Improved Means and Appliances for Automatically Arresting the Accidental Descent of the Cages of Hydraulic or other Lifts.
Year: 1895

page_text: Date of Application, 13th Mar., 1895
Complete Specification Left, 10th Jan., 1896-Accepted, 22nd Feb., 1896
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION.
Improved Means and Appliances for Automatically Arresting the
Accidental Descent of the Cages of Hydraulic or other Lifts.
1, JOSEPH RICHMOND, of the Firm Joseph Richmond and Co. Limited, 30 Kirby
Street, Hatton Garden, London, Engineer, do hereby declare the nature of this
invention to be as follows:-
This invention relates to means and appliances for arresting and sustaining the
cage, either direct, or the ram of an hydraulic lift.
In
Various plans suggest themselves in putting this invention into practice.
dealing with a suspended cage usually operated by ropes, it is proposed to carry say
four ropes round the cage, these being rove over and round pullies at the corners
or other parts and have their ends connected to rock levers and a sliding connecting
bar in such manner that should one of the ropes break an unusual strain being put
upon the others will cause the rock levers to be pulled out of their normal
positions to act as or throw brakes in against the side framing and so stop the
descent of the cage.
By a modification, eccentric cams or drop pawls can be held clear of the framing
by the tension of the ropes, or by additional ropes, either directly with the suspen-
sion ropes or with extra ropes as found convenient. A valve can be operated for
arrest of a sudden descent of the cage or fracture of the starting rope or chain,
the starting lever falling onto a catch or weight which during ordinary times
would be moved clear. In this arrangement, a couple of weights in balance could
be used, one of said weights being on a lever connected with a starting valve and
the lever operable between two defined points, but any motion beyond those points
would put the safety appliances of the cage into play and stop its descent.
Where a ram is used as a direct lift an additional ram and cylinder can be
put in connection by a pipe and said additional ram either by a screw coupling
could keep clipping jaws or half wings from the ram, or it could support a lever
catch or trigger releasable by a rapidly descending cage acting upon a releasing
gear or an appliance through the intermediation of an air cylinder otherwise kept
charged.
In the several appliances or combination above referred to, the action of stopping
the descent of a cage or ram head is automatic directly a break or during an
unusually rapid descent occurs.
H. GARDNER,
Patent Agent, 166 Fleet Street, London,
Agent for the said Joseph Richmond.

page_text: Improved Means and Appliances for Automatically Arresting the
Accidental Descent of the Cages of Hydraulic or other Lifts.
I, JOSEPH RICHMOND, of the Firm Joseph Richmond and Co. Limited, 30 Kirby
Street, Hatton Garden, 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 means and appliances for arresting and sustaining the
cage, either direct or by the ram of an hydraulic lift.
Various plans suggest themselves in putting this invention into practice.
In dealing with a suspended cage, usually operated by ropes it is proposed to
carry say four ropes round the cage, these being rove over and round pullies at
the corners or other parts and have their ends connected to rock levers and a sliding
connecting bar in such manner that should one of the ropes break, an unusual strain
being put upon the others, will cause the rock levers, or one of them, to be pulled
out of their normal positions to act as or throw breaks in against the side framing
and so stop the descent of the cage.
By a modification, eccentric cams or drop pauls can be held clear of the framing
by the tension of the ropes, or by additional ropes either directly with the
suspension ropes or with extra ropes as found convenient. A valve can be operated
for arrest of a sudden descent of the cage, or fracture of the starting rope or chain,
the starting lever falling onto a catch or weight which during ordinary times would
be moved clear. In this arrangement a couple of weights in balance could be used,
one of said weights being on a lever connected with a starting valve and the lever
operable between two defined points but any motion beyond those points would put
the safety appliances of the cage into play and stop its descent.
Where a ram is used as a direct lift, an additional ram and cylinder can be put
in connection by a pipe, and said additional ram either by a screw coupling could
beep clipping jaws or half wings from the ram, or it could support a lever catch or
trigger releasable by a rapidly descending cage acting upon a releasing gear, or an
appliance through the intermediation of an air cylinder otherwise kept charged..
In the several appliances or combination above referred to, the action of stopping
the descent of a cage or ram head is automatic directly a break or during an
unusually rapid descent occurs.
The first part of my invention is represented on Sheets 1 and 2 of the annexed
drawings. Figure 1, plan. Figure 2, elevation. Figure 3 end view of apparatus.
Figure 4 face of clutches with safety rope. Figure 5 sectional elevation of a
portion of a building with a cage suspended in a well by ropes. A, A, A, A,
are ropes which are arranged around a lift cage B, said ropes pass under
pullies C, C, and along under the cage B where the ropes A, A, are attached
to eyes D, D, D, D, swivelled in the extremities of cross heads or rock
levers E, E, which are centrally pivoted at opposite ends of a bar F to have
a-rock motion thereon. This bar F carries a couple of cross pieces G, G, slidable
on rods in either direction. H, H, are a pair of oppositely inclined faces formed
on or affixed to the bar F and is located between the cross pieces G, G.
I, I, are spurs projecting inwardly from rods J, J, on the extremities of which
safety catch pauls K, K, are affixed, said pauls being on either side of the cage
guides L, L.
These pauls are of eccentric shape fitted on the rods J, J, and hang clear of the
guides L, L. They have rope attachments M, M, connected to a safety rope N
this being rove over the ordinary whippet pullies as the main ropes but is secured
to an independent fixed point and passes over the top or roof pullies and moves

page_text: with said lift ropes with the same amount of tension but without affecting the
pauls K, K.
The action is as follows to prevent the cage dropping should either of the
ropes A, A, break.
In such an event the strain would be upon the remaining ropes and these on
which additional strain had been put would cause the connected rock bar E to move
angularwise on its opposite swivel pin, that being a fixed point or fulcrum for the
time being. This would draw the bar F along and the incline H on the opposite
side with it, thus causing the spurs I, I, to rise and turn the rods J, J, which in
consequence would ensure the pauls K, K, being brought into gripping contact
with the cage guides L, L, and so fix the cage at the spot at any part of the cage's
travel, the ropes M, M, hanging slack. Should however all the ropes A, A,
simultaneously break, the strain would come upon the additional rope N and this
would lift the pauls and put them into gripping contact with the guides L, L, the
weight of the cage under either circumstance causing the pauls to increase their
grip and jam itself at any part of the lift well.
Figure 6 represents a safety appliance in connection with the pull or starting
rope P, said rope being in equilibrium with balance weights Q, R. The weight Q
is located between guides S, S, so that should the starting rope P break from any
cause, the weight Q would descend and shut off the pipe T by dropping on the
lever U to close the valve U¹, so that although the lever R' and starting valve
would be beyond control, the cage would be held suspended and stationary as no
water could enter or leave the ram cylinder.
With direct action rams as represented at Figure 7, I provide an additional
cylinder V alongside or near to the main cylinder W. having differential areas of
such ratios that the pressure on the under side of the ram due to any load is
sufficient to hold the piston or ram of the smaller cylinder V up. The head of
this piston rod or smaller ram is connected by a link X to the end of a right and
left hand screw rod Y which engage with two arms Z, Z, of a grip coupling, said
coupling surrounding the main ram a but not in touch except through some fault
of the main cylinder its packing, or the pipes of same, in which case the main
pressure in the upper part of the cylinder V would force the piston down, so that
the screw rod Y would be turned to close the two arms Z, Z, of the coupling inwards
and cause it to grip the main ram a with increasing power, and so hold the main
ram fixedly.
The coupling is supported above the main cylinder W by spring pins b, b.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of this inven-
tion and in what manner the same is to be performed I declare that what I
claim is :-
1. In hydraulic and other lifts in which the cage is operable by ropes, the
arrangement of appliances shown at Figures 1, 2, 3 of the annexed drawings for
the purposes set forth.
2. In hydraulic and other lifts in which the cage is operable by ropes connecting
four ropes A, A, A, A, to rock levers E, E, fulcrumed from opposite ends of a
bar F, said bar F having inclines H, H, oppositely arranged, studs I, I, lodging
therein and connected to rods J, J, which carry clutches K, K, substantially in the
manner shown and for the purposes set forth.
3. Weighting both ends of the pull or starting rope of an bydraulic lift, and
arranging ose of said weights to fall and shut off the water supply in conjunction
with that of the starting lever shutting off the ordinary or other valve, as described
and substantially by the arrangement shown on the drawings, Figure 6, and
whether said appliances be fitted to a rope operable hydraulic or a direct ram
hydraulic lift, as set forth.
4. In a direct action ram hydraulic, the employment of an auxiliary cylinder
with its piston or ram in connection with reverse screw threaded rod for closing
coupling arms into gripping contact with main ram for the purpose described, the

page_text: arrangement being substantially as represented at Figures 7 and 8 of the annexed
drawings.
The 10th day of January 1896.
H. GARDNER,
Patent Agent, 166 Fleet Street, London,
Agent for the said Joseph Richmond.
H. GARDNER,
Patent Agent, 166 Fleet Street, London,
Agent for the said Joseph Richmond.