Improvements in Elevators or Lifts.
Year: 1889

page_text: Date of Application, 15th Oct., 1889
Complete Specification Left, 13th Jan., 1890-Accepted, 15th Mar., 1890
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in Elevators or Lifts.
We, SETH KING HUMPHREY, of Huron in the County of Beadle (Manufacturer)
and WILLIAM TENNANT of Aberdeen in the County of Brown, (Merchant) both in the
State of South Dakota, United States of America, do hereby declare the nature of
this invention to be as follows :-
This improvement relates to passenger elevators such as shewn and described in
United States Letters Patent No. 375,293, dated December 20th 1887.
The object of the present invention is to provide a new and improved passenger
elevator more especially designed for mills and factories, to be used by employees.
The elevator consists essentially of a pair of endless travelling chains passing
over sprocket wheels mounted in bearings in the upper and lower storey of the
building respectively and which are driven by power through suitable gearing
applied to the upper shaft. The shaft to which the lower sprocket wheels or
pulleys are attached are mounted to turn in vertically adjustable bearings held in
standards. secured to the lower floor of the building, so as to take up any wear or
slack of the endless chains or belts. On the chains are secured at suitable intervals,
longitudinally extending bars each supporting a self-reversing platform provided on
two opposite sides with lugs fitting on to the inner edges of U-shaped guide bars
secured on correspondingly shaped vertical beams fastened on the wood work of the
building in which the elevator is located. The two beams are connected with each
other by horizontal brackets of which any desired number is employed according
to the distance between the shafts of the chains. The inner ends of the U-shaped
guides project somewhat over the inner edges of the beams and the upper end of
each guide bar is semi-circular having its centre in the upper shaft. The lower ends
of the said guide bars terminate a short distance below the lower shaft. Each of
the bars supporting the platforms, is provided with guide lips projecting over the
outer and inner edges respectively of each guide bar so as to prevent said bars from
having sidewise movement, and each platform is supported from its corresponding bar
by means of U-shaped rods pivotally connected.at their ends with the sides of the
platform and mounted to swing at their middle parts in castings each secured by a
bolt to the bar. The rods have their middle parts located one above the other, and
the lower ends of the bars are pivotally connected with the sides of the platform in
such a manner that when the platform is swung on the opposite side at an angle of
180° the outermost bar becomes the innermost bar and at the same time the platform
again stands in a horizontal position. Thus, the platforms, when reversed, assume
the same horizontal position that they had previously. At the same time their
outermost lugs engage the projecting sides of the guide bars so as to prevent sidewise
motion of the platform. Each bar is provided with pivoted weighted dogs fulcrumed
on horizontal bolts projected rearwardly from the bar. These dogs have an eccentric
or cam face serrated to engage the projecting side pieces of the corresponding bar
when on the ascending movement. On the descending movement, the weighted ends
of the dogs cause the same to assume a vertical position. By this construction,
should the chain break, the dogs on the ascending side will hold the elevator in a
suspended position and thereby prevent the possibility of the accidental fall of the
elevator. The driving belt is shifted from the fast pulley to. the loose pulley and
vice versa, by means of a fork fastened on a horizontal bar mounted to slide
transversely in suitable bearings. In the middle of the bar are fastened the ends of
a rope passing over pulleys at the upper end and also passing over pulleys held on the
outside of one of the vertical beams near its lower end. From the rope extends a
short connecting, rope fastened to the free end of the lever, fulcrumed on the beam at

page_text: the top and extending in front of the elevator in such a manner as to give sufficient
room for the passage of the platforms.
The operation is as follows;-When the belt is on the fast pulley a continuous rotary
motion is imparted to the driving shaft and a continuous travelling motion is imparted
to the chains or belts. The endless chains or belts carry along the several bars
supporting the platforms so that the latter ascend on one side of the elevator and
descend on the other. When the ascending platforms pass over the sprocket wheels
or pulleys, said platforms will swing downward on their bars so as to assume a
horizontal position similar to that which they had previously. Employees stepping on
an ascending platform are carried upward to whatever floor they desire and at the
same time other employees may travel downward to a lower floor by stepping on one
of the descending platforms. If an employee on an ascending platform desires to stop
the elevator he pulls upward on that part of the rope located nearest the said ascending
platform and the belt is shifted from the fast pulley to the loose pulley and the rotary
motion of the shafts is interrupted. When an employee standing on a descending
platform desires to stop the elevator, he pulls downward on that part of the rope
closest to the descending platform to accomplish the same result as above described.
Wheh the elevator is stopped and an employee desires to start again the rope is pulled
down or up according to whether the employee is standing on an ascending or
descending platform. If an employee standing on an ascending platform forgets to get
off, his head will strike against the lever above mentioned so that the latter will swing
upward and exert an upward pull on the rope in a manner similar to the pull which
would have been exerted if the operator had pulled on the corresponding part of the
rope so as to shift the belt from the fast pulley to the loose pulley. In case of accident,
the end of the weighted pawl will impinge on the edge of the projecting side of the
guide bar so that a downward motion of the usually ascending platforms is prevented.
Dated this 15th day of October 1889.
S. K. HUMPHREY.
W. TENNANT.
By A. M. & Wm. Clark,
53, Chancery Lane, London, Patent Agents.
COMPLETE SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in Elevators or Lifts.
We, SETH KING HUMPHREY, of Huron in the County of Beadle (Manufacturer)
and WILLIAM TENNANT, of Aberdeen in the County of Brown (Merchant) both in the
State of South Dakota, United States of America, 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 improvement relates to passenger elevators, such as shown and described in
United States Letters Patent No. 375,293, dated December 20th 1887.
The object of the present invention is to provide a new and improved passenger
elevator, more especially designed for mills and factories, to be used by employees.
The Invention will be fully described with reference to the accompanying drawings,
forming part of this specification, in which figure 1 is a side elevation of the improve-
ment. Figure 2 is a front elevation of the same. Figure 3 is a sectional plan view of
the guide frame. Figure 4 is an enlarged side elevation of the guide frame and
platform. Figure 5 is a front elevation of the same. Figure 6 is a sectional plan
view of the same, on line x-x figure 5, and figures 7 and 7* are detail views of the
safety dog hereinafter referred to. Similar letters of reference indicate corresponding
parts in all the figures.
A is the main driving shaft of the elevator mounted to rotate in suitable bearings
attached to a longitudinal beam A' in the upper storey of a building in which the
elevator is located, B and C are the fast and loose pulleys, and D the driving belt,
E is a worm which meshes with a worm wheel F secured on a longitudinal shaft G

page_text: mounted to rotate in suitable bearings secured on the beam A¹. On the shaft G are
fastened one or more sprocket wheels or pulleys H over which pass corresponding
chains or belts I extending downward through the several floors of the building and
passing over sprocket wheels or pulleys J secured on a shaft K mounted to turn in
vertically-adjustable bearings L held in standards N secured to the lower floor of the
building. The bearings L are vertically adjustable in the standards N by means of
screws O, as is plainly shewn in figures 1 and 2. The bearings are made adjustable,
so as to take up any wear or slack of the endless chains or belts I. On the chains I
are secured, at suitable intervals, longitudinally extending bars P each supporting a
self-reversing platform Q provided on two opposite sides with lugs Q1 fitting on to the
inner edges of U-shaped guide bars R secured on correspondingly-shaped vertical
beams R fastened on the woodwork of the building in which the elevator is located.
The beam A¹ previously mentioned passes through the beams R¹. The two beams R¹
are connected with each other by horizontal brackets R², of which any desired number
is employed according to the distance between the shafts G and K. The inner
ends R³ of the U-shaped guides R project somewhat over the inner edges of the
beams R, as is plainly shewn in figures 3 and 6. The upper end of each guide bar R
is semi-circular, having its centre in the shaft G. The lower ends of the said guide
bars R terminate a short distance below the shaft K. Each of the bars P is provided
with guide lips P¹ and P2 projecting over the outer and inner edges respectively of
each guide bar R so as to prevent said bars P from having sidewise movement. Each
platform Qis supported from its corresponding bar P by means of U-shaped rods S
and Spivotally connected at their ends with the sides of the platform Q and mounted
to swing at their middle parts in castings T each secured by a bolt T¹ to the bar P.
The bars S and S¹ have their middle parts located one above the other, as is plainly
shewn in figures 4 and 5. The lower ends of the bars are pivotally connected with
the sides of the platform Q in such a manner that when the platform is swung on the
opposite side at an angle of 180°, the outermost bar becomes the innermost bar and at
the same time the platform again stands in a horizontal position as shewn in figure 4.
Thus, it will be seen that the platforms Q, when reversed, assume the same horizontal
position that they had previously. At the same time the outermost lugs Q¹ engage
the projecting sides R³ of the guide bars R so as to prevent sidewise motion of the
platform Q. At the rear of each bar P are pivoted weighted dogs U, fulcrumed on
horizontal bolts T¹ projected rearwardly from the bar P. These dogs, which are
clearly illustrated in figures 7 and 7, are each provided with an eccentric or cam
face I the end faces of which are provided with fine serrations 2 which engage the
projecting side pieces R³ of the corresponding bar R, when on the ascending
movement. When on the descending movement, the weighted ends of the dogs will
cause the same to assume a vertical position, as shewn in figure 7. By this con-
struction it will be seen that, should the chain break, the dogs on the ascending side
will, through their peculiar cam face, bind against the sides R and hold the elevator
in a suspended position and thereby prevent the possibility of the accidental fall of
the elevator. The driving belt D is shifted from the fast pulley B to the loose
pulley C, and vice-versa, by means of a fork D¹ engaging the said belt D. The
fork D¹ is fastened on a horizontal bar D³ mounted to slide transversely in suitable
bearings secured to the beam A. In the middle of the bar 'D' are fastened the ends
of a rope V passing over pulleys V₁ secured on the beam A¹ and also passing over
pulleys V2 held on the outside of one of the vertical beams R¹ near its lower end, as is
plainly shewn in figure 1. From the rope V extends a short connecting rope W,
fastened to the free end of the lever W¹ fulcrumed on the beam A' and extending in
front of the elevator in such a manner as to give sufficient room for the passage of the
platforms Q.
The operation is as follows;-When the belt D is over the fast pulley Ba
continuous rotary motion is imparted to the driving shaft A. The latter, by its
worm E imparts a rotary motion through the worm wheel F to the shaft G which by
its sprocket wheels or pulleys H imparts a continuous travelling motion to the chains
or belts I in the direction of the arrows a'. The continuous motion of the endless

page_text: chains or belts I carries along the several bars P supporting the platforms Q so that
the latter ascend on one side of the elevator and descend on the other, in the direction
of the arrows a¹ as is plainly shewn in figure 1. When the ascending platforms pass
over the sprocket wheels or pulleys H, said platforms will swing downward on their
bars S and S¹ so as to assume a horizontal position similar to that which they had
previously. Employees stepping on an ascending platform are carried upward to
whatever floor they desire and at the same time other employees may travel downward
to a lower floor by stepping on one of the descending platforms. If an employee on an
ascending platform desires to stop the elevator, he pulls upward on that part of the
rope V located nearest the said ascending platform. This upward pull causes a sliding
of the bar D² in the direction of the arrow b¹ so that the helt D is shifted from the
fast pulley B to the loose pulley C and the rotary motion of the shafts E and G is
interrupted. When an employée standing on a descending platform desires to stop
the elevator, he pulls downward on that part of the rope
closest to the descending
platform to accomplish the same result as above described. When the elevator is
stopped and an employée desires to start again, the rope V is pulled down or up
according to whether the employee is standing on an ascending or descending
platform. If an employee standing on an ascending platform forgets to get off, his
head will strike against the lever W₁ so that the latter will swing upward and exert
an upward pull on the rope V in a manner similar to the pull which would have been
exerted if the operator had pulled on the corresponding part of the rope. The belt D
is then shifted from the fast pulley B to the loose pulley C and the motion of the
elevator is interrupted. In case of accident, the sharp end 1 of the weighted pawl U
will impinge on the edge of the projecting side R³ of the guide bar R so that a
downward motion of the usually-ascending platforms is prevented.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of the said inven-
tion and in what manner the same is to be performed, we declare that what we
claim is ;-
1. In a passenger elevator or lift the combination, with a travelling endless chain,
of bars held on the said chain at suitable intervals, rods pivoted on each of the said
bars one above the other and a platform pivoted on the lower ends of the said rods,
substantially as shewn and described.
2. In a passenger elevator or lift, the combination, with a travelling endless chain,
of bars held on the said chain at suitable intervals, rods pivoted on each of the said
bars one above the other, platforms pivoted on the lowermost ends of the said rods
and fixed guide plates against which one end of each of the said platforms rests,
substantially as shewn and described.
3. In a passenger elevator or lift, the combination, with the travelling endless
chain, the vertical guide bars and the transverse bars hung on the endless chain at
suitable intervals, said transverse bars provided with guide lips projecting over the
outer edges of the vertical guide bars, of rods pivoted one above the other on each of
said transverse bars, and a platform pivoted on the lower ends of said rods, sub-
stantially as, and for the purpose, described.
4. In a passenger elevator or lift, the combination, with a travelling chain, of bars
held on the said chain at suitable intervals, a self-reversing platform hung on each of
said bars, fixed guide plates against which rests one end of each of the said platforms,
and gravity catches pivoted on the inner end of each of said transverse bars, said
catches having cam faces adapted to normally engage the fixed guide plates on the
ascending side of the elevator and adapted to swing from contact with the guide
plates when on the descending side, all arranged substantially as and for the purpose
described.
5. In a passenger elevator or lift, the combination, with the upper and lower drive
shafts carrying sprocket wheels, an endless chain passing over said sprocket wheels,
said chain carrying self-reversing platforms, a worm secured on the upper drive shaft,
a worm wheel meshing into said worm, a shaft carrying said worm wheel provided
with a loose and a fast pulley, and the stopping and starting rope, of a belt-shifter

page_text: operating over the said fast and loose pulleys, a rope connecting the said shifter and
starting and stopping rope, a lever pivoted to the frame of the elevator projected over
the path of the platforms, and a rope connecting the free end of said fever with the
starting and stopping rope, said lever arranged for contact with the body of the
ascending passenger, substantially as, and for the purpose, described.
Dated this 12th date of Inn1900
S. K. HUMPHREY.
WM. TENNANT.
By A. M. & Wm. Clark,
53, Chancery Lane, London, Patent Agents.