Year: 1890

page_text: Date of Application, 24th July, 1890
Co plete Specification Left, 24th Oct., 1890-Accepted, 29th Nov., 1890
No text detected.

page_text: COMPLETE SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in Apparatus or Appliances for Establishing
Communication between Floors of Buildings.
I, SAMUEL TOVEY RAWLINGS, of South Parade Works, Frome, in the County of
Somerset, Card Manufacturer, 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 refers to apparatus or appliances applicable in case of fire, or for use
in other emergencies, whereby communication is established between one floor and
another, or from the bottom to the top of a building through every floor thereof, and
for this purpose trap doors are provided in the floors of the upper rooms and light
staircases are kept suspended under the ceilings which on a catch being pulled out they
immediately drop and open the trap doors which are so balanced as to allow the stairs
to fall gently to the ground.
The accompanying drawings illustrate the manner in which my invention may be
.conveniently carried into effect.
Figure 1 is a sectional side elevation and Figure 2 is a sectional elevation taken at
the back of the stairs of an emergency staircase constructed according to my invention,
and, similar letters of reference refer to like parts in the two figures.
According to my invention 1 form a hole or holes in the floor or floors of the
building above the ground or basement floor, and I provide such hole or holes with a
trap, door B or cover, which may when fitted into the hole lie flush with the floor B¹
and is hinged thereto. Below the hinged door I provide a ladder, step ladder, or
staircase A, hereafter for the purposes of this Specification termed ladder, which at
its upper end is hinged for example as shown to beams, rafters, or a frame, at or about
the opposite side of the hole at which the door B is hinged, or even at one side
thereof, although I prefer to hinge the ladder A at the opposite side to the hinge as
aforesaid, and underneath the flooring. This ladder and as shown in the drawings, I
connect with the door B by levers, links, or otherwise, as is hereafter described, so
that on it being turned on its hinge and its opposite end lowered to or towards
the floor B¹ below, the hinged door B will be simultaneously or synchronously
opened.
Various arrangements of levers or links may be employed to connect the motion of
the ladder A and the door B, thus a lever may be fulcrummed to the side of the frame
beneath the door and when the ladder is lowered one arm H' may act on the door and
open same, the other arm H2 being acted upon by the ladder, the acting ends of the
lever may slide in guides on the under face of the door and on the side of the ladder.
I is a lever fulcrummed to the frame and carrying the weight K at its other end,
the said weight being free to slide in a frame below the door B and thus to balance
same and the ladder as the two are simultaneously opened or closed. G G Figure 1
are the guards at the side of the trap door opening, and F F are the hand rails to the
side of the ladder.
When in the raised position the ladder A is under the floor or ceiling and the
door B and the ladder A are so balanced (by weights or otherwise) as before described
for example, that the ladder A has a tendency to turn on its hinge and its opposite end
to descend to the floor B beneath at the same time lifting the door B and when in its
raised or normal position it is held by a suitably constructed catch C, which catch C
may be operated by wire or cord connection from any part of the room or house, or
where there are a number of floors fitted with communication ladders according to my
invention the various catches may be so connected as to be operated simultaneously by
for example wires and levers similar to ordinary bell pull apparatus. Such pull
apparatus is indicated by the letter E, on pulling which the stairs are released and the
trap doors are opened and are or may be so arranged that on either cord being pulled
the whole of the traps from top to bottom are opened and the corresponding ladders
brought down.

page_text: The ladder hand rails at the side or sides are jointed in such manner that they will
fold when the ladder is raised, and open when the ladder is lowered. I may provide
the door with a web of canvas or other suitable material on either side so that when
the door is opened the webs will form sides and it is only the front that will be open
for ascent or descent.
L L are levers jointed to the rod G for securing the door B when fully opened in
position by a rack L' as shown, or other suitable means may be adopted for such
purpose, such as by slotting the an is of the levers L and passing them over studs.
By my invention ladder or staircase communication may be had from one floor to
another or from floor to floor by simply pulling or turning a cord or handle, and
without such ladder or staircase or apparatus occupying any of the ordinary available
space.
The
The dotted lines in Figure 1 show the ladder in the raised position and the trap
door closed; the full lines show the apparatus opened out and ready for use.
pull handles E may be placed in cupboards with glass fronts so that in case of necessity
the glass would be broken or the cupboard unlocked, and the handles on being pulled
would release the catches the stairs A then drop down simultaneously at the same
time opening all the trap doors B in the various floors extending the hand rails F and
guards G on each side of the opening as well as the locking levers L which keep the
trap doors B in position while open so that they cannot be moved until the catches are
released.
These ladders or stairs can be placed directly under one another, in a continuous
length, at right angles to each other or in any other desirable position.
The apparatus is suitable for and applicable to any buildings in which a number of
persons are likely to be on upper floors at any one time and the apparatus can be made
plain or ornamental in harmony with the other rooms or corridors in which they may
be placed.
It is desirable that these emergency stairs or ladders should be applied at the
farthest possible point from the ordinary staircase.
I am aware that prior to my invention it had been proposed to hinge ladders to
balconies outside buildings so that a ladder could be caused to descend to the balcony
below or to the ground, and ladders have also been hinged to floors for the purpose of
economising space and for affording temporary communication when required between
the floors of buildings. I lay no claim broadly to such hinged ladders.
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 I
claim as my improvements in apparatus or appliances for establishing communication
between floors of buildings is :—
:
First The ladder A hinged to the rafter or frame in combination with the weighted
or balanced trap door B hinged to the same frame or rafter but opposite thereto, the
said trap door B being connected to the ladder by levers arranged and operating as
described all substantially as and for the purposes herein before described and illnstrated
with reference to the accompanying drawings.
Second: In such automatically acting emergency staircases such as those claimed
by claim 1, the employment of catches for securing the ladder in position when not in
use such catches being released when required by a wire or cord substantially as
herein set forth.
Third: In emergency ladders such as those claimed under claim 1, the automatically
closing and opening hand rails in combination with the levers connected to the
balanced trap door and ladder and parts connected therewith, constructed, operating
and acting substantially as hereinbefore described and illustrated with reference to the
accompanying drawings.
Fourth: In automatically acting emergency staircases, the travelling or balancing
weight K applied to the trap door B substantially as and for the purposes herein before
described and illustrated with reference to the accompanying drawings.

page_text: Fifth The general arrangement of emergency staircases all constructed and acting
substantially as hereinbefore described and illustrated with reference to the accom-
panying drawings together with any mere modification or modifications thereof.
Dated this 24th day of October 1890
S. T. RAWLINGS.
By Brewer & Son,
33, Chancery Lane, London, Agents.