Year: 1889

page_text: I, ERNEST DE PASS, of 68 Fleet Street, in the City of London, Fellow of the Institute
of Patent Agents 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, reference being had to the accompanying drawings and to tho
letters and figures marked thereon, that is to say :-
This invention of improvements in grippers for cable tramways has been devised
for the purpose partly of providing a more powerful gripper than has hitherto been in
use, that is, one in which the leverage obtained is greater, and partly to provide a
gripper which is simpler and more reliable in its operation than those of ordinary
construction.
In constructing a gripper according to my invention, I bolt the usual quadrant to a
plate which is arranged to slide up and down in a suitable frame, fixed to the body of
the car.
To the lower end of this sliding plate is affixed the upper part of the top
gripper block, whilst to the upper end of the said plate is fulcrumed the operating
lever which is provided with a suitable pawl catch adapted to engage in the teeth of
the quadrant. This lever is connected by a link or pair of links with the fixed framing
of the gripper, so that as the said lever is operated it will either raise or lower the
centre sliding plate and the top gripping block. Projecting from a plate hereinafter
referred to as the "cone lifting plate," having extending arms on either side of the
top gripping block, are two pins which are adapted to engage with hooks or teeth
formed on sma!! L-shaped frames hereinafter referred to as the " cono lifters," whose
horizontal portions extend each beneath one of a pair of bell-shaped rollers hereinafter
referred to as the " cones "which are arranged to rotate freely each upon a fixed

page_text: the gripping blocks whenever they are opened.
Having now generally described and ascertained the nature of my invention and in
what manner the same is to be performed, I will proceed to describe the same more
particularly by reference to the accompanying drawing, in which,-
Figure 1 is a front elevation of a gripper for cable tramways constructed according
to my invention, and,―
Figure 2 is a similar view of a portion thereof but drawn to a scale of about one-half
the full size..
Figure 3 is a transverse section on line xx, Figure 2.
Figure 4 is a horizontal section on line y y, Figure 2.
Figure 5 is a side elevation of the lower portion of the operating lever illustrating
the means whereby said lever is adjustably connected to the fixed framing of the
gripper.
Figure 6 is a transvere vertical section on line z z, Figure 5.
Similar letters of reference indicate the same parts throughout the several figures
of the accompanying drawings.
The two side plates A A of the main frame of the gripper are rigidly connected
together at their lower ends and are bolted to a cross-bar or beam A' at their upper
ends. Between these two plates is arranged the vertically sliding centre plate B, to
whose lower end is bolted the upper portion of the top gripping block C, whilst to its
upper end is secured the quadrant D. Along the top of the upper gripping block C
and extending outwardly and downwardly on either side thereof, is the cone lifting
plate E, whose ends e e work in vertical guides el el as shown. On one side of each of
the projecting portions of the bar E is a pin which is arranged to engage with a
tooth formed on the L-shaped frame or cone lifter F, so that as the upper gripping
block C is raised, this cone-lifter F will rise with it and as the cones G rest upon the
horizontal parts of this lifter, they also will be raised until the inclines f² on the said
cone-lifters F contact with the set screws f³, when the upper ends of said cone-lifters
will be forced back until they are free of the pins f, when they will drop again into
their normal positions. The operating lever H is fulcrumed at h to a lug formed
either on the lower part of the quadrant D or else on the upper part of the vertically
sliding centre plate B. A link or pair of links I is pivoted at i to the fixed framing of
the gripper and is connected at 11 to a shoe h¹ which fits over the lever H and is
secured thereon by set screws h² so that its position on the said lever may be adjusted
to suit the length of the connecting links I. A pair of cable supporting sheaves J J
are provided upon the lower part of the fixed framing of the gripper as is usual in
this class of apparatus, and the operating lever provided with a pawl or catch K
adapted to engage with the teeth of the quadrant D. The wearing portion c of the
upper gripper die or guard is made removable by being dovetailed into the said die or
guard, whilst the lower gripper die L is made removable by being secured in position
by means of the set screws and lugs P.
.
It will readily be understood by all persons skilled in the art to which my invention
relates that I am enabled to obtain a very powerful grip upon the cable because of the
immense leverage obtainable by the operating lever in connection with a link or pair
of links as herein described, and by the employment of bell-shaped pulleys or cones
such as G I provide very effective means for disengaging the cable from between the
gripping blocks.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of my inven-
tion and in what manner the same is to be performed, as communicated to me
by my foreign correspondent, I declare that what I claim is :-
:-
First. In a gripper for cable tramways, the combination with a lever, such as H,
pivoted to a centre plate arranged to slide vertically in the fixed framing of the
gripper, of a link or pair of links pivoted to the said fixed framing and adjustably con-
nected with the said operating lever, substantially as and for the purpose herein
specified and as illustrated in the accompanying drawings.

page_text: Second. In a gripper for cable tramways, the combination with the top or movable
gripper die, of an L-shaped frame or cone-lifter such as F together with a bell-shaped
pulley or cone adapted to be raised thereby, substantially as and for the purpose
specified and as illustrated in the accompanying drawings.
Third. The combination of the various parts constituting the improved gripper for
cable tramways herein described, the said parts being constructed, arranged, and
operating substantially as and for the purpose specified and as illustrated in the
accompanying drawings.
Dated this Fifteenth day of April One thousand eight hundred and eighty-