Abstract: A mobile hoist system for preventing the application of an overloading input force or an overloading weight force from an elevated load. The mobile hoist system generally includes a frame removably connected to a support structure, a drive assembly connected to the frame and a driven assembly connected to the frame and mechanically connected to the drive assembly via a main elongated member. The drive assembly includes a winch and a brake unit connected to the winch. The brake unit is capable of preventing lowering of a load up to a first torque limit. The driven assembly includes a drum having a strap wound thereon and a slip clutch to brake the drum. The slip clutch prevents slippage up to a second torque limit. The second torque limit is less than the first torque limit to prevent damage to the brake unit by the load having an excessive weight.

Abstract: A conveyor belt lifting device for use on a belt-type conveyor comprising a conveyor belt supported by a support structure includes an inflatable bag and is operable between a retracted condition in which the inflatable bag is deflated and an operative condition in which the inflatable bag is inflated and its operably upper surface adopts a shape generally to conform to an underside of the conveyor belt. The invention extends to a method for providing access to components of a belt-type conveyor comprising a conveyor belt supported by a support structure.

Abstract: The compact hoist assembly includes a housing having a molded plastic body sandwiched between parallel spaced metal plates, and an upper portion of the housing projects into an elongated mounting channel. The housing supports a rotary drive shaft which supports an annular rotary spool defining a groove receiving a cable having an inner end portion connected to the spool. A drive mechanism connects the shaft to the spool through a spring biased clutch and produces one revolution of the spool for multiple revolutions of the drive shaft. A down stop member moves radially within the groove while engaging the cable, and an alternate one-piece down stop member surrounds the cable and engages the spool on opposite sides of the groove. An elongated tire support bracket is connected to the outer end of the cable and has opposite inclined straight surfaces for self-centering wheels with center holes of different diameters.

Abstract: The present invention provides an overload-preventing device for a winch, by which even an overload is caused to descend. The overload-preventing device includes an accommodation hole that is formed in a rotation drive member and is open in the contact plane with a pressing drive member and accommodates a movable piece pressing member and a movable piece. The movable piece is pressed to the side of the pressing drive member by the movable piece pressing member. An engagement groove having a depth in which approx. half of the movable piece can be driven is formed at a part of the contact plane of the pressing drive member. The unwinding side of the engagement groove is formed at the fitting plane while the winding-up side thereof is formed on the inclined surface.

Abstract: A safety apparatus is capable of tensioning a horizontal lifeline while providing an adjustable shock absorber and a gauge or indicator for indicating the amount of tension on the lifeline. A housing is adapted to be secured to an anchor point through an anchoring line. The free end of a horizontal lifeline is connected to a cable which passes around and is attached to a drum within the housing. The cable wraps around the drum as the drum is rotated and winds into a plurality of grooves located on the drum. A wheel located in front of the drum and a guide member located behind the drum ensure that the cable does not tangle as it winds upon the drum. A lever is utilized to rotate the drum in order to tension the lifeline. The lever, however, is interconnected to the drum through an adjustable disk brake which can be preset to a desired force. When the tension on the lifeline reaches its desired level, the brake slips and the lever can freely rotate.

Abstract: This invention provides a safety mechanism for a winch assembly when storing a load, such as a tire under a vehicle or a boat on a trailer, in a raised or stored position. The invention finds particular application to a spare tire, but those skilled in the art will appreciate the broader benefits of such a structure when used with a winch assembly for other uses such as a boat winch for a trailer or any analogous use wherein it is desirable to secure a load in the raised or stored position. A unique actuator is described with an improvement of the invention, which includes a control path therewith to control a rod end and thereby actuates in a preferred embodiment a latch by converting rotary motion to linear motion.

Abstract: A safety apparatus is capable of tensioning a horizontal lifeline while providing an adjustable shock absorber and a gauge or indicator for indicating the amount of tension on the lifeline. A housing is adapted to be secured to an anchor point through an anchoring line. The free end of a horizontal lifeline is connected to a chain which passes around a sprocket wheel within the housing. A guide member is located behind the sprocket wheel and ensures that the chain remains on the sprocket wheel. A lever is utilized to rotate the sprocket wheel in order to tension the lifeline. The lever, however, is interconnected to the sprocket wheel through an adjustable disk brake which can be preset to a desired force. When the tension on the lifeline reaches its desired level, the brake slips and the lever can freely rotate. A second series of disk brakes connected to the sprocket wheel function as a shock absorber.

Abstract: A cam assembly for a hoist mechanism includes a cam member, a pair of springs and an input shaft. The cam member has a cavity defined by an inner periphery of a side wall and floor. Cutout portions extend radially outwardly from the inner periphery of the cavity. The springs include a bow-shaped body portion positioned between first and second connection end members. The body portion further includes an outwardly extending detent, each detent extends into a cutout of the cam member to operatively connect the cam member to the springs. The input shaft has a through hole. The first connection end members of each spring are inserted into the through holes of the input shaft, thereby operatively connecting the springs to the input shaft with a reduced number of components.

Abstract: A safety apparatus is capable of tensioning a horizontal lifeline while providing an adjustable shock absorber and a gauge or indicator for indicating the amount of tension on the lifeline. A housing is adapted to be secured to an anchor point through an anchoring line. The free end of a horizontal lifeline passes over a pulley within the housing and around a number of rollers which are adapted to maintain the lifeline in secure contact with the pulley. A lever is utilized to rotate the pulley in order to tension the lifeline. The lever, however, is interconnected to the pulley through an adjustable disk brake which can be preset to a desired force. When the tension on the lifeline reaches its desired level, the brake slips and the lever can freely rotate. A second series of disk brakes connected to the pulley function as a shock absorber.

Abstract: An overload prevention clutch assembly features input and output members connected by a coupling member, which is resiliently deformable under the control of threaded fasteners to vary the torque which may be transmitted between the input and output members across the coupling member. The fasteners serve to mount the coupling member on the output member, whereupon the coupling and output members cooperate to mount the input member in assembled relationship therewith.

Abstract: An elastic hoist and traction apparatus in which a friction receiving surface is provided at a rotor of a motor, and an overload prevention device is provided at the reverse side to a load on a brake for stopping a driving shaft and between the motor shaft and the friction receiving surface of the rotor or between the motor shaft and the driving shaft, thereby solving the problem created in that the overload prevention device is provided at the load side of the brake.

Abstract: A simplified wheel-lift mechanism is disclosed. The components of the wheel-lift mechanism are all formed of a plastic material that is corrosion resistant. Further, the wheel-lift mechanism includes a one-piece flexible coupling which reduces the complexity of the system over prior art systems. The one-piece flexible coupling includes a plurality of integrally molded discs connected by a plurality of circumferentially-spaced integrally molded posts. This results in a strong coupling which allows relative angular motion between the ends of the coupling. In a further feature of this invention, a locking key is operable to lock the wheel hub at a particular location. The locking key is selectively released to allow the wheel to be lowered. A unique drive mechanism is also included.

Abstract: A wheel-lift mechanism is disclosed which incorporates a unique torque limiting structure. A drive is transmitted to a first shaft, which is in turn transmitted to a second shaft. The second shaft drives a reel for raising and lowering a flexible lift member and an attached wheel hub from beneath a vehicle. The torque limiting structure consists of an outer drive member which has an inner periphery including a plurality of ears which are received within notches in an inner driven member. The first shaft rotates the outer drive member and the inner driven member in turn rotates the second shaft. Should the relative torque transmitted from the first shaft to the second shaft exceed a predetermined limit, the ears deform the notch radially inwardly and the outer drive member slips relative to the inner driven member. Nodes are positioned radially outwardly of the notches on each circumferential side. A space is formed radially inwardly of the notch in the inner driven member.

Abstract: A spare tire lift-and-carry apparatus for use on a vehicle includes a rotatable input shaft supported by a housing. A transmission mechanism is provided for transferring torque from the rotatable input shaft to a cable storage member driven in rotation about a longitudinal axis to retract and deploy a cable having a rim retainer connected at one end. The rim retainer is adapted to engage a spare tire or wheel assembly. A clutch mechanism can be provided for allowing transfer of rotation in both rotational directions from the input shaft to the cable storage mechanism, while preventing transfer of rotation through the clutch mechanism in either rotational direction originating from the cable storage mechanism, rather than the input shaft. A torque override mechanism can also be provided between the input shaft and the transmission mechanism.

Abstract: The invention involves a hoist for raising and lower loads. The hoist includes a drive motor, gearing, a load brake and a cable-winding drum. The drum has an end with a splined annular member slidably engaging a similar splined annular member of a drum-concentric friction plate. The friction plate directly drives the drum during load raising and directly brakes the drum during load lowering. Because of the direct mechanical coupling between the drum and the friction plate, a failure in the gearing does not impair the ability of the friction plate to brake the load. Further details of the invention are set forth in the specification.

Abstract: A tire lift/carrier unit has a sheet metal housing forming an enclosure and having parallel spaced walls supporting a rotatable shaft which supports a rotatable spool formed by a set of sheet metal plates. A flexible cable has one end connected to the spool and its opposite end connected to a tire support member, and the plates are spaced closely together to define a track slightly wider than the cable so that the cable wraps on itself in a spiral overlapping manner. A ring gear is mounted on the spool and surrounds an internal drive gear supported for orbital movement by an eccentric cam member rotably supported by the shaft. The cam member is rotated by the shaft through a spring biased slip clutch mounted on the shaft.

Abstract: A manual hoist with overload preventer wherein rotation in the winding direction under overload is automatically arrested; however, when an overload develops after hoisting or pinching of a load, unwinding is possible. The apparatus includes an operation ring, and a friction ring and a drive ring both being capable of engaging the operation ring. When the driving ring is turned in the winding direction, the operation ring remains engaged with both the friction ring and the drive ring, enabling the relative rotation of the drive ring and the friction ring. When the drive ring is turned in the unwinding direction, the drive ring and the friction ring are rotated as a unit through the operation ring.

Abstract: An electric chain block includes a driving shaft connected to a rotating shaft of an electric motor, and a driving gear provided on the driving shaft, and further includes an intermediate driven gear in mesh with the driving gear, a torque limiter and a mechanical brake assembly between the driving shaft and a load sheave.

Abstract: A payload can be transferred between two relatively movable stations for example two ships using a winch system having an inhaul winch and an outhaul winch. The barrel of the outhaul winch is driven by an outhaul motor through a torque convertor such that the outhaul winch provides pull on the trolley 16 regardless of the sense of rotation of the outhaul winch barrel. A control system is used to control the speed of the inhaul winch barrel either to retrieve cable or to pay out cable. Thus, the speed of the trolley 16 is controlled by the speed at which the inhaul winch barrel is driven. The outhaul winch either can be at the same station as the inhaul winch or can be at the opposite station to the inhaul winch.

Abstract: In a hand hoist in which a driven member 15 and a biasing drive member 16 are threaded onto a driving shaft 11, an overload avoiding arrangement for the hoist, which is so arranged that a manually rotated member 21 is supported by a support frictional surface 16d of the biasing drive member 16 and a frusto-conical frictional surface 22b of a frusto-conical friction member 22, while the frusto-conical friction member 22 unrotatably supported on the biasing drive member 16 so as to be displaceable in an axial direction, is depressed in the direction of the support frictional surface of the biasing drive member 16, by an adjustable nut 26 of the outer end of a boss 16a of the biasing drive member 16 and a belleville spring 23.

Abstract: A vehicle spare tire carrier utilizing a winch for holding the tire against the vehicle underside, wherein the winch employs apparatus for preventing the cable sheave from being rotated in the improper direction for winding the tire supporting cable thereon. Winch stop means sensing the location of the cable relative to the sheave prevents winch rotation upon the cable being fully extended. Also, an embodiment of the tire carrier utilizes a cable guide and extension for remotely locating the winch from the location of tire support.

Abstract: An electric hoist includes an electric motor, a driving shaft connected to a rotor shaft of said electric motor, a reduction gear train for transmitting rotation of the driving shaft to a load sheave, and a mechanical brake assembly in the reduction gear train.

Abstract: An electric hoist includes an electric motor, a driving shaft connected to a rotor shaft of said electric motor, a reduction gear train for transmitting rotation of the driving shaft to a load sheave, and a mechanical brake assembly in the reduction gear train. According to the invention between the driving shaft and the rotor shaft of the motor is arranged an overload safety device comprising a support member fixed to the rotor shaft, a retainer member fitted onto the driving shaft, and a disc arranged between the support and retainer members through friction plates and having a one-way clutch. The one friction plate between the retainer plate and the disc has larger friction transmission force than that of the other friction plate between the support member and the disc.

Abstract: A hoist includes a shaft driven by external force, a driving shaft connected to the shaft, a reduction gear train for transmitting rotation of the driving shaft to a load sheave, and a mechanical brake assembly in the reduction gear train. According to the invention in the reduction gear train is arranged an overload safety device comprising a driven gear having a one-way clutch and rotatively driven by the driving shaft and radially inward and outward dual friction plates located between the driven gear and an element of the mechanical brake assembly so as to transmit torque through the radially outward friction plates in winding-up and through both the radially inward and outward friction plates in winding-off. With this arrangement, the electric hoist according to the invention is able to automatically prevent lifting, lowering and dragging a load under overload condition, and enables the once lifted load to be securely lowered irrespective of its light or heavy weight.

Abstract: The invention relates to electrical drive apparatus for a vertically displaceable blackboard. In order to obtain synchronous operation of such drive apparatus either one motor, one shaft, or two motors connected by means of an electrical shaft were employed. The apparatus according to the invention operates with an electric motor which is combined with a worm drive, a drive sheave, and a slip coupling to a unit which is mounted at the top inside the guide beams of the blackboard, with the motor arranged vertically and having a hollow shaft through which the drive cable is guided. One such drive apparatus is mounted in each guide beam at its top, with simultaneous switching on and switching off without an electrical shaft.

Abstract: A cable hauling system includes a drive shaft, a haulback shaft with a haulback drum mounted thereon, and a main shaft with a main drum mounted thereon. A first pair of gears operatively associated with the drive shaft and the main shaft includes a positively acting clutch for selectively coupling the drive shaft to the main shaft in driving relationship through the first pair of gears. Second and third pairs of gears are operatively associated with the drive shaft and the haulback shaft. An energy-dissipating, power transfer device is associated with both the second and third pairs of gears to selectively couple one or the other of the second and third pairs of gears in driving relationship with the haulback shaft.