Foot operated latch for hopper cars
AssigneePullman Incorporated
InventorFranklin P. Adler
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
A latch mechanism for hatch covers utilized on railway hopper cars comprises a hand or foot operated latch arm which is held in a closed position by a balanced retaining member pivotally mounted on a keeper element. The retaining member includes a nose engaging latch arm for retaining the same in a closed position. The retaining member also includes a foot element disposed below the arm. Sudden downward movement of the arm within the keeper element against the foot element causes the balanced retainer to be swung to an out-of-the-way position whereupon the arm can be unlatched from the keeper.
Claims14
In a hopper car having a hatch access opening;
- a hatch cover movably supported on said car for opening and closing said access opening,
- a latch strap on said cover having a latching portion projecting laterally to one side of said opening, the improvement comprising a latch mechanism including:
- a latch support bracket mounted on said hopper car,
- a latch arm hinged to said support for swinging movement about a generally horizontal axis over and off said latching portion when the latter is positioned generally horizontally attendant to the hatch cover being closed,
- a keeper fixed to the hopper car and having a guide positioned alongside said latch arm,
- a gravity-actuated retainer hung from said guide and swingable transversely through the path of movement of said latch arm and having a jaw adapted to receive said arm therein in the latched position of said mechanism,
- said jaw having an upper jaw member defining a catch adapted to engage the upper edge of said latching arm and having a lower jaw member defining a cam extending in the latched position beneath said arm and operative to swing said retainer including said catch out of the path of movement of the arm upon said arm being biased against said cam to a position that the arm may be quickly raised past the catch before said retainer swings to latching position.
In a hopper car having an upper hatch opening, a hatch cover movably supported on said car for uncovering and closing said opening, a latch mechanism for the cover comprising a strap connected to the cover and extending outwardly therefrom an positionable generally horizontally in the closed position of the cover,
- a latch arm swingably mounted on the car on a generally horizontal axis for vertical swinging movement over the strap in a latching position and off to one side of the strap in release position,
- a retainer mounted on the car for swinging movement transversely of the arm and having retaining means for lockingly-receiving and retaining the arm in latched position,
- said retainer having means for releasing the arm upon said arm being biased downwardly from the latched position to disengage the retainer from the arm and position the same in release position at one side out of the path of movement of the arm, and
- said retainer having cam means for engaging a side of the arm during uplifting movement of the arm after said retainer has been disposed in said release position to prevent said retainer from returning to latching position with the arm and said last mentioned means being positionable in the path of movement of the arm from release to latching position and operative to engage with the underside of the arm and cause said retainer to swing out of said path until said arm is located beneath the last mentioned means whereupon said retainer is free to swing to a position in interengaging latching relation with said arm.
In a car hopper cover latching mechanism of the type wherein the cover is lifted to open a hatch and lowered to close the hatch,
- a latching mechanism for the cover comprising abutment means on the cover,
- an arm pivotally supported for movement onto and off said abutment means,
- Retainer means swingably supported for movement laterally of the arm to latching and release position with respect to the arm,
- said retainer means having an upper catch portion and a lower cam portion,
- said portions defining a jaw therebetween for receiving said arm therein, said catch portion presenting a lower catch surface positionable in latched position over the arm and said lower portion presenting an upwardly facing cam face sloping in the latched position beneath said arm out of contact therewith and engageable with the arm upon said arm being depressed thereagainst preparatory to release for swinging said retainer means laterally away from the arm to a position allowing the arm to be rapidly elevated during the lag period before the retainer means swings back to retaining position, and
- said retainer means having a cam face above said catch portion disposed to be positioned during said lag period alongside said arm for lateral engagement therewith to prevent return movement of said retainer means during release movement of the arm.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.