Gear box

Claim 1

HOISTING APPARATUS COMPRISING A VEHICLE, WHEELS SUPPORTING SAID VEHICLE, A PLATFORM ROTATABLY MOUNTED ON SAID VEHICLE, A JIB HAVING A LOWER END PIVOTED ON SAID PLATFORM, A JIB WINCH, A HOISTING WINCH, POWER MEANS FOR DRIVING SAID JIB WINCH, SAID HOISTING WINCH, SAID ROTATABLE PLATFORM, AND SAID WHEELS, AND GEARBOX MEANS INDEPENDENTLY CONNECTING SAID POWER MEANS TO SAID JIB WINCH, HOISTING WINCH, ROTATABLE PLATFORM, AND WHEELS, FOR MOVEMENT THEREOF IN ANY OF TWO DIRECTIONS, SAID GEARBOX MEANS COMPRISING: AN INPUT SHAFT, A PAIR OF PINION GEARS OF THE SAME SIZE SUPPORTED ON SAID INPUT SHAFT FOR ROTATION THEREWITH, A FIRST OUTPUT SHAFT, A FIRST LARGER GEAR AND A FIRST SMALLER GEAR LOOSELY SUPPORTED ON SAID FIRST OUTPUT SHAFT, A SECOND OUTPUT SHAFT, A SECOND LARGER AND A SECOND SMALLER GEAR LOOSELY MOUNTED ON SAID SECOND OUTPUT SHAFT RESPECTIVELY IN MESH WITH SAID FIRST SMALLER AND FIRST LARGER GEARS ON SAID FIRST OUTPUT SHAFT, SAID PINION GEARS BEING RESPECTIVELY IN MESH WITH SAID FIRST AND SECOND LARGER GEAR, A THIRD OUTPUT SHAFT WITH A THIRD SMALLER GEAR AND A THIRD LARGER GEAR LOOSELY MOUNTED AND RESPECTIVELY IN MESH WITH SAID FIRST LARGER AND SMALLER GEARS, A FOURTH OUTPUT SHAFT WITH A FOURTH SMALLER GEAR AND A FOURTH LARGER GEAR LOOSELY MOUNTED THEREON AND RESPECTIVELY IN MESH WITH SAID SECOND LARGER AND SAID SECOND SMALLER GEARS, CLUTCH MEANS FOR EACH OF THE GEARS ON SAID OUTPUT SHAFTS FOR RESPECTIVELY ENGAGING THE LATTER GEARS IN DRIVING RELATION WITH THE CORRESPONDING OUTPUT SHAFT, SAID SMALLER AND LARGER GEARS ON EACH OUTPUT SHAFT BEING DRIVEN IN OPPOSITE DIRECTIONS THEREBY ENABLING EACH OF SAID OUTPUT SHAFTS TO BE DRIVEN IN OPPOSITE DIRECTIONS BY SELECTIVE ENGAGEMENT OF THE RESPECTIVE CLUTCH MEANS, SAID SMALLER AND LARGER GEARS ON EACH OUTPUT SHAFT CAUSING SUCH SHAFT TO ROTATE AT DIFFERENT PREESTABLISHED SPEEDS, SAID OUTPUT SHAFTS BEING COUPLED RESPECTIVELY TO SAID JIB WINCH, SAID HOISTING WINCH, SAID ROTATABLE PLATFORM, AND SAID WHEELS, THE HIGHER SPEED BEING USED FOR DRIVING SAID HOISTING WINCH TO RAISE THE LOAD AND THE LOWER SPEED BEING USED FOR DRIVING THE HOISTING WINCH TO LOWER THE LOAD SUCH THAT THE MOTIVE FORCE OF THE LOAD WHICH IS DEVELOPED AS THE LATTER DESCENDS CAUSES THE SPEED OF THE LATTER TO INCREASE TO A MAGNITUDE SUBSTANTIALLY EQUAL TO THAT AT WHICH THE LOAD IS RAISED BY SAID HOISTING WINCH.