Improvements relating to Fire Escapes.
Year: 1899

page_text: Date of Application, 17th Jan., 1899-Accepted, 25th Feb., 1899
COALTINIM DI MUITIVAIR
Improvements relating to Fire Escapes.
I, CHARLES ROBERT HARRIS, of Williamsport, Pennsylvania, United States
of America, 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:-
-
My invention relates to an improvement in fire-escapes, and more particularly
to such as employ flexible ladders adapted to be wound on reels, the object of
the invention being to provide simple and efficient means whereby the ladder
can be quickly released so as to be permitted to promptly descend from the top
of a building in case of fire.
A further object is to provide releasing devices for a flexible fire escape which
shall be simple in construction; cheap to manufacture; which shall be sure
and positive in operation and which shall be effectual, in all respects, in the
performance of its functions.
With these objects in view, the invention consists in certain novel features of
construction and combinations and arrangements of parts as hereinafter set forth
and pointed out in the claims.
In the accompanying drawings, Figure 1 is a view illustrating my invention.
Figures 2 and 3 are detail views and Figure 4 is a view of a modification.
A represents a portion of a building and B the casing of my improved fire-
escape, said casing being made ornamental in appearance and secured to the
front of the building at or near the top thereof so as to form a part of the cor-
nice of the building or take the place of metal or other ornamentations usually
employed as a finish to the architectural appearance of a building. The casing B
comprises two end frames a, a, and an outer wall or covering of sheet metal b
secured at its respective ends to said end frames a, a. A reel or shaft C is
mounted in the ends a of the casing for the reception of a flexible ladder_1),
The
which is adapted to be wound thereon and has one end secured thereto.
casing B is provided with an elongated opening 1, below and outwardly removed
from the reel C, for the passage of the ladder D, and at one edge of this open-
ing, a fixed bar 2 is disposed and secured at its ends to the end frames of the
casing over which the ladder is adapted to pass.
When the ladder is wound within the casing B, the lower rung 3 will serve
to close the elongated opening in the casing and thus exclude all dust.
The shaft or reel C is provided near its respective ends with heads or disks 5-6
and one of the journals of said shaft or drum is extended beyond its bearing
and has secured thereto, a sprocket wheel 7, over which a sprocket chain 7 may
be made to pass for the purpose of winding the ladder.
The chain 7 may be conveniently placed over the sprocket wheel when it is
necessary to wind the ladder. by means of a pole from an upper window of the
building. A pawl 8 is pivotally attached to the head or disk 5 and adapted to
engage a ratchet wheel 9 mounted loosely on the shaft C. A pinion 10 is
secured to the ratchet wheel 9 and at a point in proximity to said wheels 9
and 10, a lever 11 is pivotally supported between its ends within the casing B

page_text: One
and adapted to be limited in its movements by means of stops g, h. A pinion 12
and a drum 13 are mounted in the lower end of the lever 11 and adapted to
rotate together, the lever 11 being so disposed normally, that the pinion 12 will
be in proximity to but out of mesh with the pinion 10. A pulley 14 is mounted
in the upper end of the lever 11 and over this pulley, a cord 15 passes.
end of the cord 15 is attached to the weighted end c of a pivoted lever d, said
weighted end of the lever being made to project upwardly and slightly obliquely
from the pivotal support of the lever. The lever d is supported by means of a
bracket located within the building and the arm thereof is normally disposed
in a horizontal position so as to be engaged by a latch arm f which is main-
tained in engagement therewith by means of a spring f¹. An armature i is
secured to the latch arm f and adapted to be attracted by a magnet j to with-
draw the latch arm from the arm of lever and thus permit the weighted end
thereof to fall. The electro-magnet is included in a normally open circuit with
a battery and with circuit closers located at different parts of the building, or,
in case of a hotel, said circuit closers may be arranged in the office.
From its connection with the weighted lever the cord 15 passes over the pul-
ley 14 on the lever 11 (as before stated) and then preferably two or more times
around the drum 13 which revolves with the pinion 12. After passing about
the drum 13, the cord is passed over a pulley 16 in the casing and then
extended to the opposite end of the casing, where it is attached to a spring 17.
It will be observed that the spring 17 acts to normally retain the lever in such
position as to maintain the pinion 12 out of mesh with the pinion 10.
From the construction and arrangement of parts above described, it will be
seen that when an occupant of one of the rooms of a building or the clerk in
the office of a hotel, presses one of the push buttons the weighted lever d will
be released and in falling will cause a pull on the cord 15, the first result of
which will be to turn the lever 11 on its fulcrum and cause the pinion 12 to
be moved into mesh with the pinion 10 and then the drum 13 will be turned
and with it, the pinion 12 and thus motion will be imparted to the pinion 10.
and consequently the shaft or reel C (through the medium of the ratchet
devices), and cause the unwinding of the ladder to be started. After the ladder
has been thus started to unwind, its own weight will be sufficient to cause it to
continue to descend until its lower end reaches the ground.
A gong 18 is secured to the casing C and adapted to be operated by means of
an arm 18 secured to rotate with the arbor of pinion 10 so that as the ladder
descends, the alarm will be given and the steel cables of the ladder will serve as
transmitters of the vibrations of the gong to the rooms of the building.
Instead of providing a weighted lever for causing the starting of the reel to
unwind, a spring drum m may be employed; in which case the cord 15 would
he wound on said drum so as to cause the spring n therein to be wound suffi-
ciently to cause the drum to rotate two or three times when released and the
drum will be normally retained in such position (with the spring wound) by
means of a pivoted latch arm o. The latch arm is normally maintained in the
path of a pin on the drum by means of a spring q and is adapted to be moved
out of the path of said pin to release the spring drum and wind the cord 15 to
start the reel and ladder as before explained, by means of an electro-magnet r
included in circuit with the battery and circuit closers or push buttons.
Instead of the trip devices for the weighted lever and the spring drum above
described, any other preferred form of electrically operated trip devices may
be employed.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of this inven-
tion, and in what manner the same is to be performed, I declare that what I
claim is:
1. In a fire escape, the combination with a reel, gearing connected therewith,
and a flexible ladder to wind on said reel, of a motor removed from the real

page_text: connection between said motor and gearing whereby said motor will be adapted
to impart an impulse to the reel to start it, and a trip device for said motor.
2. In a fire escape, the combination with a reel, a flexible ladder to wind
thereon, and gearing connected with said reel, of a motor connected with said
gearing for starting the rotation of the reel to unwind the ladder, an electro-
magnet trip device for said motor and circuit closers included in the circuit of
said electro-magnetic trip devices, substantially as set forth.
3. In a fire escape, the combination with a reel and a flexible ladder to wind
thereon, of a weighted lever, a connection between said weighted lever and the
reel whereby to cause the reel to rotate when the weighted lever falls, an electro-
magnetic trip device for said weighted lever and circuit closers in the circuit
of said electro-magnetic trip device, substantially as set forth.
4. In a fire escape, the combination with a reel and a flexible ladder to wind
thereon, of a pinion connected with said reel, a pivoted lever, a pinion carried
by the pivoted lever, a drum mounted to rotate with said last mentioned pinion,
a motor, a trip device for said motor, a spring, a cord connected with said motor
and passing over the lever, the drum on the lever and attached to said spring
whereby to maintain the pinion on the lever normally out of mesh with the
pinion on the reel, means for operating said trip device to release the motor
and operate the cord to throw the pinion into mesh and rotate them to start the
rotation of the reel, substantially as set forth.
Dated this 17th day of January 1800
HERBERT HADDAN & Co.,
Agents to Applicant, 18, Buckingham Street, Strand, W.C., London.