IMPROVEMENTS IN LIFTING JACKS
Year: 1855

page_text: LETTERS, PATENT to, Thomas Worsdell, of the firm of Worsdell and
Evans, of Birmingham, in the County of Warwick, Engineer, for the
Invention of "IMPROVEMENTS IN LIFTING JACKS."
Sealed the 13th November 1855, and dated the 31st May 1855.
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said Thomas Worsdell at the
Office of the Commissioners of Patents, with his Petition, on the 31st
May 1855.
I, THOMAS WORSDELL, of the firm of Worsdell and Evans, of Birmingham,
in the County of Warwick, Engineer, do hereby declare the nature of the said
Invention for "IMPROVEMENTS IN LIFTING JACKS" to be as follows:-
My Invention consists, firstly, in improvements in the screw lifting jack
known as Haley's jack, whereby screw lifting jacks are rendered more durable
in wear, and whereby the speed with which the screw can be raised or lowered
may be increased. 1 form upon the back plate of the jack, either in a.piece
with it or firmly fixed thereto, a boss or socket, in which the end of the
spindle of the worm or endless screw is centred, and I also form upon the front
plate or upon both, if required, one, two, or more projecting studs or pins,
which are let into the wood work of the jack. By this means should the wood

page_text: at or about the worm become crushed or broken, the socket for the spindle,
being attached to the back plate as aforesaid, and the projecting pins or studs.
keep the worm still in gear, with the worm wheel; and in order to increase
the speed of the endless screw, and consequently of the lifting screw through
the worm wheel, I mount in suitable bearings in or upon the frame of the
jack a large toothed wheel, which gears into a smaller toothed wheel or pinion
keyed on or otherwise fixed to the shaft of the endless' screw.
My Invention consists, secondly, in the construction of a combined lever and
screw jack, which may be used either as an ordinary jack, or in the manner
hereafter explained. Upon a sole plate I fit a cup or socket, which is to form
the bearing and support for the lower end of a raising screw. This raising
screw works in a worm in a box or nut open at bottom and top, and on the
outside of this nut I cast or otherwise fix two trunnions. The trunnions are
received in slots formed in a strong forked lever, the short arm of which is
centred on a stationary pin, while the long arm or free end is carried out on
the side of the nut opposite to that on which the short arm is centred. The
upper part of the lifting screw carries a ratchet wheel set in motion by a lever
and paul, or the screw niay be worked by other means. The long arm of the
lever is placed under the weight to be raised, and the lifting is effected by
turning the screw, when the box or nut will be lifted, and with it the lever and
weight on the end thereof. When to be used as an ordinary screw jack, the
paul in the ratchet lever has simply to be reversed, when the screw will be
raised out of the box or nut, and consequently lift the load placed on the
jack head.
My Invention consists, thirdly, in 'forming on the back or other suitable
part of the lifting rack in those jacks known as "rack or ship "jacks a row of
ratchets or teeth, and in fitting a self-acting paul at the top or upper or other
convenient part of the jack. In lifting jacks of this description it sometimes
happens, that from the breaking of a tooth in the raising rack, or of a tooth in
the gear for driving it, the whole rack with its load runs down. Now, my
Invention will effectually prevent such an occurrence, for should the teeth in
the rack or driving gear give way, the rack and load will be prevented from
falling by the self-acting paul taking into the teeth on the back of the
rack.

page_text: SPECIFICATION- in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent, filed
by the said Thomas Worsdell in the Great Seal, Patent Office on the
30th November 1855.,
5. 1.4
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I, THOMAS
WORSDELL, of the Firm of Worsdell and Evans, of Birmingham, in the
County of Warwick, Engineer, send-greeting:
WHEREAS Her most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her Letters
Patent, bearing date the Thirty-first-day of--May, in the year of our Lord-
One thousand eight hundred and fifty-five, in the eighteenth year of Her
reign, did, for Herself, Her heirs and successors, give and grant unto me, the
said Thomas Worsdell, Her special licence that Is the said Thomas Worsdell,
my executors, administrators, and assigns, or such others as I, the said Thomas
Worsdell, 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 "IMPROVEMENTS IN LIFTING JACKS,"
upon the condition (amongst others) that I,'the said Thomas Worsdell, '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..
24
NOW KNOW YE, that I, the said Thomas Worsdell, do hereby declare the
nature of my said Invention, and in what manner the same is to be per-
formed, to be particularly described and ascertained in and by the following
statement thereof, reference being had to the Drawings hereunto annexed,
that is to say
1
My Invention consists, firstly, in improvements in the screw, lifting jack
known as Haley's jack, whereby screw lifting jacks are rendered more durable
in wear, and whereby the speed with which the screw can be raised or lowered
may be increased. I forni upon the back-plate of the jack, either in a piece
with it or firmly fixed thereto, a boss or socket in which the end of the spindle
of the worm or endless screw is centred, and I also form upon the front plate,
or upon both front and back plates, if required, "one, two, or more projecting
studs or pins; which are let into the wood work of the jack. By this means,
should the wood at or about the worii become crushed or broken, the socket
for the spindle, being attached to the back plate as aforesaid, and the project-

page_text: ing pins or studs, holding the front plate in its proper position, will together
keep the worm still in gear with the worm wheel; and in order to increase
the speed of the endless screw, and consequently of the lifting screw through
the worm wheel, I mount in suitable bearings in or upon the frame of the
jack a large toothed wheel, which gears into a smaller toothed wheel or pinion
keyed on or otherwise fixed to or made in one piece with the shaft of the
endless screw.
Figure 1 is an external elevation, and Figure 2 a horizontal section, through
the line a, b, of Figure 1, of a Haley's screw jack, with my improvements
applied thereto. Figure 3 is a side elevation, with front removed, of the
working parts of the jack. A is the bearing for one end of the spindle of the
endless screw B, formed in one piece with or firmly secured to the back
plate C; D is a stud cast on the front plate E. The front and back plates are
held together by bolts carried through them. F is a box or case formed on the
front plate, for holding a toothed wheel G and pinion H. The pinion. H is
keyed or otherwise fixed to or formed in one piece with the spindle of the
endless screw. J is the worm wheel tapped on the inside for working the
screw K. By working the jack with the handle fitted on to the spindle of the
toothed wheel G, greater speed will be obtained than when fitted to the spindle
'of the endless screw.
I claim under this head of my Invention, first, the fitting of a socket or
bearing for one end of the endless screw spindle securely to the back plate,
and casting or otherwise forming a stud on the back of the front plate, for
the purpose of keeping the parts together, and the endless screw in gear
with the worm wheel; and, second, the fitting of multiplying gear to the screw
jack known as Haley's, in the manner herein-before described.
My Invention consists, secondly, in the construction of a combined lever
and screw jack, which may be used either as an ordinary jack or in the manner
hereafter explained. Upon a sole plate I fit a cup or socket which is to form
the bearing and support for the lower end of a raising screw. This raising
screw works in a worm in a box or nut open at bottom and top, and on the
outside of this nut I cast or otherwise fix two trunnions. The trunnions are
received in slots formed in a strong forked lever, the short arm of which is
centred on a stationary pin, while the long arm or free end is carried out on
the side of the nut opposite to that on which the short arm is centred. The
upper part of the lifting screw carries a ratchet wheel set in motion by a lever
and paul, or the screw may be worked by other means. The long arm of the
lever is placed under the weight to be raised, and the lifting is effected by
turning the screw, when the box or nut will be lifted; and with it the lever and

page_text: weight on the end thereof. When to be used as an ordinary screw jack, the
paul in the ratchet lever has simply to be reversed, when the screw will be
raised out of the box or nut, and consequently lift the load placed in the jack-
head. Figure 4 is an external elevation, and Figure 5 a plan, of one of these
combined screw lever and screw jacks. A is the sole plate, with a cup or socket
shewn in dotted lines at a; B is the raising screw, which works in a worm
inside a nut or box C; D, D, are trunnions, shewn in dotted lines at Figure 5,
cast on or otherwise fixed to the nut or box C. These trunnions enter slots
made for their reception in each cheek or side piece of a strong forked lever E.
This lever is centred at one end on a fixed bolt supported at one end of the
sole plate, while the long arm or free end of the lever is carried out, as shewn
in the Figures, for the purpose of being placed under or to receive upon it the
weight to be lifted. F is a ratchet apparatus for working the raising screw.
The dotted lines b, b, shew the position of the lever when raised to its greatest
extent. By simply reversing the paul in the ratchet lever, the raising screw will
be raised out of the nut C, and will consequently lift whatever may be on the
head G of the jack. Instead of a ratchet apparatus, other methods of working
the raising screw may be adopted. In Figure 6, a side elevation; Figure 7. a
front elevation; and Figure 8, a plan, I have shewn a modification of one of
my combined screw lever and screw jacks with the screw set in motion by a
toothed wheel and pinion. Upon a sole plate A, I fix three pillars or supports
B, B, B, the upper ends of which are connected to and hold a ring or collar C,
which is stationary. D is a toothed wheel held upon this ring, but in such a
manner as to permit of its revolving; it is tapped with an internal thread, in
which the raising screw E works. The lower end of this screw is formed into an
eye F. G is a forked lever, slotted for the reception of a strong bolt or pin H,
which passes through the boles in the sides of the lever G and eye F of the
raising screw, and thus connects those parts together. One end of the lever
G is centered upon a pin J; fitted in the sole plate, while the free end K of the
lever is prolonged on the opposite side, and is intended to be placed under the
weight to be raised. Lis a toothed pinion supported by a bracket attached to
the ring C, which gears, into and drives the toothed wheel D, which raises the
screw E, and with it the free end of the lever G, together with the weight
which may be upon.it, or under which it may have been placed. M is the
handle for setting the toothed pinion in motion. As before stated, the raising
screw may be worked by a ratchet brace, or by other suitable means; or a rack
and pinion may be substituted for the raising screw and toothed wheels for
actuating the same.
-When to be used as an ordinary-screw jack-the-bolt-H must be withdrawn,

page_text: when the same means herein-before described for raising the end of the lever
will raise whatever may
the head N of the jack.
upon
Another method of raising the lever is shewn in Figure 9, a side elevation,
chiefly in section; and Figure 10, a plan, with the lever removed. This can,
however, only be used as a lever jack. A is a sole plate, stepped at a for the
reception of the spindle of a raising screw. D is a lever, one end of which is
'centred at b. B is a raising screw, the spindle of which works in the step or
socket a.
C is a worm wheel formed with an upper casing, and is threaded
on the inside for the raising screw to work in. The upper part of the case
supports the under side of the lever. E is a worm or endless screw,
for setting
the worm wheel in motion; a ratchet brace or lever actuates the endless screw.
Upon working the ratchet brace or lever, the raising screw simply revolves,
but moves the worm wheel and case' upwards, and lifts the free end of the
lever.
In Figure 11, I have shewn another form of screw lever jack. A is the
sole plate; B, the lever, having its fulcrum at C; D is a screw for working
the lever; E is a bolt for connecting the screw to the sole plate; F is a nut
threaded on the inside; G, ratchet apparatus for moving the nut. Here the
weight on the free arm H of the lever is raised by the opposite arm being
forced down 'by the nut F, made to 'travel down the screw D by the ratchet
apparatus or by other means.
I claim under this head of my Invention, the general construction of the
combined screw lever and screw jack, herein-before described, and represented
at Figures 4 and 5, and 6, 7, and 8, of the Drawings annexed, whether the
raising screw is actuated by a ratchet lever motion or. by a toothed wheel
and pinion or otherwise. I also claim the construction of the screw lever
jacks shewn at Figures 9, 10, and 11, and herein-before described:
of
My Invention consists, thirdly, in forming on the back or other suitable part
of the lifting rack in those jacks known as "rack and pinion" or "ship" jacks
a row of ratchets or teeth, and in fitting a self-acting paul at the top or upper
or other convenient part of the jack. In lifting jacks of this description it
sometimes happens that from the breaking of a tooth in the raising rack, or
a tooth in the gear for driving it, the whole rack with its load runs down.
Now, my Invention will effectually prevent such an occurrence, for should the
teeth in the rack or driving gear give way, the rack and load will be prevented
from falling by the self-acting paul taking into the teeth on the back or other
part of the raising rack. Figure 12 is a sectional elevation of a rack or ship's
jack with my improvements added thereto. A is the raising bar or rack;
B, the frame; C, C, teeth into which the driving gear enters to raise the rod;

page_text: D, D, driving gear; E, E, ratchet teeth cut on the back or opposite edge of
the raising bar; F, paul; G, weight or handle for keeping down the paul in
its proper position, and for raising it when required, to allow the bar to run
down. It will be observed that the teeth are so shaped that the paul in no
way interferes with the rising of the bar, but should the bar from any accidental
cause commence to run down, the paul engages itself into the teeth or rack,
and arrests.its.downward progress.
I claim under this last head of my Invention, the constructing of "rack and
pinion"_or_ship_jacks_with_a_safety ratchet_and_paul,.for_the_purpose-herein--
before described.
In witness whereof, I, the said Thomas Worsdell, have hereunto set
my hand and seal, this Twenty-first day of November, One thousand
eight hundred and fifty-five.
THOMAS WORSDELL. (L.S.)