Lift assembly systems and methods
AssigneeElectronic Theatre Controls, Inc.
InventorDonald A. Hoffend, III
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
A lift assembly system and method can include: a funnel-shaped drum having a constant diameter portion and a gradually increasing diameter portion; a cable management system adapted to position a cable in a single layer in a tray; a beam clamp tube receiver adapted to allow a tube to slide relative to a beam and be secured to the beam; a cable keeper and a slack line detector adapted to maintain cables in position about a drum upon loss of cable tension; a horizontally oriented low profile cable adjuster adapted to adjust the length of a cable; an overspeed braking mechanism; a fleet pivot arm pivotable on the end of a tube so as to guide cables along a desired fleet angle; and/or a pull-type load sensor connected between a tube and a drum adapted to sense changes in a load force and adjust movement of a load.
Claims32
A lift system, comprising:
- a tube having an opening in a bottom along at least a portion of a length of the tube, and connectable to an overhead structure;
- a drive mechanism connected on one end of the tube;
- a drum operably connected to the drive mechanism and adapted to wind and unwind a plurality of cables about the drum to raise and lower an article attached to the cables;
- and
- a plurality of loft blocks connected to the tube so as to redirect the cables from a generally horizontal path from the drum to a generally vertical path to the attached article.
A method, comprising:
- providing a lift system comprising (a) a tube connectable to an overhead structure, (b) a drive mechanism connected on one end of the tube, (c) a funnel-shaped drum operably connected to the drive mechanism, (d) a plurality of loft blocks connected to the tube;
- routing a plurality of cables each attached on one end to the drum through a generally horizontal path of travel from the drum to one of the loft blocks, and then through a generally vertical path of travel downward from the loft block;
- attaching an opposite end of each cable to an article;
- winding the cables about the drum to raise the article;
- and
- unwinding the cables from the drum to lower the article.
A method, comprising:
- providing a plurality of lengthwise portions of a tube adapted for raising and lowering an article;
- connecting at least two of the plurality of tube portions to an overhead structure;
- abutting the at least two tube portions end to end;
- fastening together the abutting ends of the tube portions using a splicing clamp comprising an upper plate and a lower plate.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.