US1322074A - Cableway-carriage - Google Patents

Description

W. IVI. VENABLE.

CABLEWAY CARRIAGE.

APPLlcATloN FILED FEB. 27. 19:8.

3 SHEETS-SHEET I.

I.\III/ IIIIIIIIIII /I Patented Nov. I8,

W. IVI. VENABLE.

CABLEWAY CARRIAGE.

APPLICATION man rEa.21.191.

Patented N 0V. 18, 1919.

B SHEETS-SHEET 2.

INVENTOR.

W. M. VENABLE.

CABLEWAY CARRIAGE.

APPLICATION FILED FEB. 27. |918.

Patented Nov. 18, 1919.

3 SHEETS-SHEET 3.

WILLIAM IVI. VENABLE, OF PITTSBURGH, PENNSYLVANIA, ASSIGNOR TO BLAW-KNOX COMPANY, A CORPORATION OF NEW JERSEY.

GABLEWAY- CARRIAGE.

Application led February 2 To all whom t may conoci/'n Be it known that I, l/ViLiiiaM M. VicivALn, a citizen of the United States, residing at Pittsburgh, in the county of Allegheny and State of Pennsylvania, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Cableway-Carriages, of which the following is a speciiication.

lThis invention relates to cableway carriages and more particularly to that type of carriages used for supporting loads adapted to be suspended connecting two separate points and operated by a cable carried on the carriage and actuated by suitable Winding drum mechanism. This invention contemplates certain` improvements in a type `of cableway carriage commonly knewn as the Alaska trolley e`X- tensively used in mining and in lumbering operations, wherein the carriage is mounted upon an inclined c-afbleway, the lowei' end of the cable being' adjacent the point at which the load is taken. A stop is usually mounted upon the cable at a point above the loading place and the carriage is provided with a latch which automatically grips the stop when the carriage moves into contact there with by gravity. The load lifting cable is usually secured at one end to the carriage and is then reeved over a sheave in a hoisting block and upward over a sheave on the carriage and thence to a suitable operating drum located adjacent the upper end of the cableway which is usually the point for depositing the load. The hoisting block is provided with a hook, chain, or other means for attaching the load, which may be a skip, an excavating bucket, a log, a bale of merchandise or any other package which it is desired to transport along the cableway. rlhe carriage usually is provided with a lock for receiving a bail, carried by the hoisting block, the lock, while open, serving as a means for preventing the release of the stop latch, but wheny the lock is actuated by the bail entering into engagement therewith the hook thereof is moved so as to permit the release of the stop lately The carriage is usually moved along the cableway in one direction by gravity and pulled to the discharging point by the load lifting cable, so that when the hoisting block bail is locked to the, carriage, paying out of slack on the cperating cable 'will permit thecarriageto speeicaiion of Lea-ers raient.

from a cableway Y p 111g position, further cable at or near mechanism to the Patented N ov. 18, 1919.

7, 191s. serial no. 219,481.

` move toward the stop at the lower end of y paying' out ofthe operating cable will permit the hoisting block to lower. TWhen the operating cable is again pulled te raise the load, the carriage is prevented irom movement until the operation of the lock, by engagement of the bail with the lock, permits the release of the latch. Then the hoisting block bail has been drawn to lockpull of the operating cable causes the stop latch to release and the i bail hook to be locked. rlhereiiore the load is secured to the carriage and the carriage is free to be drawn up the cableway.

An automatic or selfwleading bucket may b-e substituted for the lifting block with bail and hook described in the foregoing. y

The Alaska trolley is limited to the use of one stop by which the carriage may be locked to the cable, that stop being on the to its lower end.

It is the purpose of this invention to add Alaska trolley by which the carriage may be operated between twlo stops, and may be capable of picking up its load or of lowering its load, at either stop, and freely traversing the line between the stops. These stops may be either permanent or movable, so as to be set at will at any desired points upon the supporting cable.

The invention contemplates a construction and arrangement of latch mechanism adapted to cooperate with a stop placed at any convenient discharge point adjacent the upper end of an inclined cableWay, in such manner that the load hoisting block will be released from the carriage, when the carriage is in its uppermost position, hypermitting the carriage to back away from the stop a limited distance by reason oi" the action of gravity. This :form of release mechanism is preferred to a release mechanism that depends upon the drawing ci" the carriage against the stop by means `of the operating cable to cause the release oi the ,loa-d, for in such a device there is serious danger of the carriagebeing drawn against `the stop with such torce that the cableway would be broken. Further objects oi' the invention are the provision oiZ mechanism that is simple, desirable and etlicient; the

bodiment of the invention is disclosed: in

the accompanying drawings, wherein'- Figure 1 is a side elevation of the carriage showing the parts in position just prior to the releasing operation at the upper end of ythe cable; Fig. 2 is a side elevation of the carriage showing the parts in load releasing position; Fig. 3 is a side elevation of the carriage showing the parts in position for holding the load and releasingthe carriage from the upper stop;V Fig. 4 is a side elevation of the carriage showing the parts in position for gripping the lower stop while the load is being lowered or lifted; Fig. 5 is a plan view of the carriage with the parts in the position shown in Fig. 1; and Fig. G is a. diagrannnatic showing of the complete cableway, carriage and bucket, with the carriage held latched to the lower stop as in Fig. 4, and supporting a bucket of the single line type,

Referring to the drawings, with the eX- ception of the mechanism shown at the left end of the figures, 1 to V5 inclusive, the device is practically' the same as the previously referred to Alaska trolley, -such similar parts consisting of a pair of separarated plates 1 forming the carriage, between which are pivoted upon shafts 2Athe sheaves 3 adapted to roll upon the cableway 4. Adjacent a vertical notch or slot 5 arranged near the center of the carriage 1, and between the .plates of the carriage, is pivoted a bail or load locking hook 6 provided with a hooked. recess 7 for receiving the bail S of the, hoisting block. l

The hook 6 is also provided with a cam nose 9 adapted to lie across the slot 5 by means of the action of gravity when the hook is in released position, shown in Figs. 2 and 4, so that the hook will be moved to vholding position shown in Figs. 1 and 3,

when the bail 8 is raised so that it enters the slot 5. y

The hook 6 is further provided with two concentric arcuate surfaces 10 and 11, the surface 10 terminating` in a stop face 12, and the surface 11 terminating in a stop face 13, both of such faces being adaptedto engage the under side of a horizontally disposed lock bar 14, which, together with the hook y6, cooperate to forni and serve as a bail lock.

The lock bar 14 is mounted for longitudiknal movement between rollers 15 which serve as anti-friction guides vfor the bar and prevent vertical displacement of the bar. This bar is attached pivota-lly to latch links 16 j on either side of the carriage by a pin 17 projecting through longitudinal slots 18 cut in the plates 1. i These links are secured at the right-hand'end to. a s top latch 19, pivoted at 2O between the plates 1 which latch,

normally, occupies the position shown in Figs. 1 and 3 by reason of being pushed down by the pressure of the nose 2G of the latch 19 against the stop 22 when the car riage is drawn away from the stop. The latch 19 is provided with a notch 21 into which a carriage stop 22, Fig. 4, projects when the latch 19 is moved into the latched position shown in Fig. 4.

Assuming that the parts are in the position shown in Fig. 3 with the bail held in the lock, the carriage is permitted, by paying out slack of the operating cable 23, to move down the cableway until it reaches the stop 22, when the stop willengage the projection 24 of the latch 2O and rotate the latch coun- `ter-clockwise, bringing it to the position I to the bail block the operating cable 23 is pulled to raise the load. Such pull would draw the carriage to the left if it were not prevented. Referring to Fig. 4, it will be seen that movement of the carriage to the left is prevented by the engagement of the nose 2.6 of the latch 19, with the outer face of the stop 22, and that the rotation of the latch 19 clockwise is prevented by the lock bai' 14, the left end of which is in engagement with the arcuate surface 11 of the hook 6. Therefore the carriage will be held to the stop until the bail 8 trips the hook (l into closed position. Then the carriage will he drawn along the supporting cable, the stop 9.2 rotating the latch 19 clockwise and ineviiig the lock bar 14 into the position `shown in Fig. 1, where it holds the hook G in locked position. The carriage may then be drawn to the upper stop by winding up the operating cable 23.

As previously disclosed it is the purpose of this invention to provide a latch 1ncchanism upon the carriage that will engage a suitable stop 27, Figs. 1, 3 and G, in such manner that after the carriage has been moved into Contact therewith so that the latch may operate, the load releasing action. may take place when the carriage is permitted to slack away from the stop. This apparatus consists in a lever QS pivoted to the left end of the carriage upon a pivot pin 29 passing through both plates 1 thereof. They lower end of the lever 2S is pivotally connected at 30 to the latch link 1G in such manner that when the latch 19 is oscillated the lever 28 will also be oscillated or vice versa. Betweenthe forks of the upper end ol the level' 23 is pivoted an articulated latch 31 by means of the pivot pin 32. The right end of this latch extends toward the center of the carriage and is provided with a counterweight 33 which is adapted to hold the latch normally in the position shown in Figs. 3 and 4. The left end of the latch is slotted at 34 to receive a latch hook 35 which is pivoted in the clevis by means of a pivot pin 36. The oscillatory movement of this latch hook 35 is limited by means oi' a pin 37 carried by the latch 31 which pin extends through a slot 33 cut concentric with the pivot pin 36. The latch hook 35 normally occupies the position with respect to the latch 31 shown in full lines in Figs. 1 to 4 inclusive,

but referringto Fig. 1 it will be seen that the latch hook 35 is adapted to be cammed upward by its engagement with the stop 27 into the position indicated in broken lines.

ln order that the latch 31 shall be in the proper latch position for securing thecarriage to the stop 27, and may be in the unlatching position shown in Fig. 4 at the proper time for releasing the carriage from engagement with the stop 27, a rotary cam 39 is pivoted by a pivot pin 40, upon each of the plates 1, and each cam is provided with two oppositely disposed Contact surfaces 41 and 42 which are adapted, when in engagement with the under side of the latch 31, as shown in Figs. l and 2, to hold the latch 31 in latching position, as shown in these figures. When this cam 39 is rotated through y degrees, the latch 31 drops by the force of gravity to position shown in Figs. 3 and 4, which is the releasing position. The cam 39 is adapted to be held in its operative positions frictionally or by means of any suitable means. The cam 39 isadapted to be rotated in one direction only, namely clockwise, this action be ing accomplished by means of a pawl 43 pivoted at 44 to the latch 31 and provided with a recessed end 45 adapted to successively engage round teeth 46'projecting at right-angles from the cam 39.

By a study of Figs. 1 to 4 inclusive, it will be seen that the cam 39 will raise the latch 31into latching position after every alternate locking operation ot' the bucket hook 6. ritter a description of the operation of the carriage the necessity l-or this action ot the latch 31 will be seen. The

`complete operation of the carriage is as follows: Assuming that the carriage is in locking relation with the stop 22, as shown in Fig. 4, and thatthe load has been raised by winding upthe cable 23 so that the bail has tripped the hook 6 as in the operation previously described, the carriage will then be free to be moved toward the lett until it engages the stop 27-shown in Fig. 1. .lust prior to its engagement with the stop 27 the parts of the carriage will occupy the position shown in lull lines in Fig. 1. After the carriage is further drawn to the left into engagement with the stop 27 it will be `seen that by reason of engagement ci' the `inclined face 47 of the latch hook 35, with the front face of the stop 27, the latclrvhook 35 will be cammed upward as indicated by broken lines, so that the hook nose `48 may be free to `engage the rear face 49 of the stop 27. Just enough tension is applied to the carriage to draw it into engagement with the stop which at no time would be excessive. f

After the carriage has been brought to this position, that is the position shown in Fig. 1, it is desired to lower the load lifting block. In order to lower the bloclrthe hook G must be released and this is done simply-by paying slack on the operating cable 23 which permits the carriage to move down the cableway 4 until the hook nose 48 engages the rear tace 49 of the stop 27. Further movement of the carriage to the right, after this engagement, will move thepartsto the position shown in Fig. 2 where it will be seen that the lock bar 14 has been moved to the, right by the lever 28 sullicient distance that the hook G is permitted to' rotate counter-clockwise and thus release its hold upon the bucket bail 8.

Referring to Fig. 2 it will be seen that the cam 39 is still in the position shown in Fig. 1, but that the pawl 43 has been drawn into engagement with the upper pawl tooth 46 so that when the pawl 43 is again moved to the right it may turn the cam 39 so as to drop the weighted end of the latch 31.

lVhen the v,load has been released 'from the carriage thetension on the operating cable 23 will draw the carriage to the lett thus moving the latch. 31 into engagement with. the front face of the stop 27` again, which action -willcause the upper end of the lever 28 to be `moved to the right as soon as the arcuate Jface 10 of the hook 6 is moved oppo site the left end of the locking bar 14 which permits olf the movement of the lock bar 14 to the left.

After this action the parts will be in the position indicated in Fig. 3 as soon as the carriage has been permitted to back `away slightly from the stop 2T. When the car-u riage is in this position it free to be moved toward the stop 22 carrying the attached load with it as soon as slack is paid out on the operating `cable 23. It will be seen that the latch 19 is in its lower position so `that the nose 26 ot this latch may clear the stop 22 when the carriage has` been moved into engagement with the stop. The

stop 22 will engage the nose 24 of the latch 19 which will cause the latch to rotate counter-clockwise, thus bringing the nose 26 up behind the stop 225:0 that it will'prevent movement of the carriage toward the left when, thev operating cable 29 is subsequently pulled. l

The counter-clockwise movement of the latch 19 draws the latch link 16 to the right thereby withdrawing the lock bar 14 from engagement with the stop face 12 of the bail hook 6. Therefore, the instant the latch 19 is actuated into the position shown iny Fig. 4, the bail hook 6 will be free to rotate to release the bucket when slack is paidrout on the cable 23. The parts will then be in the position illustrated in Fig: 4.

Referring to Fig's. 3 and 4, it will be seen that'the cani 39 is in its horizontal position so that the latch 31 is in its inclined position,

'which is the position it is tooccupy when the carriage is release'dfrom the stop 27. When the latch 19 is engaged by the stop 22 the movement of the lever 2S occasioned by the oscillation of the latch 19 through the medium of the link 16 draws the pawl 43 to the left so that it will again engage the uppermost ratchet tooth 46 of the cam 39. This pawl is then in` position to rotate the cam 39 to the position shown in Fig'. 1 the instant Y the latch 19 is permitted to release its hold upon the stop 22. -The latch 19 is held in locked position by reason of the engagement of the left end of the lock bar 14 with the arcuate surfacelll on the bucket hook 6. lVhen the load is elevated by pull-on the cable 23 so that the' bail 8 passes into engagement with the nose` 9 of the bail hook 6, they bail hoole will be rotated clockwise so that the lock-bar 14 may be moved to the left into engagement with the arcuate surface 10 so that the bail hook 6 will be held in locked position by reason of engagement of-the stop face 12 withthe under side of the, lock bar 14, as illustrated in Fig. 1, which shows the position of all parts at the time the carriage is released from the stop 22. When the carriage has been drawn to the left by the operating cable 23 into engagement with the stop 27,' the parts will be inthe position shown in Fig. 1 with the latch hook 35 positioned over the stop 27. The device is now in position for lowering the load and going through the same cycle of operations just described.

It will be seen fromv the foregoing that `'because the' release of the load while the earriage is in engagement'with the stop 27, is accomplished by the backing away of the carriage by gravity, there is no danger in excessive strains being applied tothe cableway 4 as is the lcase where the release of the load is accm'nplished by drawing the carriage toward the stop 27.

f It is obvious that many changes may be made in the details of the apparatus` without departing from the spirit of the invention' and the' invention is not limited to the vspecific means' hereinl illustrated' and v described for accomplishing' the purposes of the invention.

Vhat I claim is:

1. A cableway carriage comprising' a frame having means for supporting' the same movably on the cable, a pair of spaced stops on the cable, a releasable load locking' means on the carriage and a latch at each end of the carriage having a connection therebetween adapted to operate on the load locking` means, each latch being operated upon by its respective stop in either direction of travel of the carriage, and each of said latches constructed to release the load lock ing'nieans upon movement of the carriage alongthe cable in one direction and to lock the load upon movement of the carriage along` the cable in the opposite direction.

2. A cableway carriage comprising' a frame having' means for supporting the same movably on the cable, a pair of spaced stops on the cable, a relcasable load locking means on the carriage, and a latch at each end of the carriage having a connection therebetween adapted to operate on the load locking' means, each latch having' means adapted to be operated on by its stop to effect the release of the load locking means upon movement of the carriage along the cable in one direction and to effect the locking' of said means upon movement of the carriage along the cable in the opposite direction.

3. A cableway carriage for supporting a cable conveyed load, a cable, a stop on said cable, a releasable load locking means on the carriage, a latch on said carriage adapted to engage said stop, and means associated with the latch and the load locking means for operating the latter from the latch, said latch operating to release the load locking means on movement of the carriage away from the stop.

4. A cableway carriage for supporting a cable conveyed load, a cable, a stop on said cable, a releasable load locking means on the carriage, means on the carriage adapted to engage said stop upon movement of the carriage along the cable away from said stop and impart a releasing movement to the load locking means, and means connecting said first means with the load locking inea-ns. l

5. A cableway carriage, comprising in combination, a frame provided with sheaves to rnu on the cable, a load lock for suspending a load from the carriage while the carriage is being' moved along the cable, a latch cari'ied at one end of the carriage adapted to engage a, stop on the cable to limit movement of the carriage along' the cable in either direction when the latch is in operative holding position, means on 'the carriage for actuating the latch to latching and unlatching' positions, and a second means connected With the bucket lock for actuating the first means when the bucket lock is operated.

6. A cableivay carriage, comprising in. combination, a frame provided With sheaves, adapted to be run on a cable between a pair of spaced stops secured to the cable, a stop latch at one end ot the carriage adapted to automatically grip a stop When moved into engagement therewith to limit the movement of the carriage along the cable, a second stop latch carried at ,the other end of the carriage and normally held out of latching position, a cam for moving the second latch into operative latching position, and means actuated by the unlatching movement of the iirst latch for moving the cam.

i'. A. cableway carriage, comprising in combination, a frame provided with sheaves to run on the cable, a load lock for suspending a load from the carriage While the carriage is being moved along the cable, a latch carried at one end of the carriage adapted to engage a stop on the cable to limit movement of the carriage along the cable in either direction when the latch is in operative holding position, a cam for actuating the latch into latching and unlatching positions, and means connected With the bucket lock for actuating the cam when the bucket lock is operated.

8. A cableway carriage, comprising in combination, a frame provided with sheaves to run on the cable, a. load lock for supportting a load upon the carriage While the carriage is being moved along lthe cable, a latch carried at one end of the carriage adapted to engage a stop on the cable `to limit movement of the carriage along the cable in either direction when the latch is in operative holding position, a cam for actuating the latch into latching and unlatching posi.- tions, and means connected with the load lock for actuating the cam to move the latch into operative latching position every alternate movement of the load lock to locking position.

9. A cableivay carriage for supporting a cable operated hoist, comprising in combination, a frame provided with sheaves to run on the cable, a hoist lock for supporting a load upon the carriage While the carriage is being moved along the cable, a latch carried at one end of the carriage adapted to engage a stop on the cable tolimitmovementfof the carriage along the cable in either direction when the latch is in operative holding position, a lever for supporting the latch for longitudinal and pivotal movement, a cam for supporting the latch in operative latching position, a pawl carried by the latch for operating the cam when the latch is moved longitudinally, and means for operatively conp necting the lever with the hoist lock.

l0. cableway carriage, comprising in combination, a frame provided With sheaves to run on the cable, a load lock for suspending a load from the carriage While the carriage is being moved along the cable, a latch carried at one end of the carriage adapted to engage a stop on the cable to limit movement ol the carriage along the cable in either direction when the latch is in operative holding position, and means on the carriage for actuating the latch alternately to latching and unlatching position when the carriage is drawn against the sto WILLIAM M. VENABLE.

Images