US866935A - Life-saving apparatus. - Google Patents

Description

No. 866,935. .PATENTED SEPT. 24, 1907.

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LIFE SAVING APPARATUS.

APPLICATION FILED APR. 23, 1907.

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APPLICATION rum) APR. 23, 1907.

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DANIEL KEREKES AND JOSEF KENDER, OF BRIDGEPORT, CONNECTICUT.

LIFE-SAVING APPARATUS.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Sept. '24, 1907.

Application filed April 23, 190i. Serial No. 369,752.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that we, DANIEL KEREKEs and JosEF KENDER, citizens of tlie United States, and residents of Bridgeport, in the county of Fairfield and State of Connecticut, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Life-Saving Apparatuses, of which the following is a specification. I

This invention relates to new and useful improvements in portable life saving devices, of a class to be" transported to fires and there arranged for the reception of persons who desire to escape by jumping from the burning building.

It is the purpose of our invention to provide a device, which can readily be transported by horses or otherwise to a fire for the purpose of providing safe and comfortable means upon which persons or articles may alight with little or no injury; to construct it in a way which will permit of its ready arrangement and adjustment adjacent to and beneath a window, door or the eaves of a building; to construct the device in a simple and practical way which will permit of its manipulation by one or two persons, with the assistance of a horse or two as may be required to transport it.

With the above objects in view we have devised the simple and novel construction shown upon the accompanying two sheets of drawing forming a part of this specification, upon which similar characters of reference denote like or corresponding parts throughout the several figures and of which,

Figure 1, shows a side elevation of my improved life saving device as in its normal position and ready for transportation. Fig. 2, is a plan view of the device shown in Fig. 1. Fig. 3, is a rear elevation of my iniproved device with part of running gear removed and with the net elevated and adjusted as in use. Fig. 4, is a side elevation of the apparatus adjusted as in use, including the lengthening of the truck, the extension of the bolsters, and the positioning of the posts and extensions to agree with the positions shown in Fig. 3. Fig. 5,

is a plan view of the device as shown in Figs. 3 and 4 part of the net being broken away.

The apparatus may be mounted upon any suitable running gear as for instance that commonly employed for fire apparatus, and likewise can be transported by any suitable power preferably horses. The forward and back trucks of the running gear are adjustably connected one to the other so as to form a longitudinal ex tensible vehicle. Each said forward andback truck portions are provided with a pair of slidable bolsters which are made adjustable crosswise of the vehicle, and to the upper end of these bolsters are secured posts carrying a net that is drawn up and tightened to the required tension by the adjusting of the several parts before mentioned. I

In detail 10 indicates the wheels of the apparatus, 11 rear axle and 12 theforward axle which latter may be pivotally connected to the front frame portion 13 of my device to constitute a forward truck. j

14 indicates a coupling which is slidably mounted in a guideway 15 of the rear truck portion 16 and is secured thereto after being adjusted, by means of a suitable pin 17. Each of the forward and back trucks has secured to its platform a transverse support 18 having attached to their ends a spring catch 19 to guide and retain the hinged post 20 in position when lowered and supported upon said beam. The bolsters 21 are slidably mounted in the platforms of the trucks and to the outer end of each bolster is hinged a post 20, which is also like that applied to the back truck 16. Therefore I will use but one description and set of reference characters to designate the several sets of said parts.

In the outer transverse portions of the top of said trucks 13 and 16 we provide an inclosed transverse guideway 22 in which the two bolsters 21 are slidably mounted. These bolsters are each provided with transverse notches 23 upon the top side with the guide way and the pawls 24 serve to engage said notches and retain the bolsters in a distended position after the same have been manually drawn to such position as shown in Figs. 3, 4 and 5. In the outer end of each bolster is pivoted a lower post section 20 in a manner to allow the same to beswungfrom substantially a horizontal to a raised and outwardly deflected position. Upon the side of each post is hung a pawl 25 which engages a shoulder 26 on the back edge of the bolster when the post is raised for the purpose of stretching the net 27.

To the upper end of the section 20 of the post is pivoted an extension 28 which is designed to be deflected in an outward direction and at a right angle to the movement of the lower section so as to provide for the adjustment and tightening of the net crosswise of the vehicle, and a spring 29 secured to the side of the post section 20 serves to engage the shoulder 30 of the extension in a way to hold said extension in its defiected position, and the lug 31 supports the extension against further outward movement. The net 27 is preferably provided with,a rope 32 along each side edge and is attached to the upper extension of the posts while a strap 33 is used across the ends of the net which may be laced thereto as shown at 34, to provide a flexible connection. While we have referred to the part 27 as being a net implying a knitted fabric, yet it may be obviously woven in the form of a sheet and yet answer the same purpose.

In order to change the apparatus from the position shown in Fig. 1, to that shown in Fig. 4, the pin 17 would first be removed and the trucks adjusted, apart, whereupon the pin would again be inserted through the coupling pole to secure the parts in their adjusted position. The bolster 21 would next be drawn out from the position shown in Fig. 2, to that shown in Figs. 3 and 5, when their notches 23 would be engaged by the pawl 24 to hold them against return movement. The posts would next be raised from their horizontal to upright positions, whereupon the extensions would likewise be deflected outward which would give to the net the final stretching adjustment and place it i condition for use.

Having thus described our invention what we claim and desire to secure by Letters Patent is:-

l. The combination with a pair of trucks adapted to be adjusted with relation to each other of a pair of extensible bolsters mounted transversely upon each truck, posts hinged to the outer-ends of the bolsters and adapted to be adjusted from a horizontal to a raised position, and a net suspended from the said posts.

2. In an apparatus of the class described the combination with a pair of trucks adapted to be adjusted with relation to each other, of a pair; of bolsters slidably mounted upon each of the said trucks, a post pivoted to each of said bolsters and having means for retaining said posts in both a lowered and raised position, an extension pivoted to said post and adapted to be deflected in an outward direction, and a net the corners of which are secured to each of said posts.

3. In an apparatus of the class described the combination with a pair of trucks adapted to be adjustably attached together, of transverse slidahle bolsters, posts hinged to the bolsters, an extension secured to each of said posts, spring clips to support the extensions in their set positions, means for supporting the posts in a raised position, and a net secured to each of said posts.

4. In an apparatus of the class described the combination with a pair of trucks and means for adjusting the same, bolsters slidably mounted upon said trucks adapted to be adjusted transversely, means for holding them in such adjusted positions, posts pivoted to swing crosswise of the holsters, extensions of said posts adapted to swing longitudinally with the holster, means for holding said posts and extension in such adjusted positions, and a net suspended from said posts.

Signed at Bridgeport, in the county of Fairfield, and State of Connecticut this 20th day of April A. D., 1907.

- DANIEL KEREKES.

JOSEF KENDER.

Witnesses: C. M. NEWMAN,

S. E. ALLEN.

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