Improvements in Apparatus for Supporting and Shifting Driving Belts.
Year: 1893

page_text: Date of Application, 4th July, 1893
Complete Specification Left, 4th Apr., 1894-Accepted, 19th May, 1894
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in Apparatus for Supporting and Shifting
Driving Belts.
A communication to me from EDUARD BABEL, of Wünschelburg, Silesia, in the
Empire of Germany, Manufacturer.
I, EDMUND EDWARDS, of the Firm of Edwards and Co., Patent Agents and
Engineers, of 35, Southampton Buildings, Chancery Lane, in the County} of
Middlesex, do hereby declare the nature of this invention to be as follows:-
This invention relates to ordinary belts used for driving machinery, by which
improvements the loose pulley ordinarily used is unnecessary whilst the shifting of
the belt is facilitated.
The invention consists substantially of a novel method of substituting for the
ordinary loose pulley a series of rollers, greater or less in number according to
the diameter of the driving pulley. But instead of the periphery, of a line
surrounding the whole of these rollers, corresponding with the circumference of
the driving pulley, the rollers are arranged in such position that the line circum-
scribing them is spiral and not circular. Moreover each separate roller has its
sides not parallel, but at an angle to the axis of the shaft.
In the accompanying drawing which is in illustration of the invention, Figure 1
is a side view, Figure 2 a section on the line xx, Figure 1, and Figure 3 a plan of
the apparatus.
Figures 4 and 5 shew the arrangement of the rollers separately and upon a
larger scale.
The separate rollers a are fitted upon studs or bolts b which are fixed to a
curved plate c.
This plate c is, by means of an arm d or bracket, fixed to the
wall of the building. And near the ends of the curved plate e inclined stays are
fixed to the wall e and the rooff respectively, as shewn at g and h, so as to prevent
any lateral movement of the plate. At the lower end of the curved plate c is
arranged an eye or joint upon the pin m of which a hand lever n turns.
upper fork of this lever engages with a projection upon a bent U-formed bar o,
the arm o' of which passes through and is guided in an opening near the upper
end of the stayed curved plate c. By means of projecting fingers p, p, upon this
bar o' the shifting of the belt g can be effected.
The
At the upper end of the curved plate c is also attached a bar r through a hole
or guide in which s, the outer end of the bar o¹ works. The other arm o³ of the
bar o is provided with a shoe o³.
As shewn in Figures 4 and 5, the position of the rollers a is so arranged that a
line embracing their circumference corresponds with the part of the circumference
of the pulley i which receives the advancing belt.
It is also at or near this point that the shifting device is arranged. By pushing
over the belt from the rollers to the pulley i, the transferring of the belt to the
latter is effected in very much the same way as when the operation is effected in
the usual way by hand.
When the belt g is shifted from the pulley i to the rollers, it at once comes to,
and remains at, rest, and is consequently free from any tendency to stretch.

page_text: Improvements in Apparatus for Supporting and Shifting
Driving Belts.
A communication to me from EDUARD BABEL, of Wünschelburg, Silesia, in the
Empire of Germany, Manufacturer.
I, EDMUND EDWARDS, of the Firm of Edwards and Co., Patent Agents and
Engineers, of 65 and 66 Chancery Lane, 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 and accompanying drawing, that is to say :-
This invention relates to ordinary belts used for driving machinery by which
improvements the loose pulley ordinarily used is unnecessary whilst the shifting
of the belt is facilitated.
The invention consists substantially of a novel method of substituting for the
ordinary loose pulley a series of rollers greater or less in number according to the
diameter of the driving pulley. But instead of the periphery of a line surrounding
the whole of these rollers corresponding with the circumference of the driving
pulley the rollers are arranged in such position that the line circumscribing them
is spiral and not circular.
Moreover each separate roller has its sides not parallel but at an angle to the
axis of the shaft.
One of these rollers may further be. moveable so as to imitate the movement of
one of the hands, as they occur in putting on the belt without any apparatus.
In the accompanying drawings which are in illustration of the invention,
Figure 1 is a side view, Figure 2 a section on the line -a, Figure 1, and
Figure 3 a plan of the apparatus.
Figures 4 and 5 shew the arrangement of the rollers separately and upon a
larger scale.
While these figures (which accompanied the Provisional Specification) shew the
first modification, the second one is represented by Figures 6-9 (filed herewith)
in a side view, a front view, and sections on the lines - and y-y respectively,
(Figure 6).
r
The separate rollers a are fitted upon studs or bolts which are fixed to a curved
plate c. This plate c is by means of an arm d or bracket, fixed to the wall of the
building. And near the ends of the curved plate c iuclined stays are fixed to the
wall e and the roof f respectively as shewn at g and h so as to prevent any lateral
movement of the plate. At the lower end of the curved plate is arranged an
eye or joint upon the pin m of which a hand lever n turns. The upper fork of
this lever engages with a projection upon a bent U-formed bar 0, the arm o¹ of
which passes through and is guided in an opening near the upper end of the stayed
curved plate. By means of projecting fingers p p upon this bar o' the shifting of
the belt q can be effected.
At the upper end of the curved plate c is also attached a barr through a hole
or guide in which the outer end of the bar o' works. The other arm o² of the
bar o is provided with a shoe o³, which also operates against the edge of the belt,
and assists in shifting the latter to the pulley i.
As shewn in Figures 4 and 5 the position of the rollers a is so arranged that a
line embracing their circumference corresponds with the part of the circumference
of the pulley which receives the advancing belt.
It is also at or near this point that the shifting device is arranged. By pushing
over the belt from the rollers to the pulley i the transferring of the belt to the
latter is effected in very much the same way as when the operation is effected in
the usual way by hand.

page_text: When the belt q is shifted from the pulley i to the rollers, it at once comes to
and remains at rest, and is consequently free from any tendency to stretch.
In the modification illustrated by Figures 6 to 9 one of the rollers a that a,.
situated nearest to the axle k is moveable. Its pivot bi can turn upon a second
vertical pivot ² fixed to the plate c by means of the cap pieces c¹. An arm of
this bolt, which is situated on the other side of the pivot ¹ co-operates with that
part of the rod O forming part of the fork for shifting the belt, which is situated
near to the point in which the latter is connected with the hand lever n'. This
co-operation is such that the roller a' in being moved in the direction for putting
on the belt, is brought into the position, that is to say, outwardly. The belt q will
therefore be influenced in the same manner as is done when the workman forces
that side of the belt against the pulley, and so the belt is caused to move into its
working position. The rod O then moves into the position as the arm 62 is caused
to move back by means of a spring fl. In this position the outer edge of the
roller coincides with the above mentioned helical surface. If then the hand
lever n' is moved in the direction for throwing off the belt, the roller a¹ moves into
the position, that is to say, the roller a' is swung inwardly far enough to avoid
any tension of the belt.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of my said inven-
tion and in what manner the same is to be performed, I declare that what I
claim is :-
1. Apparatus for supporting and shifting driving belts consisting of a number
of rollers a turning upon pivots b fixed on a helical line in such a manner, that the
belt q is without any tension as long as it does not work, while the belt in being
put on is brought into the same condition as if it were operated by the hands only,
substantially as described and illustrated.
2. Apparatus for supporting and shifting driving belts consisting of a number
of rollers a turning upon axles bb' arranged on a helical line, the axles b being
fixed, but that designated by arranged in such a manner that it is swung
outwardly when the fork Op for shifting the belt q is moved in the direction to
put on the belt, substantially as described and illustrated in Figures 6 to 9.
Dated this 4th day of April 1894.
EDWARDS & Co.,
65 & 66, Chancery Lane, London, Agents for the Applicant.