Fire-curtain.

Application filed June 16, 1903. Serial No. 161,650. (No model.)

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, Jesse W. Reno, a citizen of the United States of America, and a resident of the city, county, and State of New 5 York, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Fire-Curtains, of which the following is a specification.

Myinvention relates to fire-curtains or closures for the well-openings of stairways and io other similar openings which it is desirable to close .in case.of fire in Order to shut off the currents of air and smoke between the different floors of a building, and especially in order to prevent smoke from passing from the 15 floor or story where the fire is located'to other floors or stories where there is no fire.

The object of my invention is to provide a curtain or closure for well - openings and other similar locations which shall be con20 venient and effective in its construction and operation, which can be installed in public buildings, such as dry-goods and other stores, without producing an unsightly appearance^ and one which may be operated to close either 25 automatically or manually.

My invention consists in providing a novel means for closing the well-openings of stairways which can be operated mannallyorautomatically.

The preferred form of my invention consists in providing a flexible curtain which is imperforate, or substantially so, for the purpose for which it is intended, in providing a drum on which said curtain is adapted to be 35 wound, in providing guides for said curtain which are arranged in such a manner that as the curtain is drawn out or unrolled from said drum it is guided toward the front of the well-opening or the landing of the stairway, 40 in providing means for actuating the unrolling of the curtain either manually or automatically,in providing means for withdrawing or rolling up the curtain on the drum, and in other novel features of construction to be 45 hereinf ter more fully explained and described.

One of the most serious consequences of fires in large modern stores, especially where a fire is’ confined to one floor, results from smoke coming in contact with goods stored 50 on floors other than those on which the fire occurs. It is also well known that a large per cent, of the fatalities resulting from fires are due to smoke alone at points remote from the location of the fire. It is also well known that fires, especially in tall buildings, are 55 greatly augmented by currents of air passing up from story to story through the well-openings of stairways. By means of my improved fire-curtain the smoke resulting from a fire may be confined to the floor on which the fire 60 occurs, and thus a large amount of damage both to individuals and merchandise spared.

In the drawings accompanying and forming part of this specification, Figure 1 represents a longitudinal section through the well- 65 opening provided with the preferred form of my invention. Fig. 2 represents a transverse section on line α a of Fig. 1. Fig. 3 represents a plan view in which certain portions are broken away. Fig. 4 represents a par- 70 tial section on an enlarged scale. Fig. 5 is a detail section, on an enlarged scale., of the end of the curtain and a flexible band secured thereto. Fig. 6 is a partial side view showing the means for winding up the curtain and 75 withdrawing it from the well-opening.

The reference characters, are used in the same sense in allbf the figures and the specification. _;

Numeral 1 represents the well-opening sur- 80 rounded by the balustrades.

represents a stairway leading up to the landing 3 at the front end of the well-opening.

represents balustrades which rise from the sides add rear of the well-opening to the 85 usual height and which are made imperforate.

By the word “imperforate” herein used I mean imperforate to the extent that the passage of air or smoke in material quantities is prevented. 9:

represents a drum mounted on the shaft 6 above the rear end of the well-opening, the shaft 6 being journaled in the balustrades 4. On the drum 5 is wound the flexible curtain 7, which is preferably made of thin sheet 95 metal or of , some such material as asbestos, but which maybe made of any other convenient-material, whether combustible or noncombustible, as the purpose of the curtain is not so much to resist the action of fire as to 100 prevent the passage of air or smoke.

repregents guides extending along the tops of the balustrades horizontally to the front ends thereof and thence bending downward

744,404 and extending to the landing 3. These guides are preferably made of hollow tubes having a longitudinal slot therein on their inner sides and are adapted to receive the outer S edges of the curtain and to guide the same as it is unwound from the drum 5.

represents guide sheaves located tangent to the horizontal and vertical portions of the guides 8, a portion of the inner side of the io curve of the guide being cut away to permit the flexible bands 10 to pass irom the surface of¹the guide-sheave into the horizontal portions of the guides 8. The flexible bands or cables 10 have their ends secured to the curtain at 15 points 13 a distance from the end of the curtain substantially equal to the height of the center of the guide-sheaves 9 from the landing 3. At a point on the cables 10 near the end of the curtain I provide a lug 11 and in the 20 curtain opposite 11 holes 12, adapted to receive the lugs when these portions of the cables and curtain are upon the sheaves or in the horizontal parts of the guides 8, the purpose of this construction being to prevent 25 that portion of the curtain between its end and the attachment 13 of the cables from buckling as the curtain is being drawn out. The cables 10 pass from the sheaves 9 rearwardly to the sheaves 14, upon which they 30 are wound. The sheaves 14 are secured to the shaft 15, which is journaled in the balustrades and is provided with a ratchet-wheel 16, secured thereto. Mounted on the shaft 15 is the spiral spring 17, which has one 35 end secured to the ratchet-wheel 16 and the other end to a fixed connection on the balustrade. The shaft 15 projects out beyond the balustrade on one side and is provided with a square end 18, adapted to receive 40 a winch or handle for the purpose of winding up the cables 10 on the shaft 14. A pawl 19 is secured to a pivot fixed to the balustrade and engages the ratchet-wheel 16. The pawl 19 has an armature 20, which carries the 45 pole-piece 21, adapted to operate in the solenoid-magnet 22. The magnet 22 is in a circuit a b, which contains the battery c or other source of electrical energy. The circuit is provided with a switch d, by means of which 50 the circuit may be closed to energize the solenoid-magnet, and it is also provided with a thermostat e, by means of which the circuit is closed when the temperature reaches a predetermined point. As will be seen, when the 55 solenoid is energized the pawl 19 is drawn out of engagement with the ratchet 16, thus permitting the spring 17 to wind up the cables 10, and thereby draw out the curtain and close the well-opening. The shaft 6 is pro60 vided with the squared end 23 for the purpose of receiving the handle 25 to wind up the curtain or open the well-opening. The space between the end of the guides 8 and the rear end of the well-opening is closed by a cover 65 or extension 26.

In the operation of the curtain when the curtain is fully wound up and it is desired to close the well-opening the pawl 19 may be thrown out of engagement with the ratchet 16 manually or by means of closing the switch 70 d, or it may be done automatically where the temperature surrounding the thermostat e has risen to a predetermined point, or in case the spring should fail or in case it is not desired to use the spring to close the well-open- 75 ing the handle 25 may be placed upon the end of the shaft 15 and the curtain drawn out manually.