Quotables
"To place a man in a multi-stage rocket and project him into the controlling gravitational field of the moon where the passengers can make scientific observations, perhaps land alive, and then return to earth--all that constitutes a wild dream worthy of Jules Verne. I am bold enough to say that such a man-made voyage will never occur regardless of all future advances."
Lee deForest, American radio pioneer ; 1957
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| Number | Title | Issue Date |
| 7845504 | System and method for determining whether a locomotive or rail engine is coupled to a rail car or other engine An apparatus and method for indicating whether a coupler of a locomotive is in a coupled or uncoupled state is provided. The apparatus comprising: a sensor positioned on a portion of the coupler, wherein the sensor provides a real-time signal indicative of either a ... | 12/07/2010 |
| 7458477 | Automatic central buffer for a multi-member rail vehicle The present invention relates to an automatic central buffer coupling, especially of the “Tlghtlock/AAR” type of construction. The coupling includes a coupling head, with a supporting unit underneath; a hydraulic and/or compressed air terminal for a hydraulic or... | 12/02/2008 |
| 7345639 | Automatic central buffer coupling with signal transmission device The present invention relates to an automatic central buffer coupling for a multi-membered vehicle having a coupling head and a signal transmission device for transmitting signals between a first and a second car body. The invention integrates a signal transmission ... | 03/18/2008 |
| 7279633 | Apparatus for providing an electrical wiring hub An apparatus for an electrical wiring hub is provided. The electrical wiring hub includes: a hub housing, configured to receive a plurality of wires; a plurality of conductor rings, configured to conduct electrical current from one of the plurality of wires to anoth... | 10/09/2007 |
| 7263415 | Electronic drawbar To minimize headways between trains at stops in short-distance rail transport systems, an electronic drawbar is proposed which makes it possible to cause a following train to approach a train ahead up to a few meters and to follow at this distance in an electronical... | 08/28/2007 |
| 7070062 | Automatic railway car electrical and pneumatic coupler A railcar coupler which integrates fluid and electrical connectors into one modular unit with increased facility for automatically making such connections when cars are pushed together while achieving compatibility between Janney type and Automatic Intermodal Railwa... | 07/04/2006 |
| 7032277 | Cable management system and method of use thereof What is disclosed is a cable management system having a flexible main strap with an upper portion adapted to be secured to a first supporting surface in an electronic device, a middle portion with a plurality of mini straps attached thereon, and a lower portion adap... | 04/25/2006 |
| 6959825 | Wiring connecting device between railway vehicles A wiring connecting box is supported by a link bar coupling a front railway vehicle and a rear railway vehicle. Receptacles connected to end portion connectors of wiring cables of the front vehicle and the rear vehicle are respectively arranged on the front face and... | 11/01/2005 |
| 6953354 | Connector for breathing conduits The present invention relates to the connections between respiratory humidifiers and/or other such devices and heated breathing conduits used to couple a patient to the humidifier. In particular, the invention is a connector to couple a gases supply means and a cond... | 10/11/2005 |
| 6935881 | Electric contact coupling An electric contact coupling for connection of a first group of electric conductors to a second group of electric conductors, and especially for use in the coupling of rail and other vehicles with one another, comprises a first plug contact carrier and a second sock... | 08/30/2005 |
| 6776299 | Automatic intermodal railway car coupler A railcar coupler which integrates fluid and electrical connections into one modular unit with increased facility for automatically connecting these connections when cars are pushed together and automatically disconnecting these connections when railway cars are lif... | 08/17/2004 |
| 6745910 | Mounting block assembly for electrical interconnection between rail cars An end of car mounting block assembly for electrical interconnections between rail cars. The assembly includes a housing having an opening therethrough adapted to receive an electrical plug and an electrical cable. ... | 06/08/2004 |
| 6705478 | Integrated electrical/air connector An integrated electrical and pneumatic train line connector is provided. In a typically glad hand connector for connecting the pneumatic lines on either end of a train car, each glad hand also includes an integrated electrical connector for the train electrical line... | 03/16/2004 |
| 6581791 | Mounting block assembly for electrical interconnection between rail cars The present invention relates to a rail car mounting block assembly for electrical interconnections between railway cars. The assembly comprises a housing having a threaded opening therethrough adapted to receive an electrical plug and electrical cable. T... | 06/24/2003 |
| 6474488 | Electrical contact coupling for automatic center- or central buffer couplings for rail vehicles An electrical contact coupling (3) is provided for automatic center- or central buffer couplings for rail vehicles, more particularly for claw couplings with protective arm, rotatable claw and fall bar of the "AAR" or "Janney" type or with two rigid claws... | 11/05/2002 |
| 6290079 | Coupler for railroad cars An apparatus is provided for connecting electric and air lines of railroad cars incident to their mechanical coupling. The connector includes a junction plate with an outer perimeter surrounded by a housing that has connector-to-connector gathering means ... | 09/18/2001 |
| 6264048 | Electric cable coupling for rail-borne vehicles An electric cable coupling for rail-borne vehicles is held longitudinally displaceably on a central buffer coupling. The cable coupling has only one adapter box (1) as a replacement for the two usual cable coupling halves, wherein the connection lines (4)... | 07/24/2001 |
| 6173849 | Termination of power and communications trainline of electro-pneumatic brakes A leading end termination connector on each locomotive and an EP line termination circuit in the leading end termination connector. The leading end connector of a locomotive not connected to an adjacent locomotive is connected to the leading end terminati... | 01/16/2001 |
| 6039409 | Shutoff valve assembly A railroad brake line shutoff valve assembly for connecting a car mounted railway brake line to a brake line air hose. The assembly includes a shutoff valve with a stationary valve portion and a moveable valve portion. The stationary valve portion has a f... | 03/21/2000 |
| 5943958 | Vehicle, in particular rail vehicle A rail vehicle, has at least two vehicle sections joined pivotably to one another so as to provide an intermediate space dimension to suit relative motions while traveling around curbs as well as over dips and humps, at least one line provided for each of... | 08/31/1999 |
| 5865329 | Electric/pneumatic hermaphroditic connector A standard hermaphroditic pneumatic glad-hand coupler includes a data bus connector containing a pair of contacts, each contact having an axis tangential to the arc along which the connector is carried during rotation of the coupler during establishment o... | 02/02/1999 |
| 5697583 | Radio frequency coupler for communication between adjacent railway cars A radio frequency coupling device used in conjunction with a communications system for effecting free space communications between adjacent cars on a multi-car vehicle, wherein each of the cars has coupling arms for connecting the cars to each other, and ... | 12/16/1997 |
| 5609397 | Highwall mining system with driven conveyor units A highwall mining system for mining aggregate material from a seam includes both a mining device for cutting aggregate material from the seam and thereby forming a drive in the seam and a conveying device for conveying mined aggregate material from the dr... | 03/11/1997 |
| 5586668 | Imbedded electrical connector Electrical connections are provided between coupled railway cars by a connector which mates with the industry standard brake line air hose connector. Electrical contacts may be imbedded in the mating surfaces of two joined connectors, or on modules attach... | 12/24/1996 |
| 5580275 | Heated electrical coupler An electrical heating element is provided in the coupler body of a coupler of the type used for railroad applications. The heating element heats the coupler to evaporate moisture and to prevent ice from forming. This lengthens the service life of the pin ... | 12/03/1996 |
| 5480042 | Lock and coupler for a railway ramp car having fluid and electrical couplings A retainer is provided for retaining a catch mounted to a first portion of a split ramp car in its unlocked position as a second portion of a ramp car exits a locking area in which it is previously locked. An arm portion of the retainer extends into the l... | 01/02/1996 |
| 5455465 | Rapid transit car electrical coupling apparatus and method A train car with mirror image electrical couplings having mirror image halves at each end for connecting train lines in each car to corresponding train lines in adjacent cars, regardless of the end-to-end orientation of the car, has selected pairs of trai... | 10/03/1995 |
| 5435505 | Electronic communications radio frequency coupler for multi-car vehicle The communication link includes antennae mounted at adjacent ends of adjacent cars whereby electronic communications between the cars are effected by free space radio frequency coupling. The antennae are mounted in housings, which include radiation shield... | 07/25/1995 |
| 5351919 | Trainline communication link using radio frequency signal The link permits communications between cars of a railway or subway trains. On at least a first one of the cars, a multiplexer multiplexes digital signals representative of the status of various systems on the car, and processes them into a first digital ... | 10/04/1994 |
| 5139158 | Coupling and uncoupling device for an electrical cable coupling and a mechanical middle buffer coupling for rail-borne vehicles, as well as a switching device for actuating the coupling and uncoupling device for coupling and uncoupling To couple the initiation and the chronological sequence of a coupling or uncoupling process of a mechanical middle buffer coupling and an electrical cable coupling with a common rotary drive with the smallest amount of control effort possible in a reliabl... | 08/18/1992 |
| 5094354 | Coupling and uncoupling device for an electrical cable coupling and a mechanical middle buffer coupling for rail-borne vehicles To couple the initiation and the chronological sequence of a coupling or uncoupling process of a mechanical middle buffer coupling and an electrical cable coupling arranged on it longitudinally displaceably in the direction of the coupling axis with a com... | 03/10/1992 |
| 4957208 | Multiple contact electrical connector portion for an automatic railway coupler An electrical connection portion for a railway car coupler having multiple contacts for being connected to train line circuits. The electrical connection portion includes a plurality of movable and stationary contact elements and a plurality of conductive... | 09/18/1990 |
| 4953726 | Electric vehicle coupling between two rail vehicles To be able to automatically operate an electric vehicle coupling with a contact bush, there is provided a one way drive which both advances the contact bush (for coupling) and retracts it (for uncoupling) via an eccentrically mounted rolling wheel and a s... | 09/04/1990 |
| 4892204 | Automatic coupler control system Coupler control system for railway vehicles that provides isolation of the electric and pneumatic lines of a rail vehicle from its corresponding electric and/or pneumatic intervehicle interface when that end of the vehicle is in an uncoupled condition. A ... | 01/09/1990 |
| 4794867 | Omnibus suitable for train formation The invention relates to an omnibus which is suitable for train formation, can be driven independently and can either be freely steered or guided on tracks. In order not to disfigure the omnibus front by protruding coupling devices, and to be able to carr... | 01/03/1989 |
| 4403705 | Short coupling for rail vehicles An improved arrangement of a short coupling for rail vehicles includes a pair of plates connected to the short coupling which supports an axially displaceable electrical line coupling as well as a pneumatic line coupling and a centering pin and bore for e... | 09/13/1983 |
| 4284311 | Mechanical central buffer coupling for rail vehicles An electrical cable coupling, in particular for a mechanical buffer coupling of a rail vehicle, comprising first and second coupling heads each including a contact carrier with a recess therein. One of the coupling heads includes two spaced centering pins... | 08/18/1981 |
| 4015720 | Coupling device for pneumatic brake lines Apparatus for automatically coupling pneumatic brake lines on railway wagons and other articulated vehicles. The apparatus comprises an axially and resiliently compressible tubular projection which is fitted to the end of the vehicle to extend outwardly b... | 04/05/1977 |
| 3941253 | Rail vehicle coupler with cable coupling A vehicle coupler in which at least one cable coupling box is mounted on the coupling head for cooperation with a like coupling box on another coupling head to effect coupling together of conduits, such as air and electric conduits, when the vehicle is co... | 03/02/1976 |
