US528313A

US528313A - Cable-gripper

Info

Publication number: US528313A
Authority: US
Publication date: 1894-10-30
Anticipated expiration: 1911-10-30

Description

J. WHITALL.

l CABLE GRIPPBR. n v

Patented Oct. 30, A1'89LL.

mnlullllll I (No Model.)

1 .lluwl IIIIII :W duwummlduv sums PEYERs no. Puqmupeo., WASHINGTON n c UNITED STATES PATENT OEETCE.

AMES 'WHITALL OF CHICAGO, ILLINOIS.

CABLE-GRIPPER.Y

sPEcIFIcATroN forming part of Letters Patent Ne. 528,313, dated oeteber 30,1894.

Application filed May 16, 1 8 94.

.To all it may concern.-

Be it known that I, JAMES WHITALL, a citi .zen ofthe United States, residing at Chicago, 1n the county of Cool; andl State of Illinois, have invented `certain new and useful Improvementsin Oable-Grippers, of which the followingis a specification.

The object ofthe present Vinvention is to provide a gripper' of ,suchv construction that when brought into contact with the cable the movement of the cable relatively to the gripper, actingyupon a movable jaw or jaws, causes the gripper to automatically take hold. In accomplishing this object I construct the gripper of asuitablefranie carrying acam or cams, and I coninewithin'this frame, by some suitable means, a jawv (or a `pair of jaws) Which-is movable relativelyto the cam in the direction of the length of the cable.

The gripper which forms the subject of the present invention may be used where the cable is either vertical or horizontal, or in any other position, and is intended more especially for carrying light loads, being particularly adapted for use in cash or bundle carrying systems,and for lifting buildingand other materials.

The invention consists in the "featuresv of novelty that are,particularlypointed out in the claims hereinafter, and in order that it may be fully understood I willf'de's'cribe it with reference to the accompan'yingl drawings, which are made apart hereof, and in` which- 'j Figures Vl and 2 are, respectively, a front and a' rear elevation partly insecti'on'v of Aa gripper embodying the invention'.` Figs; -3 and 4e are hQriZontal and vertical/sections thereof on the lines 2-2 and 4 4, respectively. o Fig. 5 is a front elevation'of a portion of al gripper embodying theinvention runder a slight modification. t, l

In describing the improved gripper this specification, conformable` tothe law and practice, will be coniined to theidentical con, struction shown in the drawings, butI desire to have it understood that lmanyl of the details that are shown and hereinafter Vdescribed are not essential features.

The construction shown'is simple 'and has been proveneective, but in many respects it may be altered without departing from the seein No. 511,402. (remodel.)

. is providedin front with a longitudinal slot oropeningfct, and hasheavy end wallsra otched opposite th'e opening 'a for the admission of the cable BL C, O, are oppositely located` cams or cam surfaces which are preferably formed upon the side walls a?. of Vth'eblock A and each of which, preferably, has two slopes."

D, D, are a'pair of 'heavy plates placed against the opposite sides of the block A and secured in place thereon by tie-bolts E, E, the block being provided on its ends' with notchedlugs e which engage said bolts and prevent their lateral mo'vementrelatively to the block'. 'Within thefblockare'contined a .pair of grippingy jaws, which' are so located that each of them may have'contact with-one of the cams C, said'jaws being capable of moving relatively to vthe cams in the directionof the length of the cable.

particular construction, albeitethe construction shown in the drawings is preferable because of its simplicityand'eectiveness. As shown, each of these jaws consists of a housing F', in which isjournaled a pair ofrollers F', and in which is secured a friction pad F2, preferably made of soft rubber. Each of the housings has a fiange f which bears 'against the rear edge ofgthefside wallo.2 of the block,

a flange fjwhich' occupies a groove in said side wall, and 'a flange f2l 'which' occupies a groove inthe inner face of the front of the block, these several flanges and grooves being provided forl the purposev of guiding the jaw in itsk endwise movement. The t'wo jaws are loosely connected by means of a metallic strap or link G,pivotally connected at one end to one end of one of the'jaws', an'd at the other end to the opposite end of the other jaw, so that it willpermit the jaws tomove freely toward or from (each other and at the same time hold them against any considerable relative endwise movement.

The meeting faces of the friction pads F2y The invention is not limited to jaws of any IOO preferably are outward, so that a cable ine serted between them will eventually come in` contact with them, and when once in contact the friction will be sufficient to cause the jaws to partake of the movement of the cable and in so doing move relatively to the cams C, and since the cams converge, or approach each other in the direction in which the cable is moving, it follows that the jaws will be forced toward each other and grip the cable. It will be seen also that the force with which the cable is gripped will be directly proportional to the load, or the resistance to the movement of the frame. This being so, the gripper is entirely automatic not only in that it closes automatically, but also in that it grips the cable with only so much force as is necessary in order to enable it to carry the load. When the of soft rubber they will yield and permit the rollers to come in contact with and grip the cable, but if they are made of a hard material the gripping can be done by them instead of by the rollers, the rollers acting simply as through which the jaws l on the side adjacent the cable,

anti-friction devices bear upon the cams.

In order to more securely hold the jaws against displacement, I arrange behind them and in contact with the link G a pair of bars I-I, and in order to lessen the friction between said bars and link loose sleeves I are put upon n them.

I have -not shown the gripperV constructed as above described, applied to a receptacle or vehicle of any sort, because the manner of so applying it will be perfectly obvious to those skilled in the art, and will vary according to the requirements of particular cases. For example, if the gripper is used for elevating building or other material, an L-shaped bracket K may be secured to one side of it, and a receptacle or vehicle may be secured to the horizontal arm k of thisbracket. This is, however, merely illustrative and the invention is not limited to it.

The cable may be released in one of two ways, either by seizing the gripper,or the receptacle to which it is attached, and moving it in the same direction in which the cable is moving and at a little greater speed than the speed of the cable, or by simply striking the cable so as to knock it from between the jaws.

With a gripper constructed as above described and having a pair of movable jaws, both jaws will have equal movement toward or from the central line of the cable, and

m while this is preferred, still, itis not necessary.

In Fig. 5 I have shown Va gripper in which onlyone movable jaw is used. This jaw is constructed, arranged and operates as already described, the cable being gripped between it and a pair of fixed rollers F3.

Having thus described my invention, the following is what I claim as new therein and desire to secure by Letters Patent:

l. In a gripper, the combination with a suitable frame or support, of a cam carried thereby, a gripping jaw engaged by the cam and friction pads F2 are made n able frame or support, of a cam carried capable of moving relatively thereto in the direction of the length of the cable, said jaw having a yielding friction pad adapted to engage the cable, and rollers adapted to engage and bite the cable when the friction pad is compressed, substantially as set forth.

2. In a gripper, the combination with a suitable frame or support, of a cam carried thereby, and a gripping jaw engaged by the cam and capable of moving relatively thereto in the direction of thc length of the cable, said jaw having rollers engaging the cam, and a friction pad projecting beyond a plane which touches the peripheries of the rollers on the side adjacent the cable, substantially as set forth.

3. In a gripper, the combination with a suitthereby, and a gripping jaw engaged by the cam and capable of movingrelatively thereto in the direction of the length of the cable, said jaw having rollers engaging the cam and having a yielding pad projecting beyond a plane which touches the peripheries of the rollers substantially as set forth.

fl. In a gripper, the combination with a suitable frame or support, of a pair of oppositely located cams carried thereby and a pair of gripping jaws engaged by the cam and capable of moving relatively thereto in the direction of the length of the cable, said jaws having anti-friction rollers engaging the cams and adapted to engage and bite the cable, substantially as set forth.

5. lIn a gripper, the combination with a suitable frame or support, of a pair of oppositely located cams carried thereby, and a pair `of gripping jaws capable of moving relatively to the cams in the direction of the length of the cable, said jaws having anti-friction ,rollers engaging the cams, and friction pads proj ecting beyond a plane which touches the peripheries of the rollers on the side adjacent the cable, substantially as set forth.

6. In agripper, the combination witha suitable frame or support, of a pair of cams carried thereby, and a pair of gripping jaws engaged by the cams and capable of moving relatively thereto in the direction of thelength of the cable, and means connecting said jaws and permitting their relative lateral movement toward or from each other while restraining them from relative endwise movement, substantially as set forth.

7. In a gripper, the combination with a suitable frame or support, of a pairof oppositely located cams carried thereby, and a pair of gripping jaws engaged by the cams and capable of moving relatively thereto in the direction of the length of the cable, and a link pivotally connected at one end to one end of one of the jaws and at the other end to the oppo-l site end of the other j aw, substantiallyas set forth.

8. In a gripper, the combination with a suitable frame or support, of a cam carried there- ICO TIO

able frame or support, of a cani carried thereby, and a gripping jaw engaged by the cam and having flanges engaging guiding shoulders upon the frame or support, substantially as set forth.

JAMES WHITALL.

Witnesses: 1

L. M. HOPKINs, J. HALPENNY.