Year: 1896

page_text: This Print is in accordance with the Original Specification as it stands after Amend-
ment (under Section 18 of the Patents, &c. Act, 1883) as allowed by the
decision of the Comptroller General of the 21st day of December 1897.
Date of Application, 26th June, 1896
Complete Specification Loft 26th Man 1007 Accented
20th Mar
4007
I, WILLIAM RAYNES WALTON, of 3, Greenbank Terrace, Levenshulme, near
Manchester, in the County of Lancaster, Civil Engineer's Assistant, do hereby,
declare the nature of this invention to be as follows:-
Whereas many accidents have occurred by reason of the doors which protect the
well-holes of hoists having been left open when the cage or cradle is being raised or
lowered to another floor, this apparatus is devised to prevent the hand rope leading
to the valve or other starting mechanism from being moved to start the cage until
the doors leading to the well-hole are shut.
I effect this object by a trapping or locking apparatus (operated by the opening
and shutting of the said doors) which may hold the hand rope either by means of a
stop fixed in a convenient place on the hand rope, or in the alternative by friction
employed so as to prevent the revolution of one or more of the hand rope guide
pulleys.
In the first form I fix a stop on the hand rope preferably between a guide wheel
and the starting mechanism of the hoist. When the cage is at rest this stop is
between two pivotted flaps which are free to swing upon their pivots in either
direction, and also if necessary free to slide laterally. The flaps are bifurcated so
as to straddle over the hand rope which passes freely through the forks; when the
hand rope is moved the stop swings the flaps backwards and forwards and passes
below them. The flaps have each a lip formed (upon their bosses or above their
pivots in such manner that a locking plate mounted upon a vertical rod or spindle
being allowed to fall between the lips of the two flaps by the opening of one of
the well-hole doors will prevent either flap from swinging outwards, and thus
imprison the stop on the hand rope, and prevents the starting of the cage until the
clasing of the door raises the locking plate and allows the flaps to again swing
freely.
In some hoists or lifts the weight lever, belt forks etc. can be used instead of the
special stop, but in this case, or if the stop is fixed upon the free vertical rope the
flaps and locking device must be varied to suit.
Where it is inconvenient or impossible from whatever cause to have a stop fixed
on the hand rope I fix upon the same spindle as one of the hand rope guide pulleys
(which guide pulley must have a greater circumference than the length of travel
of the hand rope in stopping or starting the hoist) a disc or wheel with one or two
notches in its rim into which notches locking pawls or bolts are allowed to fall
when the cradle or cage is at rest, by the opening of one of the well hole doors,
thus preventing the said disc or wheel and with it the guide pulley from revolving
in either direction and offering great frictional resistance to the hand rope and so

page_text: preventing, the attendant from starting the hoist until he has shut the door and
thus raised, the locking bolt and released the wheel.
It will be observed that, in neither form does the apparatus interfere with the
free movement of the hand rope to stop the hoist if by any means a door should be
opened whilst the cage is in motion.
The locking bolts or plates are actuated by a chain which passes up the clearance
of the hoist well hole and is attached by short chains to each door, or to bent levers
and rods etc. which communicate with each door; or the closing of the doors can be
made to complete or break an electrical circuit which could raise the locking bolts
or plate by magnetic action.
Dated this 25th day of June 1896.
GEO. DAVIES & SON,
4, St. Ann's Square, Manchester, Agents for the Applicant.
COMPLETE SPECIFICATION (AMENDED).
Improved Safety Apparatus for Hoists.
I; WILLIAM RAYNES WALTON, of 3, Greenbank Terrace, Levenshulme, near
Manchester, in the County of Lancaster, Civil Engineer's Assistant, do hereby
declare the nature of this invention and in what manner the same is to be Ter-
formed, to be particularly described and ascertained in and by the following
statement:
Whereas many accidents have occurred by reason of the doors which protect the
well holes of hoists having been left open when the cage or cradle is being raised
or lowered to another floor, and this apparatus is devised to prevent the hand rope
leading to the valve or other starting mechanism from being moved so as to start
the cage until all the doors leading into the well-hole are shut.
L
I effect this object by trapping or locking apparatus (operated automatically by
the opening and shutting of the said doors) which may hold the hand rope, either
by means of a stop fixed in a convenient place on the hand rope, or in the alter-
native by catches employed so as to prevent the revolution of one or more of the
hand-rope guide pulleys so long as any one or more of the said doors shall remain
open, but shall release the same automatically so soon as all, the said doors are shut.
At the same time the apparatus is so constructed that it does not interfere with the
stopping of the hoist by movement of the said hand-rope, if by any means a door
should be opened whilst the hoist is in motion.
The trap or stop motion may be made in a variety of forms or modifications some
of which are illustrated on the three sheets of drawings hereunto annexed, and the
manner in which my said invention is to be performed or carried into practical
effect will be readily understood on reference to such drawings and the following
explanation thereof.
On Sheet 1 of the drawings, Fig.1 is a vertical section of the well hole of a hoist
with my safety apparatus applied thereto in the form of a "trap" worked by a stop
fixed on the hand rope, and Fig. 2 is a similar view of the same shewing the
apparatus in the form of a bolt acted upon by an electro magnet.
The other figs., on Sheets 2 and 3 of the drawings are detailed views of detached
parts drawn to a larger scale, and hereinafter more particularly referred to.
Referring to Sheet 2 of the drawings Fig. 3 is a longitudinal section, Fig. 4 an
end view and Fig. 5 a plan view of the trapping apparatus illustrated at Fig. 1.
In this modification I fix a stop piece a upon the hand rope b (preferably between
the guide wheel c (see Fig. 1) and the starting mechanism of the hoist. When the
cage (not shewn on the drawing) is at rest this stop piece a (Figs. 3, 4 and 5) is

page_text: between two pivotted flaps d which are free to swing upon their pivots e in either
direction (as shewn by dotted lines at Fig. 3) and also if necessary may be free to
slide laterally, the flaps d being narrower than the box f in which they are
supported (see Fig. 4). These flaps d are bifurcated so as to straddle over the hand
rope 6 which passes freely through the forks.
b
When the hand rope 6 is moved the stop a swings the flaps d backwards and
forwards and passes below them. The flaps d have each a lip d formed upon their
bosses or above their pivots in such a manner than a locking plate g which slides
on vertical projections.A inside the box f being allowed to fall between the lips d
of the two flaps (see Fig. 3) by the opening of one of the well hole doors will
prevent either flap from swinging outwards, and thus imprisons, the stop a on the
hand rope b, and prevents the starting of the cage until the closing of the door
raises the locking plate 9 and allows the flaps d to again swing freely.
The locking plate g in this case is actuated by a weighted lever i (see Fig. 1)
which is connected to a chain k which passes up the clearance of the hoist well
hole and is attached by short chains k to bell crank levers 7 and m (see also
enlarged views Figs. 6 and 7 Sheet 3) which communicate with each of the doors n
leading into the well hole. The levers and m are either or both acted upon by
springs n or by weights so as to keep the bent arm of the lever m pressing against
the door, and whenever a door is opened (see dotted lines on Fig. 7) the action of
these springs or weights will cause the lever to draw up the chain k and allow the
locking plate g to fall down and lock the flaps d so as to prevent the hand rope b
from being moved to set the cage in motion until all the doors in the well-hole are
closed.
If required to work upon a rigid part of the hoist mechanism, as for instance
upon the rod carrying belt forks, or where it is necessary to limit the movement
of the hand rope more than is possible where the flaps d'swing both ways I may
use the arrangement illustrated by Figs. 7, 8 and 9, Sheet 2, wherein the flaps d
are prevented from swinging into the trap box f by stops o, the pivot holes are
slotted at a so as to allow the flaps d to rise and the lower ends of the flaps are
bevilled off on the outside.
The flaps d will then be free to swing outwards (if the doors are shut) but in
stopping the hoist it will be raised up by the piece p on the rod or strap fork g as it
is moved, falling again by gravity or by means of a spring when the hoist has
stopped. The flap d in this case will not require to straddle over the rigid rod q
and when working on such may be made much narrower than when used with the
hand rope.
This form of flap or bolt can also be used where it is desirable to act upon a hand
rope guide wheel, instead of upon the hand rope itself, a stud being fixed in the
side of the wheel for the flaps or bolts to act upon.
In cases where it is inconvenient or impossible, from whatever cause, to have a
stop fixed on the hand-rope I fix upon the same spindle as one of the hand rope
guide pulleys (see detached Figs. 10 and 11, Sheet 2) which guide pulley must
have a circumference greater than the length of travel of the rope in stopping or
starting the cage) a disc or wheels with a notch on its rim into which a bolt u is
allowed to fall by the opening of one of the well hole doors when the cradle or cage
is at rest, thus preventing the said disc or wheels and with it the guide pulley r
from revolving in either direction, and offering great frictional resistance to the
hand rope and so preventing the attendant from starting the hoist until he has shut
the door and thus raised the locking bolt u and released the wheel.
In cases wherein it is thought desirable to work the locking apparatus by elec-
tricity (as shewn at Fig. 2 Sheet 1) an ordinary electric light door-switch & must
be fixed so as to be actuated by the door.
If the shutting of the door is to make contact, these switches are wired in series
(as shewn) and when all the doors are shut the electric circuit is complete and the
magnet (see Fig. 2 on larger scale) is excited and withdraws the locking bolt u
from the notch in the disc or wheels, and the opening of any one of the doors breaks

page_text: the circuit and drops the locking plate or bolt. The wire leads to the electric
supply, and y is a supplementary switch for shutting off the circuit at night or
when the hoist is not required to be in work.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of my said
invention and in what manner the same is to be performed I declare that what I
claim is :-
The improved safety apparatus for hoists consisting chiefly in the combination
with the hand rope of the hoist, or with the guide pulley thereof, or with the strap
fork rod, or equivalent, of flaps, catches, bolts, or equivalent holding devices, con-
nected to the several doors leading into the well hole, by chains, electric wires, or
otherwise, in such a manner that the opening of any one of such doors shall auto-
matically lock such hand rope, guide pulley, strap fork rod, or equivalent, so that
the cage cannot be put in motion until all the doors are closed, substantially as
hereinbefore described and illustrated by the drawings annexed.
Dated this 25th day of March 1897.
GEO. DAVIES & SON,
4, St. Ann's Square, Manchester, Agents for the Applicant.