Improvements in Portable Fire-escapes.
Year: 1895

page_text: Date of Application, 28th May, 1895-Accepted, 29th June, 1895
COMPLEIE
Improvements in Portable Fire-escapes.
I, JAMES WHEATON MADDEN of 439 Ninth Street, in the City of Brooklyn,
County of Kings, in the State of New York, United States of America, Engineer,
o hereby declare the nature of this invention and in what manner the same is to
e performed, to be particularly described and ascertained in and by the following
tatement:-
The invention relates to portable fire-escapes mainly intended to be carried in
he pocket or hand-bag of the traveller ready for immediate use, when required,
by attachment to the fixed work in the room, or to any article of furniture
sufficiently large and heavy to sustain the weight of the person while being lowered
from the window.
It consists of a coil of wire wound upon an annular grooved ring enclosed in a
casing provided with friction sheaves around which the wire is led as it unwinds,
and also with releasing and stopping mechanism, and an additional friction device
controlled by the person supported in a loop of webbing attached to a wire frame
enclosing the casing, while making the descent.
The grooved ring is provided with internal gear, meshing into a toothed pinion,
having a flanged wheel mounted on the pinion shaft enclosed in a vertically sliding
yoke equipped with V-shaped surfaces matching to the wheel, and with a spring-dog
engaging in one of the several radial holes drilled therein.
The grooved ring is guided in a corresponding annular portion of the casing, and
is released or stopped, and its rapidity of rotation controlled by increasing or
relaxing the pull upon a knob attached to the sliding yoke.
The accompanying drawings form a part of this Specification.
Figure 1 is a side elevation.
Figure 2 is a vertical section.
Figure 3 is a side elevation partly in vertical section on the line 3--3 in Fig. 4.
Figure 4 is a vertical section on the line 4-4 in Fig. 2.
Figure 5 is a similar view of a portion, and
Figure 6 is a side elevation on a smaller scale.
in Figs. 1 and 3.
It shows the reverse side to that
Similar letters of reference indicate corresponding parts in all the figures.
A is the casing of cast metal, and A' an exterior flange and A' an interior flange,
each a nearly complete circle, the space between forming a way for an annular
grooved ring B mounted therein with liberty to rotate, and carrying a coil of light
5 steel wire M.
The flange A is a continuation of the flange A¹ around an extension A* of the
casing, in which is mounted three friction sheaves Caround which the wire M
passes before leaving the casing through the tubular guide A°.
D is a cover-plate matching over the casing, and secured in place by screw-
bolts C forming centres for the sheaves C, and by an additional bolt D¹ in the
lower portion of the casing.
The grooved ring B is rectangular in cross-section, and is provided with a series
of small radial holes drilled equi-distant from each other on the centre line,
adapted to mesh with the pinion E' on a shaft E extending through the interior
5 of the ring, and having bearings e in the casing A and in the extension D' of the
The points of the teeth on the pinion extend quite through the metal of
cover.

page_text: the ring, but are protected from the coil of wire M by a strip Blaid in the groove,
and having an arched portion B' into which the teeth may protrude.
E is a wheel or friction-roller having two angular flanges e, e³, with a plane
cylindrical portion between them, provided with a series of radial holes e*.
The wheel E' is enclosed in a yoke F, provided on its interior with swells F, F,
at the top and bottom, each having two V-grooves f,f, matching the contour of
the angular tanges e³, e, on the wheel. The yoke is guided with liberty to move
up and down to the required extent in the extension D' on the cover by a guide
rod F extending upward, and forming an abutment for a helical spring F* tending
to lift the yoke and its attachments.
In the lower portion of the yoke is a dog H engaging normally in one of the
series of holes e, and subject to the force of a light lifting spring surrounding
the dog in a hole drilled in the yoke. The dog H extends downward through the
portion D of the cover and terminates in a knob H' of such size and shape as to
be easily grasped and pulled upon by the person using the apparatus.
L is a light frame of stout wire enclosing the casing and cover, provided with
cross-bars on each side of the guide A', to which are attached the ends of a loop N
of webbing, or other material, of sufficient length to encircle the person seated
thereon and allow him to easily grasp the knob H' with one hand while partially
supporting his weight by holding the casing and frame with the other.
The apparatus is used as follows:
The loop M' of the wire M is made fast to a hook fixed in the window-casing,
or to any convenient projection, or an article of furniture placed near the window
of such size and strength as to form a reliable support. The person climbs over
the window-sill, seats himself in the loop and allows his weight to be sustained by
the wire. A slight pull on the knob H overcomes the resistance of the spring,
withdrawing the dog H, and allows the wheel E' to revolve. The weight of the
person unwinds the wire M, revolving the ring B. A too rapid descent is prevented
by the friction of the wire around the sheaves C, and the friction of the lower
portion F of the yoke upon the wheel E. If, however, this is not sufficient, a
strong pull on the knob H will overcome the resistance of the spring F and bring
the upper portion of the yoke into frictional contact with the wheel E, as shown
in Fig. 5. Thus conditioned, the additional friction will depend upon the excess
of pull on the yoke over the lifting force of the spring F, which excess may be
varied at the will of the person until the descent is accomplished.
If, for any reason, the person wishes to stop, it may be done by simply relaxing
the pull on the knob H', allowing the yoke to rise into contact with the wheel E,
and the dog H to be forced into engagement with one of the holes e in the
portion of the wheel, preventing its revolution, and through the pinion E
holding the ring B against revolving.
By holding the yoke in an intermediate position, out of contact with the wheel,
the descent will be restrained only by the friction of the wire M around the
sheaves C, and will then depend upon the weight of the person.
The apparatus should be previously adjusted approximately to the weight of the
person using it by passing the wire a greater or less number of times around
the sheaves C so that the descent will be rapid when conditioned as above, but
will be easily checked by the additional friction of the wheel E'.
By reason of the qualities of strength and lightuess possessed by aluminutu,
I prefer to use that metal for the casing and main portions of my apparatus.
The wire M should be of steel of small gauge, but of sufficient strength to
support the weight. My experiments indicate that a ring of the proportions
shown, of five inches outside diameter, will carry more than one hundred feet of
wire strong enough to safely sustain a weight of five hundred pounds.
The apparatus is small and may be carried in an ordinary coat pocket, and is
intended to be carried in the personal baggage of travelling salesmen and others
who are exposed to danger from fire.

page_text: The frame L, having the cross-bars L' to which the ends of the loop Nare
stened, makes a strong but separable connection between the webbing and casing,
d allows the latter to be carried independently, if desired; and also serves to
stribute the weight of the load and insures that the casing shall not be turned or
splaced while in use.
Modifications may be made in the forms and proportions without departing from
e principle of the invention.
Instead of aluminum other metals may be employed, if preferred.
The ring B may be made with internal gear teeth to engage with the pinion E'
stead of using the form of gearing shown, dispensing with the strip B'.
A greater or less number of friction sheaves C may be employed.
Figure 7 shows a form of the invention in which the spring-dog is mounted in a
uide within the inner flange, and engages with one of a series of holes drilled in
he internal circumference of the ring. A depending wire loop extends through a
oss on the dog, guided in slots in the casing and cover-plate and provided with a
handle below.
A downward pull withdraws the dog and allows the ring to revolve; a further
movement in the same direction brings an adjustable shoe on a screw-threaded
extension of the dog into frictional contact with the interior surface of the ring, the
friction thus produced acting with the sheaves to retard the descent, as in the form
first described.
The modified form is best adapted for large sizes intended to be mounted on a
hook or crane attached to the window-casing in each room on the upper floors; but
it may be made nearly or quite as small as the form shown in Figs. 1 to 6, and is
more compact as it dispenses with the extension D'.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of my said inven-
tion, and in what manner the same is to be performed, I declare that what 1
claim is :-
1. The casing A, having flanges A', A', the ring B guided
and carrying the wire M, in combination with the sheaves
substantially as herein specified.
between said flanges
and cover-plate D,
2. The casing A, having flanges A', A', the ring B guided between said flanges
and carrying the wire M, in combination with the sheaves C, and an additional
friction mechanism engaging the interior of the said ring, and controlled by the
user, all substantially as herein specified.
3. The ring B, shaft E, wheel E' and yoke F adapted to frictionally engage the
said wheel, in combination with each other and with the wire M and sheaves C, all
substantially as herein specified.
4. The ring B, shaft E, wheel E, having holes e, yoke F and dog H, in
combination with each other and with the wire M, substantially as herein
specified.
5. The wire M, ring B, shaft E and wheel E, the latter having angular
flanges e, in combination with the yoke F, having grooves f, adapted to engage
frictionally with the said wheel, and the rod F' and spring F, all substantially as
5 herein specified.
6. The wire M, ring B, shaft E and wheel E, having holes e, in combination
with the yoke F, rod F', spring F and dog H, substantially as herein specified.
7. The casing A, having flanges A', A', the ring B guided between said flanges.
the shaft E extending through the ring, the pinion E engaging the interior of the
0 ring, in combination with the wheel E³, having holes e', yoke F, rod F, spring F
and dog H, H', substantially as herein specified.
8. The casing A, flanges A', A, cover-plate D, ring B, wire M and sheaves C
in combination with the shaft E, pinion E', wheel E', having holes e', yoke F
having surfaces engaging frictionally with the wheel, and guide-rod F³, spring F
55 dog H and knob H', all substantially as herein specified.

page_text: 9. In a fire-escape, the wire M and casing A, the frame L, having cross-bars L'
and the loop N attached to said cross-bars, all combined and arranged to serve
substantially as herein specified.
Dated this 2nd day of May 1895.
JAMES WHEATON MADDEN.
Wm. P. Thompson & Co.,
Of 6, Lord Street, Liverpool, Agents for the Applicant.