Improvements in or in Connection with Hoists and Winding Cages.
Year: 1888

page_text: Date of Application, 13th Apr., 1888
Complete Specification Left, 22nd Nov., 1888
Complete Specification Accepted, 8th Jan., 1889
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in or in Connection with Hoists and Winding Cages.
I ALFRED NEWSOME of the Old Anchor Foundry Dewsbury in the County of
York. Engineer, do hereby declare the nature of my said Invention for Improvements
in or in connection with Hoists and Winding Cages to be as follows:-
The object of my Invention is to obviate any risk of accident or injury to persons,
either by falling down the hoist shaft, or becoming caught between the moving
hoist or cage and any of the floors of a building served by such hoist. My invention
avoids these risks of accident by providing for the closing or shutting off by a guard
of the whole of the front or open side of the hoist shaft, except over that portion
immediately in front of the cage.
My Improvements consist in providing a flexible metal guard, which is attached
at the lower end to the bottom of the hoist shaft across the front or open side, and at
the upper end to the top of the hoist shaft, across the front or open, side also. This
guard covers the whole of the front of the hoist shaft except over that portion
immediately in front of the cage, where instead, it is made to pass first under the
floor of the cage, then behind or at the back, and lastly over and along the top of
the cage
to the front or open side of the hoist shaft, being guided and caused to
traverse in this direction by pulleys or rollers fixed near to the four corners of the
cage.
By preference the flexible guard is formed of two side chains of any ordinary pitch
pattern. Several of the links of each chain are provided with side pins to which are
fixed the ends of long rods or tubes passing to and attached at their other ends to the
corresponding links of the other side chain. These cross rods (which really form
the guard for the front or open side of the hoist shaft), may be attached at suitable
distances apart over the whole length of the guard chains, or only over those portions
necessary to keep the shaft guarded off, a height of from 3' ft. to 4' ft. above the floor
of each storey. In this latter case the proper positions of the cross rods will be
marked off on the guide chains first when the cage is supposed to be at the bottom,
and then when it is supposed to be at the top of the shaft. The chains are here
passed round chain wheels attached near the corners of the cage.

page_text: When a woven or wire guard is used, the same is preferably passed round rollers
attached to the cage.
It will be evident that my Improvements though here described only as applied
to hoists for warehouses, hotels and other buildings, may also be applied, with suitable
modifications, for guarding off the mouth of colliery or mine shafts, and in other 5
places.
J. CLARK JEFFERSON,
Agent for the Applicant.
COMPLETE SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in or in Connection with Hoists and Winding Cages.
I ALFRED NEWSOME of the Old Anchor Foundry Dewsbury in the County of
York, Engineer 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 :-
The object of my Invention is to obviate any risk of accident or injury to persons
either by falling down the hoist shaft or becoming caught between the moving hoist
or cage and any of the floors of the building served by such hoist. My Invention
avoids these risks of accidents by providing for the closing or shutting-off by a
guard of the whole of the front or open side of the hoist shaft, except over that
portion immediately in front of the cage.
My Improvements consist in providing a flexible guard, which is attached at the
lower end to the bottom of the hoist shaft across the front or open side, and at
the upper end to the top of the hoist shaft across the front or open side also.
This guard covers the whole of the front of the hoist shaft, except over that portion
immediately in front of the cage; where instead it is made to pass first under the
floor of the cage, then behind or at the back, and lastly over and along the top of the
cage to the front or open side of the hoist shaft; being guided and caused to
traverse in this direction by pullies or rollers fixed near to the eight corners of
the cage.
By preference the flexible guard is formed of two side chains of any ordinary pitch
pattern. Several of the links of each chain are provided with side pins, to which are
fixed the ends of long rods or tubes, passing to and attached at their other ends to the
corresponding links of the other side chain. These cross bars, (which form the
real guard for the front or open side of the hoist shaft), may be attached at suitable

page_text: distances apart over the whole length of the guard chains, or only over those portions
necessary to keep the shaft guarded off a height of from three feet to four feet above
the floor of each storey. In this latter case the proper positions of the cross rods
will be marked off on the guide chains first when the cage is supposed to be at the
bottom, and then when it is supposed to be at the top of the shaft. The chains are here
passed round chain wheels attached near the corners of the cage.
A
When a woven or wire guard is used, the same is preferably passed round rollers
attached to the cage.
It will be evident that my Improvements though here described only as applied
to hoists for warehouses, hotels, and other buildings, may also be applied with suitable
modifications for guarding of the mouth of colliery or other mine shafts, and similar
places.
And in order that my Invention may be more completely understood, reference is
given to the accompanying drawings and to the letters and marks thereon.
Fig. 1 is a front elevation, and Fig. 2 a side or sectional elevation on line A B
Fig. 1, and Fig. 3 is a plan or section on line CD Figs. 1 and 2, of a hoist or
winding cage having my said Improvements applied thereto. Fig. 4 is a detail
view to a larger scale, shewing one construction of the flexible metal guard. The
same letters refer to the same parts in all the Figures.
a a is the flexible metal guard, which as shewn consists of two square linked or
pitched chains a a, attached at their lower ends to the bottom of the hoist shaft at b
at the front or open side, and at their upper ends to the top of the hoist shaft,
(not shewn in the drawings), across the front or open side of the shaft also. These
chains are thus stretched close to the front and over the full depth of the hoist shaft,
except over that portion immediately in front of the cage; where instead, the chains
reaching up from the bottom of the shaft are made to pass first under the floor of
the cage, being guided in this direction by the 4 chain wheels cd, attached to
the bottom of the hoist or cage; then behind or at the back of the cage or hoist,
being guided over this part by the four chain wheels d and e, attached at the back
of the hoist or cage; and lastly over and along the top of the cage to the front or
open side again, being guided and caused to traverse in this direction by the four
pitch wheels e and f, attached to the four top corners of the cage.
Several of the links of each chain a a are provided with side pins gg, to which are
attached the ends of long rods or tubes hh, see Fig. 4; such tubes having their opposite
ends similarly attached to corresponding links of the other side chain. These cross rods
or tubes h, which really form the protection or guard for the front or open sides of
the hoist shaft, may, be attached at suitable distances apart over the whole length
of the guard chains, or only over those portions necessary to keep the shaft
guarded off a height of from 3 to 4 feet above the floor of each storey; which
case is illustrated by the drawings. It may be here remarked and will be evident
from the drawings, that there are two sets of cross rods or tubes hh to each floor
served by the hoist, one set '' guarding off the shaft when the top of the cage is
below the floor of the storey, and the other set when the bottom of the cage
is above the floor of the storey. The proper positions for the cross rods or bars, when
only the necessary portions of the front of the hoist shaft are guarded off, may be
best and most readily marked off, (for all the cases where the cage is supposed to
be below the floor) when the cage is at the bottom of the shaft; and for all cases
where the cage is supposed to be above the floor, when the cage is at the top of the
shaft.
It will be understood that I do not limit myself to the precise form of chain here
employed, nor to the use of pitch chains only for the sides of the guard; as such.
guard may be of belting or woven in wire; in which case rollers are used in place
of pulleys or wheels for passing the guard round the cage.
In order to avoid any risk of the guard itself being pushed back 'any great
distance from the front of the shaft, I arrange a set of hinged supports or stops,
automatically operated by the motion of the cage. This arrangement is shewn most
clearly in Fig. 1. are the hinged supports, hinged at ; in the front pair of hoist

page_text: guides, and in such a position that when the supports or stops are turned out
longitudinally, they come close to and immediately behind the guard chains. The
upper support or stop in each conductor or guide is connected to the lower
support or stop in the same conductor by a long rod, in such a manner that when
the upper stop is horizontal, the lower is nearly vertical, and vice-versa; the stops heing
moved simultaneously by the cage catching and lifting the top stop during its ascent,
and catching and depressing the bottom stop during its descent. By these means
the stops or supports are moved aside to allow the cage to pass them, and are
brought back into position behind the flexible guard immediately the cage has
passed them.
I wish it to be understood that I do not limit myself to a flexible guard made to
pass round the back of the cage as herein described, as such flexible guard might be
arranged in several other ways, as for example; the two ends of such guard might
be attached to the top and bottom of the cage at the front, and passed round
pulleys or chain wheels fixed to the top and bottom of the hoist shaft.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of my said Invention
and in what manner the same is to be performed, I declare that what I claim is :-
:
1° A flexible guard for closing or covering the access to hoist or winding shafts,
consisting of two flexible sides, (as pitch chains, flat ropes or belting), connected
across horizontally by rods or bars substantially as herein set forth.
2° A flexible guard as in claim 1° for covering or closing the access to hoist
or winding shafts, and arranged to pass round the back of the cage substantially as
herein set forth.
3º The general arrangement construction and application of flexible guard for
covering or closing the access to hoist or winding shafts, consisting of two side
pitch chains, connected across with cross bars, and guided by chain wheels around
the cage all substantially as herein set forth and illustrated in the accompanying
drawings.
Dated this 21st day of November 1888
J. CLARK JEFFERSON,
2, East Parade, Leods,
Agent for Applicant.