Patent US3883118A successfully refreshed from Google Patents.
US3883118A
Expired / Lapsed
US
⏱️ 0.0 years remaining
Spike pulling mechanism
Assignee: Southern Railway Co
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Filing: 1974-06-03
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Granted: 1975-05-13
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Expires: 1994-06-03
Abstract
Abstract A spike puller head for a railroad spike pulling machine in which a pair of rigid arms are pivoted to a frame for swinging movement in a common plane about relatively spaced axes and are provided with relatively opposed spike gripping jaws. Supported on the frame for normally free movement between and in general alignment with the jaws is a central gripping element, a portion of which lies in the paths of movement of the arms. Power means interconnecting and supported solely by the arms are capable of selectively moving the arms to an operative position in which one of the arms engages and urges the central gripping element into operative gripping engagement with a spike received between said element and the other of the arms. In the preferred use of the invention, a pair of such puller heads are supported from a car movable along a railroad track, the respective heads being on opposite sides of one of the rails of the track and capable of longitudinal adjustment together with respect to the car, as well as of simultaneous transverse movement, either toward or away from the rail.
Inventors
- 👤 J R Miller
Bibliographic Details
Application Number
—
Jurisdiction
US
Data Source
google_patents
Last Synchronized
2026-11-05 19:32
CPC Classifications
B; B25; B25C; B25C11/00; B25C11/02; E; E01; E01B; E01B29/00; E01B29/24; E01B29/26
Claims Analysis
Total Claims: 17
Claim 1
Independent Claim
127 words
In a railroad spike pulling machine, a spike puller head comprising: a rigid frame; a pair of arms respectively pivoted to said frame for swinging movement in a common plane about parallel axes; said arms including relatively horizontally opposed spike gripping jaws at locations remote from their said axes; power means interconnecting said arms for selectively urging their said gripping jaws toward and away from each other; and a central gripping element in the form of a pendant arm freely swingably suspended at its upper end from said frame, said pendant arm having gripping jaws at its lower end between and in horizontal alignment with said gripping jaws of said first mentioned arms for substantially horizontal free movement between said gripping jaws of said first mentioned arms.
Claim 2
Dependent Claim
127 words
In a railroad spike pulling machine, a spike puller head comprising: a rigid frame; a pair of arms respectively pivoted to said frame for swinging movement in a common plane about parallel axes; said arms including relatively horizontally opposed spike gripping jaws at locations remote from their said axes; power means interconnecting said arms for selectively urging their said gripping jaws toward and away from each other; and a central gripping element in the form of a pendant arm freely swingably suspended at its upper end from said frame, said pendant arm having gripping jaws at its lower end between and in horizontal alignment with said gripping jaws of said first mentioned arms for substantially horizontal free movement between said gripping jaws of said first mentioned arms.
Claim 3
Dependent Claim
17 words
The combination of claim 1 wherein said power means comprises a fluid actuated cylinder and piston unit.
Claim 4
Dependent Claim
15 words
The combination of claim 1, wherein said power means is supported solely by said arms.
Claim 5
Dependent Claim
30 words
The combination of claim 1, including means operative when said gripping jaws are urged away from each other for spacing said gripping jaws substantially equidistantly from said central gripping element.
Claim 6
Dependent Claim
176 words
In a railroad pulling machine of the class in which a wheel supported car moves along the rails of a railroad track to transport a spike puller unit from one operative position to another along the track, the combination comprising: a rigid frame supported from said car; power means on said car for selectively raising and lowering said frame; a pair of rigid arms respectively pivoted to said frame for angular movement in a common vertical plane about relatively parallel spaced axes; said arms respectively including portions depending from said axes and defining relatively horizontally opposed spike gripping jaws; a central gripping element supported on said frame for horizontal movement between said gripping jaws and in the paths of angular movement of said arms; and power means interconnecting and supported solely by said arms for urging the depending portions of said arms toward each other to an operative gripping position in which one of said arms engages and urges said element into gripping engagement with a spike received between said element and the other said arm.
Claim 7
Dependent Claim
176 words
In a railroad pulling machine of the class in which a wheel supported car moves along the rails of a railroad track to transport a spike puller unit from one operative position to another along the track, the combination comprising: a rigid frame supported from said car; power means on said car for selectively raising and lowering said frame; a pair of rigid arms respectively pivoted to said frame for angular movement in a common vertical plane about relatively parallel spaced axes; said arms respectively including portions depending from said axes and defining relatively horizontally opposed spike gripping jaws; a central gripping element supported on said frame for horizontal movement between said gripping jaws and in the paths of angular movement of said arms; and power means interconnecting and supported solely by said arms for urging the depending portions of said arms toward each other to an operative gripping position in which one of said arms engages and urges said element into gripping engagement with a spike received between said element and the other said arm.
Claim 8
Dependent Claim
53 words
The combination of claim 5, including means operative when the jaws of said arms are retracted from each other for spacing them substantially equidistantly from the central gripping element so as to leave a space between each jaw and the central gripping element within which the head of a spike may be received.
Claim 9
Dependent Claim
199 words
In a railroad spike pulling machine, a spike puller head comprising: a rigid frame; a pair of normally spaced, generally vertically extending lever armss respectively medially fulcrummed to said frame for swinging movement in a common vertical plane; the lower ends of said arms defining relatively horizontally opposed gripping jaws; and power means interconnecting and supported solely by the upper ends of said arms for selectively swinging said arms to urge said gripping jaws toward each other; the improvement which comprises a central arm having an upper end pivotally connected to said frame midway between said lever arms and having a depending freely swingable lower end portion between and coterminous with the lower ends of said lever arms, a portion of said central arm being in the paths of movement of the respective lever arms; said lower end portion of the central arm having oppositely horizontally directed jaws in opposed relation to the respective gripping jaws of said lever arms for cooperation therewith; said lower end portion of the central arm being normally spaced from the gripping jaws of both said lever arms for free reception of a spike between said central arm and either of said lever arms.
Claim 10
Dependent Claim
199 words
In a railroad spike pulling machine, a spike puller head comprising: a rigid frame; a pair of normally spaced, generally vertically extending lever armss respectively medially fulcrummed to said frame for swinging movement in a common vertical plane; the lower ends of said arms defining relatively horizontally opposed gripping jaws; and power means interconnecting and supported solely by the upper ends of said arms for selectively swinging said arms to urge said gripping jaws toward each other; the improvement which comprises a central arm having an upper end pivotally connected to said frame midway between said lever arms and having a depending freely swingable lower end portion between and coterminous with the lower ends of said lever arms, a portion of said central arm being in the paths of movement of the respective lever arms; said lower end portion of the central arm having oppositely horizontally directed jaws in opposed relation to the respective gripping jaws of said lever arms for cooperation therewith; said lower end portion of the central arm being normally spaced from the gripping jaws of both said lever arms for free reception of a spike between said central arm and either of said lever arms.
Claim 11
Dependent Claim
87 words
The combination of claim 7 in which said lever arms are arranged symmetrically to a vertical plane containing the pivotal axis of said central arm, said central arm being normally urged by gravity into said plane of symmetry; the upper end portions of said medially fulcrummed lever arms being conformed to abut agaist said central arm on opposite sides of its said pivot to thereby arrest the swinging movement of said lever arms in positions wherein their gripping jaws are substantially equidstantly spaced from said central arm.
Claim 12
Dependent Claim
32 words
The combination of claim 8, including cam means at the lower end of said central arm for engagement with a spike to deflect said central arm to one side of the spike.
Claim 13
Dependent Claim
152 words
In a railroad spike pulling machine, a spike puller head comprising: a rigid frame; a pair of arms respectively pivoted to said frame for swinging movement in a common plane about parallel axes; said arms including relatively opposed spike gripping jaws at locations remote from their said axes; and power means interconnecting said arms for selectively urging their said gripping jaws toward and away from each other; there being a central gripping element, and means supporting said element for normally free movement in said common plane between and in general alignment with said gripping jaws and in the paths of swinging movement of said arms, for gripping reception of a spike between said gripping element and either of said gripping jaws; including cam means associated with said central element for engagement with a spike to deflect said central gripping element to one side of the spike as the puller head is lowered.
Claim 14
Dependent Claim
152 words
In a railroad spike pulling machine, a spike puller head comprising: a rigid frame; a pair of arms respectively pivoted to said frame for swinging movement in a common plane about parallel axes; said arms including relatively opposed spike gripping jaws at locations remote from their said axes; and power means interconnecting said arms for selectively urging their said gripping jaws toward and away from each other; there being a central gripping element, and means supporting said element for normally free movement in said common plane between and in general alignment with said gripping jaws and in the paths of swinging movement of said arms, for gripping reception of a spike between said gripping element and either of said gripping jaws; including cam means associated with said central element for engagement with a spike to deflect said central gripping element to one side of the spike as the puller head is lowered.
Claim 15
Dependent Claim
175 words
In a railroad spike pulling machine, a spike puller head comprising: a rigid frame; a pair of arms respectively pivoted to said frame for swinging movement in a common plane about parallel axes; said arms including relatively opposed spike gripping jaws at locations remote from their said axes; and power means interconnecting said arms for selectively urging their said gripping jaws toward and away from each other; there being a central gripping element, and means supporting said element for normally free movement in said common plane between and in general alignment with said gripping jaws and in the paths of swinging movement of said arms, for gripping reception of a spike between said gripping element and either of said gripping jaws; there being means operative when said gripping jaws are urged away from each other spacing said gripping jaws substantially equi-distantly from said gripping element; said last mentioned means comprising a portion of said central gripping element, positioned for arresting the movement apart of said arms at predetermined locations relative to said central gripping element.
Claim 16
Dependent Claim
175 words
In a railroad spike pulling machine, a spike puller head comprising: a rigid frame; a pair of arms respectively pivoted to said frame for swinging movement in a common plane about parallel axes; said arms including relatively opposed spike gripping jaws at locations remote from their said axes; and power means interconnecting said arms for selectively urging their said gripping jaws toward and away from each other; there being a central gripping element, and means supporting said element for normally free movement in said common plane between and in general alignment with said gripping jaws and in the paths of swinging movement of said arms, for gripping reception of a spike between said gripping element and either of said gripping jaws; there being means operative when said gripping jaws are urged away from each other spacing said gripping jaws substantially equi-distantly from said gripping element; said last mentioned means comprising a portion of said central gripping element, positioned for arresting the movement apart of said arms at predetermined locations relative to said central gripping element.
Claim 17
Dependent Claim
29 words
The combination of claim 11, in which said central gripping element is pivotally suspended from said frame for movement by gravity to a predetermined location medially between said arms.
References Cited (Backward Citations)
USPTO Annuity & Maintenance Windows
| Annuity Stage | Window Opens | Payment Deadline | Surcharge Period Until | Estimated Fee | Status |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 3.5 Years (Year 4) | 1978-05-12 | 1978-11-11 | 1979-05-13 | $2000.00 | Window Closed / Lapsed |
| 7.5 Years (Year 8) | 1982-05-12 | 1982-11-11 | 1983-05-13 | $3760.00 | Window Closed / Lapsed |
| 11.5 Years (Year 12) | 1986-05-12 | 1986-11-11 | 1987-05-13 | $7700.00 | Window Closed / Lapsed |