CERTAIN IM- PROVEMENTS IN CRANES, AND OTHER HOISTING AND LOWERING MACHINERY
Year: 1847

page_text: TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I, BENJAMIN
DAWSON NORTON, of Cranford Bridge, in the County of Middlesex, Gentleman,
send greeting.
WHEREAS Her present most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her
Royal Letters Patent under the Great Seal of Great Britain, bearing date at
Westminster, the First day of February, in the tenth year of Her reign, did,
for Herself, Her heirs and successors, give and grant unto me, the said
Benjamin Dawson Norton, Her especial licence, full power, sole privilege.
and authority, that I, the said Benjamin Dawson Norton, my executors,
administrators, and assigns, and such others as I, the said Benjamin Dawson
Norton, my executors, administrators, or assigns, should at any time agree
with, and no others, from time to time and at all times during the term of
years therein mentioned, should and lawfully might make, use, exercise, and
vend, within England, Wales, the Town of Berwick-upon-Tweed, and in
all Her Majesty's Colonies and Plantations abroad, and in the Islands of
Jersey, Guernsey, Alderney, Sark, and Man, my Invention of "CERTAIN IM-
PROVEMENTS IN CRANES, AND OTHER HOISTING AND LOWERING MACHINERY;" in
which said Letters Patent is contained a proviso obliging me, the said Ben-
jamin Dawson Norton, by an instrument in writing under my hand and
seal, particularly to describe and ascertain the nature of my said Invention,
and in what manner the same is to be performed, and to cause the same
to be inrolled in Her Majesty's High Court of Chancery within six calendar
months next and immediately after the date of the said in part recited

page_text: Letters Patent, as in and by the same, reference being thereunto had, will
more fully and at large appear.
NOW KNOW YE, that in compliance with the said proviso, I, the said
Benjamin Dawson Norton, do hereby declare that the nature of my said
Invention, and the manner in which the same is to be performed, is parti-
cularly described and ascertained in and by the following description thereof,
reference being had to the Drawings hereunto annexed, and to the letters and
figures marked thereon (that is to say):
My Invention of "Improvements in Cranes and other Machinery for
Raising and Lowering Heavy Bodies," consists in combining with a crane a
weighing machine, or apparatus for ascertaining the weight of bodies raised
and lowered by such crane.
In the accompanying Drawing Fig. 1 represents in elevation my improved
crane; Fig. 2 is a horizontal view of the same as it would appear from above,
some of the parts being represented in section. A is the platform upon
which the cranc is erected. B is the central vertical shaft or pillar upon
which the crane turns. C is the jib of the crane, and D the tension rods by
which it is sustained. E, E, E, is the rectangular frame that supports the
machinery. I is a winch affixed to a horizontal shaft G, mounted in brackets,
extending from the rectangular frame. This shaft may be driven by a pulley
and band or chain connected with a steam engine, or any other first mover,
and the shaft G being thereby made to revolve, a pinion H fixed upon it,
taking into ordinary toothed gear, as at I, J, will cause the barrel K to revolvo
also, and to wind on the chain L, L, L, attached to it. This chain L passes
over the pulley M at the head of the jib, and descending therefrom supports
the load N below which has to be raised. A contrary rotary movement of
the shaft G will allow the weight suspended from the chain L to descend.
Upon a horizontal shaft P, on which the toothed wheel I is affixed, there is
a ratchet and a pawle R hanging upon a stud in the side of the rectangular
frame, and falls into this ratchet for the purpose of preventing the load N
descending when the driving power is taken off the shaft G.
Thus far I have described what may be considered to be the construction
and operation of an ordinary crane. I now proceed to point out and explain
the novel parts or appendages which are adapted to this crane for the purpose
of enabling it to weigh heavy bodies. On each side of the jib head of the
crane there are affixed bracket picces a, a, which are for the purpose of
supporting the pivots or axle of a horizontal vibrating lever or beam b, b. This
beam or lever is for convenience made of two lateral bars bolted together, as
seen in Fig. 2, by which the jib is allowed to pass freely through it. Small

page_text: circular apertures in the bracket pieces a, a, receive the knife edges c of the
pivots or ends of the axle of the lever or beam b, by which the lever or beam
is allowed to vibrate as a scale beam in the bracket pieces with the least
possible friction. To the longer arm of the lever or beam 6 a vertical con-
necting rod d, d, is attached by a joint pin with a knife edge, and the lower end
of this vertical rod d is connected by a joint also with a knife edge to a small
lever or arm e, extending from a shaft or axle f, the axle having knife edges
above and below at each end. On this shaft a steelyard g is fixed, and a balance
weight or counterpoise h. These parts b, c, d, e, f, g, and h, constitute a com-
pound lever by which the amount of any weight bearing at i upon the shorter
arm of the lever 6 will be indicated in hundreds and quarters by the amount of
accumulated weights.k at the end of the steel yard g, and the odd pounds will
be shewn by the sliding weight k placed on the graduated scale. The
shorter arm of the lever or beam 6 is formed by a moveable piece i, having an
hemispherical recess, and an opening or slit in front for the free passage of the
chain L, which piece i may be raised upon its axle by a chain or cord 1, 1,
passed over a pulley, and when so raised into the position shewn by dots in
Fig. 1, and the chain or cord made fast at the opposite end, the crane becomes
an ordinary crane for lifting heavy bodies without weighing them. But when
the heavy body suspended is required to be weighed, then the chain or cord
2, 1, is to be loosened, which will allow the moveable piece i at the front end
of the lever b to drop into the coincident horizontal position shewn in Fig. 1.
As the weight N descends, the ball m, affixed to the pendant chain L, coming
down and bearing in the hemispherical recess formed in the shorter arm of the
lever b, will depress that end of the beam, and the compound levers connected
to the reverse end of the beam being by that means raised, the steel yard and
index will shew the amount of weight suspended at N by the chain L. The
weight of the suspended goods having been ascertained, the chain L must be
drawn up sufficiently to allow of the moveable piece i being again raised as
before described, and shewn by dots, when the goods may be lowered and
released from the crane.
Having now described the construction and mode of working my improve-
ments in cranes or machines for hoisting and lowering weighty bodies, I desire
it to be understood that I do not intend to claim any novelty in the construc-
tion of a mere crane, or other hoisting and lowering machinery, by whatever
name it may be called. But I do claim, under the above in part recited Letters
Patent; the adaptation to such machinery for hoisting and lowering heavy
bodies of a lever or balance beam, constructed and mounted as shewn at b, c, d,
in the Drawing, such beam being connected to a steel yard, or any other

page_text: weighing machine, in such manner as shall afford the means of ascertaining
the weight of any body suspended from such crane, or other hoisting and
lowering machinery.
In witness whereof, I, the said Benjamin Dawson Norton, have here-
unto set my hand and seal, this Thirty-first day of July, in the year 5
of our Lord One thousand eight hundred and forty-seven.