US1168465A - Fire-escape. - Google Patents

Description

w. L. BEDINGER.

FIRE ESCAPE. APPLICATION FILED FEB. 26. I9I5.

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Patented Jan. 18, 1916.

W. L. BEDINGER.

FIRE ESCAPE. APPL1cAT1oN F|LED 11:11.26. 1915.

1,168,465.. v Patented 1311.18, 1916.

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To all 'whom it may concern Be it known that I, WILLrAM- L. BED'IN- .Gama citizen of the United States,and resident of Springville, county of St. Clair, State of Alabama, Ihave invented certain new and useful Improvements in Fire-Escapes, of which the followingis a specication. v

This invention relates to anapparatus for saving life and is particularly adapted for use as a means of escape from a tall building in' casevof reand as a means for escape from an aerial machine in caseof accident. It has beenmy purpose to make a device operating on the principle of a parachute which will be simple in construction and which can be rolled oryfclded into a very compact form occupying very little space and weighing very little. Y

A further objecthas been to so make the construction that' it will be automatic in its operation when it is used for the purpose of making an escape. and it will then not be necessary for the person wishing to escape to make any complicated adjustments. The

device can be rolled into such compact form that it may be attached to the side of a suit case and then easily carried byva traveler andrwhen it is desired to use the device it is simply necessary to fasten a catch to some solid support and to,fasten a belt around the waist of the user.

The novel features of the invention will be apparent from the following description ltaken in connection with the drawings.

In the drawings-Figure 1 isa side view of thel apparatus embodying my invention partly dlstended under the `weight of the user; Fig. 2 is asimilar view with'the baglike support fully distended and. released from the xed support; Fig.l 3 is a view of the device in folded condition with the automatically releasable 'catch holding it to ai xed support;v Fig. 4 is an enlarged detail 4:5` view partly in 'section of the releasable catch; Fig. 5 is a detail sectional view of a portion of the 'spiral spring in the free mar ginal edge' of the bag at its open end; and Fig. 6 is a sectional view of a case showing l my device therein in folded condition.

Inl the drawings I have not undertaken to show the parts in proper proportion, but have merely shown them in theirproper operative relation so as to make clear how the v device is to be used. Those skilled in the art will of course make the proportions to suit l Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Jan. 18, 1916.

Application filed February 26, 1915. Serial No. 10,754.

the requirements of the particular case andthe size of the bag-like member may be varied for personsjof different weights.

In the drawings I. haveshown a bag-like member 10 whichmay be made of any suitable light iexible and strong fabrico'r materlal which can be folded or rolled into -a small space. The bag is closed at its 'upper end and at its lower end there is `a spring .around the margin 11 tending to open the mouth of th`e bag. I preferably make this springhn the form of a spiral coil as shown 1n Fig. 5 so that it can be easily compressed and bent to shape in rolling 4or foldingfthe bag, but which will at once expand, opening the mouth of the bag, when the 'confining means 1s released. To the lower open end of the bag I secure a flexible means 13 which -may be a rope or cord for supporting the person from the bag, this cord being secured to a belt 14 which may pass around-the body j of the user below the arms with the point of attachment to the rope 13 at the users back. i

The belt of. course may be buckled in front andwhen 1n place on the` operator it does not interfere with the free movement of his arms or his body.. The rope 13 is connected to the margin 11 of the vbag by lmeans of the flexlble ropes or cords 15. f f

At the upper'closed end of the bag and securely fastened thereto is a section 16 wlnch 1n turn 1sy connected by the cord 17 to the releasable catch k18. This releasable catch 18 has mounted on it a lever 19 hinged at 20 and havlng an- -end 21. extending through an opening 22 in the side member 23 of the bifurcated endr of the catch. 4 The end 21 passes over to and preferably into lthe side member 24. The lower endY of the lever`19 is pressed .outward bythe coil spring 2K5 so as to normally maintain the end 21 1n the position shownk in Fig. 4, this spring 25 -bearlng on the lower projecting face 26 of the catch.. A cord 27 is -securcj to the lower end'of the lever 19 at 28 and passes through an opening in the part 26 and down through the bag-like member to the end of the ropel where it is fastened.4 The length of this cord 27 is such that a pull on the rope l-will tighten the cord 27 before the bag 1() is fully distended so that the spring 25 will be compressed and the end 21 of the catch. willl be pulled back tol the position shown in Fig. 2. The end 21 normally passes through the ring 29 which may be secured-to a fixed support 30 and whentlie end l 21 is pulled back to the position shown in Fig. 2 the catch is automatically released from the supportl 29 so that the bag-like parachute may descend with the passenger.

It will ofcourse beunderstood that my invention is not limited to the specific form of .the catchmechanism above described. The fixed support 29 may of course be secured into some fixed part of a building near the Window or into some part of the aeroplane or aerial machine, or thering 29 may be connected to a cord or rope 31 as shown in Fig. 6 which may besecured to any suitable lixed support. l.

When the device is not in use it may be rolled up commencing at the bottom and compressing the coil spring 12 so as to make of the device a compact bundle, as shown in Fig. 81 i' Iny order to 4hold the device in sha-pe 20 When so rolled up I make use of any suitable catch or mechanism. In the drawings I have shown such mechanism consisting of the ball and socket releasable catch such as will ordinarily be found on mens clothes. The ball part 32 of the catch is shown fastened to the side of the bag part 'Way down from the top .and the socket member of the catch is in the kpart marked 16 atthe top. When the bag is rolled into compact shape the Socket and ball are brought together and engage each other. In this means for releasably holding the bag in folded condition I make use of a loop 33 on or secured to the rope 13, this loop beingplaced over the ball part of thereleasably holding means before it engages the socket part so that a pull on the rope 13 will separate the ball from `the Aand construction of the .g strapped by a traveler tothe socket and will permitthe bag to unfold.

As soon as this happens the spring 12 Will open the mouth of the bag so as to permit air to enter it and to distend it fully.

The folded bag-like life saving device may be placed in a casing 34 having a telescoping bottom 35 and in this instance .the rope 31 may be made to pass out through oneLside vofthe casing so, that it can be attached to a fixed support.; k.Iffdesnred 'the' rope can" ,also pass out through the opposite side of the casing ywiththe belt 14 accessible `to the user of the device. OV n`g to the .material very compact andlig t casing 34 and that ca side of his suit case and carried with him Whereverhe goes.

It is in the form of a flat thin box and yvill not'be longervthan the `ordinary suit case.

31.111 Ythe operation of the device the person e using it after seeing that the automatlc catch 18 is properly secured to a fixed sup-nl port by-means of the end 2l simply fastens "tliebelt -14 around the Waist with the rope 13 olirtlfie back. The operator then simply jumps fromthe window of a building or v `e aeroplaneand'the bag-like device will be automatically opened and distended and released from the support so that it will support the operator like a parachute. The first operation is the release of the kball and socket holding means 32 .Which allows the bag to unfold and the next thing which takes place is the release of the catch 18 so as to letthe entire apparatus descend. When the casingfl; is used the operation may be exactly the same and in that case the upper half'of the casing may be left on the fixed support and the lower half may descend Ameansfor holding saidp'arachute in said compact form, a flexible connection from said parachute for supporting a person, and means operated by said flexible connection .for releasing said holding means.

, `2. A life saving apparatus comprising a parachute of flexible fabric in bag-like shape adapted to be folded or'rolled into a bundle of compact form, ieXible means tending to open the mouth of said parachute, releasable means for holding said parachute in said compact form, a flexible connection from saidy parachute kfor 'supporting a person, means operated by said flexible connection for releasing said holding means, a catch secured to said parachute adapted to releasably engage a support, and meansbrought into operation as said parachute is distended for releasing said catch from the Support. f

A life saving apparatus comprising a member provided with a releasable catch for 1 engaging'a su port of a -foldable parachute secured to sai member, releasable means for holding said parachute in folded condition,.

a flexible connection from said parachute to "support a person, means operated lbylsaid rliexible connection for releasing said holding means upon the first pull on said flexible connection, and` means operated by the weight of the person for releasing said catch before said parachute is fully distended.

v4. A life saving apparatus ycomprising a parachute of flexible fabric in bag-like shape adaptedto be folded'or rolled into a bundle of compact lforfm, a catch secured to said parachute at its closed end adapted to -releasably engage a support, a connection to the open end of the para-chute to support a person, vand means operated by the Weight of the person for releasing said catch.

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A 1,168,463 gil) 5. A life saving a paratus comprisingv a parachute of exible abric in bag-like shape adapted to be folded or rolled into a bundle of compact form, flexible means tending to open the mouth of said parachute, releasable means for holding said parachute inv said compact form, a catch secured to said parachute at itsiclosed end yadapted to releasably engage a? support, a ieXible connection to the openend of the parachute to support a person, and means operated by a pull on said iexible connection for first releasing said holding means and then releasing said catch.

6. A life saving apparatus comprising a -parachute of flexible fabric in bag-like shape adapted to be folded or rolled into a' bundle of compact form,r iexible means tending to open the mouth of said parachute, releasable means for holding said parachute in said compact form, a flexible connection from 2o said parachute for supporting a person, a thin liat substantially rectangular casin surrounding said folded apparatus adapte to be strapped to the side of a suit case said casing being made up of telescoping-parts 25V and said iiexible connection passing through one of said telescoping parts and adapted t0 be secured to the body of a person.

In testimony whereof I aiX my signature L in presence of two Witnesses.

WILLIAM L. BEDINGER.

lWitnesses:

T. N. HARRIS,

THos. R. Romiti.l l

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