IMPROVEMENTS IN FIRE-ESCAPES APPLICABLE TO THE WINDOWS OF DWELLING HOUSES
Year: 1870

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to Thomas Bennett Gilbert, of Gipsy Road, Norwood,
in the County of Surrey, Professor of Music, for the Invention of
“IMPROVEMENTS IN FIRE-ESCAPES APPLICABLE TO THE WINDOWS OF DWELLING
HOUSES."
Sealed the 1st November 1870, and dated the 18th May 1870.
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said Thomas Bennett Gilbert
at the Office of the Commissioners of Patents, with his Petition, on
the 13th May 1870.
I, THOMAS BENNETT GILBERT, of Gipsy Road, Norwood, in the County
of Surrey, Professor of Music, do hereby declare the nature of the said
Invention for "IMPROVEMENTS IN FIRE-ESCAPES APPLICABLE TO THE WINDOWS
OF DWELLING HOUSES," to be as follows:-
This Invention has for its object improvements in fire-escapes applicable
to the windows of dwelling houses. It relates to the use of a collapsible
bag or folding receptacle suspended by metal or other ropes to a metal
drum or roller (or drums or rollers) in such manner as to be easily raised

page_text: or lowered when in use, but at other times to close up out of sight
within a verandah, sunshade, or screen situated over the window to
which the escape is applied. The metal drum or roller is provided with
flanges for keeping the metal or other ropes in their proper relative
positions, and the axle of the drum or roller is mounted in suitable
bearings carried by brackets.
The verandah, sunshade, or screen is formed or provided with a ledge
or shelf to receive the bag or receptacle when not in use, and to the bag
or receptacle a cord is attached whose other end passes thro' the upper
window sash or otherwise into the room and there hangs down like a
bell pull, so that when it is desired to use the escape this end can be
pulled, and the bag or receptacle being thereby drawn from its ledge
or shelf will fall down to the proper position for enabling any person to
enter it from the window without danger. The bag or receptacle is
prevented from descending when the person enters it by a lever which
acts as a pawl and takes into a ratchet wheel which prevents the drum
or roller from turning and lowering the bag or receptacle until its
occupant pulls a weighted cord which is attached to the other end of the
lever and when the escape is in use hangs down like a bell pull. The
act of pulling this weighted cord will release the ratchet wheel from
the restraint of the pawl, so as to permit the drum or roller to rotate,
thereby unwinding the metal or other ropes by which the bag or receptacle
is suspended and allowing the latter to descend. By slightly lifting the
weighted cord the end of the lever, being relieved of the weight, will
rise and so allow the pawl to take into the teeth of the ratchet for
instantaneously arresting the descent of the receptacle. The bag or
receptacle in descending causes the drum or roller to rotate on its axis,
and so winds a metal or other rope around the drum or roller in the
contrary direction to that of the ropes by which the bag or receptacle is
suspended. This metal or other rope so wound passes over a guide
pulley and hangs down so that the occupant of the bag or receptacle by
pulling this rope can regulate the descent of the bag or receptacle without
any assistance; the same rope also serves for again raising the bag or
receptacle to the window by simply pulling the rope, which is for this
purpose made of sufficient length to reach the ground even after the bag.
or receptacle has completed its descent and has so wound the rope around
the drum or roller in the manner already explained.

page_text: SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent,
filed by the said Thomas Bennett Gilbert in the Great Seal Patent
Office on the 12th November 1870.
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I, THOMAS
BENNETT GILBERT, of Gipsy Road, Norwood, in the County of Surrey,
Professor of Music, send greeting.
WHEREAS Her most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her
Letters Patent, bearing date the Thirteenth day of May, in the year of
our Lord One thousand eight hundred and seventy, in the thirty-third
year of Her reign, did, for Herself, Her heirs and successors, give and
grant unto me, the said Thomas Bennett Gilbert, Her special licence that
I, the said Thomas Bennett Gilbert, my executors, administrators, and
assigns, or such others as I, the said Thomas Bennett Gilbert, my 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 FIRE-ESCAPES
APPLICABLE TO THE WINDOWS OF DWELLING HOUSES," upon the condition
(amongst others) that I, the said Thomas Bennett Gilbert, my executors or
administrators, by an instrument in writing under my, or their, or one
of their hands and seals, should particularly describe and ascertain 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 within six calendar months next and immediately after the date
of the said Letters Patent..
NOW KNOW YE, that I, the said Thomas Bennett Gilbert, do hereby
declare the nature of the said Invention, and in what manner the same
is to be performed, to be particularly described and ascertained in and by
the following statement thereof (that is to say): :-
This Invention has for its object improvements in fire-escapes appli-
cable to the windows of dwelling houses. It relates to the use of a
collapsible bag or folding receptacle suspended by metal or other ropes
or light chains to a metal drum or roller (or drums or rollers) in such
manner as to be easily raised or lowered when in use, but at other
times to close up out of sight within a verandah, sunshade, or serven

page_text: situated over the window to which the escape is applied. The metal
drum or roller is provided with flanges for keeping the metal or other
ropes in their proper relative positions, and the axle of the drum or
roller is mounted in suitable bearings carried by brackets.
The verandah, sunshade, or screen is formed or provided with a ledge
or shelf to receive the bag or receptacle when not in use, and to the bag
or receptacle a cord is attached whose other end passes thro' the upper
window sash, or otherwise into the room, and there hangs down like a
bell pull, so that when it is desired to use the escape this end can be
pulled, and the bag or receptacle being thereby drawn from its ledge or 1
shelf will fall down to the proper position for enabling any person to
enter it from the window without danger.
68
In my Provisional Specification it is stated that "the bag or recep-
"tacle is prevented from descending when the person enters it by a
"lever which acts as a pawl, and takes into a ratchet wheel which 1
"prevents the drum or roller from turning and lowering the bag or
receptacle until its occupant pulls a weighted cord which is attached
" to the other end of the lever, and when the escape is in use hangs
"down like a bell pull. The act of pulling this weighted cord will
"release the ratchet wheel from the restraint of the pawl so as to 2
"permit the drum or roller to rotate, thereby unwinding the metal or
"other ropes by which the bag or receptacle is suspended, and allow-
"ing the latter to descend. By slightly lifting the weighted cord, the
" end of the lever being relieved of the weight will rise, and so allow
"the pawl to take into the teeth of the ratchet for instantaneously 2
arresting the descent of the receptacle. The bag or receptacle in
descending causes the drum or roller to rotate on its axis, and so
"winds a metal or other rope around the drum or roller in the contrary
"direction to that of the ropes by which the bag or receptacle is sus-
pended. This metal or other rope so wound passes over a guide 3
"pulley and hangs down, so that the occupant of the bag or receptacle
by pulling this rope can regulate the descent of the bag or receptacle
"without any assistance. The same rope also serves for again raising
"the bag or receptacle to the window by simply pulling the rope, which
" is for this purpose made of sufficient length to reach the ground even 3
"after the bag or receptacle has completed its descent, and has so
"wound the rope around the drum or roller in manner already
" explained."
"
"
68
66

page_text: Since the date of my Provisional Specification I have found that
instead of the foregoing arrangement the bag or receptacle may be better
prevented from descending when the person enters it by the more
simple arrangement of endless chain and wheel, shewn in and described
with reference to the accompanying Sheet of Drawings, which also
enables the descent of the bag or receptacle to be regulated by the
occupant, and affords a ready means of raising the bag to the window.
The accompanying Sheet of Drawings illustrates the application of one
of my improved fire-escapes to the window of a dwelling house; Fig. 1
being a front view of the window and escape with part of its verandali;
sunshade, or screen cut away to shew the working parts of the apparatus
more clearly, and Fig. 2 a transverse section taken just inside one of the
brackets, and shewing in full the position of the bag when ready to be
entered, and in dotted lines its position when stowed away on the ledge
or shelf of the verandah, sunshade, or screen.
a is the collapsible canvas bag provided with a metal framing a', mado
in this case to close downward, it may, if preferred, be made to close
upward, as shewn in Fig. 3, so as to accomodate itself to any projections
with which its side may come in contact when descending; b, metal or
O other ropes or light chains by which the bag a is suspended to the
wrought-iron roller c, whose bearings are at o' on the wrought-iron
brackets d; c, flanges for keeping the metal or other ropes or chains in
their proper relative positions; e, the verandah, sunshade, or screen,
provided with a ledge or shelf e¹ to receive the bag a to which a cord f
5 is attached whose other end passes thro' the upper window sash g into
the room, and there hangs down like a bell pull, as shewn in Fig. 2.
The cord is formed with a loop f', and is attached to the bag a by
being passed round it and being then fastened, as shewn in Fig. 4, so
that the act of pulling the end f* besides drawing the bag off the ledge
O will also untie the cord; h, grooved wheel keyed securely to the roller
and having small projections in its groove to receive and prevent slipping
off the endless chain which should reach almost to the ground; it passes
at one side down the outside of the bag a and at the other thro'
a suitable metal eye or ring a' in the side of the bag. It will be obvious
5 that by means of this chain the occupant of the bag can either raise.
it or arrest or regulate its progress, and also that any person standing on
the ground below may raise or lower the bag as required. K, K,
are guides through which the chain passes to prevent it from slipping

page_text: out of the groove of the wheel 7. When the escape is not in use the
bag a is placed on one end of the shelf e', and the hanging part of the
endless chain is deposited upon the, other end of the shelf.
Having thus described the nature of my said Invention, and in what
manner the same is to be or may be performed or carried into practical
effect, I would have it understood that I lay no claim whatever to any
of the individual parts when used separately or otherwise than in com-
bination according to my Invention.
Furthermore, I do not strictly confine myself to the precise details
shewn in the accompanying Drawings so long as the distinctive:
character of my Invention is maintained, and which I hereby declare to
consist in the use of a collapsible bag or folding receptacle suspended
by metal or other ropes or light chains to a metal drum or roller (or
drums or rollers) in such manner as to be easily raised or lowered when
in use, but at other times to close up out of sight within a verandah, 1
sunshade, or screen, situated over the window to which the escape is
applied, substantially as described.
In witness whereof, I, the said Thomas Bennett Gilbert, have here-
unto set my hand and seal, this Eleventh day of November,
in the year of our Lord One thousand eight hundred and 2
seventy.