nose which is caused to bear upon the tail-piece g¹ of a
bolt by a spiral spring i. The bolt which is bevelled is caused to move in a
horizontal direction by the guide e and the wall el, so as to enter or leave a recess
provided for its reception in the door frame. The tail-piece y of the bolt
provided with a notch g, and is formed on its opposite side with a rack g. In
this rack engages a pinion or sector fixed on the spindle of a latch, which,
when in a horizontal or inclined position (Fig. 4), is supported in a catch k fixed
to the jamb of the door frame.
A spiral spring tends to force the bolt g forward.
is
Assuming the door to be fastened (Figs. 1, 2 and 3), then the faller is in its
recess c, as is also the bolt g, and the latch is supported in the catch k. To
unfasten the door, the handle a is rotated a quarter of a revolution so as to disengage
the faller and to bring the least eccentric portion of the eccentric & opposite to
the roller d' thereby leaving the bar d free to rise. To complete the unfastening
of the door the latch must then be raised from the outside, which operation throws
back the bolt g. The nose f" of the arm f is then forced into the notch g² of the
tail-piece of the said bolt, by the spring i, the rocking of the double lever f
bringing the roller d into contact with the eccentric. The door can then be
opened. When the door is open the latch can be turned down, but then the bolt g
and the latch oppose the closing of the door.
To fasten the door, the handle & is rotated through a quarter of a revolution,
and by this single operation the nose is withdrawn from the notch g' and all
resistance to the action of the spring; having thus been removed, this spring
effects the sliding of the bolt g and the turning down of the latch 7. So long as
the handle a is in the acting or fastening position, the latch cannot remain raised.
The double fastening is thus effected simultaneously and with complete security.
The handle a can be operated from the outside of the vehicle as well as from
the inside. In operating the handle a from the inside, the fastening of the door
is effected as herein before described; for unfastening the door, it is always
necessary to raise the latch from the outside, after having operated the handle a.
Figs. 5, 6, 7, and 8 illustrate a closing device similar to the preceding, but the

page_text: spiral springs are replaced by a leaf spring m for the rocking lever f, and by a
coiled spring for the safety bolt g.
22
In Fig. 9, the faller of the handle is shewn replaced by a bolt p having a tail-
piece formed as a rack which is driven by a sector 9 provided with an eccentric
portion and keyed on the spindle of the handle a or formed in one therewith.
The bolt is arrested in its two positions corresponding to the unfastened and
fastened conditions of the door by means of a spring-pressed abutment r located
and guided in clips.
Fig. 10 shews another form of spring stop t and of the contact end of the bar d,
the said bar being subject to the action of a lifting spring d².
Fig. 11 shews an arrangement of the connecting bar d arranged in the jamb of
the door frame, for use when the latch is pivotted on the said jamb. The end d³
of the bar d is bevelled at d to facilitate the depression of the bolt.
Figs. 12 and 13, shew the construction of the latch mechanism and safety bolt
when arranged in the jamb of the door frame. This construction is similar to
that hereinbefore described with reference to Figs. 6 and 7.
Fig. 14 shows that the safety bolt may, when the faller (Fig. 1) is being
closed, have a partial rotation about the pin on which the tail piece gl of the
said bolt is pivotted. This movement caused by the spring a fixed to the bolt
and bearing against the pin e, operates the latch which is formed in one with the
sector engages with the rack g³.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of the said inven-
tion and in what manner the same is to be performed I declare that what 1
claim is :-
:-
1. Apparatus for fastening the doors of railway and other vehicles, in which
upper and lower fastening devices are so constructed and arranged in relation to
each other that upon the operation of the handle of one of the devices in one
direction both fastening devices will be operated to fasten the door, but each
fastening device will require to be independently operated to unfasten the door
substantially as described.
2. Apparatus for fastening the doors of railway and other vehicles, in which a
handle, which may be either on the outside or inside of the vehicle is arranged to
operate an upper fastening device and also actuate in one direction a spring pressed
rocking lever capable of engaging with a spring actuated safety bolt or lower
fastening device, which gears by means of a rack with a toothed sector connected
with a latch for operating the lower fastening device, the whole constructed
arranged and operating substantially as herein described for the purposes specified.
3. The combination and arrangements of parts constituting the improved
apparatus for fastening the doors of railway and other vehicles, constructed
arranged and operating substantially as herein before described with reference to
and shewn in Figs. 1, 2, and 3; in Figs. 5, 6, 7, and 8; in Figs. 12, and 13; and
in Fig. 14 or modified according to Fig. 9 or to Fig. 10, or to Fig. 11 of the
drawings.
and thiol of Wah 1000
M. VAUCHER,
By L. W., per F. B.