IMPROVEMENTS IN MACHINERY FOR RAISING AND LOWERING WEIGHTS
Year: 1857

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to Thomas Brown, of Fenchurch Street, in the City
of London, for the Invention of "IMPROVEMENTS IN MACHINERY FOR
RAISING AND LOWERING WEIGHTS."
Sealed the 24th November 1857, and dated the 26th August 1857.
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said Thomas Brown at the
Office of the Commissioners of Patents, with his Petition, on the
26th August 1857.
I, THOMAS BROWN, of Fenchurch Street, in the City of London, do hereby
declare the nature of the Invention for "IMPROVEMENTS IN MACHINERY FOR
RAISING AND LOWERING WEIGHTS," to be as follows:-
This Invention has for its object improvements in machinery for raising and
lowering weights. For these purposes an upright barrel or capstan is used,
the upper part of which is formed with long inclines, whilst the lower part o.
the barrel is formed with short curved inclines. The rope after passing the
guide pulley takes several turns round this barrel (generally four), when it
passes between two rollers or pulleys on parrallel axes, which are carried by
an upright frame which is capable of moving on an axis, in such manner that
when the rope is being wound on a barrel or drum at a distance, the frame
inclines over towards such barrel or drum, so that the rope can pass to such

page_text: barrel or drum in a straight line, and not be resisted by the two rollers
or pulleys; but when the rope is being run back to lower a weight, the frame
carrying the two rollers or pulleys is caused to assume an upright position,
and the rope will be bent out of a straight line by passing over one roller or
pulley and under the other, by which its progress will be retarded and kept
more under control of the power which is applied to work the upright barrel
or capstan.
SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent, filed
by the said Thomas Brown in the Great Seal Patent Office on the
18th February 1858.
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I, THOMAS
BROWN, of Fenchurch Street, in the City of London, send greeting.
WHEREAS Her most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her Letters
Patent, bearing date the Twenty-sixth day of August, in the year of our Lord
One thousand eight hundred and fifty-seven, in the twenty-first year of Her
reign, did, for Herself, Her heirs and successors, give and grant unto me,
the said Thomas Brown, Her special licence that I, the said Thomas Brown,
my executors, administrators, and assigns, or such others as I, the said
Thomas Brown, my exccutors, administrators, and assigns, should at any
time agree with, and no others, from time to time and at all times thereafter
during the term therein expressed, should and lawfully might make, use,
exercise, and vend, within the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland,
the Channel Islands, and Isle of Man, an Invention for "IMPROVEMENTS IN
MACHINERY FOR RAISING AND LOWERING WEIGHTS," upon the condition (amongst
others, that I, the said Thomas Brown, my executors or administrators, by an
instrument in writing under my, or their, or one of their hands and seals,
should particularly describe and ascertain the nature of the said Invention,
and in what manner the same was to be performed, and cause the same
to be filed in the Great Seal Patent Office within six calendar months next
and immediately after the date of the said Letters Patent.
NOW KNOW YE, that I, the said Thomas Brown, do hereby declare
the nature of the said Invention, and in what manner the same is to be
performed, to be particularly described and ascertained in and by the following
statement thereof, that is to say:
This Invention has for its object improvements in machinery for raising and
Lowering weights. For these purposes an upright barrel or capstan is used,

page_text: the upper part of which is formed with long inclines, whilst the lower part of
the barrel is formed with short curved inclines. The rope after passing the
guide pulley takes several turns round this barrel (generally four), when
it passes between two rollers or pulleys on parallel axes, which are carried by
an upright frame which is capable of moving on an axis, in such manner that
when the rope is being wound on a barrel or drum at a distance, the frame
inclines over towards such barrel or drum, so that the rope can pass to such
barrel or drum in a straight line, and not be resisted by the two rollers
or pulleys; but when the rope is being run back to lower a weight, the frame
carrying the two rollers or pulleys is caused to assume an upright position, and
the rope will be bent out of a straight line by passing over one roller or pulley
and under the other, by which its progress will be retarded and kept more
under control of the power which is applied to work the upright barrel or
capstan.
Having thus stated the nature of my said Invention, I will proceed more
fully to describe the manner of performing the same.
DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWING.
Figures 1 and 2 shew two similar arrangements or combinations of
apparatus according to my Invention, but the ropes in the two cases are
shewn to be moving in opposite directions, as indicated by the arrows; a, a,
are the capstan barrels of the form which is preferred; b, b, are pairs of guide
pulleys between which the ropes c, c, pass. These pairs of pulleys are
mounted or carried by uprights d, d, which are capable of inclining in one
direction by moving on their axes e, e, when the motion of the ropes is in that
direction, but the uprights are prevented inclining in the opposite direction by
the stops ff. In Figure 1 the rope is shewn to be moving from left to right,
in which case the rope would be unwinding from a drum or barrel to the left
of the upright, then around the barrel or capstan, and thence to the weight
which is being lowered, and the rope under such circumstances will be bent
out of its course by the pair of guide pulleys. The rope in Figure 2 is shewn
to be moving in the opposite direction, and is supposed to be winding on
a barrel to the left of the guide rollers, and that the right hand end of the
rope is raising a weight, in which case by the inclination of the upright the
rope is not deflected but is kept in a straight line; the guide pulleys under
such circumstances do not tend to retard the passage of the rope between
them. The axis of the guide pulleys may be arranged, if desired, so that they
may be caused to work nearer to or farther from each other at different
times.

page_text: Having thus described the nature of my Invention, and the manner of
performing the same, I would have it understood that I make no claim to any
of the mechanical parts separately; but what I claim is the combined
apparatus herein described.
In witness whereof, I, the said Thomas Brown, have hereunto set my
hand and seal, this Seventeenth day of February, in the year of our
Lord One thousand eight hundred and fifty-eight.
Witness,
JOHN BALLANTYNE, M.D.,
Glasgow.
THOMAS BROWN. (L.S.)