Improvements in Lowering Apparatus, Particularly Applicable as a Fire Escape.
Year: 1888

page_text: Date of Application, 22nd Dec., 1888
Specification Accepted, 5th Feb., 1889
COMPLETE SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in Lowering Apparatus, Particularly Applicable as a
Fire Escape.
1, JOHN ROBBINS, of 2 Belgrave Villas, Whitehorse Road, Croydon, in the County
of Surrey, Engineer, do hereby declare the nature of this invention and in what
manner the same is to be performed to be particularly described and ascertained
in and by the following statement:
My invention relates to lowering apparatus by which persons or goods can be
lowered from a considerable height at a moderate speed, without injury to the person
or goods, and which is thus particularly applicable as an apparatus for escape from
a lofty building in case of fire, and it is designed so that the weight of the descending
body shall automatically brake or control the speed of descent so that injury, to the
descending body shall be prevented.
In order that my invention may be the better understood, I now proceed to describe
the same in relation to the drawings hereunto annexed, reference being had to the
letters and figures marked thereon.
Figure 1 is a general elevation of a building fitted with a cage and my improved
lowering pulley as a fire escape.
Figure 2 is a sectional elevation of my improved automatic brake pulley.
Figure 3 is a side elevation of the same with the metal side removed.
The goods, person, or cage A to be lowered, is attached to the band or rope B,
which may consist of webbing or a flexible combination of webbing and interwoven
wire, or entirely of woven wire, in the form of a band or rope. It is coiled between
two cheeks of the band drum C, passes over the intermediate set of rollers D, E
and F upon the lever G with the following effect.
The lever G is pivoted at the centre of the roller E upon the main frame H, and the
roller F is adjustable in position upon the end of the lever G. The roller D is pivoted
on the other end of the said lever. at a shorter distance from the fulcrum than
that of the roller F. As the strain of the goods, person or cage comes upon the
band or rope B, the end of the lever G, on which the first roller F is situated, is
thereby depressed and the last roller D is thereby raised, until the band or rope

page_text: passing over it is brought into contact with the fixed brake surface I with con-
siderable force, which will be proportional to the strain of the goods, person, or
cage suspended from the band or rope B. In this way, great frictional resistance
is introduced between the travelling band or rope and the fixed brake surface I, and
the lowering out of the band or rope B is thus automatically retarded and controlled,
so that the speed of descent shall not be excessive. Further, a hand rope K is
attached to the extremity of the roller lever G, by which a descending person can
himself increase the pressure between the roller D and the fixed brake surface I
upon the band or rope, and still thus further personally regulate his speed of descent.
The band drum C is provided with a pinion gearing into a spring drum M,
provided with a coiled spring. This spring serves to provide a small preliminary
resistance to the end of the band or rope B in order to bring the automatic brake
into action, and further serves to recoil the band or rope upon the band-drum after
the descent has been effected, and the load has been removed.
The lever and band-drum are mounted in an ordinary main frame H, such as is
used for pulley-blocks, and is provided with the ordinary hook N.
It is obvious that the pulley itself may be equivalently attached to the descending
goods, person or cage, and descends with it or him, whilst the other end of the band
B is attached to the fixed crane head.
or rope
It is obvious that this apparatus, applied as shown in figure 1, will form a safe
and immediate mode of exit from the upper floors of a building, which may have
caught fire, but at the same time may be equally usefully applied to the rapid
lowering of goods from an upper floor, with an automatic and quick return of the
band or rope into its former position, as and when the goods are removed.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of my said
invention and in what manner the same is to be performed, I declare that what
I claim is:
1st. The combination of a spring controlled drum, carrying a band or rope for
lowering weights or persons, the band passing over rollers, one at each end of a
pivoted lever, so that the strain of the lowered goods or person produces automatic
frictional grip upon the said band, to check the speed of descent, substantially as
and for the purposes described.
•
2nd. The construction of a fire escape, consisting of such an automatic brake band
pulley suspended from a projecting support at the top of a building, and provided
with a loop, platform or cage at the end of the said band, to permit casy and safe
descent of a person, from any desired height to the ground, substantially as described.
3rd. In a fire escape, the combination of a suspended cage, platform, or loop, on a
band or rope, descending with automatically controlled speed, and provided with a
hand or brake line, by which the passenger can stop, check, or further control his
descent, the apparatus being automatically raised again when empty by a quick spring
recoil, substantially as described.
FELL & WILDING,
1, Queen Victoria Street, London, E.C.,
Agents for the Applicant.