Improvements in Pulley Blocks or Hoisting Tackle.
Year: 1888

page_text: Improvements in Pulley Blocks or Hoisting Tackle.
1, CHARLES FRANKLIN BATT, of No. 327 Jefferson Avenue, Brooklyn, State of
New York, United States of America, Mechanical 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 and
accompanying drawings :-
The object of this invention is to construct a pulley block or hoisting tackle in
such a manner as that the load may be locked or held in any position, so that the
descent of the load may be easily controlled as circumstances may require.
For the purpose of rendering my invention more clear I have attached hereunto two
sheets of illustrative drawings to which I will now refer.
Fig. 1 is a side view of a single pulley hoisting block embodying the invention.
Figure 2 is a vertical section of the same on the line 1-2, Fig. 1.
Figure 3 is a view of a double pulley block embodying the invention in connection
with a running block.
Figure 4 is a view of a modification, showing the application of this improvement
to the running block.
In Figures 1 and 2, the invention has been shown applied in one of its simplest
forms to a block A, with a single pulley B around which the hoisting rope D) is
passed. One end d of this rope is the free end, while from the other end dis
suspended the load L, Figure 2. The pulley block is provided with the usual
suspension hook k.
The main feature of this Invention consists in so constructing the pulley that the
load may be locked at any desired height, and may be lowered easily and slowly, or
as fast as may be desired, and the rope freely manipulated when the load is off. For
this purpose a lock for the pulley and a brake for the rope are combined as hereinafter
described.
The means preferred to be employed for locking the pulley take the form of a
lever to engage with the toothed wheel E. This toothed wheel E is formed in one
with or attached to the pulley B but the manner of providing the pulley with teeth
is only a detail. The locking lever F is pivoted to the block at any suitable point,

page_text: and preferably has two teeth to engage with the teeth of the wheel. In the present
instance, the locking lever is pivoted on a cross spindle p in the block. This lever is
so constructed that the pulley is free to turn in the direction taken by the rope in
hoisting the load, but it locks the pulley when the rope is allowed to travel in the
opposite direction unless the free end of the lever is so acted upon as to hold the lever
out of engagement with the toothed wheel.
There is made in one piece with this locking lever or secured to it a cam brake G
the acting face of which is adapted to bear on the turns of the rope upon the
pulley B, as represented in Figure 1. In the present instance, the locking lever is
rigidly secured to the brake. A spring S is arranged to act on the lever and brake,
so as to tend to press the locking lever into gear with the wheel.
In the present instance the spring is shown as a coiled spring around the spindle p
and fastened at one end to the spindle, and acting at the other end upon a long arm f
of the locking lever.
To the arm f, on the locking lever, is connected an operating chain or cord H,
which is secured at to the suspension hook k, or it may be to a part of the block,
and passes through an opening in an eye upon the army, of the lever. A stop h
(which may be made by knotting the cord) is formed upon or fixed to the cord to
bear upon the lever at the back of the eye as shown in Figure 1, leaving a certain
amount of slackness in the cord when the pulley is locked and the-cam brake bears
with full effect upon the turns of the rope D. The amount of this slackness is
just sufficient to permit the lever to be pulled by the cord H far enough to free
the brake G from the rope D, without, however, releasing the pulley B. with its
toothed wheel from the locking lever. The end of the lever F has, however, free
play upon the cord H, below the knot, when the lever is acted upon either by
the teeth of the wheel in hoisting the load or by power applied to the free end
of the lever. To disengage the locking lever, another chain or cord i, may be
used, this cord being simply secured to the lever, so that by pulling the cord the
lever may be moved far enough to be disengaged from the toothed wheel, and
leave the pulley free to turn. The chain or cord i, is however, not necessary if
the lever is within convenient reach, and indeed the cord or chain may be
dispensed with too, if preferred. The cord i, if used, is connected to the lever
near its fulcrum, so that sufficient power may not be obtained to accidentally unlock
the pulley when the cord is on.
•
It will be seen from the foregoing description, that when it is desired, the load may
be locked at any desired height by simply releasing the tension on the hoisting end d
of the rope. The pull of the load upon the other end of the rope tends to turn the
pulley, so that the toothed wheel acts on the locking lever F to press the brake
forcibly upon the rope and prevent it from slipping on the pulley. The friction of
the rope upon the brake, when the former comes into contact with the latter also tends
to increase the pressure of the brake, so that the heavier the load, the tighter will be
the grip of the brake. If then it is desired to let the load down slowly, the lever F
may be pulled sufficiently far by means of the cord or chain H, or otherwise to free
the brake G, while the pulley remains locked, so that the rope D may slip on the
stationary pulley under the strain of the load. In all cases it is preferable to employ
at least two turns of the rope upon the pulley so as to get a sufficient frictional surface,
when the pulley is locked.
When it is desired to let the end of the rope down quickly, as when it is free
from a load, the lever F is disengaged from the toothed wheel of the pulley by pulling
the cord i, so that the latter is entirely free to turn. Although the operating arm F,
to which the operating cord is connected, is shown as being a part of the locking
lever, it will be understood from the foregoing description that that is not important,
but that it is important to have a rigid connection between the operating lever and
the brake in order that the brake may always be released from the rope before the
pulley is released from the lock.
In Figure 3 the invention is shown as applied to a double pulley block in connection
with a runner R, the only difference in this case being that there is an additional loose

page_text: pulley, on the suspended block A, for the extra turn of the rope resulting from
the use of the runner R. The blocks may be constructed for any desired number of
turns of the rope.
In the modification, Figure 4, the combined locking lever and brake are shown
applied to the runner R. In such case the pulley B₁ of the runner is made with a
sufficiently wide groove to allow of two turns of the rope being taken around it, as in
the construction Figure 1. In this case the lever F may be provided with the
knotted operating cord which passes through an eye e on the block before reaching
the eye on the lever F, and which is secured or looped to the suspending hook & of
the runner with sufficient slackness to permit the brake G¹ to be freed without freeing
But when the load is taken off, the suspending
the locking lever, when the load is on.
hook can, by pulling on the cord h, be lifted on its loop & sufficiently to permit the
lever to be freed from the toothed wheel.
The engagement of the operating rope described with reference to Figure 4 may be
applied to the suspended pulley block A as indicated by dotted lines in Figure 2. A
loop or eye
e is applied to the suspension hook and through this loop or eye the cord
or chain is passed as shown by dotted lines and secured to the loop 2 of the pulley
block. Thus when the load is on, the arm of the lever F can be pulled down by the
knotted cord only far enough to free the brake G, but when the load is off, the pull
on the cord or chain H will lift the pulley block and rope sufficiently to let the lever
free itself from the locking wheel E.
Although the improved hoisting tackle has been described only in connection with
rope hoisting tackle, it will be evident that chains may be used instead of ropes.
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 :-
In hoisting tackle or apparatus of the indicated nature forming the rope pulley with
teeth or other means whereby it can be arrested and held by a stop For F¹ in
combination with the brake G, the said stop and brake being arranged and operated
by the means and in the manner substantially as hereinbefore described and shown.
TN 3741 day of December 1888
DUTTON & FULTON,
1, St. James Square, Manchester,
Agents.