Patents Examined by Stefan Kruer
  • Patent number: 10023448
    Abstract: A lift truck includes an operator compartment and a pair of forks extending away from said operator compartment in a forward direction. A pair of mast columns are interposed between the operator compartment and the forks. Components mounted on at least one of the mast columns are arranged to fall within a viewing shadow so as not to obstruct the operator's field of view.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 21, 2015
    Date of Patent: July 17, 2018
    Assignee: The Raymond Corporation
    Inventors: Robert Lewis, John A. West
  • Patent number: 9950901
    Abstract: An elevator arrangement includes a plurality of elevators in a building, which plurality includes a plurality of zoned elevators moving in an elevator hoistway, which have different ranges of movement of the elevator car in the building to each other, and which zoned elevators each have a top limit and a bottom limit of the range of movement of the elevator car, to above the top limit and to below the bottom limit of which range of movement travel of the elevator car of the zoned elevator in question is prevented. The vertical location, in relation to the building, of the top limit and/or bottom limit of the range of movement of the elevator car of each aforementioned zoned elevator can be changed.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 17, 2014
    Date of Patent: April 24, 2018
    Assignee: KONE CORPORATION
    Inventors: Osmo Björni, Ari Hänninen, Johannes De Jong, Pentti Alasentie, Matti Räsänen, Timo Mertanen, Santeri Suoranta, Antti Plathin, Antti Kallioniemi
  • Patent number: 9944494
    Abstract: A travelling cable of an elevator, more particularly of a passenger transport elevator and/or freight transport elevator, includes a protective envelope, conductors for transmitting electrical energy and data between the elevator car and the elevator hoistway, and one or more load-bearing bearer parts of essentially the length of the travelling cable for fixing the travelling cable at its first end to the elevator car and at its second end to the elevator hoistway, and which bearer part includes glass-fiber reinforcements and/or aramid-fiber reinforcements and/or carbon-fiber reinforcements and/or polybenzoxazole-fiber reinforcements and/or polyethylene-fiber reinforcements and/or nylon-fiber reinforcements in a polymer matrix material. An elevator includes the travelling cable.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 8, 2014
    Date of Patent: April 17, 2018
    Assignee: KONE CORPORATION
    Inventors: Pentti Alasentie, Petri Kere, Mikko Puranen
  • Patent number: 9919899
    Abstract: An elevator car has a brake system with braking devices engaging braking webs integrated into guide rails to brake the car. The braking devices include a brake housing, a first brake body movable by contact with the braking web and relative movement between the braking web and the brake housing to clamp the brake web, and a pusher arranged on the brake housing with the braking web arranged between the first brake body and the pusher with a required passage clearance. The pusher can be advanced toward the first brake body and pressed against the braking web to forcibly bring the first brake body into contact with the braking web. A pressing lever pivotally mounted on the brake housing acts to press the pusher against the braking web.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 27, 2012
    Date of Patent: March 20, 2018
    Assignee: INVENTIO AG
    Inventor: Josef Husmann
  • Patent number: 9914622
    Abstract: An elevator includes an elevator car and a counterweight; a first roping between the elevator car and counterweight and including at least one rope; a second roping between the elevator car and counterweight and including at least one rope; and a rope wheel arrangement, having at least one rope wheel, around which the at least one rope of the second roping passes. The longitudinal force transmission capability of the at least one rope of the second roping is based essentially on non-metallic fibers and is a belt-like rope having at least one contoured side provided with guide rib(s) and/or guide groove(s) oriented in the longitudinal direction of the rope, the side being fitted to pass against a contoured circumference of a rope wheel of the rope wheel arrangement, the circumference being provided with guide rib(s) and/or guide groove(s) so as to form a counterpart for the contoured side of the rope.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 16, 2013
    Date of Patent: March 13, 2018
    Assignee: KONE CORPORATION
    Inventors: Petteri Valjus, Raimo Pelto-Huikko
  • Patent number: 9909255
    Abstract: The object of the invention is a traction sheave elevator and a rope that contains metal as a load-bearing material, such as the suspension rope of an elevator, which rope comprises at least one or more strands laid from metal wires and which rope is lubricated with a lubricant. Another object is the use of the aforementioned lubricant for lubricating the rope. The lubricant comprises at least oil and thickener, which thickener in the lubricant comprises at least 10% or more of the mass of the lubricant.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 20, 2012
    Date of Patent: March 6, 2018
    Assignee: Kone Corporation
    Inventors: Esko Aulanko, Raimo Pelto-Huikko, Sakari Korvenranta, Jarmo Myllynen, Pekka Torenius
  • Patent number: 9878887
    Abstract: An upright for a lift truck includes a first group of mast sections in a first stagger arrangement where a first mast section of the first group of mast sections is fixed to the lift truck. The upright further includes a second group of mast sections in a second stagger arrangement that is reverse nested inside the first stagger arrangement. Further, the upright includes a drive system for telescopingly extending and retracting the second mast sections relative to the first mast section.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 13, 2014
    Date of Patent: January 30, 2018
    Assignee: CLARK MATERIAL HANDLING COMPANY
    Inventor: Clark C. Simpson
  • Patent number: 9862571
    Abstract: A method of fault detection of a belt or rope includes interconnecting a plurality of cords of the belt or rope, the cords including a plurality of wires, to form a bridge circuit. A fault detection bridge circuit is subjected to a voltage excitation and outputs a voltage which is indicative of the belt or rope damage but remaining insensitive to other environmental noises.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 21, 2013
    Date of Patent: January 9, 2018
    Assignee: OTIS ELEVATOR COMPANY
    Inventors: Fanping Sun, Xiaodong Luo, Daniel A. Mosher, Huan Zhang, John P. Wesson, Yan Chen, Mark Steven Thompson, Raja Kountanya, Richard N. Fargo
  • Patent number: 9850112
    Abstract: A load-bearing apparatus (100) comprises a winch apparatus (110), and a load-bearing spoolable medium (120) for connecting to a load, the load-bearing spoolable medium comprising a plurality of load-bearing elements (121-123); wherein at least a portion of the load-bearing spoolable medium is spooled about the winch apparatus. The provision of multiple load-bearing elements may help reduce the diameter appropriate for the winch apparatus, while maintaining the necessary load bearing capacity for supporting, paying in and/or paying out the load. The load-bearing apparatus may comprise a tension control apparatus (151-153) for controlling, applying and/or adjusting the tension of the load-bearing spoolable medium.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 16, 2014
    Date of Patent: December 26, 2017
    Assignee: Parkburn Precision Handling Systems Limited
    Inventors: Andrew Lawson, Campbell McFall, Dennis O'Hara, Philip Bull
  • Patent number: 9850094
    Abstract: An elevator installation braking device is actuated and reset by an electromechanical actuator including an energy store, a retaining device, a resetting device and at least one connecting element for connecting the actuator to the elevator brake. The resetting device retains the connecting element, via the retaining device and counter to the action of the energy store, in a first operating position, corresponding to a standby position of the brake, or guides the actuator back into this position. The energy store acts as required, upon release of the retaining device, on the connecting element to actuate the brake and to bring it into a corresponding engagement position. The resetting device has a recoil-prevention device to relieve recoil forces. The energy store can have a stop buffer to reduce the force impact when the energy store strikes an end position.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 6, 2012
    Date of Patent: December 26, 2017
    Assignee: INVENTIO AG
    Inventor: Josef Husmann
  • Patent number: 9834409
    Abstract: In a rope of a lifting device, particularly of a passenger transport elevator and/or freight transport elevator, the width of which rope is greater than the thickness in the transverse direction of the rope, which rope includes a load-bearing part in the longitudinal direction of the rope, which load-bearing part includes carbon-fiber reinforced, aramid-fiber reinforced and/or glass-fiber reinforced composite material in a polymer matrix, and which rope includes one or more optical fibers and/or fiber bundles in connection with the load-bearing part and the optical fiber and/or fiber bundle is laminated inside the load-bearing part and/or the optical fiber and/or fiber bundle is glued onto the surface of the load-bearing part and/or and that the optical fiber and/or fiber bundle is embedded or glued into the polymer envelope surrounding the load-bearing part, as well as to a condition monitoring method for the rope of a lifting device.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 25, 2014
    Date of Patent: December 5, 2017
    Assignee: KONE CORPORATION
    Inventors: Petri Kere, Riku Lampinen, Raimo Pelto-Huikko, Petteri Valjus, Lasse Heikkilä
  • Patent number: 9834410
    Abstract: An elevator installation includes a shaft in which a first elevator car and a second elevator car arranged below the first elevator car are movable upward and downward in the vertical direction separately from each other. Each elevator car is coupled to a counterweight via a rope or belt arrangement. At least one rope or belt arrangement has two rope or belt sections via which one of the elevator cars is coupled to a counterweight and which extend laterally along the other elevator car. In order to avoid impairment of an elevator car by rope or belt oscillations, the elevator car has at least one limiting member which is held in a predetermined position in the shaft and is assigned to a rope or belt section and has at least one limiting element which is movable between a limiting position and a release position depending on the position of the elevator car which is coupled to the counterweight via the associated rope or belt section.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 29, 2014
    Date of Patent: December 5, 2017
    Assignee: THYSSENKRUPP ELEVATOR AG
    Inventors: Holger Zerelles, Bernd Altenburger, Ronald Dietze, Juri Schäfer
  • Patent number: 9828215
    Abstract: A rope for a hoisting device, which rope is belt-shaped and includes several load bearing members spaced apart in the width direction of the belt-shaped rope and embedded in a common coating, each of the load bearing members including several load bearing strings twisted together. The load bearing strings are made of composite material including reinforcing fibers embedded in polymer matrix.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 10, 2014
    Date of Patent: November 28, 2017
    Assignee: KONE CORPORATION
    Inventor: Raimo Pelto-Huikko
  • Patent number: 9828214
    Abstract: A hoisting device rope has a width larger than a thickness thereof in a transverse direction of the rope. The rope includes a load-bearing part made of a composite material, said composite material comprising non-metallic reinforcing fibers, which include carbon fiber or glass fiber, in a polymer matrix. An elevator includes a drive sheave, an elevator car and a rope system for moving the elevator car by means of the drive sheave. The rope system includes at least one rope that has a width that is larger than a thickness thereof in a transverse direction of the rope. The rope includes a load-bearing part made of a composite material. The composite material includes reinforcing fibers in a polymer matrix.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 16, 2010
    Date of Patent: November 28, 2017
    Assignee: KONE CORPORATION
    Inventors: Raimo Pelto-Huikko, Petteri Valjus, Juha Honkanen, Kim Sjödahl
  • Patent number: 9828217
    Abstract: The present invention relates to a frame (20) for a car (10) of a passenger/freight elevator. The invention further relates to a car provided with such a frame. Finally, the invention also relates to an elevator comprising such a car. According to the invention the frame (20) comprises an upright (21, 22) having connected thereto a support (23, 24) which comprises two parts placed at an angle relative to each other, which parts are integrally connected. One part (23A, 24A) is connected here to the upright and the other part (23B, 24B) to a bottom part (33) of the car (10).
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 12, 2012
    Date of Patent: November 28, 2017
    Assignee: Lohr Liften B.V.
    Inventor: Uwe Lohr
  • Patent number: 9809421
    Abstract: A method of fault detection of a belt or rope includes interconnecting a plurality of cords of the belt or rope, the cords including a plurality of wires, to form a bridge circuit. A fault detection bridge circuit is subjected to a voltage excitation and outputs a voltage which is indicative of the belt or rope damage but remaining insensitive to other environmental noises.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 21, 2013
    Date of Patent: November 7, 2017
    Assignee: OTIS ELEVATOR COMPANY
    Inventors: Fanping Sun, Xiaodong Luo, Daniel A. Mosher, Huan Zhang, John P. Wesson, Yan Chen, Mark Steven Thompson, Raja Kountanya, Richard N. Fargo
  • Patent number: 9809424
    Abstract: A method of constructing an elevator, the elevator including a hoistway, an elevator car, a first movable support structure in the hoistway above the elevator car, for supporting the elevator car with a roping, and a roof structure, separate from the movable support structure, in the hoistway above the support structure, where the elevator car is used for transporting passengers and/or goods, and thereafter the first movable support structure is lifted higher in the hoistway, and thereafter the elevator car is used again for transporting passengers and/or goods. The method includes lifting the roof structure higher in the hoistway so as to make more room below the roof structure, the roof structure being a movable roof structure, and in that the movable roof structure is lifted in the hoistway taking support for the lift from a second movable support structure mounted in the hoistway above the roof structure.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 27, 2013
    Date of Patent: November 7, 2017
    Assignee: Kone Corporation
    Inventors: Mark Peacock, Yan Zhizhong, Johannes De Jong
  • Patent number: 9796560
    Abstract: A method of detecting a stuck car or a stuck counterweight in an elevator system having a machine for imparting motion to the car and counterweight includes sensing a car side suspension member tension, T1; sensing a counterweight side suspension member tension, T2; determining a traction ratio in response to a relationship between T1 and T2; and determining a stuck car or a stuck counterweight if the traction ratio violates a limit.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 12, 2013
    Date of Patent: October 24, 2017
    Assignee: OTIS ELEVATOR COMPANY
    Inventor: Richard N. Fargo
  • Patent number: 9790054
    Abstract: Elevator, which includes at least an elevator car and a device for moving the elevator car, preferably along guide rails, and a counterweight, and one or more ropes, which rope connects the elevator car and the counterweight and is separate from the supporting function and passes around a diverting pulley mounted on the bottom end of the elevator hoistway. The rope comprises a power transmission part or a plurality of power transmission parts, for transmitting power in the longitudinal direction of the rope, which power transmission part is essentially fully of non-metallic material.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 26, 2012
    Date of Patent: October 17, 2017
    Assignee: KONE CORPORATION
    Inventor: Pentti Alasentie
  • Patent number: 9783391
    Abstract: An elevator installation includes a shaft in which at least two elevator cars are arranged one above the other and are capable of travel upward and downward in a vertical direction separately from one another, wherein each elevator car is assigned a travel drive. The elevator cars are capable of travel with large and small spacings to one another without the risk of collision by coupling at least two elevator cars together by way of a variable-length, releasable coupling device, wherein the spacing between the coupled-together elevator cars can be varied, in a manner dependent on the relative speed between the two elevator cars, with the aid of at least one of the travel drives.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 30, 2014
    Date of Patent: October 10, 2017
    Assignee: THYSSENKRUPP ELEVATOR AG
    Inventors: Holger Zerelles, Bernd Altenburger, Ronald Dietze, Juri Schäfer