US PATENT CLASS 246
Class Notes


Current as of: June, 1999
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246 /   HD   RAILWAY SWITCHES AND SIGNALS



DEFINITION

Classification: 246/

This class includes patents relating to the following means for the safeguard and control of traffic upon or across railways (that is, fixed tracks for occupant- controlled vehicles) or which by structure are especially adapted for such use, viz.:

A. Signals, including those used for communication between occupants of a car or train.

B. Indicators, recorders, teles:graphic, telephonic, or other similar apparatus when especially designed for use in connection with car or train movements, except manually-set devices, such as train and engine signs and markers capable of general use.

C. Devices on the roadway, such as signals, switches, circuit closures, gates, etc., actuated or controlled from or by the moving vehicles, except circuit-controllers actuated by the vehicle for the purpose of energizing sectionalized conductors used for supplying propulsion-current thereto.

D. Automatic train stop and speed control means, the actuation of which is initiated by agencies not on the train or by wheel derailment or defects in train structure and mechanism, the automatic stop, for classification purposes, being considered an equivalent of and substitute for a railway signal; but train stopping and control mechanism cooperating with obstacles fixed in position upon the track which have no moving parts are excluded from this class except when they cooperate with speed-responsive devices on

the train.

E. Safety devices, including derailing switches and blocks, used for preventing accidents caused by the misplacement of switches, disregard of signals etc.

F. The structure of signals, switches, frogs, and crossings and their appurtenances.

G. Mechanism for the manual or other actuation of any of the devices of the class. INDEX TO TECHNICAL LITERATURE

In many of the subclasses there have been placed upon the official search-cards references to such literature as appears to relate to the subject-matter of such subclass; but no attempt has been made to make these references complete. It has not been deemed advisable to print these references in connection with the respective subclass definitions; but they can be inspected in the Public Search-Room in connection with the Chief Draftsman's classified copies of patents. The list of works indexed is given below.

Literature in Scientific and Technical Information Center

Alternating Current Signaling, 1915, The Union Switch and Signal Co., Swissvale, Pa. Automatic Block Signal and Signal Circuits, Scott, New York, 1908. Block and Interlocking Signals, Elliott, New York,1896. Block System of Signaling on American Railroads, The, Adams, New York, 1901. First to Fifth Annual Reports Block Signal and Train Control Board, Interstate Commerce Commission,1909 to 1913. Locking, Laverack, New York, 1907. Mechanical Railway Signaling, second edition, Wilson, London, about 1909. Notes on Track Construction and Maintenance, Camp, Chicago, 1903. Perfect Railway Signaling, Spang, 1902. Power Railway Signaling, Wilson, 1908. Railroad Signal Dictionary, The, Adams & Hitt, New York, 1908. Railroad Signal Dictionary, The revised edition, New York, 1911. Railway Appliances, Barry, New York, 1896. Railway Block Signaling, Pigg, London. Railway Engineer, The, (about 1909). Railway Signal Association, Digest of Proceedings, Vol.1, 1895-1905; Vol.2, 1905; Vol.3, 1906; Vol.4, 1907; Vol.5, 1908; Vol.6, 1909. Railway Signal Association, Journal, 1910, Vol.XIII; 1911, Vol.XIV; 1912, Vol.XV; 1913, Vol.XVI; 1914, Vol.XVII; 1915, Vol.XVIII; 1916, Vol.XIX;1917, Vol.XX. Railway Signal Engineering, L. P. Lewis, London,1912. Railway Signaling, Pittsburgh, 1908. Railway Signaling in Theory and Practice, Latimer, Chicago, 1909. Railway Track and Track Work, Tratman, New York, 1908. Safe Railway Working, Stretton, 1886. Signal Engineer, The, 1908, Vol.1; 1909, Vol.2; 1910, Vol.3; 1911, Vol.4; 1912, Vol.5, 1913, Vol.6; 1914, Vol.7; 1915, Vol.8; 1916, Vol.9. Street Railway Road Bed, Pratt and Alden, New York, 1898.

LINES WITH OTHER CLASSES

MEANS PECULIAR TO SPECIAL TYPES OF RAILWAYS

Means peculiar to special types of railway, such as mono-rail, rack-rail, electric, pneumatic, logging, cash-carrier, elevated, cable, suspended, etc., and not of general utility or if claimed in connection with structure of such special types of railway will be found in the appropriate subclasses of other classes, for which see References to other Classes, below. But when such means are directed to the structure or operating mechanism of the switches of this class (246) subclass 415, they will be found in this class (246) subclass 419, indented thereunder.

SIGNALS AND INDICATORS IN OTHER CLASSES

For signals used for communication between occupants of a car or train see References to Other Classes, below.

For manually-set devices, such as train and engine signs, and markers capable of general use see references to Other Classes, below.

Where a semaphore is of the well known conventional railway type, (which is more fully described in the definition of subclass 479 of this class), the patent is classified here, but otherwise is some subclass of Class 116, Signals and Indicators, or Class 340, Communications: Electrical, unless claimed for railway use, in which case it is here classified. SPEED CONTROL IN OTHER CLASSES

For speed control vehicles, when all of the mechanism is upon the vehicle and there is no cooperation with devices on the track or roadway, see References to Other Classes, below.

TRAIN STOPPING IN OTHER CLASSES

For train stopping and control mechanism cooperating with obstacles fixed in position upon the track which have no moving parts see References to Other Classes, below.

Closures (gates) when performing a stopping rather than a signalling function will be found elsewhere, except that railway-gates and mine-doors actuated by the energy of a moving vehicle or electrically controlled therefrom will be found in subclasses 125 and 292 of this class (246) and in the various subclasses indented thereunder.

TRACK STRUCTURE

For track structure other than as indicated above, see the Search Class references below.

REFERENCES TO OTHER CLASSES

SEE OR SEARCH CLASS 14, Bridges, appropriate subclasses for track structure.

40, Card, Picture, or Sign Exhibiting, for manually-set devices, such as train and engine signs, and markers capable of general use

40, Card, Picture, or Sign Exhibiting, see the obstacle-operated, obstacle-controlled, and electrically-controlled subclasses of the changeable exhibitors for station, street and similar annunciators and card, picture and sign exhibitors not especially adapted for use as cab-signals, when placed in vehicles and actuated or controlled by obstacles or electrical contacts upon the track, except when there are claims upon the structure of the track-obstacle or intermittent electrical contact and no claims upon the structure of the annunciator or exhibitor in which case they are placed in this class (246).

49, Movable or Removable Closures, for Closures (gates) when performing a stopping rather than a signalling function.

91, Motors: Expansible Chamber Type, appropriate subclasses for speed control vehicles, when all of the mechanism is upon the vehicle and there is no cooperation with devices on the track or roadway.

104, Railways, for train stopping and control mechanism cooperating with obstacles fixed in position upon the track which have no moving parts.

104, Railways, appropriate subclasses for means peculiar to special types of railway.

104, Railways, for track structure.

116, Signals and Indicators, for signals used for communication between occupants of a car or train.

116, Signals and Indicators, for manually-set devices, such as train and engine signs, and markers capable of general use

116, Signals and Indicators,

28+, and 200+, for hand actuated train-indicators or signals and indicators placed on moving trains or cars to indicate their motion or the speed or direction of their motion or which perform merely an identifying function, such as train or engine markers. 123, Internal-Combustion Engines, appropriate subclasses for speed control vehicles, when all of the mechanism is upon the vehicle and there is no cooperation with devices on the track or roadway.

178, Telegraphy, for telegraph systems, note especially

43, for space induction systems which are oftentimes used in train communication; (signals used for communication between occupants of a car or train)

180, Motor Vehicles,

167+, for a motor vehicle provided with means for controlling its operation which is responsive to electromagnetic radiation, magnetic force, or sound waves received from a source, or reflected from an object or surface, which is located apart from the vehicle; and subclasses 170+, for a motor vehicle provided with means which is responsive to the speed of the vehicle for maintaining its speed at, or preventing it from exceeding, a particular value.

180, Motor Vehicles,

170+, appropriate subclasses for speed control vehicles, when all of the mechanism is upon the vehicle and there is no cooperation with devices on the track or roadway.

186, Merchandising, appropriate subclasses for means peculiar to special types of railway.

186, Merchandising, for train stopping and control mechanism cooperating with obstacles fixed in position upon the track which have no moving parts.

191, Electricity: Transmission to Vehicles, for the transmission of electricity to a moving vehicle, where no claims are made upon the apparatus actuated by the current or covering the uses to which the current is applied;

16, 21 for circuit controllers actuated by the vehicle for the purpose of energizing sectionalized conductors used for supplying propulsion current thereto. 238, Railways: Surface Track, for track structure.

318, Electricity: Motive Power Systems, for speed control vehicles, when all of the mechanism is upon the vehicle and there is no cooperation with devices on the track or roadway.

333, Wave Transmission Lines and Networks, note particularly

24+, for coupling networks which may be used in railway-signaling systems, and subclasses 1+ for plural-channel systems including such coupling networks.

343, Communications: Radio Wave Antennas.

375, Pulse or Digital Communications, for pulse communication systems; (signals used for communication between occupants

of a car or train)

379, Telephonic Communications, for telephone systems, note

55, for space induction systems; (signals used for communication between occupants of a car or train) and Class

381, Electrical Audio Signal Processing Systems and Devices, especially

77+, and 86 for one-way electrical audio signal transmission systems for trains (signals used for communication between occupants of a car or train)

388, Electricity: Motor Control Systems, 800+, and 825+ for speed control vehicles, when all of the mechanism is upon the vehicle and there is no cooperation with devices on the track or roadway.

414, Material or Article Handling, for train stopping and control mechanism cooperating with obstacles fixed in position upon the track which have no moving parts.

414, Material or Article Handling, appropriate subclasses for means peculiar to special types of railway.

418, Rotary Expansible Chamber Devices, appropriate subclasses for speed control vehicles, when all of the mechanism is upon the vehicle and there is no cooperation with devices on the track or roadway.

455, Telecommunications, for modulated carrier wave and light wave communications. (signals used for communication between occupants of a car or train)

701, Data Processing: Vehicles, Navigation, and Relative Location,

1+, for vehicle indication, operation, or guidance which requires a mathematical calculation. Note, where significant vehicle structure is recited, classification is in the appropriate vehicle class.