US635445A - Car-fender. - Google Patents

Description

Patented Oct. 24, I899.

w. moncx. GAB FENDER.

(Application filed Apr. 4, 1899.)

(No Model.)

"m: mums FEYEIS co Pncn'auma, WASHINGTON, n c.

WILLIAM MOROK, OF OAKLAND, CALIFORhIIA.

CAR FENDER.

SIPEGXFICATION forming part of Letters Patent 'No. 635,445, dated October 24, 1899.

Application filed April 4, 1899. Serial No. 711,659. (No model.)

To ttZZ whom it may concern.-

Be it known that I, WILLIAM MORCK, a citizen of the United States, residing at Oakland,"

county of Alameda, State of California, have invented an Improvement in Car-Fenders; and I herebydeclare the following to be a full, clear, and exact description of the same.

My invention relates to an improvement in fenders which are designed to be used upon the front of cars and like vehicles for the purpose of preventing persons from being injured by passing under the wheels of the cars.

It consists in a novel construction and arrangement of the fender, in combination with oppositely-acting springs,and in details of construction, which will be more fully explained by reference to the accompanying drawings, in which- Figure 1 is an end view of the fender. Fig. 2 is a top view.

A is a beam of the car, the truck, or other portion to which the projecting fender B has its rear portion pivoted, as shown at O.

The fender 13 consists of as many curved and forwardly-projecting arms as may be necessary to form a protection and to receive any person or article which may fall in front of the car. The fender may be entirely composed of these curved bars standing sufficiently near together or they may be placed at wider intervals, connected at top and bottom by transverse bars, to which they are attached, and be covered with screen, canvas, or other soft or flexible covering which will receive the falling body.

As here shown, the front of the fender is curved to form a contact portion B, which when the fender is depressed will strike the ground.

Beneath the fulcrum-point C rods D are slidable in the supporting-timber A, projecting horizontally forward and extending through the curved arms B at a point below the fulcrum C. These rods are secured to the fender-guards by nuts and are surrounded by springs E, having any desired tension.

F are vertical extensions from the points where the rods D are secured to the guards B, and through the upper ends of these extensions pass rods D. These rods are fixed to the extensions Fin a manner similar to that in which the rods D are fixed to the lower ends of the extensions and the guards.

The rods D extend through the timbers A and have heads upon the rear ends, which contact against the rear of timbers when drawn forward by the springs. The rods D extend through the timbers A and to a considerable distance rearwardly therefrom. Surrounding the rear portions of these rods are springs E, similar to the springs E, which surround the rods D.

It will be seen that the springs E, surrounding the rods D in front of the timber A and below the fulcrum or joint O, press outwardly upon the guards B, while the actions of the springs E upon the rear against the rearheads of the rods D and above the fulcrum or hinge point C tend to pull these rods rearwardly. The action of the two sets of springs is thus reversed, one pushing forwardly against the guards below the fulcrum-point and the other coincidently pulling rearwardly above the fulcrum -point. By this combination of springs acting in the manner described the front of the guards B is constantly lifted and kept above the surface of the ground and with any desired degree of tension, it being only necessary to set up the nuts upon the rods D D to compress the springs as much as may be desired, and any tendency of the guards to sag or lose their elastic supporting power can be remedied and corrected. The guard itself is not elastic and the tension of the springs is such that the guard is always kept at a certain distance from the ground, and whatever depression takes place the springs will always return the guard to the normal elevation again. The heads of the lower bolts also act as stops to prevent the fender being thrown upward.

Having thus described my invention, what I claim as new, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is-

l. A guard or fender for cars, consisting of forwardly-projecting inelastic curved guards having their rear ends hinged to a permanent part of the car structure, Vertical arms fixed to the guards, rods slidable through the support to which the guard is hinged above and below the hinge-point, spiral springs surrounding the rods, the lower one in front of the support, and the upper one in rear thereof.

2. A guard or fender for cars comprising a series of forwardly and downwardly curved inelastic arms or guards, hinges by which the rear portion of the fender is fulerumed upon a fixed portion of a truck or car structure, bars fixed to the fenders at a point in front of the fulcrum or hinge extending upwardly and downwardly with relation thereto, rods slidable through the fixed structure above and below the hinge-point of the fender, springs so disposed that one set exert a for- \VILLIAM MOROK.

Vitnesses:

S. H. NOURSE, JEssIE O. BRODIE.

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