AN IMPROVED MODE OF OPERATING APPARATUS FOR LIFTING AND PRESSING
Year: 1858

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to John Talbot Pitman, of the American and European
Patent Offices, No. 67, Gracechurch Street, London, for the Invention
of "AN IMPROVED MODE OF OPERATING APPARATUS FOR LIFTING AND
PRESSING."-A communication.
Sealed the 11th February 1859, and dated the 11th August 1858.
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said John Talbot Pitman
at the Office of the Commissioners of Patents, with his Petition, on the
11th August 1858.
I, JOHN TALBOT PITMAN, of the American and European Patent Offices,
No. 67, Gracechurch Street, London, do hereby declare the nature of the
said Invention for "AN IMPROVED MODE OF OPERATING APPARATUS FOR LIFTING
AND PRESSING," a communication from a foreigner residing abroad, to be as
follows:-
It consists in the employment and combination of mechanical agents, such
that when little or no power is required the pressure may be effected, and the
apparatus may be brought to the lifting point with greater rapidity than is
usual in the ordinary machines by one device; and when more power is
needed than is consistant with such rapidity, the increased power is obtained
by another device. The main agent is the screw, fitted to play into a female
screw running the entire length of a revolving cylinder or nut. This nut, by
means of bevel geer worked by a crank or by other similar mode, when little
power with quickness of operation is required, as in the early stage of pressing
goods, is turned upon the screw, which is kept stationary during the time,
while at the same time it is attached to and has the property of revolving

page_text: upon the press plate. In lifting, the cylinder resting upon a firm bases may be
turned upon the screw by the hand to raise the screw to the lifting point.
Another agent is a cylindrical sleeve surrounding the parts just mentioned,
and in the press is attached to the stationary frame, or in the jack to and
moves with the lifting part of the apparatus, but in either case sustains a shaft
that operates by an endless screw, by bevel geer or other suitable mode upon
the screw with greater power, but less rapidity than by the other device.
These two modes of operating upon the screw may be used at the same
time, or several shafts with endless screw or bevel geer may also be employed
in the operation at the same moment.
I do not intend to limit myself to the exact arrangements mentioned, but to
use any similar mode of application, so as substantially to preserve the
principles above set forth.
SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent, filed
by the said John Talbot Pitman in the Great Seal Patent Office on
the 11th February 1859.
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I, JOHN
TALBOT PITMAN, of the American and European Patent Offices, No. 67,
Gracechurch Street, London, send greeting.
WHEREAS Her most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her Letters
Patent, bearing date the Eleventh day of August, in the year of our Lord One
thousand eight hundred and fifty-eight, in the
year of Her
reign, did, for Herself, Her heirs and successors, give and grant unto me, the
said John Talbot Pitman, Her special licence that I, the said John Talbot
Pitman, or my executors, administrators, and assigns, or such others as I,
the said John Talbot Pitman, or my executors, administrators, 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, use, exercise, and vend, within the United Kingdom of Great Britain
-and-Ireland,_the_Channel Islands, and Isle of Man, an Invention for "AN
IMPROVED MODE OF OPERATING APPARATUS FOR LIFTING AND PRESSING," a communi-
cation from a foreigner residing abroad, upon the condition (amongst others)
that I, the said John Talbot Pitman, or 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

page_text: the Great Seal Patent Office within six calendar months next and immediately
after the date of the said Letters Patent.
NOW KNOW YE, that I, the said John Talbot Pitman, 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, reference being had to the accompanying Drawings:-
:-
The Invention consists in the employment and combination of mechanical
agents, so that when little or no power is required the pressure may be
effected, and the apparatus may be brought to the lifting point with greater
rapidity than is usaul in the ordinary machines by one device; and when more
power is needed than is consistent with such rapidity, the increased power is
obtained by another device. The main agent is the screw, fitted to play into
a female screw running the entire length of a revolving cylinder or nut. This
nut, by means of bevel gear worked by a crank or by other similar mode when
little power with quickness of operation is required, as in the early stage of
pressing goods, is turned upon the screw, which is kept stationary during the
time, while at the same time it is attached to and has the property of revolving
upon the press plate. In lifting, the cylinder resting upon a firm basis may
be turned upon the screw by the hand to raise the screw to the lifting point.
Another agent is a cylindrical sleeve surrounding the parts just mentioned,
and in the press is attached to the stationary frame, or in the jack to and moves
with the lifting part of the apparatus, but in either case sustains a shaft that
operates by an endless screw, by bevel gear or other suitable mode upon the
screw with greater power but less rapidity than by the other device.
These two modes of operating upon the screw may be used at the same
time, or several shafts with endless screw or bevel gear may also be employed
in the operation at the same moment.
Fig. 1 is a perspective view of my press. Letters (A, A, A, A,) are four
round columns or standards, secured at their tops and bottoms by two plates
(F, F,) and nuts (i, i); letter (B) is a stationary barrel, which is secured to
the top plate (F), and forms the box (G), in which the endless screw gearing
operates; (C) is an inner screw chamber or cylindric nut, in which the main
or lifting screw operates when turned by the small crank and gearing (G), but
the nut (C) revolves around the primo motor or main screw, which is held
stationary by means of the screw gearing (G), when the press is operated by
the large bevel gear (D); letter (L) is the movable or press plate, which is
provided with a hole in its centre to receive the lower end of the movable
cylindric nut (C), which is also provided with a short shaft or bearing at its
lower end, upon which it revolves when turned by the large crank (D).

page_text: Fig. 2 is a sectional view of my double acting press, showing the standards
(A, A), top and bottom plates (F', F'), and a vertical section of the stationary
barrel (B), the revolving nut (C), the main or; lifting screw (H), the endless
screw gearing (G'), and the bevel gearing (D).
The superiority of the above arrangement is that I am enabled to work
with greater rapidity and pressure than by any other press ever used, excepting
the hydraulic press, inasmuch that by the bevel gearing (D) and cylinder (C)
I get a quick action or pressure upon the plate (F), but when a heavy pres-
sure is required, such as pressing cotton, book-binding, &c., I turn the small
crank or gearing (G), that revolves the main screw (H), and not the
cylindric nut (C), but simply forces the nut (C) down with a tremendous
pressure, by means of a power independant of the large gear (D), which
power requires eleven revolutions of the crank to carry the plate (L) through
the same space that it would pass through by one revolution of the crank (D),
but the power of gearing (G) is equivalent to twenty times (more or less) to
that of the gearing (D); hence the application of two distinct acting powers
or gearings applied to operating presses after the above plan, I believe to be
novel and useful. I do not confine myself to any number of those gearings
for operating presses, as one or more sets may be applied to a press
successfully.
Having thus described the above apparatus for pressing purposes, I will
next describe it when employed as a lifting power or jack.
.
Fig. 3 is an exterior view of the jack partly raised, as shown from (H)
to (C); Fig. 4 is a vertical section of the same, showing the operation of the
screw (A) and gearing (G) and (F) during the process of raising a heavy
body either upon the foot (C) or upon the head of the outer cylinder (B),
which moves up and down with the screw (A) when revolved by means of the
bevel gearing (G) and (F), operated by the crank (1). The gear (G) is
attached to the screw (A), and forms a part of the same, and the male gear.
(F), which is attached to the crank, and connects with the corresponding
gear (G), through the outer or movable cylinder (B) at (G), which moves up
or down with the screw (A), thus keeping the bevel gearing in gear, and at a
fixed point upon the lifting-screw-(A),-near_the_top (B) of the outer cylinder,
which has a recess to receive and support the top of the screw (A), thus pre-
venting any lateral movement when the screw is at its highest point, the base
being supported by the stationary nut (K) in the inner cylinder or standard,
which is attached to the base (M).
The superiority of my compound screw jack is, first, that I can lift an equal
amount of weight with the foot (C) that I do with the head of the cylinder

page_text: (B), without bending the main or vertical screw (A). This cannot be done
by any other jack having the foot attached to the main or lifting screw,
without bending or breaking the primo motor. I also do away with the
greatest amount of friction in the gearing by the above arrangement.
Secondly, I can set my screw at any required height, without using my
gearing or crank by simply turning the inner cylinder or standard (V) by hand
before placing it under the weight to be raised. This is much faster than by
the ordinary operation of the crank.
Lastly, I protect the screw (A) from the injurious effects of the weather,
dirt, &c., by means of the standard or cylinder (B), which also supports, and
in a great measure prevents the screw from bending.
I am aware of the different kinds of lifting jacks that are in common use,
such as the lever and rack, and others operated by means of gearing, and
worked by a crank, but the method of raising heavy weights, such as loco-
motives, by means of a screw, having a bevel gearing attached to it in such a
manner that it (the gearing) raises with the outer cylinder by means of the
crank, turning the screw in a stationary or fixed nut placed in the inner
cylinder or standard about four inches, more or less, from the bottom, I believe
to be new, novel, and useful.
Having now fully described the construction and mode of operating the
Invention as communicated to me, what I claim under the herein-before in
part recited Letters Patent is, the application of two distinct actions for
pressing cotton, or for other uses, by means of the bevel or screw gearing (G),
barrel B, and cylindric nut C, arranged and operated substantially as described
and shown in the Drawings.
Also, the combination of the bevel gearing (G, F,) or the endless screw
gearing for lifting purposes, with the main or raising screw (A), the outer
cylinder (B), the inner cylinder & nut (K), and the crank (I), arranged
and operated substantially as described and shown at Figures 3 & 4.
In testimony whereof, I, the said John Talbot Pitman, have hereunto
set my hand and seal, on this Seventh day of February, anno
Domini One thousand eight hundred and fifty-nine.
JOHN TALBOT PITMAN. (L.S.)