US857440A - Portable window fire-escape ladder. - Google Patents

Description

PATENTED JUNE 18, 1901.

n.- N. E. CAMPBELL;

PORTABLE WINDOW FIRE ESCAPE LADDER.

APPLICATION TILED JAN.31, 1906;

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DAVID NEWTON E. CAMPBELL, OF BALTIMORE, MARYLAND.

PORTABLE WINDOW FIRE-ESCAPE LADDER- Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented June 18, 1907.

Application fled January 31, 1906. erial No. 298,845.

I To aZZ whom it may concern.-

Be it known that I, DAVID NEWTON E. CAMPBELL, a subject of Great Britain, residing at 1369 North Carey street, Baltimore city and State of Maryland, have invented a new and useful Portable Window Fire-Escape Ladder, of which the following is a specification.

This invention relates to a portable fire escape ladder, the object of the invention being to provide a simple and effective device of this character which is preferably of foldable type and which when in folded relation is adapted to occupy a small compass so that it can readily be stored in a room. When occasion arises for its use it can be cast out a window or other opening in a building, means being provided to hold the ladder In an upright condition so that said ladder presents a ready means for the egress of persons from the window.

While the ladder is simple it is strong and is of such a nature that persons "may descend the same Without possibility of their feet coming in contact with the building.

In the drawings accompanying and forming a part of this specification I show certain forms of embodiment of the invention which to enable those skilled in the art to practice the same will be hereinafter fully set forth in the following description while the novelty of the invention will be included in the claims succeeding such description.

Referring to said drawings, Figure 1 is a front elevation of a ladder comprising my invention and showing the same in condition for use. Figs. 2 and 3 are similar views of the upper portions of slight modifications of said ladder.

Like charactersrefer to like parts throughout the several figures.

In the drawings I have shown two of several modifications which may be adopted. As indicated I describe in detail the construction of the ladder shown in the drawings so that those conversant with the art to which the invention relates can readily practice the invention. Divers changes may be made within thescope of my claims.

The device includesin its make-up what might be considered a ladder proper, and the ladder involves sides as 2 which may be of any desirable construction preferably of some flexible material as rope. The said sides 2 are shown in Fig. 1 as suspended from a head 2 which may consist of an elongated of stiff or inflexible character.

bar of metal or wood or any other suitable material to suit the particular requirements. The length of the head 2 exceeds the width of the ladder; at least this relation is present at the up son for t 's will hereinafter appear. Attached to the head 2 are cross bars 2 so associated with said head as to produce forwardly and rearwardly extending branches. In other words, the cross bars 2 are connected with the head 2 substantially centrally of their lengths and intermediate the extremities of said head. It, therefore, follows that there are projections laterally of the cross bars and these projections when the ladder is dropped from a window engage the stiles or upright portions of the frame of such window'to hold the ladder in a suspended re lation. From this it will be evident that the length of the head 2 exceeds the width of such window frame. The two sides 2 form in the present case the branches of a continuous piece of rope. The transverse portion of said rope is designated by 2 and is shown as extending through a tube as 3, preferably This tube 3 serves as a spreader and with the head 2 maintains the sides 2 in spaced relation.

In connection with the ladder proper which has been broadly described I provide means of-a positive nature for holding the sides 2 and necessarily the rungs hereinafter described connecting said sides, away from or out of contact with a building and said means may be of any desirable character; for example, the same may consist of two opposite series of brackets as 4 and I may provide in the respective series any desirable number, the latter depending upon the length of the ladder. These brackets 4 may be made of any suitable material and the respective series are perforated at their forward ends for the passage of the sides 2. The brackets 4 in practice will be so connected with the sides 2 as to prevent downward movement of the former with respect to the latter. The means shown for maintaining the two. series of brackets 4 in operative relations, and when in such relations they are horizontal, may be of any suitable kind such for example as the two bands 5 passing through perforations in the rear ends or the wooden or other brackets or strips 4 and are connected with the latter in such a manner that said brackets will be downwardly immovable when the ladder is in position for the descent of persons therealong.

6o er end of the ladder and the rea- ITO The upper ends of these connecting bands 5 are preferably connected with the ends of the cross bars 2 while the lower ends thereof are united by a transverse portion 5 which if desired may be integral with the two bands 5.

The bands 5 and transverse portion 5 therefore may consist of a continuous piece of cord such as sash cord, wire of small diameter, or any other article of flexible nature. The transverse portion 5 is as will be evident connected with the lowermost brackets 4. Between said lowermost brackets 4 and.

the head 2 and connecting bands 5 I may disose one or more braces as 5 of wire which is ooped or otherwise connected with the bands 5 and which serve to hold the bands 5 in proper relation. The rungs of the ladder are designated by 6 and they may be of any desirable number and may be separated any suitable distance. Their ends may if desired be connected with the sides 2 by splice 'oints which is one example of several ways of making the union between the said parts.

I have shown a stay device as 7. This stay device is disposed in the vertical plane of, and between the sides 2 and is suspended from the head 2 substantially centrally thereof and extends downward from said head to the foot or spreader 3 being connected respectively with said head and foot and also with the several rungs 6 to prevent undue sagging of the latter when they bear an un usual weight. It is not necessary that the stay device 7 which maybe made of rope extend the complete depth of the ladder for it may terminate short of the foot thereof.

In Figs. 2 and 3 the only changes in structure are in the head for which reason I deem it necessary only to describe in detail the modified forms of head and the parts immediately related therewith, or the means whereby said head may be mounted in place. Referring now particularly to Fig. 2 the head therein shown is designated by 8 and is shorter than the head 2'. I To this head 6 are shown as connected several hooks 9 and the connection may be by means of ropes as 10 connected with the head and with the shanks of the hooks 9 in any suitable way. In using the modified form of head 8 the same does not engage the window frame, but the hooks 9 can engage such frame or can be connected with some object such as a bed or other article of furniture within a room. The head shown in Fig. 3 is denoted by 11 and it has at its opposite ends two shanks 12 provided with eyes as 13 which may engage with some suitable devices to hold the head in fixed relation.

Referring now more particularly to Fig. 1,

sides of the frame of such window.

the ladder falls the inner ends of the brackets it will be understood that when the ladder is not in use it is folded or collapsed within a small space owing to the flexible relation of its several parts and the manner in which they are connected together. When occasion arises to use said ladder the same is dropped from a window and-the opposite ends of the head 2 are placed against the When 4 willbear against the outer surface of said building so as tohold the sides 2 away from said building by virtue of which the feet of a person in descending the ladder do not come in contact with said building.

The description of the mode of operation shown in Fig. 1 applies, of course, to the forms of said ladder shown in Figs.2 and 3 except as to mounting the heads in the latter.

The ladder is light yet thoroughly stable; it provides a ready means for the escape of persons without outside aid, who may be cut off by flames in a burning building, in view of which injury and death are prevented which incidents frequently follow cases where individuals leap from heights in case of fire. The ladder is preferably made sufficiently strong to support several persons.

What I claim is:

1. A ladder having sides and a transverse portion at the lower end of the ladder constituting a'continuation of the sides, a tube to receive said transverse portion, rungs connecting said sides, brackets connected with the respective sides and extending rearward therefrom, bands connecting the rear ends of the respective series of brackets, a transverse portion uniting the lower ends of the bands and constituting a continuation of the same, and a head connected with the topmost brackets.

2. A ladder having sides and a transverse portion at the lower end of the ladder constituting a. continuation of the sides, a tube to receive said transverse portion, rungs connecting said sides, brackets connecte'd with the respective sides and extending rearward therefrom, bands connecting the rear ends of the respective series of brackets, a transverse portion uniting the lower ends of the bands and constituting a continuation of the same, a head connected with the topmost bracket, and a stay device extending from the head to said tube, connected with each of said parts and also with-said rungs.

DAVID NEWTON E. CAMIBELL.

Witnesses:

R. D. ARMEGER, H. V. BAKER.

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