US809033A

US809033A - Fire-escape.

Info

Publication number: US809033A
Application number: US26429405A
Authority: US
Inventors: Wilhelm F Thole; Florian Ott
Original assignee: Individual
Current assignee: Individual
Priority date: 1905-06-08
Filing date: 1905-06-08
Publication date: 1906-01-02
Anticipated expiration: 1923-01-02

Description

No. 809,038. PATENTED JAN. 2, 1906.

W. F. THOLE F. OTT.

` FIREBSGAPE.'

. APPLICATION FILED' JUNEa, 1905.

,2 SHEETS-'SHEET 1A PATBNTED JAN. 2, 1'906. W. P.. THoLB & P. OTT.

FIRE ESCAPE.

APPLICATION FILED JUNE 8, 1905 2 SHEETS-SHEET 2.

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

WILHELM F. THOLE AND FLORIAN OTT, OF ALLEGHENY, PENNSYLVANIA.

` FIRE-ESCAPE.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented J' an. 2, 1906.

T0 a/ZZ whom it may concern:

Be it known that we,'WILHELM F. THOLE and FLORIAN OTT, citizens of the United States of America, residing at Allegheny, in the county of Allegheny and State of Pennsylvania, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Fire-Escapes, of which the following is a specification, reference being had therein to the accompanying drawings.

This invention relates to certain new and useful improvements in fire-escapes; and the primary object of the invention is to provide a novel form of iire-escape applicable to buildings having two or more floors.-

The invention aims to provide a collapsible iire-escape which can be conveniently retained in a compact form when not in use and easily and quickly placed in position for use should a nre occur in the building equipped with our improved fire-escape.

Another object of this invention is to provide a fire-escape which will normally be retained in an inoperative position, novel means being emplo ed in connection with the fire-escape for p acing it in an operative position, said means being so constructed that it can readily be actuated upon any floor of a building equipped with the hre-escape.

With the above and other objects in View the invention consistsin the novel construction, combination, and arrangements of part, which will .be hereinafter more fully described and then specifically pointed out in the claims, and, referring to the drawings accompanying this application, like numerals of reference designate corresponding parts throughout the several views, in which- Figure 1 is a vertical sectional view of a portion of a building equipped with our improved fire-escape. Fig. 2 is a top plan view of the same. Fig. 3 is a detail perspective view of a portion of the fire-escape, illustrating the constructionof one of the metallic steps forming the stairway of the fire-escape; and Fig. 4 is a detail perspectiveview of a piece of structural material employed in connection with the fire-escape.

In the accompanying drawings we have illustrated a three-story building 1 equipped with our improved {ire-escape. The fire-escape proper is preferably supported from the top of the building by two outwardly-extending beams 2 2, which may be a prolongation of the 'structural beams of the building. These beams are adapted to extend outwardly above the sidewalk or pavement of the street which the building confronts. The outer sides of the beams 2 2 are provided with outwardly-extending pins 3 3, and upon said pin rests a substantially rectangular casing or housing 4. The sides 5 5 of the casing or housing are slotted, as indicated at 6 6, to receive the pins 3 3, and between these pins upon each side of the housing are depending flanged portions 7 7, to which is secured the top 8 of an annular shell 9, suitable means being employed to retain the shell in engagement with the portions 7 7, as rivets y10. Transversely of the housing or casing 4 We mount a shaft 11, upon which is journaled a roller 12. Over this roller is adapted to pass cables 14,whichsupporta platform 15. The top and bottom floors of the building are provided with brackets or supports 16 16, in whichl are journaled rollers 17 and 18, the roller 18 upon the bottom floor of the building having its shaft provided with a suitable crank-handle 19, whereby it can be readily rotated. The floors of the building adapted to be occupied by persons are provided with similar brackets or supports 20 20, in which are journaled rollers 21 21, the end of each roller being provided with a toothed roller 22 22. Adjacent to each roller we provide a standard 23, in which is pivotally mounted a toothed lever 24, adaptedyto engage the toothed wheel 22 of each roller.` The shorter arm of the lever 24 is provided with an eyelet 25, through which a cable 26 passes, and

upon said cable is adjustably mounted, by

screws 27, blocks 28, which are adapted to engage the eyelets 25 of the levers 24. The cable is adapted to pass through openings 29, formed in each ioor of the building, the upper end of the cable being supported from a suitable pulley or roller 30, journaled in brackets 31, carried by the ceiling of the uppermost compartment or iioor that is occupied. The cables 14, which pass over the roller 12 and support the platform 15, extend into the building through an opening 32, formed in the wall of the building, and pass overthe roller 17, around the rollers 21 21, and have their ends secured to the roller 18, which serves functionally as a windlass.

Between the top 8 of the shell9 and the platform 15 we construct a spiral collapsible metallic stairway which is adapted to be retained within the shell 9 when not in use. In Fig. 1 of the drawings we have illustrated a portion of the nre-escape or spiral stairway IIO in an operative position as would be the case should a fire occur in the building 1, or the position which the fire-escape would assume if the levers 24 were actuated by an occupant of the building. Each step of the stairway is suspended from the top 8 of the shell 9 or from the step directly above, as would be the casein connection with a spiraly stairway. In supporting the steps we preferably employ flexible wire cables, whereby when the steps are moved into the shell 9 saidl cables will fold and occupy a comparatively small space therein. Each step consists of a tread 33, supported by the angular ends 34 34 of hangers 35 35. A developed view of one of these hangers is illustrated in Fig. 4 of the drawings, where it will be seen that each hanger consists of a metallic strip 36, the one end of which is bent to form a guide 37, while the other end is bent to support the one end of a tread. The strip is also provided with diagonally-disposed grooves 38 38 and with a transverse groove 39, said

grooves forming guideways

40 and 41 when the strip of m aterial is bent to form a hanger. A plurality of these metallic steps are used to form a spiral stairway, which when in an operative position will extend from the uppermost floor of the building to the ground-floor, whereby the occupants of the different floors can readily descend in case of fire. In order to support the different steps in a spiral form, cables 42 are employed to carry the first tier or convolution of steps, said cables having their loose ends xed to the under face of the top 8, and the cables are adapted to pass through the guides 40 of each step and retain each step in proper relation to one another. In placing the cables 42 we preferably arrange them in a net-like form, whereby they will form walls or supports that may be gripped by persons descending the lire-escape. A spirally-arranged cable 43 is also employed, which is adapted to pass through the guide 41 of each step, said cable serving to retain the stairway in a spiral formation and also serving to properly space the steps when the stairway is being placed in an operative position. The next tier or convolution of steps is supported by cables 44 from the guides 33 of the steps directly above, said steps and cables being arranged similar to the cables 42, heretofore mentioned. This construction and arrangement is used throughout the entire height of the 'lire-escape and in connection with each convolution of steps, the number of steps employed depending on the height of the building and the number of floors. lt will be observed that the topmost convolution of steps has a smaller radius than each of the other convolutions of steps, the radius foreach convolution gradually increasing until the lowermost convolution is reached. This is occasioned by the guides 37 of one convolution supporting the guides 40 of the next convolution, and so on until the lowermost convolution or platform 15 is reached. This arrangement of each convolution of steps permits of the lowermost steps telescoping or coinciding with the topmost convolutionA of steps when the 'lire-escape is in a collapsed position within the shell 9. This construction permits of the stairways being shielded within thev shell from the forces of nature, such as water, which has a tendency to corrode or rust the metal from' which fire-escapes are generally constructed.

ln case it is desired to use thev fire-escape by the occupants of the building it is only necessary to pull upon the cable 26, which would elevate the toothed ends of the levers 24 and permit the spiral staircase to descend by gravity, the supporting-cables 14 14 being unwound from the windlass or roller 18 until it has reached the ground or pavement adjacent to the building. After the hre-escape has been used it can be readily replaced within the shell 9 by operating the windlass or roller 1S and setting the levers 24 24 in engagement with their respective toothed wheels, which support the spiral staircase in a collapsed or folded position.

Ve do not care to confine ourselves to the arrangement of the cables supporting the steps or to the location of the rollers and their respective locking means within the building.

Having fully described our invention, what we claim, and desire to secure byLetters Patent, is-

1. The combination with a building, of a collapsible metallic spiral stairway supported from the outside of the building near the top thereof, said collapsible stairway consisting of a plurality of spirally-arranged steps adapted to telescope one another, a platform suspended at the base of said steps and from the top of said stairway, means contained within said building to elevate said platform to telescope said steps, means to lock said steps in a telescoped position, means to shield said steps in said position, and means mounted within said building and actuated from the floor of the building to release said steps.

2. The combination with a building, of a shell supported upon the outside of said building near the top thereof, a spirallyarranged metallic stairway suspended from said shell, a-platform supported by the base of said stairway, means mounted within said building to elevate said base and said stairway into said shell, and means carried within said building to release said stairway and said platform, substantially as described.

3. The combination with a building of a spirally-arranged telescopic stairway suspended from the top of said building and adapted to be normally retained in a telescoped position, means to shield said stairway in said IOO position, means actuated from each floor of said building to release said stairway, and means mounted within said building to telescope said stairway, substantially as described.

4. The combination with a building, of a telescopic spirally arranged stairway suspended from the top of said buildin means to normally hold said stairway in a te escoped position, and means to release said stairway, substantially as described.

5. In a lire escape, a plurality of telescopic steps spirally arranged and adapted in their movement in one direction to operate by gravity, and means for positively moving the steps in the opposite direction. y

6. A lireescape of the character described consisting of a plurality of spirally-arranged telescopic steps adapted to be suspended from a building. i

7. In a lire-escape, a suitably-supported shell, a spirally-arranged stairway suspended from said shell, and comprising a series of telescoping steps, means for normally holding said stairway in a telescoped position and means to release said stairway.

8. In a nre-escape, a plurality of telescopic spirally-arranged steps, adapted to be suspended in the form of a spiral stairway, and means for suspending said steps.

9. In a nre-escape, a suitably-suspended telescopic spiral stairway, and means to normally retain said stairway in the telescoped position.

10. In a fire-escape, a suitably-suspended telescopic spirally-arranged stairway, and means for shielding said stairway when in its telescoped position.

11. In a nre-escape, a telescopic spirallyarranged stairway, means for retaining said stairway normally in the telescopic position, and means for releasing said stairway.

l2. In a lire-escape, a plurality of spirallyarranged telescopic steps.

In testimony whereof we aiiX our signatures in the presence of two witnesses.

WILHELM F; THOLE. FLORIAN OTT.

4Witnesses:

C. KLosTERMANN, JOHN G. WITTMANN.