and in Indicators to be Used in Conjunction therewith.
Year: 1888

page_text: and in Indicators to be Used in Conjunction therewith.
WO, JOHN KENDALL of School Cottage, Clements Road, Notting Hill, Engineer and
OWEN COOPER of 70 High Street Notting Hill, Butcher, both in the County of
Middlesex 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 :-
Our invention relates to coupling devices for electrical and other purposes.
Our improved coupling device is chiefly designed for use on railway carriages for
effecting the connection of electrical conductors for signalling or other purposes, or the
connection of shafts for operating locking devices of the kind or class described in
the spocification accompanying our application for Letters Patent bearing the same
date as our present application, and numbered 7544, or for other purposes.
Our improved coupling device is reversible that is to say the two halves or parts
thereof can be so adjusted that either half or part may be inserted in the other half or
part thereof. It is moreover extremely simple and at the same time more efficient
than those hitherto constructed.
When our coupling device is used for connecting the electrical conductors of
signalling apparatus on a railway train, we sometimes use in conjunction therewith an
improved indicator hereinafter described.
In the accompanying drawing
Figure 1 is a longitudinal vertical central section illustrating one form of our
improved coupling.
Figure 2 is a longitudinal vertical central section showing our improved indicator.
A, A are portions of two wires, cables or shafts which it is desired to couple or
connect.
a a are bell-mouthed or conical pieces formed with extensions a' which fit into tubes

page_text: or sleeves and are attached thereto by means of set-screws c or in any other
convenient manner. The tubes or sleeves are fitted upon slide pieces d provided
with rods or bars e, of round, square or other suitable form in transverse section.
These rods or bars e are attached in any convenient manner to the said slide pieces d
and extend through suitable holes a² in the extensions a' of the bell-mouthed or conical
pieces a. The slide pieces have hollow or tubular parts d² in which are placed
springs around the rods or bars e. The said slide pieces d are connected by means of
universal joints g with sockets h in which the extremities of the wires, cables or shafts
which it is intended to couple are attached in any well known or suitable manner. The
slide pieces d are moreover provided with slits or slots i, in which are adapted to
engage spring catches j attached by means of rivets j¹ or in any suitable manner to
the tubes or sleeves. The slits or slots i, are formed of larger dimensions than
the catches so as to allow when necessary a certain amount of play or movement
of the said sleeves upon the slide-pieces d.
To couple up the device, one of the catches j is disengaged from the slit or sloti in
the corresponding slide piece d. The tube or sleeve on the said slide-piece is then
moved forward by the action of the spring until the spring catch j engages in the
slit or slot and the bell mouthed or conical piece a projects a short distance beyond
the end of the rod or bar e. The other catch is retained engaged in the slit or slot i,
and the corresponding spring f is consequently compressed and the rod or bar e projects
beyond the bell-mouthed or conical piece a. The two halves of the coupling are then
brought together and the projecting portion of the rod or bar e of one half or part
passes into the hole or aperture a in the other half or part of the coupling.
The above operation may be reversed, that is to say, the sleeve or tube b of that
part of the coupling from which the bar or rod e is shown projecting may be released
and the other sleeve or tube drawn back so that its bar or role will project from
the bell mouthed or conical piece a.
When the above described improved electric or other coupling device is employed
upon railway carriages or in other situations where it is necessary to compensate for
variations of length due to the movement of the carriages in rounding curves or to
other causes, the springs fallow for the said variations, the slits or slots i, i¹ being
made of larger dimensions than the catches j for that purpose as hereinbefore mentioned,
sufficient clearance is moreover provided between the adjacent extremities of the rods
or bars e.
To uncouple the device the spring catch j is released from the slit or slot & and the
bell mouthed or conical piece a is moved backwards until the said catch engages in
the slit or slot, or the one half or part of the coupling is withdrawn from the other
half or part thereof by the movement of one of the railway carriages to which the
device is applied or otherwise.
Figure 2 illustrates our improved indicator. One of these indicators is to be
provided in each compartment of a train and is to be connected with an electric bell
in the guards van. k is a push-piece, 7 is a spindle having a piston m and arranged to
slide in a suitable casing n. The piston m is actuated by a spring o and is normally
retained in position in the casing n by a spring catch p. When the push piece k is
operated by hand from the inside of the railway-carriage, the piston m is released
from the catch p, and the spring o causes the spindle to pass through an aperture q
and to project outside the casing n which is fixed on the exterior of the railway
carriage, and thus indicate in which compartment the alarm bell has been rung.. In
some instances we wind or coil a flag round the said spindle or upon a reel or sleeve
upon the same in such a manner that the said flag will be unwound or unfurled by the
wind or by the motion of the train when the said spindle is caused to project from the
casing n. Sometimes moreover we paint the spindle or the herein before mentioned
flag with luminous paint so that the indicator can be distinguished at night.
l
We have herein before described what we consider to be the most convenient and
advantageous method of carrying our said invention into practice, it is obvious
however, that we can somewhat modify the details of construction of our apparatus
without departing from the nature of our said invention.

page_text: Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of our said inven-
tion, and in what manner the same is to be performed we wish it understood that we
claim
First. A coupling device for electrical and other purposes comprising bell-mouthed
or conical parts arranged to slido longitudinally upon rods or bars connected by means
of universal joints with the conductors shafts or other objects to be coupled
substantially as and for the purposes hereinbefore specified.
Second. The improved reversible coupling device consisting of the parts constructed
and combined substantially as described with reference to Figure 1 of the accom-
panying drawing for the purposes specified.
Third. The use in conjunction with electrical signalling apparatus provided with
our improved coupling devices of the improved indicator substantially as described
with reference to Figure 2 of the accompanying drawing for the purpose specified.
Dated this 22nd day of May 1888.
HASELTINE, LAKE & Co.,
45, Southampton Buildings, London, W.C.,
Agents for the Applicants.
HASELTINE, LAKE & Co.,
45, Southampton Buildings, London, W.C.,
Agents for the Applicants.