US580618A - Car-fender - Google Patents

Description

UNITED STATES PATENT EErcE..

THEODORE LAMPUS, OF CLEVELAND, OHIO.

CA R F E N D E R SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 580,618, dated April 13, 1897.

Application filed December 8, 1896. Serial No. 614,943. (No model.)

To all whom t may concer/'n.-

`Be it known that I, THEODOEE LAMPUs, a

` citizen of the United States, residing at Clevewill enable others skilled in the art to which it appertains to make and use the same.

The principal object of my invention is to provide a fender for street-cars which will certainly pick up any person who gets between the rails in the path of the car, and

will do this with the minimum of personal injury to such person.

The invention relates particularly to the construction of the front end of the fender; and it consists in the construction and oombination of parts hereinafter described and claimed.

In the drawings, Figure l is a side elevation of the improved fender. Fig. 2 is a plan View of the same, and Fig. 3 is a sectional View on line 3 3 of Fig. 2.

Referring to the parts by letters, A represents the fender-frame, which consists of the two stout bent side barsaa, a transverse rear bar o/,which connects them, and a front rod a2, which preferably is a rock-shaft journaled in the front ends of the side bars.. This frame is covered by a netting a3, and the fender is xed beneath the front end of the car by any suitable means.

B B represent two curved tubular arms which are pivotally connected to the front end of the fender-frame with their concave sides up, and from the said fender-frame these arms project forward and slightly downward. The pivotal connection between these arms and the fender-frame is effected by respectively securing them to the rock-shaft a2 close'to the two side bars a a.

C C represent two plungers curved upon the same radius as the arms B B, into which they telescope, as shown. In each arm B around the plunger is a coil-spring c, which thrusts against a collar c upon the plunger and an internal shoulder b in the arm B, whereby said plunger is normally forced outward as far as it will go. This outward movement is limited by the engagement of the collar c with the cap b', which embraces the plunger and screws into the end of the arm B. Secured to the front endsof these plungers by means which I will presently eX- plain are the two rods E E', of which the rea-r bar is slightly higher than the front bar, and upon these two rods are mounted the sectional rollers e.. The construction shown for connecting the two rods E E', as described, is the following:

An approximately horizontal plate c2 is formed on the front end of each plunger, and it extends both behind and in front of said end. A transverse rod D extends from one plate c? tov the other, passing through them at points about midway between their ends. On this rod the plates d are secured, which plates extend forward and rearward from said rod. tively, through the front and rear ends of the plates c2 and all of the plates d, the parts being held in the described relation to one another by the nuts e d', which are screwed onto the ends of the rods E, E', and D.

G representsa forked bar, the two front ends of which are bent outward and pass into holes c3 in the front ends of the plungers C O. This bar passes beneath the fender-frame and through a fixed bracket H, which is secured to the under side of the car. A coil-spring g surrounds the rear end of bar G and thrusts against the front side of the bracket H and a collar g on the bar, the result being that said bar is always pressed'forward by the action of the spring. This spring supplements the action of the springs c in pushing the plungers C forward. In fact, the springs c might be omitted without seriously affecting the operation of the device. The spring g also acts, after the plungers have been moved outward as far as possible, to swing the ends of the arms B B forward and upward until such movement is stopped by the engagement of thecurved arms h2, which are secured to arms B, with the shoulders j on collars J. These collars are adjustably secured by set-screws j' to studs a5, which project inward from bars a..

Because of the curved shape of the arms B and plungers C the forward movement of said plungers in said arms raises the two rollerbearing rods E E above the ground. The

The two rods E Ef pass, respecf IOO described movement of the arms B, produced by spring g, produces a similar result. The reverse movement of plunger-s and arms produces the contrary result-that is to say, causes said rods E E to move toward the ground. The result of this mode of action is that when the front bar E strikes a person who is between the tracks said bar yields, that is to say, moves backward, whereby the blow is cushioned by the springs c and g. In its backward movement it moves nearer the ground,whereby when the plungers have been pushed as far as possible into the arms B a further pressure upon the bar'E causes the arms B to swing down, which action is increased by the weightupon the bar E. The combined action of the plungers C and arms B has the result of moving bar E so near to the ground that it is sure to pass bencathand not over the person struck, whereby he is lifted onto the fender, the rollers e facilitat-A ing the said movement.

When the pressure upon the movable end of the fender is removed, the partsautomatically resume their normal position, as shown.

K represents U-shaped spring-shoes, the upper legs of which are riveted or otherwise secured to the rock-shaft 0,2, and they extend from the said shaft forward, downward, and rearward. They are not intended to touch the road-bed under normal conditions, but

when the arms B B are swung downward,as` described, they will interpose a spring-cush` curved plungers which telescope said arms, a spring-actuated fork-bar Gr pivotally connected with said plungers, and one or more transverse bars connecting the front ends of said plungers, substantially as and for the purpose specified.

2. The combination of a fender-frame, and two curved tubular arms pivoted to and eX- tending forward and downward from the front end of said fender-frame, stops to limit the upward movement of the front ends of said arms, correspondingly-curved plun gers which telescope said arms, a spring-actuated forked bar .pivotally connected with said plungers, a xed bracket through which the rear end of said fork-bar passes, and one or more transverse bars secured to the front ends of said pl'ungers, substantially as and for the purpose specified.

3. The combination of a fender-frame, the two curved tubular arms pivoted to and extending forward and downward from the front end of said frame, the stop-arms b2 secured to the arms B, andv the adjustablestops j, with the correspondingly curved plungers which telescope the arms B, and have at their front ends forwardly and rearwardly extended plates, the bars E, E', and D, the plates d,

sectional rollers e, the forked bar G, pivotally.

connected with the two plungersthe Xed brackets H and springg, substantially as and for the purpose specied.

ln testimony whereof I afliX my signature in presence of two-witnesses.

A THEODORE LAMPUS. Witnesses:

E. L. THURsToN, E. B. GILoHRisT.

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