Cableless cage elevator

Claim 1

A cableless elevator system comprising a pair of laterally spaced-apart upright channels, each adapted to be secured to a side wall of an elevator shaft, each channel of U-shape construction and opening towards each other, a series of hollow cylindrical sections removably fitted within each channel in end-to-end abutment, a series of locating pins locating and centering each cylindrical section within the respective channels, lugs protruding from each side of each channel, ears protruding from said cylindrical sections and engaged by said lugs, said lugs and ears having aligned holes and locking pins removably inserted into said aligned holes of said lugs and ears, each cylindrical section having a longitudinally extending slot having a width not more than one-third of the periphery of the cylindrical section, the slots of the cylindrical sections being in alignment and forming a continuous slot facing towards the slot of the cylindrical sections of the other channel when the cylindrical sections are removably secured in proper position in each channel, each cylindrical section having an internal square thread forming a continuity with the square thread of adjacent cylindrical sections, the sides of each channel forming an externally protruding and longitudinally extending guide ridge, a rectangular and planar vertically extending frame disposed between each assembly of channels and cylindrical sections, an elevator cage fixed within said frame, two driver units mounted on said frame: one on top and one at the bottom of said elevator cage and each including a transversely extending drive shaft entering at both ends into the respective cylindrical cylinder sections through the respective slots, bevel gears secured to the ends of the respective transverse drive shaft, within said cylinder sections, frame extensions carried by said frame and extending through the respective slots above and below said cage, a vertical shaft rotatably carried by said frame extensions and located upright within the respective assemblies of cylinder sections, a pair of worms spacedly secured on each vertical shaft and in threaded engagement with the threads of the cylinder sections at the top and bottom of the frame, a bevel gear secured to the top and bottom of each vertical shaft and in respective meshing engagement with the bevel gears of each transverse shaft, each drive unit further including a separate power means for driving the respective transverse shaft and clutching and reversing mechanism for clutching and declutching the respective transverse shafts and for reversing the direction of rotation of the same, and U-shape shackles carried by said frame and respectively engagable with said guiding ridges of said channels at the top and bottom of said frame.