This invention relates to a flexible, stowable fire escape ladder adapted for storage in a box or in the wall structure of a building.
Currently, affixed fire escape ladders are well-known in multi-story, multi-unit structures. These structures can be commercial or residential in nature.
Less common are single unit residential structures with fixed fire escape ladders. In such instances, it has been known to provide portable or removable ladders, either rigid or flexible in nature. Examples of such ladders are found in U.S. Pat. No. 1,196,419 to Banyovits, U.S. Pat. No. 3,329,328 to Guldie, U.S. Pat. No. 3,809,181 to Steranic, et al., U.S. Pat. No. 6,012,549 to Adams, U.S. Pat. No. 5,971,105 to Jacobson, U.S. Pat. No. 6,029,771 to Keown, U.S. Pat. No. 6,129,178 to Shupp, Jr., U.S. Pat. No. 6,135,239 to Martin, et al., and U.S. Pat. No. 4,445,589 to Longenecker. Some of these removable, flexible fire escape ladders comprise storage compartments affixed to an interior wall such as adjacent to or beneath a window. Some references include compartments stored within a wall cavity and opening to the inside of the room adjacent the window and some comprise storage compartments opening on an outside wall adjacent a wall opening such as a window.
For permanently installed stowable ladders, it is required that there be sufficient space underneath a window to stow the bulk of the ladder. In instances where the lower sill of the window is close to the floor, such a stowable ladder cannot be used or must be stowed on the exterior wall of the structure, such as in the Longenecker '589 reference. In either case, the compartment storing the ladder is secured to a portion of the building structure, such as with screws, while the ladder is attached to the storage compartment itself.
An object of the present invention is to provide a stowable ladder that is secured to the building structure itself to provide a stronger anchoring point for the ladder. Another object is to provide a stowable fire escape ladder that can be stowed inside a building structure even in those installations where the windowsill is otherwise too close to the floor to afford room for a fire escape ladder stowage compartment in the wall.
A ladder that is collapsible for storage in a cavity embedded within a wall of a building structure, and extendible from the cavity for release through an exterior opening of the building structure for egress during an emergency, comprises a first end for attachment to the building structure, a second end for release through the exterior opening, and a plurality of interconnected steps and links joining the first and second ends. The ladder further comprises an attachment structure for passing through an aperture in a structural member of the building structure and for connecting the first end of the ladder to the building structure.
In a further embodiment, the attachment structure is a rod inserted through a pair of corresponding apertures in adjacent structural wall members of the building structure.
In a further embodiment, the rod is threaded and held in alignment with the adjacent structural wall members by a plurality of threaded fasteners.
In a further embodiment, the ladder is collapsible for storage in a cavity embedded within a floor of a building structure and extendible from the cavity for release through an exterior opening of the building structure for egress during an emergency.
These and other features, objects, and benefits of the invention will be recognized by one having ordinary skill in the art and by those who practice the invention, from the specification, the claims, and the drawing figures.
Referring to
Referring to
Referring to
As particularly shown in
Threaded rod 120 includes a first end 124 and a second end 128. Threaded rod 120 is of a length such that first end 124 can be passed through aperture 46 a sufficient distance so that second end 128 can be aligned with aperture 48. Second end 128 is then passed through aperture 48 so that threaded rod 120 is centered on enclosure 100, each of ends 124, 128 extending into or through studs 42, 44. Prior to threaded rod 120 being fed through apertures 46, 48, a pair of lock nuts 122 are threaded onto threaded rod 120, and upper end links 159 of ladder chains 158 are slid onto threaded rod 120. With threaded rod 120 centered in enclosure 100, lock nuts 122 are rotated to move outwardly on threaded rod 120 until they are flush against links 159 against enclosure sidewalls 116. This prevents threaded rod 120 from sliding to one side or the other and keeps threaded rod 120 within apertures 46, 48. (see
Referring to
A further embodiment of a ladder enclosure 200 is shown in
The enclosure 200 incorporates a wall portion 210 and a floor portion 220. The wall portion 210 is positioned between adjacent wall studs 42, 44 while the floor portion 220 is positioned between adjacent floor joists 62, 64. A threaded rod 120 is inserted through apertures in the sidewalls 116 of the wall portion 210 and locked in place with lock nuts 122 in a similar fashion as to the first embodiment. The ladder 150 (not shown) is attached to the threaded rod 120 in a similar fashion to the other embodiment, with the ladder 150 being stowed in both the wall section 210 and the floor portion 220 of enclosure 200. An L-shaped or hinged enclosure cover 222 covers the enclosure 200 when the ladder 150 is not in use. The ladder 150 is deployed in the same manner as in the first embodiment. The total length of enclosure 200, including wall and floor sections, is the same as the wall unit described above, which is about twenty-four inches in a typical installation. The doors in both embodiments can be releasibly attached by a Velcro type hook and loop fastener 222 or other suitable and easily releasable fastener.
Another embodiment 250 of a rung and standoff assembly is shown in
The end of rung 254 includes three outwardly extending ribs 270, 272, and 274, with recesses 276 and 278 being positioned between the ribs. Rib 270 extends outwardly further than ribs 272 and 274 and abuts the end 280 of standoff 262 when the standoff is mounted to the rung. When the standoff is mounted to the rung, recesses 276 and 278 form downwardly extending spaced openings through the ends of the rung and standoff assembly. A link 282 of the chain fits in recesses 276 and 278 so that the chain can be firmly clamped to the step mechanism by inserting a link in the chain in the recesses in the end of the step and then screwing the standoff in place on the end of the step.
While steps and standoffs formed of an aluminum bar material are satisfactory, the use of other shapes, such as U-shaped channels, and other types of formed components, such as extruded, tubular, or stamped components, would be satisfactory and would involve less material and less labour and would provide a less expensive product.
It will be understood by one having ordinary skill in the art and by those who practice the invention, that various modifications and improvements may be made without departing from the spirit of the disclosed concept. Various relational terms, including left, right, front, back, top, and bottom, for example, are used in the detailed description of the invention and in the claims only to convey relative positioning of various elements of the claimed invention. The scope of protection afforded is to be determined by the claims and by the breadth of interpretation allowed by law.
This is a non-provisional application based on and claiming the filing priority of co-pending provisional patent application Ser. No. 60/432,770, filed Dec. 12, 2002.
Number | Name | Date | Kind |
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433061 | Aarons | Jul 1890 | A |
3344886 | Boscarino, Jr. | Oct 1967 | A |
4079811 | Driskell | Mar 1978 | A |
4127184 | Strohmeyer | Nov 1978 | A |
4445589 | Longenecker | May 1984 | A |
5467841 | Krumal | Nov 1995 | A |
5628380 | Matisi | May 1997 | A |
5971105 | Jacobson | Oct 1999 | A |
6129178 | Shupp, Jr. | Oct 2000 | A |
6135239 | Martin et al. | Oct 2000 | A |
Number | Date | Country |
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2156888 | Oct 1985 | GB |
Number | Date | Country | |
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20040178017 A1 | Sep 2004 | US |
Number | Date | Country | |
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60432770 | Dec 2002 | US |