Boxcar full-side closure

Claim 2

A vehicle comprising a body having a roof and at least one opening in a side of said body, an upper rigid closure section and a lower rigid closure section for fitting in said side opening, first means guiding said lower closure section for relative elevational movement into overlapping relationship with said upper closure section, and second means guiding said upper and lower closure sections for bodily edgewise movement upward from said side opening into an elevated position in which substantial portions of said upper closure section and said lower closure section in such overlapping relationship are disposed above said roof, said second guiding means including hinged arm means pivotally connected to said roof and to the upper portion of said upper closure section and swingable about the pivotal connection to said roof during such bodily edgewise movement of said upper closure section and said lower closure section into such elevated position.

Claim 3

The vehicle defined in claim 1, hoisting means for moving the closure sections upward from the side body opening, and holding means for holding said hoisting means against inadvertent movement in the closure-lowering direction.

Claim 4

The vehicle defined in claim 1, and stop means engageable by at least one of the closure sections for limiting horizontal edgewise movement of the closure sections relative to the body when the sections are in an upper position in which a substantial portion of each of the sections is raised above the body side opening.

Claim 5

The vehicle defined in claim 1, and means at the top and at the bottom of the closure sections for holding the upper closure section and the lower closure section in overlapping relationship for conjoint bodily edgewise movement upward.

Claim 6

The vehicle defined in claim 1, in which each closure section is of a length substantially equal to the full length of the vehicle.

Claim 7

The vehicle defined in claim 1, and means for securing adjacent portions of the closure sections against movement relative to each other and to the body when in closed position.

Claim 8

The vehicle defined in claim 1, and sealing means engaged between the upper closure section and the lower closure section when the closure sections are iN position closing the body side opening for sealing the joint between such sections.

Claim 9

The vehicle defined in claim 1, rotatable means for hoisting the upper closure section, and holding means for said rotatable means operable to hold said rotatable means against inadvertent rotation in the closure-lowering direction.

Claim 10

The vehicle defined in claim 1, and flexible supporting means suspending the lower closure section from the upper closure section when the closure sections are in their lower position fitted in the side body opening and yieldable for movement of the lower closure section upward into overlapping relationship with the upper closure section.

Claim 11

The vehicle defined in claim 1, a line-winding drum at one location on the body, and hoisting line means connected to opposite ends of the lower closure section for raising it into overlapping relationship to the upper closure section and wound on said line-winding drum.

Claim 12

The vehicle defined in claim 1, and upright hoisting jack means connected to the lower closure section for raising it.

Claim 13

A vehicle comprising a body having a roof and at least one opening in a side of said body, an upper rigid closure section for closing the upper portion of said side opening, a lower rigid closure section for closing the lower portion of said side opening, means connected to said upper closure section and guiding said upper closure section for bodily edgewise movement thereof upward exteriorly of said body to dispose a substantial portion of said upper closure section above said roof, and shifting means effecting relative movement of said upper closure section and said lower closure section to move them relatively into offset relationship for edgewise movement of said lower closure section upward into overlapping relationship with said upper closure section and including a cam member carried by said upper closure section and including a cam member carried by said body and cooperating with the lower portion of said lower closure section and roller cam means acting between said upper closure section and the upper portion of said lower closure section.

Claim 14

A vehicle comprising a body having a roof and at least one opening in a side of said body, an upper rigid closure section for closing the upper portion of said side opening, a lower rigid closure section for closing the lower portion of said side opening, means connected to said upper closure section and guiding said upper closure section for bodily edgewise movement thereof upward exteriorly of said body to dispose a substantial portion of said upper closure section above said roof, and shifting means effecting relative movement of said upper closure section and said lower closure section to move them relatively into offset relationship for edgewise movement of said lower closure section upward into overlapping relationship with said upper closure section and including a cam member carried by said upper closure section and including a cam member carried by said body and cooperating with the lower portion of said lower closure section and roller cam means acting between said upper closure section and the upper portion of said lower closure section.

Claim 15

The vehicle defined in claim 1, in which the hinged arm means includes an arm pivotally connected between the vehicle body and the upper edge portion of the upper closure section.

Claim 16

The vehicle defined in claim 1, in which the hinged arm means includes a plurality of arms exteriorly of the body and pivotally connected between the roof and the upper edge portion of the upper closure section.