Improvements in Lifts or Elevators.
Year: 1899

page_text: Date of Application, 24th Jan., 1899-Accepted, 11th Mar., 1899
COMPLETE SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in Lifts or Elevators.
We, RUDOLPH CHARLES SMITH, of 214, Woodworth Avenue, in the City of
Yonkers, in the County of Westchester, Engineer, and JAMES CRUICKSHANK, of
275, Central Park West, in the City of New York, in the County of New York,
Salesman, both of United States of America, 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:-
The invention relates to improvements in elevators, and consists in a novel
safety appliance to prevent the accidents and consequences due to or likely to
result from a fall or runaway of an elevator car.
The invention is shown and described herein, in an elevator comprising the
usual car and shaft, the latter being provided with a multiplicity of suspended
galvanized wire rods each having a safety stop cutter or equivalent device thereon,
and the car being provided with a projection normally in the path of such stop,
but capable of being withdrawn therefrom at a definite point in order that said
projection may at a safe speed of the car pass the stops instead of striking on
them, which latter results only but always on the fall or runaway of the car.
The invention will be more fully understood from the detailed description
hereinafter presented, reference being had to the accompanying drawings, in
which:
Fig. 1 is a vertical section through a portion of an elevator shaft showing the
car connected to a hoisting gear, the car and shaft being equipped with safety
appliances constructed in accordance with and embodying the invention; the slide
wires are shown in Fig. 1 as fastened at their upper ends to the upper work or
framing on which are placed the usual sheaves for the hoisting cables;
Fig. 2 is a horizontal section of same through the car and shaft looking down-
ward toward the floor of the car and indicating the automatic safety governor
and the position of the safety stops:
Fig. 3 is a side elevation of a portion of the car and wire slideways and illus-
trates the automatic safety governor and the safety stops containing the cutters
for engaging the wires;
Fig. 4 represents an enlarged vertical section and a top view of one of the
safety stops and the cutter held thereby;
Fig. 5 is an enlarged side elevation of the devices embodying the invention, a
portion only of the car and shaft framing being illustrated;
Fig. 6 is an end view partly broken away, of the automatic governing devices;
Fig. is a vertical section of a safety stop provided with means for deflecting
the wire in lieu of cutting the wire;

page_text: Fig. 8 is a top view of same; and
Fig. 9 is an enlarged vertical section of a safety stop provided with a draw
plate for drawing the wire.
In the drawings, the numerals 1 designates the elevator car; 2 the customary
guide rails for the same; 3 the usual guide posts to which the rails 2 are secured;
4 the usual hoisting cable or rope suspending the car 1, and 5 the customary
sheaves over which the cable 4 passes to any suitable hoisting apparatus, not
shown.
The car may be provided with any of the usual forms of control, hand-rope,
lever or electrical connections and switches, for starting, stopping and controlling
the same.
mounted frame 9.
Underneath the framing of the car bottom and below each side of the car are
fastened by bolts the automatic governing or shunting devices which at the proper
time shunt the projections or plates carried by the car around or by the safety
stops located on the suspended slideway wires 22", and one set of these automatic
devices will now be described. The plate 7 is secured to the car bottom or framing,
and on this plate is fastened the double hanger 8, S, which supports the pivotally
The frame 9 extends inward below the car, as shown in Fig. 5,
and carries, on a stationary shaft 10, the loose trolley wheel 11. At the inner
end of the frame 9 is provided a stud 12 to support the weight 13, one of whose
functions is during the safe travel of the car, to cause the trolley wheel 11 to move
closely along and against the trolley wire or equivalent tramway 21 which extends
from the upper to the lower end of the elevator shaft. The pivotally mounted or
swinging frame 9 has two lugs 14, 14, carrying a belt 15, which projects at one
end into a slot 16 of a swinging frame 17 (see Figs. 5 and 6), which is pivotally
supported between one of the hangers 8 and the hanger 18. Upon the frame 17
is secured the plate 19, which forms the projection or part carried by the car and
normally in the vertical path of the stops 27 located on the suspended slideway
wires 22. The outer portions of the plate 19 are slotted or recessed or cut out
comb-like as at 20", Fig. 2, to straddle the wires 22" and to strike upon the upper
ends of the safety stops 27, except when the whole plate 19 is withdrawn by the
downward tilting of the inner weighted end of the frame 9, as hereinafter described,
to permit the plate 19 to pass the said safety stops. The openings in the hubs
on which the frame 17 swings are preferably somewhat larger in diameter than
the pivots entering said hubs, as at 90, so as to enable the plate 19 to rest firmly
under the support 20, when said plate descends upon the safety stops and is pressed
upward by its contact therewith. This support 20 projects outward beyond the
side of the car, but as indicated by dotted lines in Figs. 1 and 5 and by full lines
in Fig. 2, said support 20 contains a sufficiently wide and long opening to permit
the uninterrupted passage through it of the safety stops on the slide-wires, except
when said opening is closed or partly closed by the outer comb-like portion of the
plate 19. The slits or recesses 20" cut in the outer edges of the plate 19 to straddle
the wires 22", are clearly shown in Fig. 2, which at the right hand side thereof
indicates the plate 19 as having been withdrawn inward to pass the safety stops 27,
and at the left hand side thereof shows the plate 19 in its outward position below the
opening in the support 20. Fig. 1 likewise at its right hand side shows the plate 19
withdrawn inward to pass the safety stops 27, and at its left hand side shows the
plate 19 in its outer normal position in the path of the safety stops on the wires
adjacent to it. The plate 19 and frame never attain the position in which they
are shown at the right hand side of Fig. 1 until, during the safe travel of the
car, the trolley wheel 11, under the force of the weighted outer end of the frame 9,
passes into and along the recessed or curved portion 22 of the trolley wire or
tramway 21 and thus permits the tilting downward of the frame 9 and the with-
drawal inward of the plate 19 so that the latter at such time may freely pass the
safety stops 27. The curvature 22 in the trolley wire or tramway 21 is, of course,
EO located with respect to the safety stops 27 as to permit the tilting of the frame 9

page_text: at the proper time to effect the withdrawal of the plate 19 so that said plate may
with certainty under safe conditions, pass said stops; and said curvature 22 at
its outlet end guides the trolley wheel 11 back to its regular vertical path and
restores the frame 9 and plate 19 to their upper outward position shown in Fig. 5.
The frame 9 governs the position of the plate 19, since when the frame 9 tilts
downward, the bolt 15 will pull the frame 17 and plate 19 carried thereby to
follow the movement of the frame 9, and when the frame 9 is restored to its
normal running position the bolt 15 will force the frame 17 and plate 19 upward
and outward.
The mechanism above described may, as shown, and preferably will be, dupli-
cated at each side of the car, and at each side of the car are the slideway wires 22ª
which may at their upper ends be fastened to the side of the elevator shaft or to
the top supports for the sheaves 5 or otherwise as may be found convenient. At
their lower ends the wires 22" may be attached to a tightening device 23, as
shown in Fig. 3, which may comprise springs, as shown, or equivalent devices,
such as weights.
While the invention is not limited in every case to any special number of slide-
wires 22", it is preferred to employ a multiplicity of such wires on account of the
advantages derivable therefrom. The slideways of wire may be manufactured in
sufficient lengths to form a slideway of even strength and without joints, and
the wire may be conveniently galvanized in great lengths to prevent rusting.
Wires are manufactured to a very small deviation of gauge and of uniform
material, and this ensures great safety and reliability and an even distribution of
the load. When a multiplicity of the wire slideways are employed, one bad wire
which may have escaped detection will leave a sufficient number of good wires
to do the work, and hence safety is ensured in all cases when a multiplicity of the
wires are employed.
The safety stops 27 will preferably be arranged in staggered order upon the
slideway wires 22ª, as shown in Fig. 3, and these stops 27 are preferably arranged
to slide upon the wires 22" when the projecting portions of the plate 19 contact
with them. The stops may be constructed in various forms, one desirable form
being illustrated in Fig. 4, in which it will be seen that the stop 27 consists of
an exterior sleeve having a two-part cutter 26, whose lower cutting edges normally
rest upon a shoulder formed upon the wire 22". When the stops employing the
cutters 26 are made use of, the action of the cutters, upon the plate 19 striking
the safety stops, will be to abraid or cut the wire 22" during the downward
motion of the safety stops due to the force of the descending elevator car and
plate 19. The flexible wire 22ª will, during the downward motion of the stop 27
and cutter 26, receive a uniform cut, since the wire is not stiff enough to stand
the pressure of the cut without a support, the result being that the cutter will
not dig into the wire but will operate uniformly upon the latter. The stops 27
employing the cutter 26 are illustrated in Figs. 3 and 4; and in Fig. 5 is illus-
trated, at 24, one of the cutters in an inverted position and secured upon the
upper frame work of the elevator shaft. In Fig. 5 is shown the wire 22 as pro-
vided with the safety stops and as passing from the reel 26 downward through
the stationary cutter 24. Upon the plate 19 contacting with the safety stops,
in the construction shown in Fig. 5, the wire 22ª will in the event that the
stops 27 do not yield, be pulled downward through the cutter 24 which will then
act upon the wire 22" and effect the gradual predetermined stoppage of the
elevator car.
With the construction shown in Fig. 5, the wire 22, having con-
siderable length, could unwind from the reel 25 and be pulled down through the
stationary cutter 24 if the car should rest upon the safety stops 27 without causing
the latter to slide downward. The cutter 24 may be used in connection with the
When the
stop 27 having the cutter 26 or independently of the cutter 26.
stationary cutter 24 is made use of, the stops 27 might be rigidly fastened upon
the wires 22, or the stops 27 containing the cutters 26, may be employed as

page_text: duplicates of or auxiliary to the stationary cutter 24, and in this latter instance
the cutters 24 would allow a great length of the wire 22" to slide through them
under any condition which might result whereby the sliding stops 27 would refuse
to move. When both the cutters 24 and 26 are employed, the resistance of the
stationary cutter 24 should be somewhat greater than that of the sliding cutter.
In lieu of employing the safety stops having cutters 26, one may employ the
safety stops 271 of the character illustrated in Figs. 7 and 8, in which it will be
observed that the stops 27 are provided, by means of the rings 91, with channels
of irregular shape through which the wire 22" must pass and which will, as shown
in Fig. 7, deflect the fibre of the wire without cutting or separating it. The
stops 271 having the rings 91 effect the same result as far as the stoppage of the
car is concerned, as do the stops 27, shown in Fig. 4. The invention is not
limited either to the stops having the cutter 26 or to the stops having the channels
for deflecting the fibre of the wire, since other means may be provided within the
stops for acting upon the wire 22, and as a further illustration it may be said
that within the stops 27 may be provided a draw-plate, whose function will be
to draw the wire thinner during the downward descent of the stops due to the
fall or runaway of the car. The use of the draw-plate will be understood by
reference to Fig. 9 which represents a safety stop 92 having a draw-plate 93 of
known form and operation.
During the ordinary travel of the car, the wires 22" and the stops 27 thereon
remain idle and the plates 19 except when approaching the stops 27 remain in
their upper outward position, shown in Fig. 5, the outer slitted or comb-like
portion of the said plates straddling the wires 22" and being normally in the
plane of the stops 27. Each plate 19 is maintained in its upper outer position,
just above referred to, by the contact of the trolley wheel 11 with the trolley wire
or tramway 21. When the car is traveling at a safe speed and is approaching the
stops 27, the trolley wheel 11 will enter the curvature 22 of the trolley wire 21
and this will result in the frame 9, tilting downward, as shown at the right hand
side of Fig. 1, and through the bolt 15 pulling the frame 17 and said plate 19
inward and downward from the plane of the stops 27, and thereby during the safe
travel of the car the plate 19 is prevented from striking the stops 27, but is compelled
to pass said stops and is then returned in its normal running position, shown in Fig. 5.
When the car is traveling at an unsafe speed, the trolley wheel 11 will not have
sufficient time to enter the curvature 22 of the trolley wire or tramway 21, and
hence at such time the frame 9 will not tilt downward and the plate 19 will not
be withdrawn from the plane of the stops 27, but will remain in its normal position
and contact with said stops.
As above described, the plate 19 has a normal position in the path of the stops 27
and in the event of a fall or runaway of the car, said plate 19 will contact directly
upon the stops 27 and cause the latter to slide downward upon the wires 22" until
the car is brought to a standstill, the stoppage of the car being effected with a
uniformly decreasing motion due to a constant retarding resistance thereto. This
constant retarding resistance may be effected as above described by the cutters 26
or by deflecting the fibres of the wire by the means shown in Fig. 7 or by any
other suitable means acting upon the wires 22".
The present invention is intended only as an emergency brake and may only
come into use a few times during the entire life of the elevator apparatus.
The operation of the elevator illustrated, is the same as usual, the safety
appliances being entirely automatic and requiring no attention on the part of
the elevator attendant.
It is desirable in the construction of the plate 19 that the slits or recesses
therein through which the wires 22 pass, be widened at their entering edges,
so as to easily pass upon the opposite sides of the wires 22ª.
The slideway wires 22" and trolley wire or tramway 21 will preferably be dupli-
cated at opposite sides of the car, and this will result in a duplication at each side
of the car of the trolley wheel 11 and plate 19 and the parts connected therewith.

page_text: The stops 27 will be arranged or grouped at any suitable point in the elevator
shaft and may be duplicated at intervals along the length of the wires 22ª, in
accordance with the height of the building or other conditions.
The bolt 15 and slot 16 form a loose connection of the frame 9 with the frame 17
which contains said slot, and this loose connection permits the frame 9 to move a
given distance before the frame 17 and plate 19 are acted on, thus the plate 19
is moved during a short part only of the movement of the frame 9 and consequently
has a quick movement, which feature of the operation is considered very desirable.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of our said in-
vention, and in what manner the same is to be performed, we declare that what we
claim is:
1. The car having a projecting part, combined with a vertical slideway in the
elevator shaft, a sliding stop on said slideway and normally stationary therewith
and in the path of said projecting part, and lever mechanism for automatically
withdrawing said projecting part from the path of said stop, to pass the latter,
when the car is traveling at a safe speed; substantially as set forth.
2. The car having a projecting part, combined with a series of suspended wire
slideways in the elevator shaft, the stops on said slideways and normally stationary
therewith and in the path of said projecting part, the weighted frame connected
with said projecting part, and the tramway for maintaining said frame and pro-
jecting part in their normal running position except when arriving, at a safe
speed, adjacent to said stops, and then under such safe condition releasing said
frame sufficiently to temporarily withdraw the said projecting part from the path
of said stops: substantially as set forth.
3. In an elevator, the flexible wire suspended slideway, and the stop thereon
and normally stationary therewith, combined with the car having a part to con-
tact with said stop in case of accident to gradually arrest the car; substantially
as set forth.
4. The car having a projecting part, combined with the series of slideway
wires, the stops normally stationary therewith and in the path of said projecting
part, the tilting frame connected with and controlling said projecting part, the
trolley wheel carried by said tilting frame, and the trolley wire or tramway
engaging said wheel and having the curvature adjacent to said stops; substantially
as set forth.
5. The car having the movable plate whose outer portion is slitted, the movable
frame carrying said plate, the weighted frame connected with and controlling said
movable frame, and the tramway for maintaining said weighted frame in normal
running position but permitting it to tilt downward to operate said plate at
the proper time, combined with the series of wire slideways straddled by said plate,
and the series of stops normally stationary on said slideways and adapted in case
of accident to be engaged by said plate; substantially as set forth.
6. The car having the slitted plate, combined with the suspended slideway
wires adapted to freely pass through the slits in said plate, and the stops on said
wires and normally stationary thereon and in the path of the slitted portion of said
plate substantially as set forth.
7. In an elevator, the vertical slideway in the elevator shaft, and the stop thereon
and normally stationary therewith, combined with the car having a movable part
normally in the path of said stop, the movable frame carrying said movable part,
the weighted frame loosely connected with said movable frame, and the tramway
controlling the action of said weighted frame: substantially as set forth.
8. The car having a projecting part, combined with the wire slideway in the
elevator shaft and suspended by a vielding means of resistance, as described, and
the stop on said slideway and in the path of said projecting part: substantially
as set forth.
9. In an elevator, the suspended slideways composed of the multiplicity of

page_text: 'flexible wires, and the stops on said slideways and normally stationary therewith,
combined with the car having a part to contact with said stops in case of accident
to gradually arrest the car; substantially as set forth.
1000
RUDOLPH CHARLES SMITH.
JAMES CRUICKSHANK.
Haseltine, Lake & Co.,
45, Southampton Buildings, London, W.C.,
Agents for the Applicants.