Hatch cover securing means for railway cars

Claim 1

A HATCH COVER STRUCTURE FOR A RAILWAY HOPPER CAR COMPRISING, A HATCH COVER ADAPTED TO BE POSITIONED OVER A HATCH OPENING ON THE CAR AND MOVABLE BETWEEN OPEN AND CLOSED POSITIONS RELATIVE TO THE OPENING, A RESILIENT GENERALLY FLAT HOLD-DOWN STRAP OVER THE HATCH COVER HAVING ONE END MOUNTED ON THE CAR FOR PIVOTAL MOVEMENT ADJACENT ONE SIDE OF THE HATCH COVER AND AN OPPOSITE FREE END ADJACENT THE OPPOSITE SIDE OF THE HATCH COVER HAVING AN OPEN SLOT THEREIN, MEANS CONNECTING THE HATCH COVER TO SAID STRAP FOR PIVOTAL MOVEMENT THEREWITH, A SWING BOLT MOUNTED BENEATH THE PROJECTING END OF THE STRAP FOR PIVOTAL MOVEMENT ABOUT A GENERALLY HORIZONTAL AXIS, A GENERALLY HORIZONTALLY EXTENDING PIN SECURED TO SAID SWING BOLT ADJACENT AN END THEREOF, AND AN ELONGATE CAM LEVER HAVING A PAIR OF INTEGRAL BIFURCATED ARMS ON AN END THEREOF PIVOTALLY MOUNTED ON SAID PIN AND ADAPTED TO ENGAGE THE UPPER SURFACE OF THE STRAP UPON MOVEMENT OF THE SWING BOLT WITHIN THE SLOT, SAID BIFURCATED ARMS ON BEING OF A TOTAL WIDTH LESS THAN THE WIDTH OF SAID SLOT AND ADAPTED TO BE RECEIVED WITHIN SAID SLOT WHEN THE CAM LEVER IS IN AN OPERABLE POSITION, A CAM LUG PROJECTING LATERALLY OUTWARDLY FROM EACH ARM AND ADAPTED TO ENGAGE THE UPPER FLAT SURFACE OF THE STRAP ADJACENT THE SIDE OF THE SLOT UPON PIVOTAL MOVEMENT OF THE LEVER BETWEEN LOCKED AND UNLOCKED POSITIONS WITH THE BIFURCATED ARMS BEING RECEIVED WITHIN SAID SLOT, SAID LUGS WHEN THE LEVER IS PIVOTED ABOUT SAID PIN TO AN UNLOCKED POSITION BEING MOVED ALONG THE FLAT UPPER SURFACE OF THE STRAP TO A PLANE WITH THE PIVOTAL AXIS OF THE LEVER WHICH LIES AT AN ANGLE GREATER THAN FORTY-FIVE DEGREES WITH RESPECT TO THE LONGITUDINAL AXIS OF THE SWING BOLT WHEREBY A RELATIVELY LARGE LEVERAGE MAY BE OBTAINED UPON CONTACT OF THE LUGS WITH THE STRAP AS THE LEVER PIVOTS TO AN UNLOCKED POSITION, SAID LEVER BEING PIVOTED TO A LOCKED POSITION ABOUT SAID PIN IN WHICH ITS LONGITUDINAL AXIS EXTENDS GENERALLY IN A HORIZONTAL DIRECTION AND THE CAM LUGS ENGAGE AND MOVE ALONG THE UPPER FLAT SURFACE OF THE STRAP TO A POSITION BEYOND A DEAD CENTER POSITION WITH RESPECT TO THE PIVOTS ON THE SWING BOLT WHEREBY SAID HANDLE IS URGED DOWNWARDLY BY THE RESILIENT STRAP ACTING AGAINST THE CAM LUGS, AN UPWARD MOVEMENT OF THE LEVER FROM ITS LOCKED POSITION RETURNING THE CAM LUGS IN A SLIDING MOVEMENT ALONG THE UPPER SURFACE OF THE STRAP PAST THEIR DEAD CENTER POSITION WITH THE LEVER BEING URGED TO UNLOCKED POSITION ABOUT ITS PIVOTAL AXIS BY THE RESILIENT STRAP ACTING AGAINST SAID CAM LUGS, SAID STRAP BEING RELEASED UPON SWINGING OF THE SWING BOLT OUT OF THE SLOT THEREBY TO PERMIT OPENING OF THE HATCH COVER.