Year: 1889

page_text: Date of Application, 25th Feb., 1889
Complete Specification Left, 14th Mar., 1889
Complete Specification Accepted, 1st June, 1889
I CHARLES JOHN REYNOLDS of 4 King Street Tower Hill in the city of London.
Accountant do hereby declare the nature of this invention to be as follows:-
The object of this invention is to produce a fire escape which is intended to remain
permanently attached to the exterior of a house or other building and which can be
readily and easily brought into position when required.
According to this invention I construct a fire escape of metal preferably of iron or
steel in the form of a folding ladder and affix one of the uprights to the outside of the
wall or other part of the house. Rungs or steps are pivotted to the uprights by metal
eyes or staples constructed thereon and of such a size that they form a loose joint, so
as to allow the apparatus to be folded up and let down quite easily.
To prevent housebreakers and. others from tampering with the apparatus and to
protect the same from exposure to the weather when not in use, suitable side pieces
are affixed to the wall or to the fixed upright, or are formed in one with the said
upright which in this latter case would be made in the shape of three sides of a
rectangle. On to the inside of each upright I fix two grooved pulleys running loose
on spindles affixed one at the top and the other at the bottom of the upright. Over
these pulleys I pass an endless chain carrying a horizontal bar on which is hung a
chair or cage.
Each chain carries a weight in such a position that when the
horizontal bar is at the top pulleys the weights are at the bottom pulleys. These
weights are slightly heavier than the horizontal bar and cage, so that they are kept
normally in their highest position when the apparatus is open and ready for use.
By this arrangement invalid persons and others who are unable to descend the
ladder may get into the chair or cage which will at once descend by their weight.
When they alight, the cage will immediately return to the top by the action of the
weights.
A spring is attached to the fixed upright and this spring abuts against the movable
upright and pushes it outwards when the apparatus is released. When folded up, the
apparatus is secured in position by a catch terminating in a ring or handle inside the
house. This catch may be in an electrical circuit which is completed by an ordinary
electrical push button from any part of the house.

page_text: A spring may also be provided which makes contact with a stop, when the catch
is released. By this arrangement a local circuit is completed which said local circuit
contains any convenient number of electric bells which will continue to ring until
switched off, and thus inform all the inmates of the house that the escape has been
lowered.
Should the escape be lowered by housebreakers or others, the local circuit will
be at once completed through the spring and stop, and give the inmates of the house
timely warning.
CASTLE SMITH,
Per F. W. Golby,
Invention" Office,
4, Fleet Street, London, E.C.,
Agent for the Applicant.

page_text: I, CHARLES JOHN REYNOLDS, of 4 King Street Tower Hill in the City of London
Accountant, do hereby declare the nature of his invention and in what manner the
same is to be performed, to be particularly described and ascertained in and by the
following statement :-
The object of this invention is to produce a fire escape which is intended to remain
permanently attached to the exterior of a house or other building, and which can be
readily and easily brought into position when required.
And in order that my invention may be well understood and carried into practice I
will now describe the same, with reference to the accompanying drawings in which
similar letters indicate corresponding parts in all the figures.
Figure 1 is a partly sectional side view of a fire escape constructed according to my
invention attached to the exterior of a house or other building and shewn ready
for use.
Figure 2 is a similar view shewing the apparatus closed or folded up.
Figure 3 is a part plan of figure 1.
Figure 4 is a plan of figure 2.
Figure 5 is a section on the line A B figure 1, and figures 6 and 7 are enlarged
views of the electrical apparatus. In figure 6 the circuit is complete and the escape
will then be in the open position shewn in figure 1. In figure 7 the circuit is broken
and the escape will then be in the closed position shewn in figure 2.
According to this invention I construct the fire escape of metal preferably of iron
or steel and affix one of the uprights A to the outside of the wall or other part B of
the house. On to each of the uprights A and C I fix metal eyes or staples D, and to
these eyes or staples I secure the ends of the rungs or stops E, or the ends of the
rungs or steps may, if desired, be turned round and welded so as to form corre-
sponding eyes F taking into the eyes or staples D. if desired however, the staples D
on the uprights may be horizontal and the rounded ends F on the steps vertical, but
their position may of course be reversed i.e. the staples may be vertical and the
eyes F horizontal. The eyes or staples are constructed of such a size that they form
a loose joint so as to allow the apparatus to be folded up and let down quite easily.
To prevent house-breakers and others from using the apparatus, and to preserve the
same from the effects of exposure to the weather when not in use, suitable side
pieces G (see figures 3 and 4) are affixed to the wall B or to the upright A, or are
formed in one with the said upright which in this latter case would be made in
the shape of three sides of a rectangle. A metal or other roof may also be fixed on
the top of the apparatus if desired. A guard or shield may also be placed across the
foot of the upright A and the side pieces G to prevent tampering with this part of
the apparatus.
On to the inside of the upright CI fix two grooved pulleys H, running loose on a
spindle J affixed to the upright C. Over these pulleys I pass an endless chain K.

page_text: These pulleys are affixed one at the bottom and the other at the top of the upright,
and they are sufficiently large in diameter to allow the chain to work free of and on
each side of the steps or rungs E as shewn in figure 5. I provide the upright A with
similar pulleys and an endless chain K. On to these chains I affix a horizontal bar L
by turning round the ends into one of the links of each chain, so that it is loosely
pivotted thereto similarly to the manner in which the steps E are pivotted to the
uprights A and C as hereinbefore referred to. The horizontal bar L is provided with
a chair or cage M loosely pivotted thereto, and to each chain I attach a weight N in
such a position that when the bar L is at the top pulleys, the weights are at the
bottom pulleys.
These weights are slightly heavier than the bar L and cage M so that the bar and
cage are kept normally in the position shewn in Figure 1, when the apparatus is open,
and ready for use. By this arrangement invalid persons and others who are unable to
descend the ladder may get into the chair or cage which will at once descend by their
weight. When they alight the cage will immediately return to the top by the action
of the weights N. The descent may be checked by persons at the bottom, or by the
occupant of the cage putting his or her hand on the steps E during the descent.
The upright A is provided with staples P through which passes a bracket O,
terminating in eyes Q taking in staples R on the side pieces G. A spring S is affixed
to the upright A and this spring abuts against the moveable upright C and pushes it
outwards when the apparatus is released. When folded up the apparatus is secured
in position by means of a catch T consisting of a horizontal arm one end of which
passes through suitable bearings in the wall and terminates in a ring or handle U.on
the inside of the house or building by means of which the catch can he turned to the
right or to the left. The handle U may of course be embedded in a recess in the wall
or may be contained within a locked receptacle to prevent tampering and may be
connected by wires and bell cranks to any other room or part of the house. The
outer end of the catch T is turned up at right angles or thereabouts so that it may
be turned over the bracket O and secure the apparatus in position shewn in figure 2.
In the drawings I have shewn a method for actuating the handle U by electrical
means. On to that part of the catch T which is inside the house or other building
I rigidly affix a cross bar a controlled by a spring b and held down against the
tension of the spring 6 by a hook or catch c on the end of a bell crank lever d.
The other arm e of this bell crank lever forms the armature of an electro magnet f
coupled up to a battery g fixed to any convenient part of the building. When the
cross bar a is depressed as shewn in figure 7 it prevents contact between contact
makers and a contact stop j. When the cross bar a is released as shewn in figure 6
the spring h makes contact with the stop j and completes a local circuit in which is the
electric bell or bells k. The action of the apparatus is as follows:-The main circuit
is completed by depressing the push button 1, the current immediately runs through
the electro magnet fas indicated by the arrows shown in Figure 7. By this means
the armature e is attracted and pulls over the bell crank d releasing the cross bar a,
and completing the local circuit through the spring hand stop j and bell k. The
direction of the local circuit is indicated by the arrows shewn in Figure 6, from
which it will be seen that the local circuit when once started is totally independent of
the main circuit and the bell will continue to ring whether the push button is
depressed or not. A switch m is placed in the local circuit whereby the bell may be
switched off when required. The push buttons may be placed in every room or
other convenient parts of the building and any number of bells may be similarly
placed so that when one push button is actuated the escape will fall into the position
shewn in Fig. 1 and every bell in the circuit will continue to ring until switched off. If
desired the main circuit may be completed by the expansion of a piece of metal
placed in any convenient spot where it is likely to be at once affected by abnormal
heat, as will be well understood This electric arrangement will thus inform all the
inmates of the house that the escape has been lowered. Should the escape be lowered
by housebreakers or others the local circuit will be at once completed through the
spring hand stop ; and give the inmates of the house timely warning. When the

page_text: catch T is released the pressure of the springs on the moveable upright C and the
weight of the upright C and its attachment causes the apparatus to assume the open.
position shewn in Figs. 1 and 3. To fold up the apparatus push or pull up the
upright C, and turn the handle U until the catch is over the bracket O, and when
the electrical apparatus is used place the cross bar a under the hook or catch c on the
end of the bell crank d.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of my said
invention and in what manner the same is to be performed, I wish it to be clearly
understood that I make no claim for the permanent attachment of a folding ladder
to the exterior of a building, nor to the manner in which the ladder is constructed, but
I declare that what I claim is :-
1. An improved fire escape consisting of a folding ladder attached to the exterior
of a building with a catch T operated from inside the building by the handle U and
wires and bell cranks, or operated by means of the electrical arrangement illustrated
and described with reference to figures 6 and 7 and with a bracket O for guiding the
moveable upright C substantially as and for the purpose hereinbefore set forth and
illustrated in the accompanying drawings.
2. An improved fire escape consisting of a folding ladder with which is combined
two weighted endless chains running over pulleys and carrying a chair or cage
substantially as and for the purpose hereinbefore set forth.
3. My improved fire escape constructed and operating electrically or otherwise
substantially as described and illustrated in the accompanying drawings.
Dated this 14th day of March 1889.
CASTLE SMITH,
Per F. W. Golby,
"Invention" Office,
54, Fleet Street, London, E.C.,
Agent for the Applicant.