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:
Aug. 12, 2003
Filed:
Apr. 29, 2002
Guadalupe L. Galvan, DeKalb, IL (US);
Robert T. Fischer, Homewood, IL (US);
Miner Enterprises, Inc., Geneva, IL (US);
Abstract
An apparatus for controlling discharge of commodity from a railcar hopper car having a centersill and two laterally spaced door assemblies arranged in registry with two transversely spaced discharge openings on a hopper of the car is disclosed. The doors of the discharge door assemblies are joined to each other by an elongated connector such that they move in unison. The apparatus includes an operating shaft rotatable about a fixed axis extending transverse to and vertically beneath the railcar centersill. A linkage system operably connects the operating shaft to the elongated connector to simultaneously push the door assemblies into their closed position in response to rotation of the operating shaft in a first direction and pulls the door assemblies from their closed position in response to rotation of the operating shaft in a reverse or second direction.