Improvements in or relating to Safety Devices for Lifts, Hoists, or similar Appliances.
Year: 1895

page_text: Date of Application, 5th Mar., 1895-Accepted, 6th Apr., 1895
COMPLETE SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in or relating to Safety Devices for Lifts, Hoists, or
similar Appliances.
We, EDWARD CARSTENSEN DE SEGUNDO, Consulting Engineer, and DOUGLAS
HOOPER SYDENHAM ALLDRIDGE, Gentleman, both of 28 Victoria Street, in the
County of Middlesex, do hereby declare the nature of this invention and in what
munnor the same is to be performed to be particularly described and ascertained
in and by the following statement :-
This invention relates to safety devices used in connection with passenger or
other lifts, hoists or similar appliances. The object of the invention is to reduce
the risk attending the use of such apparatus, and particularly to provide that the
opening or unfastening of any one of the gates, doors, guards, or other means of
arcess to the lift, etc., say that upon one floor, will automatically ensure the locking
of all the other doors already closed.
In their normal condition all the doors or the
like giving access to the lift are supposed to be closed, but capable of being easily
opened by any person desiring to do so. With the addition, however, of our safety
device, one of which is applied to every door giving access to the lift, if a person
bas opened or unfastened the door upon one Hoor, all the others are for the time
being secured, so that persons upon the other floors are not able to gain access to
the lift until this and all other doors are again securely shut. Our invention comprises
also means for preventing the opening of any door as long as the lift is in motion.
The details of the mechanism, may be varied, but the invention will be understood
from the following Specification:-
Briefly, we arrange, preferably in connection with the bolt, catch or device which
secures each door, an electrical device, such that when contact is made or broken,
as the case may be, the operation of opening any one of the doors or the bolt
or other fastening device prevents the opening of the other doors and such that
when the hydraulic valve is open and the lift consequently is in motion all the doors
are by the same electrical device, prevented from being unlocked. We may also
employ signalling devices to each door etc. and also in the cage of the lift.
In the accompanying drawings,
Fig. 1 is a view of a door or gate and a section of the contiguous portion of
the jamb showing an arrangement of the device forming the subject of this
invention.
Fig. 2 is another view of the jamb and the electric contacts therein.
Fig. 3 is a view at right angles to Fig 2, and
Fig. 4 is a diagrammatic view of the whole system.
Like letters indicate like parts throughout the drawings.
A represents the door, gate or other closing device and B the bolt, catch or other
fastening. C is the keyhole into which the key or other device is inserted for
withdrawing the bolt B. D is a cover or elide which in the position shown in
Figure 1 covers the keyhole C, but when it is desired to insert the key for the
purpose of unlocking the door A, can be pushed back against the pressure of
a coiled or other spring not shown in the drawing. D' is a pin or stop passing
through a slot D' so as to keep the slide D in proper position as it moves backwards
and forwards, its other end passing through an opening in the casing which
surrounds and protects the electro-magnet and its armature, to be presently
described. However, other means may be employed for guiding the slide in its
movements.
E is an electro-magnet and F is the armature pivoted at F' and, in the position
shown in Fig. 1, allowing the free movement of the slide D, but should the

page_text: armature be pulled up into the position shown in dotted lines in Fig. 1, it will lie in
the path of the slide D and prevent its moving as will be well understood.
Gare the wires of an electric circuit, H (Fig. 4) being a battery or other supply
for the electric current.
K are spring contact strips insulated from each other and each secured at one end
in a recess in the jamb A' as shown; the free end K' of each strip is adapted in
certain circumstances to engage with a contact plate I and in other circumstances
to be clear of it. K' is a piece of insulating material secured to the strips K. The
electro-magnet E is electrically connected with one of the strips K, and the bell M
bereinafter referred to, is connected with the other. In the position shown in Fig. 1
the bolt B is projected and the door is locked and the bolt has pushed back the
contacts K by means of the insulating piece K2, so that they are out of contact with
the plate 1. Consequently, the electric circuit is broken, the electro-magnet E is
not energized, the armature F has fallen and a clear path is left for the movement
of the slide D. Should the bolt B appertaining to the gate upon floor No. 1 of the
building be retracted the ends K' of the contact strips K will, under the influence
of their own elasticity be forced against the contact 1 (as indicated in Fig. 2) the
electric circuit will be completed, the magnets E upon each of the other Hoors of
the building will be energized, the armatures F will be pulled up into the position
shown in dotted lines in Fig. 1, and being thus in the path of the slides D the latter
cannot be moved and the keyholes C are inaccessible, and consequently, excepting
upon floor No. 1 none of the gates can be opened.
We have described the operation referring to floor No. 1 as an example but the
same action would apply to the doors and contacts on each of the other floors
irrespective of their number.
The connections may be arranged as indicated in Fig. 4 of the drawings which
represents diagrammatically a general arrangement of the wires and electrical
apparatus suitable for carrying into effect the object of the present invention.
In this drawing the wiring is shown so arranged as to operate in addition to the
apparatus previously described an electric bell A in the cage A' and we will
describe it with that arrangement although if preferred the wires need not be
continued to the cage at all, but we prefer to include the cage in the system.
According to the diagram H is the battery from which the wires extend to the
electro-magnets E which operate the armatures F in the manner already explained,
the system of wiring including the electric bells M and the pushes N, K boing the
spring contacts previously described. O are contact plates adapted to engage with
the springs P which are in electrical contact with the electrical conductors which
communicate with the electromagnets E and with the bell A² in the cage. The
wires marked Q are of any required length so as to allow of the rising and falling
of the cage or sliding contacts may be arranged to convey the current to the
bell A'. With this arrangement it will be seen that when the hydraulic valve
lever R is in the position shown in the drawing that is with the valve closed, and no
operation taking place the contacts between P and O aro broken and no current
can pass to the cage bell and if one of the pushes N be operated, only the bells at
the filt doors which may be left open will ring whereas should the cage be iu motion
up or down the valve lever R will have been pulled either up or down making
contact with one of the springs P and completing the circuit through the electro-
maguets E energizing them so that no door can be unlocked and to the bell A' so
that the operation of any of tho pushes N while the lift is in motion will ring the
bell A'.
In the diagram Fig. 4 the contacts K of the middle floor are shown closed the
bolt B having been withdrawn by the operator consequently the springs K engage
with the contact and the current can pass, so that should any one of the pushes N
be operated the circuit will be closed through the middle floor contacts K and the
bell M of that floor will ring indicating that the door upon that floor was open.
If the cage were not in motion no sigual would be given in the cage as no signal
would be wanted, no danger existing with the cage at rest. On the other hand

page_text: should the cage be in movement the contact OP would be made and pressing any
one of the pushes N would ring the bell in the lift, notifying the operator in the
lift that someone wanted to use it.
It is not necessary to minutely describe the arrangement of the wiring shown in
the diagram Fig. 4 as the precise arrangements of these wires could be considerably
varied, and they will be well understood by any one skilled in this class of work.
It will be seen however that the main battery current passes by the chief wires or
leads G and through that system to the intermediate wiring, magnets, contacts, and
pushes in which the circuit happens to be complete. When the lift is not working
and the doors are looked none of these circuits is complete, but should one of the
bolts B be withdrawn that circuit is forthwith completed and derived currents can
then pass through the electro-magnets E but not through the bells M unless the
pushes N be operated, when a bell is rung but only upon the floor where the door
is unlocked and where presumably the individual using the lift will be so that the
sigual will thus be conveyed directly to him.
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. A lift hoist or similar appliance in which the unfastening or opening of one
door or guard locks or fastens all the others of the system.
2. A lift hoist or similar appliance in which only one door or guard can be
unfastened or opened at once.
3. The combination with a lift hoist or similar appliance of an electrical
apparatus for controlling all the doors or guards of the system.
4. The combination with a lift hoist or similar appliance of electric apparatus
to prevent the opening of any of the doors us long as the lift valve is open
substantially as described.
5. The combination with the lock or fastening device of a lift hoist or similar
appliance of electrical contacts operated by the said lock or fastening so that the
contacts touch and the circuit is complete when the bolt is drawn back and the
contacts are separated and the circuit broken when the bolt is shot.
6. The combination with the door or guard of a lift hoist or similar appliance of
a keyhole cover or other stop such as D electro-magnet E armature or stop F
bolt B contacts such as K and I and connecting wires G the whole combined and
operating substantially as and for the purpose described and illustrated in the
accompanying drawings.
7. The combination with a lift hoist or similar appliance of au electrical
signalling device so arranged that the operation of the "push" upon one floor will
ring the bell only upon the particular floor where the gate or means of access to
the lift is unlocked.
8. In a lift boist or similar appliance a contact such as K which besides con-
trolling the locking apparatus controls also the signalling apparatus substantially
as described.
9. In a lift hoist or similar appliance the combination in the same electrical
system of the locking device and the signalling device.
10. In a lift hoist or similar appliance the combination in the same electrical
system of the multiple contacts K and the single contacts or pushes N and the
electro-magnets E substantially as and for the purpose described and illustrated in
the accompanying drawings.
Dated this 28th day of February 1895.
ED. C. DE SEGUNDO.
D. H. S. ALLDRIDGE.
Boult & Wade,
Agents for the Applicants.