US884407A - Mail-crane. - Google Patents

Description

PATENTED APR. 14, 1908.

A. G. MoGORD..

MAIL CRANE. APPLICATION FILED OCT; 31. 1907.

we NORRIS PETERS ca, WASHINGTON, u, c

ALVIN C. MGCORD, OF CHICAGO, ILLINOIS.

MAIL-CRANE Specification of Letters Patent.

Application filed October 31, 1907.

Patented April 14, 1908.

Serial No. 400,007.

T 0 all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, ALVIN C. lWIoCoRD, a citizen of the United States, residing at Chicago, in the county of Cook and State of Illinois, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Mail-Cranes and I do hereby declare the following to be a full, clear, and exact description of the invention, such as will enable others skilled in the art to which it appertains to make and use the same.

My present invention has for its object to provide a simplified and generally improved mail crane and to this end it consists of the novel devices and combinations of devices hereinafter described and defined in the claims.

More particularly stated, the invention relates to mail cranes, the bag-holding arms of which are adapted to be locked in position to deliver the bag supported thereby, to a passing train, and then to automatically swing into position out of the way of passing trains.

The accompanying drawings show the improved mail crane.

In these drawings like characters indicate like parts throughout the several views.

Referring to the drawings, Figure 1 is a view in elevation, showing the improved crane and a mail-bag held by the arms thereof in position to be delivered to a passing train. Fig. 2 is a view partly in elevation and partly in vertical section, showing the lower art of the crane, the upper portion thereof being broken away. Fig. 3 1s a detail in elevation, illustrating particularly the cam or spiral connection between the fixed and movable sections of 'the crane, the said parts being viewed in op osite direction from that in which .they are s 1OWI1 in Fig. 1; and

Fig. 4 is a detail in horizontal section, taken on the irregular line 00 00 of Fig. 2.

The relatively fixed section of the crane is in the form of a tubular standard 1, the lower end of which, as shown, is secured to a base 2, Which, in turn, is ada ted to be rigidly secured to a station platform or other suitable support at the side of a railway track. To the upper end of the tubular standard 1 is rigidly secured a sleeve-like cam head 3 which has a spiral cam groove 4 and constitutes part of the complete standard.

The movable section of the crane is made u of a mast 5 and a pair of arms 6 and 7. The upper arm 6 is rigidly secured to the upper end of the mast, as shown, by means of an elbow coupling 8 and an oblique bracket 9. The lower arm 7, at its inner end, is pivoted to a bearing 10 that is rigidly secured to the intermediate ortion of the mast 5. Attheir outer ends, t e arms 6 and 7 are rovided with rigidly secured fingers 11 ELIIC cooperating spring fingers 12, which fingers cooperate to form yielding grapples that are adapted to detachably hold rings 13 that are a plied in the usual or any suitable way to.

t e up er and lower ends of the mail bag 14.

The ower end of the mast 5 is telescoped into the tubular standard 1 and is capable of rotary and vertical movements therein. Rigidly secured to the mast 5 and working in the spiral groove 4 of the cam head 3, is a cam pin or peg 15, the outer end of which is preferably extended far enough to afford a convenient handiece.

Pivoted to a bearing 16 secured to the mast 5, at a point above the cam pin 15, is a so-called trigger or trigger-acting lock lever 17, the lower end of which, as shown, is adapted to engage a notch 18 in the cam head 3 when the mast 5 and its arms 67 are raised slightly and swung into the position shown in the drawings, with its said arms in position to support the mail bag for delivery to a passing train.

To the upper end of the trigger 17 is secured a buffer block 19 of any suitable material, but preferably of oak. This buffer block 19 is so located that it will be struck by the free end of the pivoted lower arm 7, when the latter is allowed to drop.

The numeral 20 indicates a buffer block of any suitable material, but preferably of oak, and which, as shown, is secured to the brace bracket 9 in such position that it will engage with the free end of the pivoted arm 7 in case said arm should be carelessly thrown up ward, thereby preventing the grapple fingers 11 and 12 of said pivoted arm from being thrown against the u per arm 6.

The numeral 21 inc licates steps secured to the standard 1, and 21 indicates steps secured to the mast 5.

The numeral 22 indicates a lantern hook, shown as secured to the mast 5. The mast 5 and arms 6 and 7 are preferably made of wrought iron pipe.

The steps 21 and 21 permit the carrier to climb up the crane, hang the mail bag on the upper arm, raise the lower arm to a proper position and attach it to thelower end of the bag. The carrier may then descend to the ground and, by taking hold of the projecting end of the so-called cam pin 15, (which pin serves as an operating lever) easily rotate the mast through approximately 90 degrees and thereby turn the arms 6 and 7 into a position at a right angle to the track, or, in other words, in position to deliver the mail bag to the passing train. Under this rotary movement of the mast, the cam groove 4, acting on said cam pin, raises the mast, its arms 6 and 7 and, of'course, the mail bag. In this position the lower end of the trigger or triggeracting lever en ages the notch 18 of the head 3 and thereby ocks the mast in its elevated position against rotation and with its arms olding the mail bag, as just stated.

When the passing train takes the mail bag from the arms 6 and 7, the lower end of said arm 7 falls and its free end strikes the head or buffer block 19 of the trigger lever 17 and throws the lower end of said lever out of engagement with the notch 18 of the head 3. The movable section of the crane being thus I get out of order.

released, its weight causes it to lower, and the cam groove 4, acting on the cam pin or handle 15, rotates the mast back into a position in which its arms 6-7 stand approximately parallel with the track.

The mail, crane above described, while strong and durable, may be chea 1y constructed and has no parts that are ikely to Furthermore, as is above magic evident, it may be very easily operate What I claim is:

1. A swinging crane com rising a standard, a mast journaled to said standard and provided with a pair of bag-supporting arms,

3 a trigger-acting lock lever intermediately pivoted to said mast and engageable with said standard, to lock said mast in a raised position, and which lever is so located that it will be struck by said pivoted arm and released, when said lower arm is dropped, substantially as described.

2. A swinging crane comprising a tubular standard, a mast journaled to said standard and provided with a pair of bag-supporting arms, the lower of which is pivoted, a cam on said standard, a cam pin secured to said mast and cooperating with said cam to cause said mast to turn when moved vertically, and a trigger-acting lock lever intermediately pivoted to said mast engageable with a notch in the up er end of said standard, to lock said mast in a raised position and against rotation, and with its upper end so located that it will be struck by said pivoted arm, and said lever released, when said arm is dropped, substantially as described.

3. In a swinging crane, the combination with a tubular standard, having a spiral cam and a lock notch in its upper end portion, of

a mast telescoped into said standard and provided with a pair of bag-supporting arms, the lower of which is pivoted, a in carried by said mast and cooperating with said cam to cause said mast to turn when moved vertically, the said pin projecting and affording a handle by means of which said mast may be turned, and a tri ger-acting lock lever intermediately pivote to said mast, the lower end thereof being engageable with a lock notch in said standard, to lock said mast in a raised position and against rotation, and with its upper end so located that it will be struck by said pivoted arm, and said lever released, when said arm is dropped, substantially as described.

In testimony whereof I afiix my signature in presence of two witnesses.

ALVIN C. McCORD.

Witnesses:

E. B. FLEIscH, S. J. COPELAND.

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