IMPROVED MACHINERY FOR RAISING AND LOWERING WEIGHTS
Year: 1856

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to Ephraim Morris, of Bergen, in the County of Hudson,
and State of New Jersey, United States of America, for the Invention of
"IMPROVED MACHINERY FOR RAISING AND LOWERING WEIGHTS."
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said Ephraim Morris at the
Office of the Commissioners of Patents, with his Petition, on the 7th April
1856.
I, EPHRAIM MORRIS, of Bergen, in the County of Hudson, and State of New
Jersey, United States of America do hereby declare the nature of the said
Invention for "IMPROVED MACHINERY FOR RAISING AND LOWERING WEIGHTS," to
be as follows:-
I mount a shaft in suitable bearings, and attach thereto a gear wheel that is,
rotated constantly by suitable power while the apparatus is in use. The shaft
aforesaid is fitted with a drum or drums on one or both sides of the wheel above
mentioned, and on the side of said wheel, next the adjoining drum, a circular
rib or groove is formed, taking a corresponding groove or rib on a wheel formed
on the end of the aforesaid drum. The said drum sets loosely on to the shaft;
if, therefore, said drum be pressed firmly against the rotating gear wheel the
friction of the groove and rib revolves the drum, winding on to the same any
rope or chain passing to the weight to be raised; and when the same is to bu

page_text: arrested in its motion, the force acting to keep the friction groove and rib
together is released, and a lever with a friction band around the wheel on the
end of the drum is made use of to hold said drum from turning, or gradually
allow the weight to descend by partially releasing said friction band. In order
to act on the drum and slide it on the shaft, and cause the friction rib and
groove to act,. I provide a mortice through, the shaft inside of the journal sup-
porting the same, and in this mortice is a key or follower, which being acted
on by a pin in a hole bored in the centre of the shaft, which pin is forced in
by a lever or otherwise outside the end of the shaft, presses said drum and the
friction groove or rib against the constantly rotating wheel.
SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent, filed
by the said Ephraim Morris in the Great Seal Patent Office on the
4th October 1856.
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I, EPHRAIM
MORRIS, of Bergen, in, the, County of Hudson,, and State of New, Jersey,
United States of America, send greeting.
WHEREAS Her most Excellent, Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her Letters
Patent, bearing date the Seventh day of April, in the year of our Lord One
thousand eight hundred and fifty-six,. in the nineteenth year of Her reign, did,
for Herself, Her heirs and successors, give and grant unto me, the said
Ephraim Morris, Her special license that I, the said Ephraim Morris my
executors, administrators, and assigns, or such others as I, the said Ephraim
Morris, 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 "IMPROVED MACHINERY FOR
RAISING AND LOWERING WEIGHTS," upon condition (amongst others) that I, the
said Ephraim Morris, by an instrument in writing under my hand and seal,
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 within six calendar months next and
immediately after the date of the said Letters Patent.
NOW KNOW YE, that I, the said Ephraim Morris, do hereby declare the
nature of my said Invention, and in what manner the same is to be performed,

page_text: to be particularly described and ascertained in and by the following statement,
reference being had to the Drawing hereunto annexed, and to the letters and
figures marked thereon (that is to say):-
Fig: is a plan of a portable hoisting machine or locomotive fitted with my
improvements; Fig: 2 is'a side elevation of the same; and Fig. 3 is a section
through the barrels and hoisting apparatus which I make use of: Similar
marks of reference denote corresponding parts in all the Figs.
The nature of my said Invention consists in a peculiar construction and
arrangement of parts for controlling the motions of a barrel or barrels by means
of friction acting in connection with a continuously revolving wheel while the
machinery is in operation. For this purpose any competent power may be
made to revolve' the said wheel, but in the Drawing I have shewn the same.as
revolved by engines acting on a cross shaft a, with a wheel b giving niotion to
this contnuously-revolving wheel c; and this construction of apparatus being
portable, can be taken to any spot where power is to be applied to raising or
lowering weights. But it will be apparent that the aforesaid wheel c might
be rotated by any desired or competent means. The wheel c is mounted on
and attached to a shaft d, set in suitable journal boxes or bearings k, k; and on
said shaft & one or two barrels e, e, are mounted, setting against the sides of
the wheel c. The Drawing represents two barrels, as being more convenient
in use, as one may be employed for hoisting any weight while the other is
lowering, and vice versa; but as both barrels are alike I will only describe the
construction and operation of one barrel.
The barrel e is fitted with a wheel or rimf at its end next the wheel c, and
on the side of said wheel c is a circular V-shaped rib 1; taking a circular groove
in the wheel fof a corresponding shape; or the rib 1 might be on the wheel f
and the groove in the wheel c; and around this wheelf is a groove receiving
a friction strap g, the ends of which are attached to a lever h on opposite sides
of the fulcrum i. The barrel e sets loosely on the shaft d, so that the same can
rotate with the wheel c without turning said barrel e; but if the barrel e be slid
on the shaft d and forced against the wheel c with sufficient power, the circular
rib 1 entering the circular groove will cause sufficient friction to rotate the
barrel e, and wind thereonto a rope or chain passing to the weight to be moved;
and when it is desired to arrest the motion of said barrel e and weight, the end-
ways pressure on the barrel is released and the lever h and friction strap g applied,
so as to either hold the barrel e from moving, or allow the same to run back
gradually by the motion of the weight in descending. The barrel e is slid
endways on the shaft d, so as to press the friction rib and groove together and
rotate said barrel by the following means:-2 is a key passing through a

page_text: mortice in the shaft d, between the journal k and barrel e, and said mortice is
sufficiently long to allow the key 2 to take the end of the barrel e and force the
groove and rib 1 together, and said key 2 is acted on by means of a pin 8
passing into a hole from the end of the shaft d, and said pin is slid endways in
its hole by means of a cam piece 4 on a shaft 5 actuated by the lever 1; or any
other competent mechanical means may be made use of to force said pin 3
inward, and through it and the key 2 connect the barrel e to the continuously
revolving wheel c by means of the friction rib and groove 1.
What I claim as my Invention is, the pin 3 and key 2 to act on the barrel e
and slide the same endways into contact with a wheel revolving continuously
while the machine is in motion, so as to rotate said barrel by the friction of
the circular groove and rib 1, or their equivalents, as specified. I also claim
in combination with said pin 3 and key 2 the arrangement of the cam piece 4,
levers and h, and friction strap g, for controlling the motions of the barrel e,
so as to revolve, hold, or release said barrel, substantially, as specified.
In witness whereof, I, the said Ephraim Morris, have hereunto set my
hand and seal, this Seventeenth day of July, in the year of our Lord
One thousand eight hundred and fifty-six.
Witnesses,.
WILLIAM CAMPRELL,
654, 4th Street, New York.
LEMUEL W. SERRELL,
289, Broadway, New York City.
EPHM. MORRIS. (L.S.)