US1568177A - Mail-pouch catcher - Google Patents

Description

Jan. 5 1926. 1,568,177

6. w. NEISWENDER ET AL MAiL POUCH CATCHER Filed August 5, 1923 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 g/ENTORS v 1 m Z wmss; 9 J77 aim WATTORNEY.

' Jan. 5 1-92 1,568,177

C. W. NEISWENDER ET AL MAIL POUCH CATCHER Filed August 5, 1923 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 INVENTOIS w %@ATTORNEY.

Patented Jan. 5, 1.926.

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

CHARLES C, NEISWENDER AND RAYMON B. FURGASON, OF BUCYRUS, KANSAS.

MAIL-POUCH GATCHER.

Application filed August 3, 1923.

To all whom it may concern.

Be it known that we, CHARLES W lfhnswnnnnn and RAYMON B. FURGASON, citizens of the United States, residing at Bucyrus, in the county of Miami and State of Kansas, have invented a certain new and useful Tm: provement in Mail-Pouch Catchers, of which the following is a specification.

Our invention relates to improvements 1n mail pouch catchers.

One of the objects of our invention 18 to provide a mail pouch catcher of the type carried by a car and arranged to catch a mail'pouch as the car passes the latter, which is simple, cheap to make, strong, durable, not liable to get out of order, and WhlGh Wlll reliably catch and hold a mail pouch, and which is elficient in operation.

The novel features of our invention are hereinafter fully described and claimed.

In the accompanying drawings, which illustrate the preferred embodiment of our invention,

Fig. 1 is a perspective View of a mail pouch and its support and a portion of a car whichris provided with our improved mail catcher.

Fig. 2 is an enlarged view of our 1mproved pouch catcher, shown in plan in the pouch catching position, and showmg in horizontal section a portion of the car body and pouch.

Fig. 3 is a top View, still further enlarged, showing a portion of our pouch catcher, partly in plan and partly in horizontal section and in the closed position.

Fig. 4c is a sectional view on the line t4-. of Fig. 3.

Fig. 5 is a View similar to Fig. 3, reduced, the pouch engaging members being shown in the open position.

Fig. 6 is a cross section on the line 66 of Fig. 3.

Similar reference characters designate similar parts in the different views,

1 designates an ordinary mail car body having the usual side doorway 2.

3 designates an ordinary mail pouch supported in the usual manner between two horizontal bars 4, disposed one above the other and mounted in a supporting post 5, disposed adjacent to the track upon which the mail cars run.

The pouch catcher is provided with suitable supporting means adapted to be attached to a car body and which consists Serial No. 655,506.

of a support, which may comprise a horizontal bar 6, which extends across the doorway 2 and is mounted in two bearings 7 attached to the car body at opposite sides respectively, of the doorway 2, and a supporting device which may comprise a member 8 pivoted on the bar 6, and having at one side an operating handle 9, and having attached to its opposite side a bar 10, whichis embraced by a clamping plate 11, which in turn is rigidly secured to the under side of a plate 12, Figs. 4L and 6.

Pivoted on the plate 12 are two mail pouch engaging members 13, which, when the bar is in the pouch engaging position, shown in the drawings, are disposed horizontally. For pivoting the members 13 to the plate 12, there are provided two bolts 14 which extend through the members 13 and through the plate 12 and also through a transverse plate 15 disposed on top of the members 13.

For normally forcing the members 13 to the closed position, shown in Fig. 3, there is extended through said members 13 an arcuate bar 16 on. which is mounted a coil spring 17, the ends of which bear against the inner sides respectively of the members 13. The forward portions of the members 13 may each be covered at its forward portion with a rubber tube 18, to protect the pouch from injury, when the pouch passes between the members 13.

'Means are provided for holding the members 13 in the open position, shown in Figs. 1, 2 and 5. Such means may comprise a longitudinal detent, consisting of a horizontal bar 18, which is slidable longitudinally in a housing 19 mounted on the plate 12, between the members 13, the bar 18 extending forward of the plate 15 and in position for being struck by the middle portion of the pouch 3, when the latter passes between the members 13.. A coil spring 20 encircles the bar 18 and bears at its forward end against a head provided at the forward end of the bar 18, the rear end of the spring bearing against the plate 12 and housing 19. The tension of the spring 20 normally forces the bar 18 forwardly to the set position shown in Figs. 2 and 5. The bar 18 is T shaped and at its rear end is provided with two oppositely extending arms 21, each having a forwardly extending projection 22 at its outer end adapted to enter a hole 23 provided in the adjacentmember 13, thus holding the members 13 from closing against the pressure of the compression spring 17.

In the operation of our invention the handle 9 is swung to the position shown in Figs. 1 and 2, thus disposing the members 13 horizontally in the pouch catching position. The members 13 are swung to the open position in which position the projections 22 hold them, the sprin 20 holding the member 18 in the set position, with the projections 2 in the holes 23. iVhen the pouch 3 has its middle portion enter the space between the members 13, said middle portion, due to the movement of the car, strikes the head of the bar 18, forcing the latter rearwardly until the projections 22 pass rearwardly out of the holes 23, at. which time the coil spring- 1T forces the members 13 to the closed position, thus causing them to grip and support the pouch. If desired, one of the members 13 may have a slight inward bend 24:, Fig. 3, to hold the pouch from slipping forwardly, butthis is not essential, as the motion of the car tends to hold the pouch between the members 13. The handle 9 may then be swung upwardly, thus swinging the mei'nbers 13 so that the pouch may be easily removed from therebetween.

To again open the members 13, they are swung apart at their forward ends, thus compressing the spring 17 until the projec tions 22 enter the holes 23, at which time the members 13 will be held from swinging to the closed position until the bar 18 is again forced rearwardly to release the members 13.

lVe do not limit our invention to the structure shown and described, as many modifications, within the scope of the appended claims, may be made without departing from the spirit of our invention.

What we claim is 1. In a mail pouch catcher, supporting means adapted to be attached to a car body, two pouch engaging members pivoted there on so as to swing to and from a closed position and arranged to be carried by said supporting means to and from a pouch catching position, means normally forcing said members toward the closed position, a detent movable on said supporting means to and from a position in which it will be engaged and moved from a set position by a mail pouch passing between said members .aid detent in the set position engaging said members and having means for holding them in the open position, and means for normally forcing said detent to the set position.

in a mail pouch catcher, supporting means adapted to be attached to a car body, two pouch engaging members pivoted thereon to swing to and from a closed position, a spring which engages and normally forces the said members to the closed position, a detent longitudinally slidable on said supporting means between said members and having its forward end adapted to be struck by a pouch passing between said members, the detent having two oppositely extending arms adapted to respectively engage and hold said n'ien'ibers in the open position, the detent being movable by said pouch to a position in which the said members will be released from said arms, and a spring for normally forcing the detent forwardly to a set position in which the said arms will be adapted to respectively engage said members.

3. In a mail pouch catcher, supporting means adapted to be attached to a car body, two pouch engaging members pivot/ed thereon to swing to and from a closed position, a coil spring having its ends respectively engaging said members and arranged to force the latter normally to the closed position, a curved bar which said spring encircles, a detent longitudinally slidable on said supporting means to and from a set position between said members, said detent having at its forward end a head adapted to be struck by a pouch entering between said members, the detent being slidable rearr-vardly by said pouch from the set position, the rear end of said detent having two oppositely extending lateral arms adapted to respectively, engage said members for boldtheni releasably in the open position against the pressure of said spring, and a coil spring encircling said detent and hearing at its forward end against said head and at its rear end bearing against said supporting means and arranged to normally force the detent forwardly to the set position.

In testimony whereof we have signed our names to this specification.

CHARLES W. N EISWEN DER. RAYMON B. FURGASON.

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