Improvements in Rope-traction Conveying and Hoisting Apparatus.
Year: 1898

page_text: Date of Application, 8th Nov., 1898
Complete Specification Left, 13th Dec., 1898-Accepted, 25th Feb., 1899
[Communicated from abroad by JOHN F. WARD, of No. 45, Broadway, New York,
United States of America, Civil Engineer.]
Improvements in Rope-traction Conveying and Hoisting Apparatus.
I, HENRY HARRIS LAKE, of the Firm of Haseltine, Lake & Co., Patent Agents,
45, Southampton Buildings, in the County of Middlesex, do hereby declare the
nature of this invention to be as follows:
My invention has more particular reference to that class of hoisting and con-
veying apparatus in which a cable trackway is stretched between two fixed points
and a carriage is arranged to travel on this trackway in connection with hauling
and hoisting ropes to cause the traverse of the carriage on the cable way and to
hoist and lower the load. In connection with such conveying and hoisting systems
particularly on long lines, it is necessary to use what are termed
دو
rope carriers
to carry and guide the hoisting and hauling ropes, these rope carriers being sus-
pended on the cable way and being picked up and distributed again at intervals
along the cable way as the carriage is traversed back and forth. A common
means of providing for the distribution of the rope carriers at proper intervals
along the cable way is what is known as a "button rope" extending from ono
end of the cable way to the other and provided with buttons of various sizes to
arrest the successive carriers and pull them off the carriage at proper points as
the carriage moves along the cable way.
The main object of my present invention is to provide the carriage with means
for engaging, controlling, disengaging and distributing the rope carriers without
the use of a button rope or its equivalent. I am aware that it has been proposed
to dispense with the use of the button rope or its equivalent, but in the proposed
construction the carriage was to be provided with one means for picking up or
engaging the rope carriers and a separate means for disengaging the rope carriers
from the first engaging means. By my invention I provide one and the same
means or device, having a motion in or upon the carriage, to both pick up and
discharge or disengage the rope carriers in regular order, and furthermore to
keep each carrier within control and retain it against accidental displacement
from the time it is picked up until it is discharged on to the rope way again.
Herein I will describe my invention as applied to a carriage and rope way
requiring the mechanism for engaging and disengaging the rope carriers at one
end of the carriage only, but it will be understood that such engaging and dis-
engaging mechanism may be applied to both ends of the carriage where desired.
The apparatus comprises a cable or track way on which travels a carriage, by
means of the usual grooved wheels. This carriage is provided at its lower part.
with any suitable arrangement of sheaves or pulleys, over which passes the hoist-
ing rope for the block or tackle. A suitable hauling rope is connected to the
carriage to cause the traverse of the latter upon the cable or trackway. This haul-

page_text: ing rope may be so connected and arranged as to positively traverse the carriage
in both directions back and forth, or in one direction only gravity being relied on
to traverse the carriage in the opposite direction in the case where cable way is
arranged in an inclined position.
The preferred form of my device for engaging, controlling and disengaging
the rope carriers consists of a screw threaded shaft, which turns in bearings in
the frame and is rotated in such bearings by any suitable means in proper pro-
portions or relation to the travel of the carriage on the trackway. In the present
case this controlling screw shaft is rotated by the traverse of the carriage. For
this purpose one of the travelling wheels of the carriage has formed or affixed to
one of its side faces a snail which engages a worm wheel or pinion, to be geared
to the back end of the threaded shaft. This. intermediate gear consists of a series
As the
of pinions, the last being on the end as will be readily understood.
carriage traverses in the proper direction the screw shaft will be turned at a
certain slow rate.
The rope carriers are each provided with a cross block in such a position thereon
in relation to the threaded rod that the point of the latter, as the carriage travels
forward, will come into engagement with the under side of the block which will
then engage with the thread of the screw and the carrier will be fed slowly on
to the screw shaft. By the time the second of these rope carriers is reached the
first carrier will have been fed its proper distance on the shaft and so with the
successive carriers, they being severally taken care of or controlled in practically
spaced positions on the screw, which is made of such a length and rotated at such
a rate that it will positively gather up and hold and control and retain against
accidental displacement in regularly spaced positions upon it all the rope carriers
which it has to take care of in the given cable or track-way.
When the carriage is traversed back again in the opposite direction, the con-
trolling screw will dischargo the rope carriers successively on to the rope or cable
way again in properly spaced positions, as will be readily understood.
Instead of imparting motion to the shaft by means of the traverse of the car-
riage, I may employ an independent motor, such as an electric motor mounted on
the carriage and receiving current from a generator at a suitable point through
suitable conductors. On the shaft of this motor is a snail wheel gearing into
a worm, geared by pinions as before to the shaft and the motor is so regulated or
supplied with current (as by driving the generating dynamo from the hoisting
engine) so as to rotate the shaft in proper relation to the movement of the carriage.
The rope carrier is mounted on a roller to traverse the rope-way and the sides
of the carrier are made elastic, and with a tendency to keep in the parallel
positions. Projections are formed on the inner faces of these pieces or sides to
normally grip the rope. The outer end of the screw is slabbed to freely enter
between the side pieces. It will always reach the desired position in its rotation,
at the time the traverse of the carriage brings the nose of the shaft to a carrier.
As the shaft rotates, its larger diameter at the slabbed end will act as a cam to
spread the side pieces and relieve the rope from the grip of the projections.
As there is comparatively little strain upon the screw thread of the shaft, I
construct it by pinning or welding or otherwise securing to a plain shaft a spiral
rod of square or rectangular cross-section, instead of cutting the thread on the
shaft.
I do not wish to restrict myself to the specific devices described for engaging,
controlling, disengaging and distributing the carriers as my invention may be
carried into effect by other constructions of mechanism.
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1000
HASELTINE, LAKE & Co.,
45, Southampton Buildings, London, W.C.,
Agents for the Applicant.

page_text: Improvements in Rope-traction Conveying and Hoisting Apparatus.
I, HENRY HARRIS LAKE, of the Firm of Haseltine, Lake & Co., Patent Agents,
45, Southampton Buildings, in the County of Middlesex, do hereby declare the
nature of this invention and in what manner the same is to be performed, to be
particularly described and ascertained in and by the following statement:-
My invention has more particular reference to that class of hoisting and con-
veying apparatus in which a cable trackway is stretched between two fixed points
and a carriage is arranged to travel on this trackway in connection with hauling
and hoisting ropes to cause the traverse of the carriage on the cable way and to
hoist and lower the load. In connection with such conveying and hoisting system
particularly on long lines, it is necessary to use what are termed "rope carriers'
to carry and guide the hoisting and hauling ropes, these ropes carriers being sus-
pended on the cable way and being picked up and distributed again at intervals
along the cable way as the carriago is traversed back and forth. A common
means of providing for the distribution of the rope carriers at proper intervals
along the cable way is what is known as a "button rope" extending from one
end of the cable way to the other and provided with buttons of various sizes to
arrest the successive carriers and pull them off the carriage at proper points as
the carriage moves along the cable way.
The main object of my present invention is to provide the carriage with means
for engaging, controlling, disengaging and distributing the rope carriers without
the use of a button rope or its equivalent. I am award that it has been proposed
to dispense with the use of the button rope or its equivalent, but in the proposed
construction the carriage was to be provided with one means for picking up or
engaging the rope carriers and a separate means for disengaging the rope carriers
from the first engaging means. By my invention I provide one and the same
means or device, having a motion in or upon the carriage, to both pick up and
discharge or disengage the rope carriers in regular order, and furthermore to
keep each carrier within control and retain it against accidental displacement
from the time it is picked up until it is discharged on to the rope way again.
In the accompanying drawing:
Figure 1 is a side view sufficient of a cable way and carriage provided with my
invention to illustrate the latter;
Figure 2 is a sectional view on the line 2-2 on Figure 1, but drawn to a
larger scale;
Figure 3 is a view similar to Figure 1, but illustrating a modification; and
Figure 4 is a view, drawn to a larger scale, of a modified form of rope carrier.
In these drawings I have illustrated my invention as applied to a carriage and
rope way requiring the mechanism for engaging and disengaging the rope carriers
at one end of the carriage only, but it will be understood that such engaging and
disengaging mechanism may be applied to both ends of the carriage when desired.
In these drawings, A represents the cable or track way on which travels the
carriage B, by means of the usual grooved wheels, b, b. This carriage is provided
at its lower part with any suitable arrangement of sheaves or pulleys D, D¹, over
which passes the hoisting rope E for the block or tackle F. A suitable hauling
rone H is connected to the carriage to cause the traverse of the latter upon the
cable or trackway A. This hauling rope H may be so connected and arranged as
to positively traverse the carriage in both directions back and forth, or in one
direction only gravity being relied on to traverse the carriage in the opposite
direction in the case where cable way is arranged in an inclined position.
The preferred form of my device for engaging, controlling and disengaging the

page_text: rope carriers consists of a screw threaded shaft K, which turns in bearings in the
frame and is rotated in such bearings by any suitable means in proper proportion
or relation to the travel of the carriage on the trackway. In the present case
illustrated in Figures 1 and.2, I have shown this controlling screw shaft as rotated
by the traverse of the carriage. For this purpose the travelling wheels 6 of the
carriage has formed or affixed to one of its side faces a snail 2, which engages a
worm wheel or pinion 3, to be geared to the back end of the threaded shaft K.
In the present instance this intermediate gear consists of a series of pinions 4,5,6
and 7, the last being on the end k, as will be readily understood. As the carriage
traverses in the direction of the arrow 1, the screw shaft K will be turned in the
direction of its arrow 2 at a certain slow rate.
The rope carriers N N₁ are each provided with a cross block n in such a position
thereon in relation to the threaded rod K that the point of the latter, as the
carriage travels forward, will come into engagement with the under side of the
block n,
which will then engage with the thread of the screw and the carrier
will be fed slowly on to the screw shaft K. By the time the second of these rope
carriers N is reached the first carrier will have been fed its proper distance on
the shaft K and so with the successive carriers, they being severally taken care
of or controlled in practically spaced positions on the screw K, which is made
of such a length and rotated at such a rate that it will positively gather up and
hold and control and retain against accidental displacement in regularly spaced
positions upon it all the rope carriers which it has to take care of in the given
cable or track-way.
When the carriage is traversed back again in the opposite direction the con-
trolling screw K will discharge the rope carriers successively on to the rope or
cable way A again in properly spaced positions, as will be readily understood.
Instead of imparting motion to the shaft K by means of the traverse of the
carriage, I may employ an independent motor, such as an electric motor M,
Figure 3, mounted on the carriage and receiving current from a generator at a
suitable point through suitable conductors. On the shaft of this motor is a small
wheel m gearing into a worm 31, geared by pinions 4, 5, 6, and 7, as before to
the shaft K, and the motor is so regulated or supplied with current (as by driving
the generating dynamo from the hoisting engine) so as to rotate the shaft K in
proper relation to the movement of the carriage.
In Figures 3 and 4, I have shown the rope carrier as mounted on a roller r
to traverse the rope-way A, and the sides n¹n of the carrier are made elastic, and
with a tendency to keep in the parallel positions shown by full lines in Figure 4.
Projections are formed on the inner faces of these pieces or sides n¹, n³, to
normally grin the rope A. The outer end of the screw K is slabbed as shown in
Figure 4 to freely enter between the side pieces n³, n¹, when in the position shown
in Figure 4. It will always reach the position shown in its rotation, at the time
the traverse of the carriage brings the nose of the shaft to a carrier. As the shaft
rotates, its larger diameter at the slabbed end will act as a cam to spread the side
pieces, and relieve the rope A from the grip of the projections or pieces n² n².
As there is comparatively little stain upon the screw thread of the shaft A, I
construct it by pinning or welding or otherwise securing to a plain shaft a spiral
rod of square or rectangular cross-section, instead of cutting the thread on the
shaft.
I do not wish to restrict myself to the specific devices illustrated and described
for engaging, controlling, disengaging and distributing the carriers, as my inven-
tion may be carried into effect by other constructions of mechanism.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of my said
invention and in what manner the same is to be performed, as communicated to
me by my foreign correspondent, I declare that what I claim is :-
1. A cable or trackway carriage provided with a device moving in or on the
said carriage and means for operating the said device to both engage and dis-

page_text: engage a rope carrier and to control and retain the same against accidental dis-
placement from the time it is engaged until it is disengaged substantially as
described.
-
2. A cable or trackway carriage provided with a screw threaded shaft in position
to have its thread engage with the rope carriers on the trackway and means for
rotating the said shaft as the carriage is traversed on the trackway, substantially
as described.
3. A cable or trackway carriage provided with a screw threaded shaft adapted
to have its thread engage with the rope carriers on the trackway, and means for
rotating the said shaft from the traverse of the carriage to engage or disengage
the rope carriers with or from the said screw-threaded shaft as the carriage is
traversed in one direction or the other, substantially as described.
4. The combination of the rope carriers of a cable or trackway with a travelling
carriage, having a screw-threaded shaft adapted to have its thread engage the
said carriers, and means for rotating the shaft in one direction or the other from
the traverse of the carriage, substantially as described.
19.יתנו
Ja of Dasamban 1908
HASELTINE, LAKE & Co.,
45, Southampton Buildings, London, W.C.,
Agents for the Applicant.