Improvements in and relating to Lifts or Hoists for Warehouses.
Year: 1895

page_text: PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in and relating to Lifts or Hoists for Warehouses.
I, HAY FREDERICK DONALDSON of 109 Leadenhall Street London, Engineer,
do hereby declare the nature of this invention to be as follows:-
This invention relates to improvements in and relating to lifts or hoists for
warehouses, and my invention is especially applicable to lifts or hoists used for
raising carcases of frozen or other meat in warehouses, and the object of my
invention is to enable goods which are being raised to be automatically discharged
on any floor of the warehouse provided with my improved lift by merely pulling
one of a series of levers, which levers are preferably situated on the lowermost part
or floor of the warehouse.
The
In carrying out my invention I construct a lift in about the usual manner.
platform upon which the goods rest while being raised, is supported by a suitable
cross-bar which in turn is attached at each end to a guide-plate or equivalent.
The platform is pivotally attached to the cross-bar referred to by means of two
connecting links so that the said platform is capable of being swung-and thereby
tilted to a sufficient extent.
Each of the guide-plates is formed with a suitable aperture through which a pair
of guide-rollers with which each side of the platform is provided, pass, and to each
side of the frame of the lift, between which frame the platform is situated, I fix a
vertical guide rail, the arrangement being such that the platform is normally held
in a horizontal position by reason of each pair of its guide-rollers being in engage-
ment with the relative guide-rail. Said guide rails extend the whole length of the
travel of the lift and at each floor of the warehouse a portion of each guide-rail is
pivotally attached to the frame of the lift so that each of said pivotally attached
portions of the guide-rail is capable of being swung-by means of suitable lever
connection-out of alignment with the remaining or fixedly attached portions of
the guide rail. The levers referred to are preferably carried to the lowermost part
or floor of the warehouse where they are connected to suitable hand-levers, one
For the purpose
such set of levers and hand lever being provided for each floor.
of tilting the platform at any one of floors of the warehouse, I provide a short
bent rail, at each floor of the warehouse, which bent rail is connected to the levers
above referred to in such a manner that when any of the hand-levers is operated,
the relative pivotally attached portion of the rail referred to is swung out of
alignment with the remaining portion of the rail and the lower end of the relative
bent rail referred to is brought into alignment, the arrangement of the whole being
Buch that if one of the hand-levers be operated and the lift set in action, the.
platform will be raised in a horizontal position until its guide-rollers reach the bent
rail which has been moved in position by the operation of the hand-lever as
described, when said guide-rollers will follow the said bent portion of the rail and
will swing or tilt the platform, thereby discharging the goods.
By my improvements it is only necessary to operate one of the hand levers and
to put the lift into motion, when the goods on the platform will be automatically
discharged on that floor of the warehouse at which the operated hand-lever is
connected with the levers referred to.
I wish it to be understood that I do not confine myself to any particular
construction of the different parts constituting my improvements and also that the

page_text: lift may be operated by any suitable power. Further if my improvements are
applied to a lift driven by a ram, I may dispense with the guide-plates hereinbefore
referred to.
Dated this 6th day of June
HAY FREDERICK DONALDSON,
By his Agents, Horn, Son & Co.,
Somerset Chambers, 151 Strand, W.C.
:
I HAY FREDERICK DONALDSON, of 109 Leadenhall Street, London, 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:
This invention relates to improvements in and relating to lifts or hoists for
warehouses, and my invention is especially applicable to lifts or hoists used for
raising carcases of frozen or other meat in warehouses, although I do not confine
. the application of my invention to such use, and the object of my invention is to
enable goods which are being raised to be automatically discharged on any floor
of a warehouse provided with a lift constructed according to my invention, by merely
pulling one of a series of levers, which levers are preferably situated on the
"lowermost part or floor of the warehouse.
3
In order that my invention may be readily understood, reference is made to the
accompanying drawings wherein like letters indicate corresponding parts throughout
the several figures and in which :-
Figure 1, represents a front elevation of a lift provided with my improvements.
Figure 2, represents a side elevation of the platform and one side of the lift-frame
provided with my improvements.
Figure 3, represents in side elevation one of the details hereinafter referred to,
and
Figure 4, represents a side elevation of the platform when swung and tilted.
In carrying out my invention I construct a lift in about the usual manner. The
platform A which is adapted to slide within the lift-frame B, and upon which the
goods rest while being raised, is supported by a suitable cross-bar C which in turn
is attached at each end to a guide-plate or equivalent D. The platform A is
pivotally attached to the cross-bar C by means of preferably two connecting
arms E so that said platform A is capable of being swung and also tilted to a
sufficient extent.
Each of the guide-plates D is formed with a suitable aperture e through which
a set of preferably four guide-rollers F with which each side of the platform is
provided, pass, and to each side of the frame B of the lift, I fix a vertical
guide-rail G, the arrangement being such that the platform is normally held in a
horizontal position by reason of each set of guide-rollers F being in engagement
with the relative guide-rail G as shown. Said guide-rails G extend the whole
length of the travel of the lift and at each floor of the warehouse a portion 9 of
each guide-rail G is pivotally attached to the frame B of the lift so that each of
said pivotally attached portions g of the guide-rail is capable of being swung out
of alignment with the remaining or fixedly attached portions of the guide-rail G,
as shown, the portions g on each floor being connected together so as to act in
unison. Said pivotally attached portions g of the guide-rail G are connected by
means of suitable rods H, H2 and levers H' to a series of hand-levers which

page_text: hand-levers are preferably situated at the lowermost part or floor of the warehouse
where the lift starts, the arrangement of the rods H, H, levers H', H³ and
hand levers being such that normally the portions g of the guide-rails G are
in alignment with the fixedly attached portions of said guide-rails G by reason of
the action of a counterpoise J with which the levers H³ are provided and on the
operation of any of the band-levers h the relative portions g are moved out of
alignment as shown. For the purpose of causing the platform A to be swung and
tilted at any one of the floors of the warehouse, I pivotally attach the upper end
of a series of comparatively short and suitably bent rails K to the lift frame B,
one such bent rail K being provided in close proximity to each pivotally supported
portion g of the guide-rail G and the lower end of each said bent rails K is
attached to one of the rods H the arrangement being such that when the portions g
of the guide-rails G are swang out of alignment by the operation of a hand-lever h
as above described, the lower end of the bent rail K is brought into alignment with
the fixedly attached portion of the guide-rail G as shown.
By my improvements it is only necessary to operate one of the hand-levers h
and to set the lift in motion in any usual way, when the platform A will rise
horizontally until its guide rollers are engaged with the bent rail K which has
been brought into alignment by the operation of the hand-lever h when said
guide-rollers F will follow said bent rail and thereby swing, and at the same time
tilt the platform A as shown in Figure 4, thus causing the goods on the platform A
to be discharged.
In addition to the simplicity of construction and arrangement of the parts
described, one important advantage appertaining to my invention is that when
the platform has been tilted as above described, said platform has at the same
time been swung over the edge of the floor thus effectually ensuring that no goods
or articles will fall between the platform and the edge of the floor, which
frequently happens with lifts or hoists in which the platform is merely tilted and
not swung
I wish it to be understood that I do not confine myself to any particular
construction of the different parts constituting my improvements and also that the
platform may be raised or operated by any suitable means or any desired power.
Further, if my improvements are applied to a lift driven by a ram, I prefer to
dispense with the guide-plates D.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of my said inven-
tion, and in what, manner the same is to be performed, I declare that what I
claim is :-
1. In a lift or hoist a platform supported on arms such as E and having
guide rollers such as F engaging with guide rails G, 9 and K whereby said
platform when operated may be caused to be swung and tilted substantially as set
forth.
2. In a lift or hoist having a platform supported on arms E carried by a cross
bar C, the combination therewith of guide rollers F adapted to engage with guide
rails G, 9 and K substantially as set forth.
3. In a lift or hoist a platform such as A, capable of being swung and tilted
when operated by reason of its being supported on arms E carried by a cross
bar Cand being provided with guide rollers F adapted to engage with guide
rails G, g and K.
4. In a lift or hoist the combination with a platform A of arms E carried by a
cross bar C and supporting said platform A in such a manner as to permit said
platform being swung and tilted, substantially as set forth.
5. In a lift or hoist the combination of a platform A, rollers F, arms E, cross
bar C, guide rails G, g and K, rods H, bell crank lever H³ and counterpoise J, all
for the purposes and substantially as set forth.
6. In a lift or hoist the combination with a platform A supported on arms E and
having guide rollers F adapted to engage with guide rails, of guide plates D

page_text: provided with apertures E and carrying the cross-bar C all for the purposes and
substantially as set forth.
Dated this 11th day of December 1895.
HAY FREDERICK DONALDSON,
By bis Agents, Horn, Son & Co.,
Somerset Chambers, 151 Strand, London.