US663228A - Elevator safety-gate. - Google Patents

Description

No'. 663,228.' Patented nec. 4, |900. s. T. HlTz a G. H; BLAKEn.

ELEvAon SAFETY GATE. (Appliition4 led Jun 22, 1960.)

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No. 663,228. Patented nec. 4. |900. s. T. H|Tz & apn. BLAKER.

ELEVATDR SAFETY GATE. (Application med rune- 22, i900.) (nu Modal.) y 3 sheets-sheetv 3 WINE SES, n JNI/ENTORS M l BY AHORA/EY.

UNITED STATES PATENT Eric?- STEPHEN T. I-llTZ AND GILBERT H. BLAKER, OF INDIANAPOLIS, INDIANA; SAID BLAKER ASSIGNOR TO SAID HITZ.

ELEVATOR SAFETY-GATE.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 663,228, dated December 4, 1900.

Application filed June 22, 1900- Serial No. 21,161. (No model.)l

To ULZZ whom t may concern;

Be it known that we, STEPHEN T. HITZ and GILBERT H. BLAKER, of Indianapolis, county of Marion, and State of Indiana, have invented a certain new and useful Elevator Safety- Gate; and we do hereby declare that the following is a full, clear, and exact description.

thereof, reference being had to the accompa nying drawings, in which like numerals refer to like parts.

The object of this invention is to provide an elevator-gate that will not cause a persons head to be caught between it and the descending elevator-car and which when opened or moved out of the Way by the elevator-car will in no wise be an obstruction or be in a position to obstruct the entrance to the elevator-car either above or below or in a position to interfere with the placing of articles, machinery, &c., upon, or the removal of them from, the elevator-car.

The chief feature of this invention to bring about the above object is a novel construction of gate that renders it downwardly collapsible. The preferable form is a telescopic connection between the bars of the gate, whereby the gate can be pressed downward into small space. The advantage of this construction of gate is that when one is leaning over the upper bar of the gate and the elevator-car is descending withouthis knowledge and comes in contact with his head or back the gate will readily yield downward and permit his escape. From a rigid gate it is obvious he could not escape destruction.

The second feature of the invention cousists in novel means whereby the elevatorcar can depress the gate or open it whether moving up or down; also, novel means for preventing the closing of the gate faster than the movement of the elevator-car and which requires the gate to close as fast as the elevator-car moves away; also, novel means for moving the elevator-car past the gate without operating it.

The full nature of our invention will be understood from the accompanying drawings and the description following of one form of device embodying said invention, and the scope of our invention will be un- .side of the shaft.

derstood from the claims following said description.

In the drawings, Figure 1 is a longitudinal vertical section of one end of the gate and parts connected with it. Fig. 2 is a central vertical section of the shaft, elevator-car, and gate, showing two floors and gates with the parts in operative condition. Fig. 3 is the same with the parts inoperative. Fig. -LL is a plan of one end of the top bar of the gate and a crosssection of the guide-bar at the end of the gate. Fig. 5 is a sideelevationof a portion of one of the elevator'guides at the Fig. 6 shows a modified mounting of the gate. Fig. 7 is a vertical section showing the modified form with the gate depressed.

Referring now to the details of construction of the form of invention shown herein to i illustrate the same, lis the iioor of the building in which the elevator is mounted, and 2 the side of the shaft. There are two floors shown.

3 is the vertical guide-piece secured to the side of the shaft for guiding the movement of the elevator-car.

The elevator-car consists of the ioor 4, the vertical side bars 5, the top cross-beam 6, and the braces 7.

8 is the cable, whereby the elevator-car is suspended and elevated.

On one side of the elevator-shaft where it is desired to locate the gate a pair of vertical U-shaped guides l0 are placed vertically against the side 2 of the shaft and against the side of the floor. They extend from the bottom of the floor for a reasonable distance above the same, substantially as shown. In these guides the gate vertically reciprocates. The gate consists of horizontal bars 1l, those shown here being U-shaped in cross-section. While four of these bars are shown, any number may be used. These bars are connected at each end by telescoping tubes 12. The lower tube 12 extends loosely through the lower bar 1l and is secured to the bar above and has a cap 13 on it,with an opening through it of smaller diameter than the opening through the tube. A collar 45, secured to the lowerend of thelower tube, supports the lower IOO the lever 20 as the elevator-car moves up and bar. A similar tube extends through the cap 13 into the lower tube and has a head on its lower end to prevent its escape and extends loosely through the opening in the bar above, where a similar construction is found. A tube or, as here shown, a bar forming the upper end of the telescoping connection extends loosely into the tube below it and is secured to the top bar 1l. It is obvious that these bars can collapse by moving the top one downward, so that one bar will rest upon the other and the telescoping tubes will telescope into each other, putting the gate into the position shown in the lower part of Fig. 2 collapsed. To receive the gate w'hen it is collapsed, a stationary bar is secured to the floor. As here shown, it. forms a metal edge for the iioor flush with the top thereof and next to the elevator-shaftand also hasa bottom crosspiece 15, against which the bars 1l are depressed.

The gate is held closed orwith the slats in their uppermost position by the weights 16, secured to the ends of the cords 17, that extend over the pulleys 18 and are connected with the top bar. A stop 19 is provided in the guide 1() to limit the upward movement of the top b'ar of the gate, and gravity holds the other barsin the lowermost position, such position being limited by the length of themembers of the telescoping connection 12.

The gate is depressed oropen ed by the lever 20, that extends through the slot 21 in the guide-piece 3, as shown in Fig. 5, and is pivoted therein by the bolt 22. At one end such lever is pivotally connected by the link 23 with the top bar 11 of the gate. The lever has an inwardly-extending pin 24. When the inner end of said lever is elevated or the pin 24 is depressed, the hars of the gate will be thrown down against the a'ction of the weight 16 into the collapsed position shown in the lower end of Fig. 2. The lever 2O is actuated by the segments 25, pivoted at 26 to the two ends of the bar 27, that is centrally pivotedat 28 to one of lthe side bars 5 of the elevator-car. The curved surface of the rear Segment 25 extends downward and that of the front segment upward. Stops 29 are secured to the ends of the lever 27 to stop the movement of the segments 25 or hold them in position under strain. The length and position of the bar 27 and position'of the segments 25 are such as to enable the horizontal legs of the inner segment 25 or outwardly-extending corner thereof to engage the inner end of the lever 20 and the oth-er segment 25 to similarly engage the pin 2-4 on down. The forward segmentl 25 is provided with the weight 30 to hold it in proper norm-al position against its stop 29 when not doing work.

The gates in normal position (open) hold the levers 2O in the position shown in Fig.3 and the upper part of Fig. 2. Assuming the elevator-car to be moving upward, as is the ees/22e case in Fig. 2, the corner1 of the-innersegment 25 on the bar 27 will engage the inner end of the lever 20, and as the elevator-car moves up farther will through said lever force the gate down into the position shown at the lower end of Fig. 2; but when the gate is wholly collapsed and the elevator-car continues to move the inner segment 25 passes the inner end of the lever 20 or escapes therefrom. At the same time the pin 24 on the lever 20 escapes below the outer segment 25. Then as the elevator-car continues to move upward the weights 16 tend to elevate the gate-bars and close the gate. Such upward movement of the gate is held in check by the outer segment 25 actingon the pin 24, as will appear from the consideration of the lower part of Fig. 2 and assuming that the elevator-car has moved up somewhat from the position there shown. After the pin 24 passes the outer segment 25 the upward movement of the gate pushes the pin against the under side of said segment, and that segment acting on said pin prevents. the lever 2O returning to its normal position any faster than the upward movement of the gate of the elevator will permit. As the elevator-car passes entirelyv above the gate when itis closed or in its elevated position the lever 20 becomes wholly disengaged from the segments and assumes the position shown in Fig. 3. As the elevator-car passes through the. second floor the operation will be repeated. Assuming that the elevator-car is moving downward, the outward segment on its under side engages the pin 24 on the lever 20 and de presses the outer end of said lever and through it the gate-bars into the collapsed or open position, and as@ the elevator-car is ready to pass or is just passing the door-line the pin 24 escapes from the outer segment 25, and the inner end of the lever 2O passes above the inner segi ment 25 into the position shown at. the lower part of Fig. 2. Then as the elevator-car con- 1 tinues to go, down the inner segment 25 acting l againstthe inner end of the lever 2O will prevent the gate from being elevated or closed 1faster 'that the elevatorcar moves down.

This mechanism prevents the sudden closing In order that the segments 25 may be properly positioned to engage the gate-lever 20, l we provide means for adjusting the position of the bar 27, so as to bring said segments into the actuating position or, if desired, to move them out of actuating position. As shown in the lower part of Fig. 2, a hand-lever 35 is at one end pivoted to the side bar 5 of the elevator-car at 36 and extends through a notched IOR segment 37 and is provided with the usual pawl mechanism 38 for setting the lever in anydesired position. Said leveris connected by the link 39 with the bar 27. When the lever is depressed, the bar 27 is thrown into a horizontal position, as shown in Fig. 3. Then the segments are so far apart that they fail to engage the lever 2O or pin 24, as shown in Fig. 3 by the vertically-dotted lines. Thus by operating this hand-lever the bars will be in position so that the elevatoncar will pass the gates without opening them.

From the foregoing description itI is observed that when the gate is open it is depressed into a pocket in the floor beside the gate, with the top of the gate flush with the floor, and therefore entirely out of the way, with all the space between the door and the one above it free and open. Likewise when the gate is thus depressed the top bar will bridge the space between the elevator-door and main loor for convenience in the pushing of trucks. Furthermore, many of the dangers attending other kinds of elevators are avoided.

The modified form shown in Fig. 6 is similar to that shown in the other figures except that the guide-bars l0 are pivoted at the lower ends by the bolts 40 to the floor of the building at a point suliciently below the top of the iloor to enable the gate when depressed to lie below the top of the oor of the building. At the top of the floor. of the buildingalip 4l or extension of the oor extends into the elevator-shaft as far as possible without coming into contact with the elevator-car in its pas sage. The gate, link 23, and lever 20 are the same as in the other form. In this modified form as the outer end of the lever 20 is depressed the end of the link 23 attached to the gate will extend inward and swing the gate and pivoted guide-bars into the position shown by dotted lines in Fig. 6, so that as the gate is pressed down it will escape the end of the extension 4l and the guide-bars and the gate be gradually pushed back into vertical position out of the path ot' the elevator-car. In this way the space between the main body of the oor of the building and the floor of the elevator-car can be bridged and the gate side-tracked or switched about it in the upand-down movement. These guide-bars l0 are at each side of the door of the elevator-car,so it passes between them without engaging them. The gate is moved into the path of the elevator-car door and back again in advance of the car-floor, as the collapsing or movement of the gate by reason of the fulcrumng of the lever 2O is more rapid than the movement of the car-floor.

What we claim as our invention, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is

l. An elevator safety-gate consisting of bars downwardly collapsible, and means acting on the top bar for collapsing the gate.

2. An elevator safety-gate consisting of bars downwardly` collapsible, and means actuated by the elevator-car for opening said gate.

3. An elevator safety -gate consisting of bars downwardly collapsible, a yielding means for closing the gate, and means actuated by the elevator-car for depressing the bars of the gate to open the same.

4. An elevator safety-gate consisting of bars downwardly collapsible, means for receiving the bars of the gate when depressed and holding the top bar thereof ush with the floor, and means for opening and closing said gate.

5. An elevator safetygate consisting of bars downwardly collapsible, vertical guidebars at. each end of the gate for guiding the ends of the gate-bars, a yielding means acting on the top bar for elevating the gate, and a stop secured to the guide-bars for limiting the movement of the top bar of the gate.

6. An elevator safety-gate consisting of downwardly collapsible bars, a yielding means for elevating the bars of the gate, and means for controlling the rapidity of the closing movement of the gate by the movement of the elevator-car.

7. An elevator safety-gate consisting of downwardly collapsible bars, a yielding means for holding them in the upper position, a lever pivotally connected with the top bar of the gate, and means on the elevator-car for actuating said lever for depressing and opening the gate.

8. An elevator safety-gate consisting of downwardly depressible bars, a yielding means for holding them in the upperposition, a lever linked with the top bar of the gate and fulcrumed between its ends, means on the elevator-car for engaging and actuating one arm of said lever as the elevator-car moves in one direction, and means on the elevatorcar for engaging and actuating the other end of the lever as the elevator-car moves in the other direction, whereby the gate may be opened as the elevator-car ascends or descends.

9. An elevator safety-gate consisting of downwardly -depressible bars, a yielding means for holding them in their upper position, a lever linked at one end with the top bar of the gate and fulcrumed between its ends, a pin on the lever between its fulcrum and pivoted end, a bar secured to the elevatorcar, tripsegments pivoted to the ends of said bar one of which will engage the end of said lever as the elevator-car moves in one direction and the other one will engage said pin as the elevator-car moves in the other direction.

l0. An elevator safety-gate consisting of downwardly depressible bars, a yielding means for holding them in their upper psition, a lever linked at one end with the top bar of the gate and fulcrumed between its ends, a pin on the lever between its fulcrum and pvoted end, a, bai' secured to the eleva- .torea.r, trip-segments pivoted to the ends of said bar one of Whieh'will engage the end of said lever as the elevator-car moves in one direction and the other one Will engage said pin as the elevator-ear moves in the other direetion, and means for adjusting the position of said bar, Wherebr said segments Will properly engage and aetuate said lever or not en gage said lever as desired, and after one segment has actuated the lever, the other seg mentrWill resist the return movement of said lever.

In Witness whereof We have hereunto affixed our signatures in the presence of the 15 Witnesses herein named.

STEPHEN T. HITZ. GILBERT H. BLAKER.

Witnesses V. H. LooKWooD, M. C. BUCK.

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