US445337A - Fire-curtain - Google Patents

Description

r(No Model.)

W. R. MONROE.

PIRE CURTAIN.

No. 445,337. PatentedJan. 27, 1891.

IVILLIAM R. MONROE, OF CLEVELAND, OHIO.

FIRE-CURTAIN.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 445,337, dated January 27, 1891.

Application letl February I7, 1890. Serial No. 340,737. (No model.)

To all whom it muy con/cern:

Be it known that I, WrLLrAM R. MONROE, a citizen of the United States, residing at Cleveland, in the county 01"; Cuyahoga and State of Ohio, have invented a certain new and useful Improvement in Fire-Curtains, of which the following is such a full, clear,and exact description as will enable others skilled in the art to which it appertains to make and use the same.

My invention relates to that class of de vices commonly known as lire-curtains, which are designed to protect life and property by confining a tire which may break out in a building within certain narrow limits.

The object of my invention is primarily to render the action of such {ire-curtains automatic, whereby they will not depend for their eiiiciency either upon the watchfulness of any person or the ability of any one to reach them and arrange them properly in time of need, and also to provide means whereby they may be operated by hand, if there should be time.

To this end it consists in the construction of parts hereinafter described, and pointed out definitely in the claims.

In the drawings, Figure l is a front elevation of my invention properly arranged and ready for use, and Fig. 2 is a vertical seetional View on line 2 of Fig. l.

Referring to the parts by letter, A represents a curtain made of pivoted metallic slats, woven asbestus, or any other suitable fire-resisting material, arranged above the window it is designed to close, and secured at its upper edge to a roll C, which roll is mounted in suitable bearings. The curtain is rolled upon this roll by hand, or, if desired, by any suitable mechanism, and, when permitted, unrolls by gravity. It is prevented from thus unrolling by the vertically-placed fusible pin B, which engages with a bracket D and with a socket in the roll O.

In order to provide means whereby the curtain may be lowered before the pin B is melted, the brackets E E are provided with loose bearings for the roll O, a lever Fis pivoted in proper relation to the roll, and attached to one end of thislever is a block G, in which is formed a bearing for one end of the roll. By means of Athe lever F the roll is lifted from its bearing in the bracket E to the position shown in the drawings, where when released by the fusion of the pin B it turns in its bearings in the bracket- E and block G. rPhe lever F is held in this position by means of the cord or rope H, which is fastened at any convenient point. W'hen the roll is in the abovedescribed position, the fusible pin B engages in the socket of the roll, thereby preventing its revolution; but when the cord II is unfastened the end of the roll O drops into the bearing in the bracket E', thereby disengaging the roll from the pin B and permitting said roll to turn freely in the bracket-s E and E', whereby the curtain falls.

The above-described invention may be placed over doors connecting different parts of a building, and thus assist in preventing the spread of a fire. The curtains maybe placed around elevator-shafts, or in such pcsition as to fall across elevator-shafts at iioorlevels. They may also be placed over windows, especially such as are adjacent to the tire-escape ladders, whereby the escape down said ladders may not be cut off bythe iiames and heat from the windows on the lower ioors. They may, in short, be placed in any position where fire-curtains are desirable, with these marked advantages: first, that they will act automatically, and, second, that, in addition to that, they may be operated by hand, if there is time.

Having thus described my invention, what I clailn as new, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is-n l. rlhe combination of a iire-resisting curtain, a roll to which said curtain is secured, brackets secured above the opening the curtain is designed to close, bearings in said brackets in which the roll is mounted, a stationary bracket, a socket in the roll, and a pin of easily-fusible alloy which engages with said bracket and socket, substantially as and for the purpose specified.

` 2. The combination of a re-resisting curtain, a roll to which said curtain is secured, brackets secured above the opening the curtain is designed to close, loose bearings in vsaid brackets in which the roll is mounted,

IOD

with :L pivote@ lever having secured to one of said fusible pin with said bracket and end L bearing-blocl ,i11\vhch one end of said socket, substantially as and for the purpose :roll is j ourualed, a stationary bracket, 2L socket specified.

in the roll, a pin of easily-fusible alloy which VILLIAM R. MONROE. 5 engages with said bracket and socket, and Witnesses:

mechanism for holding said lever in the po- E. L. THURSTON,

sition necessary to continue the elxgafgement F. K. NEVINS.

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