Improvements in Elevator Locking Mechanism.
Year: 1897

page_text: Date of Application, 28th May, 1897-Accepted, 10th July, 1897
COMPLETE SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in Elevator Locking Mechanism.
I, JOHN SEISER MUCKLE of 1722 Pine Street, in the City and County of
Philadelphia State of Pennsylvania, one of the United States of America,
Mechanical 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 :--
My Invention relates to passenger and freight elevators in which controlling
mechanism is used for stopping the car at the different landings. In all elevator
controlling mechanism there is a point where the movement of the mechanism
exercises no effect to stop or start the car, this movement we will call the "idle"
movement of the controlling mechanism.
The object of my invention is to utilize this idle movement of the controlling
mechanism to release the door when the car is at a landing, and to lock the door
when the door is closed and before the car is moved.
According to my invention I provide apparatus so arranged that after the
controlling mechanism has stopped the car, for instance, further movement of this
mechanism is utilized to move a slide or other locking device to release the door,
and when the door is opened the said slide will be locked, and thus lock the
controlling mechanism, while the door is open, and a continued further movement
or return movement of the controlling mechanism after the door is closed, is utilised
to lock the door, the door when closed releasing the controlling mechanism, so that
it can be operated to start the car.
Figure 1 of the accompanying drawings is a side view of sufficient of an elevator
well and car to illustrate my invention;
Figure 2 illustrates a modified form of the mechanism;
Figure 3 is a view of a still further modification of the mechanism—and
Figure 4 is a detailed view of the mechanism shewn in Figure 1.
Referring in the first instance to Figures 1 and 4, A is the car which is adapted
to travel up and down in the elevator well, H is the landing and, in the present
instance, G is a sliding door in connection therewith.
Mounted in suitable bearings in the car, A, is a shaft B having a hand wheel b
within the car, and a sprocket wheel b¹ on the outside of the car around which
passes the valve controlling chain 62. The shaft, hand wheel and sprocket wheel
form the controlling mechanism on the car. On the shaft B is a pinion 63 around
which passes a chain c to the chain wheel cl on an intermediate shaft C. On this
shaft is an eccentric gear wheel c² which meshes with an eccentric gear wheel d²
on the stud D.
To a crank pin d on the wheel d² is connected a rod d¹ attached to an arm e on a
rock shaft E carried in bearings secured in the present instance to the underside
of the car.
Fis a slide moveable in guides f and connected to the arm e on the rock shaft E
by a rod el; this slide has at its outer end a flange f' on one side, and a roller f² on
the opposite side.
On the walls of the elevator well near each landing is a spring latch g which

page_text: engages with a latch g' on the door G and at one side of this spring latch is hung a
lever S having an arms adapted to pass to the back of the flange f¹ on the slide F
when the said slide is projected and the door opened. is a weighted arm and 82
is an arm with which comes in contact a finger g2 on the door, so that when the door
is closed this finger strikes the arm 82 turning the lever and throwing its arm 8 away
from the flange f¹ and thus releasing the slide.
Thus it will be seen that when the lever S engages with the slide it will prevent
the operator from turning the controlling mechanism as the slide is connected with
the said mechanism.
By arranging the eccentric gears in the manner shewn I am enabled to so
regulate the throw of the slide that during the time that the valve mechanism is
shifting, very little motion is imparted to the slide, but immediately after shifting
the valve the gears are brought into such relation to each other and to the crank
pin d that the slide is projected its full extent.
In all elevating mechanism a certain amount of motion is given to the wheel, if a
wheel is used, beyond that required to shift the valve to stop the elevator, and it is
this motion that I utilize to shift the slide F. The same motion is utilized on the
return of the wheel to withdraw the slide before the valve is reversed to start the
car, the door in the meantime having been closed so as to release the slide from
the mechanism hung to the elevator well.
In Figure 2, I have shewn the eccentric gears arranged at the head of the
elevator well and actuated by the controlling rope or chain 62 through the medium
of the wheel i mounted on the shaft I, sprocket wheel ¹, chain and sprocket
wheel mounted on an intermediate shaft on which is an eccentric gear c³ meshing
with an eccentric gear d³. On this gear is a crank pin to which is attached a
rod d' connected to the bell crank lever to which is attached the rope having
the blocks J at each landing; these blocks engage with an L-shaped latch g¹ on
the elevator door G¹ and are engaged by a weighted lever g² when the door is open.
By placing the elliptical gears in the position shewn the same result is accomplished
as by that shewn in Figure 1.
I may dispense in some instances with the elliptical gears, as shewn in Figure 3,
and connect the rod d¹ to a slotted arm D¹ pivoted to a frame, and in the slot of
this arm is a pin projecting from the gear wheel C. By this means I obtain a
differential motion, the parts being so timed that the slow movement is given to
the slide while the valve shifting mechanism is operating and the quick motion is
given either after or before the valve mechanism is operated.
It will be understood that my invention can be applied to belt shifting mechanism
or clutch mechanism as well as to valve mechanism and can be also applied to
shifting mechanism of an electric elevator.
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. The combination in elevator locking mechanism, of a car, a door, a lock
therefor, a device for operating the controller, whereby the car is caused to ascend
or descend, mechanism for actuating the lock to release the door after the car is
brought to a stop at the door, and means whereby the said mechanism is operated
from the controlling device after the latter has been moved so as to stop the car,
substantially as hereinbefore described.
2. The combination in elevator locking mechanism, of a car, a door, a lock
therefor, a device on the car for operating the controller whereby the car is caused
to ascend or descend, mechanism for actuating the lock to release the door after
the car is brought to a stop at the door, and means whereby the said mechanism is
operated from the controller device on the car after the latter has been moved, so
as to stop the car, and a device for locking the controller and its mechanism when
the door is opened, the said device being actuated to release the controller when the
door is closed so that the said mechanism can be operated to again lock the door

page_text: before the controller device is moved sufficiently to start the car, substantially as
hereinbefore described.
3. The combination in an elevator car, of the door, a lock therefor, controlling
mechanism on the car, a moveable element adapted to actuate the door lock, with
elliptical gearing between the said controlling mechanism and the moveable element
whereby the said element will be moved slowly during the stopping and starting
of the car, and will be moved quickly after or before the controlling mechanism is
actuated to stop or start the car, substantially as hereinbefore described.
Dated this 28th day of May 1897
JOHNSONS & WILLCOX,
47 Lincoln's Inn Fields, London, W.C., Agents.