Improvements in or relating to Devices for Operating and Retaining in Any Desired Position Swinging Ventilators or Dome Lights, such as are used in Street Cars, Railway Cars, or the like.
Year: 1895

page_text: Date of Application, 11th Jan., 1895-Accepted, 23rd Mar., 1895
Improvements in or relating to Devices for Operating and Retaining
in Any Desired Position Swinging Ventilators or Dome Lights,
such as are used in Street Cars, Railway Cars, or the like.
A communication by EDWARD S. MERRILL, of Portland, in the County of
Cumberland and State of Maine, United States of America.
1, WILLIAM PHILLIPS THOMPSON, F.C.S., M.I.M.E., of The Agency for
Foreign Patent Solicitors, 6 Lord Street, Liverpool, and 6, Bank Street,
Manchester, both in the County of Lancaster, 118 New Street, Birmingham, in
the County of Warwick and 31 High Holborn, in the County of Middlesex, Civil
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 :-
This invention relates to a device for operating and securing transom lights and
it is more particularly to be used in connection with the swinging ventilators such
as are used in street cars and railway cars. The main object of this device is to
apply to the operating mechanism a holding appliance which shall retain the
ventilator in any desired position.
The operating mechanism to which this invention has been particularly applied
consists of a shaft journalled adjacent to the ventilator and an arm on said shaft
opposite each ventilator and a link connecting said arm with the sash of the
ventilating window.
By the application of this invention to be hereinafter described, the shaft may
be firmly retained in any desire position.
In the accompanying drawing a car ventilator, fitted up with this improved
holding device, is illustrated.
In which,
Fig. 1 is a front view,
Fig. 2 is a section on the line y y of Fig. 1,
Fig. 3 is an enlarged section on the line x x of Fig. 2 and
Fig. 4 is a detail of the handle lever.
B represents as herein shown, the casing of the car and A is the swinging
ventilator sash hinged at the bottom and swinging out at the top. The sash is
operated by a rod or shaft g journalled in suitable bearings (only one of which
is shown) and having an arm e opposite each sash. The arme is connected with
the sash by means of a link d pivoted by one end to the end of the arm e and by
the other to the arm c attached to the upper part of the sash A. The mechanism
already described is old and well known and its operation will be understood from
its construction.
To the shaft g is secured a handle lever I of any suitable shape for the purpose
of turning said shaft.
The lever I is secured on the shaft between the ends of two ears f' on the end
of a stud which is secured to the casing B.
A cylindrical casing H made, as herein shown in two parts, is attached to the
stud and surrounds the handle lever 1, the shaft g passing through the centre of
the casing H.
The cylindrical casing H has a peripheral slot or opening within which the
lever 1 swings, for the purpose of turning the shaft, and the inner surfaces of this
D

page_text: opening, or that portion next to the lever I, are formed into teeth or corru-
gations h.
The lever I is provided near where it is attached to the shaft with a lateral
opening through which passes a U-shaped spring which extends up each side of
the lever I and fits in the corrugations in the casing H. A recess is formed in
the lever adjacent to the opening i where the spring passes through to form a
bearing for the edges of the spring and to prevent it from slipping. It will be
readily seen that the force of the spring will force the ends thereof into the
corrugations h, and so hold the lever and the shaft firmly in place.
The tension of the spring and the form of the corrugations are such that the
ends of the spring will slip from one recess to the other as the lever is turned
but it will hold the lever in place against any ordinary jarring, the action of the
wind or any other causes which would usually tend to force it open.
It is evident that other forms of spring than that herein shown may be secured
to the lever I in such a manner as to play in the corrugations so that my
correspondent does not wish to limit himself to the use of the U-shaped spring
described.
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 herein described device for operating and securing transom lights,
consisting of a shaft journalled in suitable bearings, a lever connecting said shaft
with each transom light, a handle lever secured to said shaft and having a transverse
opening through it adjacent to said shaft, a U-shaped spring passing through said
opening and having its ends projecting upward at each side of said lever, a
cylindrical casing for enclosing the base of said lever, said casing having
peripheral slot or opening within which the lever swings, the sides of said opening
having corrugations into which the ends of said spring fit to hold said lever in
place.
2. The herein described device for operating and securing transom lights, con-
sisting of a shaft journalled in suitable bearings, a lever connecting said shaft with
each of the transom lights, a handle lever secured to said shaft, a spring secured
to said lever and having a free end extending out from the side thereof, a
cylindrical casing for enclosing the base of said lever, said casing having a peri-
pheral slot or opening, the sides of which are provided with corrugations into
which the end of said spring fits to hold said lever in place.
Dated this 10th day of January 1895.
WM. P. THOMPSON & Co.,
Agents.