GB379269A - Improvements in amusement devices - Google Patents

Abstract

379,269. Escalators. PICKARD, H., PICKARD, H., PICKARD, I., 61, Burling- ton Road, Blackpool, and RUTHERFORD, W., East Mill Hills, Haydon Bridge, Northumberland. Feb. 18, 1931, No. 5132. [Class 78 (i).] In apparatus of the kind in which chain conveyers carry cars by which passengers are elevated to the top of a staging and then the cars are tilted to eject the passengers into shoots down which they slide to the starting point, the elevator chains b, Figs. 4 and 5, are provided with a number of inverted T-bars b<1> about which the carriages c tilt to eject passengers into the shoot. The forward of each pair of bars is formed with a bevelled hole through which a pin c<1> passes, around which are springs c<3> to right the carriage from its tilted position. The carriage is also supported while rising by legs c<7> on wheels c<7> guided in an inclined runway until the carriage reaches the top of shoot when the guide is broken away and a knifeedge on the rear bar b<1> engages a notch in a cross-bar c<1> to allow the carriage to tilt. The tilting of the carriage may be positively effected by a cam formed of laminated springs. A pair of jockey wheels or guide rails guide the car over the end of the staging until the wheels c<1> engage lower rails g, Fig. 1. As the car turns over to commence its return journey it pivots about the shaft c<1> and the rear part of the car will tend to swing away from the conveyer, this movement may be checked by a forwardly extended arm having an upturned nose j<1>, Fig. 6, to engage the drum. Alternately, spring-cushioning means may be attached to the upper end of the guide g, such means comprising either a pivoted plate supported by a helical spring or a laminated spring. The shoot may have its sides d<1> set back as shown in Fig. 9 so that passengers sitting on a mat d2 can avoid friction with their arms. The passengers are discharged from the shoot on to a continuous conveyer formed of a number of belts o running on pulleys o<1>, o<2>, o<3> and driven from driving mechanism of the chain conveyer. A ratchet drive is provided so that if a passenger arrives at a higher speed than the driven speed of the belt, the pulley will overrun the ratchet and the abrupt changes of speed by the passenger are prevented. In place of this band conveyer the end of the shoot may have a series of resilient tyred wheels protruding therethrough running necessarily slower towards the delivery end. Fig. 12 shows a safety-device for use with the apparatus comprising a casing r mounted at the bottom of the incline in which is pivoted a counterbalance pawl s which allows the chain to move forward but should the chain break prevents movement in the opposite direction.