IMPROVEMENTS IN POWER WHEELS OR PULLEYS AND IN COUPLINGS FOR ROPES TO BE USED THEREWITH PART OF WHICH IMPROVEMENTS IS APPLICABLE TO OTHER PURPOSES
Year: 1882

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to Arthur William Lovell Reddie of the Office for Patents
66 Chancery Lane in the County of Middlesex, Patent Agent for an invention
of IMPROVEMENTS IN POWER WHEELS OR PULLEYS AND IN COUPLINGS FOR
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said Arthur William Lovell
Reddie at the Office of the Commissioners of Patents on the 17th May 1882.
ARTHUR WILLIAM LOVELL REDDIE of the Office for Patents 66 Chancery Lane
in the County of Middlesex, Patent Agent "IMPROVEMENTS IN POWER WHEELS
OR PULLEYS AND IN COUPLINGS FOR ROPES TO BE USED THEREWITH PART OF
WHICH IMPROVEMENTS IS APPLICABLE TO OTHER PURPOSES."-[Communicated to
him from abroad by Edward White Merrill of Brooklyn in the State of New
York, United States of America]
In what are known as portable hoists in which power is applied to a large wheel
or pulley to operate a lift chain running over a smaller wheel on the same axle, it
has been common to use an endless hand chain to apply the power to the larger
wheel or pulley which may be termed the power wheel.
Many advantages result from the use of an endless hand rope instead of the
endless hand chain, but the rope has not heretofore been generally adopted, partly
for the reason that it could not be made to hug with sufficient tightness a power
wheel or pulley with a groove of the form heretofore used, and partly for the
reason that it is almost impossible to make a splice of uniform size with the rest
of the rope, and there has been no coupling adapted in all respects to constitute a
good substitute for a splice.
One object of this invention is to enable a hand rope to be successfully used in
such machines and to this end it consists in the construction of the power wheel or
pulley with a deep taper groove of sufficient width at the periphery of the pulley
to allow the rope to enter, and the sides of which form converging checks between
Co
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page_text: which the rope may be made to jam itself so that it will find a place where it will
work without slipping; the depth of said groove being such that the rope will
always be held between the converging cheeks without bottoming, or reaching the
bottom of the groove.
Another object of this invention is to provide a coupling for uniting the two
ends of a rope, or round band, to form an endless rope or band which will enable
the two ends united by it to twist or untwist by reason of changes in the weather
independently of each other, and which will be externally of about the same
diameter as the rope itself, so that it will readily follow the rope in the groove of
the power wheel or pulley to which it is applied, and will enter and jam at about
the same depth as the rope in said groove. To this end a coupling is constructed
composed of two sockets centrally united together by a loose rivet or pin so that
each may turn freely, or swivel, independently of the other, each socket comprising
two semi-cylindrical jaws diverging outwards, between which jaws the end of the
rope or band may be easily and directly inserted, and which are then drawn
together and clamped upon the rope or band by transverse rivets or their
equivalent.
This coupling is not alone useful for the endless hand ropes of hoisting apparatus,
but may be also used to unite the ends of ropes or round bands to form driving
ropes or bands for many other purposes.

page_text: SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent filed
by the said Arthur William Lovell Reddie in the Great Seal Patent Office
on the 15th November 1882.
ARTHUR WILLIAM LOVELL REDDIE of the Office for Patents 66 Chancery Lane
in the County of Middlesex, Patent Agent "IMPROVEMENTS IN POWER WHEELS
OR PULLEYS AND IN COUPLINGS FOR ROPES TO BE USED THEREWITH, PART OF
WHICH IMPROVEMENTS IS APPLICABLE TO OTHER PURPOSES" A communication
to me from abroad by Edward White Merrill of Brooklyn, in the State of New
York, United States of America
In what are known as portable hoists in which power is applied to a large wheel
or pulley to operate a lift chain running over a smaller wheel on the same axle, it
has been common to use an endless hand chain to apply the power to the larger
wheel or pulley which may be termed the power wheel.
Many advantages result from the use of an endless hand rope instead of the
endless band chain, but the rope has not heretofore been generally adopted partly
for the reason that it could not be made to hug with sufficient tightness a power
wheel or pulley with a groove of the form heretofore used, and partly for the
reason that it is almost impossible to make a splice of uniform size with the rest of
the rope, and there has been no coupling adapted in all respects to constitute a
good substitute for a splice.
One object of this Invention is to enable a hand rope to be be successfully used
in such machines and to this end it consists in the construction of the power
wheel or pulley with a deep taper groove of sufficient width at the periphery of
the pulley to allow the rope to enter, and the sides of which form converging
cheeks between which the rope may be made to jam itself so that it will find a
place where it will work without slipping; the depth of said groove being such
that the rope will always be held between the converging cheeks without bottoming,
or reaching the bottom of the groove.
Another object of this Invention is to provide a coupling for uniting the two
ends of a rope or round band to form an endless rope or band, which will enable
the two ends united by it to twist or untwist by reason of changes in the weather,
independently of each other; and which will be externally of about the same
diameter as the rope itself, so that it will readily follow the rope in the groove of
the power wheel or pulley to which it is applied, and will enter and jam at about
the same depth as the rope in said groove. To this end a coupling is constructed
composed of two sockets centrally united together by a loose rivet or pin so that
each may turn freely or swivel independently of the other; each socket comprising
two semi-cylindrical jaws diverging outwards, between which jaws the end of the
rope or band may be easily and directly inserted, and which are then drawn
together and clamped upon the rope or band by transverse rivets or their
equivalent.
This coupling is not alone useful for the endless hand ropes of hoisting apparatus
but may be also used to unite the ends of ropes or round bands to form driving
ropes or bands for many other purposes.
In the accompanying drawing Fig: 1 represents a face view of the hoisting
apparatus; Fig: 2 represents a side view of the apparatus, the hand rope being
in section; Fig: 3 represents an edge view of a portion of the power wheel or
pulley on a larger scale and a transverse section of the hand rope engaging there-
with; Fig 4 represents a side view of the improved coupling; Fig: 5 represents

page_text: .
an end view thereof, and Fig: 6 represents a longitudinal section of the coupling
also showing the two end portions of the rope united by it.
Similar letters of reference designate corresponding parts in all the figures.
Referring first to Figures 1. 2 and 3, A designates the power wheel or pulley and
B the chain wheel, which are both mounted on a common axle C, and connected so
as to rotate together in a well known manner.
The axle C is mounted in a frame D which may be of any desirable form
and construction, and which is provided with a hook a whereby it may be
suspended from a hook, eye, or staple b, secured in a ceiling or other overhead
support E.
F designates a lift chain which runs over the wheel B and is provided at each
end with a hook whereby it may be readily attached to any article to be
hoisted. The wheel B may be constructed like ordinary chain wheels with
teeth, projections or notches, so as to engage securely with the chain F, and by
turning to raise the chain so as to hoist the article attached to one end thereof.
The power wheel or pulley A and chain wheel B may be turned in either direction
with equal facility.
The power wheel or pulley A. has in its periphery a deep and taper groove A'
which receives the endless hand rope rope G, as best shewn in Figures 2 and 3.
The groove A' is slightly wider at the periphery of the wheel or pulley than the
diameter of the rope, so that the latter will pass into it, and from the periphery the
two sides of the groove incline inwards towards each other, forming two
converging cheeks d. d best shewn in Fig: 3, between which the rope will pass
inwards until it jams and comes to a place where it will not slip.
The groove A is of sufficient depth and the cheeks d. d. converge sufficiently to
prevent the rope G from passing or crowding inwards sufficiently to touch the
bottom e of the groove, and hence the rope will never slip and will always transmit
the power effectively to the power wheel or pulley A
The use of the hand rope in lieu of a hand chain is very advantageous for many
reasons. It is lighter and better to handle than a chain, and can be replaced in
case it be necessary, much more readily than the chain because the latter is not in
all places easily obtained.
To form the endless hand rope G the two ends of an ordinary rope of proper size
are connected or united, and the coupling shown in Figures 4. 5 and 6 is very
advantageous for this purpose.
The coupling consists of two sockets H H each of which is composed of
semi-cylindrical jaws which, before the coupling is applied diverge from the inner
end of the socket outwards as shewn by the socket H in Fig: 4.
The two sockets H H are connected by a pin or loose rivet finserted through
holes g in the ends of the sockets and headed or rivetted within the sockets; and
by the pin or rivet a swivel connection is formed between the sockets so that either
may turn independently of the other.
The jaws of each socket H H¹ are provided near their outer ends with holes h
through which rivets i are to be inserted when the coupling is applied to the rope,
for drawing together the semi-cylindrical halves of the sockets.
When the coupling is to be applied the two ends of the rope are inserted into
the two sockets, which may be readily done because of the divergence of the jaws,
and the rivets i or screws, or other similar devices, are inserted through the holes h
and through the rope, to draw the jaws together aud clamp the end of the rope
tightly between them.
The coupling constructed as above described may be used for uniting the ends of
ropes or round bands for many other purposes than for hoisting apparatus, as it
provides for the twisting and untwisting of the rope to which there is always a
tendency with changes of weather; and when used for hand ropes of hoisting
apparatus it possesses the additional advantage that its external diameter is about
the same as the diameter of the rope, and it will therefore enter the groove of

page_text: the power wheel to about the same depth as the rope, and will readily follow the
rope in the groove.
Having now described the nature of the said Invention of "Improvements in
power wheels or pulleys and in couplings for ropes to be used therewith part of
which improvements is applicable to other purposes," as communicated to me by
my Foreign Correspondent, and having explained in what manner the same may
be carried into practical effect, I wish it to be understood that I claim
First The power wheel or pulley of a hoisting apparatus constructed and
adapted to an endless hand rope, substantially as herein illustrated and described,
and for the purpose set forth.
Secondly The coupling for ropes and round bands for hoisting apparatus and
other purposes, consisting of the two sockets, swivelled together and each composed
of jaws, adapted to clamp the rope or band, substantially as herein illustrated
and described.
In witness whereof I the said Arthur William Lovell Reddie have hereunto
set my hand and seal the fourteenth day of November in the year of our
Lord One thousand eight hundred and eighty two.
ARTHUR W. L. REDDIE (L.S.)