Improvements in the Arrangements for Hoists or Lifts for Carrying Passengers or Goods from one Floor to another in any Building, Warehouse, or Factory.
Year: 1887

page_text: Improvements in the Arrangements for Hoists or Lifts for Carrying
Passengers or Goods from one Floor to another in any Building,
Warehouse, or Factory.
We MOSES THOMPSON of 30 Wade Street Halifax, Mill Manager, HENRY
THOMPSON of 30 Wade Street Halifax, Overlooker, and JAMES WALDRON of 4, Beacon
Terrace, New Bank Halifax, Mechanic, all in the West Riding of the County of
York do hereby declare the nature of this invention to be as follows :-
We provide a sliding floor for the opening through which the hoist passes, and so
arranged that as the hoist, or lift, ascends or descends this sliding floor withdraws
and returns immediately after the hoist has passed the level of the floor or room of
the building. This we accomplish by having the sliding or temporary floor of an
area corresponding to that of the hoist or the space through which the hoist passes,
and so arranged as to run upon rollers or slides, and actuated by means of weights
and cords, levers or springs, and apparatus attached to the hoist or lift in such a
manner that the sliding or temporary floor is always in its position in the space
through which the hoist travels except at the moment when the hoist is passing
that point. In addition to the sliding floor above described we add a safety catch;
which consists as follows Upon the wall, uprights or pillars along which the hoist
travels we attach a strongly toothed rack, and upon the hoist itself we attach self-
acting hooks, or catches, so arranged that in the event of the rope, chain or other
gearing by which the hoist is lifted breaking, these hooks or catches will become
locked in the rack and stop the descent of the hoist instantly.
By these means we claim that we can obtain a greater amount of safety than has
hitherto existed in the use of hoists or lifts of the ordinary construction.
Waha 1987
J

page_text: COMPLETE SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in the Arrangements for Hoists or Lifts for Carrying
Passengers or Goods from one Floor to another in any Building,
Warehouse, or Factory.
We, MOSES THOMPSON of 30 Wade Street Halifax, Mill Manager, HENRY
THOMPSON of 30 Wade Street Halifax Overlooker, and JAMES WALDRON of 4 Beacon
Terrace, New Bank, Halifax Mechanic, all in the West Riding of the County of
York, 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 :-
We provide a sliding floor for the opening through which the hoist passes, and so
arranged that as the hoist, or lift, ascends or descends this sliding floor withdraws,
and returns immediately after the hoist has passed the level of the floor, or room of
the building. This we accomplish by having the sliding or temporary floor of an
area corresponding to that of the hoist or the space through which it, the hoist,
passes; and so arranged as to run upon rollers or slides and actuated by means of
Weights and Cords, Levers, or springs, and apparatus attached to the hoist or lift in
such a manner that the sliding, or temporary floor is always in its position in the
space through which the hoist travels except at the moment when the hoist is passing
that point.
In addition to the sliding floor above described we add a safety catch which
consists as follows:-Upon the Wall, Uprights or Pillars along which the Hoist
travels, we attach a strongly toothed rack, and upon the hoist itself we attach self-
acting hooks or catches, so arranged that in the event of the rope or chain or other
gearing by which the hoist is lifted breaking these hooks or catches will become
locked in the rack and stop the descent of the hoist immediately.
And in order that our invention may be fully understood we describe the
accompanying diagrams as follows:-Fig. 1 is a front elevation. Fig. 2 a side
elevation and partly in section. Fig. 3 is a plan. Fig. 4 is an alternative arrange-
ment of the catch, or stop motion, and the lettering on each corresponds to that on
the others.
A is the floor of the hoist itself. B. B. represents the temporary floor herein before
described in its position over the shaft, or well of the hoist, and 13' represents the
aforesaid temporary floor removed so as to allow the hoist to pass. represents
slides employed for the purpose of causing the floor to slide to and fro in the following
manner. D is a small roller or pivot attached to the sliding floor and which on the
ascent or descent of the hoist falls into the slides or grooves C. and by travelling along
those grooves carries the floor clear of the hoist and brings it back into position the
moment the hoist has passed. E. represents rails or guides along which the temporary
floor travels. F. F. F. F. represent the upright rails or pillars along which the hoist
travels, and which are furnished with toothed racks G.

page_text: H. (Fig. 1) represents the self-acting hook or catch and which is connected to the
lifting rope or chain I. as shown. The catch HL is provided with a spring K and
arranged so that in the event of the lifting rope breaking this spring at once comes
into play, and throwing the catch H into the notches or teeth of the rack at once
arrests the descent of the hoist. In place of the arrangement hereinbefore described
for the stop or safety catch, we may employ an arrangement such as, or similar to
that shown, in Fig. 4. By the use of this arrangement, as by the one hereinbefore
described we can place the safety catches either at the back or sides of the hoist, and
employ either two or four, or any suitable number of toothed racks.
Instead of the temporary floor B being all of one piece we may divide it into two
portions and so arrange the slides that one portion is caused to travel in one
direction, and the other in the opposite direction. And further, instead of the floor
travelling in a horizontal direction, as here shown, we may by an arrangement of a
fixed slide, or other similar contrivance, attached to the wall or pillars along which
the hoist travels, cause the temporary floor to slide along an inclined plane and
assume a vertical position in which it will remain during the time the hoist is
passing it.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of our said invention,
and in what manner the same is to be performed, we declare that what we claim is
--
1st. The use or employment of a temporary floor for the purpose of covering the
shaft or well of the hoist, and actuated in such or similar manner to that described
herein, and the use or employment of such weights, Levers, or springs as may be
found, necessary to assist the arrangement hereinbefore described for the purpose of
balancing or regulating the movement of such floor.
2nd. The safety catch and toothed rack for stopping or preventing the descent of
the hoist in the event of the lifting rope or chain breaking, and by these means we
claim that we can obtain a greater amount of safety than has hitherto existed in the
use of hoists or lifts of the ordinary construction.
In witness whereof we the said Moses Thompson, Henry Thompson, and James
Waldron have hereunto sei our hands.