Improvements in and in connection with Appliances for Giving Motion to Bearings.
Year: 1892

page_text: Date of Application, 3rd June, 1892
Complete Specification Left, 3rd Mar., 1893-Accepted, 8th Apr., 1893
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in and in connection with Appliances for Giving
Motion to Bearings.
I WILLIAM SPENCER of Chamber Iron Works Hollinwood, in the County of
Lancaster, Engineer, do hereby declare the nature of this invention to be as
follows:-
The invention relates to bearings which are automatically moved, from and to,
shafts so as to allow of the passage along the said shafts of some portion of a
moving structure.
The object of the said invention is to actuate the said bearings in an improved
manner so as to ensure efficient and certain action without undue wear and friction
of the parts.
The invention consists essentially in giving to and fro motion to the said bearings
and in locking and releasing the said bearings by independent but conjointly acting
appliances.
Bearings under my invention are securely carried in guides, and receive to and
fro motion by means of stud or equivalent devices, acted on by a race or its
equivalent on the moving structure. The locking mechanism consists of a pivotted
or sliding bolt or latch held in position by a weight or spring and withdrawn by
means of a stud or the like, gearing with a guide piece or equivalent agent on the
moving structure.
Dated the 2nd day of June 1892
Per pro J. T. KING,
W. B. Johnson,
Agent.
COMPLETE SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in and in connection with Appliances for Giving
Motion to Bearings.
I WILLIAM SPENCER of Chamber Iron Works, Hollinwood in the County of
Lancaster, 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:-
The invention relates to bearings which are automatically moved, from and to,
shafts so as to allow of the passage along the said shaft of some portion of a
moving structure.
The object of the said invention is to actuate the said bearings in an improved
manner so as to ensure efficient and certain action without undue wear and friction
of the parts.
The invention consists essentially in giving to and fro motion to the said bearings
and in locking and releasing the said bearings by independent but conjointly acting
appliances.
Bearings under my invention are securely carried in guides and receive to and
fro motion by means of stud or equivalent devices acted on by a race or its
equivalent on the moving structure. The locking mechanism consists of a pivotted
or sliding bolt or latch held in position by a weight or spring, and withdrawn by
means of a stud or the like gearing with a guide piece or equivalent agent on the
moving structure.

page_text: DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS.
Fig. 1 shows a moving bearing in elevation with an end view of an approaching
travelling carriage. Fig. 2 is a transverse view part being being in section, and
Fig. 3 an edge view of the cam plate of the travelling carriage, all illustrative of
my improved appliances shown in this instance as applied to a travelling crane.
a is the driving shaft. is a bearing for the shaft, free to be moved to and from
the said shaft in guides c secured to any convenient agent or bearer. A latch dis
pivotted to snugs e on the guides c. The latch hangs by its own weight with its
locking end beneath the bottom of the bearing slide so as to maintain the said
bearing in contact with the shaft. f is a stud by means of which the bearing is
raised and lowered or moved to and from the shaft. In the drawing, represents
the end frame of a travelling carriage, and to this end frame is secured a cam-
plate h for actuating the latch and the bearing, i inclined planes for acting on the
Jatch d. j cam groove in the plate for acting on the stud f. The action of
the apparatus is as follows:-The bearing being in the position shown in Fig. 1,
the cam plate approaches it, and as the stud f enters the horizontal portion of the
groovej, one of the inclined planes i acts on the upper end or tail piece d* of the
latch d and depresses it so as to move the lower or locking end of the latch out of
touch with the bearing as the carriage frame and cam plate travels further along,
the stud follows the downward path of the groove j and the bearing b is withdrawn
from the shaft, whilst the carriage gearing k is passing the bearing, the stud f
remains in the lower horizontal portion of the slot j. When the frame and gear
have passed the bearing the said stud f follows the rising portion of the groove j
and enters the remaining horizontal portion. The bearing is now again against the
shaft and whilst the stud f still remains in the horizontal portion of the groove, the
other inclined plane i frees itself from the tail piece of the latch d the locking end
of which falls under the bearing and retains it in position when the carriage frame
and cam-plate have passed away.
b
Fig. 4 shows apparatus in which the latch d is secured at its lower end to a rock
shaft pivotted to the snugs e on the guides c.
The said latch has a locking piece
at its upper end which is held in position by the weighted arm m secured to the
rock shaft 1. In this case the latch is moved away from the bearing by means of
the before mentioned inclined planes i acting on the tail piece d* of the latch in the
opposite direction to that described in Figs. 1. 2 and 3.
Fig. 5 is a sectional view of a modification in which the latch d acts in the same
way as in Figs. 1. 2 and 3, but in which it is held more securely in locking position
by means of a cord n passing over a pulley o and attached to a weight m.
Fig. 6 is a transverse view of apparatus in which a sliding bolt & held in position
by a spring m is used to lock the bearing in position. The unlocking is effected by
means of one of the inclined planes i acting on an antifriction pulley p on the bolt d.
The raising and lowering of the bearing is effected by the action of the cam groove j
on the stud fas hereinbefore set forth.
Fig. 7 is a front view, Fig. 8 an end view, and Fig. 9 a plan of a modification of
apparatus in which the stud is coupled to a short lever q pivotted to the snugs r
at the sides of the guides c and connected by a links to a long levert pivotted to
snugs u near the centre of the guides c. Each end of the lever is fitted with an
antifriction pulley which engages with the cam slot j. The latch d which engages
with the bearing by its own weight is coupled to a rock shaft / pivotted to snugs e
on the guides (. The rock-shaft has operating arms w attached thereto fitted at
their ends with antifriction pulleys p. The action is as follows:-As the cam-
plate approaches the bearing, one of the pulleys v enters the horizontal portion of
the cam slot j, whilst one of the inclined planes i acts on one of the pulleys p so as
to turn the rock shaft l and release the latch d from the bearing as the cam plate
advances the pulley follows the inclined portion of the slot and the lever t is
moved and with it the links and lever y so as to depress the bearing, the pulley v
h

page_text: then enters the remaining horizontal portion of the slot j and remains stationary
whilst the said cam plate passes the bearing. When the cam plate has passed the
bearing, the slot j engages with the pulley on the other end of the lever t and the
bearing is raised when the pulley v enters the final horizontal portion of the slot j
the other inclined plane i of the cam plate frees itself from the pulley p on the other
arm of the rock shaft k and the latch'd is again allowed to engage by its own weight
with the bearing b.
Figs. 10 and 11 are transverse views of modifications of apparatus in which the
latches dare pivotted to the bearings instead of to the guides and lock by their
own weight with the guides c. They are moved out of contact with the guides by
means of inclined planes i acting on tail pieces d* on the latches d as before set
forth. The bearings are moved up and down by the cam groovej acting on the
studas before set forth.
It will be evident that in apparatus for moving and locking bearings under my
invention that the bearings and the latches are each actuated by separate though
conjointly acting mechanism, and that wear or damage to one part will not affect
the action of the other part. It will further be obvious that many modifications of
apparatus can be made under my invention and that it may be applied not only to
cranes as described but to other devices where there are movable bearings.
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 :-
The combination of bearings with moving, and locking devices, substantially as
set forth.
Dated the 2nd day of March 1893.
Per pro J. T. KING,
J. Johnson,
Agent.