ESCAPE LADDER ASSEMBLY

The present invention relates to escape ladders and more particularly pertains to a new escape ladder assembly for permitting a user to escape through a window of an upper story of a building.

The use of escape ladders is known in the prior art. More specifically, escape ladders heretofore devised and utilized are known to consist basically of familiar, expected and obvious structural configurations, notwithstanding the myriad of designs encompassed by the crowded prior art which have been developed for the fulfilment of countless objectives and requirements.

The applicant's earlier patent GB2350145 discloses an escape ladder assembly whereby one end of the ladder is fixed to the body of a storage box and the other end of the ladder is fixed to the lid of the storage box. The ladder is simply extended by detaching the lid from the box and throwing it away from the box out of a window. Although the ladder assembly of this patent has proven to be very successful, the ladder assembly does have limitations, particularly with the size and length of the ladder within the assembly.

The present invention provides a new modified ladder assembly that does not suffer from the above-mentioned limitations.

Accordingly, in one aspect there is provided a ladder having a spaced apart pair of elongate flexible side runners and a plurality of steps extending between the side runners and spaced apart from each other along the length of the side runners, a holder and a storage box, wherein the holder comprises a main body having a handle, the storage box having a body in which, in use, the holder and ladder can be disposed and wherein at least part of the ladder is detachably coupled to the holder and one end of the ladder is fixed to the body of the storage box whereby the holder can be thrown free of the storage box enabling simple and effective extension of the ladder.

The steps may comprise plastic materials or metal materials, other suitable materials will no doubt occur to the skilled addressee. The elongate flexible runners may comprise a rope, cable or chain of fire retardant material. The runners may be made of Kevlar or similar fire retardant material.

The storage box may, optionally, comprise means for attachment to a wall or a window frame.

An embodiment of the invention will now be further described by way of example with reference to the following Figures in which:

Figure 1 is a schematic plan view of a new escape ladder assembly in use unfurled from a window of a building according to the present invention;

Figure 2 is a schematic breakaway side view of the present invention in use unfurled from a window of a building;

Figure 3 is a schematic cross sectional view of a rigid step;

Figure 4 is a schematic top plan view of a rigid step;

Figure 5 is a schematic bottom view of a rigid step with the location where the adjacent segments of the flexible members. are folded when the rigid steps are stacked in the storage box illustrated in phantom lines;

Figure 6 is a schematic view of a ladder holder constructed in accordance with the present invention;

Figure 7 is a schematic perspective view of the storage box; and

Figure 8 shows in more detail one arrangement for securing a rigid step to a flexible member.

With reference now to the drawings, and in particular to Figures 1 through 5 thereof, a new escape ladder assembly embodying the principles and concepts of the present invention will be described

The assembly generally comprises a ladder 2 having a spaced apart pair of elongate flexible members 4, 6 and a plurality of steps 8 extending between the flexible members 4, 6 of the ladder 8. Each of the flexible members 4, 6 has opposite upper and lower ends 10, 12. The elongate flexible members are made of a fire-retardant material such as Kevlar™ or, alternatively can be made of rope or similar material.

Figure 6 illustrates a holder 14 designed to have fixed thereto the lower end 12 of the ladder 2. A top end 16 of the holder 14 has an elongate aperture 17 formed therein such that the top end 16 forms a handle 18 for the rest of the holder 14.

The ladder steps 8 comprise a plurality of stackable rigid steps 20 and a plurality of flexible steps 22. The rigid steps 20 are arranged in a row extending along the flexible members 4,6 positioned towards the upper ends 10 of the flexible members 4,6. The flexible steps 22 are arranged along the flexible members 4, 6 in a row extending along flexible members 4, 6 between the row of rigid steps 20 and the lower ends 12 of the flexible members 4,6. The flexible steps 22 are formed from the same or similar material as the flexible members 4,6.

With particular reference to Figures 3, 4 and 5, each of the rigid steps 20 has an outer perimeter 24 comprising a spaced apart pair of ends 26, 28, and a pair of sides 30, 32 extending between the ends 26, 28 of the respective rigid step 20. Each of the rigid steps 20 preferably has an upper face 34 with a generally rectangular frictionally enhanced surface 36 with respect to a relatively smooth surface to frictionally enhance contact between the upper face 34 of the respective rigid step 20 and a foot of a user rigid stepping on the upper face 34 and engaging the frictionally enhanced surface

36 to help prevent a user from slipping on the respective rigid step 20.

Each of the rigid steps 20 has a downwardly depending lower lip 38 extending around the outer perimeter 24 of the respective rigid step 20. Preferably, the lower lip 38 of each rigid step 20 has a pair of side cutouts 40, 42 therein with one of the side cutouts 40 located adjacent one side of the respective rigid step 20 and the other of the side cutouts 42 located adjacent the other side of the respective rigid step 20. The side cutouts 40, 42 form a spaced apart pair of stacking feet 44, 46 in the respective lower lip 38 with one foot 44 positioned adjacent one end of the respective rigid step 20 and the other foot 46 positioned adjacent the other end of the respective rigid step 20.

Each of the rigid steps 20 has a spaced apart pair of generally circular holes 48, 50 therethrough with one of the holes 48 of each rigid step 20 positioned adjacent one end of the respective rigid step 20 and the other hole 50 of each rigid step 20 positioned adjacent the other end of the respective rigid step 20. A first of the flexible members 4 is extended through a first of the holes 48 of each of the rigid steps 20 and a second of the flexible members 6 is extended through a second of the holes 50 of each of the rigid steps 20.

The flexible members 4, 6 are generally tubular. A plurality of plugs 52 are located within each flexible 4, 6 member such that the plugs 52 can move inside the respective flexible member 4, 6 along at least part of its length. Each plug 52 is frustro-conical in shape. Each plug 52 has a base 54 which is wider in diamater than the main portion of the plug 52. wider diameter than the holes formed in each rigid step. The diameter of the base 54 of each plug 52 is larger than the diameter of the holes 48, 50 formed in the rigid steps 20. Consequently, a plug 52 is able to only extend partly through a respective hole 48, 50 up to a point where the plug 52 becomes lodged within that hole 48, 50. At this point, the material of the of the respective flexible member 4, 6 if firmly lodged between the plug 52 and the inner surface of the hole 48, 50, thereby locking the rigid step 20 in a position along the

flexible members 4, 6 of the ladder 2 (see Figure 8).

The plug 52 cannot be detached from the hole 48, 20 without considerable force. Furthermore, each plug 52 extends upwardly from the underside of the rigid step 20 such that any pressure on that step 20, caused by a person standing on the step 20, forces the step 20 downwardly onto the plugs 52 thus locking the step 52 against the flexible members 4, 6 more firmly.

The width of each flexible member 4, 6 may be restricted at specific intervals along its length to prevent movement of a plug 52 in one direction along the flexible member 4, 6 at each point of restricted width.

The ladder 2 is detachably coupled to the holder 14 with the rigid steps 20 stacked upon one another against the holder 14 . As best shown in Figure 5, the segments of the flexible members 4, 6 are folded between the adjacent steps 40 and positioned in a lower space defined by the lower lip 38 of the upper one of the associated steps 20. The flexible steps 22 and a corresponding remainder portion of each flexible member 4, 6 are folded and stacked on the stack of rigid steps 20 against the holder 14.

With reference to Figure 7, a generally rectangular storage box 56 is provided having a back 58, a bottom 60, a spaced apart pair of sides 62, a front 64 and an open top 66.

The back 58 of the storage box 56 is designed for mounting to a wall surface 68 beneath a window 70 of a building. Preferably, the back 58 of the storage box 56 has a plurality of mounting tabs 72 extending therefrom. Each of the mounting tabs 72 is designed for extending a fastener 74 therethrough and into the wall surface 68 to mount the back 58 of the storage box 56 to the wall surface 68.

The holder 14 carrying the ladder 2 is disposed within the storage box 20 (see Figure 7). The upper ends 10 of the flexible member 4, 6 of the

ladder 2 are coupled to the storage box 20. The handle 18 of the holder 14 is easily accessible when the holder 14 is disposed within the storage box 20 such that the holder 14 can be quickly and easily lifted out of the storage box 20 when use of ladder 2 required.

In use, the holder 14 is lifted from the storage box 56 so that the ladder 2 may be unfolded and thrown over the sill of the adjacent window 70 so that the ladder 2 unfurls downwards from the window 70 to the ground with the row of rigid steps 20 closer to the window 70 than the row of flexible steps 22 as illustrated in Figures 1 and 2. The coupling of the holder 14 to the lower ends 12 of the flexible members 4, 6 is designed for providing some weight at the lower ends 12 of the flexible members 4, 6 to help the ladder 2 unfold to its deployed position and rests on the ground when the ladder 2 is fully deployed from the window 70.

In an alternative embodiment (not shown) a smoke alarm and/or a light is provided on the storage box 56 so that the presence of smoke can be detected and in such an event, the storage box 56 can still be easily located.

As to a further discussion of the manner of usage and operation of the present invention, the same should be apparent from the above description. Accordingly, no further discussion relating to the manner of usage and operation will be provided.

With respect to the above description then, it is to be realized that the optimum dimensional relationships for the parts of the invention, to include variations in size, materials, shape, form, function and manner of operation, assembly and use, are deemed readily apparent and obvious to one skilled in the art and all equivalent relationships to those illustrated in the drawings and described in the specification are intended to be encompassed by the present invention.

Therefore, the foregoing is considered as illustrative only of the principles of the invention. Further, since numerous modifications and changes will readily occur to those skilled in the art, it is not desired to limit the invention to the exact construction and operation shown and described, and accordingly, all suitable modifications and equivalents may be resorted to falling within the scope of the invention.