US611135A - Half to edwin h - Google Patents

Description

. Patented Sept. 20, I898. L. E. MACUMBER. .THILL COUPLING.

(Application filed Oct. 6, 1897.)

2 Sheets-Sheet I.

(No Mbdel.)

wgggg J WITNESSES: WW4Me/J. 4 W

No. 6|I,l35. Patented Sept. 20, I898. L. E. MACOMBEB.

THILL CUUPLlNG.

(Appiication filed Oct. 6, 1897.) (No Model.) 2 Sheets-Sheet 2.

WITNESSES: //v VENTOH Mam 1. 5M. fm I B) Y ATTOHNE rs.

NITED STAT S PATENT OFFICE.

LOUIS ELBERT MACOMBER, OF ASHLAND, WISCONSIN, ASSIONOR OF ONE HALF TO EDWIN H. ELLIS, OF SAME PLACE.

THlLL-COUPLING.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 611,135, dated September 20, 1898. Application filed October 6, 1897. Serial Ilo'. 654,255. (No model.)

To aZZ whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, LoUIs ELBERT MACOM BER, of Ashland, in the county of Ashland and State of Wisconsin, have invented a new and Improved Thill-Ooupling, of which the following is a full, clear, and exact description. I

The object of my inventionis to provide a thill-couplin g of exceedingly simple, durable, and economic construction, and which may be expeditiously and conveniently manipulated either to effect a coupling or an uncoupling between the thill-irons and the axle.

A further object of the invention is to provide a coupling which when in working position will be perfectly safe and noiseless, and, further, to provide for the uncoupling of the device by a person seated in a vehicle to which it is attached, enabling the person -to at once release an unruly horse.

The invention consists in the novel construction and combination of the several parts, as will behereinafter fully set forth, and pointed out in the claims.

Reference is to be had to the accompanying drawings, forming a part of this specification, in which similar characters of reference indi-' cate corresponding parts in all the figures.

Figure 1 is a perspective view of the coupling, the thill-iron being separated from the body of the coupling. Fig. 2 is a vertical section through the coupling in coupled position and a vertical section through the axle to which the coupling is attached, the section A represents a clip of any approved form which is secured in any approved manner upon the axle A. A horizontal arm B is projected from the front of the clip. This arm is provided with a transverse rib 10 upon its upper face, near the clip, thereby forming a transverse channel 11 between the said rib and the clip, as shown in Figs. 1 and 2. In

front'of the transverse rib 10 a concaved recess 12 is made in the upper face of the arm, and a longitudinal slot 13 is produced in the forward central portion of the wall of the re cess 12, the said slot extending through the front upper portion of the arm, forming ears 14. A jaw O is used in connection with the said arm B. At the rear end of the jaw O a hook 15 is made, which hook is adapted to enter the slot 13 in'the arm B, and the jaw is pivoted to the arm by passing a pin 16 through the ears of the arm and through'the said hook. When the jaw O is opened out from the arm, the hook will have an upward inclination, as shown in Fig. 1, and when the jaw is closed over upon the arm the hook will enter the slot 13 to such an extent that the inner concaved surface of the hook will conform to the curvature of the recess 12.

Immediately in front of the hook 15 aconcaved recess 17 is made transversely in the inner face of the jaw, and the concaved surface of the hook 15 forms virtually a continuation of the curvature of the recess 17. A transverse groove 18 is located between the forward wall of the recess 17 of the jaw and the free end portion of the jaw, forming a rib 19 at thefree end of the said jaw. When the jaw is carried over upon the arm B to effect a coupling, the rib 10 on the arm will enter the groove 18 in the jaw, while the end rib 19 on the jaw will enter the channel 11 in the arm, thus effecting an interlocking enga'geme'nt between the twoparts and rendering it possible for the parts to remain together even though said two parts be not pivotally connected. The shoulder formed at the inner end of the jaw at each side of the hook will engage with the outer ends of the ears of the arm'B, and the inner edge of the jaw when the jaw is opened will enter a recess 15 below the ears of the arm' and limit the downward movement of such jaw.

The thill-iron D is bifurcated, as usual, at its rear end, and the members 20 of the bifurcated portion are connected by a pin 21, which may be integral with the said arms or may be secured thereto. This pin or cross bar 21 may be straight or it may be tapered,

for example, from the center toward the ends. A tubular washer 22 is closely fitted to the cross-bar 21 of the thill-iron, and this washer is usually made of hard tanned leather, thoroughly soaked in tallow and pressed into shape. WVhen the thill-iron is held between the jaw and the arm of the coupling, the washer will completely fill the space between the cross-bar 21 and the walls of the recesses 12 in the arm and 17 in the jaw, as shown in Fig. 2, thus effectually preventing rattling and rendering the coupling a noiseless one.

An important feature of my invention consists in the hook 15, since in eifecting a coupling the cross-bar 21 and its washer are placed in the recess 1'7 in the jaw when the latter is in open position. A quick rearward movement of the thill-iron will force the jaw upward and rearward to the closed position upon the arm, and the jaw will be held in its closed or locked position by means of a spring-latch 23, which is preferably attached to the inner side of the arm B, extending above its top, being provided upon its outer face with a lug 24. As the j aw closes over the arm the spring is forced away from the arm, and the moment that the jaw is seated upon the arm the spring returns to its normal position, bringing its lug 24 over the outer surface of the jaw, as shown in Figs. 2 and 3. The spring is preferably provided upon its upper end with an opening, into which a cord, strap, or other device may be fastened and led to the body of the vehicle, so that an occupant of said vehicle may have control of both couplings and at any time may release the jaws, so that an unruly animal may draw the shafts from the couplings and free itself from the vehicle.

I have hereinbefore described the operation of closing the jaw 0 upon the arm B by pressing the cross-bar 21 of the thill-iron D rearwardly against the hook 15. This hook is of such dimensions that it will not project into the thill-iron-receiving cavity of the arm B when the jaw swings from its open position to its closed position, Fig. 1. The cross-bar 21 may therefore be either pressed backward against the forward face of the hook 15, as

described, or the cross-bar may be placed directly into the recess 12 of the arm B at the rear of the hook 15, and the jaw O is then closed over the cross-bar 21 by hand.

In Figs. 4, 5, and 6 I have illustrated a slightly-modified form of the coupling in which the recess 12 in the arm B is tapering, considered laterally, and the thill-iron D comprises a body 25, a side bar 26, and a tapering cross-bar 27, the taper of the crossbar conforming substantially to the taper of the recess 12 of the arm 13. An improved form of latch is shown in Figs. 4, 5, and 6, it being the form which is preferred. This latch (designated as E) is made of spring material and consists of a top cross-bar 28 and side bars 29, the side bars of the latch extending downward along the outer side faces of the arm 13, and the lower ends of the side bars are secured to a shaft 30, preferably polygonal, which is passed through the arm 13 and is held against turning. The springlatch is provided at the top with an eye 31, to which the cord or strap is attached. The cross-bar 28 of the latch is made semicylindrioal in cross-section, the under face being flat. When the latch E is employed, the free endof the jaw C is made tapering, and the latch is so placed upon the arm that when the jaw is closed on the arm the cross-bar of the latch will extend over and nearly in contact with the upper surface of the jaw, as shown in Fig. 5. When it is desired to uncouple, the spring-latch is carried sufficiently far rearward to clear the free end of the jaw and permit the jaw to open.

I desire it to be understood that the parts B and C may be applied to the end of the thill, if desired, thus making a thill-iron, enabling the coupling to be attached to the ordinary clip.

Having thus described any invention, I claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent 1. A thill-coupling comprising an arm provided with means for attachment to an axle and having a recess adapted to form a seat for the cross-bar of the thill-iron, and a jaw adapted for locking engagement with said arm and provided with a recess which in the closed position of the jaw completes the cavity adapted to receive the cross-bar of the thilliron, the jaw being further provided with a hook which in the open position of the jaw projects between the recess of the jaw and the recess of the arm, but does not project into the recess of the arm during the closing movement of the jaw so that the cross-bar of the thill-iron may either be placed directly into the recess of the arm, or placed in the recess of the jaw and pressed rearward toward the recess of the arm to cause the jaw to swing into the closed position, substantially as described.

2. A thill-coupling comprising an arm adapted for attachment to an axle and having a recess adapted to form a seat for the cross-bar of the thill-iron, also a transverse groove and a transverse rib located between said recess and the attachment end or axle end of the arm, and a jaw pivoted to the free end of the arm and having a recess to fit the cross-bar of the thill-iron, the jaw having at its free end, a transverse rib and a transverse groove adapted to interlock with those of the arm.

3. A thill coupling comprising an arm adapted for attachment to an axle and having a recess adapted to form a seat for the cross-bar of the thill-iron, a jaw pivoted to the free end of the arm and having a recess to fit the cross-bar ofthe thill-iron, and a spring-latch consisting of side bars capable eye, secured to the central portion of said of a yielding movement longitudinally of the cross-bar.

arm and secured to said arm between its recess and its attachment end or axle end, a LOUIS ELBERT MAOOMBER' cross-bar connecting the ends of said side WVitnesses:

bars and adapted to engage the jaw near its J. S. ELLIS,

free end, and a fastening device, such as an E. H. ELLIS.

Images