Improvements in and relating to Lifts or Elevators.
Year: 1897

page_text: Date of Application, 7th Sept., 1897-Accepted, 22nd Jan., 1898
COMPLETE SPECIFICATION.
[Communicated from abroad by JOHN GANSON DOYLE, Lumber Dealer, of 481,
Trumbull Avenue, Detroit, Michigan, United States of America, HENRY CLAY
REES, Lumberman, of Woodsell, Ontario, Canada, NATHAN HOWARD STEVENS,
Merchant Miller, of Chatham, Ontario, Canada, and SHERMAN DEWITT
HOOPER, Gentleman, of 32, Columbia Street, East Detroit, Michigan, United
States of America.]
Improvements in and relating to Lifts or Elevators.
I, WILLIAM ROBERT LAKE, of the Firm of Haseltine, Lake & Co., Patent Agents,
of 45, Southampton Buildings, in the County of Middlesex, 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 the invention is to provide an efficient protection against accidents
and fire in buildings provided with lifts, and the invention consists in the peculiar
arrangement and automatic operation of fire proof covers whereby the openings
in the different floors are always closed except as the cage or platform passes
through an opening.
To this end two sets of fire proof covers are provided, one set being adapted to
be carried beneath the cage or platform, and the other on top of it, such covers
being alternately deposited in the respective openings or removed and carried by
the cage as it travels up or down, the operation being such that in passing
through an opening, the cage first removes and carries with it the cover which
closes the opening and then leaves behind it another cover to again close the
opening after it has passed through.
The devices which effect the automatic operation of the covers are of two kinds,
those for the lower set comprise a set of hangers for each cover by means of
which each cover is independently suspended beneath the cage or platform and
co-operating devices are in each floor opening whereby the lower set of covers are
automatically deposited in the opening as the cage or platform passes up and
removed again when it passes down. The upper set of covers are supported
directly upon the top of the cage or frame of the platform and cooperating devices
different from those for the lower set are placed in the floor openings whereby
when the cage or platform descends the covers are deposited in the openings and
removed when it goes up; all as more fully hereinafter described and shown in
the accompanying drawings in which the invention is shown as applied to a
platform lift of known construction and in which,
Fig. 1 is a vertical section showing the device for operating the lower set of
covers, the drawing showing one of said covers suspended beneath the platform
and the opening in which it will be automatically deposited when the platform
passes up through it.
Fig. 2 is a plan of Fig. 1 with the platform partly broken away to show the
cover underneath.
Fig. 3 represents a part of Fig. 1, with the parts in a different position.

page_text: suspended therefrom.
Fig. 5 is a detached elevation of the device in the openings of the floors for
supporting therein the covers of the lower set.
Fig. 6 is a vertical section showing the devices for operating the upper set of
covers.
Fig. 7 is a vertical section through one of the supporting devices shown in
Fig. 6.
Fig. 8 is a detail plan of one of the fire proof covers.
Fig. 9 is a modified construction.
Fig. 10 is a vertical section through one of the covers.
In the drawings, A represents one of the floors, B the openings therein through
which the lift operates. C is the travelling platform, D the vertical guide posts
and E one of the guides of the platform, all constructed and arranged to operate
in the usual manner.
F represents the fire proof covers for closing the openings of which there are
two sets, each set comprising as many as there are openings to be closed.
Gare projections preferably formed of antifriction rollers a mounted between
brackets secured to the frame bars of the cover upon opposite sides.
Hare pivoted hangers for supporting the covers from the travelling platform;
each hanger consists of a bar pivoted at its upper end within a housing I and
formed at its lower end with a bevel c, outwardly inclined towards the top and
terminating in a shoulder d. The hanger is backed by a spring e which presses
it outwardly and compels it to engage with the antifriction rollers a of the cover,
in the position of the parts as shown in Fig. 1.
J are supports adapted to support the covers of the lower set in the different
openings, each support comprises a casing f a bolt h sliding in the casing and
provided with rack teeth, a toothed segment i secured' upon a shaft j and a double
cam & secured upon the end of the shaft j at one side of the casing, all so arranged
that by turning the cam k from the position shown in full lines in Fig. 5 into the
position shown in dotted lines the bolt is projected while the reverse movement
retracts it into the casing.
This operation is produced automatically in the movement of the cage or
platform by means of a wiper K which as shown is secured to the side of the
platform in the path of the cam.
To restrict the movement of the cam within these limits suitable stops such as
the shoulders are formed on the hub of the cam which strike against a fixed
stop pin m on the casing.
The parts being constructed and arranged as shown and described they are
intended to operate as follows:
Supposing in Fig. 1 the platform to be ascending and carrying a cover freely
suspended below it on four hangers H, while in the opening of the floor there are
secured correspondingly four supports J, having their actuating cams k in vertical
line with four wipers K secured in the platform near each hanger, the wipers in
passing through the opening will strike the cams and cause them to rotate and
to project the bolts in such manner as to push them directly beneath the friction
rollers a of the covers, force the hangers out of engagement therewith and thereby
release the cover from the platform and leave it supported upon the bolts and
close the opening.
The hangers after being pushed out of engagement with the rollers are with-
drawn from the cover on the further upward movement of the platform and
assume again their normal position..
Supposing (in Fig. 3) the platform to be on its downward trip it will be seen
that the hangers owing to the bevel at their ends re-engage with the rollers and
that the shoulders d of such hangers, as soon as they descend beyond the rollers a,
are forced under such rollers by the springs e, and thus push the bolts. A back,
thereby removing the cover from the opening and suspending it again on the

page_text: platform, should the spring e of the hanger not be strong enough, the operation
is accomplished by the wipers which now strike the other arm of the cams and
rotate them in the reverse direction, thus causing the positive and complete
withdrawal of the bolts. While the lower arm on the cam may thus be
dispensed with, it is desirable as a factor of safety.
To support the required number of covers below the platform (one for each
opening in the different floors to be guarded) the hangers are stepped off in
different vertical lines, as shown in Fig. 4, the supports in the hatch openings
being correspondingly placed in line so that the covers will be successively
deposited in their respective hatch openings as the platform ascends and succes-
sively removed as it descends.
The two arms of the cam are curved and made somewhat longer than required
to operate the cam, whereby the wiper is enabled to actuate the cam in the proper
manner even if it should have been accidentally turned into a wrong position.
As a further matter of safety the front end of the bolts may be forked so that
the bolts in operation will embrace the hangers while pushing them out of
engagement with the antifriction rollers a and thus support the latter while yet
engaged with the hanger; correspondingly therewith the rollers a are divided
into three independent parts, the central part to engage with the hanger and the
outer parts with the forked ends of the bolt.
The upper set of covers are carried on top of the platform or cage, suitable
provision being made to support them on a level bed, one on top of the other.
These covers are of the same character as those of the lower set, but the
devices for supporting them in the openings are of different character and their
construction is shown in Figs. 6 and 7. There are four in each opening, either
differently located than the support for the lower covers or on different sides of
the opening. Each consists of a casing o provided with flanges for securing it
to the curb of the opening and enclosing a pivoted latch bar p, pressed outwardly
by a spring 9 to the limit of the stop which has adjusting nuts s. This latch
bar on its face is formed with a rubber cushioned shoulder t and above it with the
rounding projection or cam face u.
In practice the operation of this automatic latch is as follows: when the
platform descends the latch bars will automatically engage with its proper cover,
the rollers of which are made to register with it and the projecting rollers resting
on the shoulders t of the latch bars firmly support the cover. The covers are thus
one after another lifted off and placed into the openings and when the platform
goes up again they are removed and gathered together on top of it.
As far as the upper set of covers is concerned the supporting devices for the
different openings need not be set out of line with each other as it will be seen
that if they are placed the same in each opening they will still operate as
described, as in the descent of the platform the rollers of the covers supported
thereon in passing over the rounded portion of the latch bar prevent the same
from engaging with any other cover except the one lying on top.
The covers proper may be made the same for both the upper and lower sets,
and the projections which carry the rollers a may be made separate in a manner
to be clamped to the frame of the cover in whatever position may be required for
the proper operation, and the rollers may themselves be made larger or smaller
as circumstances may suggest.
In order to make the covers as light as possible combined with maximum
strength to support the weight of one or more persons they are made in the
following manner.
The outer frame M is made of light and strong steel or other suitable metal
tubing connected by corner pieces N which have the interior corner flanges O.
These corner pieces are connected by interior truss rods P parallel to the sides of
the frame and by diagonal truss rods Q which connect with an inner frame R. The
outer ends of these truss rods are connected to the corner flanges and they are
provided with suitable means for applying tension thereto. Upon these truss

page_text: rods and secured thereto at the points of crossing or interlaced therewith are
smaller cross wires S forming a net work and over this net work either on one or
both sides is secured a fire proof covering such as strong asbestos cloth or other fire
proof fabric. In this manner the cover is light and strong and any weight
brought on it is supported by the truss rods upon the corners, near which the
covers will be supported in the openings.
The devices herein described for supporting and operating the lower set of
covers may be used in connection with those described for the upper set or with
other devices already known or used for the purpose, such as mere fixed projec-
tions placed within the curb of the opening for the covers of the upper set to
rest upon although the use of such devices does not secure the covers as firmly
as the automatically operating latches.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of the said
invention, and in what manner the same is to be performed, as communicated to
me by my foreign correspondents, I declare that what I claim is :-
The pivoted hangers on the platform formed with supporting shoulders and
operating automatically, the covers having rollers or equivalent projections on
which the covers are supported, the sliding bolts in the openings arranged to
co-operate with the hangers, the cams and wipers operating the sliding bolts, the
two arms on the cams arranged to project and retract the sliding bolt by the
operation of the wiper in the ascending and descending movement of the platform;
the latches for supporting the upper set of covers in the openings having shoulders
with rounded projections above the same; the truss rods connecting the corners
of the frame of the cover and supporting the panel of the cover, the interior panel
of the cover formed of truss rods connecting the corners, diagonal truss rods
supporting an interior frame, cross wires and a fire proof covering secured thereto.
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HASELTINE, LAKE & Co.,
45, Southampton Buildings, London, W.C., Agents for the Applicant