GB2199070A

GB2199070A - Escape ladders

Info

Publication number: GB2199070A
Application number: GB08728798A
Authority: GB
Inventors: Albert Roby
Original assignee: Individual
Current assignee: Individual
Priority date: 1986-12-10
Filing date: 1987-12-09
Publication date: 1988-06-29
Also published as: GB8629509D0; GB8728798D0

Abstract

An escape ladder for mounting beneath a window in a wall, e.g. a cavity wall, comprises a stowage housing has a front wall connected to the lowest rung. The rungs 30 are H-shaped and connected by flexible elements 33 connected to the sides 31 above and below the web 32. A hook 42 engages an eye on the front wall and can be released from the inside of the wall. The front wall is shaped so that when released it drops under gravity to deploy the ladder until a rear element 34 engages a front part 28 of the housing. The front wall can be released manually and/or by devices responsive to temperature and/or smoke. <IMAGE>

Description

ESCAPE LADDERS This invention relates to escape ladders.

According to this invention an escape ladder for use adjacent a window or the like comprises a plurality of rungs, flexible means connecting adjacent rungs, releasable means for holding the rw in stowed relationship, and means operative on release of said releasable means to effect deployment of the ladder.

Said operative means may comprise structure attached to the ladder to effect deployment under gravity.

The structure may be connected to the lowermost rung.

The ladder may include means for arresting deployment of the ladder when deployment is completed.

The arresting means may comprise further structure connected to the topmost rung and engageable with a housing to arrest deployment.

The rungs may be R-shaped with said flexible means connecting adjacent sides of adjacent rungs.

The ladder when stowed may have a length substantially equal to the thickness of a cavity wall of a building.

The releasable means may be manually operable.

The releasable means may comprise temperature responsive means and/or smoke detector means.

The invention includes such a ladder installed in a wall beneath a window in the wall. The wall may be a cavity wall.

The invention may be performed in various ways and one specific embodiment with possible modifications will now be described by way of example with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which: Fig. 1 is a side view part in section of an escape ladder in stowed condition; Fig. 2 is a side view part in section of the ladder in deployed condition; Fig. 3 is a perspective view of the ladder partly deployed, with part omitted; and Fig. 4 is a perspective view of part of the ladder.

The ladder 10 is intended preferably to be stowed immediately beneath a window 11 having a pane 12 and frame 13. The ladder can be stowed at other locations.

A window sill is shown at 14. A cavity wall 15 has outer and inner walls 16, 17 with intervening gap 18 and a housing 9 of the ladder preferably, as shown, extends inwards no further than the inner face 19 of the wall 17.

The ladder 10 is stowed in the housing 9 having top and bottom walls 21, 22 and front and rear walls 23, 24 and side walls 25, the housing being located in a gap in the wall 15. An Section strengthening plate 26 may be fixed by bolts to the upper edge of the inner wall.

The top wall 21 has side projections 27 at the front with depending sides 28. The side walls 25 are formed with ledges 29 on their inner sides near the top.

The front wall 23 is separate from the other housing walls and forms the lower end of the ladder. As shown the ladder is formed from rungs in the form of R-pieces 30 each having sides 31 and cross-piece 32, the adjacent sides 31 of adjacent rungs being connected at both sides by two flexible elongate elements 33 which may for example be chains or cords or ropes. The elements 33 are respectively above and below the respective cross-piece 32 so that the rungs can be closely packed in the stowed condition Fig. 1, preferably with adjacent rungs substantially abufiting. The top or rear of the ladder is formed b a flat piece 34 which can slide on the ledges 29 which extend into the regions formed by walls 27, 28.

The ladder is held in the stowed condition by a manually releasable device comprising an eye 41 or the like on the front wall 23 cooperable with a pivoted hook 42 biassed by a spring 43 away from cooperation with the eye 41. The hook is connected to a flexible cord 44 extending along wall 22 beneath the cross-pieces 32 and through the rear wall 24 to a knob 25. In the stowed condition the cord is under tension and holds the hook in the eye 41. The knob 25 can be operated to relax (but not release) the cord 44 and when this happens the hook is pulled away from the eye by the spring and the front wall 23, which has a projecting,ton 45, is drawn downwards by gravity, pulling the rungs 30 behind it and thus deploying the ladder.The flat pieces 34 slide along the ledges 29 and the projecting sides 34a of pieces 34 are moved to positions shown dotted in Fig. 3 beneath the top wall projections 27 and are arrested by engagement with wall 28. By these means the elements 33 in the deployed ladder are approximately vertical (Fig. 2) and the sides 31 extend generally outwards of the outer wall and hold the rung pieces 30 spaced from the outer surface 46 of the outer wall 16 for ease of use.

The rungs may for example be made from aluminium.

The number and size of the rungs can be varied and the housing may extend inwardly of the inner wall.

The ladder can be re-stowed and the hook 42 reengaged with the eye 41 ready for re-use.

The rungs may take other shapes.

The hook 42 may additionally or alternatively be released from the eye 41 by other means. For example the cord 44 may be connected to a smoke detector and/ or temperature responsive device indicated at 50 Fig. 2 so as to be released on operation of said device 50.

The cross-bars 32 are of square or rectangular cross-section so as to have a flat upper surface when deployed.

The width of the housing 9 is greater than the width of the rungs 30 so that in the stowed condition the elements 33 do not prevent adjacent rungs abutting.

In another arrangement the hook is biassed by the spring into engagement with the eye and is released from the eye by pulling on the cord 44.

The deployed ladder may for example have a drop of 920 cm with a rung spacing of 23 cm.

l'Zen the knob 25 is operated to relax the cord 44 the knob remains on the outside of the rear housing wall so that the ladder can be re-stowed after use and the cord again tightened to engage the hook and eye to ready the ladder for re-use.

Claims

1. An escape ladder for use adjacent a window or the like comprising a plurality of rungs, flexible means connecting adjacent rungs, releasable means for holding the rungs in stowed relationship, and means operative on release of said releasable means to effect deployment of the ladder.

2. An escape ladder as claimed in claim 1, in which the operative means comprises structure attached to the ladder to effect deployment under gravity.

3. An escape ladder as claimed in claim 2, in which the releasable means comprises means releasably engaging the structure.

4. An escape ladder as claimed in claim 2 or claim 3, in which the structure is connected to the lowermost rung.

5. An escape ladder as claimed in any preceding claim, including means for arresting deployment of the ladder when deployment is completed.

6. An escape ladder as claimed in claim 5, in which the arresting means comprises further structure connected to the topmost rung and engageable with a housing to arrest deployment.

7. An escape ladder as claimed in any preceding claim, in which the rungs are H-shaped with said flexible means connecting adjacent sides of adjacent rungs.

8. Me escape ladder as claimed in claim 7, in which the flexible means are connected to the sides at locations above and below the connection of the rung to the sides.

9. Bn escape ladder as claimed in any preceding claim, having a length when stowed substantially equal to thethickness of a cavity wall of a building.

10. An escape ladder as claimed in any preceding claim, in which the releasable means is manually operable.

11. Bn escape ladder as claimed in any preceding claim, in which the releasable means comprises temperature responsive means.

12. An escape ladder as claimed in any preceding claim, in which the releasable means comprises smoke detector means.

13. An escape ladder for use adjacent a window or the like substantially as hereinbefore described with reference to and as shown in the accompanying drawings.

14. An escape ladder as claimed in any preceding claim, installed in a wall beneath a window in the wall.

15. An escape ladder as claimed in claim 14, in which the wall is a cavity wall.

16. An escape ladder as claimed in claim 14 or claim 15, in which the releasable means is operable from inside the wall.