Improvements relating to Belt-shifters and to Apparatus connected therewith.
Year: 1891

page_text: Date of Application, 9th Mar, 1891
Complete Specification Left, 5th May, 1891-Accepted, 13th June, 1891
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION.
Improvements relating to Belt-shifters and to Apparatus connected
therewith.
I, JOHN GOOCH ROCKHILL of 28 Bury Street, in the City of London, Engineer,
do hereby declare the nature of this invention to be as follows:-
My invention is designed to provide improved means whereby the release or
disengagement of a device for shifting a driving belt, may be effected from any
floor or part of a building, and whereby the said device will then be operated
automatically to transfer the said driving-belt from a fast to a loose pulley, and
thus stop the shafting and machines driven by the said belt.
By my invention, therefore, should any accident occur, or should it be desirable
for any other reason to quickly stop such shafting and machines, the stoppage can
at once be effected from any floor or part of the building by the simple movement
of a lever or other suitable device, without communicating with the engineer or
engine-attendant.
In carrying my said invention into practice, 1 provide a sliding bar to which is
attached the fork that engages with the belt, and combine with this sliding bar or
striking-bar, a weighted cord or wire which is passed around a pulley, and which
tends to move the said bar in one direction. 1 also combine with the said bar,
suitable means whereby it may be moved by hand in the reverse direction to shift
the belt from the loose to the fast pulley; and a weighted lever or catch which
enters a notch in the said bar and retains the same in position when thus moved, and
which is connected with a cord or wire whereby it may be disengaged from the said
notch to permit the automatic movement of the sliding bar under the action of the
aforesaid weighted cord or wire, for the purpose of shifting the belt from the fast
to the loose pulley. The cord or wire connected with the said weighted lever or
catch is passed around suitable guide-pulleys, and is connected with levers or other
convenient devices whereby it may be pulled from any floor or room of a building,
to disengage the catch.
I find it advantageous to arrange the sliding bar carrying the shifting-fork, in
suitable guides in a supporting-plate or bracket, and to secure in this plate or
bracket, suitable pins or bolts for carrying pulleys, around which are passed the
cords or wires connected with the said sliding bar. The aforesaid weighted lever
or catch extends through and works in a hole or slot in the said plate or bracket
and is pivoted thereto, or to a small lug or bracket attached thereto. The under-
side of the said lever is rounded at one edge at the part where it enters the
notch in sliding bar so as to facilitate its withdrawal fiom the said notch when
required. To prevent lifting of the said lever through too great an angle, I prefer
to so arrange the parts that, as soon as the said lever is withdrawn from the
notch, it will strike against the upper end of the said hole or slot in the supporting-
plate or bracket and its upward movement will thus be arrested.
I
The shifting-fork or striking-rods are preferably made reversible on the said
sliding bar. Moreover prefer to provide in the aforesaid supporting-plate or
bracket, two sets of holes for the reception of the pins or bolts for the pulleys, so
that the cords or wires may be passed either over or beneath the said pulleys
thus adapt the apparatus for use in different positions relatively to the belt to be
shifted, and under other varying circumstances, I sometimes provide wedge-shaped
washers whereby the said pulleys may be set at any desired angle relatively to the
supporting-plate or bracket.
For shifting the sliding bar to start the shafting and machines, I provide a cord
or wire passed over a pulley as above stated, and I attach to the said cord or wire a

page_text: suitable handle whereby it may be conveniently pulled for the purpose above
specified.
Dated this 9th day of March 1891.
HASELTINE, LAKE & Co.,
45, Southampton Buildings, London, Agents for the Applicant.
COMPLETE SPECIFICATION.
Improvements relating to Belt-shifters and to Apparatus connected
therewith.
I, JOHN GOOCH ROCKHILL, of 28 Bury Street, in the City of London, Engineer,
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 :-
My invention is designed to provide improved means whereby the release or
disengagement of a device for shifting a driving-belt, may be effected from any
floor or part of a building, and whereby the said device will then be operated
automatically to transfer the said driving-belt from a fast to a loose pulley, and
thus stop the shafting and machines driven by the said belt.
By my invention, therefore, should any accident occur, or should it be desirable
for any other reason, to quickly stop such shafting and machines, the stoppage can
at once be effected from any floor or part of the building by the simple inovement
of a lever or other suitable device, without communicating with the engineer or
engine-attendant.
My said invention is illustrated in the accompanying drawing, in which
Figure 1 is a front elevation, and
Figure 2 a plan of one form of my improved apparatus, and
Figure 3 is a transverse section on the line a, ., Figure 1.
Like letters indicate corresponding parts in these figures.
a is a sliding bar arranged to move in suitable guides secured to a bar or
plate, which may be supported in any convenient manner. To this sliding bar a
are attached, by bolts or other convenient means, the rods a' which form the fork
to engage with the belt. I connect with the sliding bar or striking-bar a, a cord,
chain or wire c, which is passed around a pulley d, and to which is suspended a
weight e. This weighted cord, chain or wire tends to move the said bar a in the
direction indicated by the arrow in Figure 1, for the purpose of shifting the belt
from the fast to the loose pulley. I also combine, with the said bar a, suitable
means whereby it may be moved by hand in the reverse direction to shift the belt
from the loose to the fast pulley. For instance, I attach to the bar a at
the opposite end to that connected with the cord, chain or wire c, another cord,
chain or wire f, which is passed over a pulley g, and to which is attached a
handle h.
jis a weighted lever or catch, which is pivoted at j' to a bracket firmly
secured to the bar or plate b, and which is adapted to enter a notch a' in the bar a
so as to retain the said bar in position when the belt is on the fast pulley. This
weighted lever or catch is connected with a cord, chain or wire k, whereby it may
be disengaged from the said notch a² to permit the automatic movement of the
sliding bar a under the action of the weighted cord, chain or wire c, for the purpose
of shifting the belt from the fast to the loose pulley. The cord, chain or wire k is
to be passed around suitable guide-pulleys and connected with levers or other
convenient devices whereby it may be pulled from any floor or room of a building,
to disengage the said weighted lever or catch; from the bar a. The said weighted
lever or catch j extends through and works in a hole or slot 63 in the said plate b,
and the underside of the said lever is rounded at one or at both edges at the part
where it enters the notch a in the sliding bar a, so as to facilitate the withdrawal
of the said lever from this notch when required. To prevent lifting of the said

page_text: lever through too great an angle, I prefer to so arrange the parts that, as soon as
the said lever is withdrawn from the notch, it will strike against the upper end of
the said hole or slot in the plate b, and its upward movement will thus be
arrested.
I find it advantageous to arrange the sliding bar a carrying the shifting-fork,
in suitable guides in a supporting bar or plate b as above described, and to secure
in this bar or plate, suitable pins or bolts 1, 1 for carrying the pulleys d, g
around which are passed the cords, chains or wires c, f connected with the sliding
bar a.
The rods a' which form the shifting-fork are preferably made reversible on the
sliding bar a; and I prefer to provide in the plate b, two sets of holes for the
reception of the pins or bolts 1, for the pulleys d, g, so that the cords, chains or
wires may be passed either over or beneath the said pulleys; the second set of
these holes is indicated by dotted lines at 12, 13, Figure 1. By constructing my
improved apparatus in this manner, adapt the same for use in different
positions relatively to the belt to be shifted, and under other varying circum-
stances.
I sometimes provide wedge-shaped washers whereby the said pulleys d, g may be
set at any desired angle relatively to the supporting plate or bracket, according to
the relative position in which the parts have to be placed.
The parts are shown in the position which they occupy when the belt is on the
loose pulley. To start the shafting and machines, the handle h must be pulled
downward until the bar a is moved into the position shown by dotted lines in
Figure 1; the lever or catch j will then drop into the notch a² and retain the said
bar in this position. Should it be necessary to stop the shafting or machinery
promptly, this may be effected from any floor or part of the building, without first
communicating with the engineer or engine-attendant, by simply operating a lever
or other suitable device connected with the cord, chain or wire k, and thus lifting
the weighted lever or catch out of the notch a² in the bar a, which bar will then
be moved by the weight e so as to shift the belt from the fast to the loose
pulley.
It is evident that the weighted lever or catch; is not liable to become
inoperative, its upward movement being limited as above described. Moreover the
said lever being made with a rounded lower edge, a very slight upward movement
thereof is sufficient to ensure its disengagement from the bar a, the weight e, by
pulling the side of the notch against the said rounded edge, raising or assisting to
raise the said lever after it has been slightly lifted by hand through the medium of
the cord, chain or wire k.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of my said inven-
tion, and in what manner the same is to be performed, I wish it understood that
I claim :-
First. In an apparatus for the purpose above specified, the combination, with a
sliding striking-bar, of a weighted pivoted lever or catch, the upward movement of
which is limited, and which is adapted to enter a notch in the said bar, and is
connected by one or more cords, chains or wires with one or more levers or other
suitable devices whereby it may be disengaged from the said bar, for the purpose
above specified.
Second. The improved apparatus constructed substantially as described with
reference to the accompanying drawing and operating as, and for the purposes,
above specified.
Dated this 4th dow of Mo 1901
JOHN GOOCH ROCKHILL.
Haseltine, Lake & Co.,
45, Southampton Buildings, London, Agents for the Applicant.