US1472446A - Fire escape - Google Patents

Description

Oct. 30, 1923. I 1,472,446

M; v. WANDERLEY FIRE ESCAPE Filed Jan. 25, 1923 2 Sheets-Sheet l Qwwewtoz FIRE ESCAPE Filed Jan. 25. 1923 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 MIU Patented Get. 30, 1923.

MANOEL V. WANDERLEY, OF NEW YORK, N. Y.

FIRE ESCAPE.

Application filed January 23, 1923. Serial No. 614,410.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, MANOEL V. WANDER- my, a citizen of Brazil, residing at New York city, borough of Manhattan, in the county of New York and State of New York, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Fire Escapes, of which the following is a specification.

This invention relates to fire escapes and has particular reference to that type of safety apparatus known as a reel fireescape.

Among the objects of the invention is to provide a safety appliance of the nature set forth so designed as to be built or attached to the wall on the inside of a building or room, adjacent to any convenient outside window, whence a person may at the time of a fire or other emergency pass quickly and safely to the ground or other available landing.

Another object of the invention is to provide a safety apparatus of the nature stated including a rigid support projecting outward from the building wall and from or through which a flexible connection for the person is designed to pass andbe s0 guided as to insure that the person will pass downward safely cleared from the wall or any usual projections therefrom such as window sills or the like.

With the foregoing and other objects in view the invention consists in the arrangement and combination of parts hereinafter described and claimed, and while the inventionis not restricted to the extact details of construction disclosed or suggested herein, ,still for the-purpose of illustrating" a practical embodiment thereof reference is had to the accompanying drawings, in which like reference characters designate the same parts in the several views, and in which- Figure'l is a diagrammatic sideelevation, parts in section, of a preferred embodiment and arrangement of my improvement.

Fig. 2is an open view of the casing showing the main parts of the reel and controllingmechanism in elevation.

Fig. 3 is a vertical transverse section on the line 38 of Fig. 2.

Referring now more specifically to the drawings, in the wall W, preferably close to a window 10, is secured or built a support or armlO shown asoftubular construction and having its outer end bentdownward, within which is a guide roller 12, while at the innerend is another guide roller 13. This arm 10 is rigid and sufficiently strong for its intended purpose.

On the inside of the Wall, built within a suitable cabinet or secured against one of the walls of the room or building is a casing 14 within which are secured the principal parts of my mechanism but from which is extended a flexible member such as a cable 15 which is guided over the rollers 13 and 12 andto which a belt or equivalent body attachment 16 is adapted to be connected as by means of a ring 17 and snap hook 18 connected to the end of the cable by means of a chain 19, which is capable of withstanding effect ofthe elements and always be ready: for use. The hook 18 is normally held engaged in a fixed position such as indicated by the hook 520 on the outside of the wall within convenient reach of a person at the window. The belt, together with the simple directions for the use of the ap paratus, will be kept normally hanging inside of the window close to the casing 1 1. At the time of danger the operator or person to escape through and from the window will simply pass the belt around his body under his arms in practically the form indicated in Fig. 2 and then snap the ring 17 upon the hook 18 and leap from the window.

lVithin the casing is built or fastened a suitable strong rigid frame including a plate or bar 21 extending horizontally along the central portion of the back wall of the casing and whence it may be extended forward to any desired distance around the inside of the casing as indicated at 22 and constituting an inside frame. J ournalcd in the frame is a main shaft 23 upon which is fixed a reel 24 upon which the cable 15 is secured at its inner end and suitably coiled in normal position and from which the cable may pay out freely as the person descends from the window, subject to such control as is referred to below. The inner end of the shaft 23 is journaled in a member 25 con stituting a portion of the frame. This frame lies in a plane approximately midway between the top and bottom of the casing and mainly at one side of the center thereof. On the end of the shaft outside the frame is fixed a toothed pinion 26. 4

The shaft 23 is sufiiciently longer than the axial diameter of the reel to accommodate between the reel and the frame member 25 a sleeve 27, loosely ournaled upon the shaft and comprising two integral members, a ratchet wheel 28 and a worm gear 29, the ratchet wheel being close adjacent to the side of the reel.

Co-operating with the teeth of the ratchet wheel are one or more pawls 30 pivoted at 31 to the side of the reel and each urged by a leaf spring 32 toward the ratchet wheel,

said spring reacting against astud 33. The pawls, when more than one are used, are preferably staggered with relation between their points and the teeth of the ratchet wheel so that one of the pawls will always be sure to engage quickly with one of the teeth when the cable is unwinding from the reel, causing the reel to rotate in a counter clockwise direction as indicated by the arrow at the top of Fig. 2.

As a convenient'lneans for automatically and quickly restoring the cable upon the reel when released from the person who has just used the apparatus, I associate with by'side, and spaced by a suitable guard or spacer 38 I wish it to be understood that any number or size of such springs may be used according to the strength or length required in each individual installation. In

this connection it is to be noted that the same apparatus is adaptable for use in connection with buildings of any usual height, the only variation being in the length of the cable 15 and the length or strength of the springs. Fixed in any convenient manner to the shaft 35 is a toothed gear 39 meshing with the pinion 26. With the riot..- tion of the reel in the direction indicated in Fig.2, the shaft 35 will be rotated in a clockwise direction, causing the springs 3 to be wound up. 'For'additional strength of the springs I show another pair of springs 34 secured at their inner ends to a shaft 35 above the aforesaid springs and shafts and whose'outer ends are anchored to an an chorage 36. The shaft 35 is attached to a spur gear 39 of the same size as and meshing with the gear 39. The arrangement and operation of the springs 3+1 are the same as the parts earlier described except that the gear 39 rotates in the'opposite direction from the gear 39 and consequently the springs are coiled in theoppo-- I site direction, as shown. person has'reaehed the ground or landing' By the time the place sufficient additional power is stored in the springs to return promptly the-cable to another person in the manner above described. sufiiclent power always remains in the springs to keep the cable drawn well into the casing and tubular support 10 as shown in Fig. 1. The chain or a ring. connecting the chain to the cable will prevent the chain from being drawn into thesupport if) so that it will always be in reach of a person at the window either for use or other dis-- position in idle position as described.

The means for controlling the speed of rotation of the reel and hence the rate of descent of the person comprises a speed governor including a stationary clutch member 40 fixed at 41 to a stationary part of the mechanism and with 'which cooperates a clutch cone or plate' l2 slidable upon but held from rotation in connection with a shaft 43 upon which is formed or secured a worm 44. 45 indicates a centrifugal weight member, somewhat like a flywheel, but having a. normally oblique position with 'respect to the axis of the shaft 43 upon" which the weighted member is pivoted by apivot pin l6 transverse to the axis of the shaft. On the side of the weightedmember adjacent to the clutch sleeve is a cam 47 hearing against said sleeve. WVith thespceding up of the shaft l3-the weighted member tends to approach the dotted line position of Fig. 2, causing the cam 47 to crowd the clutch cone toward or into the clutch member 40, the degree of friction and therefore the rate at which the cone member may turn with respect tothe clutch member be ing in direct proportion to the speed of the apparatus. l r

The worm 4A meshes with and is driven from a worm wheel 48 mounted on the end ofthe shaft 49 upon which or to. which is secured a worm 50 having constant mesh with the wormgear 29 above described. It will of course be understood that the number of threads or the pitchof the threadsof the worms 44: and 50 and the corresponding pitch of the worm gears 48: and 29,will be determined according to speed to be provided for'in each installation. When the cable pays out from the reel, causing the reel to rotate to the left as shown, the worm gear 29 will be rotated in the same direction, being fixed to the same shaft 23. This will cause rotationof the shaft 49 as indi- V cated by the arrow thereon infFig'. 2, and thus the weightedmernber 45 will be rotated'at relatively high "speed and always in the same "direction; When the springsact'to wind up automatically thecable uponthe reel again, the 'pawls' will ride idly over the ratchet teeth 28 while the governor mechanism will be idle.

Thus it willbeseen and as borne out by extensive experience with the apparatus, a person may escape quickly and safely from a burning building or other occasion of danger by simply attaching the belt as stated and leaping from the window and when he reaches the landing place the belt on detachment from his person will be returned to the window for subsequent use. Furthermore, it will be noted that no man ual governing means are provided or necessary, a feature of tremendous importance considering that in the majority of cases, the persons to escape from such premises are women, children, or other persons more or less physically incapable, by reason of age or temporary infirmity, to have either strength o presence of mind suflicient to manipulate manual controlling means such as have been proposed heretofore in connection with reel fire escapes. This apparatus has proved to be thoroughly safe and efficient as'well as rapid in its action.

I claim:

laIn a fire escape, the combination of a casing having means for securing it within a building, a rectangular frame within the casing intermediate of its top and bottom, means to secure rigidly one side of the frame against the adjacent side of the casing while the opposite side of the frame extends approximately along the center of the casing, a shaft journaled in the frame and projecting through and beyond the latter mentioned side thereof, a power member fixed to the projected end of the shaft, a reel fixed to the shaft within the frame, a sleeve journaled upon the shaft between the reel and said latter mentioned side of the frame, said sleeve carrying a ratchet wheel and a gear wheel, a cable wound upon the reel, a pawl carried by the reel and co-operating with the ratchet wheel to cause rotation of the sleeve when the cable unwinds from the reel, automatic means operated by said gear wheel to regulate the speed at which the cable may unwind from the reel, and power means located in the. space between the frame and the remote side of the casing for quickly rewinding the cable upon the reel, said power member serving to store power in the power means while the cable is unwinding.

2. A fire escape as set forth in claim 1 in which a vertical frame extension is located in the space between the rectangular frame and the remote side of the casing and the power means comprises a pair of parallel shafts journaled in said vertical frame extension, gears between said shafts to cause simultaneous rotation thereof, and a plurality of coil springs within the frame extension and havingtheir ends attached to said shafts.

In testimony whereof I I afiix my signature. MANOEL V.

WANDERLEY.

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