Improvements in Apparatus for Lifting and Lowering Weights.
Year: 1894

page_text: Date of Application, 1st Mar., 1894
Complete Specification Left, 2nd Nov, 1894-Accepted, 8th Dec., 1894
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in Apparatus for Lifting and Lowering Weights.
I, WILHELM SEELING, of Vohwinkel, near Düsseldorf, in the Empire of
Germany, Merchant, do hereby declare the nature of this invention to be as
follows:-
My invention relates to apparatus for lifting and lowering heavy weights.
With the object of lifting heavy weights with as much rapidity as possible,
attempts have often been made to construct pulley-blocks with simple toothed
gearing.
°
The principal cause of the failure of these attempts has been the difficulty of
applying an effective brake of adequate power, and in a minor degree, the large
dimeusions which are involved in using cast iron as the material for the manufacture
of the toothed wheels, this necessitating a corresponding increase in the dimensions
of the pulley-block.
The brake is required to prevent unintentional descent of the load whilst the
raising of this latter is in no way interferred with. The carrying out of this
requirement in practice is rendered still more difficult in proportion as the
carrying capacity of the pulley block is increased, whilst it is precisely in blocks
of such capacity that it is important that the component parts should be no heavier
than is necessary to enable them to carry their load, and that they should be as
few as possible.
My improved apparatus or pulley block is operated by means of toothed gearing,
and fulfils the above requirements in every respect. Its construction is extremely
simple and light, and it is provided with a brake which allows the load to be
lifted without resistance, and when released not only holds the load firmly in the
raised position, but requires a further, though slight, expenditure of force to effect
the lowering or deposition of the load.
According to my invention I provide the apparatus with a pressure roller
which immediately carries the load of the weight to be lifted, anil which, when
the load is lowered, acts on a brake roller coupled up to the driving spindle direct
by means of a ratchet and pawl, the spindle of the pressure roller may be so
mounted in the cheeks of the block that, by shifting the point at which the hook
which carries the load bears upon this spindle, the pressure of the brake can be
regulated.
1 1004
G. F. REDFERN & Co.,
4, South Street, Finsbury, London, Agents for the Applicant.
COMPLETE SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in Apparatus for Lifting and Lowering Weights.
1, WILHELM SEELING, of Vohwinkel, near Düsseldorf, in the Empire of
Germany, Merchant, 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 :-
My invention relates to apparatus for lifting and lowering heavy weights.
With the object of lifting heavy weights with as much rapidity as possible,

page_text: attempts have often been made to construct pulley-blocks with simple toothed
gearing.
The principal cause of the failure of these attempts has been the difficulty
of applying an effective brake of adequate power, and in a minor degree, the large
dimensions which are involved in using cast iron as the material for the manufacture
of the toothed wheels, this necessitating a corresponding increase in the dimensions
of the pulley-block.
The brake is required to prevent unintentional descent of the load whilst the
raising of this latter is in no way interfered with. The carrying out of this
requirement in practice is rendered still more difficult in proportion as the carrying
capacity of the pulley-block is increased, whilst it is precisely in blocks of such
capacity that it is important that the component parts should be no heavier than is
necessary to enable them to carry their load, and that they should be as few as
possible.
My improved apparatus or pulley block is operated by means of toothed
gearing, and fulfils the above requirements in every respect. Its construction is
extremely simple and light, and it is provided with a brake which allows the load
to be lifted without resistance, and when released not only holds the load firmly in
the raised position, but requires a further, though slight, expenditure of force to
effect the lowering or deposition of the load.
According to my invention I provide the apparatus with a pressure roller which
immediately carries the load of the weight to be lifted, and which, when the load is
lowered, acts on a brake roller coupled up to the driving spindle direct by means
of a ratchet and pawl. The spindle of the pressure roller may be so mounted in the
cheeks or side plates of the block that, by shifting the point at which the hook
which carries the load bears upon this spindle, the pressure of the brake can be
regulated.
To enable my invention to be fully understood I will describe how it can be carried
into practice by reference to the accompanying drawing, in which :—
Figure 1 is a vertical section of an apparatus, constructed according to my
invention, for lifting and lowering weights, the section being taken on the line 1-1
of Figure 2.
Figure 2 is a vertical section on line 2-2 of Figure 1 looking from the right
hand of this figure:
Figure 3 is a vertical section on line 3-3 of Figure 1 looking in the opposite
direction; and,
Figure 4 is a horizontal section on line 4-4 of Figure 1.
Similar letters in all the figures indicate similar parts.
The load is suspended by a hook to an ordinary pulley block, the hook being
carried by the loose pulley or roller k The load is distributed by the chain k²
to the hook p and the chain pulley q. The latter is carried upon the axle of the
toothed wheel q', which engages with the pinion m¹ fixed upon the driving
spindle m. The hook P is suspended from the pin r of the pressure roller a,
which is supported on the guide roller b having its bearings in the side cheeks or
plates h and h¹, and on a brake roller c. This brake roller has a check or ratchet
wheel d made in one piece with it, so that the roller c may be looked upon as
the hub of the check wheel d. The parts so connected sit so loosely on the driving
spindle m that they cannot come into frictional contact with it. Close by the
check wheel d and upon the same spindle m, is a disc g, which is furnished with a
moveable pawl f which is kept in engagement with the teeth of the check wheel d
by the pressure of the spring f'. If desired, the disc may be connected with the
brake roller which runs loose upon the spindle m and the check wheel d may be made
a fixture upon the spindle. The brake roller rests upon a brake cheek e, which is
secured to the cheek h, and also serves as a bearing for the brake roller c, as shewn
in Figures 1 and 3.
If the spindle m be turned in the direction of the arrow 1, Figure 2 by the
chain which surrounds the pulley m², the toothed and chain wheels are caused

page_text: to turn in the direction shewn by the arrow 2 in Figure 2, and the load is lifted.
The pawl meanwhile passes over the teeth of the check wheel, the latter
remaining immoveable in consequence of the weight which is transmitted by the
roller a to its hub c. As soon as the mechanism is left to itself, the pawlf engages
with the teeth of the check wheel, and the weight which is resting on the hub c
has the effect of causing the friction thereby set up between the brake roller c and
the brake cheek e to keep the disc g in firm connection with the check wheel d,
by means of the pawl and prevents rotation in a direction opposite to that
of the arrow, that is to say, keeps the load up. Only when the pulley m² is
intentionally rotated, by means of a hand chain, which surrounds it, but is not shewn
in the drawing, in a direction opposite to that of the arrow, does the load descend
in consequence of the overcoming of the friction between c and e.
It has been found desirable to round off the pin or axle of the pressure roller
at one end in such a way as to form a kind of ball bearing, whilst the other end
of the pin or axle is located in a slot in the cheek h, and has some play in a
vertical direction, so that it can never have a direct bearing in the cheek h. The
hook p may then be adjustably mounted on the pin r, so that it may be placed
nearer to the pressure roller or to the ball bearing as desired, according as it is
wished to increase or diminish the power of the brake. This power of adjustment
is found especially useful, for example, when it becomes necessary to lower or
deposit loads slowly in which case the brake may be so adjusted that the friction
between the brake cheek and the roller may be easily overcome by hand, while
at the same time it always remains so great that the weight of the load alone
is not sufficient to overcome it. The proportion between the toothed wheels
of the gearing, which are preferably constructed of wrought iron, depends in the
nain upon the load which they are intended to lift, or for which the pulley block is
designed, and on the speed with which the loads are to be raised.
The brake above described is especially suitable for spindles with radial
pressure.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of my said inven-
tion and in what manner the same is to be performed, I declare that what I
claim is :-
1. An apparatus for lifting and lowering weights in which a pressure roller
immediately carries the load of the weight to be lifted, which pressure roller, when
the load is lowered, acts on a brake roller coupled up to the driving spindle direct
by means of a ratchet and pawl; and at the same time the spindle of the pressure
roller is so mounted in the cheeks of the apparatus or block that, by shifting the
point at which the hook which carries the load bears upon this spindle, the pressure
of the brake can be regulated, substantially as hereinbefore described and illustrated
in the accompanying drawing.
2. The improved apparatus for lifting and lowering weights herein before described
and illustrated in the accompanying drawing.
Dated the 2nd day of November 1894.
G. F. REDFERN & Co.,
4, South Street, Finsbury, London, Agents for the Applicant.