Patent ID: 8851233

Claim:
A folding emergency escape ladder for a dwelling comprising: a fixed vertical riser adapted for fitting to an external wall of a dwelling, a plurality of retractable rails pivoted thereto from a first end and spaced at a distance apart suitable to function as rungs of said ladder and a movable vertical riser fitted in a corresponding manner from a second end of said rails such that said ladder is adapted to be moved between a retracted state with said rails folded up into and fully contained within said fixed vertical riser and said movable vertical riser in the retracted state, and an expanded, deployed state with said rails and risers functioning as a ladder mounted to said wall, wherein at least one of said rails include an elongate rail rung terminating at said first and second ends in a rung head, said rung head including an integral pivot and a projecting lobe elongated extending radially from said pivot, wherein said lobe includes a buffer foot formed on a first side of said lobe elongated, said buffer foot being adapted to abut a portion of one of said fixed and movable vertical risers coincident with said deployed state to buffer the deployment of said ladder and a latch formed on a second side of said lobe elongated opposite to said first side, said latch being adapted to cooperate with a keeper holding said rails and said movable vertical riser in said retracted state.