Apparatus for protecting vehicle loads

Claim 1

A COUPLER IMPACT CUSHIONING DEVICE FOR RAILROAD CARS; SAID DEVICE BEING DISPOSED IN A HORIZONTAL POSITION EXTENDING LONGITUDINALLY OF THE CAR AND INTERPOSED BETWEEN THE CAR COUPLERS AND A LOAD SUPPORT CARRIED BY THE CAR AND MOUNTED FOR MOVEMENT LONGITUDINALLY OF SAME, SAID DEVICE COMPRISING A CYLINDER MEMBER, A PLUNGER MEMBER RECIRPOCABLY MOUNTED IN SAID CYLINDER MEMBER FOR MOVEMENT IN EITHER DIRECTION LONGITUDINALLY OF SAID CYLINDER MEMBER, MEANS INTERPOSED BETWEEN AND COOPERATING WITH SAID CYLINDER MEMBER AND SAID PLUNGER MEMBER FOR EFFECTING A SUBSTANTIALLY CONSTANT FORCE-TRAVEL RELATIVE MOVEMENT BETWEEN SAID MEMBERS WHEN ONE OF SAID MEMBERS MOVES RELATIVE TO THE OTHER OF SAID MEMBERS UNDER THE IMPETUS OF COUPLER IMPACTS, MEANS FOR MAKING ONE OF SAID MEMBES FAST WITH RESPECT TO THE LOAD SUPPORT CARRIED BY THE CAR, MEANS FOR TRANSMITTING BUFF AND DRAFT FORCES APPLIED TO THE COUPLERS TO THE OTHER OF SAID MEMBERS, MEANS FOR RESTORING SAID MEMBERS TO RECENTERED POSITION AFTER COUPLER BUFF AND DRAFT FORCES HAVE BEEN CUSHIONED, SAID PLUNGER MEMBER COMPRISING AN OPERATING ROD EXTENDING THROUGH OPPOSITE ENDS OF SAID CYLINDER MEMBER AND A PISTON HEAD AFFIXED TO THE MIDPORTION OF SAID ROD, CONDUIT