Patent Publication Number: US-6658801-B2

Title: Portable fire curtain system

Description:
1.0 RELATED APPLICATIONS 
     This application claims the benefit of U.S. Provisional Application No. 60/216,226 filed on Jul. 5, 2000, having the title Portable Fire Curtain. 
    
    
     2.0 BACKGROUND 
     A major problem in fighting fires is that wind blowing against a side of a building, enters any openings in the building such as open doorways and open windows, and thus fans the fire inside the building causing the fire to spread rapidly down the hallways of the building and into the rooms thereof. Such quickly spreading fires fanned by the wind blowing through the openings of a building have caused the deaths of many civilians and fire fighters. There is a great need for a portable fire fighting curtain which, when rolled up, could be conveniently carried by firemen, and could quickly and easily be used at the site of a fire to block building openings thus preventing the wind from blowing through building openings, and thus eliminating this cause of rapidly spreading fires within a building. The Applicants, after the deaths of some of their brother firefighters, decided that enough was enough; someone had to take the initiative and solve the problem of wind fueling fires. 
     3.0 SUMMARY 
     3.1 Opening 
     The instant invention is an improvement to fire curtains. The problem to be solved is the problem of wind fueling fires. Unfortunately, most of the background art devices are complicated, big and clumsy, or can not be easily adapted to solving this pressing problem. Applicants began making rough drafts of different curtain designs, but these were not to their liking. They were complicated, big, and clumsy. Realizing that this operation needed easy and quick deployment, packing that was simple, and a carrying case that was sleek and well balanced, Applicants brainstormed the idea and finally came up with a design that had all the attributes they wanted. Applicants are proud to introduce the Portable Fire Curtain System. 
     Applicants believe that the most significant distinguishing feature of the instant invention over all the background art devices is that the instant invention, being made of cloth, with encapsulated aluminum bars, is relatively light and easy to handle, and allows significantly faster deployment than the inventions in the background art, and can easily be moved from one window to another. Since time is of the essence in fighting fires, the instant invention includes two rope deployment bags which enable the ropes used to secure the fire curtain over a venting building opening to be quickly deployed without any risk of the ropes tangling. 
     It is, therefore, the main object of this invention to provide a portable fire curtain system which performs the task of blocking the winds which are fueling the fire, is relatively light and easy to handle, allows quick deployment, and can be easily moved from one window to another. 
     Applicants&#39; portable fire curtain system possesses the following advantages: 
     The instant invention, unlike most background art devices, is portable. 
     The instant invention protects firefighters from the wind spreading flames when fighting fires in extreme wind conditions. 
     The instant invention, having a fire curtain made of cloth, with encapsulated aluminum bars, is relatively light and easy to handle. 
     The instant invention, by including upper and lower rope deployment bags, enables the fire curtain to be quickly secured to a venting building opening with virtually no possibility of the ropes tangling. 
     The instant invention allows significantly faster deployment than the background art devices, and can easily be moved from one window to another. 
     The instant invention is easy to use with most conventional windows. 
     The instant invention is economical to manufacture and easy to pack and unpack. 
     3.2 Contents 
     The above features are objects of this invention. Yet further objects are as follows: 
     An object of the instant invention is to provide a portable fire curtain system which when used over a building opening is strong and sturdy, light weight, and easy to use. 
     A further object is to provide a portable fire curtain system that is economical in cost to manufacture. 
     A further object is to provide a portable fire curtain system which has a high level of strength and reliability. 
     Yet another object is to provide a portable fire curtain system which is still small enough and light enough to be easily stowed away and carried in a fire engine. 
     These and other objects, features, aspects, and advantages of the present invention will become better understood with regard to the following description, appended claims, and accompanying drawings and will be otherwise apparent to those skilled in the art. 
     For the purpose of illustration of this invention, a preferred embodiment is shown in the accompanying drawings. It is to be understood that this is for the purpose of example only and that the invention is not limited thereto. 
    
    
     4.0 BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
     FIG. 1 shows a building with the portable fire curtain system installed over two windows it is desired to prevent from venting; 
     FIG. 2 shows a closeup elevation view of a portable fire curtain system in the process of being installed over a window it is desired to prevent from venting; 
     FIG. 3 shows the complete portable fire curtain system; 
     FIG. 4 shows the portable fire curtain system with parts of the bag connectors and curtain connectors broken away for greater visibility of detail; 
     FIG. 5 shows a fire curtain after stiffeners have been inserted and the cables have been attached; 
     FIG. 6 shows a front view of the fire curtain before it was folded and sewn together; 
     FIG. 7 shows the two sections of the fire curtain folded and sewn together along the upper and lower edges and along one of the side edges; also shown are the grommets reinforcing the holes at each of the four corners of the fire curtain; 
     FIG. 8 shows the fire curtain with the stiffeners in position for inserting them into the pockets of the fire curtain; 
     FIG. 9 shows the fire curtain just after inserting six spaced stiffeners into pockets of the fire curtain; 
     FIG. 10 shows the fire curtain with a four foot cable leader attached to each of the four holes at the corners of the fire curtain with the central sections of the cables broken away for greater visibility of detail; also shown are the ferrules used to form the loops and prevent fraying of the ends of the cable leaders; 
     FIG. 11 shows an enlarged view of the contents of dashed circle  11  in FIG. 10; 
     FIG. 12 shows a front view of the upper rope deployment bag; 
     FIG. 13 shows a front view of the upper rope deployment bag with its flap open; 
     FIG. 14 shows a front view of the central divider of the upper rope deployment bag; 
     FIG. 15 shows the front view of an alternate embodiment of the central divider of the upper rope deployment bag; 
     FIG. 16 shows a front view of the lower rope deployment bag; 
     FIG. 17 shows a front view of the lower rope deployment bag with its flap open; 
     FIG. 18 shows a front view of the central divider of the lower rope deployment bag; 
     FIG. 19 shows the front view of an alternate embodiment of the central divider of the lower rope deployment bag; 
     FIG. 20A shows the swivel bolt snaps of the upper rope deployment bag inserted in their bolt snap pockets; 
     FIG. 20B shows the swivel bolt snaps of the lower rope deployment bag inserted in their bolt snap pockets; 
     FIG. 21 shows the tote bag to be used for carrying the portable fire curtain system with its flap open; 
     FIG. 22 shows the tote bag to be used for carrying the portable fire curtain system with its flap closed; 
     FIG. 23 shows the manner of using the portable fire curtain system; 
    
    
     5.0 DESCRIPTION 
     5.1 Materials Used in Making the Invention 
     Fire Curtain 
     QUANTITY: 1 
     IS OMNI 45™ WHICH IS A BLEND OF BASOFIL®MELAMINE FIBERS AND PARA-ARAMID FIBERS 
     IS TWO PLY YARN AND RIPSTOP WEAVE CONSTRUCTION 
     IS A WEIGHT OF 8 oz./sq. yard. 
     Aluminum Bars 
     QUANTITY: 6 
     58½″ LENGTH 
     2″ WIDTH 
     ¼″ THICKNESS 
     HIGH TEMPERED 
     0.588 lb/ft 
     Cable Leaders 
     QUANTITY: 4 
     {fraction (3/16)}″ DIAMETER 
     5′ LENGTH 
     Grommets 
     QUANTITY: 8 
     ½″ DIAMETER OPENING 
     BRASS 
     Cable Thimbles 
     QUANTITY: 4 
     ¼″ GUIDE 
     ALUMINUM 
     Ferrules 
     QUANTITY: 16 DOUBLE AND 16 SINGLE 
     HEAVY GAUGE ALUMINUM 
     ¼″ DIAMETER 
     Ropes 
     QUANTITY: 2 
     40 ′ LENGTHS 
     ½″ DIAMETER 
     Snaps 
     SWIVEL EYE BOAT SNAPS 
     QUANTITY: 1 
     2″ LENGTH 
     SWIVEL BOLT SNAPS 
     QUANTITY: 4 
     3″ LENGTH 
     Thread 
     NOMEX™ (NOMEX is a trademark of E.I. DuPont de Nemours &amp; Co.) 
     5.2 Detailed Description of the Elements 
     5.2.1 Introduction 
     The Portable Fire Curtain System is designed to provide a cloak to cover a building opening such as a window or door. When deployed it will block the incoming wind, which is fueling the fire. 
     5.2.2 Description of a Portable Fire Curtain System 
     The instant invention is a portable fire curtain system which is used to block a building opening of a burning building in order to prevent wind from blowing into that building opening and spreading flames in the burning building. The fire curtain included in the portable fire curtain system is affixed vertically to a building opening so as to block that building opening. 
     Turning now descriptively to the drawings, in which similar reference characters denote similar elements throughout the several views, FIG. 1 shows a building  32  with the portable fire curtain system  30  installed over two windows  34 ,  35  it is desired to prevent from venting (the target windows  34 ,  35  or openings). FIG. 2 is a closeup elevation view of a portable fire curtain system  30  in the process of being installed over a window  36  it is desired to prevent from venting. As best seen in FIG. 3 which shows the complete portable fire curtain system  30 , and FIG. 4, which shows the portable fire curtain system  30  with parts of the bag connectors and curtain connectors broken away for greater visibility of detail, the portable fire curtain system  30  consists of: 
     a fire curtain  38  which is an elongated substantially rectangular piece of fire resistant fabric material  40   
     a plurality of spaced stiffeners  42  encapsulated into this fire curtain  38 . These stiffeners can be either bars or tubing. For ease of reference, the term “bar” shall be used for “stiffener” throughout the rest of this description. 
     curtain connectors  46  attached to each of the four corners  48 ,  48 ,  48 ,  48  of this fire curtain  38 . These curtain connectors can be either cable leaders or fireproof ropes. For ease of reference, the term “cable” or “cable leaders” shall be used for “curtain connector” throughout the rest of this description. 
     two bag connector deployment bags  50 ,  51 , each bag connector deployment bag containing two bag connector sections  54  for attaching the bag connector deployment bags  50 ,  51  to the cables  46  extending from the corners  48 ,  48 ,  48 ,  48  of the fire curtain  38 . These bag connectors can be either ropes or straps. For ease of reference, the term “rope” shall be used for “bag connector”, and “rope deployment bag” shall be used for “bag connector deployment bag” throughout the rest of this description. 
     As shown in FIG. 5, the fire curtain  38  has a top edge  58  and a bottom edge  60  which are shorter than the two side edges  62 . Preferably, the fire curtain  38  is made of Basofil and Kevlar weave. 
     This material is made by NOR.FAB Corporation. Their trade name for this material is “OMNI 45™” FIREFIGHTER Outer SHELL FABRIC”. This fabric is a woven light weight dimensionally stable fabric blend of Para-Aramid and BASOFIL® fibers. The fiber make-up is 40% Basofil® and 60% Para-Aramid. (BASOFIL® is a registered trademark of BASF Corporation and Para-Aramid and Kevlar are trademarks of DuPont Company. The ‘design’ of “OMNI 45” is an optimal blend of Basofil fiber combined with strong Para-aramid fibers. The two ply yarn and Ripstop weave construction is engineered into “OMNI 45™”. 
     Aramid Fiber has the following characteristics: 
     No melting point 
     Low flammability 
     Good fabric integrity at elevated temperatures 
     Aramid is spun as a multifilament by a proprietary process developed by DuPont Company. 
     Para-aramid fibers, which have a slightly different molecular structure than aramid fiber, also provide outstanding strength-to-weight properties, high tenacity and high modulus. 
     NOR.FAB Corporation&#39;s “OMNI 45”™ FIREFIGHTER Outer SHELL FABRIC utilizes KEVLAR® brand para-aramid fiber in its composition. Fibers of KEVLAR® consist of long molecular chains produced from poly-paraphenylene terephthalamide. The chains are highly oriented with strong interchain bonding which result in a unique combination of properties. 
     General Features: 
     High Tensile Strength at Low Weight 
     Low Elongation to Break 
     High Modulus (Structural Rigidity) 
     Low Electrical Conductivity 
     High Chemical Resistance 
     Low Thermal Shrinkage 
     High Toughness (Work-To-Break) 
     Excellent Dimensional Stability 
     High Cut Resistance 
     Flame Resistant, Self-Extinguishing 
     As shown in FIGS. 6 and 7, the rectangular piece of fire resistant material  64  which is being used to make the fire curtain  38  is folded upon itself at the horizontal dashed lines  66  in the center of the material so that the bottom edge  68  of the material is even with and rests on the top edge  58 . As shown in FIG. 7, the two sections of this folded piece of material  70  are then sewn together along the upper edge  58 , the lower edge  60 , and along one of the side edges  62  of this folded piece of material  70 . Preferably, the two sections of this folded piece of material  70  are sewn together with a fire resistant thread  74 . This thus folded and thus sewn piece of material is hereinafter referred to as the fire curtain  38 . Two holes  80 ,  80  are cut in the upper two corners  76 ,  76  and the lower two corners  78 ,  78  of the fire curtain. The holes  80 ,  80 , in the upper two corners  76 ,  76  are located approximately 1½ inches from the top edge  58  and approximately 2 inches from the side edge  62  nearest to that corner. These holes  80  pass completely through the fire curtain material  86  from the front side to the backside of this folded piece of material  70 . The two holes  80 ,  80  cut in the upper two corners  76 ,  76  are designated the upper two curtain holes  88 ,  88 . Similarly, holes  80 ,  80  cut in the lower two corners  78 ,  78  of this folded piece of material  70  are located approximately 1½ inches from the lower edge  60  and approximately two inches from the side edge  62  nearest to that corner. These two holes  80 ,  80  are designated the lower two curtain holes  96 . Each of the upper two curtain holes  88  and the lower two curtain holes  96  extend from the front side to the back side of the fire curtain  38 . Preferably, the rims  98  of the upper two curtain holes  88  and the rims  98  of the lower two curtain holes  96  of the fire curtain  38  are reinforced and strengthened with grommets  100 ,  100 ,  100 ,  100 . (A grommet is a reinforced eyelet through which a fastener may be passed.) Thus each curtain hole will be reinforced with two grommets—one on the front side of the fire curtain  38  and one on the backside of the fire curtain  38 . 
     As shown in FIGS. 8 (before) and  9  (after), a plurality of spaced bars  42 , preferably six in number, is encapsulated, preferably by stitching, into the fire curtain  38  for providing stiffness to the fire curtain  38  in order to prevent a wind from blowing the fire curtain  38  into the window which it is covering. Preferably a series of six equidistantly spaced elongated laterally running pockets  122  for the reception of these bars  42  with the pockets longest edge  124  parallel to the upper and lower edges  58 ,  60  of the fire curtain  38  are stitched into the fire curtain  38 . These pockets  122  hold the six spaced bars  42  running laterally. Preferably, these spaced bars  42  are substantially parallel to and equidistant from one another. Preferably, these bars  42  are made of high tempered aluminum. The uppermost bar  108  has a bar hole  110  near each end which lines up with the corresponding upper two curtain holes  88  in the fire curtain  38  after this bar  108  has been slid into the uppermost pocket  114 . Likewise the lowermost bar  116  has a bar hole  110  near each end which lines up with the corresponding lower two curtain holes  96  in the fire curtain  38  after this bar  116  has been slid into the lowermost pocket  120 . Thus, after these six spaced bars  42  are placed in their respective pockets  122 , they are substantially parallel to the upper and lower edges  58 ,  60  of the fire curtain  38 . FIG. 9 shows the fire curtain  38  after the bars  42  have been inserted into their respective pockets  122  and the side  62  of the fire curtain having the open pockets, has been stitched to secure the bars  42  in the pockets  122 . 
     As shown in FIG. 10, attached to each of the four holes  88 ,  88 ,  96 ,  96  at the corners  48  of the fire curtain  38  is a four foot cable leader  134  (the central sections of the cables have been broken away in FIG. 10 for greater visibility of detail). Each of these cable leaders  134  has a first end  136  having means  140  for attaching it to a curtain hole at one of the corners  48  of the fire curtain  38  and a second end  142  having a loop  144 . Preferably after the loop  144  at the second end  142  of the cable leader is formed, a double ferrule  148  is used to secure that loop  144 , and a single ferrule  150  is used to inhibit fraying of the cable end  160 . 
     The means for attaching the cable leaders  134  to the curtain holes  80  in the corners  48  of the fire curtain  38  can be clips, loops, or snaps. Applicants&#39; preferred means for attaching the cable leaders  134  to the holes  80  in the fire curtain  38  is loops  154 . The loops  154  pass through the grommets  100  on the front side of the fire curtain  38 , through the bar holes  110  of the encapsulated uppermost and lowermost bars  42 , and then through the grommets  100  on the back side of the fire curtain  38 . As shown in FIG. 11 which is an enlarged view of the contents of dashed circle  11  in FIG. 10, where loops  154  are used for this purpose, a cable thimble  156  is used to prevent chafing of the cable loop  154  on the fire curtain  38  at its grommets  100 . Preferably, after the loop  154  is formed, a double ferrule  148  is placed on the cable leader to secure that loop  154  and a single ferrule  150  is used to inhibit fraying of the cable end  160 . 
     As shown in FIGS. 4,  10 ,  12 - 15 , the portable fire curtain system  30  further consists of two rope deployment bags, an upper rope deployment bag  50  and a lower rope deployment bag  51 . The upper rope deployment bag  50  has a 40 foot rope  164  secured at its midpoint to the inside bottom  166  of the upper rope deployment bag  50  such that the two free ends  168 ,  168  of this rope  164  can be connected to the loops  144  at the ends of the cables  46  extending from the upper two corners  76  of the fire curtain  38 . The ropes  164  for connecting the rope deployment bags  50 ,  51  to the loops  144  at the ends of the cables  46  can be either ropes or straps. For ease of reference, the term “rope” shall be used for “bag connector” and the term “rope deployment bag” shall be used for “bag connector deployment bag” throughout the rest of this specification. 
     Alternatively, a single 50 foot piece of flexible fire proof rope can be used in place of the cable leaders and rope. 
     Either clips or snaps can be used to attach the two free ends  168 ,  168  of the rope  164  from the upper rope deployment bag  50  to the cable leaders  134  attached to the upper two corners  76  of the fire curtain  38 . It is preferred, however, to connect swivel bolt snaps  178  to each of the two free ends  168 ,  168  of the rope  164 . These swivel bolt snaps  178  are then used to connect one free end  168  of the rope  164  to the loop  144  at the end  142  of the cable leader  134  extending from the upper left corner  184  of the fire curtain  38 , and the other free end  168  of the rope  164  to the loop  144  at the end  142  of the cable leader  134  extending from the upper right corner  186  of the fire curtain  38 . 
     Similarly, as shown in FIGS. 4,  10 ,  16 - 19 , the lower rope deployment bag  51  has a rope  164  secured at its midpoint to the inside bottom  166  of the lower rope deployment bag  51  such that the two free ends  168 ,  168  of this rope  164  can be connected to the loops  144  at the ends of the cable leaders  46  extending from the lower two corners  78  of the fire curtain  38 . Again, either clips or snaps can be used to attach the two free ends  168 ,  168  of the rope  164  from the lower rope deployment bag  51  to the cable leaders  134  attached to the lower two corners  78  of the fire curtain  38 . It is preferred, however, to connect swivel bolt snaps  178  to each of the two free ends  168 ,  168  of the rope  164 . These swivel bolt snaps  178  are then used to connect one free end  168  of the rope  164  to the loop  144  at the end  142  of the cable leader extending from the lower left corner  190  of the fire curtain  38 , and the other free end  168  of the rope  164  to the loop  144  at the end  142  of the cable leader  134  extending from the lower right corner  192  of the fire curtain  38 . 
     Preferably, as shown in FIGS. 13,  14 ,  17 ,  18 , each of the fire rope deployment bags  50 ,  51  has a central divider or partition  194  which separate the bag into two rope pockets  196 ,  197 . This central divider  194  preferably runs parallel to the lip  198  of the rope deployment bag  50 ,  51  and has its top edge  172  near the mouth  200  of the rope deployment bag, and a bottom edge  174  which is joined, preferably by sewing, to the inside bottom  202  of the rope deployment bag  50 ,  51 . The bottom  204  of this central divider  194  has a hole or cutout  206  therein through which the rope  164  passes. As previously mentioned the midpoint of each rope  164  is sewn to the inside bottoms  202  of each rope deployment bag  50 ,  51 . Thus in the rope&#39;s stored state, half of the rope  164  will reside in one rope pocket  196  and the other half of the rope  164  will reside in the other rope pocket  197  thus keeping the rope halves separate and eliminating any possibility of the ropes becoming tangled with each other. Each rope deployment bag  50 ,  51  has a flap  212  with a strip of hook and loop fastener material  214  fastened on its inside surface  216 . A mating piece of hook and loop fastener material  218  is fastened to the lower front portion  220  of the exterior of each rope deployment bag  50 ,  51 . Thus for each rope deployment bag  50 ,  51 , the rope deployment bag&#39;s flap  212  can be folded over and its attached strip of hook and loop fastener material  214  can be joined to the mating piece of hook and loop fastener material  218  on the lower portion  220  of the exterior of the rope deployment bag  50 ,  51 , thus securing the rope deployment bag  50 ,  51  in its closed state. Preferably in its closed state each rope deployment bag  50 ,  51  will have a small rope hole  226  at each end of the bag at the approximate height of the top  172  of the divider  194  which divides the rope deployment bag  50 ,  51  into two pockets  196 ,  197 . Preferably, as shown in FIGS. 12,  16 , when the flap  212  is in its closed state, on its outside front are two smaller bolt snap pockets  228  open at the top. To get each rope deployment bag  50 ,  51  ready for eventual use, the swivel bolt snap  178  attached to the end of the rope  164  in one rope pocket  196 ,  197  is pulled though one of these rope holes  226  along with the end of the rope  164  to which it is attached. Then the swivel bolt, snap  178  is placed in the bolt snap pocket  228  closest to the rope hole  226  from which it was withdrawn. Likewise the swivel bolt snap  178  attached to the end of the rope  164  in the other rope pocket is pulled through the other rope hole  226  along with the end of the rope  164  to which it is attached. Then this swivel bolt snap  178  is placed in the bolt snap pocket  228  closest to the rope hole  226  from which it was withdrawn. FIGS. 20A and 20B show the swivel bolt snaps  178  of the upper and lower rope deployment bags inserted in their respective bolt snap pockets  228 ,  228 . Then in the event of a fire, one merely need pull one of the swivel bolt snaps  178  from its bolt snap pocket  228  and pull on it thus withdrawing one half section of rope  164  from the rope deployment bag  50 ,  51  without having to open the rope deployment bag&#39;s flap  212  (which would risk the two rope sections becoming tangled). Likewise, one would pull the other swivel bolt snap  178  from its bolt snap pocket  228  and pull on it thus withdrawing its half section of rope  164  from the rope deployment bag  50 ,  51  without having to open the rope deployment bag&#39;s flap  212  (which again would risk the two rope sections becoming tangled). Thus one can quickly withdraw both sections of rope  164  without any risk of them becoming tangled with each other. 
     Alternatively and preferably, as shown in FIG. 15, instead of sewing the middle of the rope  164  to the bottom  166  of the upper rope deployment bag  50 , the central divider  194  in the upper bag can have two holes  244 ,  244  therethrough near its bottom edge  174 . Then the rope  164  can be passed through these two holes  244 ,  244  and knotted around the portion of the central divider  194  between these two holes  244 ,  244 , thus providing a more secure fastening than sewing would provide. 
     Likewise, alternatively and preferably, instead of sewing the middle of the rope  164  to the bottom  166  of the lower rope deployment bag  51 , the central divider  194  can have two holes  244 ,  244  therethrough near its bottom edge  174 . The rope  164  is then knotted around the portion of the central divider  194  between the two holes  244  in the divider thus providing a more secure fastening than sewing provides. Most preferably, the lower rope deployment bag  51  then will have two holes  246  in its bottom, one on each side of where the central divider  194  is joined to the inside bottom  202  of the lower rope deployment bag  51 . Thus one of these holes  246  is in the first rope pocket  196  and the other hole  246  is in the second rope pocket  197 . A portion of the rope  164  near its middle is then made to protrude out of these two holes  246  in the bottom of the lower rope deployment bag  51  and is knotted  256  at the point where the rope  164  protrudes through the two holes  246  in the bottom of the lower rope deployment bag  51 . Then a snap  258  is attached to this portion  260  of the protruding rope  164  in order that a weight  262  can be attached thereto. Most preferably, this snap  258  is a swivel eye boat snap  264 . 
     Preferably, a suitably sized tote bag  266  is used for carrying the portable fire curtain system  30  as is shown diagrammatically in FIGS. 21 (open) and  22  (closed). This tote or carry bag is similar to a ski tote. 
     A portable fire curtain system  30  being used to cover a window  36  is shown in FIG.  1 . 
     It should be noted that: 
     1. The rigid bars  42  sewn into the fire curtain  38  are preventing the wind from blowing the fire curtain  38  into the window  34 . 
     2. The bars  42  also work with each other to weight the fire curtain  38 , each bar  42  pulling on the bars above it. 
     3. The bars  42  are equidistantly spaced. 
     4. Cable leaders  134  prevent the possible burning of the ropes (if ropes alone were used instead of cable leaders) should the fire start to vent. 
     5. One window or elevation above  270  and below  272  the target opening  274  is needed for this operation. 
     6. Should the fire curtain  38  have been deployed over the wrong window, the fire curtain  38  is easily passed to another window while still outside the building  32 . 
     7. The fire curtain  38  can be lowered and redeployed quickly and effectively. 
     Packing of the rope  164  in the rope deployment bags  50 ,  51  is shown in FIGS. 13 and 17. 
     1. One continuous 40′ length of rope  164 . 
     2. Its mid-section is secured to the bottom of the rope deployment bag  50 ,  51 . 
     3. Each rope pocket has a 20′ section packed within. 
     4. Snaps are attached to each end. 
     The cable leaders  134  are shown in FIGS. 10,  11 . 
     1. A cable leader  134  is attached to each corner  76 ,  78  of the fire curtain  38  through the bar holes  110  in the top and bottom bars  108 ,  116 . (Alternatively, fire resistant rope could be used in place of cable leaders  134 .) The loops  154  of the cable leaders  134  have cable thimbles  156  which prevent the cable leaders  134  from chafing at the attachment points to the fire curtain  38  (the holes  80  reinforced with grommets  100 ). (A cable thimble  156  is a tubular sleeve or channel which has been shaped to conform to and cover the inner surface of a loop which has been formed of cable thus serving as a guide for the portion of the cable leader forming the loop.) 
     2. The cable leaders  134  are ¼″ in diameter. 
     3. The cable leaders  134  are 5′ in length. 
     4. Ferrules  148 ,  150  are used to form and secure loops  144 ,  154  and prevent fraying. 
     METHOD OF ROLLING THE FIRE CURTAIN PRIOR TO PACKING FOR DEPLYYMENT 
     The following steps can be followed to roll the fire curtain  38  prior to packing for deployment: 
     (a) Lay the fire curtain  38  on a level surface. 
     (b) Take one of the lower cables attached to the bottom corner of the fire curtain  38  and place it over the opposite bottom corner of the fire curtain  38 , so that the loop  144  thereof extends just beyond the edge of the fire curtain  38 . 
     (c) Take the cable leader attached to the other bottom corner of the fire curtain  38  and place it over the first bottom corner of the fire curtain  38 , so that the loop  144  thereof extends just beyond the edge of the fire curtain  83 . 
     (d) Roll the fire curtain  38  from bottom to top so that the cables  46  are rolled up within the roll of the curtain. 
     (e) Place the fire curtain  38  within the tote bag  266 , and lay the top cables across the length of the fire curtain  38 , so that when the tote bag  266  is opened, the cables will not be tangled with each other. 
     METHOD OF DEPLOYING THR PORTABLE FIRE CURTAIN SYSTEM TO COVER A TARGET OPENING 
     The following steps show the method of deploying the portable fire curtain system  30  to cover a target opening  274  (Please refer to FIG.  1 ): 
     (a) Take the tote bag  266  (FIG. 22) containing the portable fire curtain system  30  to an elevation  270  above the target opening  274 . 
     (b) Remove the fire curtain  38  and the upper and lower rope deployment bags  50 ,  51  from the tote bag  266  (FIG.  21 ). 
     (c) Attach the ropes of the lower rope deployment bag  51  of the portable fire curtain system  30  to the second end loops  144  of the lower set of cable leaders  240  that are protruding from the ends of the rolled up fire curtain  38 . 
     (d) Attach a weight  262  (FIG. 16) to the snap  258  attached to the tail of rope  260  protruding from the bottom of the lower rope deployment bag  51 . 
     (e) Attach the upper rope deployment bag ropes  168  to the second end loops  144  of the upper set of cable leaders  242 . 
     (f) Drop the lower rope deployment bag  51  to an elevation  272  that is lower than the target opening  274 . 
     (g) Secure the ropes from the lower rope deployment bag  51  at the lower elevation  272 . 
     (h) Secure the ropes from the upper rope deployment bag  50  at the upper elevation  270 . 
     (i) Place the fire curtain  38  outside the upper elevation  270 , and allow the fire curtain  38  to unroll. 
     (j) Take up the slack in the ropes at the lower elevation  272 , thus maintaining tension in the ropes. 
     (k) Lower the fire curtain  38  to cover the target opening  274 . 
     (l) Maintain continued tension on all four ropes. 
     (m) Maintain the position of the fire curtain  38  until the fire has been extinguished. 
     Packing of the rolled fire curtain  38 , the lower rope deployment bag  51  (on the left) and the upper rope deployment bag  50  (on the right) is shown in FIG.  21 . 
     1. The lower rope deployment bag  51  on the left shows a small portion of the snap  264  that a weight can be attached to; this weight will assist in the lowering of the lower rope deployment bag  51  to the elevation  272  below the target window  274  or opening. 
     2. Each length of rope  164  deploys snag free from holes  226  in the upper corners of the rope deployment bags  50 ,  51 . 
     5.3 Specifications 
     1. The fire curtain is made of OMNI 45™, which is a blend of Basofil®Melamine and Para-Aramid fibers. 
     2. The weight of the finished product in its carrying bag is approximately 28 lbs. 
     3. All sewing is done with Nomex™ thread. 
     The fire curtain starts with a rectangular sheet that is 5′½″×12′½″. 
     5. The edges of the sheet are hemmed at ½″. 
     The sheet is folded onto itself to the rectangular dimension of 5′×6′. 
     7. One side edge is sewn together. 
     8. The bottom edge is sewn together. 
     9. The fire curtain has 6 bars running parallel to and equidistant from each other. 
     10. The bars are made of high tempered aluminum, with dimensions of 2″×¼″×58½″. 
     11. One bar is located at the top of the fire curtain and another bar is located at the bottom of the fire curtain, and the remaining four bars are equidistantly spaced within the fire curtain. 
     12. Pockets are sewn for each bar through the material of the fire curtain. 
     13. The top bar pocket has stitching along the bottom through the material and the top edge uses the fold of the material to form the pocket. 
     14. The bottom bar pocket has stitching along the top through the material and the bottom edge uses the stitching from Step 8 to form the pocket. 
     15. The four interior bars have pockets by stitching through the material at the top and bottom edges of the bars. 
     16. The top and bottom bars have ½″ holes drilled through them towards the ends. 
     17. In line with these ½″ holes on the rectangular sheet of the fire curtain itself, ½″ grommets are placed on both faces of the sheet toward all four corners. 
     18. The bars are slid into the pockets. 
     19. The remaining edge of the fire curtain sheet (edge number 
     4) is then sewn together to enclose the bars. 
     20. The loop of a cable leader along with a cable thimble (which serves as a guide or channel for the portion of cable leader forming the loop) is passed through each set of grommets and each ½″ hole in the aluminum bars in each corner. 
     21. Two double ferrules are used to secure the cables together forming a loop, and single ferrules are placed before and after these sets. 
     22. The remaining ends of the four cable leaders, which are not secured to the fire curtain, have loops with double ferrules and single ferrule secured to them in the same afore-mentioned manner. 
     23. Two ropes, ½″ in diameter and 40′ in length, have swivel bolt snaps attached to both ends. 
     24. One rope is for the top and the other is for the bottom of the fire curtain. 
     25. The mid-point of the bottom rope has a swivel eye boat snap attached to it. This will facilitate the attaching of a weighted tool to the rope. 
     26. The ends of the ropes are clipped to the ends of the cable leaders on the top and bottom of the fire curtain. 
     5.4 Packing 
     1. The fire curtain is placed on the ground and the bottom cable leaders are placed from corner to corner horizontally across the bottom bar. 
     2. The fire curtain is then rolled continuously from bottom to top. When rolled, the bottom cable leaders&#39; looped ends are protruding outside of the sides of the rolled fire curtain 
     3. The top cable leaders are placed horizontally from edge to edge of the rolled fire curtain. 
     4. The ropes are packed in rope deployment bags that have separate pockets in them to avoid entanglement. 
     5. The mid-points of the ropes are secured to the bottom of the rope deployment bags and each length is placed in a separate pocket. The rope deployment bag that has the bottom rope in it has a tail of rope dangling from the bottom of the rope deployment bag with the swivel eye boat snap on the end of it. 
     6. The flap of the rope deployment bag is closed and the ends of the ropes that have the snaps on them are placed at the two opposite sides of the rope deployment bag. 
     7. The rolled curtain is placed in the tote bag and the two rope deployment bags are placed in the tote bag at opposite ends. 
     5.5 Deployment 
     1. The portable fire curtain system is designed to provide a cover or wind block to a window or opening in a building or structure where wind is fueling the fire through the window or opening. 
     2. The tote bag containing the portable fire curtain system is carried to an elevation that is higher than the window or opening it is desired to block (the target window or opening). 
     3. The fire curtain is removed from the tote bag. 
     4. Remove upper and lower rope deployment bags from the tote bag. 
     5. The lower rope deployment bag which contains the bottom rope, has a tail on its bottom with a hinged snap attached to it. A weighted object is then secured to that snap. 
     6. The snaps on the ends of the bottom rope are clipped onto the loops at the second ends of the cable leaders that are protruding from the sides of the rolled-up fire curtain. 
     7. The weighted object is lowered via the rope to an elevation that is lower than the target window or opening. 
     8. The weighted object and the rope are then gathered at an elevation lower than the target opening. 
     9. The upper rope deployment bag which contains the top rope is placed next to the fire curtain. 
     10. The snaps at the ends of the top rope are clipped onto the loops at the second ends of the two remaining cable leaders. 
     11. The fire curtain is then deployed from the higher elevation via the top ropes to cover the target window or opening below it. 
     12. The fire curtain will unroll from top to bottom until it is fully open. 
     13. The lower ropes are then gathered in to produce tension to secure the fire curtain in place. 
     14. The fire curtain is placed so that it covers the target window or opening. 
     15. When there is a wind, the force of the wind causes the four exterior edges of the fire curtain to be in contact with that portion of the structure which surrounds the target window or opening thus creating a seal. 
     16. The bars of the fire curtain maintain the integrity of the shape of the fire curtain, not allowing the fire curtain to be pushed or sucked into the opening, and this aids in the adherence of the seal. 
     17. This seal is accomplished due to the rigidity and weight of each bar, and the force of the wind. 
     18. The wire leaders, being non-burning material, enable the fire curtain to stay in place. 
     19. The fire curtain has completed the task that it was intended to do because this seal has disrupted the wind that was fueling the fire. 
     FIG. 23 shows the manner of using the portable fire curtain system. 
     Reference number  230  shows a fireman who is to go to an elevation (window  232 ) above the target window  234 . Reference number  234  is the target window which is to be covered with the fire curtain. Reference number  236  shows a fireman who is to go to an elevation (window  238 ) below the target window  234 . 
     The portable fire curtain system would be deployed as follows: 
     1. Fireman  230  carries the carrying case with its enclosed fire curtain and two rope deployment bags to elevation  232 . 
     2. Fireman  230  removes the fire curtain, the lower rope deployment bag and the upper rope deployment bag from the carrying case. 
     3. Fireman  230  attaches a weighted object to the snap hanging from the lower rope deployment bag. 
     4. Fireman  230  attaches the snaps of the lower rope deployment bag to the loops at the ends of the cables from the lower corners of the fire curtain. 
     5. Fireman  230  attaches the snaps of the upper rope deployment bag to the loops at the ends of the cables from the upper corners of the fire curtain. 
     6. Fireman  230  lowers the lower rope deployment bag and the weighted object from the elevation  232  above the target window  234  to Fireman  236  at the elevation  238  below the target window  234  via the lower ropes. 
     7. Fireman  236  gathers the lower rope deployment bag, the weighted object and the lower ropes at the elevation  238  below the target window  234 . 
     8. Fireman  230  lowers the fire curtain from elevation  232  via the upper ropes thus covering the target window  234 . 
     9. Fireman  236  administers tension on the lower ropes. 
     10. The fire curtain is positioned to cover the target window  234  thus obstructing the wind. 
     5.6 Advantages of the Invention 
     The portable fire curtain system has advantages of efficiency, reasonable weight, and ease of use. 
     The instant invention, unlike most background art devices, is portable. 
     The instant invention protects firefighters and civilians from the wind spreading flames when fighting fires in extreme wind conditions. 
     The instant invention, being made of cloth, with encapsulated aluminum bars, is relatively light and easy to handle. 
     The instant invention allows significantly faster deployment than the background art devices, and can easily be moved from one window to another. 
     The instant invention is easy to use with most conventional windows. 
     The instant invention is economical to manufacture and easy to pack and unpack. 
     5.6 List of Reference Numbers 
       30  portable fire curtain system 
       32  building 
       34  window # 1   
       35  window # 2   
       36  window 
       38  fire curtain 
       40  rectangular piece of fire resistant fabric material 
       42  stiffener (either a bar or tubing) 
       46  curtain connector (either a cable leader or a rope) 
       48  a corner of the fire curtain 
       50  upper bag connector deployment bag 
       51  lower bag connector deployment bag 
       54  bag connector sections 
       58  top or upper edge of fire curtain 
       60  bottom edge of fire curtain 
       62  side edge of fire curtain 
       64  rectangular piece of fire resistant material 
       66  horizontal dashed lines indicating where curtain material is to be folded 
       68  bottom edge of the material 
       70  folded piece of material 
       72  hole in central divider 
       74  fire resistant thread 
       76  an upper corner of fire curtain 
       78  a lower corner of fire curtain 
       80  hole in corner of fire curtain 
       86  fire curtain material 
       88  hole in upper corner of fire curtain 
       90  lower folded edge 
       96  hole in lower corner of fire curtain 
       98  rims of curtain holes 
       100  grommets 
       102  curtain hole 
       108  uppermost stiffener (bar or tubing) 
       110  stiffener (bar or tubing) holes 
       114  uppermost curtain pocket 
       116  lowermost stiffener (bar or tubing) 
       120  lowermost curtain pocket 
       122  pocket for the reception of a stiffener (bar or tubing) 
       124  longest edge of pocket 
       128  six spaced stiffeners (bars or tubing) 
       134  four foot curtain connector (cable leader or rope) 
       136  first end of curtain connector (cable leader or rope) 
       140  means for attaching curtain connector (cable leader or rope) to a curtain hole 
       142  second end of curtain connector (cable leader or rope) 
       144  loop at second end of curtain connector (for attaching to snap at end of bag connector) 
       148  double ferrule 
       150  single ferrule 
       154  loop at cable leader&#39;s first end for attaching cable leader to hole in fire curtain 
       156  cable thimble 
       158  cable loop 
       160  cable end 
       164  40 foot bag connector (rope or strap) 
       166  inside bottom of a bag connector (rope or strap) rope deployment bag 
       168  free end of bag connector (rope or strap) 
       172  top edge of central divider 
       174  bottom edge of central divider 
       178  swivel bolt snap 
       184  upper left corner of the fire curtain 
       186  upper right corner of the fire curtain 
       190  lower left corner of the fire curtain 
       192  lower right corner of the fire curtain 
       194  central divider or partition 
       196  rope pocket # 1   
       197  rope pocket # 2   
       198  lip of the rope deployment bag 
       200  mouth of the rope deployment bag 
       202  inside bottom of the rope deployment bag 
       204  bottom of this central divider 
       206  hole in central divider 
       212  flap of rope deployment bag 
       214  strip of hook and loop fastener material 
       216  inside surface of flap of rope deployment bag 
       218  mating piece of hook and loop fastener material 
       220  lower front portion of the exterior of the rope deployment bag 
       226  small rope hole for dispensing rope at upper end of rope deployment bag 
       228  bolt snap pocket 
       230  fireman who is to go to an elevation above the target window 
       232  elevation above the target window 
       234  the target window to be covered with the fire curtain 
       236  fireman who is to go to an elevation below the target window 
       238  elevation below the target window 
       240  lower set of curtain connectors 
       242  upper set of curtain connectors 
       244  hole in central divider 
       246  holes in bottom of lower rope deployment bag 
       252  portion of the rope near its middle 
       256  knot in rope protruding from lower rope deployment bag 
       258  snap attached to portion of rope protruding from lower rope deployment bag 
       260  portion of the protruding rope 
       262  weight 
       264  swivel eye boat snap 
       266  tote bag 
       270  window or elevation above the target opening 
       272  window or elevation below the target opening 
       274  target opening 
     It will be understood that each of the elements described above, or two or more together may also find a useful application in other types of devices and methods differing from those types described above. 
     5.7 Alternatives and the Closing 
     Thus the reader will see that my portable fire curtain system supplies a long felt need for a simple, economical, easy to use portable fire curtain system. Although the present invention has been described in considerable detail with reference to certain preferred versions thereof, other versions are possible which will be apparent to those who are skilled in the art. While certain novel features of this invention have been shown and described and are pointed out in the annexed claims, it is not intended to be limited to the details above, since it will be understood that various omissions, modifications, substitutions and changes in the forms and details of the device illustrated and in its operation can be made by those skilled in the art without departing in any way from the spirit of the present invention. Therefore, the spirit and scope of the appended claims should not be limited to the description of the preferred versions contained herein, but by the appended claims and their legal equivalents.