Grippers for Cable Cars.
Year: 1899

page_text: Grippers for Cable Cars.
I, SIMON ALBERT FRASER, of the City of New Glasgow, in the Province of
Nova Scotia, Iron Manufacturer, do hereby declare the nature of this invention
to be as follows:
-
My invention relates to the traction of cars, and is more particularly a fric-
tional gripper for attaching cars to cables. Its primary object is to provide a
simple, inexpensive and easily operated device which will automatically lock
and firmly secure cars to cables.
In the accompanying drawings, illustrating my invention, Fig. 1 is an end
elevation, partially in section, of a car having my gripping mechanism attached
thereto, and Fig. 2 is a side elevation thereof, part of the car frame being broken
away for the purpose of illustration.
As illustrated in the drawings, the levers 1 and 1' are pivoted upon the respec-
tive arbors 2 and 21 which are carried by the bearings 3 and 31 supported by
the car frame, the pivoted levers being braced in any suitable manner as by the
angle bars 4 and 4. The respective lower or short arms of the levers 1 and 11
are preferably provided with the shoes 5 and 51 which are adapted to co-act
in engaging or gripping the cable 6. The respective upper or long arms of the
levers 1 and 1 are connected, by the pivots 7 and 7', to the links 8 and 8', which
links are connected respectively, by the pivots 9 and 91, to the rocking lever 10.
The lever 10 is supported upon the axle 11 which is secured to the car-body 12,
a square-head 13 being provided for the attachment of a wrench by means of
which the mechanism may be operated. The axle 11 may be either journalled
or fixed in the car-body, but it is preferably fixed, and the rocking lever 10,
with the head 13 secured thereto, journalled on the axle. The lever 10 is pro-
vided with the holes 14 and 14', farther removed from the axial point of the
lever than are the pivots 9 and 91, the purpose of these holes being to provide
for varying the action of the gripping mechanism in case of a smaller cable, to
compensate for wear, or to increase the frictional resistance. A stop 15 is secured
to the car-body in position to check the revolution of the lever 10, as by engage-
ment with the link 81, after the lever has passed the dead centre, or after the
line joining the points 9 and 91 has passed a position parallel with the line joining
the points 7 and 71 in the action of spreading the long arms of the levers 1 and 11.
It will be seen that in this position of the mechanism, the gripper is locked
in frictional engagement with the cable, as the tendency of the rocking lever
to revolve to the right and open the gripper, owing to the thrusts of the links,
is checked by the stop; while to open the gripper it is merely necessary to knock
down the long arm or turn the rocking lever to the left until it has passed the
dead centre.

page_text: I, SIMON ALBERT FRASER, of 32, Temperance Street, in the City of New
Glasgow, Province of Nova Scotia, Iron Manufacturer, 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 relates to the traction of cars, and is more particularly a fric-
tional gripper for attaching cars to cables. Its primary object is to provide a
simple, inexpensive and easily operated device which will automatically lock
and firmly secure cars to cables.
In the drawings filed with the Provisional Specification, illustrating my in-
vention:-
Figure 1 is an end elevation, partly in section, of a car having my gripping
mechanism attached thereto, and
Figure 2 is a side elevation thereof, part of the car frame being broken away
for the purpose of illustration.
As illustrated in the drawings, the levers 1 and 11 are pivoted upon the respec-
tive arbors 2 and 21 which are carried by the bearings 3 and 31 supported by
the car frame, the pivoted levers being braced in any suitable manner as by the
angle bars 4 and 41. The respective lower or short arms of the levers 1 and 11
are preferably provided with the shoes 5 and 51 which are adapted to co-act
in engaging or gripping the cable 6. The respective upper or long arms of the
levers 1 and 1' are connected, by the pivots 7 and 71, to the links 8 and 8¹, which
links are connected respectively, by the pivots 9 and 91, to the rocking lever 10.
The lever 10 is supported upon the axle 11 which is secured to the car-body 12,
a square-head 13 being provided for the attachment of a wrench, by means of
which the mechanism may be operated. The axle 11 may be either journalled
or fixed in the car-body, but it is preferably fixed, and the rocking lever 10,
with the head 13 secured thereto, journalled on the axle. The lever 10 is pro-
vided with the holes 14 and 14', farther removed from the axial point of the
lever than are the pivots 9 and 9', the purpose of these holes being to provide
for varying the action of the gripping mechanism in case of a smaller cable, to
compensate for wear, or to increase the frictional resistance.
to the car-body in position to check the revolution of the lever 10, as by engage-
A stop 15 is secured
ment with the link 8, after the lever has passed the dead centre, or after the
line joining the points 9 and 91 has passed a position parallel with the line joining
the points 7 and 71 in the action of spreading the long arms of the levers 1 and 1.
It will be seen that in this position of the mechanism, the gripper is locked
in frictional engagement with the cable, as the tendency of the rocking lever
to revolve to the right and open the gripper, owing to the thrusts of the links,
is checked by the stop; while to open the gripper it is merely necessary to knock
down the long arm or turn the rocking lever to the left until it has passed the
'dead centre.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of my said
invention and in what manner the same is to performed, I declare that what
I claim is:--
1. In a gripper, a pair of pivoted gripping levers, a pair of links each con-
nected to one of said gripping levers, a rocking lever connected to each of said
links, and means for locking said gripper, substantially as specified.
2. In a gripper, a pair of pivoted levers, a pair of links each pivoted to one of

page_text: said gripping levers, a rocking lever pivoted to each of said links, and having
means for varying its pivotal connections with said links, and a stop co-acting
with said mechanism for locking the same, substantially as specified.
3. In a gripper, a pair of independently fulcrumed gripping levers, a pair of
links each pivoted to one of said gripping levers, a rocking lever pivoted to each
of said links and fulcrumed intermediate of its pivotal connections with said
links, and means for holding said gripper in closed position, substantially as
specified.
4. In a gripper, a pair of independently fulcrumed gripping levers, a fulcrumed
rocking lever, and means for connecting said rocking lever with each of said
gripping levers, substantially as specified.
Dated the 21st day. AT
1000
W. P. THOMPSON & Co.,
Of London, Liverpool, Manchester, and Birmingham.