IMPROVEMENTS IN PORTABLE FIRE ESCAPES
Year: 1867

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to Ralph Augustine Jones and John Cooper Hedges,
both of Aylesbury, in the County of Buckingham, for the Invention of
"IMPROVEMENTS IN PORTABLE FIRE ESCAPES."
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said Ralph Augustine Jones
!..
and John Cooper Hedges at the Office of the Commissioners of Patents,
with their Petition, on the 1st March 1867.
We, RALPH AUGUSTINE JONES and JOHN COOPER HEDGES, both of
Aylesbury, in the County of Buckingham, do hereby declare the nature of
the said Invention for . IMPROVEMENTS IN PORTABLE FIRE ESCAPES," to be as
follows:
These improvements refer in part to portable fire escapes generally, and in
part to the "improved fire escape for which Her Majesty's Letters Patent
were granted to us, dated March 20th, 1866, No. 818.
The first of these said improvements consists in the use of a cord or wire
rope having a flat or thin section, as thus O. In cases where cord or wire

page_text: ropes are coiled on a drum they run more smoothly and prevent clogging
when constructed of a flat or elongated oval section, as shown; this is
specially applicable to cases where they are made to run through holes or
grooves, as in our Invention, No. 818, A.D. 1866, and generally for fire
escapes where rapidity and smoothness are so requisite.
The second improvement consists in constructing the friction pulleys of such
aforesaid fire escapes with a V section, in which a round steel or iron wire
acts as a friction band. By these means a greater amount of friction is
obtained, which from the greater narrowness of the friction band our improved
is rendered lighter and more compact.
fire escape
The third portion of our Invention refers to an improved arrangement for
calling the friction brake into action, and has special reference to our improved
fire escape. The ends of the friction band we purpose to secure by pins
through the jaws of an apparatus similar to a pair of pincers, the two levers
of which are secured by a centre pin. By grasping the levers the ends of the
friction band are brought together to any required amount of tightness. We
also have a small clasp secured by a thumbscrew to grasp the jaws of the
levers until the person using the apparatus has taken his position in the loop,
sack, basket, or other thing in which he is to descend. Having taken his
position, the thumbscrew is unscrewed, and the pincers form a pair of levers
by which any amount of friction may be regulated and obtained. Where a
round friction band is used in a V shaped friction pulley we prefer attaching
the band to the jaws of the pincers by. ball-and-socket joints.
A fourth portion of our Invention refers to an improved method of working
the apparatus, whereby the person who is descending can raise or lower
himself, or an attendant can raise or lower others according as the apparatus
descends with the person using it, or remain at top and descends with the
end or wire, as explained in our Specification No. 818, A.D. 1866. This we
accomplish by an endless screw worked by the hand, and gearing into a
toothed wheel or wheels on the spindle carrying the coiled rope or wire. The
endless screw is attached to the frame by suitable bearings and furnished with
a crank in such a position as to be easily accessable. A pawl is attached to
work in the teeth of the wheels to maintain the apparatus at any required
point. By turning the screw the spindle is caused to revolve, and the cord or
wire rope to coil or uncoil, and so raise or lower the person or persons.

page_text: SPECIFICATION filed in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent,
and of an Order of the Lord Chancellor by the said Ralph Augustine Jones'
and John Cooper Hedges in the Great Seal Patent Office on the 13th
September 1867. .
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, we, RALPH
AUGUSTINE JONES and JOHN COOPER HEDGES, both of Aylesbury, in the County
of Buckingham, send greeting.
'
WHEREAS Her most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her Letters
Patent, bearing date the First day of March, in the year of our Lord
One thousand eight hundred and sixty-seven, in the thirtieth year of Her
reign, did, for Herself, Her heirs and successors, give and grant unto us, the
said Ralph Augustine Jones and John Cooper Hedges, Her special licence
that we, the said Ralph Augustine Jones and John Cooper Hedges, our
executors, administrators, and assigns, or such others as we, the said Ralph
Augustine Jones and John Cooper Hedges, our executors, administrators, and
assigns, should at any time agree with, and no others, from time to time and
at all times thereafter during the term therein expressed, should and lawfully
might make, use, exercise, and vend, within the United Kingdom of Great
Britain and Ireland, the Channel Islands, and Isle of Man, an Invention for
"IMPROVEMENTS IN PORTABLE FIRE ESCAPES," upon the condition (amongst
others) that we, the said Ralph Augustine Jones and John Cooper Hedges,
our executors or administrators, by an instrument in writing under our, or
their, or one of their hands and seals, should particularly describe and ascer-
tain the nature of the said Invention, and in what manner the same was to
be performed, and cause the same to be filed in the Great Seal Patent Office
on or before the Fourteenth day of September, One thousand eight hundred
and sixty-seven.
NOW KNOW YE, that we, the said Ralph Augustine Jones and Jolin
Cooper Hedges, do hereby declare the nature of our said Invention, and in
what manner the same is to be performed, to be particularly described and
ascertained in and by the following statement :-
Our improvements have reference in part to such portable fire escapes
generally as involve the use of wire cords or ropes; as, where such cords
or ropes are wound upon a drum, when by the adoption of the part of the
Invention herein-before referred to they are rendered capable of running with
smoothness, and clogging is prevented, this part being well adapted, as are
the other improvements hereafter set forth, not only to such portable fire
escapes generally as have drums with cords or ropes wound on them as afore.

page_text: said, but are particularly useful for those constructed in general accordance.
with the Specification of our Letters Patent, dated 20th March 1866, No. 818,
that is to say:-
Our Invention includes the following matters, namely (1), a flat wire rope,
consisting of two flat ropes of twisted or woven wire sewn together at the edges
with wire; (2) friction pulleys for regulating the speed, which we in some
cases make V-grooved in order that a round steel or other wire may readily
act thereon as a friction band or break, although in other cases for regulating'
the rate of speed in descending by means of said fire escape we use a friction
band passing around a friction pulley attached to the drum containing the
rope, cord, or chain, that may be made to loosely or tightly embrace the
same by the action of a pincer-like arrangement of levers in connection with
the ends of such friction band, either when made flat for a flat-edged pulley,
or round for the V-shaped pulley as above described, such levers being also pro-
vided with hooks, by which the basket, loop, or other contrivance for securing
the person or body to the fire escape may be attached thereto; a regulating
screw to act on the jaws of these levers being adopted, so that the movement
of the chain or rope may be restrained till the person or object to be lowered
be got into position in the loop or basket, when by turning the regulating
screw movement may be ensured, and where a round friction band is used a
grooved pulley should be adopted. When desirable we can adopt the following
arrangements for enabling a person ascending or descending to raise or lower
.himself or others, namely, an endless screw worked by the hand, and gearing
into a toothed wheel or wheels on the spindle carrying the coiled rope or wire,
the endless screw being attached to the frame by suitable bearings, and pro-
vided with a crank handle so disposed as to be easily accessible. A pawl may
be attached to work in the teeth of the wheel or wheels to maintain the appa-
ratus in any desired position. By turning the screw motion is given to the
spindle, and consequently the cord or wire rope will coil or uncoil, and so
raise or lower the person or persons using the fire escape.
Having thus particularly described the nature of the said Invention, we
now, in further compliance with the aforesaid condition in the said Letters
Patent contained, proceed to describe in what manner the same is to be per-
formed or carried out in practice, which we will do by reference to the Draw-
ings accompanying this Specification by the aid of the words, figures, and
letters marked thereon, and herein referred to, premising that the Drawings
represent the present Invention adapted to fire escapes constructed in
general accordance with the Specification of our former Patent, berein-before
referred to.

page_text: Fig. 1, a view of a flat wire rope or cord, two of which being placed face
to face, and sewn together at the edges a, a, b, b, with wire form a strong
flat rope, such as herein-before referred to; Fig. 2, edge view of one of our
patent portable fire escapes provided with the aforesaid V-grooved friction
pulley c, having a round wire friction band d, d, acting thereon; Fig. 3,
view of the pincer-like arrangement acting on the friction band, as before
mentioned.
A, B, (shewn in dotted lines) being the friction band; C, D, lugs secured
by screws or rivets to the ends of the said friction band; these lugs being
curved or turned over at their ends in order that the curved ends of the
pincer-like arrangement may be fitted into and hold on to the said lugs, as
shewn in the Drawing by dotted lines at **; E, Ex, denote two guide rollers
for the wire rope of the escape, shewing a portion of the rope, the dotted lines
shewing a portion of the said wire rope which is inside the circular case (the
remainder being wound on the drum, and not being visible in the Drawing);
G, H, are the two limbs of the pincer-like arrangement; J is a collar em-
bracing the jointed portion thereof, J being the joint pin or rivet ; K is a
binding screw working through the said collar and into a recess in the jaw with
its end pressing against the pincers as shown; L is a rope for the basket
or loop by which the person or body using the escape may be attached, and
the tension of the said rope on the two limbs of the pincers will have the effect
of pressing together the jaws of the pincers and tightening the pressure of
the friction band.
Fig. 4 shows a modification of the pincer-like arrangement; in this case the
Linding screw passes through both of the jaws of the pincers, and acts in a
screw socket in the jaw farthest from the head of the screw. The same letters
are placed upon the same parts as in Fig. 3; Fig. 5, shews the arrangement
of endless screw and toothed wheel S on a handle secured to the outside of
the circular case of the fire escape. T is a toothed wheel on the spindle of
the drum, also outside the circular case. The guide rollers (in dotted lines)
are denoted in this Fig. by E*, E, as in the other Figures.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of t..e said
Invention, and in what manner the same is to be performed or put in prac-
tice, we hereby declare that we claim the Invention of "Improvements in
Portable Fire Escapes," as described in the outset of this Specification by
the words preceding the words "Having thus described the nature of the
said Invention," it being understood that we do not claim the constituent

page_text: etails per se, and apart from the purposes of our said Invention, as shewn
y the accompanying Drawings, and herein described.
In witness whereof, we, the said Ralph Augustine Jones and John
Cooper Hedges, have hereunto set our hands and seals, this Twelfth
day of September, in the year of our Lord One thousand eight hun-
dred and sixty-seven.
RALPH AUGUSTINE JONES. (L.B.)
JOHN COOPER HEDGES.
Witness to signing & sealing by the
said Ralph Augustine Jones,
JOHN BROOMFIELD,
Nursling,
Southampton.
Witness to signing & sealing by the
said John Cooper Hedges,
J. W. M GAULEY,
Managing Director of the Inventor's
Patent Right Association, Limited.
(L.S.)