IMPROVEMENTS IN HOISTING APPARATUS, PARTS OF WHICH PURPOSES
Year: 1872

page_text: PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said William Edward
Newton at the Office of the Commissioners of Patents, with his
Petition, on the 5th March 1872.
I, WILLIAM EDWARD NEWTON, of the Office for Patents, 66, Chancery
Lane, in the County of Middlesex, Civil Engineer, do hereby declare
the nature of the said Invention for ** IMPROVEMENTS IN HOISTING
APPARATUS, PARTS OF WHICH
PURPOSES," to be as follows:-
IMPROVEMENTS ARE ALSO APPLICABLE TO OTHER

page_text: apparatus in which a platform is raised and lowered within a hatchway
arranged to intersect the several floors of a building for the purpose of
transporting passengers or goods from one floor or story of the building
to another, or which may be used for coal and iron mines, or for other
elevating and lowering purposes.
The Invention consists, firstly, in the use of differential gearing for
revolving the hoisting drum. This gearing is composed of a central
independent driving shaft which is provided with reversely set or equi-
distantly arranged eccentrics within the drum, and that serve to carry
independent toothed discs, which as the shaft is revolved gear on opposite
sides in reverse directions to or at equal distances from each other at
constantly varying points thereon, with an internal toothed rim or
wheel fast to the drum and containing a greater number of teeth in it
than the discs have in them, so that for each revolution of the independent
central shaft the drum is moved a distance corresponding to the difference
in the number of teeth in the internal gear of the drum and the number of
teeth in either disc, and so that the drum cannot slip or rotate, but is locked
or held by the toothed discs and cannot be set in motion excepting as
controlled by the movement of the central independent driving shaft.
The employment of the several (two or more) equidistantly arranged
eccentrics.and the toothed discs carried by them produces a balancing
action which materially assists in reducing friction, and aids in the
smooth or easy running of the mechanism operating the drum, and also
insures an enlarged and extended hold of the drum (at equidistant
points) against slip, thereby making it a perfect safety drum. Power is
or may be communicated to the drum by a pulley, friction, or toothed
wheel arranged to rotate on a stationary sleeve, and connected by a
clutch with the central driving shaft on the outside of or beyond the end
of the sleeve through which the shaft runs longitudinally. This feature
or portion of the Invention is applicable to other machines and purposes
for transmitting power.
The portion of the Invention which relates to the driving of the
hoisting drum by differential gear is also applicable to other purposes or
uses in which a powerful motion is required to be communicated to a
drum or wheel with the same security against slip in either direction as
if it were controlled by pawls and ratchets. Applied to a hoisting
apparatus the safety drum may either have the hoisting rope fast at its
one end to the drum and be wound or unwound therefrom, or the hoisting

page_text: rope or ropes may be passed as a belt or belts around the drum and be
moved by friction.
The Invention also consists in two or more independent hoisting ropes
or chains, each of which may or shall be sufficient to sustain the load to
be carried, in combination with a sectional or sliding ring-like construc-
tion of the peripherical portion of the hoisting drum for the passage of the
ropes within V shaped or tapering grooves formed between and by the
rings to automatically equalize the strain upon the ropes or chains by
the pressure of the latter upon the sides of the sliding rings. These
ropes or chains are passed in a loose or belt-like manner over the hoisting
drum and between its rings, and in addition to their attachment to the
dummy or travelling platform are connected with a counterpoise for the
purpose of balancing the car and its load to a greater or less extent, and
whereby sufficient friction is superinduced between the ropes and the
drum to effect the raising and lowering of the car and its load by the
turning of the drum.
The Invention likewise consists in a peculiar safety attachment to the
dummy or platform, or to the counterpoise of the apparatus, or to both.
This safety attachment is composed of a system of levers, inclined
planes, rollers, and loose wedge-shaped friction blocks in combination
with fixed guides attached to the guide posts of the hatchway, and
grooved on opposite sides to admit of the frame of the platform or
counterpoise clipping the guides and supporting them against pressure
superinduced by the friction blocks, when the latter are caused to bear
or produce friction upon the guides as in case of breakage or any sudden
slackening of the hoisting rope or ropes. Rods, ropes, or chains
stretched. from top to bottom of the hoistway, and secured at each
end, may be substituted for the grooved or T shaped guides, which
rods, ropes, or chains may be entirely encompassed by the ends of the
dummy head or counterpoise.
These several improvements all contribute to the efficiency, safety,

page_text: SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent,
filed by the said William Edward Newton in the Great Seal
Patent Office on the 5th September 1872.
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I, WILLIAM
EDWARD NEWTON, of the Office for Patents, 66, Chancery Lane, in the
County of Middlesex, Civil Engineer, send greeting.
WHEREAS Her most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her
Letters Patent, bearing date the Fifth day of March, in the year of
our Lord One thousand eight hundred and seventy-two, in the thirty-
fifth year of Her reign, did, for Herself, Her heirs and successors, give
and grant unto me, the said William Edward Newton, Her special
licence that I, the said William Edward Newton, my executors, adminis-
trators, and assigns, or such others as I, the said William Edward
Newton, my executors, administrators, and assigns, should at any time
agree with, and no others, from time to time and at all times thereafter
during the term therein expressed, should and lawfully might make,
use, exercise, and vend, within the United Kingdom of Great Britain
and Ireland, the Channel Islands, and Isle of Man, an Invention for
"IMPROVEMENTS IN HOISTING APPARATUS, PARTS OF WHICH IMPROVEMENTS ARE
ALSO APPLICABLE TO OTHER PURPOSES," being a communication to me from
abroad by William Draper Andrews, of Brookhaven, in the State of New
York, United States of America, upon the condition (amongst others) that
I, the said William Edward Newton, my exccutors or administrators, by an
instrument in writing under my, or their, or one of their hands and
seals, should particularly describe and ascertain the nature of the said
Invention, and in what manner the same was to be performed, and cause
the same to be filed in the Great Seal Patent Office within six calendar
months next and immediately after the date of the said Letters Patent.
NOW KNOW YE, that I, the said William Edward Newton, do
hereby declare the nature of the said Invention, and in what manner
the same is to be performed, to be particularly described and ascertained
in and by the following statement, reference being had to the Drawing
hereunto annexed, and to the letters and figures marked thereon (that
is to say) :-

page_text: hoistway arranged to intersect the several floors of a building for the
purpose of transporting passengers or goods from any one floor or storey
of the building to another, or which may be used for coal and iron
mines, or for other elevating and lowering purposes.
The Invention consists in a combination of a car or platform drum
for raising and lowering the same, hoisting rope or chain and a
counterpoise, when the car and counterpoise are both attached to the
same rope or chain on opposite sides of the hoisting drum, and the rope
or chain is passed as a band or belt over the drum and is set in motion
by the drum through friction superinduced by the weight of the rope
or chain with its attached car and counterpoise, whereby the car may
be raised and lowered with great facility, dispatch and safety, and
without any liability to accident or breakage of the rope by overhoisting,
or by the car or counterpoise having their motion arrested by an
obstacle in the hoistway or by the counterpoise striking the ground, the
hoisting drum in each or all of such cases then simply slipping without
exerting any undue tension on the rope or chain. Two or more inde-
pendent ropes or chains may be thus used instead of one to give
additional safety if desired.
'
The Invention also consists in a combination of a freely or inde-
pendently hung drum stationary sleeves on which said drum revolves,
and an independently arranged shaft passing through said sleeves for
driving the drum. It likewise consists in a differential gearing for
revolving the hoisting drum. This gearing is composed for the most
part of a central independent driving shaft which is provided with
reversely set or equidistantly arranged excentrics within the drum,
and that serve to carry independent toothed discs preferably steadied
and guided by rollers as herein-after described. These discs as the shaft
is revolved gear on opposite sides in reverse directions to or at equal
distances from each other at constantly varying points thereon, with an
internal toothed rim or wheel fast to the drum and containing a greater
number of teeth in it than the discs have in them, so that for each
revolution of the independent central shaft the drum is moved a distance
corresponding to the difference in the number of teeth in the internal
gear of the drum and the number of teeth in either disc, and so that
the drum cannot slip or rotate but is locked or held by the toothed
discs, and cannot be set in motion excepting as controlled by the move-
ment of the central independent driving shaft. The employment of

page_text: the several (two or more) equidistantly arranged excentrics and the
toothed discs carried by them produces a balancing action, which
materially assists in reducing friction, and aids in the smooth or easy
running of the mechanism operating the drum, and also ensures an
enlarged and extended hold of the drum (at equidistant points) against
slip, thereby making it a perfect safety drum. Power is or may be
communicated to the drum by a pulley, friction, or toothed wheel
arranged to rotate on a stationary sleeve, and connected by a clutch
with the central driving shaft on the outside of or beyond the end of
the sleeve through which the shaft runs longitudinally, thereby dis-
pensing with an outer bearing and doing away with all strain on the
shaft except that of torsion, while producing effective and steady
bearings for the pulley drum and shaft. This feature or portion of
the Invention is applicable to other machines and purposes for trans-
mitting power.
The portion of the Invention which relates to the driving of the
hoisting drum by differential gear is also applicable to other purposes
or uses in which a powerful motion is required to be communicated
to a drum or wheel with the same security against slip in either
direction as if it were controlled by pawls and ratchets. Applied
to a hoisting apparatus the safety drum may either have the hoisting
rope fast at one end to the drum and be wound on or unwound
therefrom, or the hoisting rope or ropes may be passed as a belt or
belts around the drum and be moved by friction, substantially as herein-
after described.
The Invention also consists in two or more independent hoisting
ropes or chains, cach of which may or shall be sufficient to sustain the
load to be carried, in combination with a sectional or sliding ring-like
construction of the peripherical portion of the hoisting drum for the
passage of the ropes within V shaped or tapering grooves formed
between and by the rings to automatically equalize the strain upon
the ropes or chains by the pressure of the latter upon the sides of
the sliding rings. These ropes or chains are passed in a loose or belt-
like manner over the hoisting drum and between its rings, and in
addition to their attachment to the dummy car or travelling platform
are connected with a counterpoise for the purpose of balancing the
car and its load to a greater or less extent, and whereby sufficient
friction is superinduced between the ropes and the drum to effect the

page_text: raising and lowering of the car and its load by the turning of the drum
as herein-before referred to.
The Invention likewise consists in a peculiar safety attachment to the
car dummy or platform, or to the counterpoise of the apparatus, or to
both. This safety attachment is composed of a system of levers and
loose wedge-shaped friction blocks, with or without loose rollers, acting
against fixed inclines at their backs, in combination with fixed guides
attached to the guide posts of the hoistway, and grooved on opposite
sides to admit of the frame of the car or counterpoise grasping the
guides and supporting them against pressure superinduced by the
friction blocks when the latter are caused to bear or produce friction
upon the guides, as in case of breakage or any sudden slacking of the
hoisting rope or ropes. Rods, ropes, or chains, stretched from top to
bottom of the hoistway, and secured at each end, may be substituted for
the grooved or T shaped guides, which rods, ropes, or chains, may
be entirely encompassed by the ends of the dummy head or counter-
poise.
These several improvements all contribute to the efficiency, safety, and
proper working of the apparatus.
Having thus specified the object or objects and nature of the
Invention, its description will be proceeded with in reference to the
accompanying Drawing.
Fig. 1 represents a side elevation of the upper portion of a hoistway
and hoisting apparatus having the Invention applied to it; Fig. 2 is a
3 central vertical section of the same in a plane at right angles to Fig. 1;
Fig. 3 is a horizontal section at the line x, x, in Fig. 2; Fig. 4 is a
sectional elevation of the hoisting drum in direction of the length of its
axis; Fig. 5 is a circumferential or edge view of the same; and Fig. 6
an outside face view of the pulley and its clutch used to drive the
) drum.
A, A, and B, B, represent the guide posts of a hatchway or hoistway,
and a, a, b, b, guides attached to the inner faces thereof, the posts A, A,
and guides a, a, serving for the dummy car or travelling platform C,
and the posts B, B, with their attached guides b, b, answering for the
5 counterpoise D. Mounted on top of the hoistway is the safety hollow
hoisting drum E, arranged to turn on stationary sleeves F, F, between
standards G, G. Passing concentrically through the drum and its

page_text: bearings or sleeves F, F, is an independent driving shaft H which is
rotated by the driving pulley P arranged to turn freely upon one of the
stationary sleeves F but in gear by the outside clutch C with the
shaft H. By this method of applying the power all strain except that
of torsion is taken off the shaft, and steady bearings are provided for
the pulley drum and shaft. The shaft II is formed with or has fast to it
within the body of the drum E oppositely (or equidistantly set)
arranged excentrics I, I, which serve to carry and operate toothed
wheels or discs J, J, of somewhat less diameter than the interior of the
body, and so that as the shaft H with its excentrics I, I, are revolved
the toothed discs J, J, will be caused to gear at constantly varying
points and on opposite sides, or at equidistant points simultaneously,
with an internal wheel or gear K fast to the peripherical portion of the
body of the drum. This internal gear has a greater number of teeth in
it than either of the toothed discs J, J, so that on rotating the shaft H
with its excentrics I, I, the discs J, J, will have a motion excentric to
the shaft around the interior of the drum, with which they always
continue in gear without rotating about their own axes, and will thereby
communicate motion to the drum equal to the difference in the number
of teeth in either disc and drum or internal gear K of the latter. Thus,
if the internal gear K have one more tooth in it than either disc J, then
for each revolution of the shaft H the drum will be moved the distance
of a tooth in the gear K. The toothed discs J, J, are supported and
guided in their action by rollers d, d, carried by internal heads or
flanges of the stationary sleeves F, F, and arranged to pass through
circular openings e, e, made in the discs. By the employment of these
oppositely or equidistantly set excentrics I, I, and the independent
toothed discs J, J, the working parts are balanced, one-sided action is
avoided, friction is reduced, and gear constantly established with the
internal teeth of the wheel K at equidistant points, whereby the strain
upon the teeth is largely distributed, an effective application of the
driving power is communicated to the drum, and the latter is held at
equidistant points by the toothed discs against slipping or moving in
either direction (except when the shaft H is rotated), thus materially
adding to the safety of the hoisting apparatus. Although two
excentrics I, I, and toothed discs J, J, are here shewn, it will be
obvious that three or more excentrics arranged at equal distances from
each other around the shaft and carrying a corresponding number of
toothed discs may be used.

page_text: The hoisting rope or ropes may be fastened at their one end to the
drum and be wound or unwound thereon to raise and lower the car or
travelling platform, but it is preferred to employ two or more inde-
pendent ropes or chains arranged to pass freely or loosely over the drum
and connected at their one end to the car dummy or platform, and at
their opposite end to a counterpoise weight, so that on rotating the drum
the car dummy or platform will be raised or lowered by the friction of
the drum upon the ropes. Thus in the Drawing there are represented
four independent hoisting ropes L, L, arranged and connected as
described with the car C and a counterpoise D. Each of these ropes is
designed to be of sufficient strength to carry the counterpoise and car
with its load, so that in case of any one rope breaking there still will be
a number of ropes left, each of sufficient strength to bear an ordinary
load or strain, and should only one unbroken rope or chain remain the
apparatus will still be in working condition. To automatically adjust
or equalize the strain upon these several ropes or chains the body of the
drum has arranged upon and around it a series of rings M, M, placed
in juxtaposition side by side, but capable of movement in direction of
the length of said body, and fitted to slide thereon by means of keys or
feathers ff. These rings M, M, are made tapering at their sides to
form between them V shaped grooves in which to receive the ropes L, L,
and they are of toothed or serrated construction on the inner portions of
their sides as at g, g, whereby these rings are free to fit one within the
other, so that in case of any extreme or deep fit of a rope within the
groove formed by an adjacent pair of rings, caused by breakage of the
other ropes or otherwise, such remaining rope will be prevented from
passing down between said rings into contact with the body of the drum.
The independent sliding action or fit of the rings M, M, on the body of
the drum in direction of the length of the latter provides for the
automatic adjustment of the several ropes L, L, to equalize the strain by
admitting of the ropes varying their depth of insertion or position
between the rings, according to the excess of strain on one rope over
another, and according to any variation or differences in the length or
thickness of the ropes.

page_text: b
and b, b, of the guide posts. Thus the car C or counterpoise D is
constructed to grasp the grooved guides a, a, b, b, as by hooked-shaped
lips h, h, (see Fig. 3), and each or either carries levers N, N, working on
fulcra i, i. These levers are connected at their inner end by a link or
otherwise with a piece or beam k to which the ends of the ropes are
attached in any suitable manner, either directly or indirectly. Each of
these levers N, N, has connected with its outer end a free or loosely
attached friction block 7 (seen best at Fig. 1), of an inclined or wedge-
shape on its back, and which when tension is applied to the hoisting
ropes, as in raising or lowering the car under ordinary circumstances,
will exert no friction on the faces of the guides a or 6 by reason of the
raised condition of the inner end of each lever N-keeping the friction
block down, or allowing of it to remain down free from binding contact
with the support at its back, and which may be a loose roller m arranged
In case
between the back of the friction block and a fixed incline n.
however of any sudden stoppage in the motion of the car or counter-
poise, or of the breakage of the ropes, then the weight of the piece or
beam k and any additional weight connected therewith, aided if desired
by a springs to make the action lively, causes' the inner end of each
lever N to be depressed, and the outer end thereof to be raised and
to suddenly throw or jerk upwards the friction block connected with it,
and by the wedge shape of the back of the block causing the roller m to
be lifted up or against and over the fixed incline n, thereby inducing a
binding action on the back of the friction block and pressure of it
against the face of the guides a or b. This pressure is increased and
rendered effective by the weight of the car or counterpoise acting
through the stationary incline (passing down over the roller) causing the
car or counterpoise, or both, to be firmly held against dropping. The
guide posts A, A, and B, B, however are relieved of the strain thus
induced, and the guides a, a, b, b, being supported at their backs in the
event of any springing of the guides by the lips h, h, of the car or
counterpoise, the outward pressure against the posts is changed into a
gripping action upon the guides. On tension being again applied to the
hoisting rope or ropes the friction blocks or wedges and rollers at their
backs are automatically relieved, and the gripping pressure on the guides
of the posts by the friction blocks removed.

page_text: carrying the same into effect, I claim as the Invention secured to me by
Letters Patent as aforesaid,-
First. The combination of the car or platform, hoisting drum, hoisting
rope or chain, and the counterpoise, substantially as herein described,
whereby the power applied to the drum is made to effect the hoisting
by the friction of the drum on the rope superinduced by the weight of
the latter with its attached car dummy or platform and counterpoise.
Second. The combination of the freely or independently hung drum E,
with the stationary sleeves F, F, and independent driving, shaft H,
essentially as shewn and described with reference to Figures 2, 4, and 6.
Third. The safety drum or wheel provided with reversely or equi-
distantly set excentrics on an independent central driving shaft, and
toothed discs or wheels for joint operation, with an internal gear
connected with the body of the drum, substantially as specified with
reference to Figures 2 and 4.
Fourth. The combination of the guiding and supporting rollers d
with the double flanged stationary sleeves F, F, essentially as herein
described.
Fifth. The arrangement of a pulley, friction, or toothed wheel upon a
stationary hollow bearing or sleeve, through which passes the shaft for
transmitting power to or from the pulley or wheel, whereby the working
shaft is relieved from all strain except that of the direct torsion to which
it is exposed, substantially as herein specified.
Sixth. The combination of two or more hoisting ropes with indepen-
dent longitudinally sliding rings arranged around the body of the drum,
essentially as and for the purpose herein set forth.
Seventh. The combination with the fixed guides a and b, or either, or
their equivalents and the car' dummy, platform, or counterpoise weight
moving up and down the same, and constructed to grasp the guides of
the friction blocks or wedges 1, 1, and hoisting rope levers N, N, sub-
stantially as herein specified.
Eighth. The combination of the free or loose rollers m, m, and
inclines n, n, with the friction blocks or wedges 1, 1, the hoisting
rope levers N, N, the car or body carried by the hoisting rope and fixed

page_text: guides up the hoistway constituting the safety attachment, as shewn and
described with reference to Figures 1 and 3.
In witness whereof, I, the said William Edward Newton, have here-
unto set my hand and seal, the Fifth day of September, in the
year of our Lord One thousand eight hundred and seventy-two.