US 8132515

Here's a concise summary of US Patent 8132515, incorporating information from the provided patent text and search results:

US Patent 8132515 Summary

• Title: Railroad gondola car structure and mechanism therefor
• Assignee: National Steel Car Ltd
• Inventors: James W. Forbes, Marcus Thiesen, Dave Keats
• Filing Date: June 16, 2010
• Issue Date: March 13, 2012
• Abstract: A railroad gondola car features a hopper with converging end and side slope sheets feeding a bottom discharge system, which includes a pair of longitudinal doors. The door closing mechanism uses a mechanical transmission with linkages running from the door to a reciprocating pneumatic cylinder, with the linkages generally parallel to the slope sheet. The car is designed with a very short draft installation, incorporating a removable coupler carrier bar and a removable draft gear installation panel on the main shear plate. A machinery space above the end section shear plate, overhung by the slope sheet, is kept substantially unobstructed by other primary structures. The pneumatic cylinder is mounted at an angle within this space, aligned longitudinally over the draft sill, positioned beneath the main drag link and above the main pivot of the transmission's driving input lever. This main lever is bifurcated and straddles the pneumatic cylinder. The mechanism includes a primary "over-center" lock and a compact secondary lock that operates sideways. The car's sidewalls have vertical stiffeners and side sheets where the lower sheet portion is laterally inboard of the stiffener web, and the upper portion is laterally outboard. The hopper's side slope sheet meets the sidewall where the side sheet transitions from inboard-the-post to outboard-the-post.

Plain-Language Overview of Independent Claims:

• Claim 1: This claim describes a railroad hopper car with a bottom discharge door and an end slope sheet angled towards it. A lengthwise linkage is connected to the door and driven by a mechanism to close it. A key feature is that during the door's movement, a significant portion of the drag link's motion is primarily parallel to the end slope sheet.
• Claim 11: This claim covers a railroad hopper car with a bottom discharge gate operated by a lengthwise door operating linkage. The actuating cylinder driving this linkage is also oriented lengthwise but is notably tilted, so its movement has a vertical component.
• Claim 22: This claim specifies a railroad hopper car with a bottom discharge gate and end sections that mount to trucks. A door operating linkage, including a first pivot arm and a mechanical transmission with a drag link, connects to the gate. An actuating cylinder drives the linkage. A distinguishing feature is that the first pivot connection of the pivot arm is located lower than the actuating cylinder when viewed from the side.
• Claim 26: This claim details a railroad hopper car with a hopper featuring lengthwise sidewalls, a lower discharge, and converging slope sheets. Each sidewall has a side sill and a top chord, along with a vertical stiffener. The claim specifies that the stiffener's lower portion is laterally outboard of the lower sidewall region, while its upper portion is laterally inboard of the upper sidewall region, with continuous web structure throughout.
• Claim 33: This claim outlines a railroad hopper car with a bottom discharge governor (e.g., a door/gate) controlled by a lengthwise door operating linkage. An actuating cylinder drives this linkage. A distinct characteristic is that the door operating linkage includes a pair of members positioned on opposite transverse sides of the actuating cylinder, essentially bracketing it.
• Claim 43: This claim describes a railroad hopper car equipped with a bottom discharge door, a lengthwise mechanical transmission, and a door actuator. The car includes a primary lock to prevent the door from opening when the actuator is inactive, and a crucial secondary, backup lock that also prevents accidental opening if the primary lock fails when the actuator is inactive.
• Claim 49: This claim describes a lock mechanism for a railroad gondola car's door actuating transmission, which involves a reciprocating cylinder. The mechanism has a body with three fittings: one for mounting, a second that functions as a cam or cam follower, and a third with an abutment. This abutment blocks a part of the door transmission to prevent the door from opening. The lock mechanism is designed to move so that the second fitting can be deflected, and this motion is primarily sideways relative to the cylinder's axial movement.
• Claim 57: This claim covers a railroad hopper car designed for particulate material, with a hopper supported between end sections that include a draft sill, main bolster, and shear plate. The hopper's end slope sheet overhangs this shear plate. A key feature is the absence of any primary structural components directly above the shear plate in the space under the overhanging slope sheet, creating an unobstructed machinery space.
• Claim 66: This claim describes a railroad freight car body with a draft sill, a draft gear pocket, and a shear plate serving as the draft sill's upper flange. The draft sill has an underside with an access opening and a removable draft gear carrier plate mounted beneath the pocket, allowing for easy installation or removal of draft gear from below.

USPTO and CAFC Docket Search Results:

As of April 26, 2026:

• USPTO Status: The patent US8132515B2 is "Active".
• CAFC 2026 Dockets:
  • IPR2025-01048 was filed (Not Instituted - Procedural).
  • IPR2025-01047 was filed (Pending - Instituted).
  • A US case was filed in Delaware District Court (District Court, Jurisdiction: Delaware District Court, Case: 1:24-cv-00594).

Uncertainty:

The current date is April 26, 2026. The Google Patents link provides information about PTAB cases from 2025 and a US case from 2024. No specific CAFC cases filed or decided in 2026 were found in the provided patent document's legal status section. The term "CAFC 2026 dockets" might imply a broader search than just the litigation section of the patent's Google Patents page. However, based on the provided text, no specific CAFC 2026 docket information directly related to 8132515 is present. I have reported the most recent litigation activities mentioned for the patent.