A COMBINED BEDSTEAD AND FIRE ESCAPE to be as follows:-
Year: 1884

page_text: I HENRY TOOTH, of 72 Rhodeswell Road, in the county of Middlesex, Engineer
do hereby declare the nature of the said invention for "A COMBINED BEDSTEAD
AND FIRE ESCAPE to be as follows:-
و"
This invention consists in the combination with a bedstead of a folding ladder
or steps in such a manner that in case of fire the ladder or steps can be easily and
quickly detached from the bedstead and opened out so as to serve as a fire escape.
In carrying out my improvements I employ a bedstead of the ordinary con-
struction but without the usual laths. The ladder or steps is constructed in lengths
corresponding with the length of the bedstead and of a width such that a certain
number of the lengths of the ladder when placed side by side shall correspond with
the width of the bedstead. A suitable number of such lengths of ladder are
hinged or otherwise constructed so that they may be jointed together and when the
lengths are folded up they will form a rectangular framework of the size of the
bedstead in such a manner that the said folded ladder may be fitted to the frame
of the bedstead and will serve to support the mattress or bed in place of the usual
Jaths. The lengths of the ladder may be hinged together in any suitable manner
or they may be adapted to be fitted together by means of sockets, clips, screws or
otherwise. The top of one portion of the ladder is provided with suitable means
of attachment such as hooks attached to chains or otherwise to allow of the same
being fixed onto a window sill or the like when the ladder is required to be used
and the lengths of the ladder are also provided with suitable means to keep the
ladder at a suitable distance from the wall of the house or otherwise when in use.
I provide the lower portion of the ladder with a wire rope ladder having rigid
treads or rounds for the purpose of preventing the collapsing of such wire rope
ladder,
By this arrangement in the event of fire it will be simply necessary to detach
the ladder or steps from the bedstead and the same being opened out may be
lowered from a window to serve as a fire escape.
Suitable means are provided for securely holding together the parts of the ladder
when the same is opened out.
In constructing the ladder I havo found it advantageous to employ angle iron
for the sides of the ladder or steps the rounds or treads being made of wood, angle
iron or tubing and to allow of the ladder when folded up being conveniently fitted
to the bedstead I propose to form slots in the angle iron at the foot and head of
the bedstead into which the angle iron of the sides of the ladder will fit.
DL 1012 A 1004
G. F. REDFERN,
4, South Street, Finsbury,
Agent for the Applicant.

page_text: COMPLETE SPECIFICATION.
I HENRY TOOTH of 72, Rhodeswell Road, in the county of Middlesex, Engineer,
do hereby declare the nature of my said invention for "A COMBINED BEDSTEAD
AND FIRE ESCAPE," and in what manner the same is to be performed to be
particularly described and ascertained in and by the following statement :-
This invention consists in the combination with a bedstead, of a folding ladder
or steps in such a manner that, in case of, fire, the ladder or steps can be easily and
quickly detached from the bedstead and opened out so as to serve as a fire escape.
In carrying out my improvements I employ a bedstead of the ordinary con-
struction but without the usual laths. The ladder or steps is constructed in
lengths corresponding with the length of the bedstead, and of a width such that a
certain number of the lengths of the ladder, when placed side by side, shall
correspond with the width of the bedstead. A suitable number of such lengths of
ladder are hinged or otherwise constructed so that they may be jointed together
and, when the lengths are folded up, they will form a rectangular frame-work of
the size of the bedstead in such a manner that the said folded ladder may be fitted
to the frame of the bedstead, and will serve to support the mattress or bed in place
of the usual laths. The lengths of the ladder may be hinged together in any
suitable manner, or they may be adapted to be fitted together by means of sockets,
clips, screws or otherwise. The top of one portion of the ladder is provided with
suitable means of attachment, such as hooks, attached to chains or otherwise to
allow of the same being fixed on to a window sill or the like when the ladder is
required to be used, and the lengths of the ladder are also provided with suitable
means to keep the ladder at a suitable distance from the wall of the house or
otherwise when in use. I provide the lower portion of the ladder if required with
a wire rope ladder having rigid trends or rounds for the purpose of preventing the
collapsing of such wire rope ladder.
In constructing the ladder I have found it advantageous to employ angle iron
for the sides of the ladder or steps, the rounds or treads being made of wood, angle
iron, or tubing, and to allow of the ladder when folded up being conveniently
fitted to the bedstead, I propose to form slots in the angle iron at the foot and head
of the bedstead, into which the angle iron of the sides of the ladder will fit.
In order to enable my invention to be fully understood I will proceed to
describe the same by reference. to the accompanying drawing in which figure 1, is
a plan of a combined bedstead and fire escape constructed according to my
invention; figure 2 is a vertical longitudinal section of the same on line A B of
figure 1; figure 3 is a plan of part of the head of the bedstead showing the slots in
the angle iron thereof; figures 4 to 10 are detached details of the ladder drawn to
a larger scale showing suitable means for jointing together the lengths of the
ladder, and for connecting the lengths together when the ladder is opened out.
Similar letters in all the figures represent similar parts.
a, b, and c, represent-the bedstead of ordinary construction but without the usual
laths; d, d, d, d³, shew the ladder constructed in lengths corresponding with the
length of the bedstead, the width of the said lengths when laid side by side as
shewn in figure 1, corresponding with the width of the bedstead; c, e, e, are the

page_text: hinges of the said lengths which, when folded up, form a rectangular frame which
can be fitted to the head a, and foot b, of the bedstead and will serve to support
the mattress or bed in place of the usual laths; f, figure 2, shews one of the books.
with which the top length d, of the ladder is provided, to allow of the ladder being
fixed onto a window sill or the like when the ladder is required to be used;
9, g¹, figure 3 shew the slots in the angle iron at the head of the bedstead; similar
slots are formed in the foot of the bedstead, and into the said slots in the head and
foot the vertical part of the angle iron of the sides of the ladder will fit as shewn
in figure 2, the horizontal part of the said angle iron resting on the angle iron of
the bedstead; h, h, h, represent the rounds or treads of the ladder.
By this arrangement, in the event of fire, it will be simply necessary to detach
the ladder or steps from the bedstead and the same being opened out and the
lengths fastened together by means such as are hereinafter described, it may be
lowered from a window to serve as a fire escape.
A suitable method of jointing together the lengths of the ladder and of con-
necting the lengths together when the ladder is opened out is shewn in figure 4,
which is a plan of a portion of two of such lengths laid side by side; figure 5 is
a similar view, but partly in section shewing the lengths opened out and connected
together ready for use; figure 6 is a longitudinal section on line C D of figure 5
and figure 7 is an end view of figure 4; figure 8 is a longitudinal section on
line E F of figure 4.
The joint e, which is a kind of knuckle joint works on a pin i one end of which
is screw threaded and screws into one of the outside plates j, of the joint; the
other end is provided with a bevelled bead countersunk in the other outside platek,
of the joint as shewn in figures 6, and 8; by this means great rigidity is given to
the joint and the pin thereof is not liable to become loose; one of the plates forming.
the part of the joint carried by the length d, of the ladder is provided with, an
eccentric, arranged to operate when the ladder is being opened out, a bolt m
aliding in a guido n, on the next length d; the said bolt n, works in and operates
a longitudinally moveable tube o, which encloses a spiral spring p, and the tube o..
is formed with a slot q, in which slides a projection or tooth r, on the end of the
bolt m, 8, is a rod forming a continuation of the tube o, and working through a
guide t, on the side d', of the ladder; a¹, is a spring catch which serves to keep the
tube 0, in a fixed position until the latter is released by the tooth r, of the bolt n,
coming against a shoulder b', on the spring catch whereby it is moved out of contact
with the tube; u, is a lever jointed at one end at v, to the rod 8, and having its-
fulcrum nt w, on one of the rounds h, of the ladder; the other end of the lever u,.
is jointed at x, to a rod or plunger y, the lower end of which is free to rotate upon,
the upper end this is effected by a groove formed on the lower part of the plunger
which receives a collar or projection on the upper part as shewn by the dotted lines;
figures 4 and 5; the outer end of the plunger y, is provided with pins or pro-
jections which enter spiral grooves in the next length of the ladder when the
lengths are pressed together.
The action of this joint and connecting arrangement is as follows:-The parts
being in the position shewn in figure 4, if one of the lengths of the ladder be
moved on its joint e, the eccentric l, will bear upon the bolt m, so as to press it
inwards and compress the spring p, until the sides of the two lengths are almost in
a line with each other when the tooth r, on the end of the bolt m, will have reached
the shoulder b¹, of the spring catch a¹, so as to press the same outwards, and the
tube o, and rod 8, will be thereby released and will be forced inwards by the recoil
of the spiral spring p; the lever u, will at the same time be moved on its
fulcrum w, and will force the plunger y, info the side of the adjoining length of
ladder and the pins of the plunger y will travel in the spiral grooves of the said
adjoining length and a rigid and secure connection will be thereby effected.
The arrangement of joint and connection shown in figures 9 and 10 (which
represent a plan of part of one side of two adjacent lengths of ladder and a part
longitudinal section respectively) is similar to that herein before described and

page_text: shewn in figures 4 to 8 except that instead of employing an eccentric on one of
the plates of the joint to operate the bolt m, I provide the periphery of the said
plate with a number of teeth e, which when the lengths are opened out, engage
with and operate a pinion c¹, mounted on the frame of the next length of the
ladder; a short length of chain 1, is attached to the pinion e', in such a manner
that the latter in rotating will force the chain along so as to press inwards the
bolt m; g, is a roller and h', a guide to facilitate the movement of and guide the
chain f¹.
I prefer to make the sides of the ladder of angle iron as shewn in the drawing
and the rounds or treads h, I form of tubular metal connected to the sides by
means of screws i, as shewn in section at figure 5.
A wire rope ladder can be attached to the hereinbefore described ladder when
opened out if required to increase the length of the same.
In some cases where economy in construction is not an object I form the sides
of the lengths of the ladder from flat strips of stout iron to which the rounds or
treads also made of flat strips of iron are jointed so as to form a kind of lattice-
work which can be folded into a small compass and placed in the framework of the
bedstead in lieu of the ordinary laths; the said lengths of lattice-work can be
easily removed from the bedstead and be opened out and the lengths being then
booked or otherwise suitably attached to each other will form a ladder which can
be fixed to the window in any suitable manner to allow of easy descent in case of
danger.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of the said
invention and in what manner the same is to be performed I declare that what
I claim is
1. The combination with a bedstead of a folding ladder or steps in such a
manner that in case of fire the ladder or steps can be easily and quickly detached
from the bedstead and opened out so as to serve as a fire escape substantially as
hereinbefore described.
2. Forming the angle iron at the foot and head of a bedstead with slots for the
purpose of receiving the ends of the lengths of folding ladder substantially as
and for the purposes hereinbefore described and represented in figures 1, 2, and 3
of the accompanying drawing.
3. The combination with a bedstead of a ladder formed in lengths of iron lattice-
work so that the said lengths can be fixed to the bedstead in place of the
ordinary laths and readily removed and formed into a ladder substantially as
and for the purposes herein before described.
4. The combined bedstead and fire escape herein before described and represented
in the accompanying drawing.