IMPROVEMENTS IN ELEVATORS OR LIFTS
Year: 1884

page_text: "
I, WILLIAM HENRY BECK of 115 Cannon Street in the City of London,
Consulting Engineer and Patent Agent do hereby declare the nature of my
invention for "IMPROVEMENTS IN ELEVATORS OR LIFTS" to be as follows:-
The improvements in elevators or lifts forming the subject of the present
invention comprise arrangements which simplify the action, economize labour and
avoid accidents.
The lift is formed as usual of a framework of metal or wood comprising two
uprights fixed in any suitable way and connected together at the top by a cross-
piece. This framework carries, at the sido of one of the uprights, the winch by
means of which the load placed in a box or cage is raised or lowered and delivered
to the various stages.
The winch is composed of a metal frame of shape and dimensions suitable for
carrying two parallel shafts one of which is the crank handle shaft and carries a
pinion and a ratchet and the other carries a spur wheel which is driven by the
pinion on the crank handle shaft; it also carries the break pulley and the drum
round which the hoisting and lowering chain is wound.
The aforesaid ratchet is furnished with a pawl the tail of which is acted on by a
spring or a counterweight. This pawl is moveable on an axis and can be raised by
means of a lever carried by another shaft to which is connected a small crank
which is acted on by a cord arranged on one of the uprights. This cord passes
over two pulleys one of which is fixed at the upper part and the other at the lower
part of the framework. The cord can be actuated by any one at the winch or at
any part of the height of the general framing so as to raise the retaining pawl from
the teeth of the ratchet or to release it to the action of the counterweight so as to
allow it to fall into gear with the teeth of the pawl,
The brake is composed of a metal band with wooden or metallic surfaces of
contact which are applied to the pulley by acting on an oscillating lever by the
hand applied direct thereto or by pulling the end of a cord which being attached to
a fixed point of of the winch frame passes round a roller on the said oscillating
lever and then goes up to the top of the upright round a guide pulley.

page_text: By pulling downwards at any point of this cord (which carries a counterbalance
weight) the brake can be put in action and by pulling the same cord upwards the
weight of the lever is allowed to act to take the brake out of contact with the
brake pulley.
The chain drum is flanged, and has the hoisting chain passed one or more times
round it. One part of this chain after passing over a guide pulley is secured to a
crosspiece of the box or cage and the other part of the chain after passing over
other guide pulleys carries at its end a counterweight which is guided by rollers
along one of the uprights of the general framework.
The crank or winch handle is connected to its shaft by means of a moveable stop
in the hoss of the crank handle in order to key the same on a flat part of the shaft.
But by means of a lever connected to this stop it can be drawn out of the notch of
the shaft and then the crank handle is left loose on the said shaft. A spring holds
the said lever firmly in all positions that it may be placed in by hand so that if the
stop is lowered the crank handle is keyed to the shaft and communicates thereto
any movement it may receive from the person at the apparatus, but when the stop
is raised (which takes place when the winch is released by the brake and turns
backwards to lower the load) the crank handle remains stationary. This arrange-
ment is of great importance because it obviates the accidents frequently produced
by the crank handles of ordinary lifts.

page_text: COMPLETE SPECIFICATION.
I, WILLIAM HENRY BECK of 115 Cannon Street in the City of London,
Consulting Engineer and Patent Agent do hereby declare the nature of the said
invention for "IMPROVEMENTS IN ELEVATORS OR LIFTS" and in what manner the
same is to be performed, to be particularly described and ascertained in and by
the following statement, reference being had to the accompanying sheet of drawings
and to the letters and figures marked thereon that is to say:-
The improvements in elevators or lifts forming the subject of the present
invention comprise arrangements which simplify the action, economize labour and
avoid accidents.
The drawing hereto annexed shows in Figures 1 and 2 front and side views of a
lift constructed in accordance with this invention.
Figuro 3 is a horizontal section on line 1-2 showing in plan all the mechanism
of the winch.
Figure 4 shows an arrangement with which the motive crank is furnished and
which enables the said crank to be connected or disconnected at pleasure with the
shaft on which it is fitted.
The lift is formed as usual of a frame-work of metal or wood comprising two
uprights a a fixed in any suitable way and connected together at the top by a
cross piece b. This frame-work carries, at the side of one of the uprights, the winch
by means of which the load placed in a box or cage c is raised or lowered and
delivered to the various stages.
The winch is composed of a metal frame e of shape and dimensions suitable for
carrying two parallel shafts & fone of which d is the shaft of the crank handle m
and carries a pinion p and a ratchet wheel g and the other carries a spur wheel h
which is driven by the pinion p on the crank handle shaft; it also carries the brake
pulley and the drum j round which the hoisting and lowering chain m° m³ is
wound.
The aforesaid ratchet wheel g is furnished with a pawl g¹ the tail of which is
acted on by a spring or a counterweight g³ for the purpose of partly counter-
balancing that end of the pawl which acts on the ratchet wheel g. The spring or
counterweight. g³ may however be dispensed with if desired. This pawl g¹ is
moveable on an axis g³ and can be raised by means of a lever carried by another
shaft to which is connected a small crank which is acted on by a cord
arranged on one of the uprights a. This cord passes over two pulleys q¹ q³ one of
which is fixed at the upper part, and the other at the lower part, of the framework.
The cord can be actuated by any one at the winch or at any part of the height of
the general framing so as to raise the retaining pawl g¹ from, or to allow it to fall
into gear with, the teeth of the ratchet wheel g.
The brake k is composed of a metal band with wooden or metallic surfaces of
contact which are applied to the pulley by acting on an oscillating lever r by the
hand applied direct thereto, or by pulling the end s¹ of a cord 8, which being
attached to a fixed point of the winch frame, passes round a roller on the said
•

page_text: In order to raise the load it is only necessary to turn the crank handle m which
is connected to the shaft & by the stop m', and to take care to leave the pawl g¹ in
gear with the teeth of the ratchet wheel g.
In order to lower the load, or to deliver it at different heights, the person in the
box or cage c manipulates the beforementioned cords a' and q. With the first 8' he
commands the brake k, and with the second q, he raises the pawl or returns it into
the teeth of the ratchet wheel. In any case he has thus a certain and efficacious
means of commanding the mechanism quite as well as if he were at the winch. He
therefore performs, himself, the work that two men are required for in lifts of
ordinary construction.
Furthermore the apparatus may be furnished with a shoe brake (frein à patins)
which can be adapted to all geared lifts for raising loads minerals or coals. If, by
any accident whatever the chain or rope breaks, the load can only descend a few
centimetres because the counterweight, falling by its own gravity, applies the
brake.
In the case of a hydraulic lift, the operator can regulate the speed of ascent or
descent at any point whatever of the motion by acting on the brake.
The shoes (patins) are carried by the moveable cage, and at pleasure, or in case
of accident, they skid on the guiding columns.
I do not confine myself to the precise arrangements described, or to the forms
and dimensions of the new or improved parts, as they may be varied without
departing from the nature of the said invention.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of the said
invention, and in what manner the same is to be performed I declare that what
I claim is
First The means of connecting the crank handle to its shaft and disconnecting
the same therefrom as hereinbefore described, and illustrated in the drawings
hereto annexed.

page_text: Second-The means of operating, at any point in the height of the lift, the brake
of the winch and the retaining pawl of the ratchet wheel, as herein before described,
and illustrated in the drawings hereto annexed.