Fire escape – ladder – or scaffold – Movable strand escape and means for retarding travel of strand
Patent
1992-08-18
1994-04-26
Chin-Shue, Alvin C.
Fire escape, ladder, or scaffold
Movable strand escape and means for retarding travel of strand
182 5, 182231, A62B 3500
Patent
active
053058526
DESCRIPTION:
BRIEF SUMMARY
The invention comprises an apparatus as stated for lowering people, particularly from buildings, platforms, posts and the like.
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
Swedish Patent no. 452,951 describes a lowering apparatus that is to be used from buildings. This apparatus is not suited for universal applications. It is poorly suited for suspending people from their body which is required for mast assembly workers on oil platforms and the like.
U.S. Pat. No. 659,093 describes a lowering apparatus with a rope block where a grooved brake lever acts as the brake unit. However, the braking effect is difficult to control and so this device may not be too easy to use. The breaking effect is also difficult to adjust due to people having differing weights. This means that either children are lowered too slowly, or heavier adults will be lowered too quickly. Neither of these lowering devices are suited for releasing a person who is hanging unconscious, for example on a power line pole.
OBJECTIVE
The main objective of the invention is to design a lowering apparatus that can be adjusted to various areas of application. A particular objective is to design a lowering apparatus that is so light and compact that it can be worn by mast assembly workers, for example, and those working on high scaffolding and platforms. The lowering apparatus must be suitable to be used for releasing a worker in an emergency who is hanging from his pole climbing footwear on a power line pole.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
Principle
It has been found that the use of such a brake device in the stated configuration provides sufficient braking with a wide range of loads. This safely provides adequate braking in a variety of applications. The apparatus makes it possible to stop the lowering process by a slight pull on the ingoing part of the line. A further advantage is that the new apparatus can be made to be small and relatively light.
DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWING
The invention will be described below with reference to the drawings, where
FIG. 1 illustrates a lowering situation where an apparatus in accordance with the invention is used,
FIG. 2 shows a cross section of the block, and
FIG. 3 shows part of a section through the ratchet mechanism.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWING
FIG. 1 shows a power line post 11 with curved insulators 12. Here, there is a person 13, who has become incapacitated or has touched a live element so that he/she cannot get down without help. The drawing shows the lowering phase, after an assistant has secured the lowering apparatus in accordance with the invention, lifted the injured person from a hanging position, and loosened and removed that person's pole climbing footwear.
The apparatus in accordance with the invention has three main components: a securing line 14, a block 15 that the securing line 14 is attached to at one end, and a lowering line 16 which can be attached by a loop 17 around the upper part of a person 13 who requires help. The securing line 14 can have its free end tied to a higher point, in this case a curved insulator 12. The block 15 is shown in more detail in FIGS. 2 and 3.
The block 15 has two parallel, rectangular side plates 18, one of these is shown in FIG. 2. The side plates 18 support a ratchet 19 that is between them. This is freely mounted on a shaft 20 that in turn has its centre attached to side plates. The ratchet 19 has a grooved rim 21 that has parallel sides in the example. On the sides of the grooved rim 21 there are teeth 22 for a bifurcated pawl 23. The bifurcated pawl 23, that will be described in more detail below, is mounted on a shaft pivot 24 in a corner of the side plates 18. The pawl 23 is pressed to engage with the teeth 22 by a spring 25 attached to the shaft pivot 24 and fixed to another pivot 26 located on the side of the shaft pivot 24, and also attached to the side plates 18. The engagement end 27 of the pawl 23 is bifurcated or forked so that it surrounds the lowering line 16 without engaging it. The free end 28 of the pawl 23 protrudes outside the side plates
REFERENCES:
patent: 290076 (1883-12-01), Lewis
patent: 659093 (1900-10-01), Ockers
patent: 870777 (1907-11-01), Harkins
patent: 924695 (1909-06-01), Sheeley
patent: 992902 (1911-05-01), Pouliot
patent: 3807696 (1974-04-01), Brda
patent: 4367863 (1983-01-01), Dulondel
patent: 4919231 (1990-04-01), Klokseth
Chin-Shue Alvin C.
Pittenger James E.
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