Improvements in Thill or Pole Couplings.
Year: 1897

page_text: Date of Application, 24th Mar., 1897-Accepted, 12th June, 1897
[Communicated from abroad by JAMES CAVANAGH, of Lake City, Michigan, in
the County of Milwaukee, United States of America, Bank Cashier.]
Improvements in Thill or Pole Couplings.
I, HENRY HARRIS LAKE, of the Firm of Haseltine, Lake & Co., Patent
Agents, 45 Southampton Buildings, 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 :-
The object of this invention is to produce a simple and inexpensive thill or pole
coupling, which can be detached from the vehicle without the removal of the
ordinary coupling bolts, and without detaching the thill-eyes, and also without
disturbing any anti-rattler which might be used.
In the drawing forming a part of this specification,
Fig. 1 is a plan view of the rear end of the thills or pole, broken, and showing
the thill-eye;
Fig. 2 is a side elevation of Fig. 1, showing the parts as when coupled, and
showing the parts when in position to be detached, in dotted lines ;
Fig. 3 an inverted plan of Fig. 1, showing the open position of the latch in
dotted lines, and
Fig. 4 shows the two parts of the coupling detached from each other.
Referring to the parts of the drawing pointed out by numerals, 5 is the thill-eye
which in use is attached to the vehicle by the ordinary bolt, the latter not being
here shown. This bolt it will be readily understood, serves as a pivot upon which
the thill-eye moves up and down in coupling and uncoupling the thills or pole.
Formed integral with the eye 5, is an attaching-bar 6, and projecting upward from
this bar 6, in front of the eye 5, is a socket 7, adapted to detachably receive a
lug 8, on the rear end of the thill or pole iron 9. Figs. 2 and 4.
The socket 7 and lug 8, are adapted to enter one into the other when at opposite
oblique angles to each other as in dotted position in Fig. 2, and not to draw out of
the other when the thill or pole has been brought to the used position. The thill
or pole iron 9, of which the lug 8 forms a part, is chambered in so as to receive the
attaching-bar 6, when in the coupled condition as in Fig. 2. Pivoted to the under
side of the thills or pole at 10, is an elastic metal latch 11, so arranged as to be
swung laterally in uncoupling the parts, and when in its used position beneath the
thills or pole as in Fig. 2, holds the attaching-bar 6, in place. Other means
might be employed to hold the bar 6 up in place, such as a slide for instance, for
engaging with the end of the bar, but no other means is here shown. The free end
of the latch 11, is provided with a downwardly curved portion 12, forming a
convenient means for taking hold of the elastic latch 11, to spring it down in
uncoupling the thills or pole. This is necessary for the reason that the latch has
a lug 13, which enters a socket on the under side of the attaching-bar 6, to keep it
from lateral displacement. The under side of the thill-iron 9 is provided with a
socket to receive a projection on the upper side of the attaching-bar 6, to keep said
bar from lateral displacement. The dotted lines at 15 will serve to show this.
The edges of the attaching-bar 6, are chamfered off at 16 and 17 to facilitate the
passage of the lug 13 on the latch 11, but this is not absolutely necessary.

page_text: Of course it will be understood that the parts here shown are duplicated, the
construction being alike on both sides of the thills or pole.
In the operation of detaching the thills or pole, the latch 11, is swung to the
position shown in dotted lines in Fig. 3, the thills or pole to the position shown in
dotted lines in Fig. 2 and the lug will draw out of the socket as before explained,
while the thill-eyes remain attached to the vehicle. In coupling of course the
action is reversed.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of my 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-
1st. A thill or pole coupling, comprising a pivoted thill-eye provided with its
integral socket and attaching-bar, a thill-iron provided with the end lug adapted
for attachment in a detachable manner with the socket of the thill-eye, and a latch
or the like for engagement with the attaching-bar to hold it in place, substantially
as set forth.
2nd. A thill or pole coupling, comprising a pivoted thill-eye provided with its
integral socket and attaching-bar, said attaching-bar having a lug on its upper
side, a thill-iron provided with a lug adapted for attachment in a detachable
manner to the socket of the thill-eye, said thill iron having a socket on its under
side to receive the lug of the attaching-bar to keep it from displacement, and a
spring latch adapted to swing over the attaching-bar to hold it in place,
substantially as set forth.
3rd. A thill or pole coupling, comprising a pivoted thill-eye provided with the
integral socket and attaching-bar, a thill-irou provided with a lug adapted for
detachable attachment with the socket of the thill-eye, a latch adapted to swing
over the attaching-bar to hold it in place, said latch and attaching-bar and the
parts against which they rest being provided with interlocking lugs and sockets to
hold the parts from lateral displacement, substantially as set forth.
HASELTINE, LAKE & Co.,
45 Southampton Buildings, London, W.C., Agents for the Applicant.