AN APPARATUS FOR LOWERING WEIGHTS
Year: 1884

page_text: I SHIRLEY MANDREW of Tarragona Spain but now temporarily of 2 Newman
Rond Bromley Kent Gentleman do hereby declare the nature of my invention for
AN APPARATUS FOR LOWERING WEIGHTS to be as follows:-
This invention consists of a novel or improved apparatus for lowering weights
from one level to another.
The chain (rope, belt or wire) by which a weight is sustained while being lowered
is passed over a drum or pulley and has attached to its other end a counterweight
which is lighter than the weight to be lowered. The drum or pulley is fitted with
a brake or stopper. Between the drum and tho sustaining hook the chain has
attached to it a lever by means of which the chain can be shortened or lengthened.
at will, that is to say, that by moving the lever the chain is thrown out of the
direct line between the drum and the hook, while by returning the lever to its
normal position the chain can re-assume the straight line.
The action of the apparatus is as follows:-The chain being slack and the drum
held by the brake (or stopper), the weight to be lowered is hooked on to the chain;
the brake is then temporarily freed so that the counterweight descends and pulls
the chain taut, the brake being then again made to block or hold the drum. The
lever is then caused to act on the chain so that the weight by being thus slightly
raised becomes suspended and can be swung off the edge of the platform or place on
which it rested. The brake is now again freed from the drum so that the weight
can be run down to the desired level. When it is supported at this level the
operations above described are reversed, that is to say, the brake is again inade to
hold the drum, the lever is released so that the chain becomes slack and can be
unhooked from the weight; the brake is then freed from the drum and the counter-
weight falls and draws up the chain, the apparatus being now in its primitive
position ready for a fresh weight to be attached.
Sometimes, more particularly for heavy weights, the platform from which they
are to be lowered may be made capable of being lowered and raised. In this case
before the chain is tightened by the counterweight preparatory to the suspension of
the weight, the lever should be moved so as to shorten or divert the course of the
chain. The platform is then lowered so as to allow the weight to be swung.otf,
alter which the manipulation before described is followed.

page_text: If desired two chains may be employed, one for the weight and the other for the
counterweight, the end of each being attached to the same drum (or to two drums
on the same shaft or on two shafts geared together or otherwise connected) one
chain being wound up and the other unwound, so that as the drum is revolved in
the one direction by the weight and in the other by the counterweight the chains
will unwind and wind and wind and unwind alternately and compensatingly.
It may be convenient that the counterweight should traverse a shorter distance
than the weight lowered; in this case the drum to which the counterweight is
attached is of smaller diameter than that to which the weight is attached and the
counterweight is as heavy as or heavier than the weight to be lowered. Or in the
case of two drums on separate shafts that to which the counterweight is attached
would be so geared or connected as to make fewer revolutions than that to which
the weight to be lowered is attached.

page_text: COMPLETE SPECIFICATION,
I SHIRLEY MANDREW, of Tarragona, Spain, Gentleman do hereby declare the
nature of my invention for "AN APPARATUS FOR LOWERING WEIGHTS
» and in
what manner the same is to be performed, to be particularly described and
ascertained in and by the following statement :—
This invention consists of a novel or improved apparatus for lowering weights
from one level to another.
The chain (rope, belt or wire) by which a weight is sustained while being lowered
is passed over a drum or pulley and has attached to its other end a counterweight
which is lighter than the weight to be lowered. The drum or pulley is fitted with
a brake or stoppor. Between the drum and the sustaining hook the chain has
attached to it a lever by means of which the chain can be shortened or lengthened
at will, that is to say, that by moving the lever the chain is thrown out of the
direct line between the drum and the hook, while by returning the lever to its
normal position the chain can re-assume the straight line.
Figure 1 of the annexed drawings shows an apparatus constructed according to
my invention. Figure 2 is a view of the same at right angles to Figure 1. a is
the chain (or it may be a rope, belt or wire) by which the weight-such for
example as the barrel b-is sustained while being lowered. The chain is passed
over a drum or pulley c, and over a guide pulley d, and to its other end is attached
a counterweight e lighter than the weight b. The drum or pulley c is fitted with a
brake which is made to grip the drum by the action of the weighted lever h but
can be caused to release its hold by lifting the lever h by means of the cord g; or
the brake f may be applied and released by any other suitable means, or any other
convenient form of brake or stopper may be fitted to the drum. Between the drum
and the sustaining hook i the chain has a lever k, k¹ attached to it by means of
which the chain can be shortened and again lengthened at will; the fulcrum of
this lever is at land the short arm & forms a portion of the length of the chain or
more correctly speaking the chain is divided into two parts and the arm k' forms
the connection between them.
The action of the apparatus is as follows:-The chain a being slack and the
drum c held by the brake f the weight to be lowered from, say, the platform or
level m to the level n, is hooked on to the chain as seen in the Figures; the brake f
is then temporarily freed by pulling the cord g so that the counter-weight e descends
and pulls the chain taut, the brake f being then again made (by releasing the cord g)
to block or hold the drum. The lever k, k¹ is then caused to act on the chain, this
being effected by pulling down the arm k into the position seen in dotted lines in
Figure 1, so that the weight b by being thus slightly raised becomes suspended and
can be swung off the edge of the platform m-see again the dotted lines in Figure 1;
but before the weight is swung off, the lever should be secured in the new position
and this can be done by attaching the short chain o to the sustaining hook i
brake is now again freed from the drum c by again pulling the cord g so that the
weight b can be run down to the desired level n. When it is supported at this
level the operations above described are reversed, that is to say, the brake is again
The

page_text: .
made to hold the drum by freeing the cord g, the lever k, k' is released so that the
chain becomes slack and can be unhooked from the weight b, the brake is then
again freed from the drum by pulling the cord g and the counterweight e falls and
draws up the chain, the apparatus being now in its primitive position ready for a
fresh weight to be attached.
Sometimes, more particularly for heavy weights, the platform from which they
are to be lowered may be made capable of being lowered and raised. In this case
before the chain is tightened by the counter-weight e preparatory to the suspension
of the weight, the lever k, k should be moved so as to shorten or divert the course
of the chain. The platform is then lowered so as to allow the weight to be swung
off, after which the manipulation before described is followed.
If desired two chains may be employed as represented in Figure 3 (which is a
plan view) one for the weight b and the other for the counterweight 6 the end of
each being attached to the same dium c as shown, or they may be attached to two
drums on the same shaft, or to two shafts geared together, as seen in Figure 4, or
otherwise connected, one chain being in all these cases wound up and the other
unwound, so that as the drum or drums is or are revolved in the one direction by
the weight, and in the other by the counterweight the chains will unwind and
wind, and wind and unwind alternately and compensatingly.
It may be convenient that the counterweight should traverse a shorter distance
than the weight lowered; in this cise the drum to which the counterweight is
attached is of smaller diameter than that to which the weight is attached, and the
counterweight is as heavy as or heavier than the weight to be lowered. Or, in the
case of two drums on separato shafts that to which the counterweight is attached
would be so geared or connected as, to make fewer revolutions than that to which
the weight to be lowered is attached.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of my said
invention and in what inanner the same is to be performed I declare that what
I claim is
The apparatus for lowering weights constructed and acting substantially as here-
inbefore described and represented in the annexed drawings.