Abstract:
An emergency access system comprising a structure having therein at least two rooms with at least one common wall between them and an exterior wall, an access opening defined in at least one selected from an exterior wall and common wall, a panel sized to substantially fill each opening, and breakaway mounting means for releasably retaining each panel within each opening, whereby an access opening enables a person in an emergency to release the breakaway mounting means by applying pressure to the panel, thus allowing emergency access.

Description:
CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS 
       [0001]    None. 
       FIELD OF THE INVENTION 
       [0002]    The invention generally relates to emergency access systems for structures. More particularly, the invention relates to systems and methods for ingressing and egressing a structure during an emergency allowing the rescuers to easily enter the structure or trapped personnel to easily exit. 
       SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 
       [0003]    The invention relates to a system of breakaway panels that allows persons in emergency situations who are prevented from exiting using the normal avenues of escape to reach safety or rescuers who are prevented from reaching such persons through normal avenues within the structure to reach them. More particularly, the invention relates to a system of breakaway panels enabling a person in an emergency to create an escape opening by striking or applying pressure to the breaking away panel in the room and if present, the adjoining break away panel on the opposite wall of the adjacent room thus creating a pathway from one room to another allowing movement between rooms toward an emergency exit. The System may automatically notify a monitoring station through sensors that a panel is penetrated and rooms walls has been breached. 
         [0004]    In structures with multiple adjacent rooms or multiple floors such as hotels, motels, apartment buildings, and commercial office buildings the emergency exits and escape routes are usually well marked and identified with signage so a person can reach these routes and exits. However, there are situations where these routes and exits may be blocked. For example, a person rents a room in a motel with the air conditioner installed under the only window in the room and next to the only door. If the air conditioner were to catch on fire, the person staying in that room would have no reasonable means of escape without injury and would likely die due to smoke or fire. This is not an uncommon scenario in these types of structures as can be seen in many news reports citing persons being trapped by the fire or unable to escape due to the smoke. Additionally, in these situations, the injury and death tolls are usually greater when the room is on an upper floor or level where the only option may be to jump and suffer serious injury or even death. 
         [0005]    Furthermore, with an increased number of school shootings, the teachers and students are locked in their respective rooms, effectively placing them alone waiting for help to arrive once the teacher has locked the door. There is typically only one way into the classroom and if the shooter enters through the door, the children and teacher have no reasonable means of escape nor do they have the ability to defend themselves since each classroom usually contains only a single unarmed adult to fend off the attacker. 
         [0006]    U.S. Pat. No. 3,120,032 to Burnette, teaches a reusable escape hatch/door with extensive frame structure, a complicated latching mechanism, and a unidirectional door/hatch where the door/hatch may be opened or removed. Additionally, the design would be bulky and heavy based on the components selected and the overall structure. 
         [0007]    U.S. Pat. No. 4,270,311 to Palomar, teaches a reusable escape hatch for dwellings and mobile homes that consists of a panel fitted within the external wall opening that is maintained in place by latch assemblies that engage the wall. This escape panel allows a person trapped inside a dwelling to quickly exit the building if they are located in a room that has the escape hatch. Additionally, Palomar suggests the panel being operationally interconnected to a burglar alarm to notify of unauthorized access. 
         [0008]    U.S. Pat. No. 4,468,886 to Tew, teaches a wall mountable safety hatch with a pair of door frames that fit within the current structure to create the opening and a pair of doors that fit within the door frames with a strap and cinching device to maintain the doors in place. 
         [0009]    U.S. Pat. No. 7,650,723 to Kotlarich, teaches an egress system that allows a person to exit the interior of the structure through a hatch panel in the roof of a home. The design consists of a metal frame that creates an opening and a hatch panel that is secured in the frame with releasable fasteners. Additionally, shingles are placed over opening and attached to the hatch panel to make the roof look uniform without any outward signs of a hatch panel. Gaps are placed between the mounting frame and the hatch panel to allow for a tool to cut the shingles in order to remove the hatch panel and provide an exit to the roof. 
         [0010]    The prior art has concentrated on moving persons from the interior of the building to the exterior and to safety. Additionally, each of these designs consists of three basic components: a frame, a door or doors and a mechanism for maintaining the doors in place. These components add weight, cost, and complexity. Furthermore, the weight and complexity may prevent a person that is smaller is stature, older, handicapped or a child, to be able to effectively escape in an emergency. 
         [0011]    Each of these designs with the exception of Kotlarich is not integrated with the structure&#39;s design thus making it unsightly and compromising the aesthetics of the interior of the building. These aesthetics are very important to businesses such as hotels, motels, office buildings, and to government building such as schools. Additionally in schools, children may be more apt to want to play with the device if it is obvious to them thus possibly damaging the device and preventing its use during an escape. 
         [0012]    All the designs add significant costs and complexity to the building where they are installed and it would not be practical to install in every room within a structure. Additionally, these designs do not address the need to move from room to room in the case of an active shooter, whereas the present design is a one-time use that is easily and cheaply replaced. 
         [0013]    The present invention overcomes these shortcomings by providing a low cost method that fully integrates the Emergency Access System (hereinafter “System”) design into the current wall structure in a building, seamlessly without any visible signs unless so desired. This design allows persons to move from room to room within a building until reaching a designated exit area that leads to the outside of the building or where persons are gathered for mutual protection as in a school. The design is a bidirectional design allowing persons to exit a room and also allowing rescuer&#39;s another way to easily enter a room and reach persons that may be trapped. The System design is minimal thus overcoming the prior art&#39;s design that were complex and cumbersome requiring significant additional materials and adding weight. Moreover, this design allows persons that are smaller in stature, older, children, or handicapped to be able to effectively escape in an emergency. 
         [0014]    The present invention solves the problems identified above by offering a disposable bidirectional System. The present invention fulfills the industry&#39;s need for an alternative method of escaping from a room in an emergency such as fire or allowing teachers to move the children to either safety or a place them in a more secure environment where more than one adult may be able to resist the shooter and protect the children. 
         [0015]    There have thus been outlined, rather broadly, the more important features of the invention in order that the detailed description thereof that follows may be better understood, and in order that the present contribution to the art may be better appreciated. There are, of course, additional features of the invention that will be described hereinafter and which will form the subject matter of the claims appended hereto. 
         [0016]    In this respect, before explaining at least one embodiment of the invention in detail, it is to be understood that the invention is not limited in this application to the details of construction and to the arrangements of the components set forth in the following description or illustrated in the drawings. The invention is capable of other embodiments and of being practiced and carried out in various ways. In addition, it is to be understood that the phraseology and terminology employed herein are for the purpose of description and should not be regarded as limiting. As such, those skilled in the art will appreciate that the conception, upon which this disclosure is based, may readily be utilized as a basis for the designing of other structures, methods and systems for carrying out the several purposes of the present invention. Additional benefits and advantages of the present invention will become apparent to those skilled in the art to which the present invention relates from the subsequent description of the preferred embodiment and the appended claims, taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings. It is important, therefore, that the claims be regarded as including such equivalent constructions insofar as they do not depart from the spirit and scope of the present invention. 
         [0017]    Further, the purpose of the foregoing abstract is to enable the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office and the public generally, and especially the scientist, engineers and practitioners in the art who are not familiar with patent or legal terms or phraseology, to determine quickly from a cursory inspection the nature and essence of the technical disclosure of the application. The abstract is neither intended to define the invention of the application, which is measured by the claims, nor is it intended to be limiting as to the scope of the invention in any way. 
     
    
     
       DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
         [0018]      FIG. 1  is a floor plan view of a generic structure with the System installed. 
           [0019]      FIG. 2  is a detailed view from the room&#39;s interior of a wall with the emergency access system installed. 
           [0020]      FIG. 3  is a detailed view of the interior wall structure with the System installed. 
           [0021]      FIG. 4  is a end view of a common wall with the System installed on both sides. 
           [0022]      FIG. 5  shows a monitoring station connected to wall sensors. 
           [0023]      FIG. 6  is a flow diagram illustrating a process for installing a System. 
       
    
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION 
       [0024]      FIG. 1  is a floor plan view  100  of a generic building floor plan representing a multitude of building types such as a hotel, motel, office, or school where the System may be installed. The floor plan is not limited to these specific types of building but may further include other buildings such as commercial, residential, and industrial buildings where there may be a multitude of rooms with common walls. 
         [0025]    The floor plan view  100  illustrates the internal structure of a building that may include the following: rooms  102 , doors  104 , common walls  106 , exterior walls  108 , and an entrance/exit that functions an emergency exit  114 . Illustrated in this floor plan view  100  is the installed System having a multitude of interior access portals  110 . These multiple interior access portals  110  allow a person to penetrate a common wall  106  from the current room and enter into the adjacent room. This access enables a person to move freely from room to room whenever the use of their door  104 , their normal exit, is blocked and they are prevented from escaping because of some type of emergency such as a fire, building material collapse, or an active shooter. 
         [0026]    Additionally, this floor plan view  100  shows a single exterior access portal  112 , however, multiple exterior access portals  112  may be installed depending on the building design, local building codes, costs, occupant&#39;s requirements, and the exterior building covering. The exterior access portals  112  allow people that are trapped and cannot reach a designated emergency exit  114  another means to exit the building and escaped unharmed. Emergency exits  114  are typically used by people escaping the building but the System may allow other entry and exit points into the building. 
         [0027]    Rescue personnel may find upon reaching the scene that they are unable to enter through the designated emergency exit  114  because an active shooter may have chained the door lock and the police may not have the appropriate tools to breach the door or it is deemed too risky to attempt to enter. The System may enable the rescuer&#39;s to enter the building from exterior access portals  112  points along the exterior wall  108  rather than risk breaching emergency exits  114  or some other exterior exits. Furthermore, multiple exterior access portals  112  may allow rescue personnel to reach people that are trapped in a more expedient and efficient manner and in the case of an active shooter would allow the rescue personnel to enter the building at places that would be unexpected by an active shooter. 
         [0028]      FIG. 2  is a detailed view from the room&#39;s interior  200  of a common wall  106  with System installed. This view is from inside a room looking at a common wall  106  between two rooms. The common wall  106  may be constructed using standard wall construction techniques known by one skilled in the art utilizing wood or metal studs for the internal wall structure  204  but is not limited to these specific types of construction methods and materials. Additionally, the internal wall structure  204  may be covered by a wall material, which is typically drywall but one skilled in the art may choose other materials such as plaster and lath, oriented strand board, plywood, paneling, fiber board, plastic, foam, concrete, and metal but is not limited to these materials. In a preferred embodiment, the common wall  106  consists of a wooden internal wall structure  204  with the standard wall panels  202  utilizing drywall material, placed on either side of the wooden internal wall structure  204  and attached thereto. This preferred embodiment allows for easy installation of the emergency access panel  206  between standard wall panels  202 . The interior wall structure  204  is further illustrated in  FIG. 4  below. 
         [0029]    Each interior access portal  110  preferably includes emergency access panels  206  installed on both sides of the structure  208 . Each emergency access panel  206  may contain an emergency access opening  210  wherein the breakaway panel  212  substantially fills the opening  210  where it is releasably retained within the opening  210 . 
         [0030]    Installation of the System may require removal and replacement of standard wall panels  202  with emergency access panels  206  containing the breakaway panels  212  in existing structures but may not require removal in new construction. The emergency access panel  206  on one side of the common wall  106  should directly oppose the companion panel on the other side of the common wall  106  thus aligning the emergency access openings  210 . Unlike a door, which is designed to repeatedly open and close to allow access, the breakaway panels are retained in a fixed position, but can be broken loose from their mounts by pressure of a user. Once broken, repairs must be undertaken to re-establish the panel in a fixed position. 
         [0031]    Additionally, a repositioning of some components of the interior wall structure  204  may be needed in retrofitting an existing wall in order to allow personnel to more easily pass between the two rooms  102 . By repositioning and adding components to the frame structure, the original interior wall structure  204  becomes the emergency access panel structure  208 . This structure allows the panel to be more easily penetrated and broken by reducing the flexibility of the panel making it more susceptible to being penetrated in an emergency. In the preferred embodiment, the emergency access panel  206  is placed between two standard wall panels  202  wherein one skilled in the art would finish the wall using the normal construction processes including taping and mudding to hide the seams, texturing of the walls and painting. 
         [0032]    Another feature of the System, is the ability to replace a standard wall panel  202  but maintain the aesthetics so it could be used in buildings such as hotels, motels, office buildings and government buildings while also providing an easy way for persons to exit the area in an emergency without having to go through the normal exit in the event that it is blocked. The aesthetics of the room with the emergency access panel  206  should be the same or similar compared to a room without the panel  206  and only the structure within the emergency access panels  206  should be different. Additionally, if desired, the breakaway panel  212  may be marked with access markings  214  indicating the existence of the emergency access opening  210  and the location of the breakaway panel  212 . Simple instructions such as “press firmly to open” may be marked on the panel  212   
         [0033]      FIG. 3  shows the common wall structure  204  and emergency access panel structure  208  between two rooms with the standard panels  202  and emergency access sheet  206  removed from one side of the wall. This view illustrates a preferred embodiment utilizing 2-by-4 wood construction to create a frame using the emergency access panel structure  208  outlining the emergency access opening  210  wherein a standard wall panel  202  consisting of drywall material is placed on either side of the emergency access panel  206 . The emergency access panel structure  208  may be wooden or metal but is not limited to these materials, will be apparent to one skilled in the art. The view further illustrates the scoring  302  of the breakaway panel  212 , and the sensors  304 . 
         [0034]    The breakaway panel  212  may be scored  302  on the inside of the wall. The scoring may be done both vertically and horizontally to such a depth that when pressure is applied from the room&#39;s interior  200  it will release revealing an opening into the next room. Scoring  302  is but one method that may be used to allow this opening to be quickly penetrated. Other methods include cutting breakaway panel  212  out of the emergency access panel  206  and then re-installing the breakaway panel  212  with fasteners that allow it to be quickly penetrated. Other methods may be used by one skilled in the art that would be appropriate for the type of material utilized but is not limited to the method of scoring. 
         [0035]    Additionally, in the preferred embodiment of the invention, sensors  304  may be connected to a monitoring system  500 , which notifies personnel when the wall has likely been penetrated. In the present embodiment invention, the sensor  304  is a continuity sensor that is hardwired to the monitoring station and alarms whenever continuity is broken. Continuity is defined as a continuous circuit that provides an electrical path for current to flow wherein a break in the path disrupts the flow and the sensors detect the interruption. However, the sensor may be wirelessly connected to the monitoring station to ease retrofitting a structure. The continuity sensor is installed such that penetration of the wall should cause the wires to disconnect and opening the circuit thus giving an indication to the monitoring system  500  and the monitoring station  502 . Other methods of sensing and detecting the penetration of the walls including light, motion, vibration, temperature, electric fields, and sound, but is not limited to these methods of detection and sensing will be apparent to one skilled in the art. 
         [0036]      FIG. 4  shows a cross-sectional view of a preferred embodiment of a common wall  106  with the System installed. This view illustrates emergency access panels  206  affixed on both sides of the common wall  106  using fasteners  402  connecting to the emergency access panel structure  208  and the interior wall structure  204 . Typically, the fasteners  402  used to attach drywall are drywall screws. However, the panels  202  and panels  206  may be attached by other methods including but not limited to nails, clips, adhesives, and other methods of attachment that will be apparent to one skilled in the art. 
         [0037]    Additionally, the sensors  304  are shown installed behind the breakaway panel  212  in the upper and lower portions of the panel  212 . The placement of the sensors may be determined by one skilled in the art based on factors such as the type of sensor used, false alarm rate, and likelihood of detection after penetration. 
         [0038]      FIG. 5  depicts a monitoring system  500  that may consist of a monitoring station  502 , monitoring station sensor connections  508 , which connect to the sensors  304 , a display  504 , and a user interface  506 . The monitoring station  502  preferably includes a microprocessor to communicate with the sensors, display, and user interface. One skilled in the art may use analog devices, a microcontroller, and a programmable logic controller to sense, display the data, and allow for user interaction but is not limited to these specific devices and methods. The monitoring system  500  may preferably allow the monitoring station  502  to detect a penetration of a breakaway panel  212  and show on the display  504  the room and the wall within the specific room where the breakaway panel  212  has been penetrated. The display  504  may be selected from audio and visual display, which may provide an immediate indication to monitoring personnel that a wall has been penetrated. A user interface  506  may allow the operator to interact with the monitoring station  502  by transmitting user inputs to the monitoring station. Both the user interface  506  and the display  504  may be integrated into a remote device that communicates wirelessly with the monitoring station  502 , thus enabling rescue personnel to be outside the structure when viewing the display and identifying the location of the penetration. 
         [0039]      FIG. 6  illustrates the System installation method  600  for the preferred embodiment of this invention, which may include the following steps: site identification  602 , obstruction identification  604 , relocation of obstructions  606 , emergency access panel installation  608 , emergency access panel marking  610 , and monitoring system  612  installation. This installation method  600  may be used for new construction or to retrofit existing structures. 
         [0040]    A site identification step  602  evaluates the suitability of the site considering the requirement of movement from room to room. Placement of furniture and access to the existing exits are factors that may be considered in determining to proper placement. Other factors may be used by one skilled in the art that would be appropriate for determining the proper placement but is not limited to furniture location and existing exits. 
         [0041]    Obstruction identification  604  may follow the identification step. After the identification of a proposed site is completed, obstructions within the interior of the wall need to be identified wherein the obstructions such as electrical, structural, ventilation, and plumbing may preclude installing an emergency access panel  206 . If there are obstructions, then another site may be chosen or the obstructions may be removed or relocated outside the suitable area depending on the nature of the obstruction 
         [0042]    Relocation  606  may depend on the obstruction involved. If the obstruction is structural in nature then the overall structure may be modified to remove the obstruction while maintaining the structural integrity of the wall. If the obstruction is plumbing, electrical, or heating and air, then those obstructions may be relocated or rerouted to allow the System to be installed. 
         [0043]    The System installation  608  may consist of adding emergency access panel structure  208 , if required, then affixing the emergency access panel  206  to the structure  208  by fasteners  402 . 
         [0044]    This additional structure  208  allows the panel to be more easily broken in the event of an emergency. Once the structure  208  has been put in place then the sensors  304  are added and emergency access panel  206  are installed over the openings in both rooms covering the sensors and allowing for a common portal between the rooms once the walls have been penetrated. After the installation of the emergency access panel  206 , the panel  206  may be covered by common wall finishing techniques such as texturing and painting. Other methods of covering walls to make them aesthetically pleasing including but is not limited to texturing and painting will be apparent to one skilled in the art. After the wall covering is complete, a person may desire to provide visual indications where to penetrate the wall. 
         [0045]    Marking panels  610  allows a person inside a room to know where another emergency exit exists. Marking Panels  610  may be accomplished by providing a visual indication on the emergency access panel  206 , the floor in front of the panel or in documentation that remains in the room in the case of a hotel or motel. The preferred embodiment includes placing the words “Emergency Escape Corridor” or similar wording at the top of the breakaway panel  212  and outlining the panel. Other methods for visual indication include the above mentioned locations and manners but is not limited to these and will be apparent to one skilled in the art. 
         [0046]    After completing the above steps, which is not an inclusive set of steps, the monitoring system  500  may be installed in a desired location and the sensors are connected to the monitoring station sensor connections  508 . The monitoring station  502  may be programmed to display user defined messages. After installation, the monitoring station  502  may be monitored by personnel wherein they are alerted when a wall has been breached. 
         [0047]    The purpose of the abstract is to enable the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office and the public generally, and especially the scientist, engineers and practitioners in the art who are not familiar with patent or legal terms or phraseology, to determine quickly from a cursory inspection the nature and essence of the technical disclosure of the application. The abstract is neither intended to define the invention of the application, which is measured by the claims, nor is it intended to be limiting as to the scope of the invention in any way. 
         [0048]    While the invention has been shown, illustrated, described and disclosed in terms of specific embodiments or modifications, the scope of the invention should not be deemed to be limited by the precise embodiments or modifications therein shown, illustrated, described or disclosed. Such other embodiments or modifications are intended to be reserved especially as they fall within the scope of the claims herein appended.