US582753A - Fire escape - Google Patents

Description

(No Model.) 2 Sheets Sheet 1.

F. LYST. FIRE ESCAPE. HOIST, &c.

No. 582,753. Patented May 18, 1897.

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UNITED STATES PATENT Onricn.

FRANCIS LYST, OF LONDON, ENGLAND.

FIRE-ESCAPE, HOIST, 80C.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 582,753, dated May 18, 1897.

Application filed February 4:, 1896. Serial No- 577,987. (No model.) Patented in England April 20, 1895, No. 7,911.

' To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, FRANCIS LYsT, a subject of the Queen of Great Britain and Ireland, and a resident of 64 Somerville Road, I-Iatcham, London, in the county of Surrey, England, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Fire-Escapes, Hoists, and Such Like, (for which I have obtained a patent in Great Britain, No. 7,911, bearing date April 20, 1895,) of which the following is a specification.

This invention refers to portable elevators or extensible fire-escapes for saving life at fires and for like purposes.

It consists of a combination of three distinct partsnamely, a carriage with appliances for tilting same, a drum with a coiling ladder and appliances for coiling and uncoiling same, and a series of crossed extending lazy-tongs pivoted at their centers and each pair pivotally connected at their ends to the pair below and above them, with appliances for operating same.

I will now describe the invention with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which- Figure 1 shows a perspective view of my invention mounted upon a hand truck or cart, the rope ladder and coiling-drum being omitted. Fig. 2 shows a side elevation of same. The ladder is indicated by two dotted lines. The drum on which the ladder is wound is also shown. Fig. 3 shows a plan view of Fig. 2. Fig. 4 shows a detail side view of the mechanism for keeping the platform at the upper end of the lazy-ton gs rigid and straight. Fig. 5 shows a front elevation of Fig. 4. In both Figs. 4 and 5 the top of the ladder is shown. Fig. 6 shows a plan and side View of a preferable method of pivoting or connecting the lazy-tongs where they cross each other. Fig. 7 shows a side and end view of the form of combined traveling nut and socket I use for expanding and contracting the lazy-tongs by means of a right and left handed screw-thread. Fig. 8 shows a plan view of my invention in the closed position applied to a four-wheeled wagon. Fig. 9 shows a perspective view of Fig. 8 in the partially-raised position. In this and the previous figure the lazy-tongs are indicated by means of plain dotted lines. Also, the arrangement for tilting the frame carrying the lazy-tongs is different from that previously shown, consisting, as it does, of a secondary set of lazy-tongs similar to but smaller than those already shown. Fig. 10 shows a detail half-plan view of the method of employing coiled springs to assist in the raising of the escape.

. a, Figs. 1, 2, and 3, is the foundation platform or frame to which the wheels and axle are connected.

Z) is a secondary tilting support or frame on which the lazy-tongs and their fittings are mounted. This frame Z) is attached to the platform Ct by means of hinges a or other suitable means to allow same to be tilted to any angle required by means of the rack-andpinion gear, as shown in Fig. 1.

c is a vertical toothed rack which is attached to an extension-piece of the frame I). This rack c engages with a toothed pinion c, mounted upon a small counter-shaft c supported by suitable bearings 0 This shaft can be rotated in any suitable manner at either end by means of a hand-wheel or crank-handle 0 thus tilting the frame Z) as desired. Further, upon the shaft 0 is mounted a looserunning tension-roller 0 round which the rope ladder passes when being wound or unwound off its coiling-drum.

Referring now to the means for raisin gand lowering the lazy-tongs, d d are plumberblocks for supporting the right and left handed square-threaded screw 6, rotated by crank-handles 6 e e e are traveling nuts working on the screw 6. Attached to these nuts 6' are sockets which receive the ends of the lower pair of lazytongsf. This combined nut and socket is shown in detail in Fig. 7.

f f are joints where the lazy-tongs f cross in their centers and join at their ends, and are shown in detail in Fig. 6.

g is a cross'head (shown in detail in Figs. 4 and 5) at, the upper end and forming the head of the lazy-tongs f, which head is kept straight and rigid by means of the mechanism described below, constituting a modified parallel motion. The cross-head consists of an angular piece of iron of T-section, to the vertical part of which the upper pair of lazy-ton gs f are attached by means of the cross-head pin g". From this pin, the shank of which is preferably squared, there depends a slot-ted plate h, with slot and with this slot ongages a pin 7L2, projecting from one end of an arm 7L3, the other end of which is pivoted to the nearest joint f of the lazy-tongs f. Upon the two lateral ends of the cross -head are two brackets carrying two wheels, which conveniently hold the top of the escape outward from the wall of a house. To the opposite side of the cross-head are fastened the two extremities of the wire, rope, or chain ladder 7a, which runs downward over all the lazy-tongs, around the tension-roller 0 Figs. 1, 2, and 3, and is coiled onto the drum Z, which is mounted upon the axle of the cart-wheels, so that when the lazy-tongs are expanded the rope ladder is also drawn up and unwound from the drum 1.

On one side of the drum Z there is rigidly connected a smaller drum m, round which is coiled a wire guide-rope m, Figs. 2 and 3, which is led upward toward and along part of the back of the frame b, round tension pulleywheels m m and down the slot 12, formed in a center bar in the frame I), Fig. 3, where it is connected to abolt-pin f with a large head, engaging with the under side of the slot 01, projecting downward from the lowest crossjoint f of the lazy-tongs f. Vhcn the lazytongs are projected or raised, the rope m ex: tending from the bolt-pin f to the drum 121, will be wound upon said drum by the rotation of the drum Z, caused by the unwinding of the rope ladder therefrom. As the lazytongs are collapsed or lowered the movement of the pin f will unwind the rope m, cans ing the drum on to rotate, and with it the drum. Z, whereby the rope ladder will be automatically rewound upon its drum when the ladder is lowered. The connection between the lazytongs and the frame will keep the plane of the lazy-ton gs when being raised parallel with the plane of the frame I) at whatever angle it is tilted.

Referring to Fig. 10, which shows a method of employing longitudinal coiled springs to assist in raising the lazy-ton gs, 0 is a barrel which is placed parallel with the center bar in frame I) and is provided on one side with a slot 0',which contains apowerful coiled spring 0 To the head of this spring is fastened in any convenient manner a wire rope o, the other end of which is fastened to the lowest joint f, where two of the lazy-tongs f meet. I also prefer in some cases to use transverse springs, connecting the outside joints of the lazy-tongs, as shown in Fig. 3.

Referring now to Figs. 8 and 9, p is a fourwheeled conveyance supporting the platform and frame a and b, as previously described. The frame I) is, however, tilted in a different manner, the mechanism for which consists of a supplementary smaller set of lazy-tongs q, as shown, expanded and contracted by a screw q, similar to that shown and described in Fig. 1, but of reduced size.

The method of operating my improved fireescape is as follows: The apparatus being hauled to the spot where its services are required, it is only necessary to tilt the carriage by means of the pinion and rack c c and turn the handles 8 0, so as to draw the nut-sockets c closely together, when the lazy-tongs f would be rapidly extended to any height required, carrying with them the ladder 7s. When extended to the necessary height, it is ready foraseent or descent. Vhen no longer required, the screw is turned the reverse way and the nut-sockets caused to recede from each other when the lazy-tongs collapse.

lIavin g now described my invention, what I claim as new, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is

1. In a fire-escape, the combination with the platform, of a tilting frame pivoted there to, means connecting the platform and frame to effect the adjustment of the latter, a series of lazy-ton gs pivoted together and carried by said frame, a connection between said frame and tongs whereby the tongs will travel in a plane parallel with the frame, a cross-head connected to the upper end of said tongs and having a lateral extension therefrom carrying friction-rollers, trareling nuts carried by the opposite end of said tongs, a right and left hand screw secu red to the frame and on which said nuts travel in opposite directions, and means for operating said screw, substantially as described.

2. In a fire-escape, the combination with the platform, of atilting frame secured thereto, a series of lazy-tongs pivoted together and carried by said frame, means to move one end of said tongs in opposite directions, means for tilting said frame, and a connection be tween said frame and tongs whereby the tongs will travel in a plane parallel with the frame, substantially as described.

In a fire-escape, the combination with a support, of a series of lazy-tongs pivoted together and carried upon said support, means for moving one end of said tongs in opposite directions, a flexible ladder connected to said tongs, a drum on which said ladder is wound, and means operated by the movement of said tongs to rotate said drum when the tongs are collapsed, substantially as described.

4. In a fire-escape, the combination with a support, of a series of lazy-tongs pivoted together and carried upon said support, means for moving one end of said lazy-tongs in opposite directions, a flexible ladder connected to the free endof said tongs so as to be carried therewith, a drum on which said ladder may be wound, an auxiliary drum connected to said first-mentioned drum, and a connection between said auxiliary drum and the lazy-tongs to rotate said drum and rewind the ladder when the tongs are collapsed, substantially as described.

5. In a fire-escape, the combination with the platform of a tilting frame secured thereto, a series of lazy-tongs pivoted together and carried by said frame, means for moving one end of said tongs in opposite directions, a

cross-head secured to the opposite end of said tongs, lateral extensions at the opposite sides of said cross-head, a flexible ladder connected to one of said extensions, and friction-rollers located upon the opposite extension, substan tially as described.

6. In a fire-escape, the combination With a support, of a series of lazy-tongs pivoted together and carried by said support, means for moving one end of said tongs in opposite directions, a spring located upon said support, and a connection extending from said spring to the tongs to expand the latter, substantially as described.

7. In a fire-escape, the combination with a support, of a series of lazy-tongs pivoted together and carried thereby, means for moving one end of said tongs in opposite directions, a casing secured to said support, a spring located in said casing, and means connecting said spring with the lazy-tongs, substantially as described.

8. In a fire-escape, the combination with a support, of extending lazy-tongs pivoted together, operating mechanism for extending said tongs, a slotted way connected to said support, and a standard traveling in said Way, and connected to said tongs to guide the tongs in a plane parallel to said support, substantially as described.

9. In a fire-escape, the combination with the platform, of a tilting frame secured thereto, means for tilting said frame carried by said platform, a series of lazy-tongs pivoted together, a right and left hand screw secured to said frame, traveling nuts upon one end of said lazy-tongs, a cross-head upon the 0pposite end of said tongs, a slotted Way secured to said frame, a bolt traveling in said Way and connected to said tongs, a flexible ladder connected to the free end of said tongs, a drum on which said ladder may be Wound, and springs connectedto said tongs to assist in extending the same, substantially as described.

Signed at 97 Newgate Street, London, this 27th day of December, 1895.

FRANCIS LYST.

\Vitnesses SAMUEL S. BROMHEAD, A. V. MATHYS.

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