Improvements in or relating to Safety Devices for Catching Workmen and others and Preventing Injury to them when Working in Dangerous Places.
Year: 1897

page_text: Date of Application, 20th July, 1897-Accepted, 20th July, 1898
Improvements in or relating to Safety Devices for Catching Workmen
and others and Preventing Injury to them when Working in
Dangerous Places.
A communication from JEAN BAPTISTE FONDU, of Brussels, in the Kingdom of
Belgium, Engineer.
I, Alfred Julius BOULT, of 111, Hatton Garden, in the County of Middlesex,
Chartered Patent Agent, do hereby declare the nature of this invention and in
what manner the same is to be performed, to be particularly described and ascer-
tained in and by the following statement:-
This invention relates to improvements in safety devices for preventing injury
to workmen and others when working in dangerous places, and is particularly
applicable for use in factories in which sheet and other glass is manufactured, in
which a series of pits are employed in which the workman blows long tubes of
glass of large diameter, and, after cutting off the ends and allowing the parts
to fall to the bottom of the pit, passes on with the tube to another part of the
building where the glass cylinder is cut longitudinally and flattened on a table
in order to be made into a mirror or sheet glass. Should the workman slip in
passing along the walls forming these pits, and fall therein, he would be seri-
ously injured by the broken glass at the bottom, and it is to avoid such accidents
that the following apparatus has been devised.
DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS.
Fig. 1 is a front view of the invention, & showing the means for regulating
the height of the spring support by means of chains, Fig. 2 is a side view, Fig. 3
is a detail view, Figs. 4 and 5 are views of a modified form of the invention,
and Fig. 6 shows the blowers at work and passing from one wall to another.
An expert will readily understand from the drawings the construction of this
device whereby the following advantages are obtained.
1. A metallic frame being constructed of metal-tubing B on which rest, trans-
versely, steel-blades or strips C, forms a light, rigid and elastic mattress or support.
2. Owing to the transverse arrangement of bars C arranged at short distances
apart, the small pieces of glass which fall when the workmen cut off the bottoms
of the tubes are enabled to pass through.
3. Owing to the special mode of attachment by means of helical springs D, the
device forms a perfectly elastic support or safeguard, on which workmen, if they
fall, are supported without injuring themselves on the broken glass beneath.
4. The support can be instantly adjusted at a desired height in the pit, by
means of the supporting chains E, and the hooks D¹ on helical springs D, or
in a modified manner, as shown in Figs. 4 and 5, by means of a screw F causing
two lever-arms G to lower or raise the device suspended by helical springs D.
5. The bottom of the pit may be readily cleaned, as a movable and reversible
support being hinged on one side on two spring suspension rods or chains may

page_text: be raised, and when it is perpendicular, against the rods or chains to which it is
connected, the pit it left completely open for cleaning.
6. The apparatus can be fitted up in a very short time without any change in
existing arrangements, only a few holes having to be drilled in the wood work.
and the fitting is complete for either modification, thus leaving the pit entirely
free from any apparatus secured to the ground or to the sides of the brick-work.
Finally, at the open sides a metallic frame K is supported on the tubing B,
whereby persons who, by accident, fall in and are thrown towards the open space
on this side will be thrown back onto the support; the frame K being movable
thus follows the movement of the support on which it rests.
These frames are provided at their upper end with buckles or loops to enable
them to be suspended to transverse bars, and thus to allow cleaning to be effected
under the metallic frames arranged under the places for the glass blowers,
between the brick-work columns, and, further, to enable the mattresses to be
raised.
The frame of the spring support is constructed of tubing B provided with
sockets B and cross stays B". These cross connections may be made by straight
or curved tubes or rods placed longitudinally at desired distances apart along the
frame. On this tubing B are placed steel-blades or cross bars C at such distance
apart as to enable the glass-bits falling into the pit to pass between them. These
blades C are secured by turning their ends round the tubing; these blades can
be arched as indicated by C¹ in Figure 5 or straight as indicated by C in Figures 2
and 3. In case they are curved, they will be held apart by a tube C" passing
through sheaths.attached to each spring. One side of the support is placed in a
lug or ring L Figure 3 on the suspension chain E, and on the other side is sus-
pended by means of a hook M open at the top, to enable the support to be dis-
engaged from said hook and to be raised as shown in dotted lines in Figures 2
and 5 by turning the support upwards in the lugs L on the suspension-chains E
and then connecting it to the latter by means of a hook or hooks N. One of the
links of the chain E is placed into one of the hooks D¹ of the helical spring D;
whilst the top hook engages with a hook or ring secured to the beam Q. It
will be easily understood that this support suspended on its four springs D is
perfectly elastic and ensures the safety of a workman who might fall into the pit.
The support together with the frames K resting at the top against the transverse
bars R and supported at the bottom on the framing by means of hooks, ensure
the safety of workmen who might be thrown into the open space between the
two pillars. When it is desired to have a free passage for clearing away the
glass between the two pillars, the side frames are hooked on to the transverse
bars or tubes R¹ by means of their hooks K¹.
The second construction illustrated in Figures 4 and 5 is based on the same
principle as that already described. The support being constructed as described
and suspended also by means of rods and helical springs are attached to the
ends of levers G which are held in two suspension-supports S secured to the
beams Q preferably by means of nuts S¹ covered with wood to prevent the work-
men from slipping.
These two levers G are pivotted on pins G¹, the two ends of said levers being
formed with slots with which engage two pins G2 forming a part of the nut T
through which the screw F passes; this screw having a shoulder or enlarged at
its upper end is held in the beam by means of a flange or plate secured by screws
or otherwise.
It will be easy to understand the action of these levers when a key is introduced
into and turned in a hole in the head of the screw, the nut T being thereby caused
to descend or to ascend and the lever G to come into the extreme position shown
in full and dotted lines or any intermediate position. My correspondent does
not confine himself to the method in which the support -may be raised as it is 5
obvious that this may be suitably effected in various ways.
The support according to this construction can be raised as in the first con-

page_text: struction, and hooked up in a perpendicular direction as shown in Figures 2.
and 5, at I to the helical spring, although when the levers are completely raised
it is possible to pass under the mattress to clean the pit.
The aperture for the key for turning the screw is also preferably covered by
wood to prevent the workmen from slipping on metal. Whilst I have described
this invention with reference to its application to a glass making factory, my
correspondent does not wish to confine himself to this application, as it may
obviously be used or adapted in various dangerous places, factories, wharves, etc.
to prevent falls, and accidents.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of the said inven-
tion, as communicated to me by my foreign correspondent, and in what manner
the same is to be performed, I declare that what I claim is: -
1. In safety devices for use in glass making factories and other places:
metallic supports as I, suspended by helical springs as D substantially as described.
2. The construction of metallic supports consisting of longitudinal metal
tubes B carrying strips as C, and connected by union-pieces B¹ and cross
pieces B substantially as described.
3. The arrangement and connection on the upper part of the support of a tube
maintaining the blades CC apart, substantially as described.
4. A pivotted, suspended support and means for raising and securing one side
of which to bring the mattress into a vertical position for the purpose of enabling
the removal of glass in the pit, substantially as described.
5. Movable sheet-metal frames as K supported on the horizontal framing and
capable of following the movement communicated to the latter, substantially as
described.
6. A raising device for the support comprising pivotted levers actuated by a
screw or equivalent operating device, substantially as and for the purpose
described.
7. The combination and arrangement of parts constituting the complete safety
device substantially as described and illustrated in Figures 1, 2 and 3 or in
Figures 4 and 5 of the accompanying drawings.
Dated this 20th day of July 1897.
BOULT & WADE,
Agents for the Applicant.