Patents Examined by Dennis C. Rodgers
  • Patent number: 4537449
    Abstract: A vehicle wheel attaching device for removably attaching general-road traveling wheels to the hubs of a vehicle by utilizing an independent adapter in such a manner as to enable transmission of torque. The adapter is made approximately in the form of a top hat as a whole and is bent at its top to form a dish spring surface for contact with the head of a center bolt which is pre-fitted thereto so as to extend therethrough. A center nut is applied to the projecting front end of the bolt, the nut being tightened to cause elastic action of the top surface of the adapter, thereby fixing the wheel in position in a non-rigid condition.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 7, 1983
    Date of Patent: August 27, 1985
    Assignee: Kabushiki Kaisha Hayashi Racing
    Inventor: Masakazu Hayashi
  • Patent number: 4537138
    Abstract: A railroad truck includes a pair of side frames with wheeled axles mounted there between. A roller bearing adaptor is mounted upon a roller bearing at each end of each axle with the side frames being mounted upon a shear pad mounted on the roller bearing adaptors. There is a subframe for interconnecting the wheeled axles by connecting opposite corner adaptors and there is a rigid connection between each adaptor and the subframe. Each rigid connection includes an adaptor portion and a subframe portion, with said portions being relatively vertically disposed. There are vertical fastening means connecting said vertically disposed adaptor and subframe portions. The vertically disposed portions have cooperating means thereon which substantially eliminate horizontal shear forces upon the fastening means.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 5, 1983
    Date of Patent: August 27, 1985
    Assignee: Standard Car Truck Company
    Inventor: Robert L. Bullock
  • Patent number: 4534394
    Abstract: A wheel assembly (10) having self-contained tire mounting and demounting capabilities includes a closed torus tire (18) mountable on a wheel rim (11). The tire (18) is forced onto the wheel rim (11) by a plurality of retainers (25) which are driven into a plurality of mating slots (13) in the wheel rim by bolts (31). Similarly, the tire is forced off of the rim by screwing the bolts through threaded apertures in the retainers and against the wheel rim. Thus, the tire can be demounted from the wheel rim and that tire or another tire can be mounted on the wheel rim without removing the wheel rim from the vehicle.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 13, 1983
    Date of Patent: August 13, 1985
    Assignee: Caterpillar Tractor Co.
    Inventor: Charles E. Grawey
  • Patent number: 4533184
    Abstract: Wheel for motor vehicles of the type which is cast or forged in one piece and composed of a light metal alloy and possessing a rim and a wheel disc with a radial clearance between the rim and the periphery of the wheel disc. Ventilation apertures are defined by the radial clearance and radially extending connecting webs bridging same. In order to provide an outer appearance which is aesthetically pleasing and to limit soiling of the wheel by brake friction material while facilitating a strong light weight construction the ventilation apertures extend radially so they are not visible as open windows from the front, a stiffening ring at the wheel disc forms a connection base for the connecting webs, which ring is severed at spaced locations during manufacture.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 6, 1983
    Date of Patent: August 6, 1985
    Assignee: Daimler-Benz Aktiengesellschaft
    Inventors: Alf Muller, Hermann Schobbe, Bernd Loper, Hartmut Binnewies
  • Patent number: 4527486
    Abstract: A mine supply car has fixed, rail-engageable wheels, and adjustable selectively useable road wheels mounted in elongate frames along the sides of the car. The road wheels are mounted on pivot arms for swinging movement between raised inoperative positions and lowered operative positions. The arrangement allows the car to be converted between rail and road use by relatively effortless manual movement of the road wheels.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 10, 1983
    Date of Patent: July 9, 1985
    Assignee: Saturn Machine & Welding Co., Inc.
    Inventors: William R. Baird, Billy C. Baird
  • Patent number: 4527488
    Abstract: A car for charging a coke oven battery with coal. This car carries a plurality of integral coal hoppers. A particular space frame construction is disclosed to support these hoppers, and because of this construction a significant savings in the weight of the car is realized. This space frame includes a pair of horizontally spaced lower front and rear parallel transverse beams and upper front and rear parallel transverse beams. Longitudinally extending beams connect both ends of the upper and lower front transverse beams with the corresponding rear transverse beams. The above described structure is mounted on four wheel housings by means of four truss structures. Two of these wheel housings are positioned slightly in front of the front transverse beams and two are mounted slightly behind the front transverse beams.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 26, 1983
    Date of Patent: July 9, 1985
    Assignee: Koppers Company, Inc.
    Inventor: Carl Lindgren
  • Patent number: 4527489
    Abstract: A skid arrangement to protect an appurtenance which extends from the bottom of a railroad tank car. The skid arrangement includes a ramped box-like frame structure which is defined by longitudinal side plates and transverse end plates and diaphragm plates. The upper edges of the end plates and diaphragm plates are welded to a reinforcing pad. A pair of wood blocks are positioned within and secured to the frame structure in contact with the reinforcing pad by stud members extending therethrough and through the side plates. Impact forces which are applied to the skid arrangement are directed by the stud members into the wood blocks and in turn are directed into the reinforcing pad and uniformly distributed over a substantial length of the body of the tank car.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 2, 1983
    Date of Patent: July 9, 1985
    Assignee: Union Tank Car Company
    Inventor: Lawrence J. Schlink