US2018428A - Journal box cover - Google Patents

Description

O :t. 22, 1935. E. R. VlBERG 2,018,428

JOURNAL BOX COVER Filed 0'01. 50, 1955 :5 Sheets-Sheet 1 ERNESTJRNIBEHGI ATTORNEY Oct. 22, 1935. I I E. R. VIBERG JOURNAL BOX COVER 3 Sheets-Sheet 2 INVENTOR ERNEST-R-VIBERGI Filed Oct. 30, 1933 ATTORNEY Oct.22, 1935. E, R] VIBERG I JOURNAL BOX COVER Filed Oct. 50, 1955 SSheets-Sheet s E INVENIOR 5.11m BERG Patented Oct. 22, 1935 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE 9 Claims.

This invention relates to covers for journal boxes and particularly to covers of the hooded type in which the lid portion is carried by a hood that fits over and is pivotally secured to the journal box lug and serves as a housing for a torsion spring which reacts against the central portion of the lid and the cam faces of the lug to hold the cover in closed or open position.

The principal object of the present invention is the provision of an improved cover assembly of this type which may be very easily applied to the journal box or removed therefrom.

Another object is the provision of a novel form of shoe through which the pressure of the torsion spring is exerted against the journal box lug in a more eflicient manner for holding the lid tightly against the mouth of the journal box opening when the lid is in its closed position.

A still further object is to design the aforementioned shoe so that a retaining pin may be conveniently passed through complementary openings in the shoe and in the wall of the hood to hold the torsion spring and shoe in a retracted position to facilitate the application and removal of the cover assembly.

Proceeding now to a more detailed description of the invention, reference will be had to the accompanying drawings, wherein- Fig. 1 is a front view of a cover assembly provided in accordance with this invention.

Fig. 2 is a vertical sectional view along the line 22 of Fig. 1. In this view the cover assembly is shown appli d to the journal box.

Fig. 3 is a view similar to Fig. 2 but showing the lid portion of the cover slightly removed from the mouth opening of the journal box.

Fig. 4 is a view similar to Figs. 2 and 3 but showing the cover assembly in its fully opened position.

Fig. 5 is a view in vertical section of the shoe through which the pressure of the torsion spring is applied to the journal box lug.

Fig. 6 is a view showing the shoe in side elevation.

Fig. 7 is a top plan of the shoe.

Fig. 8 is a view of the shoe in front elevation.

Fig. 9 is a front view, partly broken away, of a modified cover assembly provided in accordance with this invention.

Fig. 10 is a vertical sectional view along the line ill-l!) of Fig. 9.

Fig. 11 is a top plan view of a shoe forming part of the assembly appearing in Figs. 9 and 10.

Fig. 12 is a front elevation of the shoe shown, in Fig. 11.

Fig. 13 is a side elevation of said last mentioned shoe.

As shown in these drawings, my improved cover assembly comprises a lid II, a hood I2, a torsion spring l3 and a shoe M. The lid II is in the 5 form of an imperforate plate adapted, in the closed position of the cover assembly, to fit snugly against the front face of the journal box [5 so as to completely close the journal box opening I 6. The hood l2 comprises a top wall l1, side walls l0 l8 and a front wall I9. The upper portions of the side walls l8 are provided with integral pintle receiving sleeves 20 and 200. which are aligned in the journal box lug 2] to receive the hinge pintle 22. In the present instance the pintle receiving 15 sleeve 20 is provided with a stop flange 23 for engagement with one end of the pintle while the companion sleeve 20ais fitted with a tubular pintle retainer 24 having pintle retaining tongues 25 adapted to be bent inwardly over the opposite 20 end of the pintle. This method of securing the pintle in place is more fully described in my copending application Serial No. 653,870, filed Jan. 27, 1933.

The side walls l8 of the hood project below the 25 front wall H! to approximately the middle portion of the lid H and are provided at their lower extremities with openings 26 registering with similar openings 21 formed in lugs 28 cast integral with the outer face of the lid. The spring I3 comprises two coils 29 and 30 connected by an intermediate U-shaped extension 3| which constitutes an integral continuation of the inner terminal convolutions of the coils and carries the shoe I4. The outer convolutions of the coils 29 and 30 are extended to provide a pair of side arms 32 having their lower ends bent outwardly to provide pin-like portions 32a which extend outwardly through the openings 21 of the lugs 28 and through the registering openings 26 of the hood, thus affording a pivotal connection between the central portion of the lid and the side walls of the hood. This type of pivotal connection between the hood and lid is more fully described and claimed in my co-pending application No. 653,870, filed Jan. 27, 1933. In this prior application I have also shown and described various connections between the upper portions of the hood and lid for limiting their relative movement and it will be understood that any of such connections may be employed .in conjunction with the cover assembly of the present invention. In the present drawings one such connection is generally indicated at I la. (Fig. l) but need not be described in 'means of which it is rockably mounted on the bight portion'of the U -shaped spring extension 3|; In order to'limit the rocking movement of the shoe with respect to the extension 3| the side members 'of the latter are fitted in grooves 36 provided in opposite sides of the shoe.. These grooves constitute curved continuations of the bore and are made slightly flaring towards their lower ends and of a width suflicient to permit the shoerto have a slight independent pivotal or rocking'mo'vement. At the inner side of the bore 35 the shoe is provided with a flat face 31 adapted to ridethe'flat angularly related cam faces'2la and Zlb of the journal box lug 2!. The

fiat face 3? ensures a substantial area of contact between the'shoe and the lug while the pivotal mounting of the shoe enables it! to adjust itself. to ensure'proper engagement between the lug and the flat face 31, irrespective of variations in the dimensions of the lug, orin the inclination of the V camiaces against which the flat face of the shoe is adapted to. bear; At the opposite or outer side of the bore 35 the shoe is provided with a vertical opening "38 adapted at times to register with a similar but slightly larger opening 38 formed in the top wall I! of the hood.

. When the cover assembly of this invention to be applied to the journal box the U-shaped "extension 3| of the torsion spring I3 is forced .goo,

towards the front wall of the hood until the opening 38 of the shoe isin line with the opening 39 of the hood. A retaining pin is then passed through these openings to hold the shoe in its retractedposition. The cover assembly is then arranged as shownin Fig. 4 with the pintle receiving sleeves 20 and 20a disposed at opposite sides of the journal box lug '21 to receive thepintle-22 which is then pushed intoplace and secured by bending down the tongues 25 of the tubular retainer 24. The cover assembly is then swung from the position shown in Fig. 4 to the position shown in Fig. 3. In thislatter position the shoe I4 is engaged by the high point Me of the journal box lug 2|. and is forced towards the front wall of the hood a sufiicient distance to relieve the lateral pressure on the retaining pin 40 7 so that the latter can be'easily withdrawn from the openings 38 and 39.

V The cover'assernbly is then swung to the completely closed position shown'in Fig. '2.- 'In subsequent manipulation of the lid to its open or closed positions the pivotal mounting of the. shoe on the spring extension 3|, and the fiat lug engaging surface 31 of the shoe enables the torsion spring to act more effec- 1 hood when the shoe is forced back to provide for tively both with respect toholding the lid inits open orfclosed positions and with respect to ensuring tight closure of the lid against the 'mouth portion of the journal box. The pivotalmounting of the shoe also ensures proper alignment of the shoe opening 38 with the opening 39 of the the application or removal of the retaining pin 40. When the cover assembly is to be removed itjis first swung from the closed position shown in Fig.2 to the partially open position shown' in Fig. 3. In'this last position the shoe is forced back by the highpoint 2 I c of the lug 2| so that its pin receiving opening 38 registers with the pin receiving opening 39 of the hood. The retaining pin 40 is then passed through these openings to hold the shoe in its retracted position during further movement of the lid assembly to the position shown in Fig. 4. In this last position it will so that the shoe is thus mounted to have'a slight independent pivotal movement with respect to said spring. provided with a forwardly projecting horizontal flange Md having a vertical opening Me register- At its upper end the shank Mb is.

ing with a similar opening I41 formed in the@ shank. At the juncture of the shank 14b and'the flange Hid the shoe is shaped to provide a'flat face Mh adapted to ride the flat angularly related cam faces 2 id and 2th of the journal box lug 2!. The projection Md forms with the curved outer surface of the shank Mb a recess I 41' in'which the bight portion of the 'U -shape spring extension 3i is fited, as shown to advantage in Fig. 10.

When the cover assembly shown in Fig. 10 is swung from the position shown in this figure to an open position corresponding to that shown in Fig. 3, the shoe Ida will be forced towards the front wall of the hood until the openings Me and My of the shoe are aligned with the opening 39 of the hood. The previously mentioned retaining pin 4!! is then passed through these openings to hold the shoe in its retracted position.

The opening movement of the cover assembly" may then be continued until it reaches a position such as that shown in Fig. llwhere the shoe is entirely removed from the lug so that the pres-' sure of the torsion spring will not interfere with the withdrawal of the hinge pintle 22. The method of applying the cover assembly shown in Figs. 9 and 10 is substantially the same as that previously described in connection with Figs. 1' to 4'inclusive. V

Having thus fully described what I now'consider to be the preferred embodiment of my invention it will be understood that various minor changes may be resorted to in the construction and arrangement of the parts within the scope V and spirit of the appended claims. 7

' Having thus describedmy invention, what I claim is:

1. A journal box cover assembly comprising a lid, a hood, a spring confined between the lid and hood, and a' shoe carried by'the spring for. en'- gagement with the lug of a. journal box, said shoe and hood being: provided with complementary openings adapted to be aligned to receive a re-' movable retaining pin for temporarily holding the shoe in a retracted position against the pres-' lid equipped with a hood adapted'to fit over the lug of a journal box, a spring comprising spaced coils located at the upper edge of the lidand bearing against the inner surface of the hood and connected to each other by an upwardly projecting extension of inverted U-shape constituting an integral continuation of the inner terminal convolutions of the coils and projecting beyond the said upper edge of the lid, the outer terminal convolutions of the coils being extended downwardly into engagement with the central portion of the lid, and a journal box lug engaging shoe mounted on the bight portion of said extension so as to be capable of a limited independent pivotal movement, said shoe being formed with a flat lug engaging face.

3. A journal box cover assembly as claimed in claim 2 in which the the shoe and hood are provided with openings adapted to register with each other when the shoe is retracted to a predetermined position against the resistance of the spring.

4. A journal box cover assembly comprising a lid equipped with a spring of approximately invertecl U-shape, and a journal box lug engaging shoe provided with a fiat lug engaging face and with a horizontal bore through which the bight portion of the spring extends, the side arms of the spring being fitted in flaring grooves formed in the opposite side of the shoe, said grooves being of sufiicient width to permit a limited pivotal movement of the shoe on the bight portion of the spring.

5. A journal box cover assembly as claimed in claim 4 including a hood affording a housing for the spring and shoe and adapted to partially enclose the journal box lug, said hood and shoe being provided with openings adapted to register with each other when the shoe is retracted to a predetermined position against the resistance of the spring.

6. A journal box lid assembly comprising attached lid and hood members, said hood member having a top wall provided with a vertical opening, a spring comprising laterally spaced coils bearing against the inner surface of the hood member and having their outer terminal convolutions extended to bear against the central portion of the lid member, the inner terminals of said coils being connected by an upwardly projecting integral extension of inverted U-shape, a journal box lid engaging shoe comprising a shank embraced by said extension and presenting lateral projections at its lower end fitted in said coils and a projection at the upper end of the shank overhanging the spring extension and provided with a vertical opening adapted, at times, to register with the opening in the top wall of the hood.

7. A journal box lid assembly as claimed in claim 6 in which the shank of the shoe is also provided with a vertical opening in line with the opening formed in said projection.

8. A journal box cover assembly comprising a lid, a hood overlying and projecting beyond the upper edge of the lid, a spring comprising spaced coils located adjacent the upper edge of the lid and bearing against the inner opposing surface of the hood, said coils being connected to each other by a U-shaped extension projecting beyond the upper edge of the lid and constituting an integral continuation of the inner terminal convolutions of the coils, the outer terminal convolutions of the said coils being extended downwardly to bear against the central portion of the lid, and a journal box lug engaging shoe presenting an upper portion against which the bight of the U-shaped extension bears and a lower portion provided with lateral trunnions loosely fitted in said coils, said upper portion of the shoe being provided with an opening adapted to be aligned with an opening in the hood to receive a retaining pin for holding the shoe in a retracted position against the pressure of the spring.

9. A journal box cover assembly comprising a lid, a hood overlying and projecting beyond the upper edge of the lid, a spring comprising spaced coils located adjacent the upper edge of the lid and bearing against the inner opposing surface of the hood, said coils being connected to each other by a U-shaped extension projecting beyond the upper edge of the lid and constituting an integral continuation of the inner terminal convolutions of the coils, the outer terminal convolutions of the said coils being extended downwardly to bear against the central portion of the lid, and a journal box lug engaging shoe presenting an upper portion against which the bight of the U-shaped extension bears and a lower portion provided with lateral trunnions loosely fitted in said coils, said upper portion of the shoe terminating in a projection overlying the spring extension and provided with an opening adapted to be aligned with an opening in the top wall of the hood to receive a retaining pin for holding the shoe in a retracted position against the pressure of the spring.

ERNEST R. VIBERG.

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