Fire escape apparatus

Claim 2

Fire escape apparatus comprising a flexible ladder and securing means for securing one end of said ladder to a wall of a building, said securing means comprising a wall member mounted on an internal surface of an outside wall of a building below a window opening and a post mounted perpendicular to said wall member and having a free end portion upstanding from the internal surface of the wall, said post having a stop of irregular crosssection at its free end portion, an apertured securing plate at said one end of said ladder, said securing plate aperture having a shape corresponding to the irregular cross-section of said stop whereby said plate can just pass over said stop in only one mutually aligned position of said stop and said aperture, said apertured plate then being rotatable with respect to said post into a position in which said stop prevents disconnection of said post and said plate, said position of said apertured plate being such that it is then convenient to pass said ladder over the window sill and out of the window to hang down the outside of the building, the stiles of said ladder being provided by a single continuous length of flexible material in the form of a loop, rungs connecting said stiles at spaced apart of said stiles intervals and spacer discs being secured to the ends of at least selective ones of said rungs whereby in use said ladder is spaced from the outside wall of the building no matter which major face of said ladder faces the wall.

Claim 3

Fire escape apparatus comprising a flexible ladder and securing means for securing one end of said ladder to a wall of a building, said securing means comprising a wall member mounted on an internal surface of an outside wall of a building below a window opening and a post mounted perpendicular to said wall member and having a free end portion upstanding from the internal surface of the wall, said post having a stop of irregular cross-section at its free end portion, an apertured securing plate at said one end of said ladder, said securing plate aperture having a shape corresponding to the irregular cross-section of said stop whereby said plate can just pass over said stop in only one mutually aligned position of said stop and said aperture, said apertured plate then being rotatable with respect to said post into a position in which said stop prevents disconnection of said post and said plate, said position of said apertured plate being such that it is then convenient to pass said ladder over the window sill and out of the window to hang down the building, the stiles of said ladder each being provided by chain, rungs in the form of rods passing through the links of said chain, at spaced apart intervals linking said stiles together, means being provided to maintain the spacing of said stile relative to said rungs, and spacer discs being secured to the ends of at least selected ones of said rungs whereby in use said ladder is spaced from the outside wall of the building no matter which major face of said ladder faces the wall.

Claim 4

Fire escape apparatus comprising a flexible ladder and securing means for securing one end of said ladder to a wall of a building, said securing means comprising a wall member mounted on an internal surface of an outside wall of a building below a window opening and a post mounted perpendicular to said wall member and having a free end portion upstanding from the internal surface of the wall, said post having a stop of irregular cross-section at its free end portion, an apertured securing plate at said one end of said ladder, said securing plate aperture having a shape corresponding to the irregular cross-section of said stop whereby said plate can just pass over said stop in only one mutually aligned position of said stop and said aperture, said apertured plate then being rotatable with respect to said post into a position in which said stop prevents disconnection of said post and said plate, said position of said apertured plate being such that it is then convenient to pass said ladder over the window sill and out of the window to hang down the building, the stiles of said ladder each being provided by chain, rungs in the form of rods passing through the links of said chain, at spaced apart intervals linking said stiles together, means being provided to maintain the spacing of said stile relative to said rungs, and spacer discs being secured to the ends of at least selected ones of said rungs whereby in use said ladder is spaced from the outside wall of the building no matter which major face of said ladder faces the wall.

Claim 5

Apparatus as claimed in claim 1 wherein at least one self tightening loop is secured to said ladder of such a size to grip the wrist of a user of said ladder.