GB2229758A

GB2229758A - Fire escape for a multi-storey building

Info

Publication number: GB2229758A
Application number: GB8907070A
Authority: GB
Inventors: Te-Sung Shao
Original assignee: Individual
Current assignee: Individual
Priority date: 1989-03-29
Filing date: 1989-03-29
Publication date: 1990-10-03
Also published as: AU3946389A; GB8907070D0; FR2645564A1; FR2645564B3; BE1004280A6

Abstract

A fire escape for a multi-storey building has a balcony 1 comprising a floor and a ladder or slide 4 normally supported under the floor and in the plane of the floor. An aperture 13 is provided in one end of the floor and the slide or ladder is pivotally connected at one end and releasably secured at the other end thereof so that in the event of a fire the said other end of the ladder may be released and pivotally lowered to the next lower adjacent floor. An alarm may be sounded when the ladder/slide is deployed. The ladder may be folded in sections when retracted. The ladder may extend vertically when deployed. <IMAGE>

Description

FIRE ESCAPE FOR A MULTI-STOREY BUILDING This invention relates to a fire escape for a multi-storey building.

Existing fire escapes for multi-storey buildings are generally of three types. The first is an exterior safety stair which forms a generally Z-shaped pattern along the outside of the building, the object being to separate the safety stair from fire within the building. In theory such a fire escape is extremely safe but because there is only one exit onto the stairway for each floor so it is necessary to provide a corridor to reach the stair. Consequently a great deal of space is wasted in the building construction since it is unsafe to have a narrow space leading to the stair. It will be realised that because the external safety stair is not used very often so such a stair is an inefficient use of space.Moreover residents often place rubbish upon the stair thereby blocking the escape route so that in the event of a fire a fast means of escape is no longer provided.

The second type of fire escape is an interior stair constructed inside the multi-storey building. Such an internal stairway occupies a great deal of space within the building and again the efficiency of utilisation of space is low. Again such internal fire escapes often become blocked with rubbish. A distinct disadvantage of such an internal fire escape is that it may become blocked with smoke in the event of a fire which could overcome escapees.

A third type of fire escape consists simply of a steel rope which is dropped from a balcony of each floor. Such a steel rope occupies a great deal of space on the balcony and is unattractive. It will be realised that escaping by means of a rope is unsatisfactory especially for the aged, infirm and children. Additionally, because such a rope is suspended outside the building, escapees are afraid to use the rope as a means of escape.

From the foregoing it will be realised that conventional fire escapes occupy much space and are generally unattractive and require, for efficient performance in the event of a fire, to be properly maintained.

The present invention seeks to provide a fire escape for a multistorey building in which the foregoing difficulties are substantially mitigated.

According to this invention there is provided a fire escape for a multi-storey building including a balcony having a floor and a ladder or slide normally supported under said floor and in the plane of said floor, means for securing one end of said ladder or slide to said balcony and a releasable means for predeterminedly detaching the other end of said ladder or slide from said balcony whereby said other end of said ladder or slide may be lowered toward the next lower floor of said building.

The fire escape of this invention has the advantage that the ladder or slide is normally unobtrusive so that the balcony may be used for other purposes, such as a means for supporting flowers, and yet the ladder or slide may be rapidly deployed to provide an escape route from one floor to another.

The invention will now be described by way of example with reference to the accompanying drawings in which: Figure 1 shows the normal appearance of a building in which the fire escape of this invention is used, Figure 2 shows a building in which the fire escape of this invention is deployed, Figure 3 shows a perspective view of a building in which two different embodiments of the fire escape of this invention are deployed, Figure 4 shows a side view of a building having balconies, Figure 5 shows a similar view to that of Figure 4 in which the fire escape of this invention is deployed, Figure 6 shows a detailed view of a fire escape in accordance with this invention, Figure 7 shows a vertical cross-sectional view of a fire escape in accordance with this invention, Figure 8 shows one embodiment of this invention, Figure 9 shows another embodiment of this invention, Figure 10 shows a detail of a ladder for use in this invention, Figure 11 shows a detail of another form of a ladder for use in this invention, Figure 12 shows a curtain-type shield screen that may be used in conjunction with this invention, and Figure 13 shows a side view of the curtain-type shield shown in Figure 12.

In the Figures like reference numerals denote like parts.

A multi-storey building is shown in Figures 1-5, Figure 1 showing a building having a balcony located outside each upper floor and access to the balcony may be simply through windows or through sliding pateo doors. Referring to Figure 2, a building has balconies 1 each having a floor and a respective ladder or slide is located in the plane of each respective floor such that, as shown in Figure 2, the ladder 2 or slide 4 may be lowered to the next lower floor when desired to be used to escape a fire. Figure 3 shows the use of slides 4 and ladders 2 which have been deployed from beneath each balcony 1. Figure 4 shows a side view of a multi-storey building having balconies 1 and Figure 5 shows the building of Figure 4 in which ladders 2 have been deployed.

Referring to Figure 6 a balcony 1 has a frame 11 with an open framework floor 12. An aperture 13 which is closed by a hinged portion acting as an extension of the floor 12 is provided at one end of the balcony through which a person may escape. Referring also to Figure 7, located beneath the floor 12 and in the plane of the floor is a ladder 2, the ladder being pivotally connected by connection 21 to the balcony beneath the aperture 13. The other end of the ladder is predeterminedly secured in position by a latch 22 which may be formed by a spring loaded catch. An electrical detector 23 is located toward said other end of the ladder to provide an electricai signal for an audible and/or visual alarm when the ladder is released by the latch 22.The use of such a detector 23 provides a warning to other people within the building of a fire and also has the ability to act as a theft device.

The embodiment of the invention shown in Figure 8 is of a ladder in which the ladder is deployed, indicating the open aperture 13 and the ladder being extended from one floor to the next lower floor. Similarly Figure 9 shows another embodiment of the invention in which slide 14 is used having side rails upon which a user may hold during traverse of the slide and the slide is arranged so that the end of the slide adjacent aperture 13 is predeterminedly released and the end remote therefrom is pivotally connected to the underside floor of the balcony. The slide is longer than the height between adjacent floors.

Figure 10 shows one form of ladder that may be used where the distance between the floors is greater than the length of the balcony in which the stages of the ladder are hingedly connected to one another by hinge 50 and normally retained adjacent one another by sliding brackets 51. In Figure 11 the ladder stages are arranged to be slidably connected to one another.

The arrangement of the invention thus far described has the advantage that there is no necessity for a corridor within a building along which people must traverse to reach the fire escape since they may enter the fire escape from their own apartments. Additionally because the fire escape is on the external part of the building so it tends to be less affected by smoke than an internal fire escape. The use of slides has the advantage that they may be more readily used than ladders by children, aged and infirm. The floor of the balcony may be used to support flowers thereby enhancing the appearance of the building.

In Figures 12 and 13 a shield screen 3 is provided extending the height of each floor and in such an arrangement the balcony is merely a floor member 31 having the same function as floor 12 and also having an aperture therein at one end thereof.

Claims

CLAIMS:

1. A fire escape for a multi-storey building including a balcony comprising a floor, a ladder or slide normally supported under said floor and in the plane of said floor, means for securing one end of said ladder or slide to said balcony and a releasable means for predeterminedly detaching the other end of said ladder or slide from said balcony, whereby said other end of said ladder or slide may be lowered toward the next lower floor of said building.

2. A fire escape as claimed in claim 1 wherein a balcony is provided at each floor of said building above the ground except the ground floor.

3. A fire escape as claimed in claim 1 or 2 wherein an aperture is provided in each floor through which a person may pass, whereby in use a person may traverse from one balcony to another via said aperture.

4. A fire escape as claimed in claim 3 wherein a closure member is provided for said aperture.

5. A fire escape as claimed in any preceding claim wherein the length of said ladder is approximately the same as the height between adjacent floors.

6. A fire escape as claimed in any preceding claim wherein the length of said slide is greater than the height between adjacent floors.

7. A fire escape as claimed in any preceding claim wherein said one end of tne ladder or slide is pivotally connected to said balcony.

8. A fire escape as claimed in claim 6 wherein the aperture is adjacent said pivotal connection.

9. A fire escape as claimed in claim 7 wherein the aperture is positioned at a remote end of said balcony from said pivotal connection.

10. A fire escape as claimed in any preceding claim wherein the floor of said balcony is an open framework suitable for supporting flowers.

11. A fire escape as claimed in any preceding claim wherein means are provided for detecting release of said ladder or slide to sound an audible or visual alarm.

12. A fire escape substantially as herein described with reference to and as shown in the accompanying drawings.