US295723A

US295723A - blanchard

Info

Publication number: US295723A
Authority: US
Publication date: 1884-03-25
Anticipated expiration: 1901-03-25

Description

(No Model.) 2 Sheets-Sheet 2.

, v. WjBLANGHARD.

FIRE ESCAPE. No. 295,723. Patented Mar. 25, 1884.

N. PETERS. Pnnebumngmpner. wmingmn. ne.

UNITED STATES PATENT @Erica Yvisait w. BLANCHARD, or Nnw roux, N. Y.

FIRE-ESCAPE.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 295,723, dated March 25, 1884.

Application filed January 2, 1883. (No model.)

.T a/ZZ whom it may concern Be it known that I, VIRGIL W. BLANCHARD, of New York city, in the county of New York and State of New York, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Fire-Escapes;

-and I do hereby declare that the following is a full, clear, and exact description thereof, reference being had to the accompanying drawings,

folded.

and to the letters of reference marked thereon, which form part of this specication, inwhich- Figure l is a vertical section `ofra building, showing my improved fire-escape ladder applied to the same and folded up inside of a protecting-case. Fig. 2 shows the ladder un- Fig. 3 is an enlarged perspective view of two sections of the ladder. Fig. is a front sectional view of two sections. Fig. 5 is a vertical cross-section of two sections of the ladder. Fig. 6 is a horizontal section through two of the ladder-plates forming part of a ladder-section, showing the claspingbrace and tie-bolt. Fig. 7 is a view of one of the slotted coupling-links.

'Similar letters of reference indicate corresponding parts in theseveral figures.

The letter A designates the wall of a building, at the top of which is a housing, G, having an openbottom and adapted to receive the ladder when it is folded up, and thus protect it from exposure to the weather.

My improved ladder is made up of jointed sections A, of suitable length, connected together by means of links E, so that the sections can be compactly folded and elevated into the housing G. Each `section A is composed of side plates, B, of `thin steel, secured rigidly together in pairs by means of angular braces and stays C and tie-bolts c. These braces and stays G are applied to the ends of each pairof side plates, B, and leave spaces between them v to receive grooved pulleys D D, around which pass the ropes F, by which the ladder is suspended, folded up, and unfolded.

K'K designate the rungs ofthe ladder, each one of which-is composed of a metal rod, lo, inclosed by awooden tube, Z, which I iind to be superior to metal for grasping and for stepping upon. The ends of the rungs K. terminate in angular or beveled Vtenons g g, which are rigidly secured to the plates B B, and which are adaptedto enter angular recesses c,

.as they straighten out.

formed in coupling-links E. 'All ofthe rungs K have the beveled tenons g g on their ends, and

A'is composed of folding sections and slottedcoupling-links, and that when the sections are extended, as shown in Figs. 2, 3, fi, and 5, the tenons g g will all enter their respective V- shaped recesses c inthe links, and thus lock the joints and form a practically rigid ladder from one end to the other, and the rounds will not be deflected from a vertical line beneath the limbs of a person ascending or descending.

The ropes F F are secured to the lowest sections A of the ladder, and passed over and beneath the pulleys D in such manner that in winding the ropes up the sections will alternately fold to the right and left, so that when folded they will lie snugly together in the manner represented in Fig. l. The ropes FF are passed over grooved pulleys P, suspended from the upper end of the housing G, and these ropes are connected to a windlass, J, near the roof of the building, which windlass is provided with a hand-crank and a pawl and ratchetwheel. "When the ropes are released and the ladder `is allowed to descend, (unfold,) the tenons g g will adjust themselves in their respective recesses c in coupling-links E, `and successively lock the sections rigidly together During the act of raising or folding up the sections they will successively unlock and lie snugly together, as above described.

Having thus fully described my invention,

what I claim as new, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is-

l. A folding ladder composed of folding sections A and coupling-links E, constructed as described, in combination with self-locking and unlocking devices, constructed and adapted to operate substantially in the manner and for the purposes described.

2. The' combination of folding sections A, locking coupling-links E, ropes F, and pul- ICO" all constructed and adapted to operate subleys D, all constructed and adapted to operate substantially in the manner and for the purposes described.

3. The combination of the folding laddersections A', the slotted coupling-links having` V- shaped recesses c c, and V- shaped tenons g g at the ends of the sections, all constructed and adapted to operate substantially in the manner and for the purposes described.

4:. The combination of folding ladder-sections A', formed of pairs of plates B B, the V- shaped tenons g g', the clasping-braces C, their tie-bolts, the pulleys D D, and the rungs K,