Improvements in Moving Ways for Transporting Persons and Goods.
Year: 1897

page_text: Date of Application, 27th Aug., 1897-Accepted, 4th Dec., 1897.
RZY
Improvements in Moving Ways for Transporting Persons and
Goods.
I, JACQUES HALLÉ, of 15 Rue des Halles, Paris, France, Engineer, 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:-
•
Moving ways having more or less inclination and serving as conveyors or lifts have.
heretofore been constructed, but such apparatus when put into practical use have
developed serious defects, and have revealed great difficulties in their operation.
I have sought to provide an apparatus of which the moving way combined with a
hand-rail, also moving, should be flexible, have a smooth and continuous regular
surface and should be capable of being readily stretched, supported, lubricated and
guided. Also to so construct the apparatus that it should work without noise, and
require the minimum of driving power, that its motion should be capable of being
regulated at any moment, and that all cause of accident should be obviated as far as
possible. For these purposes the apparatus is constructed as shall now describe
with reference to the accompanying illustrative drawings wherein
Figs. 1 and 2 show respectively in side elevation and plan the apparatus arranged
between two stories. Figs. 3 and 4 are similar views showing an arrangement of the
apparatus employed in the case of three or more stories.
Figs. 5 and 6 show cross sections on the lines x y and x¹ y respectively of Fig. 3,
but drawn to a larger scale than this figure. Figs. 7, 8, 9 and 10 are diagrammatic
views hereinafter more particularly referred to. Figs. 11, 12 and 13 show a portion
of an endless apron respectively in side view, plan and cross section. Figs. 14 and 15
show respectively in cross section and in side elevation, part of a driving wheel or
drum with movable hand rail.
Between the lateral beams A. A', are arranged supporting rollers B, whose axles
rotate freely in swivel bearings capable of being adjusted as regards position on their
supports, and over and upon which the stretched upper side C of an apron C C¹
passes.. This apron consists of a wide and thick belt composed of thin strips of
leather placed on edge, side by side & one behind another so as to break joint,
& sewn together (see Figs. 11, 12 and 13). It's upper part passes partly around a
drum D'and its lower part passes partly around another drum D₁ which serves also as
a stretcher, being provided with two adjusting screws ; which act on the bearings
for the shaft of this drum.
When the apparatus is arranged between three or more stories, the handrails are
separate for each story, although they receive their motion, at the same rate, from
the motion of the apron itself. The upper length C, for the time being, of the apron
travels in the direction of the arrow f, and passes round the upper drum D² which
acts to drive it the said upper portion of the apron serving as a stretched path or
way. The flooring, landing, or fixed bearing E is situated between two apparatus,
and the upper length C of the apron is deflected under and kept under it by a
roller I, and is wound up by the drum D² whence the lower portion C¹ of the apron
moves downward in the direction of the arrow f'.

page_text: .
The hand rail, of which F is the upper stretched or tight portion, is driven by a
driving drum G below which the lower or slack portion F1 passes to a stretching
drum G¹, this lower portion being supported at suitable intervals by small rollers a a.
The upper portion F slides on a fixed bar H to which it is hooked by means of its
lower wing-pieces. This bar is supported by uprights bb (Fig. 6), between which
are arranged smooth panels dd. (Figs. 1 and 3) preferably of glass. The vertical
walls formed by the uprights and the panels, are set back in an outward direction to
a suitable extent for the purpose of widening the passage, and preventing any part
of the garments of the passengers from becoming caught therein. Inclined
planes c c¹ are provided by way of plinths, and serve to bridge over the space between
the lower parts of these panels (Fig. 6) and the upper portion C of the travelling
apron, which is arranged and moves exactly under the lower edges of the said
inclined planes and near to or against the bevelled edges of the parts E and N of the
floors or landings.
Motion imparted by a pitch chain I (Figs. 1 and 3) to a wheel J is transmitted to
the drum D and by means of pitch-pinions J¹ and a chain I¹ to the two upper
drums G G of the hand rails (Fig. 6), which, as also the lower drums G¹ G¹, are
protected in boxes g, g, g's g¹ (Figs. 1 to 6), the upper part of each of which is
provided with a slit to allow of the passage of the upper part F of the corresponding
hand rail.
Small inclines or ramps K, K, which are fixed, smooth, and curved in a suitable
manner, are arranged internally, near, and at the upper part of the portions F, in
such a manner as to raise the wrists of the passengers and to detach their hands
from the upper ends of the hand-rails.
When the apparatus is to be used for lowering (Fig. 7), the driving drum that
actuates the apron is arranged at the lower part in order that the portion of the
latter that serves as the moving way shall be stretched. The guide-drum M acts as
a stretcher like the drums D. The descending stretched portion of the way is
operated, supported, and guided as described in the case of the lift shown in Fig. 1.
Similarly, the position, as regards height, of the landing or bearing E' is regulated
in such a manner that the feet of persons descending will assume a natural and easy
position, without jolting. Smooth inclines or ramps K, K, are also arranged, and
act as in the apparatus shown in Figs. 1, 2, 3 and 4, for the protection of the
fingers, by detaching them from the hand-rails when the end of the journey is
reached.
The lower portion of the way in the case of a separate lowering apparatus is raised
by end-rollers and other small intermediate rollers a, a¹, as shown in Fig. 8 so as to
occupy less room. Generally, it is of advantage to connect together a lifting and a
lowering apparatus, as shown diagrammatically in Fig. 9 and in Fig. 10, the coupling
in the apparatus shown in the latter figure being effected in a parallel manner. The
hand-rails however, are always separate from one another, but they always receive
their motion from the apron. This also holds good, both in the case of several lifts
placed in succession (Fig. 3) and connected together and in that of a lifting apparatus
coupled with a lowering apparatus.
Each fixed bar H has a section which combines with that (shown in Fig. 14) of the
corresponding stretched portion F in such a manner that the said stretched portion
slides along the underside of its internal support on the top of the wings of the bar,
whilst the lateral edges of the portion F pass under the said wings and are there
hooked and held, the central portion of the bar occupying the narrow slit which
exists between the said edges and extending uninterruptedly from one drum to the
other. This central portion extends to a certain extent inside the end drums, which
for this reason are split at the centre of their rims as shown in Figs. 14 and 15.
The end drums G G¹ enable the top straight lengths of the hand-rail to be
stretched. In order that this may be done and to attain other advantages resulting
therefrom, the hand-rail is not drawn along by means of teeth, the pitch of which
would be altered during the first few days of working, but by means of friction.
As the top of the hand-rail must be sinooth and as the thickness of the hand-rail.

page_text: s considerable, in order to impart to it the necessary suppleness for enabling it to
ass round the drums, the lower side edges are formed by leather straps placed
Hatwise, cut at intervals of distance (Figs. 14 and 15), and attached to other
narrow intermediate straps, which are also made discontinuous with the same object.
The edge of the floor N is bevelled, and is arranged near the outer surface of the
apron C, which being formed of straps, which are placed on their edges, which may
be short, and are connected and sewn together, can be made economically in all
widths and thicknesses and can be trimmed or adjusted to one uniform thickness.
The drum G¹ must be placed a considerable distance in front of the drum D¹, and
the portions F should arrive at a sufficient height to enable the hands of an ascending
passenger to grasp them, one hand grasping the left hand portion F and the other
the right hand portion F, whilst one of his feet rests upon the apron, his body having
already acquired a low speed.
The axes of the supporting rollers B B, as also those of the stretching rollers, may
be slightly deflected in order to enable all shifting or deviation of the apron to be
corrected. For this purpose, the axle of each roller is supported in ordinary
bearings of which one has swivel-joint, whilst the other has a shoe sliding on its.
base-plate.
At the upper part of each lift, not only is the fixed landing E arranged quite close
to the surface (which then curved) of the apron (Figs. 1 and 3) but it ought also
to be placed below the highest part of the said apron to an extent such that the feet
of a passenger will be automatically placed upon the corresponding edge of the said
landing, whilst the fixed ramps or inclines K, K, in raising the wrists, will detach the
hands from the upper portions F of the hand-rails.
It has been assumed up to the present when several lifts or conveyors follow one
on another, that they have one and the same speed, but it will be readily understood
that they may be given a speed that gradually increases or decreases from the first
to the last. This also holds good in the case of lowering-apparatus.
Also, instead of imparting a uniform speed to a raising or a lowering apparatus, it
may have imparted to it an intermittent speed, as, for example, by the use of
elliptical toothed wheels for transmitting the motion to the apron.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of the said inven-
tion and in what manner the same is to be performed I declare that what I
claim is :-
1. In a movable inclined way for the transport of persons or goods, the combination
of a continuous apron C C¹ consisting of thin leather strips arranged on edge, side by
side and one behind another so as to break joint, & sewn together, and moved by
friction by means of drums D D¹, of which one is a driving drum and draws
by friction the upper length C that serves as a moving path, whilst the other drum
serves as a stretching drum, the upper length C being supported by rollers B, whose
axles, as also those of the drums D D¹, rotate freely in bearings that swivel or slide
on their base-plates, with a continuous flexible and separate handrail F F1 which the
apron moves at its own speed, and whose upper and lower lengths, composed of
leather straps placed flatwise, and discontinuous at their inner parts, are stretched
by two drums G G¹, of which one is a stretching drum and the other a drum that
pulls along by friction the stretched length, which has a section of such a
shape (Fig. 14) as to allow it to slide on the upper winged face of a fixed bar H
running from one drum to the other and placed on uprights b and panels d whose
lower part is connected to the outer surface of the apron by means of inclined
plinths c substantially as herein before described.
2. In a movable way of the kind referred to in the preceding claim, ramps or
inclines K K which are connected to boxes enclosing the moving parts, and which
are smooth, curved, and turned up in such a manner as, at the end of the travel, to
raise the wrists of the passengers, whilst their feet move forward and slide upon the
fixed flooring, substantially as hereinbefore described.
3. In a moving way of the kind referred to in the preceding claims, the

page_text: arrangement of two or more lifts, placed one behind another, each having a separate
hand-rail, but being served by the same apron, which is deflected under each
landing E by means of a roller L, substantially as hereinbefore described.
4. The combination of two moving ways of the kind referred to in Claims 1 and 2,
one being adapted for raising and the other for lowering, and the two being arranged
either in succession as shown in Fig. 9 or side by side as shown in Fig. 10.
5. Raising or lowering inclined ways constructed, arranged, and operating
substantially as hereinbefore described with reference to the several examples shown
in the accompanying drawings.
Dated this 27th day of August 1807
F. WISE HOWORTH,
46, Lincoln's Inn Fields, London, W.C., Agent for the Applicant.