IMPROVEMENTS IN APPARATUS APPLICABLE FOR USE IN RAISING, LOWERING, AND SUSPENDING HOUSEHOLD ARTICLES
Year: 1884

page_text: I WILLIAM ANTHONY HUNTER, of Deepgill Cottage Plumpton near Penrith in
the county of Cumberland, Gentleman, do hereby declare the nature of my said
invention for "IMPROVEMENTS IN APPARATUS APPLICABLE FOR USE IN RAISING,
LOWERING, AND SUSPENDING HOUSEHOLD ARTICLES," to be as follows:-
This invention relates to improvements in the apparatus described in the
specification attached to the application for Letters Patent No 720 of 1884, and
consists in providing a suspension hook for the frame to rest upon, and one that
can be moved to one side on a pivot or hinge to allow the frame to pass it in either
direction.
The hooks are so placed that when the rack is being raised, the cross bars first
come in contact with the underside of the hook and slide up an incline on under-
side of the hook, when the rack and its load rest secure, and the ropes are released
from further strain.
The hook may be so arranged that the rack shall require to be pulled towards
the winder (or the reverse way as the hook is fixed) during the ascent as well as
the descent, and in that case almost any common hook will answer the purpose.
The form of hook which I prefer is one in which the part forming the hook is
pivoted to the hook standard, so that it offers no resistance to the ascent of the
frame, but falls into place and sustains it suspended when the cords or ropes are
released. A string attached to the tongue, or movable part of the hook may be
used to release it when it is required that the rack should descend But I prefer to
pull the whole rack endway by means of a cord over a pulley except it be a very
large and heavy one.
A hook with one or two movable flaps pivoted to the stem may be made so that
when the lower flap has been cleared by the bearing bars, it will fall and allow the
rack to rest secure on it, and this without pulling the rack or hook to one side.
But upon raising the rack still higher and clearing the second flap it also will fall
over the extremity of lower flap, when the rack bars will glide over both flaps and
descend as required. Above the second and upper flap I prefer to have a fixed
stop on the hook stem to prevent the rack being drawn too near the ceiling.

page_text: But instead of the lower flap, the bend of the hook may be fixed, and the upper
flap arranged to fall over its extremity, projecting a little so that the rack bar may
catch it and lift it in the rack's ascent, but when this flap has been cleared it falls
over the fixed point of the hook, and allows the rack to be lowered. Neither rack
nor hook require to be pulled to one side in this case.
It will be understood that I do not limit my invention to one exact form of hook,
as the movable part of the hook could be slightly varied, and a spring or springs
used to hold the parts in normal position. A flap may also be placed above the
hook to hold more firmly and prevent either the raising or lowering of the frame
without withdrawing the hook and flap bolt. Instead of a hook a bolt or bar may
be used, withdrawn by hand or springs, but I prefer the hooks.

page_text: I WILLIAM ANTHONY HUNTER of Deepgill Cottage Plumpton near Penrith in
the county of Cumberland Gentleman do hereby declare the nature of my said
invention for IMPROVEMENTS IN APPARATUS APPLICABLE FOR USE IN RAISING
LOWERING AND SUSPENDING HOUSEHOLD ARTICLES and in what manner the same
is to be performed, to be particularly described and ascertained in and by the
following statement:-
:-
This invention relates to improvements in the apparatus described in the
specification attached to the application for Letters Patent N° 720 of 1884, and
consists in providing suspension hooks for the frame to rest upon, and which can
be moved to one side on a pivot or hinge to allow the frame to pass them in either
direction.
Referring to the drawings:
Fig 1 shows the apparatus complete as applied in a kitchen or other room where
clothes are hung upon it for drying or other purposes.
Fig 2 is a cross sectional view of the rack on which the clothes are hung with
suspension hook in position.
Fig 3 rigid suspension hooks upon which the rack is supported when at rest.
Figs 4, 5, 6, 7, 8 and 9 show several modifications of hooks which I have
designed for the purposes of this invention.
A is a frame or rack consisting of one two or more approximately parallel bars a
united together by cross bars a¹, and may be made of wood or other suitable
material, but wood is what I prefer, and it must be understood as being made of
wood in the further description of the invention. The frame A is suspended by a
rope or ropes B running over pulleys C C¹ screwed or otherwise fixed into the
joists of the floor above, or other suitable support. The rack A is preferably
suspended by ropes b attached to the cross bars a¹ in the manner shown in the
drawings, to which the ropes B are attached. The ropes B pass over the pulleys C C¹
and then over a brake pulley D being joined together at the point E, the single
end B' of the ropes being attached to the winder F. The pulleys C C' are single
pulleys, but C¹ is made sufficiently wide for both ropes to pass over it. Gare
hooks fastened to the joists, or other supports upon which the rack A is allowed to
rest when full or empty and which bears its weight, thus relieving the strain upon
the ropes and pulleys.
The hooks shown in Fig 3 are so formed that when the rack is being raised the
cross bars a¹ first come in contact with the under side of the hook as shown at CH
and slide up the incline of the hook, and when they have cleared it fall into the
position shown at G", when the rack and its load rest secure and the ropes are
relieved from further strain.
To relieve the rack from this position and lower it, it is first slightly raised by
pulling on the ropes B, and then pulled to one side clear of the hooks by means of
the cord H passing over pulley h and attached to one end of the rack A. H¹ is a
weight attached to end of, cord H to keep it in place, this action brings the rack
from off the hooks when it may be lowered as desired.
Fig 4 shows a hook in which the hooks which engage with the bars are
connected together and suspended from the beam by two rods I, stops i are placed
on these rods which act as a nut to hold them firm when screwed up into the joist.
The bar I slides through a hole or socket at the lower end of each of the rods. I so
that when the cross bar al of the rack 4 is drawn up to the position shown, It may

page_text: be pushed across by hand or other means, causing the projecting part of the hook 2¹
to come under a¹ and so support the rack after being lowered on to it of course
the reverse operation will relieve the rack from the support, when it may be
lowered at pleasure.
Fig 5 shows a hook with a long projecting stop I¹¹ so that the rack bar a¹ may
be drawn up to it clear of the hook altogether, by means of the cord and winch.
The rack then may be pulled so as to rest upon the hook by means of a cord as
shown in Fig 1 (or it may be pushed by hand on to the hook). When the rack is
again lifted by the winch or other means, it will swing into the position shown and
come down clear of the hook.
Fig 6 shows what may be termed a bolt hook, the bolt J is pushed or drawn
back from its present position, when the rack is about to be raised, and then
pushed or drawn under the bar as shown; this operation may be performed either
by hand or cord attachment.
Fig 7 shows a hook that is most effective and that I like best in practice. I stem
of hook, i shoulder under screw, I stop for rack bar. J swivel hook or support
for rack bar, a¹, when the rack bar a¹ is raised from its position shown. J swings
close to the hook stem and lets the bar pass, but when the bar has cleared it J falls
to the position shown, when the rack may be allowed to rest safe and secure upon
the hooks j.
Fig 8 shows a hook upon which the rack may be placed and released from,
without the use of the cord H Fig 1. This hook is like G Fig 3 with the addition
of a movable flap L shown in three different positions, and the bearing bar a¹ is
shown in five different positions assumed when going up and down and being
supported. As the rack is raised, it lifts the flap, and falls into the position shown
in Fig 3. When it is desired to lower the rack it must first be raised lifting the
flap with it to its highest point at the stop pin k, then the flap falls over the point
of the hook, when the rack will glide over it and descend as required. In raising
this hook I prefer to suspend, raise or lower, the rack by using four pulleys instead
of two, to ensure that it shall always hang horizontally, and consequently the four
flap be all lifted alike, otherwise one end of the rack, bearing bar might be above
the flap and against the stop pin, whilst the opposite end of the same or other bar,
might be under its hook flap, that is, one end of the rack, bearing bar in position
to be supported, and the other to slide over the flap and come down.
:
The fly of the hook may be caused to fall into its place by means of springs
instead of its own gravity as shown, and the other hinged hooks may also be
actuated by springs in the reverse movement to that given by the ascent or descent
of the rack or by the pulling of said hinged hook by cords or other means.
When the joists of the ceiling run in the same direction as the lengthway of the
rack, the hooks may be made double, that is, one stem may have two branches,
upon which the hook is formed, and then all the pulleys and hooks may be screwed
into one single joist.
Of course it will be understood that I do not limit the invention. to any single
description of hook for use as in supporting the rack, as even hooks such as are
used for hanging bacon on, may be used by fixing them in such a position that the
rack bars will clear them either in ascent or descent. When the rack is raised
above them, I should place two loose bars cross way of the long rack bars, each of
the ends of said loose bars resting upon opposite hooks. The rack when lowered
upon these two loose bars would be supported thereon, or one end of each loose
bar could be binged to the lower end of a rod similar to a hook stem, so that the
other loose end may be placed on, and taken off the opposite hook, as the rack is
required to be supported or lowered down. Or there could be used a bar with a
hole in its centre through which the lower end of a rod like a hook stem (and fixed
in the same way) may be passed. A nut screwed on the hook stem rod, under the
bar, would support it, and allow it to be swung parallel to or across the long rack
bars. It would, according to its position, support the rack or allow it to ascend or
descend,

page_text: 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 :-
1st. A rack for airing or drying clothes, raised by a winch, and provided with an
independent rest or support other than the cords or chains by which it is raised or
lowered, and a ready means of placing it upon and removing it from said supports,
substantially as described and shown.
2nd. The combination with the rack for drying or airing clothes and the
apparatus for raising and lowering sa ne, of hooks such as G upon which the rack
can be lowered and held suspended, and which will bear its weight, relieving the
strain upon the ropes, substantially as described and shown.
3rd. The apparatus for use as supports for racks or apparatus for drying clothes
shewn in Figs 4, 5, 6, 7, 8 each taken as a whole, substantially as described.
Dated this 2nd day of October 1884.
WM P. THOMPSON & Co.,
Of 6, Lord Street, Liverpool,
Patent Agents for the Applicant.