Year: 1897

page_text: We GERALD BUTLER BEERE of the Thames in the Provincial District of
Auckland and Colony of New Zealand Civil and Mining Engineer and DENNIS
GILMORE MACDONNELL of the City of Auckland in the said Provincial District
of Auckland and Colony of New Zealand Gentleman do hereby declare the nature
of this invention and in what manner the same is to be performed to be particu-
larly described and ascertained in and by the following statement:--
The Automatic Loading Platform consists of a traveller a little over a quadrant
of a circle which runs on a tramway line of half a circle laid down on a bench.
At the forward end of the traveller there is a subplatform to which a delivery tray
is hinged the hinges being about in line with its centre of equilibrium when at
rest for being loaded. Immediately abutting on to and somewhat higher than
the subplatform is a larger platform which is stationary with an upper decking on
to which the material to be placed in the delivery tray is deposited. An alterna-
tive method of filling the delivery tray in the shape of an overhead shoot to be
regulated as required can be used if found to be more suitable. Immediately
beneath the forward part of the traveller is a rack so placed that when connected
with a pinion by an action which will be presently explained the traveller moves
forward carrying with it the delivery tray already filled which by the action of a
pulley attached to its back running on a tip rail is tipped up so that in moving
forward and until stopped it continues to empty its load into the bucket beneath
it travelling at the same speed as will be described directly. Under the back part
of the traveller is another rack (placed lower down than the front rack) which
when connected with another pinion-this action at the same time disconnecting
the first named rack and pinion-causes the traveller to return to its starting point
carrying with it the delivery tray now emptied which is restored to an horizontai
position by the action of the pulley and tip rail above referred to and made ready
to be again filled and carried forward as described. The traveller may be made
either of wood or iron but to run as light as possible as it has only the weight of
the material in the delivery tray to carry say about four and a half to five
hundredweight and that only a short distance before being fully delivered into the
buckets. The rail wheels of the tramway line can be iron castings and must
revolve independently of one another the axles will be rigid as each wheel has to

page_text: travel according to the length of the inner and outer circle of the rails over which
it runs. The rails are made of light steel and fastened to sleepers laid on a tram-
way bench. The axles of the wheels are fastened to the traveller. The bucket
already referred to is attached to a wire or other cable passing round a grip drum
distant from the traveller about eighteen inches and when brought three quarters
of the way beneath the delivery tray bears down a shunting gear lever which acts
so as to connect the top forward rack with the pinion already referred to and so
sends the traveller forward as described at a corresponding rate with the grip
drum. This equality of motion arises from the fact that the shaft on which the
grip drum rotates turns a bevel gear which transmits through another shaft the
same rate of speed through one drum by means of belting or link gear to another
drum connected with the pinion previously mentioned and through it to the rack
and in this way the forward movement of the delivery tray corresponds exactly
with that of the bucket thus allowing the load on the delivery tray to be evenly
transferred to the bucket before they part company. This severance is brought
about by an adjustment on the top forward rack placed there for the purpose.
The bucket now loaded passes on with the cable and immediately touches a second
shunting gear lever which brings into play the reversing lower back rack and so
carries the traveller back with the empty delivery tray ready to be again loaded.
The grip drum has a cast iron socket centre to hold six arms of timber with nine
by nine inch clear openings to receive the ends of the timber arms the length of
which will be determined by the diameter of the drum required. Each arm is
fitted into the periphery and connected together by two complete and continuous
bands of iron one on each side of the timber work and securely bolted when in
place. The intermediate parts of the periphery are built in between the arms
with radiating joints from the centre with the grain of the timber running from
towards the centre of the drum outwards each projection consists of one solid
block shaped according as shown on the drawing herewith and neatly fitted with
a hard wood tongue two by three inches inserted tightly in the middle of each
block joint when fitting. The shaft for the drum is four inches square made of
bar iron on which the centre casting is secured. The V shaped opening on each
projection is cut six inches wide at the points four inches deep in the centre and
with the bed three quarters of an inch wide for the cable to rest upon. Every
block of timber forming the rim of the drum to be close and tight jointed so that
a complete bridge will be presented to stand the strain of the wire cable while
passing round the drum with its load. The grain of the timber being by this
construction presented endwards to the cable it will resist the cutting influence
and retain a more firm grip of the cable. The depth of each serration being cut
four inches greater than the cable bed also increases the tenacity of the grip.
The drum is designed to carry the cable securely embedded within the groove with
the least chance of slipping. The serrations affording a better grip and giving
freedom of the clip of the bucket suspension rod to pass round without hindrance
or inconvenience.
The grip drum round which the cable passes has another drum at a convenient
distance beneath it called a bucket drum and worked by the same shaft. The
object of this bucket drum is to support and steady the bucket while receiving the
load from the delivery tray and to insure the bucket passing over the first shunting
lever and locking the bucket should it by accident remain unlocked after
delivering its last load.
The bucket drum is constructed in three parts and shaped to partly hold the
bucket on its way round the grip drum. The top part is made of six timber arms
radiating from a cast iron centre at an equal distance from one another they are
morticed into the timber segments forming the periphery of the drum and bolted
through from top to bottom. The segments are eight inches or more on face by
three inches or more thick lap jointed. Each joint secured by three bolts with
the nuts on the inside.
The bottom part is formed of a periphery of timber segments having the bottom

page_text: and inside sides at right angles to one another and the outside face concave to
fit round of bucket with a two inch ledge on the lower edge of the concavity.
The lap is jointed and bolted in a similar way to the top drum. No arms radiating
from the centre will be required for this periphery of a drum as it will be hung
from the top drum by battons four inches broad by one and a half inches thick
nailed to the inside of top and bottom drums the battons forming the middle
portion giving a trench or groove four or five inches broad by four inches deep
for the bucket hinge to fit into when the bucket is in contact with the bottom of
the drum. The only strain on the structure altogether will be the weight of the
bucket and its load of say five hundredweight (when the bucket is filled) therefore
no great strength is required.
All bolts to have flat heads countersunk to a level with the surface of the timber
and all nuts with washers on the inside of drums.
Attached and fastened to and resting on the upper part of the grip drum is a
break drum consisting of a periphery made of iron having a half flange on the
top extending outwards and a flange on the bottom extending outwards and
inwards. The outer flanges both top and bottom are sufficiently wide apart to
permit two widths of a rope to pass between them. This iron periphery can be as
near to the periphery of the rip drum as may be desired but will at all points be
equidistant from it. It is bolted to the arms of the grip drum through the inner
lower flange and is also shored to the arms by iron rods which renders it sufficiently
strong for the purpose it is required for. The object of this break drum is to
regulate the motion of the grip drum and hold it stationary when required. This
result is attained with a rope which has one end fastened to a joist placed on any
suitable part of the loading platform and passed twice round the iron periphery
and between its un-er and lower flanges and the other end is passed through a
pulley fixed on to the joist and round a capstan which is worked with the ordinary
handspike. By tightening or slackening this rope the speed at which the gri
drum moves can be regulated and the bucket held at any part required.
The construction and method of working this invention is more fully explained
by the figures shown on the drawings accompanying this specification which are
described as follows:-
Figure 1: Plan or horizontal view.
A to B represents the traveller while at rest.
C to D represents parts between grip drum, cable, bucket, delivery tray, sub-
platform and loading platform.
E represents grip drum.
F represents delivery tray.
Frepresents delivery tray tipped up.
G represents bucket.
H represents traveller.
I represents framework of traveller.
J represents top forward tooth rack.
K represents lower back tooth rack.
L represents position where delivery tray is completely emptied and traveller
stops.
M represents sleepers supporting steel rails.
N represents shunting lever for moving pinion h.
0 represents second shunting gear lever for moving pinion i.
P represents cable.
Qrepresents upper decking of platform.
R represents tip rail for pulley attached to delivery tray to run on.
S represents pulley attached to delivery tray to run on rail R and carry delivery
tray with it.
Trepresents runners to support cable.
U represents break drum which is fastened to grip drum E.

page_text: W represents capstan round which the other end of break drum rope z¹ is
passed.
d represents pulley through which break drum rope passes and which may be
set at any required angle.
PARTS OF GRIP DRUM E.
1 represents shaft with which drums E and X rotate being four inches square
this shaft also turns bevel gear Y.
2 represents cast iron socket centre.
3 represents openings to receive ends of timber arms 4.
4 represents timber arms.
5 represents periphery.
U represents bands of iron for binding timber arms 4 and blocks of wood 8.
7 represents extreme width between points of serrations.
8 represents solid blocks of wood forming projections or serrations.
represents hard wood tongues inserted between blocks 8 and between arms 4
and biocks 8.
"
Figure 2: Section of working gear of traveller and elevation of grip drum,
bucket drum, shafts, bevel gear and shunting gear between points C and D.
E represents grip drum.
F represents delivery tray.
F1 represents delivery tray tipped up.
G represents end section of bucket.
H represents traveller.
J represents top forward tooth rack.
K represents lower back tooth rack.
M represents sleepers supporting steel rails.
N represents shunting gear lever for connecting pinion h with rack J.
P represents cable.
Qrepresents upper decking of loading platform.
R represents tip rail for pulley attached to delivery tray to run on.
S represents pulley attached to delivery tray to run on rail R and carry delivery
tray with it.
T represents runners to support cable.
U represents break drum fastened to grip drum E.
V represents joist to which one end of break drum rope z¹ is attached.
W represents-capstan round which the other end of break drum rope z¹ is passed.
X represents bucket drum which supports buckets while receiving their loads
from delivery tray.
Y represents bevel gear turned by shaft 1.
Z represents shaft turned by bevel gear Y and turning drum b.
Z represents winch for starting or stopping shaft Z.
represents floor.
6 represents drum driven by shaft Z.
c represents tramway bench supporting sleepers M to which steel rails are
fastened.
d represents pulley through which break drum rope 21
set at any required angle.
e represents steel rails.
f represents rail wheels.
g represents drum driven by drum b.
h represents pinion to gear with rack J.
i represents pinion to gear with rack K.
j represents bobbin on bucket G.
kto k represents bottom of bracket G.
passes and which may be
7 to 7 represents spring passing round bottom of bucket G in the middle to close
up and lock the bottom k to k.

page_text: stances and the whole design can be enlarged or reduced as circumstances and
locality render desirable or necessary.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of our said inven-
tion, and in what manner the same is to be performed, we declare that what we
claim is:
First. The traveller as before described and illustrated by the accompanying
drawings.
Second. The delivery tray worked as described' and illustrated by the accom-
panying drawings.
Third. The bucket drum as before described and illustrated by the accompanying
drawings.
Fourth. The grip drum constructed and used as before described and illustrated
by the accompanying drawings.
Fifth. The combination of the whole of the different parts working together as
before described and illustrated by the accompanying drawings.
Dated this Fifteenth day of April 1897
G. B. BEERE.
D. G. MACDONNELL.
Witness to Signatures:
G. W. SASLAY,,
Solicitor,
-
Auckland, N.Z.
Day, Davies &. Hunt,.
Chartered Patent Agents,,
321, High. Holborn,, London,, W.C.,. Agents for, the Applicants.