Cushion couplers for railway cars

Claim 1

A RAILWAY CAR COUPLER COMPRISING A COUPLING HEAD ADAPTED TO RECEIVE THE USUAL DRAFT AND BUFF FORCES, A PRIMARY SHANK FORMED INTEGRALLY WITH SAID COUPLING HEAD AND PROJECTING REARWARDLY FROM THE REAR END THEREOF, A BELL HAVING AN OPEN FRONT END AND ARRANGED IN SURROUNDING RELATION WITH SAID PRIMARY SHANK, A SECONDARY SHANK FORMED INTEGRALLY WITH SAID BELL AND PROJECTING REARWARDLY FROM THE REAR END THEREOF, SAID COUPLING HEAD AND SAID PRIMARY SHANK AND SAID BELL AND SAID SECONDARY SHANK BEING ARRANGED IN SUBSTANTIAL LONGITUDINAL ALIGNMENT WITH EACH OTHER, MEANS MOUNTING SAID PRIMARY SHANK FOR GUIDED LONGITUDINAL SLIDING MOVEMENTS WITHIN SAID BELL, LOST-MOTION MECHANISM INTERCONNECTING SAID PRIMARY SHANK AND SAID BELL AND LIMITING THE LONGITUDINAL SLIDING MOVEMENTS OF SAID PRIMARY SHANK WITHIN SAID BELL AND ESTABLISHING BOTH A FRONT LIMIT POSTION AND A REAR LIMIT POSTION FOR SAID PRIMARY SHANK WITH RESPECT TO SAID BELL, SAID COUPLING HEAD BEING POSITIONED IMMEDIATELY ADJACENT TO AND FORWARDLY OF THE OPEN FRONT END OF SAID BELL WHEN SAID PRIMARY SHANK OCCUPIES ITS FRONT LIMIT POSITION, THE REAR PORTION OF SAID COUPLING HEAD BEING POSITIONED WELL WITHIN THE ADJACENT OPEN FRONT END OF SAID BELL WHEN SAID PRIMARY SHANK OCCUPIES ITS REAR LIMIT POSITION, CUSHION MECHANISM HOUSED WITHIN THE FRONT PORTION OF SAID BELL AND DISPOSED ON OPPOSITE SIDES OF SAID PRIMARY SHANK AND INTERCONNECTING SAID PRIMARY SHANK AND SAID BELL AND BIASING SAID PRIMARY SHANK INTO ITS FRONT LIMIT POSITION AND RESILIENTLY OPPOSING REARWARD LONGITUDINAL MOVEMENT OF SAID PRIMARY SHANK OUT OF ITS FRONT LIMIT POSITION AND TOWARD ITS REAR LIMIT POSITION, WHEREBY A DRAFT FORCE APPLIED TO SAID COUPLING HEAD IS TRANSMITTED THEREFROM VIA SAID PRIMARY SHANK AND SAID BELL TO SAID SECONDARY SHANK BY SAID LOST-MOTION MECHANISM AND INDEPENDENTLY OF SAID CUSHION MECHANISM, WHEREBY A BUFF FORCE APPLIED TO SAID COUPLING HEAD IS TRANSMITTED THEREFROM VIA SAID PRIMARY SHANK AND SAID BELL TO SAID SECONDARY SHANK BY SAID CUSHION MECHANISM AND INDEPENDENTLY OF SAID LOST-MOTION MECHANISM, AND A CONNECTOR CARRIED BY THE REAR END OF SAID SECONDARY SHANK AND ADAPTED TO BE CONNECTED TO COOPERATING CONVENTIONAL DRAFT GEAR.