Highway-railway transportation apparatus

Claim 1

IN APPARATUS FOR TRANSPORTING FREIGHT INCLUDING A FREIGHT CONTAINER, A WHEELED CHASSIS INCLUDING A FRAME TO WHICH THE CONTAINER IS ADAPTED TO BE CONNECTED, AND A RAILROAD CAR INCLUDING AN OPEN DECK EXTENDING LENGTHWISE OF THE CAR AND ADAPTING SAME TO SERVE AS A ROADWAY FOR MOVEMENT OF THE CHASSIS LENGTHWISE OF THE CAR AND RETRACTABLE SUPPORTS SECURED TO EITHER SIDE OF THE CAR ON WHICH THE CONTAINER IS TO BE RESTED WHEN THE SUPPORTS ARE MOVED TO EXTENDED POSITIONS AT AN ELEVATION ABOVE THE DECK THAT IS SUBSTANTIALLY EQUIVALENT TO THE DISTANCE THAT THE CONTAINER IS ABOVE THE GROUND WHEN TRANSPORTED BY THE CHASSIS, THE IMPROVEMENT WHEREIN AN AIR SPRING SUSPENSION SYSTEM IS INTERPOSED BETWEEN THE CHASSIS WHEELS AND FRAME, SAID SYSTEM COMPRISING AN AIR SPRING, MEANS FOR MOUNTING SAID AIR SPRING BETWEEN SAID FRAME AND SAID WHEELS TO CARRY THE WEIGHT OF SAID FRAME AND ITS CONTAINER LOAD, A SUPPLY CONDUIT ADAPTED TO BE SECURED TO A SOURCE OF AIR UNDER PRESSURE, A LEVELING VALVE, SAID SUPPLY CONDUIT BEING CONNECTED TO SAID LEVELING VALVE, A FEED CONDUIT EXTENDING BETWEEN SAID LEVELING VALVE AND SAID SPRING, OFFON VALVE MEANS INTERPOSED IN SAID SUPPLY CONDUIT BETWEEN SAID SOURCE OF AIR UNDER PRESSURE AND SAID LEVELING VALVE INCLUDING MEANS FOR OPENING SAID SUPPLY CONDUIT OR ALTERNATELY CLOSING SAME AND CONNECTING THE PORTION OF SAID SUPPLY CONDUIT EXTENDING BETWEEN SAID OFF-ON VALVE MEANS AND SAID LEVELING VALVE WITH AN AIR DISCHARGE OUTLET, A FLOW ORIENTING VALVE, AN EXHAUST CONDUIT EXTENDING BETWEEN SAID LEVELING VALVE AND SAID FLOW ORIENTING VALVE, A CONNECTOR CONDUIT EXTENDING BETWEEN SAID FLOW ORIENTING VALVE AND SAID SUPPLY CONDUIT, SAID CONNECTOR CONDUIT BEING CONNECTED TO SAID SUPPLY CONDUIT BETWEEN SAID OFF-ON VALVE AND SAID LEVELING VALVE, SAID FLOW ORIENTING VALVE INCLUDING MEANS FOR ALTERNATIVELY CONNECTING SAID EXHAUST CONDUIT TO AN AIR DISCHARGE OUTLET OR TO SAID SUPPLY CONDUIT, SAID LEVELING VALVE INCLUDING MEANS FOR ALTERNATIVELY CONNECTING SAID SUPPLY AND EXHAUST CONDUITS TO SAID FEED CONDUIT IN RESPONSE TO WEIGHT CHANGES ON SAID SPRING, A FIRST BYPASS CONDUIT EXTENDING BETWEEN SAID SUPPLY CONDUIT AND SAID FEED CONDUIT IN BYPASSING RELATION TO SAID LEVELING VALVE, AND A SECOND BYPASS CONDUIT EXTENDING BETWEEN SAID EXHAUST CONDUIT AND SAID FEED CONDUIT IN BYPASSING RELATION TO SAID LEVELING VALVE, SAID FIRST BYPASS CONDUIT HAVING CHECK VALVE MEANS INTERPOSED THEREIN FOR PERMITTING FLUID FLOW ONLY FROM SAID FEED CONDUIT TO SAID SUPPLY CONDUIT, SAID SECOND BYPASS CONDUIT HAVING CHECK VALVE MEANS INTERPOSED THEREIN FOR PERMITTING FLUID FLOW ONLY FROM SAID EXHAUST CONDUIT TO SAID FEED CONDUIT, WHEREBY SAID OFF-ON VALVE AND SAID FLOW ORIENTING VALVE MAY BE OPERATED TO PERMIT SAID LEVELING VALVE TO MAINTAIN SAID CHASSIS FRAME AND ITS LOAD AT A PREDETERMINED ELEVATION, OR TO PERMIT THE CHASSIS FRAME AND ITS LOAD TO BE RAISED OR LOWERED INDEPENDENTLY OF THE NORMAL FUNCTIONING OF SAID LEVELING VALVE MEANS.