Abstract:
An emergency locator system ( 10 ) for firefighters ( 100 ) including a first housing unit ( 11 ) carried by a firefighter and containing a global positioning receiver unit ( 12 ), a memory unit ( 13 ), and a data transmitting unit ( 13 ) which communicates continuous positional data relative to the location of the first housing unit ( 11 ) to a central processing unit ( 15 ) that can store, retrieve, and transfer the positional data from the first housing unit ( 11 ) to a second housing unit ( 11′ ) that includes at least a memory unit ( 60 ) that is associated with an LED array ( 40 ) having directional arrow icons ( 45 ) that are activated by the transferred positional data from the first housing unit ( 11 ) to permit rescuers to retrace the path of travel of the first housing unit ( 11 ) by using the second housing unit ( 11′ ) to locate a disabled firefighter.

Description:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 
     1. Field of the Invention 
     The present invention relates to the field of personal alarm signaling systems in general, and in particular to a system that allows rescuers to retrace the path of a disabled firefighter. 
     2. Description of Related Art 
     As can be seen by reference to the following U.S. Pat. Nos. 5,541,579; 5,621,388; 5,644,294; 5,990,793; and 5,689,234, the prior art is replete with myriad and diverse firefighter locator systems. 
     While all of the aforementioned prior art constructions are more than adequate for the basic purpose and function for which they have been specifically designed, they are uniformly deficient with respect to their failure to provide a simple, efficient, and practical device that will provide rescue personnel with not only the present location of a disabled firefighter, but also the exact route taken by that firefighter from the time that they entered a burning building up until the present time. 
     While many of the current systems transmit data as to the present location of a disabled firefighter, it is of little or no value to the rescuers if they do not know which floor the disabled firefighter is on, or exactly how the disabled firefighter arrived at their present location. 
     A tragically classical example of this problem recently played out in New England. Several firefighters became disabled in a multi story warehouse that had a labyrinth arrangement of interior walls and partitions that totally frustrated all rescue attempts. Furthermore, when the tragedy was reenacted, it became apparent that the rescuers had come within 25 feet of one or more of the fallen firefighters, but could not reach them due to the presence of one or more structural walls between the rescuers and the firefighters. 
     As a consequence of the foregoing situation, there has existed a longstanding need among firefighters for a new and improved personal emergency locator system that will allow rescuers to exactly retrace any individual firefighters path of travel into a burning structure so that the rescuers can go directly to the location of the disabled firefighter, and the provision of such a system is a stated objective of the present invention. 
     BRIEF SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 
     Briefly stated, the emergency locator system for firefighters that forms the basis of the present invention comprises in general a central processing unit which interacts with a global positioning receiver unit, a data transmitting unit, and a memory unit contained within a body worn housing unit that is carried by the individual firefighters responding to a blaze. 
     As will be explained in greater detail further on in the specification, the body worn housing unit is provided with data entry and control buttons, as well as LED indicators. The firefighter activates the global positioning receiver unit immediately upon entering a building so that the memory unit can record the exact distances and directions traveled by the firefighter within a building and simultaneously transmit that information, as well as the firefighters PIN code via the data transmitting unit to the central processing unit. 
     In addition, the housing unit is further provided with both emergency signaling means, as well as means for indicating when a firefighter ascends or descends a stairwell. Then, if a firefighter encounters an emergency situation and becomes disabled, he or she can immediately notify the central processing unit which identifies the firefighter needing assistance and download their exact route of travel into the memory unit of a companion housing unit that will be carried by rescue personnel as they retrace the path of travel of the disabled firefighter. 
    
    
     BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE SEVERAL VIEWS OF THE DRAWINGS 
     These and other attributes of the invention will become more clear upon a thorough study of the following description of the best mode for carrying out the invention, particularly when reviewed in conjunction with the drawings, wherein: 
     FIG. 1 is a perspective view of the emergency locator system that forms the basis of the present invention; 
     FIG. 2 is a top plan view of the central processing unit; 
     FIG. 3 is a rear plan view of the housing unit carried by a firefighter; 
     FIG. 4 is a front plan view of the firefighter&#39;s housing unit; 
     FIG. 5 is a side plan view of the firefighter&#39;s housing unit; 
     FIG. 6 is a bottom plan view of the firefighter&#39;s housing unit; 
     FIG. 7 is a cross sectional view of the interior of the firefighter&#39;s housing unit taken through line  7 — 7  of FIG. 6; and 
     FIG. 8 is a cross sectional view taken through line  8 — 8  of FIG.  5 . 
    
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION 
     As can be seen by reference to the drawings, and in particular to FIGS. 1 and 8, the emergency locator system for firefighters that forms the basis of the present invention is designated generally by the reference number  10 . The system  10  comprises in general, two identical housing units  11 , each containing a global positioning receiver unit  12 , a memory unit  13 , and a data transmitting unit  14  which are operatively associated with a central processing unit  15 . These units will now be described in seriatim fashion. 
     As can best be seen by reference to FIGS. 3 through 8, each of the housing units  11  includes a portable housing body member  20  dimensioned to receive a global positioning receiver unit  12 , a memory unit  13 , and a data transmission unit  14  whose purposes and functions will be described in greater detail further on in the specification. 
     The housing body member  20  is further provided with a pair of opposed side panels  21 ,  22 , a face panel  23 , a back panel  24 , a top panel  25 , and a bottom panel  26 . Furthermore, the top panel  25  is provided with an antennae element  27 , one of the side panels  21  is provided with an on-off switch element  28 , the back panel  24  is provided with a removable panel door  29  that provides access into a battery compartment  30  formed in the interior of the housing body member  20 . The bottom panel  26  is provided with a pair of data download  31  and upload  32  ports and the face panel  23  is provided with a control and display array designated generally as  40 . 
     As can best be seen by reference to FIGS. 1 and 4, the control and display array  40  includes an “enter” button  41 , an “exit” button  42 , and directional LED display panel  44  provided with a plurality of directional arrow icons  45 . The upper  45 ′ and lower  45 ″ icons serve a dual purpose and function in accordance with the teachings of this invention, as will be explained in greater detail further on in the specification. 
     As can best be appreciated by reference to FIGS. 7 and 8, the global positioning receiver unit  12  comprises a conventional military style GPS receiver member  50  which is designed to download positional data from a satellite array (not shown) to indicate the exact position of the receiver member  50  with a high degree of precision as close as two feet from the actual position of the receiver member  50 . 
     This positional data from the GPS receiver member  50  is then continuously recorded in the memory unit  13  which comprises a microprocessor  60  and sent via the data transmission unit  14  which comprises a data transmitter  70  connected to the transmitting antennae  27  on the top panel  25  of the housing body member  20  which relays the data in a wireless fashion to the central processing unit  15 . The data transmission further includes a piggyback code containing a PIN that will reveal the identity of the firefighter that is carrying that particular housing unit  11 . 
     As shown in FIGS. 1 and 2, the central processing unit  15  comprises a central computer member  80  having a built in wireless receiver (not shown) for recording all of the coded wireless digital data from all of the housing units  11  carried by the firefighters that are being monitored by the central computer member  80 . 
     In addition, the central computer member  80  is further provided with an alphanumeric keyboard  81 , an audible alarm element  82 , a visual alarm element  83 , and a receptacle element  84  having data downloading  85  and uploading  86  terminals that are adapted to be received in the housing unit  11 ′ that will be carried by the rescue personnel. 
     In operation, the emergency locator system  10  requires that each firefighter  100  be equipped with their own individual housing unit  11  which they will turn on via the on/off button as soon as they arrive at the site of a fire. As the firefighters enter a burning structure they will depress the “enter” button  41  which will immediately begin downloading positional data from the GPS receiver member  50  on a continuous basis which will be both stored in the microprocessor  60  and also transmitted in a wireless fashion via the transmitter member  70  to the central computer member  80 . 
     While the “enter” button  41  is depressed, the LCD display  44  will be uniformly illuminated to clearly delineate the exit button  42  which will remain illuminated as long as the on/off switch  28  is turned to the “on” position. 
     Furthermore, as the firefighter initially progresses through a building and encounters a stairwell it will be necessary for the firefighter to depress the upper directional icon  45 ′ in a particular fashion or sequence to record the fact that the firefighter is traveling up a stairwell or depress the lower directional icon  45 ″ in a similar fashion to indicate that the firefighter is going down a stairwell, with this information being both stored in the microprocessor  60  and relayed to the central computer member  80  via the data transmitter member  70 . 
     Under normal operating conditions, the exit button  42  will never have to be depressed as long as the firefighter is able bodied. If he or she becomes disoriented, they will be able to egress from the building simply by depressing the exit button  42  and follow the illuminated directional arrow icons  45 . 
     The depression of the “exit” button  42  downloads the positional data stored in the microprocessor  60  in reverse order to selectively illuminate in sequential fashion a single arrow icon  45  that corresponds to the desired direction of travel that the firefighter must take to retrace their path out of the building. In addition, when the firefighter encounters a stairwell either the upper  45 ′ or lower  45 ″ arrow icon will flash accompanied by loud audible beeps to remind the firefighter which direction to take the staircase to exit the building. 
     In an emergency situation, the firefighter would depress the exit button  42  a second time or for more than 5 seconds which would activate the transmitter  70  to send an emergency signal to the central computer member  80  causing both the audible alarm element  82  and the visual alarm element  83  to be activated to alert the person monitoring the central computer member  80  that one of the firefighters is in trouble and needs assistance. 
     The audible alarm element  82  will also identify the particular housing unit  11  from which the alarm signal was generated which will allow the operator of the central computer member  80  to key in the alphanumeric code of that particular housing unit  11  into the computer keyboard  81  to download all of the positional data that was previously generated from that housing unit  11 . 
     At this juncture, a second housing unit  11 ′ will be inserted into the receptacle  84  on the central computer member  80  to upload all of the recorded positional data for the first housing unit  11  so that the rescuers can use the second housing unit  11 ′ to retrace the line of travel of the firefighter having the first housing unit  11 . 
     Once the positional data has been uploaded from the central computer member  80 , the leader of the rescue team will simply depress the “enter” button  41  and the pre-loaded positional data will cause the directional arrow icons  45  to sequentially illuminate to duplicate the path of travel of the firefighter who has the first housing unit  11  in his or her possession. 
     It should also be noted that as soon as the second housing unit  11 ′ is removed from the computer receptacle  84 , the alarm reset button  87  will be depressed to clear the central computer member  80  for subsequent emergency calls from other firefighters. 
     Although only an exemplary embodiment of the invention has been described in detail above, those skilled in the art will readily appreciate that many modifications are possible without materially departing from the novel teachings and advantages of this invention. Accordingly, all such modifications are intended to be included within the scope of this invention as defined in the following claims. 
     Having thereby described the subject matter of the present invention, it should be apparent that many substitutions, modifications, and variations of the invention are possible in light of the above teachings. It is therefore to be understood that the invention as taught and described herein is only to be limited to the extent of the breadth and scope of the appended claims.