IMPROVEMENTS IN FIRE ESCAPES
Year: 1867

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to Ralph Augustine Jones and John Cooper Hedges,
both of Aylesbury, in the County of Buckingham, for the Invention of
"IMPROVEMENTS IN FIRE ESCAPES."
Sealed the 3rd March 1868, and dated the 5th September 1867.
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said Ralph Augustine Jones
and John Cooper Hedges at the Office of the Commissioners of Patents,
with their Petition, on the 5th September 1867.
We, RALPH AUGUSTINE JONES and JOHN COOPER HEDGES, both of Aylesbury'
in the County of Buckingham, do hereby declare the nature of the said
Invention for "IMPROVEMENTS IN FIRE ESCAPES," to be as follows:-
This Invention consists in applying to fire escapes, the principal features
whereof are the use of wire or other ropes, cords, or chains wound upon a
drum.or such like contrivance (to be unwound therefrom on using the same),
as for instance fire escapes constructed in accordance with the Specification. of
our. Letters Patent, dated 20th March 1866 (No. 818;) the following
arrangements or some of them...The ends of friction bands: to be used for the
said fire escapes may be made with lugs provided with a collar or box and
provided as regards one lug with a binding screw with a spring coiled around

page_text: it acting against such lug, and for the other lug a. lever with a handle centred
in the said collar or box, the end being allowed by a slot through the same to
be pressed against the other lug when the handle is acted on by any person in
descending by the fire escape.
Or in place of the friction arrangements just described we would some-
times adopt the following:-Within the case containing the rope, cord, or
chain, we have pulley wheels so arranged that the chain or rope may be
taken in a serpentine course over them, thus causing resistance to the un-
winding of the rope, cord, or chain, and the friction band can be. made to act
on the edges of the drum containing the rope, cord, or chain instead of having
a separate pulley for this purpose.
SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent, filed
by the said Ralph Augustine Jones and John Cooper Hedges in the
Great Seal Patent Office on the 5th March 1868.
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, we, RALPH
AUGUSTINE JONES and JOHN COOPER HEDGES, both of Aylesbury, in the County
of Buckingham, send greeting.
WHEREAS Her most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her Letters
Patent, bearing date the Fifth day of September, in the year of our Lord One
thousand eight hundred and sixty-seven, in the thirty-first year of Her
reign, did, for Herself, Her heirs and successors, give and grant unto us,
the said Ralph Augustine Jones and John Cooper Hedges, Her special
licence that we, the said Ralph Augustine Jones and John Cooper Hedges,
our executors, administrators, and assigns, or such others as we, the said
Ralph Augustine Jones and John Cooper Hedges, our executors, adminis-
trators, 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," upon the condition
(amongst others) that we; the said Ralph Augustine Jones and John
Cooper Hedges, our executors or administrators, by an instrument in
writing under our, or their, or one of their, hands and seals, should par-
ticularly 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

page_text: in the Great Seal Patent Office within six calendar months next and im-
mediately after the date of the said Letters Patent.
.
NOW KNOW YE, that we, the said Ralph Augustine Jones and John'
Cooper Hedges, 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:-
This Invention has reference to those fire escapes which have for principal
features of construction the adaptation of wire or other ropes, cords, or chains
wound upon a drum or such like contrivance, (to be unwound therefrom
when the fire escape is in use), and the said Invention consists in the use of
the following arrangements:-The ends of friction bands to be used-with the
said cords, ropes, or chains are to be made with lugs provided with a collar
or box that has a binding screw with a spring coiled around it acting against
such lug, and for the other lug a lever with handle centred in the said collar
or box, the end being allowed by a slot through the same to be pressed against
the other lug.
Or in place of the friction arrangement just described we would sometimes
adopt the following:-Within the case containing the rope, cord, or chain we
have pulley wheels so arranged that the chain, cord, or rope may be taken in
a serpentine course over them, thus causing resistance to the unwinding of
the rope, cord, or chain, the friction band being arranged to work on the
edges of the holder of the chain, cord, or rope instead of having a separate:
pulley, and is provided with a crank lever handle so disposed as to be
easily accessible, and the said friction band arranged as just described can
be used with any other arrangement for fire escapes of the character above
set forth.
DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

page_text: pressing the lever j, which is attached to the eccentric h in such a way as to
pinch the rope, chain, cord, or wire 6 between 9 and h; a hook is attached to
the end of 6 for, attaching the apparatus to a window frame or otherwise;
k, k, pieces attached to the apparatus to carry swivel loop (or other fastener);
for attaching a band or other means of support for the person making use of
the apparatus. Fig. 3 shews; a system of pulleys 9, 9', g', round which the
cord, wire, chain or rope is made to take a serpentine course and act as a
friction brake assisting the friction band d instead of the pulley 9, and
eccentric pulley h, attached to lever ;, and acted on by spring i (Fig. 1); the
friction band in this case can be applied as shewn in Figs. 1 and 2, or as shewn
in Fig. 4. When the friction band is arranged as shewn in Fig. 4 a double
drum is required, one part grooved to receive the rope, chain, cord, or wire b,
and the other part for the friction band d to act upon. The friction band in
this case is acted upon by mechanism as hereafter described. To the friction
band d is attached two lugs m, m, one acted on by a bent lever n, the other
acted on by the compression of a spiral spring o, acted on by a screw.p.
When the fire escape
to be used the hook or fastener aforesaid is to be attached
to a window or otherwise, and the user then attaches himself to the swivel hook
or loop by means of a strap or otherwise, when his weight causes him to
descend by the unwinding of the rope, chain, cord, or wire, and the user can
regulate the speed of his descent by means of the friction band and mechanism
attached to it, or he may stop himself at any part of his descent by the said
mechanism. The cord, wire, chain, or rope when quite unwound from the
drum has only to be re-wound upon it and the fire escape is then again ready
for use.
By inverting the fire escape and fastening the hook 1 to a window or otherwise
one person could lower a number of persons. In this case the escape remains
above, and only the wire, cord, chain, or rope is let down.
Having now particularly described. and ascertained the nature of the said
Invention, and in what manner the same is to be performed, we hereby declare
that we claim,
"
(1.) The arrangement of friction band with lugs having a spring binding
screw arranged to act therewith as described.
(2.) The arrangement of said friction band working on the edges of
the flanges confining the cord, chain, rope, or wire, as herein-before men-
tioned.
.
(3.) The arrangement of pulleys with the cord, chain, rope, or wire passing
in a serpentine course or over and under or under and over direction as friction
or resistance power.

page_text: It being understood that we do not claim the constituent details herein-before
described when considered per se and apart from the purpose of our said
Invention.
In witness whereof, we, the said Ralph Augustine Jones and John
Cooper Hedges, have hereunto set our hands and seals, this Third day
of March, in the year of our Lord One thousand eight hundred and
sixty-eight.
0 Witness,
AMBROSE LLOYD TAYLOR,
Land Steward,
RALPH AUGUSTINE JONES. (L.S.)
JOHN COOPER HEDGES. (L.S.)
Walton Villas,
Aylesbury.