Improvements in Portable Conveyors for Loading and Unloading Vessels, and Handling Boxes, Bales, and General Merchandise.
Year: 1897

page_text: Date of Application, 12th Jan., 1897-Accepted, 20th Mar., 1897
COMPLETE
SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in Portable Conveyors for Loading and Unloading
Vessels, and Handling Boxes, Bales, and General Merchandise.
A communication by WILLIAM LEGGET MCCABE and CHARLES HERBERT
ANDERSON, Gentlemen, both of Room 30, Theatre Building, Tacoma, in the
County of Pierce and State of Washington, United States of America.
I. WILLIAM PHILLIPS THOMPSON F.C.S., M.I.M.E., of The Agency for Foreign
Patent Solicitors, 6 Lord Street, Liverpool and 6, Bank Street, Manchester, both
in the County of Lancaster, 118 New Street, Birmingham in the County of
Warwick and 322 High Holborn in the County of Middlesex, Civil 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:-
This invention relates to improvements in portable conveyors for loading and
unloading vessels and handling boxes, bales and general merchandise.
The invention consists of the combination with a suitable framework, of endless
conveying belts and a vertically adjustable platform or support upon which articles
to be conveyed, are adapted to be placed and carried forward by said belts.
It also consists of certain other novel constructions, combinations, and arrange-
nients of parts all of which will be hereinafter set forth and claimed.
In the accompanying drawings forming part of this specification;
Fig. 1. represents a side elevation of the apparatus embodying this invention;
Fig. 2. represents a top plan view of the same,
Fig. 3. represents a transverse section, through said apparatus ;
Fig. 4. represents a transverse section through a modified form of this invention;
Fig. 5. represents a detail side elevation of one of the cam levers and the
connecting rod, and
Fig. 6. represents a detail top plan view of the attachment of one of the cross
bars to a ball of the endless belt.
A, A', in the drawings represent the tubular vertical portions of the frame A.
Horizontal bars or braces a, a, connect the bars A', A' at intervals and extend
beyond the same to form braces and supports for the tubular slotted guides A², A².
Belt wheels B, B, are journaled in pairs at each end of the frame by means of
suitable shafts b, b, one of which shafts is provided with a sprocket, wheel 6' by
which power is transmitted to the belt wheels carried thereby. This sprocket wheel
is connected by a suitable chain 2 with a motor or engine mounted at any suitable
point upon the frame. Each of the belt wheels B, B, is grooved about its periphery
to receive its respective belt and is also provided at intervals about said periphery
with notches 63, the use of which will be hereinafter more fully explained.
Supporting troughs D, D, are arranged longitudinally along the lower portion of
the frame to support the endless conveyor. This conveyor comprises two endless
ropes or belts E, E, arranged at the opposite sides of the machine and passing about
the belt wheels B, B.
Metallic balls e, e, are secured upon the belt at suitable intervals and the coinciding
balls of the two belts are connected by cross bars F, F, whose ends are. screw
threaded to engage screw threaded recesses in said balls. When the belts are
operated the balls and cross bars are accommodated by the notches or recesses in the

page_text: peripheries of the belt wheels and the belts are thus prevented from slipping from
the said belt wheels as they revolve to apply the power to the belts. The balls upon the
upward moving portion of the belt fit snugly within the tubular guides A2, A2,
the ends of the cross bars sliding in the slots in said guides, while the balls upon the
downward travelling portion of the belt rest within the troughs D, D.
An adjustable platform H is movably mounted within the frame and rests upon
cam levers h. Each of these levers is secured to a cross bar which is journaled in
the frame so that said cams may be rotated to cause the elevation of the platform
which rests upon them. This rotation of said cams is caused by a longitudinal rod I
which is pivotally connected to all of said cam levers so as to operate them
simultaneously to raise or lower the platform evenly along its whole length. This
rod L is adjusted longitudinally by means of a screw bolt that has one of its ends
pivotally secured to said rod, and its opposite end, which is screw threaded,
adjustably secured to the frame by a suitable adjusting nut. By providing this
means of adjusting the platform nearer to or farther from the moving endless belts
carrying the cross bars, different sized boxes bales and general merchandise are
adapted to be struck by the said bars and conveyed by the belts along the said
platform and deposited at the end of the machine, or at an intermediate point,
into a boat being loaded, or onto a dock from a vessel being unloaded.
It is sometimes desirable to automatically remove a box or bale from the platform
at some intermediate point along its length and to accomplish this the platform is
provided with a hinged section H' that may be turned up as shown in Fig. 1 to
force the article being conveyed outward onto an adjustable chute K which is
adapted to be set against the side of the conveyor at any desired point. This
chute is provided with an upwardly opening automatic trap N that permits the bale
to pass upward through the opening which it closes and then automatically falls
back to its seat so as to complete the obute for discharging the bale.
In the modified form of this invention shown in Fig. 4. the longitudinal tubes of
the frame are provided with guiding flanges M that fit within slots in the ends of
the cross bars; the balls of the belts, in this case, occupying positions within the
ends of the cross bars whereby the latter are carried along.
When an article is placed upon the platform it is carried along by its engagement
with the cross bars until it reaches the desired point of delivery.
This conveyor may be moved from one part of a wharf or other place to any
desired point thereon with the greatest ease because of its extreme lightness due
to the hollow tubing of which all its parts are constructed.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of this said inven-
tion, and in what manner the same is to be performed, as communicated to me
by my foreign correspondents I declare that what I claim is;
1. In a portable conveyor the combination with a suitable framework, of endless
conveying belts and a vertically adjustable platform or support upon which articles
to be conveyed are adapted to be placed and carried forward by said belts, substan-
tially as described.
2. In a portable conveyor the combination with a suitable framework, of endless
conveying belts, a vertically adjustable platform which is adapted to be brought
nearer to or farther from the conveying belts for raising and lowering said platform,
substantially as described.
3. In a portable conveyor the combination with a suitable frame, of endless
conveying belts, a vertically adjustable platform for bringing different sized articles
to be conveyed, nearer to or farther from the conveying belts, means for holding
the platform in its adjusted positions and an automatic intermediate discharge chute
for said platform, substantially as described.
4. In a portable conveyor the combination with a suitable framework, of endless
conveying belts connected by cross bars, guides for said belts, an adjustable platform,
a series of cams for raising or lowering said platform, and means for operating all
of the said cams simultaneously, substantially as described.

page_text: 5. In a portable conveyor, the combination with a suitable framework, of endless
conveying belts arranged on opposite sides of the same, tubular guides through
which said belts pass, balls upon said belts, cross bars connecting the opposing balls
of the respective belts, an adjustable platform, and means for securing the same in
its adjusted positions, substantially as described.
6. In a portable conveyor the combination with a suitable framework, on endless
conveying belts, an adjustable platform, a hinged section for said platform for
discharging its contents at some intermediate point along its length, and a chute for
receiving the discharge at said intermediate point, substantially as described.
Dated this 11th day of January 1897.
WM. P. THOMPSON & Co.,
Agents.