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US3776581A Expired / Lapsed US ⏱️ 0.0 years remaining

Sealing cam interlock

Assignee: Youngstown Steel Door Co
•
Filing: 1971-07-26
•
Granted: 1973-12-04
•
Expires: 1991-07-26
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Abstract

Abstract A cam activated mechanism which permits a railroad car door to be sealed only when the door is in a fully closed position. The mechanism is activated by the final rotation of a car door operating lever or handle. An aperture is provided in the handle to allow the insertion of a car seal when the handle is rotated to the proper final position between spaced opposed arms of a sealing fork. Turning the handle imparts rotational movement to a shaft which drives a pinion in meshed engagement with a segmental gear rotatably mounted between the base and cover plates on the car door. The rotational movement of the pinion thus turns the segmental gear. A cam slot is located in the segmental gear and is adapted to admit one end of a cam crank pivotally mounted on the base plate to provide a rocking motion such that the other end of the cam crank which is attached to a bar provides rectilinear motion to the bar. The cam slot is so situated on the segmental gear that it will accept the one end of the cam crank only when the door is closed. Spaced below the segmental gear adjacent the handle is a sealing fork, the housing for which is essentially a U-shaped bracket having two legs and an intermediate portion therebetween which is secured to the base plate. The bracket lies within the periphery of the circumference projected by the handle. A rod having a locking surface thereon is journalled in the legs of the U-shaped bracket and the handle interfering sealing fork arms are fixedly mounted on said rod. The arms are apertured to allow the insertion of a car seal therethrough when said apertures are aligned with the corresponding aperture in the handle. The rectilinearily moving bar has a lateral projection adapted to contact the rod having the locking surface when the one end of the cam crank is dislodged from the cam slot in the segmental gear. The cam crank is in a dislodged position whenever the door is not closed and the sealing apertures are thus prevented from being aligned since the arms are prevented from being positioned on either side of the handle to lock it in place. When contact is effected between the bar and rod, the sealing fork arms are positively held in a position out of the path of the handle so that the handle may be rotated. A seal may be passed through the apertures in the handle and the arms of the sealing fork to seal the railroad car only when the cam crank end is in the cam slot and the door is fully closed.

Inventors

  • 👤 I Ross

Bibliographic Details

Application Number —
Jurisdiction US
Data Source google_patents
Last Synchronized 2026-11-03 08:33
CPC Classifications
E; E05; E05B; E05B63/00; E05B63/14; E05B63/143; E05D; E05D15/00; E05D15/06; E05D15/10; E05D15/1005; E05D15/1007; E05B63/0017; E05B63/0021; E05Y; E05Y2900/00; E05Y2900/50; E05Y2900/51; Y; Y10; Y10S; Y10S292/00; Y10S292/32; Y10T; Y10T292/00; Y10T292/08; Y10T292/0801; Y10T292/0834; Y10T292/0836; Y10T292/0843; Y10T292/0844; Y10T292/096; Y10T292/1014; Y10T292/1022; Y10T292/1025

Claims Analysis

Total Claims: 7
Claim 1
Independent Claim 295 words
A selectively actuated mechanism for preventing the insertion of a car seal through the sealing aperture of a railroad car door operating lever and corresponding apertures in the arms of a sealing fork unless the car door has been completely closed, said mechanism comprising: a partially arcuate member having teeth positioned about at least a portion of its periphery, said member being rotatably secured to the car door and said member further having a cam recess positioned on its periphery; a rotatable shaft on which the operating lever is mounted; a pinion fixedly mounted on the rotatable shaft in meshed engagement with the toothed portion of the partially arcuate member; a cam crank pivotally secured to the car door being activatable by contact with the cam recess; a rectilinearily movable bar attached to the end of the cam crank which does not engage the cam recess; a U-shaped bracket having two legs and an intermediate portion secured to the car door within the periphery described by the operating lever and having rod accepting apertures in each leg thereof; a sealing fork comprising a rod having a locking surface rotatably mounted through said rod accepting apertures and having radially extending therefrom at least one handle engaging arm, said locking surface being contacted by the bar when the non-attached end of the cam crank leaves the cam slot, said cam slot being positioned on the toothed member such that it accepts one end of the cam crank when the lever is within a predetermined distance from its desired degree of rotation, the activation of the crank being such that the bar attached thereto disengages the rod locking surface to permit the arm to establIsh engagement with the lever when the desired closure of the door is achieved.
Claim 2
Dependent Claim 295 words
A selectively actuated mechanism for preventing the insertion of a car seal through the sealing aperture of a railroad car door operating lever and corresponding apertures in the arms of a sealing fork unless the car door has been completely closed, said mechanism comprising: a partially arcuate member having teeth positioned about at least a portion of its periphery, said member being rotatably secured to the car door and said member further having a cam recess positioned on its periphery; a rotatable shaft on which the operating lever is mounted; a pinion fixedly mounted on the rotatable shaft in meshed engagement with the toothed portion of the partially arcuate member; a cam crank pivotally secured to the car door being activatable by contact with the cam recess; a rectilinearily movable bar attached to the end of the cam crank which does not engage the cam recess; a U-shaped bracket having two legs and an intermediate portion secured to the car door within the periphery described by the operating lever and having rod accepting apertures in each leg thereof; a sealing fork comprising a rod having a locking surface rotatably mounted through said rod accepting apertures and having radially extending therefrom at least one handle engaging arm, said locking surface being contacted by the bar when the non-attached end of the cam crank leaves the cam slot, said cam slot being positioned on the toothed member such that it accepts one end of the cam crank when the lever is within a predetermined distance from its desired degree of rotation, the activation of the crank being such that the bar attached thereto disengages the rod locking surface to permit the arm to establIsh engagement with the lever when the desired closure of the door is achieved.
Claim 3
Dependent Claim 96 words
A mechanism for ensuring positive closing of a crank operated railroad car plug door mounted for movement along a car side on a track before an elongated car seal may be placed in sealing position, said mechanism comprising: a lock bolt selectively moveable between a locked and an unlocked position; mechanical power transmission means for selectively moving the lock bolt; and means responsive to the selective movement of said lock bolt to permit placement of said car seal into sealing position only when the car door is closed and the lock bolt is in locked position.
Claim 4
Dependent Claim 96 words
A mechanism for ensuring positive closing of a crank operated railroad car plug door mounted for movement along a car side on a track before an elongated car seal may be placed in sealing position, said mechanism comprising: a lock bolt selectively moveable between a locked and an unlocked position; mechanical power transmission means for selectively moving the lock bolt; and means responsive to the selective movement of said lock bolt to permit placement of said car seal into sealing position only when the car door is closed and the lock bolt is in locked position.
Claim 5
Dependent Claim 34 words
The mechanism of claim 2 wherein a handle is rotatably secured to the door for supplying power to the mechanical transmission means whereby said lock bolt is responsive to rotational movement of the handle.
Claim 6
Dependent Claim 122 words
A mechanism for ensuring positive closing of a crank operated railroad car plug door mounted for movement along a car side on a track before a car seal may be placed in sealing position, said mechanism comprising: a lock bolt selectively movable between a locked and an unlocked position; mechanical power transmission means for selectively moving the lock bolt, said mechanical power transmission means being selected from the group consisting of: rack and pinion means; gear and cam crank means; and sprocket and roller chain means; and means responsive to the selective movement of said lock bolt to permit placement of said car seal into sealing position only when the car door is closed and the lock bolt is in locked position.
Claim 7
Dependent Claim 122 words
A mechanism for ensuring positive closing of a crank operated railroad car plug door mounted for movement along a car side on a track before a car seal may be placed in sealing position, said mechanism comprising: a lock bolt selectively movable between a locked and an unlocked position; mechanical power transmission means for selectively moving the lock bolt, said mechanical power transmission means being selected from the group consisting of: rack and pinion means; gear and cam crank means; and sprocket and roller chain means; and means responsive to the selective movement of said lock bolt to permit placement of said car seal into sealing position only when the car door is closed and the lock bolt is in locked position.

References Cited (Backward Citations)

US3125365A Cited
US3014359A Cited
US3410591A Cited
US3476424A Cited
US3642313A Cited

USPTO Annuity & Maintenance Windows

Annuity Stage Window Opens Payment Deadline Surcharge Period Until Estimated Fee Status
3.5 Years (Year 4) 1976-12-03 1977-06-04 1977-12-04 $2000.00 Window Closed / Lapsed
7.5 Years (Year 8) 1980-12-03 1981-06-04 1981-12-04 $3760.00 Window Closed / Lapsed
11.5 Years (Year 12) 1984-12-03 1985-06-04 1985-12-04 $7700.00 Window Closed / Lapsed

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