and the like.
Year: 1886

page_text: and the like.
I, WILLIAM PHILLIPS THOMPSON Fel. Inst. P.A. of the Agency for Foreign
Patent Solicitors 6, Lord Street, Liverpool in the County of Lancaster and
323 High Holborn in the County of Middlesex, Civil Engineer, do hereby declare
the nature of this invention (communicated from abroad by Thomas Kerr of
the City, County and State of New York, in the United States of America,
Mechanician) and in what manner the same is to be performed, to be particularly
described and ascertained in and by the following statement:-
This invention consists principally of a cable grip provided with means for
lifting the cable from the sheaves on which it runs up to and between the jaws of
the grip.
The invention also consists in the employment of swinging jaws for grasping the
cable, and also of the means for operating the jaws; also in providing the jaws
with horizontally pivoted wheels to grasp the cable and start the car, before the
main jaws grasp the cable. It is preferable to use opening and closing wheels for
lifting the cable and these together with the means for opening and closing them,
and means for raising and lowering them, also constitute a part of the invention.
The invention consists finally of the construction, arrangement, and combination
of parts all as hereinafter described and claimed.
Reference is to be had to the accompanying drawings forming a part of this
specification, in which similar letters of reference indicate corresponding parts in
all the figures.
Figure 1 is a side elevation of the new and improved grip, showing the lifting
wheels below the cable ready for lifting it.
Figure 2, is an edge view of the same, showing the lifting wheel lowered and
open.
Figure 3 is a similar view showing the lifting wheels closed below the cable
ready for lifting it.
Figure 4 is an edge view showing the position of the parts of the grip after the
cable has been raised and grasped by the jaws of the grip.
Figure 5 is a tranverse sectional elevation taken on the line x-x of Figure 1.

page_text: Figure 6 is a sectional plan view taken on the line y―y of Figure 1, and Figure 7
is a similar plan view of the plate E.
Figure 8 is an enlarged front elevation of one of the jaws of the grip.
Figure 9 is a detail sectional view of the grip closed on the cable the two jaws
being sectioned on slightly different planes.
Figure 10 is a plan view of the plate J¹.
Two parallel rods A A are employed, held in hangers forming a part of, or
attached to the inner frame pieces B, B, and on these rods A A are hinged,
preferably by means of the hooks a a, the jaws C C of the grip. The jaws C
(see Figure 5) are each composed of a shell c of wrought, cast, or sheet iron filled
with a filling c¹ of wood, lead, brass, vegetable fiber, leather or other soft metal, or
non metallic material, so that the jaws will present a grasping surface to the
cable W which will not materially abrade or chafe it. The jaws Care suspended
from the said parallel rods A A, between the sets of lifting devices or wheels D D₁
and their connections, which lifting devices are adapted to be opened and closed
and lowered and raised for lifting the cable W from the position shown in
Figures 1, 2, and 3, where it rests upon the sheaves of the road to the position
shown in Figures 4 and 5, and in dotted lines in Figure 8 where it comes between
the jaws CC in position to be grasped by them. The jaws C, C, are operated
for causing them to grasp and release the cable W, by a vertically movable hinge
and toggle arrangement, consisting in this instance of the two toggle rods or con-
nections b, b, attached to the jaws and crossed and hinged at their upper ends to
the hinge plate E shown clearly in Figure 7. The hinge plate E is attached to, or
formed with the vertically movable rod or plate F, so that when this rod F is lifted,
the plate E will also be raised which will cause toggle rods or levers bb, to draw
the jaws C, C, together, and cause them to grasp the cable firmly. When the
rod F is lowered, the plate E will also be lowered, which will cause the toggle rods
or levers b b to spread the jaws C and release the cable.
The wheels D, D¹, are journaled on gudgeons or short shafts attached to the
lower ends of the arms or plates d, d, which are hinged by pins or bolts e, e, to the
plates G, attached to the vertically movable rods or plates H, H, so that by raising
and lowering the rods or plates H, the wheels D D₁ will accordingly be raised and
lowered that is lowered to a position just below the cable W, as shown in
Figures 1, 2, and 3, and raised to the position, shown in Figures 4 and 5.
At the time the wheels D, D¹ are lowered they are opened or spread away
from each other to straddle the cable W, as shown in full lines in Figure 2,
and before they are raised, they are brought together below the cable, as shown in
Figure 3, so that when raised they will lift the cable up between the jaws C, C.
For operating the wheels D, D₁ in this manner, that is, for opening and closing
them in this instance a vertically moveable hinge and toggle arrangement is
employed, consisting of the toggle levers f, f, and the hinge plate J' attached to the
lower end of the vertically movable bar or plate J. The levers f. f, are attached at
their lower ends to the suspending arms or plates d, d, and then crossed and hinged
at their upper ends to the plate J1, so that when the rod or plate J is forced down-
ward, levers f will act to spread the wheels D, D¹ and when raised will act to close
or draw them together. The plate J, works between the two vertically movable
plates H, and reaches down through an opening ; in plate G to the plate J', so
that the latter plate is held immediately below the plate G..
In the jaws C, C, are journaled, in the openings c2, c³, the horizontal wheels K, K,
preferably two in each jaw, the wheels in one jaw being placed opposite to those
in the other, and the wheels are concaved at the edges as shown in the drawings,
to fit and grasp the cable, and the concaved edges of the wheels K reach into the
grooves c³, c³, made in the 6lling material c¹ of the jaws to receive the cable, so
that the wheels when the jaws are closed will grasp the cable first; and in order
to permit the rollers K to yield and allow the jaws themselves to close upon the
cable, their bearings are elongated and rubber or other spring k, placed in the same
as shown in Figure 9. By this construction the wheels will be forced outward by

page_text: the spring with sufficient force to grasp the cable and start the car and then (the
car being started) the jaws will be closed so that the solid portion of the jaws will
grasp the cable with a "dead" grasp and effect a very secure and firm grip on the
cable, so that there will be no danger of the cable slipping. The wheels K serve
as a yielding or rolling grasp, so that the car partakes of the motion of the cable
gradually and these wheels prevent the cable from being marred and injured by
the jaws.
The hollow frames L together with the frame pieces B will be secured to the
bottom of the car by suitable timbers, and the bars or plates F, H and J, pass up
through the frames B. L so that they may be raised and lowered by levers and
connections above the frame L which are not shown as they form no part of the
present invention.
In order that no difficulty may be experienced with the grip in passing curves
in the track and cable, hinges B B and L' L' are formed in the frame pieces B
and L respectively as shown in Figure 1, so that the elevating and gripping
mechanism may swing to the right or left to take and follow the cable inde-
pendent of the main body of the main frame of the grip.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of the said
Invention and in what manner the same is to be performed, as communicated to
me by my foreign correspondent, I declare that what I claim is :-
1. The combination with the jaws or grasping device of a cable grip and
a vertically movable lifting device of toggle levers for opening and closing the
lifting device, substantially as and for the purposes set forth.
2. The combination with lifting wheels and hinged arms carrying the same, of
a sliding bar and toggle levers connected to said bar and hinged arms, substantially
as herein shown and described.
3. The lifting device D, D¹ attached to the arms d, hinged to the plate G in
combination with the toggle levers f, f, attached to the arms d and plate J¹
attached to the vertically movable rod J, whereby the lifting devices may be
opened and closed, by raising and lowering the rod J, substantially as described.
4. The hinged arms d d carrying lifting devices D D¹ at their lower ends, and
hinged at their upper ends to the plate G.attached to vertically movable rods H,
in combination with vertically movable bar J, plates J¹, and toggle levers ƒ ƒ
hinged to plate J' and to arms d, whereby movement of rod J, will open and close
lifting devices D D, and vertical movement of plates H will raise or lower the
whole lifting device substantially as described.
5. The grasping jaws C, formed by a shell c with a filling c', of soft metal, or
non-metallic substance, substantially as and for the purposes described.
6. The combination with the jaws C of the yielding grasping wheels K, journaled
in the said jaws, substantially as for the purpose set forth.
7. The jaws C, hinged upon or suspended from suitable rods A in combination
with the vertically movable rod F, plate B, and toggle levers b, hinged to the jaws
and plate E, substantially as and for the purposes set forth.
8. The frame pieces B and L formed with hinges B and L¹, respectively in
combination with the main body of the frame and the elevating and gripping
mechanism, whereby the grip will follow the curves of the cable, substantially as
described.