Fifth wheel stand

Claim 1

A FIFTH WHEEL STAND FOR SECURING A TRAILER BODY OF THE TYPE HAVING A DEPENDING KINGPIN DEFINING A SLOTTED LOWER END PORTION TO A RAILROAD CAR OR THE LIKE BY ENGAGING THE KINGPIN THEREOF, SAID STAND COMPRISING: A KINGPIN LATCH DEVICE AND A SUPPORT THEREFOR, SAID LATCH DEVICE COMPRISING A FIFTH WHEEL MEMBER FORMED ON ITS TOP TO DEFINE A SUBSTANTIALLY PLANAR UPWARDLY FACING FIFTH WHEEL SURFACE AND AN UPWARDLY FACING KINGPIN SEAT RECESSED IN SAID MEMBER, SAID SUPPORT COMPRISING RETRACTABLE PROP MEANS TO WHICH SAID FIFTH WHEEL MEMBER IS SECURED AT ONE END THEREOF FOR RETRACTABLY MOUNTING SAID FIFTH WHEEL MEMBER IN A KINGPIN ENGAGING POSITION WHEREIN SAID FIFTH WHEEL SURFACE IS HORIZONTALLY DISPOSED, SAID PROP MEANS AT THE OTHER END THEREOF BEING ADAPTED TO BE SECURED TO THE CAR, SAID KINGPIN SEAT OF SAID FIFTH WHEEL MEMBER OPENING AT SAID FIFTH WHEEL SURFACE AND BEING IN CIRCUMAMBIENT RELATION ABOUT A CENTRAL AXIS THAT IS SUBSTANTIALLY PERPENDICULAR TO SAID SURFACE, WHICH AXIS IS VERTICALLY DISPOSED WHEN SAID FIFTH WHEEL MEMBER IS DISPOSED IN ITS SAID KINGPIN ENGAGING POSITION, WITH THE OUTER RIM PORTION OF SAID SEAT BEING DEFINED BY A KINGPIN GUIDE SURFACE DISPOSED IN SUBSTANTIALLY CIRCUMAMBIENT RELATION ABOUT THE CENTRAL AXIS OF SAID SEAT AND THAT CONVERGES INWARDLY OF SAID FIFTH WHEEL MEMBER TOWARDS SAID AXIS AND DOWNWARDLY FROM SAID FIFTH WHEEL MEMBER SURFACE, SAID GUIDE SURFACE MERGING INTO A CENTRALLY DISPOSED PORTION OF SAID SEAT THAT IS PROPORTIONED TO RECEIVE THE LOWER END OF THE TRAILER KINGPIN WHEN SAID FIFTH WHEEL MEMBER IS IN ITS KINGPIN ENGAGING POSITION, AND MEANS FOR FORMING A COMPRESSION STRESS CONNECTION BETWEEN SAID FIFTH WHEEL MEMBER AND THE PORTION OF THE KINGPIN THAT PROJECTS THROUGH THE SPACE DEFINED BY SAID GUIDE SURFACE WHEN THE KINGPIN IS RECEIVED IN SAID SEAT, SAID MEANS COMPRISING APERTURES FORMED IN SAID FIFTH WHEEL MEMBER IN SPACED RELATION ABOUT SAID CENTRAL AXIS AND SAID CENTRALLY DISPOSED PORTION OF SAID SEAT, SAID APERTURES EXTENDING PARALLEL TO SAID CENTRAL AXIS AND OPENING AT SAID GUIDE SURFACE ABOUT AND ADJACENT TO SAID CENTRALLY DISPOSED PORTION OF SAID SEAT, WITH THE PORTIONS OF SAID FIFTH WHEEL MEMBER THAT DEFINE SAID APERTURES EACH DEFINING AN ELONGATE ABUTMENT SURFACE FACING SAID AXIS AND EXTENDING PARALLEL TO SAID AXIS, SAID ABUTMENT SURFACES EXTENDING UPWARDLY THROUGH SAID FIFTH WHEEL MEMBER TO SUBSTANTIALLY THE LEVEL OF SAID FIFTH WHEEL SURFACE, AND REMOVABLE LATCH MEMBERS PROPORTIONED TO BE RECEIVED IN SAID APERTURES, RESPECTIVELY, AND TO ENGAGE WITH THE RESPECTIVE ABUTMENT SURFACES OF THE RESPECTIVE APERTURES, SAID LATCH MEMBERS EACH BEING PROPORTIONED TO, WHEN POSITIONED IN THE RESPECTIVE APERTURES, PROJECT UPWARDLY FROM THE SAID APERTURE OPENINGS THROUGH SAID SEAT TO SUBSTANTIALLY THE LEVEL OF SAID FIFTH WHEEL SURFACE, SAID LATCH MEMBERS EACH BEING FURTHER PROPORTIONED TO SUBSTANTIALLY FILL THE SPACE BETWEEN THE RESPECTIVE ABUTMENT SURFACES AND THE KINGPIN WHEN THE LATTER IS RECEIVED IN SAID SEAT AND SAID LATCH MEMBERS ARE RESPECTIVELY RECEIVED IN SAID APERTURES, SAID LATCH MEMBERS THEREBY BEING PROPORTIONED TO ENGAGE THE KINGPIN PORTION THAT LIES IN SUBSTANTIAL COPLANAR RELATION WITH SAID FIFTH WHEEL SURFACE WHEN THE KINGPIN IS RECEIVED IN SAID SEAT AND SAID LATCH MEMBERS ARE RECEIVED IN SAID APERTURES, RESPECTIVELY, AND RELEASABLE LATCH BAR MEANS COOPERATING WITH SAID LATCH MEMBERS, SAID FIFTH WHEEL BODY, AND THE KINGPIN SLOTTED END PORTION FOR RELEASABLY HOLDING SAID LATCH MEMBERS IN THEIR RESPECTIVE APERTURES IN THEIR SAID ABUTMENT SURFACE AND KINGPIN ENGAGING POSITIONS AND FOR KEYING SAID FIFTH WHEEL MEMBER TO THE KINGPIN, SAID FIFTH WHEEL MEMBER BEING FORMED WITH AN APERTURE EXTENDING THERETHROUGH GENERALLY CROSSWISE OF SAID CENTRAL AXIS OF SAID SEAT AND IN ALIGNMENT WITH THE POSITION OF THE KINGPIN SLOT WHEN THE KINGPIN IS DISPOSED WITHIN SAID SEAT AND IN SAID SEAT CENTRALLY DISPOSED PORTION, ONE OF SAID LATCH MEMBERS BEING FORMED WITH A RECESS THAT IS ALIGNED WITH SAID CROSSWISE APERTURE WHEN SAID LATCH MEMBERS ARE IN THEIR ABUTMENT SURFACE AND KINGPIN ENGAGING POSITIONS, SAID LATCH BAR MEANS COMPRISING AN ELONGATE RIGID MEMBER PROPORTIONED TO EXTEND INTO SAID CROSSWISE APERTURE AND THROUGH THE KINGPIN SLOT AND SAID ONE LATCH MEMBER RECESS WHEN THE KINGPIN IS RECEIVED IN SAID SEAT AND SAID LATCH MEMBERS ARE RECEIVED IN SAID ABUTMENT SURFACE FORMING APERTURES, RESPECTIVELY, AND MEANS FOR SECURING SAID LATCH MEMBERS TOGETHER.