US485914A

US485914A - downes

Info

Publication number: US485914A
Authority: US
Publication date: 1892-11-08
Anticipated expiration: 1909-11-08

Description

No Model.)

J. F. DOWNES.

FIRE ESCAPE.

WITNESSES.

Patented 2 Sheets-Sheet 1.

Nov. 8, 1892.

ma NORRIS PEYERS co, PHOTO-HTML?" wnsnmsm, n, c.

INVENTOH ,Arg/Z-W 2 Sheets-Sheet 2.

(No Model.)

1 J. F. DOWNES.

FIRE ESCAPE. No 485,914 I Patented Nov. 8, 1892.

iii

INVENTOH ATTORNEYS,

f will move the slide e outward to open the .Improved Fire-Escape, of which the followout of use and can be swung out to stand oif at a distance from the house in case of fire.

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

JAMES F. DOWN ES, OF NEIV YORK, N. Y.

FIRE-ESCAPE.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 485,914, dated November 8, 1892. Application filed July 1 8 1892. Serial No. 440,297- (No model.)

To all whom it may concern.-

Be it known that 1, JAMES F. DoWNEs, of New York city, New York, have invented an ing is a specification.

Thisinvention relates to a fire-escape which can be folded up close against the house when The invention consists in the various features of improvement more fully pointed out in the claims.

In the accompanying drawings, Figure 1 is a side elevation, partly in section, of the fireescape, showing it open; Fig. 2, a similar view showing it closed; Fig. 3, a front view of the fire-escape, showing it closed; Fig. 4:, a rear view thereof showing it open; Fig. 5, a top view of the arm a; and Fig. 6, a cross section on line a: 00, Fig. 5.

The letters a on represent the two side bars of a folding ladderprovided with the pivoted rungs a 1) 1) area pair of brackets secured to the house-front A above and below the ladder. To each bracket there is pivoted by pin a an arm 0, consisting of two parallel bars that are connected at their forward end by a pin 0 Fig. 5. The inner side bar a of the ladder is pivoted to arm 0 by a laterally -extending pivot 01, secured to the arm a at such a distance in front of the pivot c as the ladder is to stand off from the house when open. The end of this pivot may be made to engage a folding platform d, which is thus swung down when the ladder is opened to permit access to the same. The outer side bar a. of the ladder is pivoted by laterally-projecting pivot e to a cross-head or flanged slide 6, engaging and free to reciprocate upon the arms 0, Fig. 6. The cross-head e is pivotally connected by pin 6 to one end of an eccentricrod f, the other end of which is pivoted to the bracket 1) below arm 0 by a pin f.

The operation of the device as thus far described is as follows: When the ladder is to be lowered, the arms care swung outward on pivots c to stand at right angles to the housefront. During this motion the eccentric-rod ladder, Fig. 1. When the ladder is closed, the slide a willbe moved inward, so that the arms 0 and the side bars a a will fold flush against the wall, Fig. 2. To raise and lower theladder, I employ the following mechanism: To a bracket g, projecting rearwardly from the inner face of wallA, there is pivoted a handlever g. To the free end of this lever is pivoted a push-rod 9 passing through a perforation of wall A and bearing against the side bar a on the depression of the lever to mechanically throw the ladder outward and assist in the opening of the same. The lever q is provided with an arm 9 to which there is pivoted an upwardly-projecting bar h,having a crank-handle h, and a downwardly-projecting bar 712, terminating in a pawl lb The bar h is provided, moreover, with a pin it, engaging a lever 71 adapted to be revolved from the outside of the building by handle it. If this handle is locked to a stationary lug 71, 011 bracket 1), Fig. 3, by a padlock, the ladder is locked in its closed position and cannot be tampered with. The pawl it engages a ratchetwheel 11, fast on an arbor t", carrying a drum To this drum is secured one end ofarope or chainj, the other end of which is attached toja slide j, moving on guide-rodsj that carry the buffer-springs j The slide j is also connected to a vertically-movable rod is, guided in fixed bearing it. To this rod is connected the inner end of a cord or chain Z, passing over pulley Z and connected at its outer end to the upper arm a. To an arm of rod k is also connected the inner end of a cord or chain m, passing over pulley m and connected at its outer end to the lower arm 0. In use the drum t is revolved by a key engaging the arbor 'i, so that the rope j is wound up and the ladder is raised or closed. In this position the ladder will be locked by the engagement of the pawl 7L3 with the ratchetwheel t, held thereto by a spring n. When it is desired to lower or open the ladder, apressure upon hand-lever Q will Withdraw the pawl 71. from the teeth of wheel '11 against the action of spring '21,. At the same time pressure will be applied to the side bar a by the pushbar 9 so that the ladder will be started and will fully open by its own gravity. During this motion the slide j and rod 70 will be drawn upward by the chains Z m, that are pulled out by the ladder. After the fire the arbor i is again revolved to wind up rope basement or street, this can be done by revolving the handle h, whichby lever h and pin M will draw the rod 712 up to withdraw the pawl h from the ratchet-wheel Alike result may be attained from the upper stories by revolving the handle h, that willdrawthe rod it up by means of the rod h. 'Thus the' ladder may be readily operated from all elevations.

What I claim is oted to the house front, with a slide engaging the same and with a folding ladder pivoted to "the slide, substantially as specified.

2. The combination of a pair of arms pivoted to the house front witha-sl-ide engaging the same, an ecce-i-i'tric-arin f, connected to the slide, and a folding ladder having one side 7 bar pivoted to the slide and the ether-side bar pivoted to the arm, s'n'bstan'tialiyasspecifi-ed.

3. The combination of a pair of pivoted arms composedof a pair-of parallel *bars with a slide engaging said bars; *ecc'entric rod for operating the slide, a lateral lysproj'ecti n g pivot d, secured to the arms, a latreral lgwprojecti'n-g pivot e' secu-red to :thesiide, and with cal-ly opening the ladder, specified. 1. The combination of apair of arms a, p'iva folding ladder connected to the pivots d e, substantially as speci fi'e'd.

4. The combination of a pair of swinging arms with a folding ladder pivoted thereto and with a lever g and a push-rod g passing through the wall and adapted to bear against the folding ladder, substantially as specified.

5. The combination of a pair of swinging arms with a slide, an eccentric-rod, and a folding ladder pivoted tothe slide and with a push-rod g and operating-lever g for mechanisubstantially as The combina t ion of a pair of swinging arms with a ladder pivoted thereto and with l a drum 1?, ratchet=wheel '4), pawl 11, engaging the ratchet-wk: eei, a co rd j, engaging the-dru m, and with "a sli'd'ej, rod hand operating-chains 'Z mgsecured thereto, substantia 'llyas specified.

7. The combination of a pairo'f swinging ar'ms'with a ladder pivot-ed thereto and with drums i ratchet-wheel 2', lever g, rod g rod a having f pawl k and with cord 3', slide 3'', rod k, and operatingchainsl m, substantially as specific 1.

JAMES F. DOWNES.

Witnesses: I

"Enos. F. DoWNEs, F. v. BRIESEN.