Field of Invention
This innovation relates to a quick opening (quarter turn) flush type emergency escape scuttle without hinge to be used on decks of ship, and more particularly to enable opening from either side of the deck. All ships built to date before this did not have such provision to rescue personnel trapped underneath deck using flush type escape scuttle operable with quarter turn arrangement enabling quick opening from either side which is used as an alternate escape/rescue route. Hence, the challenge to design, develop, test and successfully implement Emergency Escape Scuttle operable from both sides with least effort on board vessels was envisaged.
Background Art
The escape scuttles are particularly covers therefore that are enabled for quick opening in order to permit the passage for personnel (a secondary means of escape) and then rapidly closed enabling water tightness. Escape scuttles are commonly placed on decks of boats and ships to provide, access to or from one deck to another. They are generally kept closed but on occasion such as in emergency, it is essential that they can be opened and closed rapidly and easily. In the prior art, rotation of a single wheel enabled the locking mechanism of the cover for opening and closing of escape scuttle.
All ships built to date before this did not have such provision to rescue personnel trapped underneath deck using flush type escape scuttle operable with quarter turn arrangement enabling quick opening from either side which is used as an alternate escape/ rescue route. Hence, the challenge to design, develop, test and successfully implement

Emergency Escape Scuttle operable from both sides with least effort on board vessels was envisaged.
All ships built to date was provisioned with escape scuttle either operable from one side or operable from both side with protrusion on deck and lacking ease of operation. Thus all ships built to date before this did not have provision to rescue personnel trapped underneath deck using flush type escape scuttle operable from either side with quick opening quarter turn arrangement.
In the prior art, an US specification US2488524A discloses an escape scuttle wherein a rotation of a single wheel will actuate the locking mechanism of the cover permitting-it to be unlocked and opened or closed and locked. The cover for an escape scuttle can be quickly locked and opened enclosed and locked.
In another prior art an US specification US2476471A discloses quick opening escape scuttle to be used in water-tight doors or similar devices of ships and the like, and more particularly to a scuttle which may be opened from either side of the door, and has for its object to provide a simply operated means through which a person trapped behind a jammed watertight door or hatch could escape.
Summary of Invention
This innovation relates to a quick opening (quarter turn) flush type emergency escape scuttle without hinge to be used on decks of ship, and more particularly to enable opening from either side of the deck -

a) Whilst vessel in operation, fire-fighting on board vessel is most challenging and daunting task of serving crews. Hence, in event when fire breaks out in ships in lower decks then the trapped personnel beneath may not be in position to escape on their own to upper safer decks owing to injury or largely because of inaccessibility and inability to escape from emergency openings. It is then the only option left to the team of rescuers to safely approach the affected zone through an emergency escape route which require opening from upper deck.
b) In ships particularly; Emergency Escape Scuttle are placed in main escape route so that it should open in passageways in case of emergency. It is desired from safety and ergonomic point of view that there is no structural protrusion on the deck due to Emergency Escape Scuttle. Thus flushed type Emergency Escape Scuttle design was envisaged.
c) Emergency Escape Scuttle serves its purpose only when the operation time for opening from either side is minimal. Thus design of quarter turn arrangement for opening with least effort and time was preferred.
Advantages and Uses of Invention
a) This invention is flushed with the deck, thus no structural protrusion above the deck exists, enabling smooth movement of personnel in way of emergency escape scuttle where it is fitted on deck.
b) This invention is operable by rotating the spindle by 90 degrees (quarter turn)

by a portable operating handle, thus minimizing the time and effort for opening of emergency escape scuttle, the handle used for this operation could be stowed in vicinity.
To fulfill the objective and manifest the operability of Emergency Escape Scuttle (EES) from both sides, the Design of EES necessitates features which are simple to operate with less effort, open in the quickest time as possible, hinge-less fitting to accommodate multi directional opening of lid of EES, the operating lever or handle should be conveniently stowable at both sides of deck, viz, in top and bottom deck and the weight of removable part, viz, lid should be light weight as far as possible was envisioned.
Brief Description of the Accompanying Drawings
Fig. 1 shows plan view of an emergency escape scuttle when fitted on deck of ship in accordance with the present invention;
Fig. 2 shows elevation view of emergency escape scuttle showing the details of the items therein in accordance with the present invention;
Fig. 3(a) and 3(b) shows pictorial representation of the Emergency Escape Scuttle from Top and Bottom.
Detailed Description
The invention (Emergency Escape Scuttle Operable From Both Side By Quarter Turn of Handle) as shown in Fig 1 and 2 comprises of a substantially circular shaped cover or lid

assembly, constructed by any suitable material, preferably steel plate, clamped by a suitable means with coaming, which in turn is welded to water- tight deck.
The cover or lid assembly, consists of a substantially circular flat cover or plate, provided at its edge with a rim bar or flange, fastened by a suitable means, such as welding, at substantially right angles to and circumscribing the plate. A second rim or inner flange slightly shorter in height is fastened to the plate by a suitable means, such as welding, so that it is within and concentric to the edge rim. The rims confine a water-tight gasket composed of rubber or other suitable material.
The circular opening is completely enclosed by a coaming, secured in place by welding, the opening of such size that the edge of the coaming will contact the rubber gasket, when the cover assembly is held in this position by some suitable means, the coaming with press into the rubber gasket held in place by retaining rims, forming a water-tight seal.
A suitable means for clamping the cover assembly in the closed position heretofore described consists of a housing through the cover at substantially its center, and secured thereby a suitable means such as welding. A series of ribs, preferably four, are also welded to the housing and to the cover along its radii, terminating at and welded to the rim. These ribs, provide additional supporting means for the housing as well as provide stiffening to the cover to prevent buckling and the like.
The housing supports a spindle or arbor may turn freely in the housing. A flange or seal on the spindle with a substantially round shape and is held to the

housing by a round plate with same outer diameter by means of screws preventing the spindle from moving vertically in the housing. The spindle having similar square shape at both ends can be rotated by an operating handle with square groove which fits on similarly square shaped portion of spindle.
It is clear that since both the ends of spindle is having similar square shape and can be rotated by any of the ends by means of operating handle having substantially similar square groove and since the spindle is free to turn in the housing, either the operating handles may be turned by person from either sides of the scuttle.
An arm arrestor is substantially fixed with spindle by bush to hold a series of locking arm preferably four in number, which are also substantially pinned with arm arrestor by arm fixing pin. Each of these locking arm is passed through a adjustable jaw assembly which is fixed in an adjustable guide boss. Adjustable guide boss is substantially welded to cover assembly. Thus the locking arm is assembled to be closed or open by a quarter turn of spindle using operating handle from either side.
There are two numbers of lifting handle are fixed on top of the cover assembly for removing the cover.
Being an escape device, it is normally used in case of emergency only. It is by default in the closed position; that is, the cover assembly covers the opening, as heretofore described. The cover may be opened by any person from either side by quarter turning operating handle, causing the locking arm to be moved inward, thus permitting the cover to be in open position.

It can be seen that we have constructed an escape scuttle which, through its simplicity, offers a maximum reliability, and being operable by quarter turning it's handle from either side of deck to which it is attached provides a maximum utility in case of emergency.

Table 1 is the List of Items of the escape scuttle
Item No. Name of Item Item No. Name of Item
1 Coaming 10 Round Plate
2 Lid Assembly 11 Screw
3a Edge Rim/Flanqe 12 Arm Arrestor
3b Inner Rim/Inner Flange 13 Adjustable Jaw Assembly
4 Rubber Gasket 14 Lifting Handle
5 Spindle/Arbor 15 Operating Handle
6 Locking Arm 16 Adjustable Guide Boss
7 Arm Fixing Pin 17 Deck
9 Housing 18 Rib
Numerous characteristics and advantages of the invention covered by this document will be set forth in the foregoing description. It will be understood, however, that this disclosure is, in many respects, only illustrative. Changes may be made in details, particularly in matters of shape, size, and arrangement of parts without exceeding the scope of the invention.

We claim :
1. An emergency escape scuttle for deck provided with an escape opening,
including of:
a cover placed on the deck from top and provide with a peripheral groove holding a gasket to seat on top of deck;
a spindle mounted in a housing extending to the cover;
an arm arrestor fixed by bush to the said spindle;
a series of locking arm passed through an adjustable jaw assembly with similar numbers of adjustable guide boss mounted below the cover; and the outer end of each locking arm being adapted to engage the edge of the scuttle which is operable using portable operating handle.
2. The emergency escape scuttle as claimed in Claim 1, wherein the said cover is clamped by means with coaming, which in turn is welded to water- tight deck.
3. The emergency escape scuttle as claimed in Claim 1, wherein the cover con-sists of a substantially circular flat cover or plate, provided at its edge with a rim bar or flange, fastened by means of welding, at substantially right angles to and circumscribing the plate.
4. The emergency escape scuttle as claimed in Claim 1 to 3, wherein the said

cover consists of a second rim or inner flange slightly shorter in height is fastened to the plate by means of welding, so that it is within and concentric to the edge rim.
5. The emergency escape scuttle as claimed in Claim 3 and 4, wherein the said rims confine a water-tight gasket composed of rubber or other suitable material.
6. The emergency escape scuttle as claimed in Claim 2, wherein a suitable means for clamping the cover assembly in the closed position consists of a housing through the cover at substantially its center, and secured thereby a suitable means of welding.
7. The emergency escape scuttle as claimed in Claim 6, wherein the said housing includes a series of ribs, preferably four, welded to the housing and to the cover along its radii, terminating at and welded to the rim.
8. The emergency escape scuttle as claimed in Claim 7, wherein the said housing supports a spindle or arbor, which may turn freely in the said housing and a flange or seal on the spindle held to the housing by a round plate with same outer diameter by means of screws preventing the spindle from moving vertically in the housing.
9. The emergency escape scuttle as claimed in Claim 8, wherein the said spindle have similar square shape at both ends which can be rotated by an operating handle with square groove which fits on similarly square shaped portion of spindle.
10. The emergency escape scuttle as claimed in Claim 1, wherein the said arm arrestor is substantially fixed with spindle by bush to hold a series of locking arm, which are also substantially pinned with arm arrestor by arm fixing pin.

11. The emergency escape scuttle as claimed in Claim 10, wherein the said locking arm are passed through an adjustable jaw assembly which is fixed in an adjustable guide boss and the said adjustable guide boss is substantially welded to cover assembly.
12. The emergency escape scuttle as claimed in Claim 10, wherein the said locking arm is assembled to be closed or open by a quarter turn of spindle using operating handle from either side.
13. The emergency escape scuttle as claimed in Claim 1, wherein the cover includes two numbers of lifting handle fixed on top of the cover assembly configured for removing the cover.
14. The emergency escape scuttle as claimed in Claim 1, wherein the said cover is configured to be opened by any person from either side by quarter turning operating handle, causing the locking arm to be moved inward, thus permitting the cover to be in open position.
15. An emergency escape scuttle for deck provided with an escape opening, including of:
a cover placed on the deck from top and provide with a peripheral groove holding a gasket to seat on top of deck;
a spindle mounted in a housing extending to the cover;
an arm arrestor fixed by bush to the said spindle;

a series of locking arm passed through an adjustable jaw assembly with similar numbers of adjustable guide boss mounted below the cover; and the outer end of each locking arm being adapted to engage the edge of the scuttle which is operable using portable operating handle by means of quarter turn arrangement.
16. An emergency escape scuttle for deck provided with a flush type arrangement, which can be operated by means of a portable operating handle as claimed in any of the preceding claims.