Improved Contrivances for Automatically Operating the Well Doors of Lifts or Elevators.
Year: 1897

page_text: Date of Application, 21st June, 1897-Accepted, 24th July, 1897
COMPLETE SPECIFICATION.
Improved Contrivances for Automatically Operating the Well Doors
of Lifts or Elevators.
I, WILLIAM TURNBULL the Younger, of Nos 505 to 527 Victoria Parade-East
Melbourne in the Colony of Victoria Timber Merchant 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 this invention is to ensure the well doors of lifts or elevators being
closed and fastened at all times except when the cage is opposite to them and to
ensure said doors being automatically opened by the cage as it arrives in position
opposite said doors.
The essential feature of the invention consists in providing the front of the cage
with a groove, pathway or channel extending from a point adjacent to the top
and bottom edges of the cage door opening and meeting at an angle at about the
centre of the height of the cage. This groove, pathway, or channel is preferably
formed of parallel guides so arranged that they engage with projecting anti-
friction rollers on the well door and thus gradually open and afterwards gradually
close it said guides being so arranged that the well door will be wide open when
the cage is exactly opposite to it and will be quite closed before the cage
completely passes said door.
A fastening is fitted on each well door so that it can only be opened by the
cage contacting with it just prior to the inclined guides commencing to open it.
In order that my invention may be clearly understood I have illustrated it on
a sheet of drawings accompanying this specification in which,
Figure, is a front elevation of portion of a lift or elevator well and cage
showing the arrangement of the guides on the cage.
Figure 2, is a horizontal section on line 2-2 Figure 1, whilst
Figures 3 and 4, are views showing the spring catches which may be used for
securing the doors according to my invention.
The same letters of reference indicate the same parts in all the figures.
A represents a cage travelling in a lift or elevator well in the ordinary manner,
and B represents one of the well doors which it is required to unfasten and open,
and again close and fasten, automatically by the travel of the cage past it. To
this end said door is fitted with a projecting anti-friction roller C whilst the cage
is fitted with guides D, D', forming a groove, pathway, or channel extending
from points adjacent to the top and bottom of the cage door and meeting at an
angle at about the centre of the height of the cage and arranged to engage said
roller as the cage travels past a well door. The well is provided with skids for
the cage and the well doors are supported at top and bottom on runners in the usual
way so that they may open and close easily.
Any convenient fastening capable of being unfastened by the contact of the
cage or of any attachment or projection thereon may be used for securing the
well doors so that they cannot be opened except when the cage is opposite to
them.
As an example a spring catch such as is illustrated at E might be mounted

page_text: on the framing of the well so that it could only be pushed back out of engage-
ment with a hasp E' on the cage door by the cage itself contacting with a projecting
double inclined rubbing piece e.
The operation of the above described contrivance is as follows,--
When the cage approaches a well door it forces back a spring catch (such as E)
and releases the door.
The guides D D then engage with the anti-friction roller C on the well door
and as the cage continues its ascent or descent as the case may be it draws back
the door into its open position until the cage is in position immediately opposite
the door which will then be fully open owing to the anti-friction roller with which
it is provided having been drawn back to its furthest point away from the cage
door or opening.
The continued travel of the cage will cause the guides D or D (as the case may
be) to gradually return the door to its closed position when the spring catch E
will lock it and hold it fastened until the cage again comes opposite to it when it
will be again unlocked..
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: :-
First. The herein described contrivances for automatically operating the well
doors of lifts or elevators consisting essentially of guides upon the cage arranged
to engage with projecting anti-friction rollers upon the well doors substantially
as and for the purposes herein described and explained and as illustrated in the
accompanying drawings.
Second. In contrivances for automatically operating the well doors of lifts or
elevators guides upon the cage arranged to engage with projecting anti-friction
rollers upon the well doors in combination with spring catches or fastenings
(such as E, E¹) for securing said doors and arranged to be operated by the
moving cage substantially as and for the purposes herein described and explained
and as illustrated in the accompanying drawings.
Dated this Nineteenth day of May One thousand eight hundred and ninety-
Reven
WILLIAM TURNBULL, the Younger
Abel & Imray,
Agents for the Applicant.