US443388A

US443388A - Fire-escape

Info

Publication number: US443388A
Authority: US
Publication date: 1890-12-23
Anticipated expiration: 1907-12-23

Description

(No Model.)

4 G. W. BOWMAN.

FIRE ESCAPE.

Patented Dec. 23, 1890.

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UNITED STATES PATENT ()FFICE.

GEORGE \V. BO'WMAN, OF RED CLIFF, COLORADO.

FIRE-ESCAPE.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 443,388, dated December 23 1890.

Application filed May 15, 1890. Serial No. 351,883. (No model.)

To all whom it may concern.-

Be it known that I, GEORGE 1V. BOWMAN, of Red Cliff, in the county of Eagle and State of Colorado, have invented a new and useful Improvement in Fire-Escapes, of which the following is a full, clear, and exact description.

My invention relates to an improved fireescape, and has for its object to provide an escape in the form of any easy-chair, and so constructed that in its descent a guy tape or rope will be wound in such manner that the said rope or tape may be utilized to return the chair from the ground to a window, roof, or other portion of the building from which the chair has descended.

Another object of the invention is to provide a simple form of brake whereby the rapidity of the descent may be conveniently regulated by the occupant of the chair, which brake acts automatically in a measure should the occupant of the chair be unable to manipulate it.

A further object of the invention is to provide a chair so constructed that women, children, or invalids may safely and conveniently enter it when suspended outside of a building and in position for descending.

The invention consists in the novel construction and combination of the several parts, as will be hereinafter fully set forth, and pointed out in the claims.

Reference is to be had to the accompanying drawings, forming a part of this specification, in which similar figures and letters of reference indicate corresponding parts in all the views.

Figure 1 is a side elevation of the chair represented as in the act of descending. Fig. 2 is a front elevation of the chair, and Fig. 3 is a plan view thereof.

In carrying out the invention the body of the escape is made in the shape of a chair A, preferably of that type known as an arm or easy chair. The frame of the said chair is preferably constructed of metal and as light as possible consistent with strength and durability. The seat of the chair and the back may, if desired, be constructed of woven wire or perforated metal, and the upper portion of the back is curved inward, as is best illustrated at 10 in Fig. 1, in order that when the chair is raised or lowered close to the building its progress will not be retarded by projections upon the building, such as sills, caps, &c.

An aperture is made in the seat of the chair at each side, and to the lower walls of each of the apertures the lower end of a tube 11 is secured in any suitable or approved manner, which tubes at their upper ends are firmly attached to the curved portion 10 of the back of the chair, as is best illustrated in Fig. 1. The said tubes extend upward preferably in contact with the inner faces of the arms 12 of the chair.

In the lower portion of the frame a shaft 13 is journaled, extending through from side to side. drum-wheel 14 is rigidly secured, and at each side of the said drum-wheel smaller drumwheels 15 are attached to the said shaft.

Abar 16 is passed through the upper portion of the base of the chair below the seat thereof, and upon the said bar the upper bifurcated end of a guide-fingerl6 is attached, which finger is curved downward immediately in front'of the large drum-wheel, and the lower end of the finger is made to terminate in an eye or loop. Upon the upper surface of the finger one end of a spring 17 is rigidly secured, the other end of which spring is carried downward nearly to the bottom or lower end of the finger, and in the lower extremity of the said spring a friction-roller 18 is journaled.

Upon the hub of thecentral drum-wheel 11 one end of a metal tape 19 is secured, and the distance between the side faces of the drumwheel is preferably made to correspond, essentially, in width to the width of the tape. Thus when the tapeis wound upon the drum-wheel one coil will be immediatelyover the other, and to the hub of each of the side drum-wheels 15 a similar tape 20 is attached at one end. The construction of the side wheels is practically the same as the central drum-wheel. The side tapes 20 are carried upward through the apertures in the bottom of the chair above referredto, and also through the tubes 11 and out beyond said tubes, the upper end of each tape being preferably made to terminate in a Upon the center of the shaft a large link, loop, or eye 2]. 'lhctapcs it) are wound upon both of their drum-wheels in the same direction; but the tape 19 is wound in an opposite direction upon its drum-wheel. Thus 5 when the tape 19 is unwound the shaft is rotated in a direction that will cause the tapes 20 to wind up upon their respective wheels, and vice versa. The free end of the tape it! is passed through the loop or eye of the tin- IO ger 16 in contact with the l'rictitnrroller 18.

In the sides of the lower or base portion of the chair, innnediatelybelow the seat, the ends of a crank-shaft 22 are journaled, the cranle arm of which shaft is preferably upwardly 15 curved and is of a width practically corresponding to the width of the space intervening the sides of the chair, as shown in dotted lines in Fig. 2.

One end of the crank-shaft has attached :0 thereto a lever 2 which lever extends up ward and engages with a rack 24, attached to the outer face of one of the arms 12 of the chair, as best shown in Fig. l. Upon the crank-arm of the crank-shaft 22 abrake-shoc 25 25 is rigidly secured, which brake-shoe is curved and of sufficient length to contact with the peripheral surface of each of the drunnwheels upon the shaft 13. The brakeshoe is normally retained in contact with the 0 said drum-wheels by means of engaging spring-pressed blocks 2U, which blocks are held to slide in sockets 27, attached to a rod 28, the ends of which rod are firmly secured in the sides of the base of the chair at its rear portioih In the lower rear end of the base of the chair a spindle 211 is secured, and upon the ends of said spindle, which project beyond the sides of the chair-frame, wheels 30 are loosely mounted, the said wheels being adapted, when the chair is lowered and is carried close to the building, to contact with any projection upon said building-such as a windowdow-sill or a window or door cap, for instance- 5 and assist the chair in passing the same.

I do not confine myself to the particular manner illustrated of attaching the sockets 27 to the chair or to the manner in which the guide-wheels 30 are attached to the said chair.

A preferred method of securing the tapes 20 over the window-sill consists in attaching short tapes 32, provided with clips 31, to any objector suitable support within the room. As illustrated in Fig. 1, the inner ends of the tapes 32 are attached to the inner under side of the window-sill by screws 33, and the rings 21 are attached to the clips 31.

In order to prevent the occupant of the chair from falling out, a retaining strap or bar 3t is attached to one arm and a latch therefor to the other arm.

In operation the chair is placed upon the window-sill and the tapes 20 are attached to the supports employed. The tape 19, which is uneoiled,is then thrown out of the window, and the said tape is of such a length that its lower end will reach the ground. The chair is then pushed out and is ready to receive crsons to be lowered. The springs pressing the blocks 26 are strong enough to cause the brakeshoc to contact sufficiently with the d rum-wheels to prevent the said wheels from turning when the chair is unoccupied, and the springs are also strong enough to sustain at least a portion of the weight of. a person of ordinary size. \Vhen the person is seated in the chair, by manipulating the brakelcver 23 more or less tension may be brought to bear upon the drum-wheels and the rapidit'yof the descent thereby regulated. As the chair dcscends the tapes "30 1lll\\lll(l,ttll(l the guy-tape 19, which is controlled by persons below, is wound upon its drum-wheel, and when the chair has reached the ground it may be returned to the window from which it was started or to any other window beneath it by unwinding the tape it], whereupon the tapes 20 will be wound upon their drum-wheels and the chair accordingly made to ascend. The greatest power is exerted over the resistance of the brake at the beginning of the descent and decreases as the chair travels in the direction of the ground. Thus if the springs prcssii'ig the blocks 20 are strong enough to hold the weight of the chair and a portion of the weight of an average person at the start, and if the chair through lack of knowledge or carelessness is allowed to desccnd with its occupant, and nothing but the pressure of the springs is exerted to prevent its sudden fall, the said chair will, before go ing far, overcome its speed by the lessening of the leverage of the coiled tapes :20 over the resistance of the brake. It is obvious that the escape may be operated by firemen, police, or any persons interested in rescuing endangered persons, and that it can be returned to any window beneath the one to which the upper ends of the tapes 20 arcatt-ached. 'lhc escape may also be utilized to quickly hoist a person to any window or story of a dwelling for the purpose of assisting helpless ones or to aid in extinguishing the fire, thus dispensing with the use of long ladders and in many instances enabling points to be reached which could not be approached with a ladder or ladders. The chair may also be lowered at any angle, thereby avoiding smoke or flames issuing from the lower windows, and as flat tapes are employed instead of ropes, and also as the said tapes coil upon themselves, the chair in its descent held porfectly steady.

.llaving thus described my invention, I claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent-- 1. In a fire escape, the combination,with a seat, of a shaft journalcd beneath said seat, a

large drunrwheel secured upon said shaft; and smaller drunnwheels at each side of the large wheel, tapes wound upon the smaller drum-wheels in the same direction and extending upward beyond the seat, and a tape also wound upon the larger drum-wheel. in

an opposite direction to the tapes of the smaller wheels, and a spring-pressed brake consisting in a crank-shaft under the seat provided with a shoe engaging the ends of the several drums, and an operating-lever extending upward alongside of one of the chairarins, adapted for contact with the peripheral surface of the drum-wl1eels, substantially as shown and described.

2. In a fire-escape, the combination, with a chair, a shaft j ournaled beneath the seat of the chair, a drum-wheel secured to the center of the said shaft, and smaller drum-wheels attached near each end of the shaft, of tapes wound in the same direction upon each of the smaller drum-wheels and extending upward beyond the seat of the chair, a tape wound in the opposite direction upon the central drum-wheel, a spring-pressed brake adapted for contact with the peripheral surface of the said drumwheels, a guide-finger projected downward in front of thecentral drum-wheel, and a springsupported friction-roller attached to the said guide-finger, substantially as shown and described, and for the purpose specified.

3. In a fire-escape, the combination, with a chair-like body provided with apertures in its seat and having the back forwardly inclined at its upper end, a tubular housing secured to the seat around each of the apertures therein and extending upward to a contact with the back, a shaft journaled in the chair-frame beneath' the seat, a drum-wheel attached to the said shaft, and smaller drum-wheels near each end, of tapes wound in the same direction upon the smaller drum-wheels and carried upward through the tubular housings, a tape wound in the opposite direction upon the central drum-wheel, and a spring-pressed brake adapted for contact with the peripheral surface of the drum-wheels, substantially as shown and described.

4. In a fire-escape, the combination, with a chair-like body provided with apertures in its seat and having the back forwardly inclined at its upper end,atubular housing secured to the seat around each of the apertures therein and extending upward to a contact with the back, a shaft journaled in the chair-frame beneath the seat, a drum-wheel attached to the said shaft, and smaller drum-wheels near each end, of tapes wound in the same direction upon the smaller drum-wheels and carried upward through the tubular housings to a connection with a window-sill, a guide-finger curved downward in front of the central drum-wheel and having an attached spring-supported friction-roller, a tape wound upon the central drum-Wheel in an opposite direction to the winding of the side tapes, which tape passes through the guide-finger in contact with the friction-roller, a spring-pressed brake adapted for contact with the periphery of the drum-wheels, and guide-wheels pivoted to the lower rear portion of the chair-frame, substantially as shown and described, and for the purpose specified.

GEORGE W. BOWMAN.

Witnesses:

J. B. PHILLIPPI, W. S. MONTGOMERY.