Railway car cushioning device

Claim 1

A RAILWAY CAR HAVING A CENTER SILL STRUCTURE WITH AN OPEN OUTER END, A COUPLER STRUCTURE CARRIED BY SAID CENTER SILL STRUCTURE, A CUSHIONING DEVICE MOUNTED WITHIN SAID CENTER SILL STRUCTURE REARWARDLY OF SAID COUPLER STRUCTURE FOR CUSHIONING THE COUPLER STRUCTURE UPON THE EXERTION OF BUFF FORCES, SAID CUSHIONING DEVICE COMPRISING A CYLINDER FORMING A HYDRAULIC FLUID CHAMBER, A PISTON MOUNTED WITHIN SAID CYLINDER AND FORMING ONE END OF SAID FLUID CHAMBER, MEANS SEPARATING THE HYDRAULIC FLUID CHAMBER INTO AN ENCLOSED LOW PRESSURE PORTION AND AN ENCLOSED HIGH PRESSURE PORTION IN A NEUTRAL POSITION OF THE CUSHIONING DEVICE WITH SAID PISTON FORMING A PORTION OF SAID LOW PRESSURE PORTION, AND FLUID PRESSURE RESPONSIVE MEANS RESPONSIVE TO FLUID PRESSURE IN THE HIGH PRESSURE PORTION AND ADAPTED TO BE ACTUATED UPON A PREDETERMINED PRESSURE BEING REACHED IN SAID HIGH PRESSURE PORTION TO PERMIT FLOW OF HYDRAULIC FLUID INTO SAID LOW PRESSURE PORTION AND SUBSEQUENT MOVEMENT OF SAID PISTON, SAID MEANS SEPARATING THE FLUID CHAMBER INTO SAID PORTIONS BEING OPERATIVELY CONNECTED TO SAID COUPLER STRUCTURE AND RESPONSIVE TO THE EXERTION OF BUFF FORCES AGAINST SAID COUPLER STRUCTURE TO INCREASE THE PRESSURE IN SAID HIGH PRESSURE PORTION WHEREBY UPON A PREDETERMINED PRESSURE BEING REACHED IN SAID HIGH PRESSURE PORTION SAID FLUID PRESSURE RESPONSIVE MEANS IS ACTUATED TO ALLOW A FLOW OF FLUID INTO SAID LOW PRESSURE PORTION FOR PERMITTING A CUSHIONED MOVEMENT OF SAID CUSHIONING DEVICE.