Improvements in or relating to Elevators, Lifts, and the like.
Year: 1890

page_text: COMPLETE SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in or relating to Elevators, Lifts, and the like.
We, HARRIET RUTH TRACY, Inventor, of Richmond Terrace, New Brighton, and
JEREMIAH EVARTS TRACY, Attorney-at-Law, of 52 Wall Street, both in New York, in
the County and State of New York, United States of America, 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 :-
This invention relates to elevators.
The object is to produce an elevator of such construction as absolutely to avoid
injury to the car or danger to the occupants in case of the breaking of a support or of
the too rapid descent of the car.
With this object in view the invention resides essentially in an elevator comprising
a car centrally or eccentrically supported, the car being weighted, that is pressed
or drawn above or below at a point removed from the centre and capable of side or
tilting movement, allowing it to engage with suitable devices to arrest its descent
either by canting or by bringing it to the perpendicular whereby should the hoisting
rope part, or the elevator car begin to descend with a speed endangering the safety of
the car or its occupants, the descent will by the action of gravity instantly be checked
without allowing the car to attain any great degree of headway and without imposing.
any undue strain on the guide-ways of the elevators.
The invention is illustrated in the accompanying drawings in which
Fig. 1 is a sectional view representing an elevator car constructed in accordance
with this invention the car being shown in its normal position and being adapted to
be arrested in its descent by canting the weight being shown at the bottom of the
car.
Fig. 2 is a perspective view showing the car and the form and arrangement of the
uprights; also showing in dotted lines the position assumed by the car in case of the
breaking of the hoisting rope.
Fig. 3 is a plan view the uprights and beams supporting the same being shown in
section.
Fig. 4 is a side view of a car the weight being shown as attached to the top of the
car at the side by a rope passing upward over a pulley and
Fig. 5 illustrates a form of car in which, in the normal position the outer walls of
the car are inclined and in which the projections from the sides of the car engage
the racks on the supports when the outer walls of the car assume a perpendicular
position.
In these drawings A represents the car which is so constructed that when properly
sustained by its hoisting rope B the roof and floor will be horizontal. In one
embodiment of the invention the point at which the supporting rope is attached is
removed from the centre while in others it is at the centre. When the hoisting rope
is attached eccentrically the weight C is preferably placed immediately below the point
of attachment of the hoisting rope in order to counterbalance the car in raising or
lowering and to serve to cant the car when released from the supporting rope or when
descending too rapidly. When the weight is supported by a rope or chain cas
shown in Fig. 4 the supporting rope B is preferably attached to the middle of the car.
The car is designed to slide. up and down between uprights D D and D¹ D¹. Upon
each upright D is a toothed rack d the teeth whereof are horizontal on their upper and
slanting on their lower faces. In each upright D' which is practically a guide is a
longitudinal groove d¹.
Arranged at an upper and lower diagonally-opposite edge of the car is a toothed
rack E the teeth whereof are horizontal on their lower and slanting on their upper
faces and the car is set in the uprights in position with the racks on the car adjacent
o the racks on the uprights. By the set of the teeth on the car passage of the car upward
Price 6d1

page_text: is permitted even though the racks on uprights and car be in contact but when the
car is passing downward should the respective racks come into contact the car will at
once be arrested. Arranged at an upper and lower diagonally-opposite corner of the
car on the remaining edges which have no racks is a projection F. Each projection
slides in a groove d of the guides D'.
In the operation of the device should the car become separated from the rope or
cable or descend so rapidly as not to be held in the proper position by its supports the
car will be canted by reason of the weight which renders the side of the car to which it
is attached heavier than the opposite side. This movement will bring the two racks E at
once into contact with the racks on the uprights D and the car will instantly be checked
thus avoiding any danger of injury.
.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of the said inven-
tion, and in what manner the same is to be performed we declare that what we
claim is ;-
1. An elevator car provided at one side with a supplemental weight adapted to tilt
the car should the same descend too rapidly.
2. An elevator car having its hoisting rope connected thereto at a point removed
from the centre of the car the car being capable of side movement substantially as
described.
3. An elevator car having its hoisting rope connected to it at a point removed from
the centre the car being provided at one side with a weight and being capable of side
movement substantially as described.
Dated this 19th day of August 1890.
W. P. THOMPSON & BOULT,
Agents for the Applicants.