Coupling arrangement for platforms, especially of amphibious bridging and ferrying vehicles

Claim 1

IN COMBINATION WITH A BODY ADAPTED TO FLOAT, ESPECIALLY AN AMPHIBIOUS VEHICLE: A PLATFORM HINGEDLY CONNECTED TO SAID BODY, HOISTING MEANS ARRANGED ON SAID BODY BELOW THE TOP SURFACE OF SAID PLATFORM, SAID HOISTING MEANS HAVING A RECIPROCABLE MEMBER ADAPTED TO ENGAGE SAID PLATFORM FROM BELOW, SAID RECIPROCABLE MEMBER FORMING FIRST COUPLING MEANS AND BEING PROVIDED WITH A FIRST COUPLING BORE THERETHROUGH, SECOND COUPLING MEANS PROVIDED WITH A SECOND COUPLING BORE ADAPTED TO BE MOVED INTO SUBSTANTIALLY AXIAL ALIGNMENT WITH SAID FIRST COUPLING BORE, COUPLING BOLT MEANS RECIPROCABLY SUPPORTED BY SAID PLATFORM AND IN SUBSTANTIALLY AXIAL ALIGNMENT WITH SAID SECOND COUPLING BORE, ROTATABLE SHAFT MEANS ROTATABLY JOURNALLED IN SAID PLATFORM AND EXTENDING DOWNWARDLY THEREFROM, SAID SHAFT MEANS HAVING A POLYGONAL HEAD, SLEEVE MEANS SURROUNDING SAID POLYGONAL HEAD AND SLIDABLY ENGAGING THE SAME SO AS TO BE ROTATABLE WITH SAID SHAFT MEANS, ARM MEANS CONNECTED TO SAID SLEEVE MEANS AND PROVIDED WITH INDEXING MEANS, SAID PLATFORM BEING PROVIDED WITH RECESSES WITHIN THE RANGE OF SAID INDEXING MEANS FOR ENGAGEMENT THEREBY IN TWO DEFINITE POSITIONS OF SAID ARM MEANS, SPRING MEANS CONTINUOUSLY URGING SAID SLEEVE MEANS UPWARDLY TO THEREBY URGE SAID INDEXING MEANS INTO ENGAGEMENT WITH THE RECESS MEANS IN ALIGNMENT THEREWITH, SAID SPRING MEANS YIELDABLY SUPPORTING SAID SLEEVE MEANS TO THEREBY PERMIT WITHDRAWAL OF SAID INDEXING MEANS FROM SAID RECESS MEANS IN RESPONSE TO THE PRESSURE EXERTED BY A PRESSURE SOCKET PRESSED ONTO SAID POLYGONAL HEAD, AND MEANS OPERATIVELY CONNECTED TO SAID SHAFT MEANS AND OPERABLE IN RESPONSE TO THE MOVEMENT OF SAID INDEXING MEANS FROM ONE OF SAID TWO DEFINITE POSITIONS TO THE OTHER ONE OF SAID TWO DEFINITE POSITIONS AND VICE VERSA TO MOVE SAID COUPLING BOLT MEANS THROUGH SAID SECOND COUPLING BORE INTO SAID FIRST COUPLING BORE AND OUT OF SAID FIRST COUPLING BORE TO THEREBY RESPECTIVELY ESTABLISH AND INTERRUPT COUPLING ENGAGEMENT BETWEEN SAID HOISTING MEANS AND SAID PLATFORM.