US1249231A - Keeper for mine-cars. - Google Patents

Description

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narra es s ream, or PITTSBURGH, PENNSYLVANIA.

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Application filed 5111 171917. Seria1No.180,973.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, MAri-iras SMoLrK, a citizen of the United States, and residing in the city ofPittsburghyin the county of Allegheny and State of Pennsylvania, have invented or discovered new and useful Im provements in Clothes-Line Stretchers, of which the following is aspecification.

My invention consists in certain new and useful improvements in clothes line stretch;

ers, and relates to the general type of de vices for that purpose, form of which is shown i11- Letters Patent of the "United States No. 1,223,908, granted to me on April 24th, 1917. p i V a In my present invention I have provided an improved and cheapened form of stretcher which includes means whereby,

when the intermediate part of the clothes 3 line is raised, as :by means of a clothes pole or prop, the line is not disengaged from the stretcher, as is the .case with stretchers of this type now on the market, but the clamp ingeffect on the line is maintained. unimpaired. I also provide new and improved means for preventing the accidental dlsengagement of the loose end ofr-the line from the lower end of the clamping lever.

()ther novel and useful features of construction and arrangement of parts will appear from thef-ollowing description.

In the accompanyingdrawings, Figure l is a side elevation showing a clothesl-ine secured by my improved stretcher and, the intermediate portion of the line elevated by a clothes line prop; Fig. 2 is a front elevation of the stretcher; Fig. 3 is a bottom plan view of the same, while Fig. 4c is a bottom plan View showing a modification, the lower end of the lever beng swung away from the base plate for the sake of clearness.

The following is a detailed description of the drawings.

A is a base plate, which may be stamped or a casting, and which may be attached to a vertical surface or support, as the post B, by means of screws 1. The upper portion of said plate is bifurcated, as at 2, and adjacent to their bases the bifurcations 2 are provided with horizontally alined, outwardly extend-- ing bosses 3-which are pierced by alined pivot pin holes 4.

C is the clamping lever thickened intermediate of its ends and provided with a transverse pin hole 5, and 6 is a headed pin inserted through the pin holes 4 and 5 and riveted atits other end to. pivotally mount the lever C upon the plate A. The lower end of the lever is shorter, preferably, than its upper end, and is provided with an integral cross bar 7 whose ends, when the low r end of said lever is swung in toward the plate A, fit between. the-outwardly extend-- ing flanges 8 formed integral with the plate A, thus preventing the lateral escape of the end ofthe clothes line from beneath the cross bar 7. In Fig. i I have shown these flanges made integral with the ends of the cross bar 7, instead of the plate A, and extending inwardly, so as to inclose the plate A between them when the lower end of the lever is swung inwardly, thus serving the same purpose of preventing the escape of the end of the line.

The upper end of the lever C, which is preferably the longer end to give increased leverage, is forked to form a pair of fingers 9 and 10. The finger 9 extends upwardly and is slightly curved inwardly to act as a guide to the entering clothes line, while the other finger 10, is curved inwardly and downwardly to form a pocket in which the clothes line is engaged when the stretcher is in use.

In practice, theclothes line is inserted down between the fingers 9 and 10 and seats within the curved finger 10 and the end of the line is pulled downwardly until the desired degree of tautness is imparted to the intermediate portion of the clothes line., The loose end is then inserted under the cross bar 7 and the strain hitherto exerted on the end of the clothes line released. The strain or tautness of the intermediate portion of the clothes line will, by the pull exerted on the upper end of the lever C force the lower end of said lever inwardly, thus clamping the end of the clothes line in such a manner that it will support the intermediate portion of the same without permitting the latter to loosen or slacken.

Were but a simple fork or yoke provided at the upper end of the lever C, the use of a clothes pole or prop D, to raise the intermediate portion of the clothes line, marked E, would lift the line out of engagement with said yoke or fork of the lever, or so lessen the strain, that the lower end of the lever could not longer maintain a tight grip on the end of the line, and thus the clothes line and its burden of washing would be precipitated to the ground. However, the

A. w. SPAHT & R, JACOBS.

KEEPE R EOB MINE CARS. APPLICATION vFILED AUG-Q, I917.

Z'SHEETS-SHEET 2- ww w w WITNESSES loaded car,

county of Franklin and where caging rarns rarnr enric ALBERT WILLIAM SPAHT AND GEORGE R. JACOBS, OF CHRISTOPHER, ILLINOIS.

.KEEPER FOR MINE-CARS.

To all whom it may gemcern:

e it known that we, ALBERT W. SPAHT and Gnoncn R. J ACOBS, citizens of the United States, and residents of Christopher, in the State of Illinois, have invented new and Improved-Keepers for.

full, clear, and exact description.

Our. invention relates to keepers for holding a car on. a hoisting cage or platform, and While capable of use with other hoists or cages the invention primarily is intended for use in mines, either coal or mineral,- and hoisting with safety and speed are important.

The invention more particularly relates to keepers arranged to automatically stop and spot the cars on a hoisting cage or platform, self-dumping or otherwise, and to hold the same while being hoisted and dumped and Whilebeing lowered to the bottom of the mine shaft, provision being made to automatically open the keepers when'the cage arrivesat the bottom of the shaft to allow the empty car to leave the cage and a for example, to take the first carsplace. I r

. The objection to keepers ordinarily employed is that they are likely to produce wrecks or delays bv reason of the fact. that (1) theynot infrequently fail to. stop the car when the latter is run on the cage; (2) they often fail to close over a Wheel or between the Wheels; (3) they cannot be relied upon to unfailingly hold the car when the platform tilts for dumping, or l) they fail to hold the empty car when the cage is coming out of the usual dumping horns (not shown); or (5) they fail to release the car when the cage lands at the bottom of the mine shaft.

The prime object of our invention is to provide keepers that will overcome the objections referred to and this object is attained by keepers that will be positively opened when the cage reaches the bottom of the shaft and be tripped in ample time to be in position when an arriving car reaches the proper position on the cage; the keepers are 'so arranged as to close Specifica'ti on of Letters Patent.

Mine-Cars, of which the following is a Patented Dec. 4:, 119W.

Application filed AugustS; 1917. Serial No. 185,389.

the line 2 -2, 1;

Fig. 3 IS a similar View on the line 3-3,. 1g. Fig. 4 is a fragmentary plan view given to show certain trips on the cage to be engag-ed by a car coming into position on the cage.

In the illustrationthe letter A indicates the deck of a mine cage; B, the forward wheels of a car; B, the rear wheels; C, the

car aXles; D, the track rails'on the cage;

and D, the rails the mine 'at the bottom.

of the shaft.

On the cage at the under side of the-deck is a horizontal shaft which, it is to be noted, is formed in separate coaxial sections 10, 11. On the shaftsection 10 is secured a trip arm 12 deflected laterally at its free end to be engaged with the head 13 of a trio barld slidably supported in the mine'shaft at a side thereof and adapted to be controlled by 'a lever 15 to which one end of a retractile spring 16 is connected, the other end being suitably secured to any fixed support. The lever 15 is fulcrumed at its lower end as at 17 and intermediate its ends, it has a slot and pin connection, as at 18,-with the trip bar 14. The arrangement is such that the throwing of the lever will retract the trip bar while the spring 16 tends to restore the bar to the normal position with the head 13 thereof in the path of movement of the trip arm on the cage. The numeral 19 indicates hanger bearings on the"- under side of the cage lIl'WlllCll the shafts" 10,11 turn.

Later-ally swingable keepers 20 tioned on the cage at each side in position to close before the front wheels B and laterally swingable keepers 20 are positioned to close behind the rear wheels B. The faces 25 ofthe keepers are concave to conform to the car wheels. The front keepers 20 are mounted. on horizontal rock shafts 21 and are posi the rear keepers on rock shafts 22, the

yieldable longitudinally of their shafts 21 by reason of springs 26 coiled about said shaft, the springs serving to take the impact of a car wheel.

To operate the keepers from the shafts 10,

11, said keepers are formed below their shafts with rigid arms 27 extending to the underside of the deck of the cage, and the outer ends of pitmen or connecting rods 29 are connected to said arms 27, said connecting rods being arranged in pairs, there being a pair for each shaft section 10, 11, extending in opposite directions therefrom, the inner ends of the connecting rods of each pair being connected as at 30 to the opposite arms of cross heads 31 secured to the respective shaft sections 10, 11. The turning of the shaft sections thus serves to swing the keepers to the release or open position. The closing of the keepers is effected by retractile springs 32 disposed at each side of the shaft sections 10, 11, the springs being secured at their outer ends to any fixed sup ports such as brackets 33 on the underside of the cage deck and secured at their inner ends to cross heads 34- on the respective sections, whereby the springs Will be put under ten sion by the movement of the shaft sections to open the keepers and will react to close the keepers. At the adjacent ends of the shaft sections 10, 11, they are formed respectively with clutch elements 35, 36. in operationtherefore, as the cage descends the trip arm 12 thereof will contact with the endor head 13 of the trip bar 14% which will cause the shaft 10 to be rocked as indicated by the dotted line position ofthe trip 12 in Fig. 2, whereby through the action of the forward cross head 31 and forward connecting rods 29, the front keepers 20 will be swnng outwardly as indicated in dotted lines, Fig. 2, to the release position and out of the paths of the car Wheels. The turning of the shaft 10 for swinging the keepers 20 to the release position will have turned the shaft section 11 through the contact of the clutch members 35 with the clutch members 36, thereby swinging the rear keepers 20 to the released position through the action of the rear cross head 31 and rear connecting rods 29. The cage will have now settled in its position at the bottom of theshaft and since the trip arm 12 is still bearing on the trip rod let, the .haft sections are held in the release position of the keepers against tension of the front bar 14. from beneath the trip arm 12, thus permitting the front springs 32 to react and turn the shaft section 10 to close the front keepers 20. The position of the trip lever 15 is such that the bar 14: will not be withdrawn from beneath the trip arm 12' until the rear axle of the departing car passed beyond the front keepers 20. The rear shaft section 11 is in the meantime held by the means next described from being turned by the reaction of the rear springs 32 for closing the rear keepers 20, whereby said keepers are maintained open after the front keepers close. v I

On the shaft section 1]. is a fixed segment 3? which in the closed position of the keepers 20 is arrested by a fixed. stop 38 on the cage. The said segment is adapted to be engaged by a latch arm 39 on one end of a rock shaft l0 turning in bearings 41 on the under side of the deck. The rocking of the shaft in one direction to release the segment 3? is controlled by trips 42, t?! on the cage above the deck at each side in the paths of the Wheels of an arriving car. Said trips 42, 42 are secured to short upright shafts 43 which turn in bearings H and extend to the under side of the deck Where said shafts are formed With crank arms 45, 15*, the terminals 46, d6 of Which. are connected 'with links 47, el-T 'at one end of said links,

the opposite ends of said links being con nected respectively with the latch arm 39 and .vith a similar depending arm 48 on the op posite end of the latch shaft 1-0. To the arm 18 also is connected one end of a retractile spring 4!), the opposite end 50 of which spring is fixedly secured in any suitable man nor to the under side of the deck. With the described latch and trip, it will be seen that as the shaft 11 is turned the segment 37 Will be moved away from the top 38 to the full line position of Fig. 3', and the spring 49 will swing the latch arm 39 over the upper edges of said segment, thereby holding the shaft 11 from being turned by the reaction of the springs and thus the rear keepers- QO Will be maintained in the release position although the front keepers 20 will be swung to the closed position as described under the reaction of the front springs Upon a car arriving on the cage the front Wheels there; of will engage the trips 42, -12 and turn said tripe so that the vertical shafts 4-3 thereof'and the crank arms 45, CS will, through the links 47, 4-7, rock the latch shaft 40 to release the segment 3?, thereby permitting the rear s rings 82 to react for closing the rear keepers 26 behind the rear Wheels of 139 ice a ers To provide for operating the shaft sections 10, 11, manually lever arms 51 are secured thereto.

We Wish to state in conclusion that alin though the illustrated example constitutes a practical embodiment of our invention, we do not limit ourselves strictly to the mechanical details herein illustrated, since manifestly the same can be considerably vale ried without departure from the spirit of the invention as defined in the appended claims.

Having thus described our invention, We claim as new and desire to'secure by Let- ?Jttters Patent:

1. ln. means to lock cars on hoist cages, a front and a rear keeper mounted. on the cage for engaging or disengaging the car, said keepers being movable to locking or release positions, actuatingmeans for the front keeper, trip nibans relatively to Which said cage is movable and controlling said actuating means, whereby to move said front keeper to release position, means to restore so the front keeper to the locking position for arresting an arriving car, actuating means for the rear keeper and operable to move the said rear keeper to the release position with the release movement of the first l5 keeper, and trip means controlling said second actuating means to restore the rear keeper to the locking position, said second trip means being positioned on the cage in the path of movement of an arriving car to be in actuated by the latter.

2. In a means to lock cars on mine cages, of the type depending on tripping means acting at the level at which the car is taken on and discharged; a laterally swingable front keeper and a laterally sivingable rear keeper positioned on the cage respectively to engage or disengage a front Wheel and a rear Wheel of the car, means subject to the said tripping means for swinging both the said front and rear keepers to the release positions, means to restore the front keeper to the locking position independently of the second keeper, and means on the cage open able by an arriving car to restore the rear kce )er to the lockino- Josition.

In. a means to lock cars on mine cages, of the type depending on tripping means acting at the level at which the car is taken on and discharged; a front keeper and or '0 rear keeper mounted on the cage for move ment to locking and release positions respectively to engage or disengage a front Wheel and a rear wheel of the cur, means subject to the said tripping means for movinp; both .65 the said front and rear keepers to the release positions, means to restore the front keeper to the locking position independently of the second keeper, and means on the cage operable by an arriving car to restore the rear keeper to the locking position.

4. In a means toiock cars on mine cages, of the type depending on trip means rela tively to which the cage is movable; a front keeper and a rear keeper mounted on the cage to engage a car respectively in front and in the rear thereof, means subject to said tripping means to move the keepers to their release positions to permit a car to move from the cage, means to restore the front keeper to thelocking" position for nrresting on arriving car, means to retard the movement of the rear keeper after the said restoring movementof the front keeper, and means subject to an arriving car to re store the rear keeper to the locking posilllOll.

5. The combination with a mine cage or the like, of front and rear shafts, keepers movable by the turning of said shafts to release or locking position, means to rock said shafts in unison to move the keepers to the release position, means acting on the front shaft to restore the front keeper to the locking position independently of the rear keeper, and means controllable an arriving car to actuate the rear shaft for restoring the rear keeper to the locking position.

6. The combination with a mine cage or the like, of alined front and rear shaft sec tions, front and rear keepers operable respectively by the said shaft sections, trip means to turn the front shaft section for moving the front keeper to release position, said shaft sections having clutch. elements whereby to turn the rear section by the release movement of the front section, springs acting respectively on the said shaft sections and tending to so turn the same to restore the keepers to the locking positions, latch means t hold the rear shaft section and rear keeper against movement to the locking position With the restoring of the-front keeper, and trip means operable by an arriving car to unlatch said latch means.

7. In means to lock cars on mine cage or the like, sepa "ate front and rear keepers on the cage and located to engage a car in front and in the rear thereof, trip means to cause both keepers to be movedto release positions at the level at which cars are received upon and depart from the cage, means 0011- trolled by adeparting car to restore the front keeper to the locking position, and means subject to an arriving car to restore the rear keeper to the locking position be hind said last mentioned car.

8. In means to lock cars on a, mine cage or the like, separate alined front and rear shaft sections on the cage, front and rear keepers adapted to be actuated by said shaft sections and located on the cage to engage a car in front and in the rear thereof, separate spring means acting on said shaft sections and tending to turn the me to restore the keepers to. the locking positions, trip means adapted to actuate the front shaft section to move the front keeper to the release position, means toclient the release movement of the rear shaft section by the release movement of the front shaft sec maaesl tion, means controlled by a departing car to withdraw the trip means and permit the spring means of the front shaft section to react, latch means for the rear shaft section, and trip means for said latch means, said. last naei'itioned trip means being operable by an arrivil'ig car.

ALBERT WILLIAM SPAHT GEORGE E. JACOBS. Witnesses Jimrns Coonnnar, CLARENCE M. DURHAM.

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