Conveying apparatus.

(Application filed Sept. 4, 1901.) (No Model.)

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THE NORRIS PETERS CO.. PHOTO-LITHO., WASHINGTON. D. C.

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United States Patent Office.

FREDERICK R. FRENCH, OF SAN FRANCISCO, CALIFORNIA.

CONVEYING APPARATUS.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 700,321, dated. May 20, 1902.

_: Application filed September 4,1901. Serial No. 74,290. (No model.)

To all whom it may concern: ·

Be it known that I, Frederick R.'French, a citizen of the United States, residing in the city and county of San-Francisco, State of 5 California, have invented an-Improvement in Conveying Apparatus; and I hereby declare the following to be a full, clear, and exact description of the same.

My invention relates to an apparatus deio signed for transporting burdens in both horizontal and vertical directions.

It consists of parallel suspended cables inclosing an area and adapted to operate between four supports, a transverse burden15 carrier movable between said supports, and means for also moving the burden - carrier transversely between the cables and at any point between the supports, whereby the bur-: den can be transferred to any point within 20 the area and raised or lowered without an independent main “fall-line.”

My invention also comprises details of construction, which will be more fully explained by reference to the accompanying drawings, 25 in which—

Figure 1 is a general perspective view of the apparatus. Fig. 2 is a view of the sheaves which are attached to the top of the towers. Fig. 3 shows the arrangement of the trolleys 30 carried uponthe suspended cables, and Fig. 4 shows the arrangement of the sheaves and the burden-suspending device.

The object of my present invention is to transfer burdens from any given point within 35 the area included between the four cablesupports to any other point within said area.

As illustrated in Fig. 1, A, B, C, and D are towers or supports. These supports may be of any suitable or desired form or construe40 tion, depending upon the contour of the ground or the position where the apparatus is to be operated. Spars or timbers with, Suitable guys or supports may serve, or built towers or where the contour of the ground is 45 Suitable the elevation of the ground may serve, for the support of the cable-carrying sheaves. The sheaves upon the towers A B are constructed as shown-in Fig. 2, in which three different pulleys 2, 3, anti 4 are turn50 able upon pins in a single frame or frames, as at 5, and these frames or blocks are suitably connected with the towers or supports by links, as at 6, or other suitable connections, which will allow the parts to yield to the changing positions or strains upon the cables 55 which pass around them.

and 8 are two drums, connected so as to be revolved together by a suitable engine or motor, Around these drums pass cables 9 and 9^a and 1010^a, the first two passingaround 60 the drum 7 and the second pair arourid-the drum 8. The cables 9 and 9^a and 1010^a may either be separate and have their ends secured to their respective drums or they may be continuous and wound around the drums, 65 the object in either case being that one cable of each pair should pay out while the other is drawn in.

As shown in the drawings, the cables 9 and 10 pass, respectively, around the sheaves 2, 70 thence beneath guiding-pulleys 11 upon trolley-carriers 12, thence around pulleys 13, attached to the supports G and D, thence returning to the point where they are attached to the trolley - carriers, as at 14, the other 75 cables 9^a 10^a passing from the opposite sides of the drums 7 and 8 around the sheaves 4 of the tower-blocks 5, thence to the trolleycarriers 12, to which they are attached, as at 15, upon the sides opposite to the attachments 80 14 of the cables 10. By this arrangement it ? will be seen that whenever the drums are revolved in unison in either direction the trolley-carriers 12 will be simultaneously moved outward away from the towers A and-B or 85 toward the towers, according to the direction of revolution of the drums.

The trolley-carriers 12 may be of any suitable form or construction. I have here shown them as triangular frames, in one angle of 90 which the pulleys or sheaves 11 are journaled, and in the other two angles are journaled the sheaves 16 and 17.

'18 and 19 are two drums revoluble in unison arid around which are wound the ropes 95 20 and 21 in such a manner that one of said ropes will pay out or be lengthened, while the other will be correspondingly drawn in or shortened. The rope 20 passes outwardly around the sheave 3 of the tower A, thence 100 around the sheave 16 of the trolley-carrier, thence around a sheave 2.2, which is journaled in a frame or block connected with the burden-support, thence around the sheave 17 of

700,321 the trolley outwardly to the tower C,where.it is fixed. The cable 21 in like manner passes around a sheave upon the tower B, thence around the pulley 1G of the trolley upon that 5 side, thence around the pulley 23, which is connected with the burden - carrier, thence around the pulley 17 of the trolley and outwardly to the tower D, where it is fixed.

The burden is suspended from the frame or io device between the sheaves 22 23 by a chain or other suspending device, as at 24.

The operation of the device will then be as follows: The two drums 7 and8,revolving together, if they are turned so that their top 15 sides move to the left the cables will be coiled and uncoiled upon the drums in unison, so that the trolleys will move in unison toward the engine. If the drums are reversed, the cables will cause the trolleys to move in the 20 opposite direction or away from the engine. While this motion is taking place, the burden 25 will remain at the same relative position between the trolleys 12,having first been lifted from the surface by the. operation of the drums 25 18 and 19 and the cables 20 and 21. Thus a burden having been lifted from a point near the tower A may be transported by the movements of the drums 7 and 8 and the cables 9 and 10 to a point near to the tower C, and 30 then by the operation of the drums 18 and 19 and the cables 20 and 21 it may be transferred transversely to a point near the tower D, after which by stopping one of the drums 18 or 19 and allowing the cable to uncoil from the 35 other the load may be lowered by the lengthening of the supporting-cable and deposited at any desired point. In this manner the load or burden maybe picked up at any point within the area between the towers or sup40 ports AB CD and transferred to any other point within said area and there deposited.

If it is desired to make aerial dumps, as in discharging loads of earth or rock, it maybe effected by any well known or suitable de45 vice employed for such purposes.