US2497597A - Carrier for gas containers - Google Patents
- ️Tue Feb 14 1950
Feb. 14, 1950 w. c. GATEWOOD 2,497,597
CARRIER FOR GAS CONTAINERS Filea Aug. 15, 1947 2 Sheets-Sheet l v r 1% g l l J RAF/6 /7 IN V EN TOR. [Yd/7777 6'. 6777277000 Feb. 14, 1950 w. c. GATEWOOD CARRIER FOR GAS CONTAINERS 2 Sheets-
Sheet2 Fileu Aug. 13, 1947 JNVENTOR.
W fi/ (Z qnrewova Patented F eb. 14, 1950 UNITED STAT ES PATENT OFFICE CARRTER FOR GAS CONTAINERS Worth '0. Gatewood, Alexandria, 'Va.
Application August 13, 1947, Serial No. 768,313
4 Claims. 1 [This invention relates to an attachment for a trailercoach and more particularly to a device for holding tanks, or equivalent containers, which are filled with compressed gas used as fuel for a gas stove in the trailercoach.
One object of the invention is to provide a device of this character consisting of a frame adapted to be mounted upon chassis bars of a trailercoach in advance of the front end of the trailercoach body in such position that containers holding gas under pressure may be easily fitted into the frame and firmly secured therein.
Another object of the invention is to provide a frame which is of such construction that after tanks of compressed gas have been deposited in the frame a portion of the frame carrying jaws may be moved towards the tanks and the jaws "brought into tight gripping-engagement with the tanks and the tanks thus firmly secured but permitted to be released and easily removed when replacement of empty tanks with filled ones is necessary.
Another object of the invention is to provide a frame wherein a clamping bar or strip carrying jaws for gripping two tanks of gas is moved to a clamping position by a singleelement which consists of a threaded rod or bolt passed through the clamping bar and carrying a nut for applying pressure to the bar, 'the rod or bolt being located midway the length of the clamping bar so that as the nut is tightened both tanks will be gripped.
.Another object of the invention is to provide aframe of this character which is of simple construction, easy to apply to or remove from a trailer, and capabl of being manufactured at lowcost.
The invention is illustrated in the accompanying drawings wherein:
Fig. 1 is a side elevation showinga frame of the improved construction mounted upon chassis bars of a trailercoach in advance of the front end of the trailer body,
Fig. 2 is a top plan viewof Figure 1.
Fig. 3 is a view looking at the front end of the trailercoach with the frame mounted upon chassis bars of the trailercoach.
Fig. 4 is a perspective view of the improved tank-holding frame.
Fig. 5 is a fragmentary sectional view upon an enlarged scale takenalongthe line 5-5 of Figure 2.
Fig. 6 is a top plan view showing aframe of modified formation mounted upon chassis bars of a trailercoach.
Fig. 7 is a sectional view upon an enlarged scale taken along the line '|-1 of Figure 6.
Fig. 8 is aperspective'view of "another modified form of frame.
This improved carrier for containers holding side and end walls.
lower ends of the
posts6.
2 compressed gas has a frame which is indicated in general by the-numeral I and is mounted upon portions of the
chassis bars2 of a trailercoac'h which project forwardly from the
body3 of the trailercoach. The forwardly projecting portions of the
chassis bars2 converge forwardly and at their front ends carry the usual mechanism (not shown) for hitching the trailercoach back of an automobile or other towing vehicle. It is understood that the trailercoach is of conventional construction and that no changes in its construction are necessary in order that the improved carrier may be applied thereto.
In its preferred embodiment the frame I is of the construction shown in the drawings and has a side and ends formed of tubular bars or pipes 4 and 5 which are bent in spaced relation to their ends to form upper and lower bars for the
said Corner posts6 are mounted between ends of the bars 4 and '5 and at the opposite side of the frame are posts I and 8, the posts I being welded, or otherwise secured, at their ends to the bent portions 4' and 5 of the bars 4 and 5 and the
post8 midway the length of the frame. A wide strip or bar 9 extendslongitudinally of the frame with its ends weldedto end portions of the bar 5 in spaced relation to Between upper end portions of the
posts6 is mounted a resilient strip or bar it which has its ends welded to these posts. Jaws H are mounted against the inner side face of the yieldable bar or
strip10 and are formed from strips of stiif metal having their end portions l2 bent to project from the bar in position to extend circumferentially of cylindrical drums or containers I3 which hold compressed g-as and are placed within the frame or basket at opposite sides of a bolt or draw
rod14 with their lower ends resting upon the supporting bar or strip 9.
The frame may be secured upon the converging end portions of the
chassis bars2 by
U-bolts15 which straddle the bar 9 and have their arms extending downwardly at opposite sides of the chassis bars and carrying clamping strips f6 held in binding engagement with the under faces of the chassis bars. when the nuts I! are tightened or by bolts is which are passed-downwardly through openings l9 formed in the supporting bar 9 with their heads countersunk in the reamed out upper portions of'the openings. The bolts II; are disposed at opposite sides of the chassis bars and when the clamping strips '20 are applied to lower ends of the bolts and the nuts 21 applied and tightened the frame will be firmly held in place upon the chassis bars.
The draw rod or bolt M may be mounted" as shown in Figures 1 through 4 or as shown "in Figure 6. In'the first mentioned figures the draw rod is welded, or otherwise firmly secured to the upper end portion of the
post8 with its threaded end portion passing through an opening formed in the resilient bar If) and when its nut 14' is tightened the bar Ill will be flexed inwardly of the frame and the jaws ll brought into gripping engagement with gas containers set within the frame and resting upon the supporting bar 9. With the draw rod so mounted the frame is set upon the chassis bars with its side wall formed by the bars 4 and 5 presented towards the trailer body and the nut l4 will thus be at the front of the frame where it may be readil engaged with a wrench and tightened. Instead of welding the rod or bolt to the
part8 it may be passed through an opening formed near the upper end of the post with its head engaging the outer side of the post and its threaded end then passed through the opening in the bar It. In the embodiment of the invention shown in Figure 6 the draw rod or bolt is passed through the opening formed in the bar 19 with its head engaging the outer side face of this bar and its threaded end then passed through the upper end portion of the
post8 and the nut [4 applied and tightened so that the head of the bolt will flex the bar it inwardly and hold the jaws i! in gripping engagement with the gas containers. The frame may thus have its flat side presented towards the trailer body.
It will be understood that variations may be made in the construction of the frame or basket such as forming the same of stiff sheet metal, as shown in Figure 8. In this embodiment of the invention the
side wall22 and the
end walls23 are formed from a sheet of metal bent in spaced relation to its ends to form the walls. Strips of
sheet metal24 and '25, corresponding to the strips 9 and II] have their ends secured to edge portions of the
walls23. The strip or
bar24 is secured upon the chassis bars of the trailer and when the
bolt26 is tightened the jaws 21 will be moved into gripping engagement with gas containers set within the frame and resting upon the supporting
bar24. If so desired the
support24 may be of such dimensions that it forms a solid bottom for the frame in which case it will be formed with openings to accommodate securing bolts by which it is fastened to the chassis bars.
Having thus described the invention, what is claimed is:
1. A carrier for mounting containers of cocking gas upon a trailercoach comprising a frame open at its top and along one side and adapted to be mounted upon chassis bars adjacent one end of the body of a trailercoach, a yieldable bar extending longitudinally of the open side of the frame and rigidly secured at its ends to the ends of the frame, jaws carried by said bar in spaced relation to each other longitudinally of the bar and projecting therefrom inwardly of the frame, and means for flexing the bar inwardly of the frame and disposing the jaws in gripping engagement with gas containers placed in the frame through the open top thereof.
2. A carrier for tanks of cooking gas comprising a frame adapted to be removably mounted upon chassis bars of a trailercoach in advance of the trailercoach body, said frame being open at itstop for insertion and removal of containers, a resilient bar extending along one side of the frame and firmly secured at its ends to ends of the bar, jaws carried by said bar, and a bolt extending transversely of the frame with one end secured to a side of the frame opposite the resilient bar 4 and its other end passing through the resilient bar between the jaws and having a nut screwed upon its outer end, said bolt when tightened serving to flex the bar inwardly and thereby hold the jaws in gripping engagement with sides of containers in the frame.
3. A carrier for gas containers comprising a frame open at its top and along one side, said frame having upper and lower bars extending along a side opposite the open side of the frame and bent to provide end portions extending across ends of the frame, posts extending vertically and secured at their ends to the upper and lower bars and together with the upper and lower bars forming a side wall and end walls for the frame, one post being located midway the length of the side wall and others at opposite ends of the open side, a supporting bar extending longitudinally of the frame with its ends secured to end portions of the lower bar, a resilient bar extending longitudinally of the open side of the frame and secured to upper ends of corner posts at ends of the said open side, means for securing the supporting bar upon chassis bars of a trailercoach and mounting the frame transversely thereof in advance of an end of the body of the trailercoach, jaws carried by the resilient bar in spaced relation to each other 1ongitudinally thereof and projecting from the inner side face thereof inwardly of the frame, and a pressure applying member extending transversely of the frame with one end secured to the upper end portion of the post located midway the length of the frame and its other end portion adjustably engaged with the resilient bar between the jaws for flexing the said resilient bar inwardly of the frame and firmly holding the jaws in gripping engagement with gas containers deposited in the frame and resting upon the supporting bar.
4. A carrier for gas containers comprising a frame having a side wall and end walls formed of upper and lower bars and vertical posts secured at their upper and lower ends to the upper and lower bars, a support at the bottom of the frame secured to portions of the lower bar and adapted to be secured upon chassis bars of a trailercoach and mount the frame outwardly of one end of the body of the trailercoach, a resilient member extending along a side of the frame opposite said side wall and secured at its ends to upper ends of corner posts, and means carried by the upper bar of the side wall and adjustably connected with said resilient member for flexing the resilient member inwardly and holdingthe same in gripping engagement with containers placed in the frame and resting upon the support.
WORTH C. GATEWOOD.
REFERENCES CITED The following references are of record in the file of this patent:
UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Name Date 807,138 Story Dec. 12, 1905 1,223,258 Cooper Apr. 17, 1917 1,723,658 Quade Aug. 6, 1929 2,287,919 Ulzheimer June 30, 1942 FOREIGN PATENTS Number Country Date 25,058 Great Britain Nov. 1, 1912 198,267 Great Britain May 31, 1923 296,840 Great Britain Sept. 13, 1928