US743272A - Safety trolley-alarm. - Google Patents

Description

I No. 743,272. V PATENTBD NOV. 3, 1903.

W. M. GRUNBR & W. 0. PINK. I SAFETY TROLLEY ALARM.

APPLICATION FILED SEPT. 14. 1903 2 SHEETS-SHEET 1.

N0 MODEL.

\ Qumhm ufluuuuufl HH H HHI Illlllllllllilu lulllllnlllfllllll WITNESS-E81 uvvlslvrofia ATTORNEYS No. 743,272. PATENTED NOV. 3, 1903.

W. M. GRUNBR & W. 0. PINK. SAFETY TROLLEY ALARM.

APPLIGATION FILED SEPT. 14, 1903. N0 MODEL.

2 SHEETS-SHEET 2.

A 770/?NE rs UNITED STATES iatented November 3, 1903.

PATENT OFFICE.

WILLIAM M. GRUNER AND WILLIAM C. FINK, OF SPRINGDALE,

' PENNSYLVANIA.

SAFETY TROLLEY-ALARM.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 743,272, dated November 3, 1903.

Application filed September 14, 1903. Serial No. 173,100. (No model.)

To all whom it may concern."

Be it known that we, WILLIAM M. GRUNER and WILLIAM C. FINK, citizens of the United States, residing at Springdale, in the county of Allegheny and State of Pennsylvania, have invented a new and Improved Safety Trolley- Alarm, of which the following is a specification.

Our invention relates to safety trolleyalarms, an alarm on the car adapted to be sounded upon jumping of the trolley from the conductor-wire or breaking of the trolleysheave through special devices or instrumentalities employing a local circuit witha special circuit-closer, the circuit-closer being adapted in its operation to simultaneously through a special subtrolley complete or restore the motor-circuit from the conductorwire down through the car to. ground or will be pointed out in the claims.

In the drawings, Figure l is a view illustrating our invention in use. Fig. 2'is an enlarged detail view showing the main and sub trolleys in normal Working position. Fig. 3 is a similar view with the main trolley-head removed, showing the subtrolley in use; and Fig. 4 is a detail view looking in the direction of the arrow, showing the main and sub trolley heads in normal position.

In the embodiment of our invention we employ, with the ordinary trolley of a motor-car, a subtrolley normally out of action, a local bell-circuit on the car, and special means 0porating to close the local bell-circuit and simultaneously recomplete the motor-circuit upon impairment of the main-trolley sheave or jumping thereof from the conductor-wire.

In the drawings, A denotes any type of motor-car carrying wires B, bells C, and any suitable source of energy D. r

The main-trolley pole E is provided with any suitable head F, adapted for ready detachment, carrying the collector-sheave G.

-H denotes a subtrolley-pole, having at its upper end any suitable device adapted to catch the conductor-wire upon impairment of'the main collector'sheave G or jumping action thereof from the conductor-wire. In our drawings we have shown one form of catching device, consisting of an elongated grooved roller I, which is normally out of contact with the conductor-wire. It will be noticed that when the main collector-sheave G is in position against the conductor-wire the roller I is supported by its arm H free of the conductorwire, but in position with the side edges 1' of its groove in line or slightly above the conductor-wire. The subtrolley-pole H has pivotal connection with any suitable bracket J, secured to the main-trolley pole E, and is yieldingly supported by means of an arm K, pivoted thereto at K. The arm K extends through an opening or suitable keeper in the main-trolley pole and has a spring L thereon, arranged between any suitable head L and the pole E, as shown. A suitable sleeve or collar M is arranged on the arm K between the poles E and H. This sleeve or collar is designed to preserve the relative normal position of the collecting-sheave G when in contact with the conductor-wire and the catch deviceor roller I when out of collecting contact, but in position with its side edges 1 supported in line or slightly above the conductor-wire, thereby insuring its proper working or catching'the conductor-wire upon impairment of the sheave G. The lower end of the subtrolley-arm H below its pivotal connection is provided with a double contact N, consisting of a projecting conducting-surface O and an insulated surface P. The conductive surface 0 when, in closed position with any suitable contact Q will complete the motorcircuit from the catch device I when the latter is against the conductor-wire down the main-trolley pole. At the same time the insulated surface P will force together any suitable normally open terminals R of the bellcircuit.

Our invention will be understood from the above description. We would have it understood that we do not desire to be limited in its scope to the identical devices shown and I described. We believe it is new with us in similar inventions to provide means consisting of a subtrolley having at one end any form of device serving to catch the conductor-wire upon jumping action therefrom of the main collector-sheave and with the support of the catching device operating to close a local circuit on the car, whereby an alarm is sounded, the catch-device support being also adapted for simultaneously closing the motor-circuit from the conductor-wire to and through the motor on the car.

According to our invention the subtrolley is so arranged that the moment the collector or regular trolley leaves the conductor-wire it will immediatly come into action, restoring the mot-or circuit, and thereby preventing the car from getting beyond control of the operator. It will be noticed that an alarm is sounded at both ends of the car, no-

tifying the motorman and conductor that they are not running on the main or collector trolley, whereby they can at their early convenience stop the car and readjust or remove the main trolley if its sheave or head be broken: The yielding support for the subtrolley makes it as substantial as the main trolley.

Having thus described our invention, what We claim as new, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is

1. The combination with the main trolley of a motor-car, of a condnctor-wire-catching device carried by the main-trolley support, a local alarm-circuit on the car, and means operating, upon contact of the said catching device, with the conductor-wire, to restore the motor-circuit and simultaneously close the said local alarm-circuit, substantially as described.

2. The combination with the main trolley of a motor-car, of a subtrolley, an alarm-circuit on the car, means on the main trolley consisting of two circuit-closers, one thereof in the motor-circuit and the other in the alarmcircuit, the said circuit-closers being operated upon contact of the subtrolley With the conductor-wire.

3. In combination with a motor-car having main and subtrolley arms, and with the subtrolley yieldingly supported andout of action, of a bell-circuit on the car, and two normally open circuit-closers in operative position with the said subtrolley-arm, whereby, upon yielding action of the said subtrolley,- as when in contact with the conductor-wire, both the said circuit-closers will be operated, one completing the motor-circuitand the other the bell-circuit, substantially as described.

4. In combination with a motor-car having main and sub trolleys and a local alarm-circuit on the car, of motor-circuit and alarmcircuit contacts on the main trolley, 'and a double contact on the subtrolley adapted in operation for closing the motor-circuit and also the said alarm-circuit, the said motorcircuit and alarm-circuit contacts being insulated, substantially as described.

WILLIAM M. GRUNER. WILLIAM C. FINK.

Witnesses:

S. O. BENNINGER, PAULINE R. CURTIS.

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