IMPROVEMENTS IN LIFTS FOR HOTELS, WAREHOUSES, AND OTHER BUILDINGS."
Year: 1878

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to Laurence Hill, of Glasgow, in the County of Lanark,
North Britain, Civil Engineer, for the Invention of "IMPROVEMENTS IN LIFTS
FOR HOTELS, WAREHOUSES, AND OTHER BUILDINGS."
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said Laurence Hill at the Office
of the Commissioners of Patents on the 6th August 1878.
LAURENCE HILL, of Glasgow, in the County of Lanark, North Britain, Civil
Engineer. " IMPROVEMENTS IN LIFTS FOR HOTELS, WAREHOUSES, AND OTHER
BUILDINGS."
This Invention has for its object to provide improved, safe, convenient, and
economical lifts for hotels, warehouses, and other buildings.
In one modification, constituting what may be terined the "single" arrangement,
there are suspended or otherwise connected one above the other as many cages or
stages, less one, as there are flats in the building or flats to be served by the lift. The
set of cages or stages is connected by ropes or chains passing over overhead pulleys
to counterweights, or it is counterbalanced in any other convenient way; and it is
made to ascend and descend alternately, but only to the extent of one flat, by any
suitable apparatus, a direct-acting hydraulic ram being used by preference.
The valve gearing by which the moving apparatus is controlled is arranged to
cause the set of cages or stages to pause for a few seconds or minutes between each
change of movement, such pause allowing time for persons to leave the cages or
stages and others to enter in or on them at any one or more of the flats (excepting
the top and bottom flats alternately).
The inlets to and outlets from the cages or stages are at the several flats by
preference arranged at opposite sides or different parts, so that persons entering
will not interfere with those leaving, and the inlets and outlets at each flat are
provided with gates or turnstiles, those at the outlets being arranged so as to open
outwards only, whilst those at the inlets are fitted with locking catches, which

page_text: prevent their being opened, excepting when the cages or stages are stationary at
the flats. The gates or turnstiles are by preference placed at a short distance from
the shaft or well, so that persons cannot lean over them far enough to be endangered
by the cages when moving, and the bottoms of the cages and the tops of the
openings in the shaft or well are provided with inclined surfaces, which by gently
guiding outwards or inwards any substance projecting inwards or outwards respec-
tively will prevent its being caught.
With this "single" arrangement any person wishing to ascend or descend more
than one flat must do so to the extent of a flat at the time, and must wait at each
flat whilst the lift is moving in the opposite direction to that in which he, wishes
to go.
In a second modification the arrangement is "double," there being two vertical
sets of cages or stages which counterbalance each other, and which move alternately
up and down to the extent of a flat always in opposite directions, so that a person
wishing to ascend or descend to the extent of more than one flat can on reaching
one flat immediately move into the other part of the lift, and at once proceed with-
out waiting. This movement from one part or side of the lift to the other may be
made by passing out on the flat and then in again therefrom, or provision may be
made to admit of persons stepping directly across from one part or side of the lift
to the other.

page_text: SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent filed by
the said Laurence Hill in the Great Seal Patent Office on the 5th February
1879.
LAURENCE HILL, of Glasgow, in the County of Lanark, North Britain, Civil
Engineer. "IMPROVEMENTS IN LIFTS FOR HOTELS, WAREHOUSES, AND. OTHER
BUILDINGS."
My said Invention has for its object to provide improved, safe, convenient, and
economical lifts for hotels, warehouses, and other buildings.
In one modification, constituting what may be termed my "single," arrangement
of lift, there are, suspended or otherwise connected, one above the other, as many,
cages.or stages, less one, as there are flats in the building or flats to, be served by.
the lift. The set of cages or stages is connected by ropes or chains passing over.
overhead pulleys to counterweights, or it is counterbalanced in any other conve-
nient way; and it is made to ascend and descend alternately, but only to the extent
of one flat, by any suitable apparatus, a direct-acting bydraulic ram being used.by
preference..
The valve gearing by which the moving apparatus is controlled is arranged to;
cause the set of cages or stages to pause for a few seconds or minutes between each
change of movement, such pause allowing time, for persons to leave the cages or.
stages and for others to enter in or on them at any one or more of the flats,
(excepting the top and bottom flats alternately).
Turnstiles and locking details are provided to regulate the movements of persons
using the lift, and the bottoms of the cages or stages and the tops of the openings
in the shaft or well are provided with inclined surfaces or guards, which by gently.
guiding outwards or inwards any substance projecting inwards or outwards respec-.
tively will prevent its being caught.
With the "single" arrangement any person wishing to ascend or descend more:
than one flat must do so to the extent of a flat at a time, and must wait at each;
flat whilst the lift is moving in the opposite direction to that in which he wishes;
to go..
In a second modification the arrangement is "double," there being two vertical-
sets of cages or stages which counterbalance each other, and which move alternately.
up and down to the extent of one flat, always in opposite directions, so that a,
person wishing to ascend or descend to the extent of more than one flat can on
reaching one flat immediately move into the other part of the lift, and at once;
proceed without, waiting. This movement from one part or side of the lift to the
other may be made by passing out on the flat and then in again therefrom, or pro-.
vision may be made to admit of persons stepping directly across from one part or
side of the lift to the other..
And in order that my said Invention and the manner of performing the same,
may be properly understood I hereunto append a Sheet of explanatory Drawings,
to be herein-after referred to, and representing a "double" arrangement of my
improved lift.
In these Drawings the same referenco numerals are used to. mark the same or
like parts wherever they are repeated.
Figure 1 on the accompanying Sheet of Drawings is a sectional front elevation;
of the "double" lift as seen, from the several flats of the building in which, it, is
placed; Figure 2 is a vertical section as at right angles. to Figure 1, and as taken,
through one of the lifts or sets of cages; and Figure 3 is a horizontal section corre-.
sponding to Figures 1 and 2.
Figure 4 is a horizontal section of a slightly different modification; and Figure 5,
is a sectional elevation of mechanism for regulating the action of the hydraulic rams,
or other moving apparatus.

page_text: In the modification shown in Figures 1, 2, 3, the shafts or vertical spaces for the
two lifts or sets of cages 6, 7, are close together, and the cages are each boarded or
closed on three sides so that persons cannot step across directly from one to the
other;
but in the modification shown in Figure 4 the shafts are separated by a
small space, and provision is made at each flat or floor to allow persons to cross
directly from the cage 6 in one shaft to that 7 in the other.
The lifts are represented as constructed for four flats, and each lift or vertical set
of cages consists of three cages or compartments 8.
Each lift is represented as constructed principally of timber, with uprights at the
four corners combined with frames carrying the floors of the compartments 8 and
the roof of the top compartment, and it is guided by the corner uprights working
in guide grooves formed in the corners of uprights 9 fixed at the corners of the
shafts. The two lifts 6, 7, are connected by chains 10 passing over a pulley 11
mounted on a suitable framing centrally above the two lifts, which consequently
counterbalance each other, so that the motive power employed has only to over-
come the inertia and friction and any difference of weight on the two lifts, when
that difference is on the rising side.
The bottoms of the lifts 6, 7, rest on the rams 12, 13, of hydraulic cylinders 14,
15, which are represented as the motive apparatus employed, and which operate
so as to raise the lifts alternately, and to allow one to descend as the other rises.
Short intervals or pauses are made to occur between the upward and downward
movements, and an arrangement of apparatus for regulating such intervals is shown
in Figure 5 on an enlarged scale, and as fitted in connection with one of the
hydraulic cylinders 14.
In this apparatus the valve 16 which admits the water to the cylinder 14 is
worked by a rod 17, having a bucket 18 at the top of it, the bucket moving the
rod down to open the valve when filled with water from a branch supply pipe 19.
A stop-cock lever 20 on the pipe 19 is moved to open the stop-cock as the ram 12
gets nearly to the bottom of its stroke by a pin or tappet 21 on a tappet rod 22
fixed to the bottom of the lift. The length of interval before the ram will begin to
rise again will depend on the rate at which the water flows into the bucket 18, and
this may be adjusted to whatever is thought desirable by a regulating cock on the
water supply pipe. When there is as much water in the bucket 18 as will by its
weight open the valve 16 the bucket descends, and then a valve 23 in the bottom
of it, which is prevented by a bracket 24 from descending quite as far as the
bucket, opens and lets the water run out by a waste pipe 25.
The bucket 18, rod 17, and valve 10 are counterbalanced by a weighted lever 26,
and the bucket 18 is raised and the valve 16 closed by a tappet 27 on the rod 22,
when the ram 12 reaches the top of its stroke. At the same time a tappet 28 acts
on a stop-cock lever 29 so as to cause water from a branch pipe 30 to flow into a
bucket 31, which is carried by the rod 32 of the dischargo valve 33. Then after
an interval determined by the rate of flow of the water into the bucket 31 the
valve 33 becomes opened and the ram 12 begins to descend: A valve 34 held by
a bracket 35 allows the water to escape from the bucket 31, and the bucket 31
with the rod 32 and valve 33 are afterwards raised by a counterweighted lever 36,
which is acted on by a tapped 37 on the rod 22.
Similar apparatus may be applied to the other hydraulic cylinder 15, or the
inlet and outlet valves 16 and 33 may be connected respectively to the outlet and
inlet valves of the other cylinder, which arrangement will yield the same result.
On each flat there is fitted in front of each opening or doorway of the lift shafts
a turnstile 38, which is locked, excepting during each interval that the lifts are
stationary with the bottoms of their compartments 8 level with the floors.
The locking contrivance is simply a toothed or notched wheel 39, with which
there engages a catch lever 40, and each catch lever 40 is formed with a short arm 41,
having a double incline on it, which is acted' on by the bottom frame of each com-
partment of the lifts when moving either up or down so as to turn up the catch.
lever 40 out of gear at the proper times.

page_text: Each turnstile 38 is also formed with a ratchet wheel and pawl, shown below the
locking wheel 39, to make the turnstile so that it will only turn in one direction,
and to prevent confusion by making it necessary for persons entering and leaving
the lifts to take different sides of the turnstiles.
A similar turnstile 42 with locking wheel and ratchet wheel is also by preference
fitted in the modification shown in Figure 4 between the lift shafts at the parts
where persons may cross from one lift to the other. Railings 43 are provided as
guides in connection with the turnstiles 38, 42.
In each compartment 8 of each lift 6, 7, there is fixed at the top an inclined
guard 44, and a similar inclined guard 45 is fixed at the top of each flat opening.
These guards 44, 45, which are advantageously applicable in existing lifts or hoists
of various kinds, are for the purpose of preventing accidents. Thus if a person
thrusts his head from a floor into the shaft when the lift is moving down the inner
guard 44 will move it gradually outwards out of the way, and similarly, should a
person in the lift thrust his head outwards when the lift is rising the outer guard 45
will move it inwards instead of holding it down.
For the purpose of directing persons about to use the lifts which side to take mov-
able indicators 46, with the words "Up" and "Down" on them, are shown through
openings at the outer sides of the guards 45. The two indicators 46 for each flat
are on opposite ends of a lever 47, and the levers 47 of the several flats are con-
nected by wires to a lever 48 at the bottom, which last lever 48 has each side de-
pressed alternately by the descents of the lifts.
Having thus particularly described my said Invention and the manner of per-
forming the same, I have to state that I do not restrict myself to the precise details
herein described or delineated, but that what 1 believe to be novel and original
and claim as the Invention secured to me by and in terms of the herein-before in
part recited Letters Patent is,―
1. The system of constructing, arranging, and working lifts for three or more
flats in hotels, warehouses, and other buildings, in which each lift is made with
two or more compartments, one above the other, and is moved up and down to the
extent of only one flat, substantially as herein-before described.
2. The fitting of turnstiles or gates at the entrances to lifts, with automatic
locking mechanism, substantially as and for the purposes herein-before described.
3. The fitting of inclined guards (44, 45,) to lifts and to the entraces to them,
substantially as and for the purposes herein-before described.
In witness whereof, I, the said Laurence Hill, have hereunto set my hand
and seal, this Third day of February, in the year of our Lord One thousand
eight hundred and seventy-nine.
40 Witness,
EDMUND HUNT,
Patent Agent,
Glasgow.
LAUR. HILL. (L.S.)