US899984A - Fire-escape. - Google Patents

Description

W. P. HUFFMAN & D. L. FRY.

FIRE ESCAPE. APPLICATION PILED.J'UNE 28, 1907.

Patented Sept, 29, 1908.

' ZZZ A TTOR/VE Y5 UNITEE OFFICE.

WILLIAM P. HUFFMAN A D DANIEL LL FRY, oFnIoKoRY, NORTH CAROLINA.

I FIRE-ESCAPE.

Application filed June 28, 1907. SerialNo. 381,317.

To all whom it may concern: 1

Be it known that-we, .WILLIAM P. HUFF- MAN and DANIEL L. FRY, citizens of the This invention has relation to fire escapes and it consists in the novel construction and arrangement of itsparts as hereinafter shown and described. i

The object of the invention is .to provide a fire escape of simple and chea construction which may be easily and rea ily applied to and detached from the sill of a window frame or the mullion of a sash or other means of support and when so secured may be safely and quickly used as a means of descent from a window or other elevated points.

The fire escape consists primarily of a cable having an engaging hook. A slidable handle piece is mounted upon the cable which is tor-- tuously arranged through the same. The said handle iece is provided in one end with an adjustable clamping mechanism which is ada ted to regulate the frictional contact estab ished between the handle piece and the cable. The handle piece is also rovided with a lever which may be forced aterally against the cable with more or less stretch thereby augmenting or diminishing the friction between the handle iece and the cable. The said lever is provlded with a screw mechanism which is adapted to engage the body of the handle piece, thereby, affording a mechanism means for positively holding the lever in contact with the cable. A depending stirrup is attached to the handle piece and a thigh band is attached to said stirrup.

In the accompanying drawing :Figure 1 is a perspective view of the fire escaple. Fig. 2 is a sectional view of a portion of t e same, and Fig. 3 is a side elevation of the u per portion of the handle piece with the errule in section. Y j j The fire escape consists ofthe cable'l to one end of which is attached a hook 2. Said hook is adapted to engage the edge of awindow sill or the mullion of asash or other fixed object, thereby, aflt'ording a means of attachment for the cable to a suitable support. The handle piece 3 is slidably mounted u on the cable 1. l The upper end of said han le piece is bifurcated as at 4' andthe clamping jaws 5 are located in said bifurca- Specificationd Letters Patent.

Patented Sept. 29, 1908.

tions. The iower ends of the jaws 5 are pro 'videdwith the lugs 6 which fit in the recesses 7 whereby, longitudinal movement of the said jaws with relation to the handle piece 3 is prevented. The upper end of the handle piece 3 is exteriorly threaded as at 8 and the ferrule 9 engages said thread andpasses around the jaws 5. The upper extremity of the ferrule 9 is reducedjin interior transverse dimension and consequently when the said reduced portion is moved toward the ends of theajaws the said jaws are forced into frictional contact with the cable 1. The handle piece 3 is provided with'a longitudinal bore 10 and at intermediate points with the lateralbores 11 which enter the bore 10. The flanges 12 are located upon the outer side of the handle piece 3 andreceive between them the bores 11. The cam lever 13 is fulcrumed between the flanges 12, and the cam end of said lever engages the side of the cable 1. The screw 14 asses transversely through the lever 13 and is adapted to en gage a threaded perforation provided in the handle piece 3. The cable 1 passes through the end portions of the bore 10 and through the bores 11 and consequently have sections lying between the flanges 12 and directly against the side of the lever 13. The stirrup 15 de ends from the handle piece 3 and'is provi ed with a ring 16 to which is attached one end of a thigh band 17. The opposite end of the said thi h band is provided with a snap hook 18 whic is adapted to engage the ring 16. 7

From the foregoing description it will be seen that a fire escape with novel arrangement of parts is rovided and that when in use the friction between the handle piece and the cable may be augmented or divrninished as desired by manipulating the ferrule 9 and the lever 13. In using the fire escape a person inserts one foot in the stirrup 15 and passes the band 17 around the opposite thigh and engages the hook 18 with the ring 16, thus, the handle piece is positioned within convenient reach and the said ferrule and lever may be manipulated during the course of a descent.

The fire escape is provided with a body band 19 which is provided at its ends with the snap hooks 20 adapted to enga e the eyes21 upon the handlev piece 3. Sai band is adapted to be passed around the body of one using the escape to make a descent.

The body band is desirable at all times as is also the thigh band 17 but the stirrup 15 may be dispensed with if desired. The spe cific arrangement of the bands and stirrup may be altered or changed in minor respects without departing from the spirit of the invention.

Having described our invention what we claim as new and desire to secure by Letters- Patent is A fire escape comprising a handle piece having a tortuous channel therethrou h, a cable slidably located in said channel, aiever pivoted to the handle piece and adapted to engage the cable at the distorted portions of said channel, clamping jaws mounted upon the end of the handle piece at opposite sides of the cable and a ferrule screw threaded upon the end of the handle piece and surrounding the clamping jaws and adapted to force the jaws into frictional contact with 20 the said cable whereby the movement of the same therethrough may be governed.

In testimony that we claim the foregoing as our own, we have hereto affixed our signatures in the presence of two witnesses.

YVILLIAM P. HUFFMAN. DANIEL L. FRY. Witnesses:

JOHN W. BLAoKwrLDER, D. E. TI-IITENER.

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