Patents Examined by D. Rutherford
  • Patent number: 5181472
    Abstract: The new rails to be laid are heated continuously in order to be neutralized. For this purpose, they are raised and exposed to a source of heat in the form of two heating tunnels which are mounted on a vehicle running in a continuous manner on the old rails. Each heating tunnel is traversed by a stretch of new rail. Simultaneously, the old rails are detached from the sleepers, and, after the passage of the vehicle, are deposited along the track or are cleared away. The heating vehicle is followed by an assembly vehicle by means of which the new rails, brought to and maintained at the temperature of neutralization, are laid continuously on the sleepers and are fastened thereto. In front of the heating vehicle, there is provided, on the old track, a welding vehicle for welding the new rails.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 9, 1991
    Date of Patent: January 26, 1993
    Assignee: Les Fils d'Auguste Scheuchzer S.A.
    Inventor: Antoine P. Scheuchzer
  • Patent number: 5180038
    Abstract: An electronically controlled parking brake system for a vehicle including a housing connected with the vehicle chassis, a movable member adapted for connection with the parking brake cable of the vehicle, a main spring biasing the movable member toward a brake-applied position relative to the housing, an electric motor operable to displace the movable member toward a brake-released position relative to the housing, a retaining device normally retaining the movable member in the brake-released position, and a release device for releasing the retaining device, whereby the movable member is released for displacement by the main spring toward the brake-applied position. Preferably, the retaining device includes a helical clutch spring mounted concentrically on a rotatable drive screw that drives the movable member in the brake-released direction, and the release device includes a solenoid for releasing the clutch spring.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 24, 1992
    Date of Patent: January 19, 1993
    Assignee: Orscheln Co.
    Inventors: James H. Arnold, Randal J. Perisho, Michael D. DeWitt, Wayne L. Soucie
  • Patent number: 5180048
    Abstract: The present invention relates to a magnetic levitating transport system for transporting a levitating body composed of conductive paramagnetic or non-magnetic metal above electromagnet arrays by generating an alternating magnetic field in a pair of parallel electromagnet arrays.The dimensions of the levitating body are expressed in relation to dimensions of the electromagnet arrays, as well as, other dimensions of the levitating body. The specific symmetrical shape, having a flat underside, allows the levitating body to manoeuvre a curve having a large curvature. In addition, perpendicular direction changes are effected using transportation passages.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 26, 1991
    Date of Patent: January 19, 1993
    Assignee: Mitsubishi Jukogyo Kabushiki Kaisha
    Inventors: Noriyuki Kawada, Shigeki Morii, Motomi Nakashima, Jin Yamada, Akitami Kaneko
  • Patent number: 5178242
    Abstract: A hydraulic damper comprises a reciprocal piston in a cylinder containing a hydraulic fluid, a piston rod including a reduced diameter valve sleeve fixedly received in a through bore of the piston, and a valve element disposed in the valve sleeve for relative movement to the valve sleeve between a plurality of positions. The relative position of the valve element to the valve sleeve is adjustable via a control rod from the outside, such as by an actuator. The valve sleeve has an inlet port communicating with a first chamber on one side of the piston and an outlet port. The valve element has a transfer groove. The valve element covers the inlet port and is moveable to uncover the inlet port to allow fluid communication between the inlet port and the transfer groove that in turn communicates with the outlet port. A first increased damping force generating valve and a second decreased damping force generating valve are mounted to the piston.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 15, 1991
    Date of Patent: January 12, 1993
    Assignee: Atsugi Unisia Corporation
    Inventors: Michiya Nakamura, Kimihisa Kasajima
  • Patent number: 5176082
    Abstract: A passenger detection loading and unloading control system is provided for high volume passenger transporters such as subway trains and the like which electronically counts the passengers in each passenger compartment and prepositions passengers that intend to deboard at the next passenger loading and unloading platform and which electronically counts and prepositions a number of passengers at the next platform for boarding. The system further permits simultaneous loading and unloading of passengers without interference with passenger flow. Passengers on the transporter are numerically counted and those passengers intended to deboard the transporter at the next platform are also counted. Signals representing these counted passengers are continuously transmitted to a signal processing facility for processing. A predetermined time schedule for arrival and departure is established for the high volume passenger transporter in relation to each passenger loading and unloading platform.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 18, 1991
    Date of Patent: January 5, 1993
    Inventors: Joong H. Chun, Hanjoo Lee
  • Patent number: 5176318
    Abstract: A guard rail assembly for mounting a guard bar has a support bracket for mounting the guard bar, a support block and a hook for engaging the guard bar. An elastic fastener engages the support block and the hook and draws the hook and bar towards the support bracket to lock the guard bar on the support bracket.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 24, 1992
    Date of Patent: January 5, 1993
    Assignee: ABC Rail Corporation
    Inventors: Keith Young, James A. Remington
  • Patent number: 5174457
    Abstract: A novel wear pad assembly (22) allows worn coupler carrier wear pads of locomotives and train cars to be easily removed, replaced or reversed. A holder-tray (30) attached to the coupler housing (14) of a train car or locomotive receives a removable wear pad (32). A holder plate (34) holds removable wear pad (32) in place within holder-tray (30). When removable wear pad (32) becomes worn and must be replaced, holder plate (34) is removed, worn pad (32) is replaced with a new removable wear pad (32), and holder plate (34) is put back in place. Coupler (16) is not removed from coupler housing (14) during the replacement process. Removable wear pad (32) may be made of materials that increase lubrication and decrease friction between coupler (16) and removable wear pad (32).
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 29, 1990
    Date of Patent: December 29, 1992
    Inventors: Ralph Carroll, Horace Smith
  • Patent number: 5174211
    Abstract: A system for the laying of panel track that includes a plurality of panel tracks, a railroad car containing the panel tracks, and a panel track lifter positioned in the railroad car for lifting the panel tracks from the railroad car and for placing the panel tracks exterior of the railroad car. Each of the panel tracks includes a first rail, a second rail, a plurality of ties extending between and beneath each of the rails, and a plurality of gage rods affixed at various locations along the rails. A tension bar extends angularly between the first and second rails so as to create a curvature in the rails. The railroad car includes a material container having a generally flat floor extending between a pair of side walls. The material container has trucks suitable for rolling along a panel track. The material container is made up of a plurality of railroad cars having a flat floor extending throughout the plurality of railroad cars.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 5, 1991
    Date of Patent: December 29, 1992
    Inventor: Edwin D. Snead
  • Patent number: 5174219
    Abstract: The bogie (1) features a pair of running wheels (3, 3') running on bearings fastened to a rocking frame (4). The rocking frame is hinged on one side to the bogie and connected on the other side over spring devices (5, 5') with the frame. Hereby the running wheels are located inside a slewing ring resting on the frame. Guide wheels (11, 11' and 12, 12' respectively), each running on bearings attached to a transverse link (13), are provided for lateral guidance along the track. The spring-loaded transverse links swivel horizontally and are hinged to a guide body (14).
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 21, 1991
    Date of Patent: December 29, 1992
    Assignee: Mathias Streiff AG
    Inventor: Mathias Streiff
  • Patent number: 5172637
    Abstract: A continuously advancing dynamic track stabilization machine comprises a first cross level measuring element arranged at the machine frame front end and generating reference signals corresponding to the measured cross level at successive points as the machine continuously advances, a second cross level measuring element arranged adjacent a track stabilization assembly spaced from the front end and generating a signal corresponding to the measured cross level, and a control for actuating the drives for applying a vertical load to the track rails and for vibrating the track in a horizontal, transverse direction. The control is arranged to receive the reference signals from the first cross level element, to store the received reference signals until the second cross level element has reached the successive points, to compare the stored reference signals with the signals generated by the second cross level element to obtain a control signal, and to transmit the control signal for actuating the drives.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 12, 1991
    Date of Patent: December 22, 1992
    Assignee: Franz Plasser Bahnbaumaschinen-Industriegesellschaft m.b.H.
    Inventors: Josef Theurer, Bernhard Lichtberger
  • Patent number: 5172818
    Abstract: An adjustable securing device for securing spaced wedge members to provide for movement of the wedges together or apart comprises a threaded bore in one wedge that has threads opposite in direction from a threaded bore in the second wedge. A threaded member has threaded portions engageable with the threaded bores of the wedge members and upon engagement therewith, rotation of the threaded member in one direction moves the wedges apart while rotation in the other direction moves the wedges together. The wedge members preferably have tongues which fit complementary members, such as flanges, on blocks so that engagement of the wedge members with the blocks and movement of the wedges together or apart will either push the blocks apart or pull the blocks together.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 28, 1992
    Date of Patent: December 22, 1992
    Assignee: McConway & Torley Corporation
    Inventors: Peter S. Mautino, Douglas Hanes
  • Patent number: 5172820
    Abstract: This invention provides a female connection member of an articulated coupling arrangement. Such female connection member includes a center sill engaging portion disposed adjacent a first end of such female connection member and a male connection member receiving portion disposed adjacent a readily disposed second end of such female connection member. A cavity having an open top portion and an open front portion is formed in such male connection member receiving portion. Such cavity is formed by a bottom wall portion, a pair of readily opposed side wall portions which extend upwardly from such bottom wall portion and a back wall portion also extending upwardly from the bottom wall portion and between such pair of side wall portions. A radially opposed opening is formed through each of such pair of side wall portions which opening includes an arcuate portion and a generally rectangular portion.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 8, 1991
    Date of Patent: December 22, 1992
    Assignee: Westinghouse Air Brake Company
    Inventor: David W. Daugherty, Jr.
  • Patent number: 5170714
    Abstract: A vacuum processing apparatus comprises a carrying body for holding a glass plate thereon, a pair of elongated stationary members extended in a vacuum chamber in which processing stages for forming films on the glass plate by a vapor deposition method are provided, a linear motor transportation device provided at one of the stationary members, and a pair of movable members provided at both sides of the carrying body so that the movable members are moved along the stationary members in a non-contacting state by the action of the linear motor device.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 22, 1991
    Date of Patent: December 15, 1992
    Assignee: Asahi Glass Company, Ltd.
    Inventor: Yoshitaka Katagiri
  • Patent number: 5167403
    Abstract: A fluid-filled elastic mount is disclosed which includes a first and a second support member, an elastic body for interconnecting the support members and partially defining a pressure-receiving chamber, and a partition structure which cooperates with a first and a second flexible diaphragm to define a first and a second equilibrium chamber. The elastic mount has a first and a second orifice passage for fluid communication between the pressure-receiving chamber and the respective equilibrium chambers. The elastic mount further has an air chamber on one side of the second diaphragm remote from the second equilibrium chamber, and an operating chamber separated from the air chamber by a biasing elastic member. The operating chamber is subjected to a vacuum pressure as needed to move the second diaphragm away from the opening of the second orifice passage, which is normally closed by the second diaphragm due to a biasing force of the biasing elastic member.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 6, 1992
    Date of Patent: December 1, 1992
    Assignee: Tokai Rubber Industries, Ltd.
    Inventors: Atsushi Muramatsu, Yoshiki Funahashi, Akiyoshi Ide
  • Patent number: 5167333
    Abstract: A shroud apparatus is provided to substantially minimize detrimental foreign matter entering into a predetermined portion of a cavity disposed at the outer end of a female connection member that receives therein the outer end of a male connection member of an articulated coupling arrangement used to connect adjacent ends of a pair of railway cars together in a semi-permanent manner. Such shroud apparatus includes a plate-like member that is positionable above and engageable with the articulated coupling arrangement in a location which will substantially prevent such foreign matter entering such cavity. The plate-like member has a predetermined size and shape such that when such shroud apparatus is viewed from the top of such articulated coupling arrangement all openings to the predetermined portion of such cavity will appear to be covered.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 26, 1990
    Date of Patent: December 1, 1992
    Assignee: Westinghouse Air Brake Company
    Inventors: Michael G. Hawryszkow, William D. Wallace, David W. Daugherty, Jr., Wajih Kanjo
  • Patent number: 5167334
    Abstract: An apparatus which provides versatility in securing an articulated coupling arrangement to a center sill member of a railway car is provided. Such apparatus includes a bottom wall portion which matingly engages a bottom wall of such center sill member and a top wall portion which matingly engages one of a top wall of such center sill member and a bottom surface of such railway car. A pair of vertically disposed side wall portions are disposed between such top wall portion and such bottom wall portion. Each of such pair of side wall portions have a predetermined configuration which provides such enhanced versatility in securing such articulated coupling arrangement to such center sill member.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 26, 1990
    Date of Patent: December 1, 1992
    Assignee: Westinghouse Air Brake Company
    Inventors: Wajih Kanjo, Michael G. Hawryszkow, William D. Wallace, David W. Daugherty, Jr.
  • Patent number: 5165347
    Abstract: A vehicle levitation and guidance system (20) is provided which levitates a vehicle (22) over a roadbed (28) through the use of thin permanently magnetized strips (32, 34) located in the vehicle and the roadbed. The strips are oriented with like magnetic poles adjacent to generate a repelling force. The vehicle is guided along the roadbed by sliding engagement of the walls (37) of a channel (30) in the roadbed with pins (36) descending from the vehicle. The vehicle is propelled along the roadbed by contact with a set of rotating wheels (42, 42').
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 26, 1991
    Date of Patent: November 24, 1992
    Inventor: Thomas V. Wagner
  • Patent number: 5159882
    Abstract: An improved railway car underbody support structure and method for economically constructing same. The structure includes a center sill assembly having a pair of vertically disposed side plates spaced equidistant from the longitudinal center line of the car body and extending from a coupler longitudinally inboard to a wheeled truck assembly. The truck assembly carries two laterally spaced side bearing members for bearing the load of the car body during lateral tilting of the car body. One of the improved features is a unitary metal member cut from an economically patterned metal plate. The unitary members, which are themselves free of any weld lines which may crack under the extreme loads exerted on railway cars, are welded to the underside edge of a respective side plate and welded together beneath the center line of the car body.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 15, 1991
    Date of Patent: November 3, 1992
    Assignee: ACF Industries, Inc.
    Inventors: John A. Krug, William L. Willis, Paul J. Dumser, William U. Casseau, William T. Deet, Laurence E. Culligan, Bruce A. Walter
  • Patent number: 5158270
    Abstract: An enclosed hydraulic cylinder which may be used as a tension buffer, mainly consists of a body casing having an integrally formed sealed inner passage and a piston stem. The body casing is internally divided into a pressure chamber, a buffer chamber, and a regulation chamber between the pressure chamber and the buffer chamber. When the body casing and the piston stem are subjected to external pulling force in reverse direction, fluid filled in the pressure chamber, being compressed by air coming from an air intake chamber communicable with the pressure chamber and by the piston stem, flows through a flow-limit disposed near outer end of the pressure chamber and into the sealed inner passage before it enters the regulation chamber and thereby adjusts the inner pressure of the cylinder. The buffer chamber adjoins the regulation chamber and the room thereof can automatically adjust to relieve the hydraulic pressure in the regulation chamber and prevent the body casing from excess hydraulic pressure.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 31, 1991
    Date of Patent: October 27, 1992
    Inventor: Norman R. M. Lin
  • Patent number: 5156092
    Abstract: The invention concerns a dual rail track permanent way for a wheel/rail system and a magnetic rail system whose carriages are of a height which lies within the clearance profile of track, the guiding magnets are situated inside the span of the carrier magnets, next to each rail of the rail track a magnetic rail runs outside the clearance profile of rail track and opening points are provided at which one system can be sideways displaced in relation to the other system and a section of the magnetic rail which passes through the clearance profile of rail track is designed as a gate which can be swung out of the said clearance profile and the operating equipment of the wheel/rail system is fitted outside the clearance profile of the magnetic track system.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 3, 1991
    Date of Patent: October 20, 1992
    Inventor: Helmut Hirtz