US618432A - Thill-coupling - Google Patents

Description

No. 6|a,432. Pafentedlan. 31, |899. H. L. uLlPHANT.

THILL COUPLING.

(Applicnton filed May 19', 1898,)

(Nn Model.) I

, 7V F, l j' IB Q I 'Z/j. .Cif 315 2 ,I Y |1 l iINiTED STATES PATENT EEicE.

HOMER L. OLIPHANT, OF CINCINNATI, INDIANA, ASSIGNOR OF ONE-HALF TO JOHN W. MOOD, OF STANFORD, AND ASBURY F. MOOD, OF BUENA visTA, INDiANA.

THlLL-COUPLING.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 618,432, dated January 31, 1899.

Application filed May 19, 1898. Serial NO- 681,145. (No model.)

To all whom it may concern.'

Be it known that I, I-IoMER L. OLIPHANT, a citizen of the United States, and a resident of Cincinnati, Greene county,State of Indiana, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Thill-Couplings; and my preferred manner of carrying out the invention is set forth in the following full, clear, and exact description, terminating with claims particularly specifying the novelty.'

This invention relates to carriages and wagons, and more especially to the thillcouplings vused in connection therewith; and the object of the same is to produce an improved thill-coupling and antirattler combined whereof the parts can be disengaged without removing any bolt or screw.

To this end the invention consists in the details of con-struction hereinafter more fully described in connection with their respective functions and advantages and as illustrated in the drawings, wherein- Y Figure 1 is a central longitudinal section of all the parts of this thill-coupling in operative position. Fig. 2 is a perspective detail of several parts thereof disconnected from each other. Fig. 3 is a front elevation of the block.

The letter A designates the axle, which is of any approved construction and formation and forms no part of the present invention.

vThe letter @designates the clip, which is vcomposed of an inverted-U-shaped strap of metal l, passing over the axle, and whose arms 2 and 3 extend downward on opposite sides thereof, as usual, and are threaded for the reception of nuts 4 and 5. Y

The letter P designates the clip-plate,which is preferably transversely grooved, as at 10, on its upper side near its rear end for the reception of the axle A, sockets 11 and holes 12 being provided for the arms 2 and 3 of the clip, as usual. In the lower face of this plate is formed a recess 13, surrounding the rearmost hole 12, for a purpose to appear hereinafter. Forward of the transverse groove 10 the body of the plate l? is bifurcated, so as to form two arms 14, extending forward from a straight vertical front wall l5, and which arms are complementary of each other. Each of the latter has on its inner face an inwardlyprojecting iiange 16, starting from a point 17 at about the mid-lengtli of the upper edge of the arm 14, thence extending in a curved manner around the front end of said arm, thence continuing to the rear along the lower edge of the arm, and terminating at a point 18 on said lower edge considerably in rear of the point 17. The entire plate and its arms and flanges are preferably formed in one piece of metal.

The letter B designates the block, which in the present instance is also preferably made of metal instead of rubber or some soft or yielding material, as hitherto common in antirattlers. This block has a dat upper face 20, a flat but rearwardly-inclined rear face 2l, forming an obtuse angle 22 with the upper face, and a front face which extends vertically downward for a short distance, as at 23, thence inclines slightly to the rear, as at 24, thence makes a curved bearing 25, then a hori- Zontal rearwardly-proj ecting shoulder 26, and finally extends vertically downward, as at 27, all as best seen in Fig. l. In front elevation this block is substantially T-shaped, as best seen in Fig. 3, the head of the T consisting of that portion comprising the vertical front face 23, which, it will be seen, extends to a greater distance laterally than the shank of the T, which comprises the remaining portion of the block. At the ends of this head may be formed depending lips 2S, for a purpose to appear hereinafter, and when these lips are employed there will be downwardly-facing grooves 29 between their inner edges and the sides of the' shank of the T. In the front face of said shank, at its edges, are cut notches 30, occupying that portion whereof the center of the shank is inclined to the rear, as at 24. The bearing 25 occupies the entire lateral width of the front face of the shank, and the lower end or remaining portion of the shank beneath the shoulder 26 and comprising that portion occupied by the vertical part 27 of the .front face is shaped like an inverted-T head, which is formed by grooves 3l out in the sides of the block just beneath the shoulder 26 from front to rear thereof.

The letter W designates a wedge having a vertical rear face 40 and an inclined front face 4l, and mounted on a transverse pivot 42 through the lower end of this wedge is a bail 43, which also preferably tapers downward in side elevation to follow the convergence of the two faces of the wedge.

The letter S designates aspring, preferably having a rectangular heel 50 at its rear end, adapted to be seated fiush in the recess 13in the lower side of the plate P and perforated for the reception of the rear arm 2 of the clip C. From this heel 50 the body 51 of the spring curves downward and forward, and its front end is provided with a hook 52, adapted to take into the bail 48 of the wedge.

All parts are of the desired sizes, shapes, proportions, and materials, but preferably of metal. T designates the T-head at the rear end of the thill-iron, which is illustrated for the purpose of showing its cooperation with my invention.

In use the plate P is passed beneath the axle A and its groove 10 engaged under the same, whereby much of the strain heretofore thrown on the clip will be removed. The clip C is passed over the axle, its arms engaging the holes 12. The heel of the spring S is seated in the recess 13 beneath the plate, and the nuts are applied to the lower ends of the clip-arms, as usual,'the rearmost nut holding the spring in place. The T-head at the rear of the thill-iron is then seated in the-bearing 25 in the front of the block I3, and both parts while in this position are passed downward between the arms 14C of the plate P and with the rear face 2l of the block against the front wall 15 ofthe plate. This permits the ends of the T-iron to pass in rear of the points 17 of the inwardly-extending flanges 1G, and the parts are moved downward until the lips 28 (if they are employed) pass over the upper edges of the arms 14;, and the grooves 29 embrace said arms closely. Obviously these lips will prevent spreading of the arms under strain, and hence I consider their use arlvantageous; but if they are not employed the device will work nearly, if not fully, as well. The block B is, then mved forward, with the shoulder 26 resting on the lower sides of the flanges 16, and the rear ends of the latter move into the grooves 3l of the T- head 27. As the thill-iron is brought into the curved front ends of the flanges the upper rear ends 17 thereof are seated in the notches 30 for a portion of the depth of the latter. It will be obvious that in use the thill-iron will wear at ends only, and the curved front ends of the flanges will also wear more readily than the bearing 25 of the block, and hence in time the latter may move farther forward, so as to seat the upper rear ends 17 of the lianges more deeply in the notches 30. The wedge WV is then brought into play and inserted from above, with its flat rear face 40 against the front wall 15 and its inclined front face 41 against the inclined rear face 2l of the block,

and this wedge is borne downward until it pinches between the block and the wall of the plate. The baillt is then swung forward, the tip of the spring S borne upward, and its hook 52 engaged within the bail. It will be obvious that the normal tendency of the spring is to draw the wedge downward, and such movement of the latter necessarily forces the block forward, so that its bearing 25 presses firmly against the rear of the thill-iron, thus silently, constantly, and effectively producing a frictional antirattler composed entirely of metal and which not only takes n p the wear of parts, but will not yield in the least when the vehicle is backed.

In order to remove the thills, as for the insertion of a new pair or the connection with the vehicle of a tongue, the bail is disengaged from the hook, the wedge is removed from above, the block is borne to the rear until its T- head 27 passes behind the points 18 at the lower rear ends of the flanges 16, and the block then removed by lifting it vertically out of the bifurcated front end of the plate. The thill-iron may be removed with the block if there is sufcient distance between the bearing-face 25 and the rear upper ends 17 of the anges, or it maybe removed later and independently, if desired.

Vhat is claimed as new is- 1. In a thill-coupling, the combination with a clip-plate having front side larms with inwardly projecting iianges curved around their front ends, and a block T- shaped in front elevation with the head of the T adapted to rest on said arms and the shank of the T adapted to pass between them and formed with a transverse bearing complementing that within said flanges, the plate between its arms having a vertical front wall and the rear faceA of said block being inclined; of a wedge having a vertical rear face and an inclined front face and adapted to fit between the arms and in rear of the block', a bail pivoted to the lower end of the wedge, and a spring secured to the bottom of the clip-plate and having a hook in its free end removably engaging said bail, as and for the purpose set forth.

2. In a thill-coupling, the combination with a clip-plate having front side arms with inwardly projecting flanges curved around their front ends, and a block T-shaped in front elevation with the head of the T adapted to rest on said arms and having depending lips at its side ends to engage the outer faces of said arms, and the shank; of the T adapted to pass between them and formed with a transverse bearing complementing that within said flanges, the front of the plate and the rear of the block between the side arms of the former constituting a downwardly-tapering opening; of a wedge tapering to fit in said tapering opening, a bail pivoted to the lower end of the wedge and tapering in side elevation to conform to the taper of the wedge, and a spring secured to the bottom of the clip-plate IOO IIO

and having a hook in its free end removably engaging said bail, as and for the purpose set forth.

3. In a thill-coupling, the combination with the clip-plate bifurcated at its front end, and inwardly-projecting anges on the side arms thereof curving around their front ends and extending partially to the rear at their lower edges; of a block'fitting between said arms and having a head resting on their upper edges, a transverse bearing complementing that within the curved front ends of the anges, an inverted-T head at its lower end engaging beneath the lower portions of the flanges when the block is moved forward, and means for pressing this block normally to the front, as and for the purpose set forth.-

4. In a thill-couplin g, the combination with the clip-plate bifurcated at its front end, and inwardly-projecting ianges on the side arms thereof curving around their front ends and extending partially to the rear at their upper edges; of a block fitting between said arms and having notches in its front face adapted to engage the rear ends of saidvflanges when the block is moved forward, its front face also having a transverse bearing beneath the notches complementing that in the front ends of the flanges, and means for pressing this block normally to the front, as and for the purpose set forth.

5. In a thill-coupling, the combination with the clip-plate bifurcated at its front end, and inwardly-projecting anges on the side arms thereof curving around their front ends and extending partially to the rear at their upper edges and further to the rear at their lower edges; of a block fitting between said arms and having in its front face a transverse bearing complementing the curved portions of the anges, notches in its front face above said bearing, and an inverted-T head at its lower end, said notches engaging the rear upper ends and the grooves of the T-head engaging the rear lower ends of said flanges when the block is moved forward, and means for pressing this block normally to the front, as and for lthe purpose set forth.

In testimony whereof I have hereunto sub scribed my signature on this the 16th day of May, A. D. 1898.

I-IOMER L. OLIPHANT.

NVitnesses JOSEPH I-I. TAGUE, J AMES W. BEIER.

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