Year: 1888

page_text: I VERNON PETHERICK of Sydney in the Colony of New South Wales Engineer 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 principally to improvements in hydraulic elevators which are
termed "multiplying suspended elevators" for raising and lowering passengers and
freight but some parts of it may be applied to other elevators of any type and this
invention has been specially devised in order that the power given out from the
hydraulic cylinder may be conveniently multiplied or may be used in its direct and
simplest form as required in the actual working in order that the danger and
inconvenience at present entailed in actuating the valve or other power controlling
gear by gripping a stationary rope by hand while the car is moving will be entirely
obviated; and in order that the wear and tear of the lifting cables may be
considerably lessened.
These improvements in hydraulic and other elevators consist first in the com-
bination and arrangement with the multiplying running gear of means for gripping
or cutting out one or more of the falls or purchases of such gear and means for
allowing the tail fall or rope behind such gripping point to fall clear of the
rising gear and if required for keeping it taut-They consist secondly in actuating
the valve or other power controlling gear by means of two endless cords (one of
which is fixed to the car) reeved around separate pulleys at top and bottom of
the lift those at one end being geared together and connected to mechanism in
such a way that any difference in speed or relative position of said endless cords (and
which may be given by means of the loose hand cord) will be communicated to the
valve or other gear-They consist thirdly in the substitution for the ordinary wire
cables of elevators and other lifting machines of a series of independent single and
comparatively small wires or ribbons of suitable metal of square round or other
cross section.
But in order that this invention may be clearly understood I will describe the
same with reference to the drawings herewith in which Figure 1 is a diagrammatic

page_text: view of a multiplying power elevator having my improvements for gripping or
cutting out one or two falls or purchases-Figure 2 is a side elevation of an arrange-
ment of a multiplying elevator having my improvements for gripping one of the six
falls of the cable and thereby cutting out one two three four or five of said falls or
purchases and also having my improvements in power or valve controlling gear-
Figure 2 is an enlarged detail of the gripping or cutting out contrivance--Figure 3
is an elevation of a simpler form of elevator (in which the purchase is three to one)
having my improvements for gripping one of the falls and in this view I have shewn
the hydraulic cylinder as constructed with a differential piston and ram for working
said cylinder at full or at half power and as this latter is an arrangement in
common use in hydraulic machinery it is not necessary to further refer to it; in
Figure 3 a modified arrangement of the power or valve controlling gear is also
shewn Figures 4 and 5 are side and front views of a further modification of tho
power or valve controlling gear-In all the figures similar letters of reference
indicate like parts wherever they occur.
A is hydraulic cylinder-B the cable-C the cage-D the gripping or cutting out
cord-E the tiller or valve controlling cord and F endless cord fixed to cage-
A¹ is piston or ram-A² valve chamber-A³ fixed jaws-B¹ B and B are sets or pairs
of purchase pulleys. or sheaves-B guide sheaves-B weight-C₁ are skids or
guides D¹ guide pulleys-D3 sheave-D³ spindle-D cam bosses-D³ projections-
De levers push pieces-18 gripping wedge piece-D springs-E is slide bar
and pointer forming part of cord E and E2 and 3 pulleys-F and F are top and
bottom pulleys the latter being in toothed gearing or in frictional contact with
pulleys is weighted counterbalance-E³ loose lever--E connecting rod to
crank on valve actuating rod E7.
In Figures 4 and 5 the pulleys E2 and F3 instead of being in gear are placed side by
side and carry attached to them toothed wheels E and F and the lever E5 carries on
its end pinion E°.
It will be seen by the arrangement of gripping or cutting out device shewn that
one fall or purchase of the cable B will always be gripped by one or other of the
wedge pieces DB according to which of the projections is acting upon its lever De
and that these projections 15 may be caused to act upon their respective levers Do
by pulling cord D (which might be endless or be counterbalanced and may or may
not pass through the car) to turu sheave D2 when any of the falls or purchases of the
cable are gripped the weight B5 on the tail rope keeps the latter taut and carries it
clear of the travelling car &c.-It is obvious that instead of the cams an independent.
cord might be used for the gripper of each rope-In operation the necessary power
being supplied as well understood to cylinder A the power given forth from such
cylinder may be altered by gripping any one particular fall (as before described)
from the ratio of two to one to that of three to one or four to one or to five to one
or to six to one The attendant or passengers in the car having the pointer and a
printed indicator in front of them may work the valve and so direct or govern the car
by means of the cord E which travels at the same rate as the car being actuated by
means of the geared pulleys E2 and F2 the latter of which is revolved by means of
cord F fixed to the car C-The relative positions of the cords E and F and thus the
position of the valve is altered by moving cord E which thus causes its gear to wind
or travel round the gear on cord F-In Figures 4 and 5 it will be seen that any
difference of speed or relative position of cords E and F will be conveyed to pinion E
which will thus travel round wheels E8 and F8 and cause the lever to actuate the
valve as required-In Figure 3 the gripping or cutting out of a fall or purchase.of
the cable is effected by means of a modified arrangement of the gripping wedge as
plainly shown and the valve controlling gear has a modified arrangement of gear
between the two endless cords in which the motion is obtained by means of
what is termed a. "jack-in-the-box" gearing but the action in each case is just
the same.
With reference to the substitution of a number or series of comparatively small
independent wires there is no illustration as nothing more can be shown than is

page_text: described; at the ends I attach these wires to their work by means of small nuts as
"bicycle" nuts and strain them by the same means-The result is that instead of a
twisted circular or nearly circular cable which when one strand has worn out is
useless there is a cable whose individual parts may be replaced at any time.
I would have it understood that I do not confine myself to the precise mechanical
means by which my invention may be brought into practical use so long as the nature
of the same be retained but
Having thus particularly described and ascertained the nature of this invention
and the manner in which the same is to be carried into effect what I claim is :-
First. The combination and arrangement with the multiplying rumming gear or
cable of power elevators of means for gripping or cutting out one or more of the falls
or purchases and guiding the "tail" of the same clear of the other gear substantially
as herein described and explained.
"
Second. The combination and arrangement with the running gear of a multiplying
elevator of the gripping gears tail weights and actuating cords substantially as
herein described and explained and as illustrated respectively in Figures 2 and 2ª and
in Figure 3 of the drawings.
Third. A valve or other power controlling gear consisting essentially of two
endless cords one obtaining motion from the travelling elevator car and imparting
motion to the other and both connecting to mechanism in such a way that any
difference in relative position may be cominunicated as desired substantially as herein
described and explained.
Fourth. The combination and arrangement with an elevator car and with the valve
of its hydraulic cylinder of the valve controlling gears having two endless cords and
mechanism substantially as herein described and explained and as illustrated
respectively in Figures 2 and 2ª in Figure 3 and in Figures 4 and 5 of the
drawing.
Fifth. A cable for elevators and other lifting machinery consisting of a series of
independent comparatively thin metal wires or ribbons substantially as herein
described and explained.
Dated this Seventeenth day of October One thousand eight hundred and eighty