US737197A - Fire-escape. - Google Patents

Description

PATENTED AUG. 25, 1903..

No. 737,197. y W. BENNBY.

PIRE. ESCAPE. APPLIOA'ITLOE` IjILBD JULY` 3 Lagoa.

s SHEETS-slum' 1.

N0 HODEIL.

win/wow FIRE ESCAPE.

APPLICATION FILED JULY 3, 1903.A N0 MODEL. l y 3 SHEETS-SHEET 2.

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l Juventa wim/moco I No. 737,197. PATENTED AUG. 25, 1903.

W. BENNEY. f P1115 ESCAPE.

APPLIOAATION r'lLnD JULY 1903. A

s SHEETS-SHEET a.'

l0 HODEL.

useful Improvements in'Fire-Escapes, ofV

' a fire.

five. 7eme?.

WALTER BENNEY, or NEW YORK, N. Y.

UNIrEn PATENT OFEICE.-

` Patented August 25, leo.

',Fl'EEEsoAPE.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 737,197, dated August '25, 1903.

Application tiled July 3, 1903. Serial No. 164,149. (No model.) n

To @ZZ whom/.it mctycortccrn:

Beit known that I, WALTER BENNEY, a citi- Zen of the United States of America, residing at New York city, in the county and State of New York, have invented certain new and which the following is a specification, reference being had to the accompanying drawings, forming part of the same, in which- Figure 1 is a front elevation of a device embodying my invention' in position for use in descending from a building in which there is Fig. 2 is a side elevation of such device in the position it may occupy when not in use. Figs. 3, 4, 5, and 6 are detail views of the steps of the escape, showing various modifications. Figs. 7 and 8 are front and side elevations of a balcony or platform in position for use. Fig. 9. is a front view of the, same when lowered out of` the way. sectional view of the same when lowered, and

Fig. 11 is a detail view of part of the plat-v form-operating mechanism.

The object of the invention is to provide ready means of exit froma building in case of fire in such form that not only athletes, but also every one capable of walking down a stairway, may avail themselves of the escape and at the same time to so arrange said means that when not required it may be folded back out of the way; and it consists in a series of steps arranged to be swung into a spiral stairway or back out of the way and means for .operating the series from any desired iioor.

In the drawings, H is supposed to be the* wall of a house, and my fire-escape is applied thereto.

P is an upright post which is supported in any suitable manner, here by braces B, secured to and extending from the wall of the house. 'I Y S represents the steps of the escape, and they consist of a tread or platform T and a sleeve s s', usually'and preferably constructed as two rings surrounding post P,"held--in their respective vertical adjustment by col lars C, secured to the post. It is of course manifest that the steps might be held in place by having the bottom of one sleeve rest upon the top of the next lower sleeve; but I prefer to support them independently. I also pre- Y fer to construct the sleeve in two parts, se

Fig. l0 is a4 quickly and easily, and as one link in mechanism for that purpose I prefer to provide each with an aperture a, leXtendin g nearlyacross the l width ofthe step, and a lug Z, extending from each step to a point beyond the level of the next 'in one direction, so placed that it may enter l the aperture t of said next step and bear against one or the other ofthe side walls thereof, which thereby become steps,v as shown. The result will be that if one step is oscillated from one positionsay that of Fig.

-2-then as soon as its `movement has pro- Vgressed sufticientlyto clear its tread from a vertical registry with the succeeding step, and to thus constitute the two parts of a iiight of steps naturally placed,'this lug will engage the rear side of-.the wall of aperture a and thereafter the two steps will move together,

Means. ymust also be provided for oscillating theml and such action taking Vplace successively from the first to the second step and then the second to the third, and so on, the continued movement of the first step will result in all of any given series being swung from their positions of vertical registry to their positions in a complete series of naturally-placed steps in a complete spiral stairway, as shown in Fig. 1. Correspondingly when it is desired to close. them up, the rst step being swung back, its -lug will engage the front wall of the aperture a and thereafter carry along the second step, and then, through its agency, the third, and thus the entire series may be operatedfrom one point.

In lieu of the aperture a and lug Z I may employ a jointed link j, as shown inFig. 4,

with a throw equal to the movement required to bring the steps -in proper registry from their position as a series of stairs to their positions in vertical registry, locating lthe respective pivots at such relative points that in one position one will be as far on one side ofa vertical line from the other as in the other IOO position it will be on the opposite side of such line, thereby insuring accurate location of the respective steps in their respective positions. I also prefer to provide a standard or balustradepost p for each step and a chainrail c, running from 011e post p to the next, the posts beingprovided with an offset, as shown, that the steps may return to accurate vertical registry when closed, and I find that these posts p and chain c may be utilized to swing the succeeding steps into one and the other desired positions, if preferred.

lVhen the stairway is being opened, the chain, then slack, will iirst straighten from one post to the next and thereafter pull after it the succeeding step, as would the jointed link, and when the stairway is being closed one step having moved to a position vertically over the next will be stopped by the post p of said next step and thereafter the two steps, and successively one, two, three, &c., will move together to the closed position. If no chain is used, I may employ an offset-post p', as shown in Figs. 5 and G, to perform this function of the chain. post p' reaches from one step to a point where it will be engaged by a flange or stop f' on the next, the location of the stop and the olfset of post p', one or both, being so calculated that each step will have the requisite independent oscillation to give it the proper position in the series of stairs by the time said post p' engages said stop f'.

To operate the rst step of a series, and thus move the series, I have shown a pair of gear-wheels-one a vertical gear G, mounted on a shaft A, (supported in bearings on the post P and the house,) and a horizontal gear G', meshing with gear G, mounted on said post P and secured to rotate with the said first step of the series, a crank L on shaft A being provided within the house or at some other suitable and convenient location. The gear G might readily be arranged with its toothed side down.

I prefer to provide a shaft and crank on each floor of the building and to operate the steps of the Hight from only one floor to the next, from any given gear, to insure ease of operation, and to permit this and yet allow the entire escape to be operated from each point I use a shaft A and crank L at one floor, a shaft A' and crank L' at the next floor, and a shaft A2 and crank L2 at the bottom, and as many more as may be desired. Then on each shaft I secure sprocket-wheels W W' 72, and from one to the next I carry sprocketchains C' C2, dsc., whereby the entire system is connected and may be operated from either location. Indeed, from other locations, too, as by seizing the chain at any point and exerting force in the proper direction, the axles will be caused to turn and the stairway to open or close.

To provide ready means for getting from a window or door upon the steps of the stairway, I provide balconies or platforms, and as Said permanently horizontal ones are likely to be obstructed by occupants of the building I have constructed mine to close downward when not in use and to be opened and secured in horizontal position by suitable connection with the means for operating the stairway.

Ilinged in suitable brackets B' is a shaft D, to which the oor F of the balcony is sccured, the whole preferably so located that when turned down its upper edges will be covered and protected by the window-sill w or other suitable protector. Onthis platform F is a guard-rail r and a supporting-link o", hinged to said rail and to the building. Beneath, the platform has supports, preferably two, in the form of legs f, with notches 'n at the lower ends. The shaft D carries near each end a gear G2, and in brackets I3' are vertical shafts D', each provided with a gear G3, meshing respectively with gears G2 of shaft D. From shafts D', I extend wing-supports or braces h' and on chain C', I provide a lug l', so placed as to engage with the platform F at a point on one side (here the front) of the pivoting-shaft D. A counterbalance-weight m may be secured to platform F by a chain c', extending around and to the rear of shaft D, and the lifting of the platform thereby rendered easier, if desired. Now when the chain C' is moved to open the stairway the lug Z' will approach and taking under the edge of platform F will swing it outward and upward, thus oscillating shaft D, which acting through gears G2 G3 will turn outward the win g-supports b', the weight m assisting in that operation. The wingsupports will come to engagement with legs f and rest in the notches in their feet, the rail r and lilik r' being at the same time carried to the position shown in Fig. S, and a complete and safe balcony is provided to permit ready escape from the window or door at which it is located and convenient access to the stairway then in position for use. Then the stairway is closed, the wings may be swung in. The lug l' will then have moved from its engagement with the platform, and that may be readily returned to its hanging position.

I have thus a fire-escape which may be closed into small compass and into a position of the relative parts which avoids the unsightly character of many of such devices and insures that it shall not be encumbered with articles which would obstruct its use in time of need, and yet by a simple and easy operation it may when needed be opened into a complete, safe, and easy stairway down which the most timid may easily proceed and to which easy access may be had.,v Y

I do not limit myself to the exact details of construction shown. It might be operated without the shafts A, gears G G', and cranks L. A wndlass and rope might be substituted for those devices. In fact,one standing on the ground might seize the lower step and force it around, thus operating the others, and many other variations from my exact construction IOO IZO

might be utilized, and yet all be within the ries of steps secured thereon in different horizontal planes free to turn in their respective planes and reaching fromone place of exit in said building to the level of a lower openin gin said building, together with means for operating said steps, substantially as set forth, whereby they may be made to constitute a spiral stairway escape or a vertically-placed series of step-treads, all substantially as set forth.

2. The combination with a building, of ,a

.hre-escape composed of a rigid support, a series of steps secured thereon in different horizontalplanes, free to turn in their respective planes and reaching from one place of exit in said building to the level of a lower opening in said building, each step being .provided with an aperture adapted to receive a lug on the preceding step and a lug adapted to enter the aperture on the succeeding step,together with means for operating said steps, substantially as set forth,whereby they may be made to constitute a spiral stairway escape or a verticallyplaced series of step-treads, all substantially as set forth.

3. A swingingbalcony composed of a hinged platform, a swinging support therefor, means substantially as described for Aforcing said platform into horizontal position and carrying said support under and into engagement with said platform, thus placed, substantially as set forth.

4, A rigid support carrying a step secured in permanent horizontal position thereon, but free to oscillate in a horizontal plane, gears adapted to oscillate said step, a chain for operating said gears, a swinging balcony composed of a swinging platform, a swinging support therefor, gears connecting said platform and said support and an engaging device on said chain adapted to engage said platform,all arranged substantially as set forth, whereby when said chain is operated to oscillate said step, said lug will engage said platform and raise it and at the same time swing the support into engagement therewith, all substantially as set forth.

5. In a lire-escape, a post rigidly supported proximately to a building, a series of horizontal steps sleeved thereon, but free to oscillate, engaging devices limiting. the independent and causing a coincident movement of one step with the next, a shaft provided with a crank and a gear, a second gear secured t0 a step. and meshing with the gear on said shaft, a chain passing around .said shaft and extending to a distant and convenient location, a swinging platform adjacent to said chain, a swinging support thereunder, agear secured to the shaft of the platform, a gear .meshing therewith secured to the shaft of the swinging support, and a lug on said chain, all substantially as set forth, whereby the movement of said chain will cause said step to be swung into position to form a stairway and said platform to be raised and supported in proximity to said stairway, all substantially as set forth.

' 6. The combination with a building, of va fire-escape composed of a rigid support, a sel fries of steps secured thereon in different horizontal planes, free to turn in their respective planes and reaching from one place of exit inv ,said building to the level of a lower opening in said building, one step being providedv with a stop and the next with an engaging device whereby proper relative movement and position will be secured, together with means Y for operating said steps, substantially as set forth, whereby they may be made to constitute a spiral stairway escape or a verticallyplaced series of step-treads, all substantially asset forth.

7. The combination with a building,iof a fire-escape composed of a rigid support, asebe made to constitute a spiral stairway es-- cape or a vertically-placed series-of steptreads, all substantially asset forth.

Aries of steps secured thereon in different hori- IOO In testimony whereof I have signedv my name to this speciiication, in the presence of two subscribing witnesses, this 31st day of March, 1902.

WALTER BENNEY.

Witnesses:

GEO. GRoILwrrsoN, H. J. M. YOUNG.

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