US1641798A - Safety device for fire escapes - Google Patents

Description

Sept 1927' E. BOCCHINO LMIJQS SAFETY DEVICE FOR FIRE ESCAPES Filed NOV. 24, 1926 ATO Y Patented Sept. 6, 1927.

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE,

ERNEST Boconmo, or NEWARK, NEW JERSEY.

SAFETY DEVICEFOB IEE scArEs; Application filed November 24, 1926. Serial No. 150,454.

This invention relates to fire escapes as applied to dwelling houses, ofiice buildings and other plura'lly storied structures in which people are domiciled and which are subject to fire hazards, the device being a safety fire escape.

Such fire escapes usually .take the.shape of platforms accessible from the building through windows or analogous openings and are provided with guard rails at their outer edges.

Leading from one tier of platforms to the next adjacent are steps or stair-ways and with the lowermost is associated some type of ladder, pivoted to swing or mounted to slide vertically as may be, preferred in accordance with the immediate locality.

In order to prevent the misuse of such ladders in obtaining unwarranted access to the building it is customary to retain them at a considerable height from the ground, such raised position also affording unobstructed passa e below the ladder and free use of the sur ace below.

This implies that the ladder, when in a raised position, must be securely supported to prevent accident and on the other hand it is clearly evident that the ladder must be so supported as to descend and become instantly available when its use is required.

It is therefore an ob'ect of this invention to provide a ladder with a counter-balance whereby most of its weight is supported and a catch engageable with some portion of the platform to normally support the surplus weight, the catch beinginstantly and easily disen ageable at will.

It is a further feature to provide a catch that is adjustably but firmly attached to the ladder whereby it maybe supported at variable heights as may be desired.

Another aim is in the provision of guides for the counterweight whereby it is positively directed into its retaining basket without eflort.

These and other important objects are accomplished b the novel and I practical construction an arrangement of parts hereinafter described and shown in the accom panying drawing in which Figure 1 is a side elevational View of a conventional fire escape landing including a ladder supported by an embodiment of the invention.

Figure 2 is a front elevational view of the same.

Figure 3 is a perspective ,view an adjustable clip in detail.

Figure 4; is a transverse sectional view of a ladder side havin an attached clip.

In the. drawing t e numeralLlO generally designates a conventional fire escape latform having anopen end 11, the plat orm being fixed to the wall 12 of a building by supporting brackets 13.

Fixed on the wall 12, above the fire showing escape, is a bracket 14 carrying a shaft 15 on which is rotatably mounted a sheave or grooved pulley 16 over which is trained a cable 17 secured at one end to a U-shaped support 18 provided with hooks l9 engageable with the upper ends of a ladder 20. The ladder extends downwardly to cover the opening 11 and is guided by a bar 21 fixed to the platform 10 at its base.

Adjustably engaged on one of the sides of the ladder by set screws 22 is a channelshaped support 23 having a projecting catch or clip 24 provided with a chamfered surface or cam face 25 engageable with some fixed part of the platform as one of the flooring members 10, thus supporting the ladder 20.

The free end of the, cable 17 is provided with a ring 26 fixed to a weight 27 normally carried in a frame basket 28 secured to the fire escape 10 or the adjacent wall 1% Extending from the sides of the bracket 14 is a pair of In s 29 to which are fixed cables 30 passing t rough eyes 31 oppositedisposed on the weight 27 the free ends of l the cables being attached to the bracket 28,

so that the weight may be easily guided therein when moved in a vertical lane.

The support 23 may be adjuste so that when the weight 27 is restin on the base 'of the basket, the catch 24 wil just engage and rest over the frame of the platform.

It is obvious that when it becomes necessary to use the ladder, it is merely required to move the same in the direction of the arrow (Figure'2) causing the catch 24 to clear the lat-form.

The ladder may then be pulled downwardly against the weight 27, and a person make use of it in obtaining exit from the platform by passing between the ladder sides below the arched support 18.

- foregoing description or shown in the acand com anying drawing shall be interpreted as il ustrative and not in a limiting sense.

Having thus described my invention, what I claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is

1. In combination with a fire escape platform and a ladder movable vertically at one end, of the platform, of means to guide said ladder, means for counterbalancing the greater portion of the weight of said ladder,

and a catch adjustably carried b said ladder to. support the excess weig t thereof, said catch normally en aging one of the platform elements to be isplaced therefrom upon exerting lateral pressure on said lad- 2. In combination with a fire escape platform and a ladder movable vertically at one end of the platform, of means to guide said ladder, an arcuate loop at the top of said ladder, a sheave wheel, a cable trained over said wheel one end of said cable being attached to said loop, a counter-weight attached to the other end of the cable, a fixed basket to receive said counter-weight, and a catch ad'ustably fixed on said ladder to engage sai platform, said catch being disengaged from said platform by lateral pressure.

3. In combination with a fire escape platform and a ladder movable vertically at one end of the latform, a guide on said platform for said ladder, a basket support ed by said platform, a weight receivable in said basket, a grooved wheel fixed above said platform, a cable trained over said wheel connecting said ladder and weight, means for guiding said weight relative to the basket, and a catch adjustably fixed on said ladder to engage said platform, said catch being disenga ed from said platform by shifting the ladt ler laterally.

4. A fire escape ladder adapted for vertical movement comprising in combination with a fire escape platform, a pair of sides connected by rungs, a counter-Weight to nearly balance said ladder, a basket to normally contain said weight, a cable attached to'said ladder and weight at its respective ends, a bracket fixed above the fire escape ladder, lateral arms on said bracket, a sheave revoluble in said bracket over which said cable is trained, rods fixed to said basket and arms, means carried by said weight to engage said rods to be guided thereby and a catch controlling the descent of said ladder, said catch being displaceable from the platform upon shifting the ladder laterally.

Signed at New York in the county of New York and State of New York this 23rd day of November, A. D. 1926.

Y ERNEST BOCCHINO.

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