IMPROVEMENTS IN AND APPERTAINING TO OVERHEAD AND OTHER SIMILAR TRAVELLING CRANES WORKED BY ENDLESS BAND, ROPE, OR WIRE, AND IN THE MODE OF APPLYING THE POWER FOR ACTUATING THE SAME.”
Year: 1878

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to Alfred Quayle, of Liverpool, in the County of Lancaster,
Engineer and Saw Mill Proprietor, for the Invention of "IMPROVEMENTS IN
AND APPERTAINING TO OVERHEAD AND OTHER SIMILAR TRAVELLING CRANES
WORKED BY ENDLESS BAND, ROPE, OR WIRE, AND IN THE MODE OF APPLYING
THE POWER FOR ACTUATING THE SAME.”
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said Alfred Quayle at the Office
of the Commissioners of Patents on the 4th March 1878.
ALFRED QUAYLE, of Liverpool, in the County of Lancaster, Engineer and Saw
Mill Proprietor. "IMPROVEMENTS IN AND APPERTAINING TO OVERHEAD AND OTHER
SIMILAR TRAVELLING CRANES WORKED BY ENDLESS BAND, ROPE, OR WIRE, AND IN
THE MODE OF APPLYING THE POWER FOR ACTUATING THE SAME."
In overhead and other similar travelling cranes as at present constructed, in which
frictional gearing is used, it is greatly desirable to use ✓ grooved friction wheels, as
by so doing considerable advantages are gained; it is to attain this important
advantage as well as others, and also to provide a simple and effective mode of
applying the power that this my Invention is designed. It consists in fixing the
sheave wheel acted upon by the endless rope or wire upon an axle running. in
bearings which are fixed upon a sliding carriage (moving upon a slide) in any
desirable manner. Upon the said axle I fix a (preferably V grooved) friction wheel
which works by frictional contact another similar friction wheel; this second friction
wheel also revolves in bearings fixed upon the said sliding carriage.
The sliding carriage is moved backwards and forwards upon the slide by means
of levers on a screw or their mechanical equivalent.
Above or below the two friction wheels (which I call the driver wheels), described
above, I fix another friction wheel preferably V grooved to correspond with the
other wheels (which I call the driven wheel) in such a position that by moving the
sliding carriage in either direction by means of levers or screw or their mechanical

page_text: equivalent, I bring one of the two driver wheels into working contact with the
driven wheel, turning it in whichever direction I may require it to run. From
the driven wheel which may thus by this Invention be made to revolve in either
direction I take the power to work the traveller; I employ three of the sliding
carriages, each with its rope or sheave wheel and two driver friction wheels, and
three of the driven friction wheels in order to obtain all the motions necessary for
an overhead travelling crane, viz., lifting and lowering the load, travelling it to
and fro transversely, travelling it to and fro longitudinally. Of course the principle
could be applied to travelling cranes if the engine communicating motion to the band,
wire, or rope, for driving them was placed above instead of below.
SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent filed by
the said Alfred Quayle in the Great Seal Patent Office on the 4th September
1878.
ALFRED QUAYLE, of Liverpool, in the County of Lancaster, Engineer and Saw
Mill Proprietor.
" IMPROVEMENTS IN AND APPERTAINING TO OVERHEAD AND OTHER
SIMILAR TRAVELLING CRANES WORKED BY ENDLESS BAND, ROPE, OR WIRE, AND IN
THE MODE OF APPLYING THE POWER FOR ACTUATING THE SAME.'
"
In overhead and other similar travelling cranes as at present constructed in which
frictional gearing is used, it is greatly desirable to use V grooved friction wheels, as
by doing so considerable advantages are gained; it is to attain this important
advantage as well as others, and also to provide a simple and effective mode of
applying the power that this my Invention is designed. It consists in fixing the
sheave wheel acted upon by the endless rope or wire upon an axle running in
bearings which are fixed upon a sliding carriage (moving upon a slide) in any
desirable manner. Upon the said axle I fix a (preferably V grooved) friction wheel
which works by frictional contact another similar friction wheel, this second friction
wheel also revolves in bearings fixed upon the said sliding carriage.
The sliding carriage is moved backwards and forwards upon the slide by means
of levers, or a screw or their mechanical equivalent.
Above (or below, as shewn in the Drawing) the two friction wheels (which I call the
"driver" wheels) described above I fix another friction wheel preferably V grooved
to correspond with the other wheels (which I call the "driven" wheel) in such a
position, that by moving the sliding carriage in either direction by means of levers
or screw or their mechanical equivalent, I bring one of the two driver wheels into
working contact with the driven wheel, turning it in whichever direction I may
require it to run. From the driven wheel, which may thus by this Invention be
made to revolve in either direction, I take the power to work the traveller; I
employ three of the sliding carriages, each with its rope or sheave wheel, and two
driver friction wheels, and one driven friction wheel, in order to attain all the
motions necessary for an overhead travelling crane, that is, lifting and lowering the
load; travelling it to and fro transversely; travelling it to and fro longitudinally.

page_text: Of course the principle could be applied to travelling cranes if the engine communi-
cating motion to the band, wire, or rope, for driving them was placed above instead
of below.
In the Drawing, in which Fig. 1 shews an end elevation of the traveller, and Fig. 2
a side elevation of part of same, the sliding carriages J, J, J, are moved on the slides
by means of bell cranks K, K, K, operated by the levers L, L, L, fixed at the end of
the traveller.
As before stated the three motions of the traveller are brought about by moving
the various three levers, and thus bringing the driven wheels in gear with the
driven wheels.
A1, A2, A3, are the main sheave wheels; B, B¹, guide pulleys at the ends of the
carriage.
The V wheel C' on the axle of A¹ serves to transmit motion to the other driver
wheel D', and by either of these wheels the driven wheel E¹ is operated in either
direction by one or the other being brought in frictional contact with it. This
wheel operates the ordinary gear for lifting or lowering the load.
The wheels C, D2, serve to operate the wheel E2 which works the wheels F and G
traversing the crab to and fro.
The wheels A³, C, D³, serve to operate E³ for working H and I for giving the
travelling motion to the traveller.
The various other details of the carriage are not intended to form part of the
Patent, and no claim is made for them, as they are well known.
Having now described my Invention and the best mode known to me of carrying
it into effect, I beg to state that what I believe to be new and desire to claim under
the herein-before in part recited Letters Patent is,-
1. The manufacture of overhead and similar travelling cranes worked by one or
more rapidly revolving ropes, with the axes of the sheave wheels receiving the motive
power capable of being moved backwards and forwards in a plane parallel to the
general direction of motion of the rope, and by being brought backward or forward
of actuating the crane in any desired direction as described.
2. The arrangement in overhead or similar travelling crane with frictional
gearing of the wheels used to reverse the motion, sliding or moving with a parallel
motion into gear and out of gear in the manner described or its mechanical
equivalent, so that even when grooved pulleys are used the surfaces shall always be
in conformity.
3. The combination of the driver wheels A1, A2, A3, and C1, C2, C³, sliding
carriages or their equivalent J, and bell cranks K, with the driven wheels E', E², E
or their mechanical equivalent, substantially as and for the purposes described.
In witness whereof, I, the said Alfred Quayle, have hereunto set my hand
and seal, this Twentieth day of August, in the year of our Lord One
thousand eight hundred and seventy-eight.
Witness,
WILLIAM P. THOMPSON,
British & Foreign Patent Agent,
6, Lord Street,
Liverpool.
10
ALFRED QUAYLE. (L.S.)