Alliance coupler lock lifter securing arm
AssigneeAMSTED Industries Incorporated
InventorHorst T. Kaufhold
Life of this patent
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Abstract
A latch lock mechanism for a railcar rotary-dump coupler is provided for an Alliance coupler having a more narrow inner housing cavity for the coupling mechanism than the standard coupler housing chamber, and the latch is operable to extend from a locklift assembly at a coupler and railcar inverted position to contact a top wall recess of the cavity to constrain the locklift assembly from movement past the lock thrower to thereby constrain movement of the lock thrower and coupler head, which latch maintains the coupler in a closed or coupled state at the inverted position.
Claims7
In a rotary coupler for a railcar, which coupler is operable between a coupled and uncoupled state, said railcar having a first longitudinal axis, said coupler having a second longitudinal axis, said first axis and said second axis about parallel at an as assembled and reference position, said railcar being upright at said reference position, said railcar and coupler rotatable between said upright position and an inverted position, said coupler having a coupler head, said coupler head having a top., a bottom and a lock cavity, a knuckle with at least one knuckle corner with a backside, said corner backside positioned in said lock cavity, and a locklift assembly, said locklift assembly having a lock thrower, a lock with an upper surface, a rotor and a locklifter with a latching apparatus for prevention of uncoupling of said coupler at said inverted position, said latching apparatus comprising:
- an arm latch having a third longitudinal axis, a first end and a second end, said arm latch defining a generally horizontal aperture transverse to said third axis at one of said first end and second end;
- said coupler having a forward end and a rearward end aligned with said second longitudinal axis;
- said locklifter having an upper end and a lower end, which locklifter is generally vertically aligned in said lock cavity with said upper end in said cavity and said lower end extending below said coupler bottom for mating with said rotor;
- said locklifter defining a bore at said upper end;
- a pin;
- said aperture of said arm latch and said bore of said locklifter aligned to receive said pin to secure said arm latch for pivotal rotation, which other of said arm-latch first end and second end contacts said lock upper surface at a coupler coupled position;
- said lock cavity having a roof wall, said roof wall defining an upper recess to receive said other end of said arm latch, which arm latch is pivotable about said pin from said reference position to a coupler-closed securing position to maintain said locklifter and lock in said coupled position at said coupler and railcar inverted position.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.