Improvements in Apparatus for Lowering Persons and Goods from. the Upper Storeys of Buildings or from other Elevated Localities.
Year: 1891

page_text: Date of Application, 18th June, 1891
Complete Specification Left, 18th Mar., 1892-Accepted, 23rd Apr., 1892
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in Apparatus for Lowering Persons and Goods from.
the Upper Storeys of Buildings or from other Elevated
Localities.
We, CARL JOSEPH MARIE LEERS, Engineer, of Düssseldorf, and FRIEDRICH
HERMANN AUGUST WENDLAND, Merchant, of Cologne, both in the German
Empire, do hereby declare the nature of this invention to be as follows:-
--
This invention relates to apparatus for lowering persons or goods from the
windows of upper storeys into the street, by means of two ropes. The principal
object is to control the speed of descent, and to diminish the risk of accidents.
The apparatus chiefly comprises a pair of guide ropes secured at the top to the
building from which the persons or goods are to be lowered; and a speedily con-
structed frame or carriage provided with means for holding the load and for
controlling the speed of descent. The said frame has the shape of a trapeze, the
base and top of which are horizontal, while the sides coverge synimetrically
towards the certre, which is the line of descent. The sides of the frame (which
may be made of wood) are provided with flat iron rails carrying at their ends
suitable guides for the ropes. The said guides are preferably formed by helically
coiled rods encircling the ropes. Near the middle of its height, the frame is armed
with strong horizontal cross bars arranged in one or two rows and projecting right
and left over the side of the frame. At the base of the frame, the sides are con-
nected by a strong cross bar which supports the sack, basket or other receptacle
for the load.
The sides of the frame are also connected by a board carrying near its centre a
pair of bearings for a horizontal spindle provided with a right and left hand screw
thread serving to actuate a brake. On each end or half of the screw spindle is
mounted a screw nut, from which an arm extends horizontally through the side of the
frame, beyond the rope, the said rod being then bent back, so as to enclose the rope
between itself and the outside of the frame. If the screw spindle is turned by
means of a handwheel mounted between the two bearings, the two arms are drawn
towards the centre, so as to clip each rope between the bent extremity or hook of
the corresponding arm and the side of the frame. One of these brake devices may
be applied to the frame near the top and another near the bottom.
To the upper end of the frame is attached a rope for raising it again, after the
frame has reached the ground.
On each side of the frame, the rope passes through the upper guide, then along
the side of the frame over or around the cross bars to the lower guide, and thence
down into the street.
If no brake action is desired, the rope is led over all the cross bars on the same
side, that is to say, either above or underneath the whole row; but for retarding
the motion, more or less friction is produced by leading the rope through one or more
of the interstices between the cross bars (as the weft of a woven fabric crosses
the warp threads).
For completely stopping the motion, the right and left screw mentioned above is
turned, so as to clip the ropes between the hooks and the sides of the frame.
Instead of a row of cross bars for retarding the descent by applying more or
less friction, I may adopt other suitable friction brake devices.
Dated this 18th day of June 1891
FAIRFAX & WETTER,
433, Strand, London, Agents for the Applicants.

page_text: COMPLETE SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in Apparatus for Lowering Persons and Goods from
the Upper Storeys of Buildings or from other Elevated
Localities.
We, CARL JOSEPH MARIE LEERS, Engineer, of Düsseldorf, and FRIEDRICH
HERMANN AUGUST WENDLAND, Merchant, of Cologne, both in the German
Empire, 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 :-
This invention relates to apparatus for lowering persons or goods from the
windows of upper storeys into the street, by means of two ropes. The principal
object is, to control the speed of descent, and to diminish the risk of accidents.
In the accompanying drawings,
Fig. 1 is a front elevation and Fig. 2 a side elevation of an apparatus embodying
our invention,
Fig. 3 is a partial side elevation,
Fig. 4 is a side elevation on a smaller scale showing the apparatus in use.
Figs. 5 and
represent details of construction on a larger scale.
The apparatus chiefly comprises a pair of guide ropes secured at the top to the
building, from which the persons or goods are to be lowered; and a specially
constructed frame or carriage provided with means for holding the load and for
controlling the speed of descent. The said frame has the shape of a trapeze, the
base and top of which are horizontal, while the sides converge symmetrically
towards the top. The sides a of the frame (which may be made of wood) are
armed with flat iron rails or bars carrying at their ends suitable guides d d for the
ropes. The said guides d are preferably formed by helically coiled rods encircling
the ropes. Near the middle of its height, the frame is armed with strong horizontal
cross bars bb arranged in one or two rows and projecting right and left over the
side of the frame. "At the base of the frame, the sides are connected by a strong
cross bar e which supports the sack, basket or other receptacle for the load.
The sides of the frame are also connected by a board n carrying near its centre
a pair of bearings, o, for a horizontal spindle provided with a right and left
hand screw thread serving to actuate a brake (Figs. 5 and 6). On each end or
half of the screw spindle is mounted a screw nut m, from which an arm or rod h
extends horizontally through the side of the frame, beyond the rope, the said
rod being then bent back, so as to enclose the rope between itself and the
outside of the frame a. If the screw spindle a is turned, by means of a hand-
wheel mounted between the two bearings o, o, the two arms h are drawn towards
the centre, so as to clip each rope between the bent extremity or hook of the
corresponding arm and the side of the frame. One of these brake devices may be
applied to the frame near the top and another near the bottom.
To the upper end of the frame is attached a ropes for raising it again, after
the frame has reached the ground.
On each side of the frame, the guide rope ƒ passes through the upper guide d,
then along the side of the frame over or around the cross bars b, b to the lower
guide d, and thence down into the street.
If no brake action is desired, the rope f is led over all the cross bars 6 on the
same side, that is to say, either above or underneath the whole row (Fig. 3); but
for retarding the motion in the case of heavy loads, more or less friction is produced
by leading the rope through one or more of the interstices between the cross bars b, b,
as represented by Fig. 2.
For completely stopping the motion, the right and left screw is turned, so as to
clip the ropes ff between the hooks h h and the sides of the frame a.
Instead of a row of cross bars bb for retarding the descent by applying more or
less friction, I may adopt other suitable friction brake devices.

page_text: For lowering a person from an upper window, the guide ropes ff are fastened
at the top, preferably by means of two cross bars 9 and g¹ (Fig. 4) connected with
each other by straps or by a sheet of cloth, the bar g being placed outside the
window sill, while the rod g' passes across the window opening at the inside and
is held by the wall or by the casement.
If the apparatus is to serve for lowering persons or goods from other parts of a
building, the guide ropes must be fastened by other means, according to local
conditions.
As the guides d d consist of screws, the ropes ff may be introduced quickly
from the side, that is to say, without drawing the ends of the ropes through the
guides.
According to the load, which the apparatus is intended to carry, the guide
ropes are wound more or less around the cross bars b, b, or around studs or bolts
fixed to the sides of the frame, so as to produce the friction necessary for keeping
the speed of descent within the desired limits. The guide ropes are preferably
held fast at their lower ends.
The apparatus may he worked either by one person placed at the top or by
one at the top and one at the bottom, the latter serving to hold the guide ropes.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of the said inven-
tion, and in what manner the same is to be performed, we declare that what we
claim is ;-
1. Apparatus for lowering persons and goods from elevated localities comprising
in its construction a frame a provided with spirals d for a pair of guide ropes, and
with cross bars or lateral projections adapted to serve as a brake, substantially as
described.
2. In apparatus for lowering persons and goods from elevated localities by means
of ropes, a brake or stopping gear, comprising a pair of hooks h, screw nuts m and
spindle provided with right and left hand screw threads, the whole being arranged
and adapted to operate substantially as described.
Dated this 18th day of March 1892