Couplings.
Year: 1895

page_text: Date of Application, 10th Oct., 1895-Accepted, 14th Dec., 1895
Tum Couplings.
We, WILLIAM ALFRED LUCAS and LEWIS PHILLIP MOONEY, Manufacturers,
both of Fremont, in the County of Dodge and State of Nebraska, United States
of America, 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 has relation to a new and novel thill coupling. The object of our
invention being to provide a thill coupling that shall be so constructed that the
thills can be easily removed.
In the accompanying drawings,
Fig. 1, shows a side elevation with an car broken away of a thill coupling,
embodying our invention.
Fig. 2, shows a detached detail of the locking key, while
Fig. 3, shows a top view of one of our thill couplings.
In a great many private, as well as public, stables it is often desirable to change
a tongue to a pair of shafts. This, with the thill coupling as ordinarily constructed
is a troublesome and time consuming task, as most pleasure vehicles are
provided with anti-rattlers. These, as a rule, are exceedingly hard to place in
position.
In our present invention we provide an ordinary thill coupling, B, having the
usual ears, C, C, with an ordinary thill iron, K, which iron supports the shaft or
tongue in the usual manner. In securing the thill coupling, we employ a peculiarly
shaped key, preferably of bar metal, comprising the cylindrical stem, 3, adapted to
pass through the ears, C, and the thill iron, K, continuing, the key extends from
the cylindrical portion at right angles a suitable distance in the form of a neck, 5,
as is shown in detail in Fig. 2, and from thence extending by means of the stem, 6,
in the same direction with the stem, 3, and finally being provided with a stub end, 7,
extending at right angles to the stem, 6. The stem, 6, is provided with an
opening, 4. This key is used in conjunction with an approximately V-shaped
spring, D, of any suitable length and width so that said spring can be readily
inserted into the opening, 4. At one end this spring is provided with an inwardly
curved portion, 9, adapted to partly encompass the bub, 20, of the thill iron, K,
the remaining end of the spring being curved in the opposite direction terminating
in the end, 10, as is shown in Figs. I aud 3. The approximately U-shaped key
and the spring, D, comprise our locking mechanism. In making a connection, the
V-shaped spring, D, is first inserted through the opening, 4, so that the lower
angular portion of this spring rides up snug against the lower portion of its stem, 6,
when the thill irou, K, is placed between the coupling while the stem, 3, is inserted.
The spring, D, is next forced down preferably with a hammer until it escapes
between the lower end, 20, of the thill iron, K. and the coupling, the key, in the
meanwhile being, of course, movably held by means of the stein, 3, until the spring
finds a seating, as is shown in Fig. 1, in which position the curved portion, 9, of
the spring rides against the hub, 20, while the remaining upper end of the spring
presses outward against the key stem, 6, as is shown in the figure.
spring, D, was inserted between the thill iron and coupling, the stub, 7, would have
fallen upon the outside and adjoining the ear, C, of the coupling, as is shown in
Fig. 1, so that when the spring exerts its tension, this stub, 7, is securely locked
and holds the key as indicated in Fig. 1. The play between the key stem, 6,
As the

page_text: and the thill iron, K, represented by the lines, as will be noticed in Fig. 1, is
shorter than the length of the stub, 7, so that this key can be released only when
the shaft ends or tongue's end are in their lowest position upon the ground, when
the stub, 7, is permitted to escape. In this position the key can be moved in the
path of the are marked, z. so that the stub, 7, will escape the car, C, so that the
key can be removed by drawing the stem, 3, out laterally. To remove the key,
the spring, D, would, however, first have to be forced upward beyond the hub, 20,
which is accomplished by tapping it with a hammer or any other device from below.
The coupling can be so readily removed or inserted that any woman or child can
operate the same.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of our said inven.
tion, and in what manner the same is to be performed, we declare that what we
claim is :-
1. The combination with a thill coupling and iron, of an approximately U-shaped
key, provided at one end with a Intterly extending stub, one of said U-shaped
stems passing through said thill iron and coupling and a spring adapted to work
against said thill iron and said stubbed stem, all substantially as and for the
purpose set forth.
2. The combination with a thill coupling and iron, of an approximately U-shaped
key, one end of said key being adapted to work through said thill iron and coupling,
the remaining end being slotted and being provided with a latterly extending stub,
and a spring, said spring being held within said slotted stem and working against
said thill iron, said key being adapted to be locked while said spring is in position
adjoining said coupling, all substantially as and for the purpose set forth.
3. The combination with the coupling, B, of the thill iron, K, provided with a
hub, 20, of a key comprising the stems, 3, 5, 6 and terminating in the stub, 7, snid
stem, 6, being provided with a slot, i, said stem, 3, being adapted to work through
the said coupling, 13, and anid iron, K, and a spring D, adapted to be held within
the slot, 4, and against the hub, 20, to lock said stub, 7, adjoining said coupling, B,
all substantially as and for the purpose set forth.
Dated this 10th day of October 1895.
ALLISON BROS.,
Agents for the Applicants.