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US 4,944,233 AGranted
Hatch arrangement for covered hopper cars
AssigneeACF Industries, Incorporated
InventorsRichard H. Dugge, John W. Coulborn
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
A hatch cover assembly (1) for a railway car (C). A hatch cover (7) is hingedly mounted to a roof (R) of the car for pivotal movement of the cover to open and close a hatch. The axis about which hinging movement occurs is perpendicular to the center line (CL) of the car. A locking strap (31) is rotationally mounted to the cover for movement between a cover locking position and a cover unlocking position. The longitudinal axis of the strap when the cover is in its locking position is also perpendicular to the center line of the car. A latch mechanism (61) adjacent the cover latches the strap in its cover locking position to prevent movement of the strap.
Claims15
A hatch cover assembly for a railway car comprising:
- a hatch cover hingedly mounted to a roof of the car for pivotal movement of the cover to open and close a hatch formed in the roof, the hinge axis about which pivotal movement of the cover occurs being perpendicular to a center line of the car;
- a locking strap pivotally mounted atop the hatch cover for movement between a cover locking position and a cover unlocking position, movement of the strap to its cover locking position preventing movement of the cover to open the hatch, the longitudinal axis of the strap when in the cover locking position being substantially perpendicular to the center line of the car;
- and,
- latching means adjacent the cover for latching the strap in its cover locking position to prevent movement of the strap whereby the orientation of the strap with respect to the center line of the car and the location of the latching means permits the hatch cover assembly to have a substantially lower profile with respect to the roof of the car than conventional hatch cover assemblies thereby allowing the roof of the car to be raised which, in turn, increases to load carrying capacity of the car.
1 more element
A hatch cover assembly for a railway car comprising:
- a hatch cover hingedly mounted to a roof of the car for pivotal movement of the cover to open and close a hatch formed in the roof, the axis about which pivotal movement of the cover occurs being substantially perpendicular to a center line of the car;
- a locking strap and means for rotatably mounting the strap to the top of the hatch cover for movement between a cover locking position and a cover unlocking position, movement of the strap to its cover locking position preventing movement of the cover to open the hatch, the longitudinal axis of the strap when in the cover locking position being substantially perpendicular to the center line of the car, and the strap having a circular recess formed therein, the center of the recess being at the center line of the car, with a central opening formed in the bottom of the recess;
- a collar formed in the hatch cover and having a central upstanding projection extending upwardly through the opening;
- attachment means for securing the strap to the collar;
- and,
- latching means adjacent the cover for latching the strap in its cover locking position to prevent movement of the strap whereby the orientation of the strap with respect to the center line of the car and the location of the latching means permits the hatch cover assembly to have a substantially lower profile with respect to the roof of the car than conventional hatch cover assemblies thereby allowing the roof of the car to be raised which, in turn, increases to load carrying capacity of the car.
3 more elements
A hatch cover assembly for a railway car comprising:
- a hatch cover hingedly mounted to a roof of the car for pivotal movement of the cover to open and close a hatch formed in the roof, the axis about which pivotal movement of the cover occurs being perpendicular to a center line of the car;
- a locking strap rotationally mounted to the hatch cover for movement between a cover locking position and a cover unlocking position, movement of the strap to its cover locking position preventing movement of the cover to open the hatch, the longitudinal axis of the strap when in the cover locking position being perpendicular to the center line of the car and the ends of the strap projecting beyond the side of the hatch;
- and,
- latching means adjacent the cover for latching the strap in its cover locking position to prevent movement of the strap whereby the orientation of the strap with respect to the center line of the car and the location of the latching means permits the hatch cover assembly to have a substantially lower profile with respect to the roof of the car than conventional hatch cover assemblies thereby allowing the roof of the car to be raised which, in turn, increases to load carrying capacity of the car, the latching means including hold-down means engaging one end of the strap when it is moved to its cover locking position, the hold-down means comprising an over-center cam having a cam surface movable into contact with the end of the strap to bear against the strap and prevent its movement, and the latching means further including retainer means engaged by the other end of the strap when it is moved to its cover locking position.
1 more element
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.