Patent ID: 6598703
Filing Date: 2003-07-29
Classification: A62B

Abstract:
An externally conceable, modular high-rise emergency evacuation apparatus with pre-qualified egress comprising:(a) a plurality of egress booths, each obliquely angled and equipped with a cylindrical door, having sufficient size to accommodate an adult in excess of six feet in height or an adult with an infant or child, generally positioned at vertically equidistant, predetermined locations, (b) a trap door affixed to the bottom of each said egress booth, (c) a passageway affixed to said trap door, slanted to approximate the oblique angle of said egress booth, (d) an elliptical truss affixed to the end of said passageway, adapted to be secured to an aperture in the side of the building, (e) a plurality of support poles, (f) a plurality of pole bracing means for mounting and lowering said support poles from vertical to horizontal positions, adapted to be secured to the building at predetermined locations, (g) a plurality of generally octagonal trusses affixed substantially near the ends of said support poles, (h) a plurality of descent tubes formed from elastic material is y-shaped where a diagonal section approximates the oblique angle of said passageway, covered with a fire-proof material, viscerally coated with a non-stick substance, reinforced generally by an embedded single piece cargo netting, and affixed to abovementioned elliptical and octagonal trusses, (i) a plurality of web stabilizing means for supporting said descent tubes, affixed to said support poles, (j) an inflatable slide equipped with air pressure sensors, affixed to a last support pole nearest to the ground, (k) a protective and aesthetic covering means for concealing and revealing the external components of said evacuation apparatus, and (l) an active monitoring, coordinating an controlling means for deploying said evacuation apparatus and pre-qualifying conditions required for implementing safe evacuee egress, comprising: (1) a complete escape path integrity sensing means for constantly monitoring the wholeness of said descent tubes and said inflatable slide, including verification that said support poles are in a properly deployed position, for keeping said trap doors closed should damage be detected, (2) a collision avoidance sensing means for timing the opening of said trap doors at an opportune moment when collision between evacuces in diagonal and vertical descent is estimated to be avoided, (3) an access regulating means for preventing said cylindrical doors of said egress booths form being opened immediately after evacuces exit, while said trap doors have not yet returned to a closed position, (4) an optional initial descent validating means for verifying the arrival of a test dummy on each said inflatable slide, after passing through the whole vertical length of said evacuation apparatus, prior to activating said trap doors assigned to said inflatable slide, (5) an egress controlling means for pre-qualifying compliance to signals to open said trap doors, by validating if said egress booths are occupied and checking if said cylindrical doors are closed, applied in conjunction with all previously mentioned active monitoring, coordinating and controlling means, and (6) an overall system regulating means for orchestrating the interaction between all aforementioned means and components of said evacuation apparatus, to establish proper deployment, autonomous operation and orderly shutdown, including overriding predetermined safety features if deemed necessary by authorized personnel, whereby said evacuation apparatus seeks to address the root cause of truly unnecessary and avoidable multiple fatalities that are suffered when people in burning high-rise buildings who are still conscious and mobile, have become totally cut-off from rescue, specially above or at the level of the fire, by empowering all evacuees with a safe, rapidly available, swift yet coordinated, direct, non-strenuous and verifiably complete escape path, a critical combination of features which are not provided by emergency stairwells or elevators.