Im- PROVEMENTS IN PULLEY BLOCKS
Year: 1872

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to Arnold Budenberg, of the Firm of Schäffer and
Budenberg, of the City of Manchester, for the Invention of "Im-
PROVEMENTS IN PULLEY BLOCKS."-A communication from abroad by
Bernhard August Schäffer, and Christian Frederick Budenberg, of
Buckau, Magdeburg, in the Kingdom of Prussia.
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said Arnold Budenberg at
the Office of the Commissioners of Patents, with his Petition, on
the 21st March 1872.
I, ARNOLD BUDENBERG, of the Firm of Schäffer and Budenberg, of the
City of Manchester, do hereby declare the nature of the said Invention
for "IMPROVEMENTS IN PULLEY BLOCKS to be as follows (a communi-
cation) :-
""
The object of this Invention is the application of a simple and self-
acting contrivance to pulley blocks to prevent the descent of the load or

page_text: weight when the hoisting chain or rope is "let go," and consists in the
use and application of a three-armed lever mounted upon a stud between
the cheeks of the pulley block. One of these arms has an eccentric
wedge at its extremity designed to allow the rope or chain to be free to
move in one direction whilst hoisting or pulling the load, but to lock or
wedge itself in self-actingly between the stud (upon which it is mounted)
and the rope or chain passing over the pulley immediately such rope or
chain has a tendency to descend or proceed in the contrary direction.
A rope or chain affixed to one of the other arms of the lever allows
such locking arm to be pulled out of gear, whilst a weight or spiral
spring connected to the third arm ensures the action of the locking
apparatus in any position of the pulley blocks.
SPECIFICATION filed in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters
Patent, and of an Order of the Lord Chancellor, by the said Arnold
Budenberg in the Great Seal Patent Office on the 1st October
1872.
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I, ARNOLD
BUDENBERG, of the. Firm of Schäffer and Budenberg, of the City of
Manchester, send greeting.
WHEREAS Her most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her
Letters Patent, bearing date the Twenty-first day of March, in the year
of our Lord One thousand eight hundred and seventy-two, in the thirty-
fifth year of Her reign, did, for Herself, Her beirs and successors, give
and grant unto me, the said Arnold Budenberg, Her special licence that
I, the said Arnold Budenberg, my executors, administrators, and assigns,
or such others as I, the said Arnold Budenberg, my executors, adminis-
trators, and assigns, should at any time agree with, and no others, from
time to time and at all times thereafter during the term therein
expressed, should and lawfully might make, usc, exercise, and vend,
within the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland, the Channel
Islands, and Isle of Man, an Invention for "IMPROVEMENTS IN PULLEY
BLOCKS," (a communication from abroad by Bernhard August Schäffer,
and Christian Frederick Budenberg, of Buckau, Magdeburg, in the
Kingdom of Prussia) upon the condition (amongst others) that I, the

page_text: said Arnold Budenberg, my executors or administrators, by an instrument
in writing under my, or their, or one of their hands and seals, should
particularly describe and ascertain the nature of the said Invention,
and in what manner the same was to be performed, and cause the
same to be filed in the Great Seal Patent Office on or before the
Third day of October, in the year of our Lord One thousand eight
hundred and seventy-two.
NOW KNOW YE, that I, the said Arnold Budenberg, do hereby
declare the nature of my said Invention, and in what manner the same
is to be performed, to be particularly described and ascertained in and
by the following statement thereof, that is to say :-
The object of this Invention is the application of a simple and self-
acting contrivance to pulley blocks to prevent the descent of the load or
weight when the hoisting chain or rope is "let go," and consists in the
use and application of a three-armed lever mounted upon a stud between
the cheeks of the pulley block. One of these arms has an eccentric wedge
at its extremity designed to allow the rope or chain to be free to move in
one direction whilst hoisting or pulling the load, but to lock or wedge
itself in self-actingly between the stud (upon which it is mounted) and
the rope or chain passing over the pulley immediately such rope or chain
has a tendency to descend or proceed in the contrary direction.
A rope or chain affixed to one of the other arms of the lever allows
such locking arm to be pulled out of gear, whilst a weight or spiral
spring connected to the third arm ensures the action of the locking
apparatus in any position of the pulley blocks.
And in order that the said Invention may be more thoroughly under-
stood and more readily carried into effect, I will now proceed to describe
the same, reference being had to the accompanying Sheet of Drawings in
which Fig. 1 represents a front elevation, and Fig. 2, a side elevation
of a pulley block with my improvements applied thereto; Fig. 3 is a side
view of the same drawn to a reduced scale in order to convey a general
idea of its appearance when in actual use; Fig. 4 is a side elevation and
Fig. 5 a front sectional elevation of a modification of the same. The
same letters of reference refer to similar parts in all the views.
In Figs. 1, 2, and 3, a, b, c, is a three-armed lever centred at and
working upon the stud d, supported between the two inside cheeks e and f

page_text: of the block. The end of one of the arms c of this lever I make eccentric
to the centre d, on which the lever is hung, as shewn, which allows of
the lower large sheave or pulley g of the block and the rope or chain upon
it moving in the direction indicated by the arrow when hoisting or
raising the load, but by reason of the eccentric form of the end of such
lever c, effectually wedges itself in between the stud d and the rope or
chain passing over the said pulley g when such chain or rope is slackened
or "let go," so preventing the running down of the load, and materially
assisting in the hoisting of same as both hands are at liberty.
I would here observe that although the eccentric surface herein-before
mentioned is described as formed on the end of the lever cand apparently
short, it is obvious that the eccentric surface may take the form of a cam
working about the centre d, which would produce a like result, but this
I should regard as a modification of my Invention.
To the arm b of the said three-armed lever I attach a weight h or a
spring of a spiral or other suitable form, sufficiently heavy or strong
under all circumstances, in which the block would have to work (for
instance in pulling a load) to cause the eccentric arm c to bear upon the
rope or chain running over the said pulley g, and thus ensure the
wedging action before mentioned.
The arm a I use for disengaging the locking arm c when the weight
is required to be lowered, and I bring such arm conveniently within
reach of the workman by means of a light chain or rope J, as shewn in
Fig. 3.
In constructing these blocks I prefer to make the last sheave or pulley
over which the rope or chain passes, and upon which the locking action
takes place (marked g) a little larger than the remaining sheaves or
pulleys of the block, to ensure more certain action, and such sheave or
pulley may either be placed on a separate stud from the other sheaves,
as in the case in the arrangement shown in Figs. 1, 2, & 3, or it may
be placed on the principal sheave or pulley stud, as seen in Figs. 4 and 5,
and in this latter case it will be seen by reference to these Figures that
I mount the locking lever on the stud carrying the hook by which the
Block is suspended. And lastly, I would remark that it will be evident
that these improvements are equally applicable to blocks fitted with a
greater or smaller number of sheaves or pulleys than those shewn in the
Figures.

page_text: Having thus particularly described and ascertained the nature of the
said Invention, together with the best methods with which I am
acquainted for carrying the same into practical effect, I wish it to be
understood that I do not confine myself to the precise details, relative
proportions, or dimensions, illustrated on the accompanying Drawing, as
the same may be considerably varied without departing from the
Invention, but what I claim is,—the use and application to pulley blocks
of a locking lever or cam capable of being released at pleasure, such
locking lever or cam being mounted and operating substantially as and
for the purposes described and illustrated in the accompanying Sheet
of Drawings.
In witness whereof, I, the said Arnold Budenberg, have hereunto
set my hand and seal, this Twenty-sixth day of September, in
the year of our Lord One thousand eight hundred and seventy-
two.
JOHN G. WILSON,
Patent Office,
71, Market St.
Manchester.
ARNOLD BUDENBERG. (L.S.)