The patent badge is an abbreviated version of the USPTO patent document. The patent badge does contain a link to the full patent document.
The patent badge is an abbreviated version of the USPTO patent document. The patent badge covers the following: Patent number, Date patent was issued, Date patent was filed, Title of the patent, Applicant, Inventor, Assignee, Attorney firm, Primary examiner, Assistant examiner, CPCs, and Abstract. The patent badge does contain a link to the full patent document (in Adobe Acrobat format, aka pdf). To download or print any patent click here.
Patent No.:
Date of Patent:
Nov. 23, 1993
Filed:
Dec. 07, 1992
Richard Barefoot, Marietta, SC (US);
Ellcon National, Inc., Greenville, SC (US);
Abstract
Hopper apparatus for controlling the discharge of lading from a hopper of a railway car through an opening in which a door opens and closes the opening and is moved from the closed position to the opening position by rotatable gears and by racks attached to the door. The door is curved and rides on tracks disposed to urge the door to its closed position by gravity. The gears are rotated by a drive shaft having end portions for receiving a rotating tool,and the door is locked in its closed position by locking means including a ratchet wheel on the drive shaft and a pawl controlled by a handle assembly which, in the locked position of the door, covers the end portions of the drive shaft so that it is necessary to move the handle assembly to expose the end portions and to release the pawl from the ratchet wheel before the drive shaft can be rotated to open the door. Also, a relationship between the number of teeth on the ratchet wheel and the door drive to provide small locking increments and a spring bias on the pawl to prevent disengagement of the pawl from the ratchet wheel during car transit.