US1097688A - Hand-truck. - Google Patents

Description

G. P. TOLMAN.

HAND TRUCK.

APPLIOATION FILED DEG. 6, 1913.

Patented May 26, 1914,

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6212M INVENTOR W ATTORNEYS WITNESSE a? i. 4

G. P. TOLMAN.

HAND TRUCK.

APLPLIOATION FILED 1330.6, 1913.

1,097,688. v Patented May 26, 1914.

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, m I/WENTW? i a 4 ATTORNEYS COLUMBIA PLANOGRAPII COH\VASHINOTON, n, c.

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE,

CHARLES P. TOLIVIAN, OF NEW YORK, N. Y.

HAND-TRUCK.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that 1, CHARLES P. TOLMAN, a citizen of the United States, residing at New York city, in the county of New York and State of New York, have invented the following described Improvements in Hand-Trucks.

The improvement is a device capable of attachment to hand trucks, or like devices, or of original incorporation in the running gear thereof for the purpose of starting and propelling and also of stopping and steering such trucks and provides the particular advantage, among others, that 1t enables such vehicles when heavily loaded to be set in motion up inclines, or over obstructions in either direction, by hand and without undue exertion and to be brought to rest with equal facility, as will hereinafter appear.

In the accompanying drawings, Figure 1 is a fragmentary side elevation of a railway truck selected for illustration of the invention; Fig. 2, a front elevation; and Fig. 3, a partial plan of the same truck; F 1g. 1 is an example, in front elevation, of the application of the invention to the running gear of ordinary hand trucks.

Referring to the railway truck, the body 10 is carried on the usual side and cross bolsters, and the axles 11 thereof are journaled in boxes 12 secured thereto, with the wheels 13 preferably, in this instance, fixed to the axles so as to rotate therewith as the truck is moved along. A disk or drum 16 is mounted on either one of the rotating axles, or otherwise, so as to be capable of lo tating such axle, or at least one of the wheels thereon, and. for this purpose may be located either outside of the wheels or inside of them, as indicated in the drawings.

The drum is driven by frictional engagement with a drive member, in the form of a band or brake strap 17, which embraces it, one end of such band being permanently secured to the handle or operating lever 18 and the other to a stirrup link 22 hung on the axle, concentrically with the drum. The handle or lever 18 is also fulcrumed concentrically with the drum, being conveniently ring-jointed on the axle, for example, as shown at 20 in the drawings, and is provided with a pull-rod 23 connected with stirrup 22 and the other end of the friction band 17. The pull-rod is operated by a grip lever 21 at its outer end, such grip being Specification of Letters Patent.

Application filed December 6, 1913.

Patented May 26, 1914. Serial No. 804,977.

adjacent to the hand grip, 19 of the operating lever, so that the pull rod can be conveniently operated or released, as desired. It will be noted that the drawings show the friction band device and its pull rod and grip connections merely in conventional form, but it will be understood that these parts may assume any number of different forms, according to preference. A spring 24 is provided between. the handle and grip lever, urging the parts into their released position in which the friction between the brake strap and its drum is relieved. lVhile the weight of the parts or the tendency of the strap itself to uncurl might be sufficient to relieve the friction on the drum member, such spring is in any event desirably employed in the interest of reliability of action and so that the drum may rotate freely within or with respect to the band when the vehicle is in motion. The yoke link 22 is serviceable in guiding and supporting the end of the pull rod and also in keeping the free end of the strap in its place, yet it will be obvious that other means may be provided for this purpose and that any suitable coordination between the strap and its drum may serve to keep the former in place. It will also be observed that the band inemher is serviceable to rotate the wheel or axle in both directions and to brake it in both directions.

Motion imparted to the handle member 18 will obviously be imparted to the disk or drum 16, to rotate the latter and the wheels,

whenever the driving friction member 17 is engaged against the drum by pressure upon the grip lever 21, and by pressing this lever always on the downward or upward stroke, as the case may be, and releasing it on the intermediate strokes, the truck may be pro pelled in one direction or the other. The propulsive force will be dependent upon the size of the wheels and the length of the operating lever, as will be obvious, and by a proper proportionment of these elements, or, if desired, by the use of a suitable form of intermediate gearing, the device can be adapted to true {S for any purpose. Though very heavily loaded, a truck may thus be started, or worked up an incline, or over unevennesses of the floor or ground or track, by a single person, and when under way can be brought to rest by tightening the friction member after the manner of an ordinary friction brake. For this purpose the lever cated in the middle of the axle.

may be held by the hand of the operator while applying the braking friction or it can be latched to the truck body, as by means of some such device as shown at 26, Figs. 1 and 3. This retainer will of course hold the lever against movement with the drum and permit the operator to apply a braking pressure just sufficient for his needs.

Then the pumping movement of the lever mechanism is done by the operator from the rear of the truck, it is of advantage to have such mechanism located near one end of the axle, as shown in the drawing, for the operator walking behind and at one side of the car can thus have a clear view ahead.

Fig. at illustrates a further application of the invention in which the operating handle also serves as a tongue for steering the truck. In this form the truck body 10 is provided with a king bolt or the usual fifthwheel construction 27, enabling the axle 11 to be turned to one side or the other in the usual manner, the wheels 13 being in this case flat-treaded and adapted to roll over the ground or the floor of a factory or platform. The steering tongue and hand lever 18, corresponds in all respects to the lever 18 of the other figures, except that it is provided with a cross-bar 28 for greater convenience in pulling and steeringand is 10- The drum and strap construction is likewise identical,

being designated by the same reference numerals, and will be readily understood without further explanation. One or both the wheels 13 may be fast on the axle, or if desired each wheel may have its own drum and friction band operated by a single tongue handle, thus allowing the wheels to rotate at different rates or in different directions when the swiveled aXle is turned on the king bolt. The lateral movement of the tongue steers the truck, its vertical movement propels it in either direction, and the use of the grip lever alone brings the truck to a stop. A support, such as 26, may also be provided for this tongue.

l/Vhile I have described the simple and at present the preferred forms of my invention, it will be understood that various changes, omissions, substitutions and alterations of proportion and relative arrangement may be resorted to without departing from the invention.

I claim:

1. A manually operated propelling means comprising in combination with a driven member, a driving member having frictional engagement therewith and adapted to rotate the same in either direction, a hand lever for operating said driving member, and means for applying and releasing the friction between said driving and driven members independently of the motion of either.

2. In a wheeled truck adapted to be pro pelled by hand, the combination with one or more of the wheels thereof, of a hand lever oscillating in a vertical plane and provided with means whereby such oscillation may rotate the wheel in either direction, such means including a grip member on the handle operable to brake the wheel in either direction.

3. In a truck or like device, a manual friction drive, comprising the combination of a rotary driven member, a friction band member adapted to engage the driven member, a hand lever connected with the band and manual means for engaging and releasing the band independently of its lever action, whereby the band may serve as a brake and reversible propelling means.

l. In a truck or like device, a manual friction drive mechanism, comprising, in combination, a friction drum and band, a hand lever mounted substantially coaXially with the drum with one end of the band connected to it, and manually operated mechanism connected to the other end of the band for tightening the same on the drum, said mechanism and lever being conjointly operable to rotate the drum in either direction.

5. The combination with a rotary driven part, of a driving friction band member mounted for engagement therewith, two members j ournaled to oscillate coaxially with said driven part and connected respectively with different portions of the band, means for conjointly oscillating said members, and means for producing relative movement between them to tighten or release the band in either direction of oscillation.

6. In a friction drive for trucks and like devices, the combination of a driven drum, two jointly oscillatory members embracing the drum, a driving friction band encircling the drum and connected at its opposite ends to such members respectively, and means for producing relative movement between such members independently of their oscillatory movement.

7. The combination of a driven drum, a twopart oscillatory hand operatin device, and a driving friction band connected at its opposite ends with the two parts thereof.

8. In a manual drive, the combination of a driven drum, a driving member cooperating frictionally therewith, a handle part for oscillating said member, and a second handle part associated with the first and connected with the friction member to cause the grip and release of the same independently of the direction of its oscillatory movement.

9. The combination with a wheeled truck, of manual means for driving or braking the same comprising a drum member connected with one or more of the wheels of said truck, a friction band driving member en- ,gageable with the drum, a hand lever for oscillating or holding the driving member, and manual means associated with said lever for engaging the driving member with the drum on movement thereof in either direction and independently of such direction.

10. A wheeled truck having in combination therewith a rotary part connected with one or more of the wheels hereof, a friction driving and brake member cooperating with said rotary part, an oscillating manual device connected with said friction member to oscillate the same and provided with grip means for producing friction upon the drum independently of the direction of rotation thereof, and a spring tending to relieve the friction.

11. In a truck and in combination with an axle thereof, a drum fast on the axle, .a driving friction member cooperating with the drum, and a hand grip mechanism having relatively movable portions connected re spectively with opposite parts of said driving member.

12. A wheeled truck having in combination, a friction driven member, a friction member to drive or brake the same, a propelling handle controlling the frictional en gagement of said members and adapted to produce or relieve the friction therebetween, and a braking support detachably connected with the handle when used for braking.

13. A vehicle having a steering wheel and a drum member to rotate the same, a frictional driving member for the drum and a steering handle for such wheel cooperating with the driving member to rotate the drum.

1-1. A truck having in combination with a wheeled steering support, a driven friction member connected therewith, an oscillatory steering tongue, a driving friction member oscillated thereby, and means on such tongue to control the friction between the driving and driven members.

15. A truck having a drum connected with one or more of the wheels thereof, a hand lever mounted to oscillate coaxially with said drum, a friction band arranged to engage said drum and connected at one end to said lever, another member mounted to oscillate coaXially with said drum and having the other end of said band secured to it, a supplementary grip lever fulcrumed on the aforesaid lever, and a link connecting said supplementary grip lever and member.

16. In a wheeled truck, a manual friction drive therefore comprising a driven friction member connected to one or more of the wheels thereof, a friction band adapted to engage therewith, an oscillatory grip mechanism having parts connected with different portions of the band and movable to constrict and oscillate the same, and a spring tending to separate the parts of the grip mechanism.

17. In combination with a wheeled steering truck, a driven friction part connected with one or more of the wheels thereof, a friction driving member adapted to engage said part, a steering tongue at one end of the truck adapted to operate said driving member by a pumping motion, and means for controlling the frictional engagement of said driving and driven members to propel the truck in either direction.

18. In a steerable wheeled truck, a tongue movable laterally to steer the truck and movable vertically to propel the same.

19. In a steerable wheeled truck, a steering tongue and means adapting such tongue to propel or brake the truck in either direction.

In testimony whereof, I have signed this specification in the presence of tWo wit- IIQSSGS.

CHARLES P. TOLMA N. Witnesses H. G. KIMBALL, G. A. TAYLoR.

Copies of this patent may be obtained for five cents each, by addressing the Commissioner of Patents, Washington, D. C.

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