Collapsible hitch

Claim 1

A HITCH ADAPTED TO RELEASABLY SECURE THE KINGPIN OF A TRAILER OR THE LIKE ON A RAILWAY CAR, COMPRISING: A SUPPORTING BASE, A GENERALLY VERTICAL SUPPORT EXTENDING UPWARDLY FROM THE BASE, MEANS CONNECTED TO THE SUPPORTING BASE MOUNTING SAID SUPPORT FOR PIVOTAL MOVEMENT ABOUT A HORIZONTAL AXIS AT A POSITION INTERMEDIATE THE UPPER AND LOWER ENDS OF THE SUPPORT, A FIFTH WHEEL PLATE PIVOTALLY CONNECTED ADJACENT THE UPPER END OF SAID VERTICAL SUPPORT FOR RELEASABLY SECURING THE KINGPIN, SAID VERTICAL SUPPORT BEING PIVOTED ABOUT ITS PIVOTAL CONNECTION TO SAID MOUNTING MEANS IN A LEVER ACTION UPON THE EXERTION OF A LONGITUDINAL FORCE FROM THE KINGPIN TO SWING THE LOWER END OF THE SUPPORT IN ONE GENERALLY HORIZONTAL DIRECTION RELATIVE TO THE SUPPORTING BASE AND TO SWING THE UPPER END AND FIFTH WHEEL PLATE IN AN OPPOSITE GENERALLY HORIZONTAL DIRECTION, AND CUSHION MEANS BETWEEN THE SUPPORTING BASE AND SAID LOWER END OF SAID VERTICAL SUPPORT TO CUSHION THE PIVOTAL MOVEMENT OF THE SUPPORT ABOUT ITS HORIZONTAL AXIS AND TO RETURN THE SUPPORT TO ITS ORIGINAL POSITION AFTER A GENERALLY HORIZONTAL CUSHIONED MOVEMENT OF THE LOWER END OF THE VERTICAL SUPPORT.