# US 4,400,592 A · Electric power transmission system

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- Number: US 4,400,592 A
- Document ID: US4400592A
- Status: Granted
- Kind: A
- Application number: 06/291,553
- Filed: 1981-08-10
- Granted: 1983-08-23
- Earliest claimed: 1981-08-10
- Assignees: U-S Safety Trolley Corporation
- Inventors: Donald R. Ross, Sr.
- Web page: https://patentgrep.com/patent/US4400592A

## CPC

- B60L 5/08: Structure of the sliding shoes or their carrying means
- H01R 41/00: Non-rotary current collectors for maintaining contact between moving and stationary parts of an electric circuit (end pieces terminating in a hook or the like H01R11/12; current collectors for power supply lines of electrically-propelled vehicles B60L5/00)
- B60L 2200/26: Rail vehicles
- B60L: PROPULSION OF ELECTRICALLY-PROPELLED VEHICLES (arrangements or mounting of electrical propulsion units or of plural diverse prime-movers for mutual or common propulsion in vehicles B60K1/00, B60K6/20; arrangements or mounting of electrical gearing in vehicles B60K17/12, B60K17/14; preventing wheel slip by reducing power in rail vehicles B61C15/08; dynamo-electric machines H02K; control or regulation of electric motors H02P); SUPPLYING ELECTRIC POWER FOR AUXILIARY EQUIPMENT OF ELECTRICALLY-PROPELLED VEHICLES (electric coupling devices combined with mechanical couplings of vehicles B60D1/64; electric heating for vehicles B60H1/00); ELECTRODYNAMIC BRAKE SYSTEMS FOR VEHICLES IN GENERAL (control or regulation of electric motors H02P); MAGNETIC SUSPENSION OR LEVITATION FOR VEHICLES; MONITORING OPERATING VARIABLES OF ELECTRICALLY-PROPELLED VEHICLES; ELECTRIC SAFETY DEVICES FOR ELECTRICALLY-PROPELLED VEHICLES
- H01R: ELECTRICALLY-CONDUCTIVE CONNECTIONS; STRUCTURAL ASSOCIATIONS OF A PLURALITY OF MUTUALLY-INSULATED ELECTRICAL CONNECTING ELEMENTS; COUPLING DEVICES; CURRENT COLLECTORS

## Abstract

An overhead metal trolley rail has a head for supporting it, separated by a vertical web from a foot that projects from opposite sides of the web and has flat upper contact surfaces. Slidable along the rail is a trolley shoe formed from a block of electrical conducting material, the upper portion of which has a longitudinal trough in it receiving the foot of the rail. The lower portion of the trough is spaced from the rail, but the upper portion of the trough has longitudinal flanges projecting inwardly toward each other above the foot of the rail. The flanges have flat lower contact surfaces engaging flat against the flat contact surfaces of the rail and supporting the shoe, from which a power take-off wire extends.

## Claims

### Claim 1

An electric power transmission system comprising an overhead electrified metal trolley rail having a head and a foot separated by a vertical web integral therewith, the head being adapted to be gripped by hangers for supporting the rail, said foot projecting from opposite sides of the web and having flat upper contact surfaces separated by the web and substantially perpendicular thereto, a trolley shoe slidable along the rail and formed from an elongated block of electrical conducting material extending lengthwise of the rail, the upper portion of the block having a central trough therein extending from end to end of the block and receiving said foot of the rail with the lower portion of the trough spaced from the bottom of the rail, and the upper portion of the trough having integral longitudinal flanges projecting from its opposite sides inwardly toward each other above said foot of the rail, said flanges having flat lower contact surfaces engaging flat against said flat contact surfaces of the rail foot by gravity, the flanges supporting said shoe from the rail, and means secured to the shoe for electrically connecting a power take-off wire thereto.

### Claim 2 (depends on 1)

An electric power transmission system according to claim 1, in which said electrical connecting means is a rigid member extending downwardly from the bottom of said shoe, and said system includes a power take-off wire connected with the lower end of said member and inclined downwardly away from the shoe lengthwise of said rail, a rigid tube enclosing said wire, and means connecting said wire and the lower end of said tube with a vehicle to be driven by electric power from said rail, whereby movement of the vehicle will push or pull from shoe along the rail.

### Claim 3 (depends on 1)

An electric power transmission system according to claim 1, in which said electrical connecting means is a rigid member extending downwardly from the bottom of said shoe, and said system includes a power take-off wire connected with the lower end of said member, and tow lines connected with the opposite ends of the shoe and adapted to connect it with a vehicle to which electric power is supplied by said wire.