Improvements in Gates or Doors for Elevators or Lifts.
Year: 1889

page_text: Date of Application, 22nd Aug., 1889
Complete Specification Left, 21st June, 1890--Accepted, 26th July, 1890
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in Gates or Doors for Elevators or Lifts.
We ARTHUR WILFRED BREWTNALL & HERMANN WILLIAM BREWTNALL both of
4, Cateaton Street, Manchester Wire & Iron Workers, do hereby declare the nature of
this invention to be as follows:-
The object of this invention is to effect the automatic opening & closing of the doors
or gates on the several floors of a building fitted with an elevator or lift. In one
arrangement for this purpose the doors or gates are made to slide up & down & have
endless wire or other cords or chains attached to them running over pulleys fixed to
framework above the highest & below the lowest positions of doors.
To the cords are attached counterbalance weights which run on guides & are so
weighted that the doors have sufficient preponderance to cause them to close with
certainty when free. The details of this arrangement are as follows:-Inside the cage
or car is a lever handle with a pointer & an index with figures representing each floor
of the building. The lever moves one or more hinged or sliding bolts or cams on the
cage causing it or them to assume a different position for each number. These bolts
engage with catches on the several doors the catches being fixed in varied positions so
as to suit the different positions of the said bolts on cage according to the figure to
which index points. The catches on the doors are hinged so that the cage only takes
hold when ascending & not when decending. This explains the opening when rising.
When decending a second portion of the above-mentioned bolts on cage or similar
separate bolts engage with catches of reverse form attached to counterbalance
weights of doors so that as the cage comes down it lifts up any required door
through the medium of the endless cords or chains attached to it & the balance
weight.
The next point is to release the door when the cage is going beyond the floor first
used. This is effected by making the bolt on cage with a sliding or hinged catch-
plate kept up to its work by a spring & this is pushed back at the right moment by a
double inclined blade fixed to upright of lift thus releasing the catch on door or
catch on balance weight when the cage is ascending or descending respectively.
In order that the doors may close quietly we fix the above-mentioned inclined
releasing blades in such positions that the cage itself controls the lowering of the door
in the following manner. We will call the part of the bolt on cage which raises
doors when ascending A the second part which raises doors when descending B. &
suppose the indicator is set by the attendant when starting from ground-floor
pointing to No. 2 then when the cage arrives in ascending at No. 2 floor the door
is opened as before described by A engaging with catch on No. 2 door. Now having
finished at No. 2 floor suppose the cage descends then it allows No. 2 door to close
gently. Again suppose the cage after calling at No. 2 floor has to ascend further.
When it has risen say 6 inches from level of No. 2 floor the double inclined blade
comes into play & pushes back A. releasing No. 2 door but now B will be just above
the catch on counterbalance weight of No. 2 door & these will engage with each
other & the door therefore can only fall as the cage rises further the action being the
reverse of what would take place when the cage was opening No. 2 door when
descending.
.
A similar arrangement would be used with slight modifications when the sliding
doors are made in two portions as is sometimes necessary.
The quiet closing of the doors may also be secured by using an air dash-pot or
indiarubber cushions.
Where desirable we make the catches on the doors serve the double purpose of
lifting & also fastening them when closed so that they cannot be opened except by

page_text: the lift. For this purpose they are made with a vertically sliding portion or its
equivalent which will withdraw a latch before the actual lifting of the door
begins.
In a second plan where hinged gates or doors are used a similar lever & indicator
is placed inside the cage but the fittings of the gates are different. In a convenient
position near the back styles of gates is placed a vertical bar of oblong section twisted
to form a portion of a screw with very long pitch & working in bearings: On one
end of this is an arm which is connected to the gate by a link & serving to move the
gate when the vertical screw spindle is rotated. This rotation is caused by a sliding
block on the screw which block is prevented from turning by a guide & the block is
pushed upwards by the bolt on cage similarly to the plan described for sliding gates. To
the sliding block is attached an endless chain or wire or other cord running over
pulleys as described for the sliding gates but of shorter length & having on the rear
side a block with catch attached for the cage to act upon in descending substantially
as before described. The closing of the gates is effected by springs on the gates
themselves or by the sliding block on screw being restored to the starting position by
either a spring or weight.
Instead of using the separate twisted bar connected to the gate by a link the back
bar of gate may be twisted in a similar manner or an inclined plate may be fixed to
gate to bring about the same end.
This action of opening the gates may also be brought about by a compound lever
acted upon by the cage through the medium of the bolt &c.
Dated this 20th day of August 1889.
HERMANN WILLIAM BREWTNALL.
ARTHUR WILFRED BREWTNALL.
COMPLETE SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in Gates or Doors for Elevators or Lifts.
We ARTHUR WILFRED BREWTNALL and HERMANN WILLIAM BREWTNALL Wire
and Iron Workers of 4 Cateaton Street Manchester 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 :-
The object of this invention is to effect the automatic opening & closing of the
doors or gates on the several floors of a building fitted with an elevator or lift.
In one arrangement for this purpose the gates or doors are made to slide up &
down & have endless wire or other cords or chains attached to them running over
pulleys fixed to framework above the highest & below the lowest position of doors as
shown in Figure 1, the door being represented in accompanying drawing by a full
black line.
To the cords are attached counter balance weights W. which run on square guides G
& are so weighed that the doors have sufficient preponderance to cause them to close
with certainty when free.
The details of this arrangement are as follows: Inside the cage or car is a lever
handle H working in a notched index with figures representing each floor of the building.
The lever moves one or more sliding bolts or cams as at A & B. on the cage causing
it or them to assume a of the building. The lever moves one or more sliding bolts or
cams as at A & B. on the cage, causing it or them to assume a different position for
each number. These bolts engage with catches a & b on the several doors, catches
being placed in varied positions so as to suit the different positions of the said
bolts on cage according to the figure to which index points.
The catches on the doors are hinged so that the cage only takes hold when ascending
& not when descending. This explains the opening when rising. When descending
a second portion of the above mentioned bolts on cage or similar separate bolts as at B
engage with catches of reverse form b. attached to the counterbalance weights W. of
doors, so that as the cage comes down it lifts up any required door through the
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page_text: medium of the endless cords or chains attached to it and the balance weight. The
next point is to release the door when the cage is going beyond the floor first
used. This is effected by making the bolts on cage with a sliding or hinged catch-
plate kept up to its work by a spring shown in detail in fig. 4. & this is pushed back
at the right moment by a double inclined tripping blade T. fixed to framing of the
lift thus releasing the catch on door or catch on balance weight when the cage is
ascending and descending respectively.
In order that the doors may close quietly we fix the above mentioned inclined
releasing blades in such positions, that the cage itself controls the lowering of the
door in the following manner. We will call the part of the bolt on cage which raises
the doors when ascending A. the second part which raises doors when descending B.
& suppose the indicator is set by the attendant when starting from ground floor
pointing to No. 2. Then when the cage arrives in ascending at No. 2 floor, the door
is opened as before described by A engaging with the catch a on No. 2 door. Now
baving finished at No. 2 floor suppose the cage descends then it allows No. 2 door to
close gently. Again suppose the cage after calling at No. 2 floor has to ascend
further. When it has risen say 6 inches from the level of No. 2 floor the double
inclined tripping blade T comes in play & pushes back A releasing No. 2 door. But
now B will be just above catch b. on counterbalance weight of No. 2 door & these
will engage with each other & the door therefore can only fall as the cage rises
further the action being the reverse of what would take place when the cage was
opening No. 2 door in descending. A similar arrangement would be used with slight
modifications when the sliding doors are made in halves which will be sometimes
advantageous. This plan is illustrated in Fig. 2 in which the upper half of door acts
as counterbalance weight to lower half having sufficient preponderance to ensure
proper closing when free. X Fig. 2 shows the doors closed in their normal position
but without the catches for sake of cleaners.
Y. Fig. 2, shows the doors open the catches in this case being inserted in drawing.
The advantage of this form is that the opening & closing are effected more quickly &
the plan can be applied in a very contracted space.
In figure 5. a & b. show the principle of the catches applied to door & counter-
balance weights as previously described.
Fig. 3. is a plan, showing top of cage with the sliding bolt put in the centre &
also illustrating the action of the tripping arrangement as before described.
Fig. 4. is an enlarged view of some of these details. This method of taking
motion from an elevator or lift car either in ascending or descending by means of
an eudless band & sliding block may also be applied for opening & closing hinged
gates.
Having now ascertained & particularly described the nature of our said inven-
tion & in what manner the same is to be performed we declare that what we
claim is
1st. The automatic opening & closing of elevators or lift gates or doors by the
setting of a lever to an index inside the car, which lever actuates a bolt or bolts thus
communicating motion to the doors either directly or through counterbalanced weights
substantially as herein described & for the purpose set forth.
Dated this Twentieth day of June Eighteen hundred and ninety.
ARTHUR WILFRED BREWTNALL.
HERMANN WILLIAM BREWTNALL.