US2290924A - Pulley - Google Patents

Description

y 1942- T. K. WATSON 2,290,924

PULLEY Filed Dec. 2, 1940 INVENTOR ATTOR N EYS Patented July 28, 1942 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE PULLEY Timothy K. Watson, Jersey City, N. J. Application December 2, 1940, Serial No. 368,263

3 Claims.

The present invention relates to improvements in pulleys primarily designed for use with clotheslines though not limited in use therewith.

An important object of the invention is to provide a pulley or wheel having extensible and retractible means for retaining a line in position thereon.

Another object of the invention is to provide a device of this character having a rotatable member and a fixedly secured track within the former, said member and track being mounted on a fixed shaft, and means associated with the track extending through the rotatable member for confining and retaining a line in position on the outer circumference of said member.

The invention also consists in certain other features of construction and in the combination and arrangement of the several parts, to be hereinafter fully described, illustrated in the accompanying drawing and specifically pointed out in the appended claims.

In describing my invention in detail, reference will be had to the accompanying drawing wherein like characters denote like or corresponding parts throughout the several views, and in'which:

Figure 1 is a side elevational view of the pulley embodying the features of the present invention.

Figure 2 is a vertical sectional view thereof.

Figure 3 is a horizontal sectional view taken substantially on line 3-3 of Figure 2.

Figure 4 is an enlarged vertical sectional view of one of the lever retaining members.

Referring to the drawing for a more detailed description thereof, the improved pulley is generally designated by the reference numeral 5 and includes a bell-shaped body member 6, top member l and bottom members 8 and 9, respectively. The upper end of the body member 6 has an integrally extending flange II] to which. the top member 1 is attached by means of threaded bolts or similar fastening means I l. The bottom members 8 and 9 are held in spaced relation within the body member 6 with the member 8 welded or otherwise secured to the interior thereof and the member 9 held within the flanged groove l2.

A shaft I3 is mounted centrally of the body member 6, the lower end of said shaft extending through the member 8 and provided with suitable bearings l4. Complementary bearings l5 are mounted on the upper end of the shaft in engagement with the lower face of the top member 1, the bearings l4 and I5 permitting free rotation of the pulley 5 on the shaft I3. A nut l6 prevents vertical movement of the shaft l3 when the pulley 5 is suspended from a bracket l1, said bracket being of conventional construction and attached to a suitable support l8 with the free end of the bracket securely clamped to the upper end of the shaft I3 as clearly shown in Figure 1 of the drawing. With the pulley 5 suspended from the bracket H, the shaft l3 will be fixedly held while said pulley will be free to rotate thereon. It is to be understood that two or more pulleys are tobe suspended in spaced relation for mounting a clothesline or the like, a clothesline rope being diagrammatically shown in Figure 1 of the drawing and identified by the reference numeral I9.

An annular groove 20 is formed in the body member 6 adapted to be engaged by the rope l9, which rope will be held therein by a means to be hereinafter described. Mounted on the shaft [3 within the pulley 5 is a trackway generally designated by the reference numeral 2 I, said trackway including a hub 22 through which the shaft I3 extends with said hub locked to the shaft by means indicated at 23. The hub 22 forms a part of a web portion 24, said web portion being integral with the trackway. As more particularly shown in Figures 2 and 4 of the drawing, the outer periphery of the trackway is substantially C-shaped in cross section and supports therein a plurality of levers 25 of substantially T-shape formation. The vertical section of levers 25 is formed with a bearing surface 26 having engagement with the back wall 21 of the trackway, while the horizontal section is formed with a bearing surface 28 adaptedfor engagement with either wall 29 or 30 of the trackway. The extreme ends of the vertical sections are never in contact with either the top or bottom walls 3| and 32 of the trackway as is apparent from an inspection of Figure 2 of the drawing, wherein there is shown one bearing 28 having engagement with the wall 29 and another bearing 28 having engagement with the wall 38. The free end of the horizontal section of levers 25 is formed with eyes 33 to which the hooks 34 are attached, said hooks adapted to be extended and retracted through openings 35 formed in spaced relation beneath the annular groove 20. The hooks are extended and retracted upon movement of thelevers 25 in the trackway 2| upon rotation of the pulley 5, with certain of the hooks being extended for confining the rope l9 within the groove 20 while certain other hooks are retracted. As shown more particularly in Figure 3 of the drawing, the trackway 2| is cam-shaped in top elevation and is formed of two semi-circular members one of which is smaller than the other and united by means of an irregular curve as indicated at 36. When the levers 25 are in that portion of the trackway formed of the larger semi-circle, the hooks 34 are extended through the openings 35 and likewise when the levers are in the trackway formed of the smaller area the hooks 34 are retracted from the openings 35. Rotation of the bell-shaped member 6 on the shaft I3 will alternately extend and retract the hooks from the openings.

Mounted in spaced relation within the pulley and attached to the top wall 1 thereof are a plurality of U-shaped supports 31 for pivotally mounting the hooks 34 as indicated at 38, said hooks being supported on pins 39 which are held in the parallel legs of the U-shaped supports 31. As the hooks 34 are extended and retracted they move on their pivot pins 39. Thus the hooks are properly supported for extensible and retractible movement by the levers 25 during rotation of said levers in the trackway.

It is thought that the function of the pulleys for use in supporting clotheslines and the like will be readily apparent from the above description when taken in connection with the accompanying drawing. Lines of various types may also be supported in the annular groove 20 and held by the hooks 34 for displaying merchandise and numerous other uses. An endless line will be effectively supported on the pulley with the pulleys and lines extending at different angles and the line will at all times be free to travel in the groove 20.

Also it will be understood, of course, by those skilled in the art that variations in the hereinabove described device involving the substitution of substantial equivalents for the devices described are intended to be comprehended within the spirit of the present invention and that the invention is capable of extended application and is not confined to the exact showing of the drawing nor to the precise construction described and, therefore, such changes and modifications may be made therein as do not affect the spirit of the invention nor exceed the scope thereof as expressed in the appended claims.

What is claimed is:

1. In a device of the character described, a vertical fixed shaft, an annular wheel form-ing body mounted concentrically about the shaft, a plurality of transverse members secured to the annular body and rotatably supporting the same on the shaft, the said body having circumferentially spaced openings, a plurality of hook shaped elements pivotally supported at their inner ends in the body, the said hook elements being movable radially of the body to retracted positions therein and extended positions with their outer portions extended thru the respective openings in the body, a cam shaped grooved trackway rigidly secured to the shaft with-in the body, and a lever having its outer end pivotally connected to each hook element and its inner portion engaged within said grooved trackway for alternately retracting and extending said hook elements during each turn of the wheel.

2. In a pulley, a fixed vertical shaft, an annular wheel forming body mounted concentrically about the shaft, the said annular body having a circumferential groove therein and circumferentially spaced openings below the said groove, transverse members secured to the top and bottom of the annular body and rotatably supporting the same on the shaft, a plurality of support sections mounted vertically in the body, a plurality of hook shaped keeper elements pivotally connected to the said support sections, the said hook shaped elements being movable radially of the body to retracted positions therein and to extended positions through the respective openings in the annular body wall, a cam shaped trackway secured to the shaft and extending thereabout within the body, angular flanges formed at the top and bottom edges of the said trackway and projecting outwardly thereof, and

a plurality of levers connecting the said hook' shaped elements with the said trackway for re tracting and projecting the said elements during rotation of the wheel, each of the said levers having its outer end pivotally connected to a hook shaped element and having a T-shaped portion at its inner end engaging the flanged portions of the trackway for pivotally actuating the said hook shaped elements during rotation of the wheel.

3. In a pulley, a fixed shaft, an annular wheel forming body mounted concentrically about the said shaft, the said body having a plurality of circumferentially spaced openings, transverse members secured to the top and bottom of the annular body and rotatably supporting the same on the shaft, a plurality of support sections extended transversely in the body, a plurality of hook shaped keeper-elements pivotally connected to the said support sections, the said elements being movable radially of the body to retracted positions therein and to extended positions through the respective openings in the annular body, a cam shaped trackway secured to the shaft and extending thereabout within the body, angular flanges formed at the top and bottom edges of the said trackway, and a plurality of levers connecting the said hook shaped elements with the said trackway for retracting and projecting the said elements during rotation of the wheel, each of the said levers having its outer end pivotally connected to one of the elements and having an inner portion shaped to engage the flanged portions of the trackway for pivotally-actuating the said elements.

' TIMOTHY K. WATSON.

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