Patent Publication Number: US-2015060198-A1

Title: In house high rise evacuation system

Description:
The present invention relates, in a general sense, to a system for the evacuation of occupants of a tall structure, such as a skyscraper, and, more particularly, to a system mounted within the structure, as distinguished from an externally mounted system. 
     BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 
     1. Field of the Invention 
     The present invention is an adjunct to the inventor&#39;s U.S. Pat. No. 7,766,124, issued Aug. 3, 2010, for a HIGH RISE EVACUATION SYSTEM. That patent teaches a novel system for an emergency procedure capable of assisting the evacuation of a high rise structure in an emergency. That patent teaches the system for evacuating people by external means, and, by that, it is meant that the physical structure is affixed to the exterior surface of the high-rise structure. 
     In recent years, architects and builders have designed and constructed structures which are essentially sealed from the environment. Windows do not open, and fire escapes are a relic of the past. In such structures, the teachings of the aforementioned Horn patent would require some modification to the structure to provide access to the Horn system, and, while that is not impossible, it requires additional effort, along with assurances that structural integrity remains. It is in order to avoid such additional effort that the present invention was devised. 
     2. Overview of the Prior Art 
     Since the advent of multistory buildings, there have been at least two mechanisms which are found consistently, and they are the venerable stairwell and, more recently, the elevator. The taller the structure, the less efficient these two systems become, particularly in a fire. 
     During the prosecution of Horn &#39;124 patent, some 52 issued United States patents were cited, along with two published applications. All of these items are incorporated herein by reference, and none of them anticipate, or render obvious, the present invention. 
     SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 
     As is the case with the Horn &#39;124 patent, it is the principle of the present invention to provide a system for the evacuation of persons in danger by virtue of their presence in a tall structure which has sustained damage, which is of such nature as to warrant immediate evacuation from such structure. 
     It is yet another objective of the present invention to provide a system for the evacuation of a tall, multistory structure, which is sealed against access to the exterior of the structure. 
     The foregoing objectives, as well as others, will become apparent to those skilled in the art, when the following Detailed Description Of A Preferred Embodiment is read in conjunction with the drawings, wherein: 
    
    
     
       DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
         FIG. 1  is a pictorial representation of a portion of a large stairwell in a multistory structure and showing an evacuation tube situated therein; 
         FIG. 2  is an enlarged section view of  FIG. 1 ; 
         FIG. 3  is an enlarged partial sectional of  FIG. 2 , illustrating some detail of the evacuator mechanism of the present invention; 
         FIG. 4  is an enlarged side elevation of the evacuator as it is positioned at rest on a central pole ready to see evacuees; 
         FIG. 5  is a pictorial representation of a portion of the counter balance system used to return the evacuator, or platform, to its original position; 
         FIG. 6  is a pictorial representation of a portion of the manual braking system of the present system, shown in its relaxed, or disengaged, position; 
         FIG. 7  is a pictorial representation of the brake handle and associated braking system, with the braking system in the  FIG. 6  attitude; 
         FIG. 8  is a pictorial representation of the braking system of  FIG. 6 , shown in its clamping, or braking, attitude; 
         FIG. 9  is a pictorial representation of the brake holding pedal which is part of the system braking system; 
         FIG. 10  is a pictorial representation of a shock absorber positioned at the low point of travel of the evacuator unit at the arrival of that device; 
         FIG. 11  depicts a door which opens into the tubular structure housing the evacuator, also showing the door closer at the top and operating mechanism for the stop arm at the bottom; 
         FIG. 12  is a partial sectional view showing the base of a typical floor defining a passage and the stop arm mechanism for that floor; 
         FIG. 13  is a side elevation, fragmented and showing the stop arm mechanism beneath the door of the typical floor; 
         FIG. 14  is a view illustrating the evacuator arriving at the floor, as depicted in  FIG. 12 , and showing the stop arm mechanism; 
         FIG. 15  is a depiction similar to that of  FIG. 13 , ready to be moved when the door is opened; and, 
         FIGS. 16 and 17  show the operation of the stop arm mechanism prior to and as the carriage arrives at a floor. 
     
    
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF A PREFERRED EMBODIMENT 
     It is necessary to understand the environment in which the present invention has substantial, if not exclusive, utility. High rise structures have, in the last several years, come to life and dominate the urban landscape. As buildable land becomes more and more scarce, architects and builders have concentrated on structures which become more and more vertical. Moreover, since structures have in recent years become effectively sealed against the incursion of environmental elements and have compensated for the unavailability of fresh outdoor air by adding huge air conditioning apparatus, outside air is now brought in and filtered, heated and or cooled, as needed, for the comfort of the tenants. 
     The events of Sep. 11, 2001, have taught Americans that while use of conditioned air is in most instances efficient, in an emergency it poses new and difficult problems. It is in this environment that the present invention offers a solution to those people who might find themselves trapped several stories above mother Earth as a result of some incident which might make elevators, and even stair wells, hazardous, if not totally inaccessible. 
     In 2010, Edward Horn was awarded U.S. Pat. No. 7,766,124 for a high-rise evacuation system. That patent addressed the evacuation system which was intended to provide evacuation access to building occupants externally of the structure itself. As will become evident from a reading of the following, the present invention addresses an evacuation system which is located internally of the structure itself. 
     With the foregoing as background, reference is now made to the drawings, and initially to  FIG. 1 , wherein a portion of a typical high-rise stairwell S is depicted. Within the cavity which defines the stairwell S is an element of the system of the present invention, namely a fire inhibiting enclosure in the nature of an evacuation shaft or tube T. The shaft T is depicted as located adjacent to the stairs in the stairwell, and the evacuation tube T may be located at any place where it is accessible and convenient to occupants of all of the various floors F of the high-rise structure (not shown), as an important element of the system. 
     The evacuation shaft T, as shown, has a rectangular cross section on a vertical axis, although the shape is not really functionally important. It will be noted that the tube is made of fireproof material, and it has, e.g., doors  20  and  22  at its upper end and doors  24  and  26  at its lower extremity. In the present mode, 10 floors constitute a very functional unit U, the significance of which will become quickly apparent. A greater or lesser number of floors may be used at the election of the designer. An advantage of the ten floor segmented system is that people are moving down in every unit of the building simultaneously. On a 100-story high building, although there are only three people on each carriage, there are ten evacuators, so there are 30 people moving down at all times. With an estimated travel time of two minutes per trip, including loading time and transfer time, that is 900 people per hour. 
     In keeping with the objectives of the present invention, embodied within the tube T is a MECHANICAL operating transport system. In many emergency situations, electrical power to the structure may be inoperative. The transport system of the present invention is, therefore, entirely gravitational mechanical in order that it need not rely on electrical power in its operation. The transport system is supported in the tube T and, in the order to optimize efficiency, includes a pair of parallel tubular guidance structures  31  and  33 , best seen in  FIGS. 3 and 4 . Clearly, the number of tracks may vary as circumstances dictate. The transport system is built around the tubular structures, such as tracks  31  and  33 , which are secured in any suitable manner to a base plate  35 , providing both guidance and support, as will become apparent. While the use of a tubular structure is quite convenient, other shapes may be used and are within the contemplation of the invention. 
     Each track  31 ,  33  is fitted with a transporter, or evacuator,  37 , illustrated in some detail in  FIG. 4 . A platform, or extension,  35  is provided, level with each floor F within the evacuation tube T and has an opening  36 , which is of sufficient size to accommodate passage of a fully loaded evacuator  37 . Each evacuator  37  is comprised of a base member, or platform,  39  which, in the illustrated case, is shown as circular, although other shapes may be suitable. The base member  37  is of sufficient size as to receive up to three individuals thereon for transportation to safety. 
     The base member  39  has a centrally positioned opening  40 , of sufficient size to receive a track, such as  31  or  33 , and struts  42  are affixed to, and extend upwardly from, the platform to a collar  44 . The lower extremity of each strut  42  is secured to the platform  39  by means of a suitable fastener  46 . Each strut  42  is rigid, in accordance with the invention, in order that a passenger situate on the base plate  39  will have a feeling of security as the evacuator moves downward to safety. 
     Moving to  FIGS. 6 through 8 , the purpose and function of the collar  44  as a brake will become apparent. Referring to  FIGS. 6 and 8 , the collar has a pair of clamping halves  48  held together by a suitable hinging fastener  51 . The collar halves  48  circumscribe the track, e.g.  31 , the collar halves  48  being capable of achieving limited movement transverse to the track so as to selectively grip it, thereby clamping the collar about the track  31 , halting movement of the evacuator with sufficient grip so as to halt the evacuator fully loaded. 
     As an additional safety feature, in accordance with the invention, a foot pedal  62  is connected to the base plate  39  and is movable in a vertical plane about the clevis fastener  63  and, further, is mechanically connected to the handle  55  by rod  64 . In each grouping of passengers, one of those passengers will be referred to as the designated operator, who shall be responsible for activating and braking the evacuator. If a passenger has difficulty in securing their safety belt, the designated operator can step on the floor brake pedal  62 , thereby freeing both hands to help the passenger. Since the foot pedal and the handle are interconnected, either one may be used to stop the evacuator at the desired position, while, for example, passengers are being loaded onto it. 
     It will also be appreciated that the evacuator, when carrying passengers, tends to be heavier than usual. In order, therefore, to soften the landing, a damping spring  66 , attached to the floor F, is provided, so that at the bottom of its travel the evacuator will be slowed by the spring more gently than would otherwise be the case. 
     It is self-evident that the evacuator must handle, in an emergency, more than three passengers sequentially. It is necessary, therefore, for the evacuator to return to an upper floor of a unit expeditiously in order to pick up and evacuate additional groups of three occupiers of the structure on that floor. A recovery system for mechanically returning the evacuator to the next floor for picking up passengers is within the contemplation of the invention and is not, therefore, illustrated in any particular form or detail. An example of an operative recovery system is shown in Horn  FIGS. 5 and 6 , and in the Horn specification, beginning in column  5  of the specification of the previously referenced Horn patent. Any other suitable gravitational system will, of course, be satisfactory. 
     In order to accomplish the next cycle, when the evacuator has unloaded its first group of evacuees, the door on the floor upon which the evacuees were unloaded will remain open until the last person on that floor has boarded the evacuator, at which time the door closer  76  will close the door on that floor. This may be accomplished by the use of a counterweight system such as in Horn &#39;124, and, to do so mechanically, a cable  68 , supported on a pulley  70  [ FIG. 5 ], is used. The pulley is mounted to a bracket  72  engaged to the collar  44 . A suitable weight  74  (which is suitably heavier than the evacuator) is movable within the track  31  so that when the evacuator  37  is devoid of the passengers, the weight  74  will move the evacuator upwardly until it detects waiting evacuees, at which time it stops at that particular floor. Where the base of a particular unit is not on a safe floor, the debarking evacuees move to the next available unit and are transported downwardly in that unit, and any subsequent units, until safe. 
     evacuees signal their position at a door on a given floor by opening that door. Once the door is opened, a signal arm  80  will extend into the path of the evacuator, causing it to stop at that floor. With the evacuator stopped and the door open, three evacuees, one of which will set the brake, then step onto the platform  39 , and, when the door closes, the arm  80  is retracted and the evacuator descends to the lowest floor in the unit, e.g.,  30  where it unloads its evacuees. The foregoing sequence is repeated until such time as all of the evacuees have been transported to a safe location. It will also be understood that when the evacuator initially moves down, signal arms extended by virtue of open doors are hinged so as to collapse downwardly to allow the evacuator to pass. 
     In accordance with the invention, each unit of the system will cover approximately 10 floors. At the base floor of each unit, with the exception of the arrival at the lowest floor, there will be a companion evacuator waiting for its arrival in order that passengers may transfer to the next unit and descend, once again, to the floor of that unit. Thus, when the evacuator, e.g., arrives at floor  30 , there is no door to open because it and the waiting companion evacuator are already inside the enclosure. Since the evacuator floor and the transfer platform are then at the same level, passengers merely step over onto the transfer platform and onto the floor of the waiting companion unit. 
     As is now clear, a second system exists about track  33 . Where it is structurally and otherwise prudent to do so, a longer unit may exist and would be designated as an express unit. 
     By way of example, assume a 40-story structure. In order to achieve the objectives of the present invention, there would be four units assembled within the structure, each unit covering ten floors thereof. Each unit would include a shaft and an evacuator system in each shaft. In the event of an emergency, say on floor  30 , the evacuator on  40  would become involved because the people between  31  and  40  are at risk as a result of the damage at floor  30 . When the evacuator is at the bottom floor of a 10-floor segment, there is no need to pull the brake handle because the evacuator will be sitting on the bumper spring at the bottom. 
     Occupants would move immediately to their evacuator system, open the door, and three at a time would get on the base member  39  after first activating the braking system by pulling the handle  55 . Once the evacuees are loaded, the handle is released slowly and the evacuator moves to its lower level, which would be on floor  30 . The occupants would immediately pull the handle to secure the evacuator and exit through the door and move to the unit between the floors  30  to  20 . The process would continue until all have been evacuated. 
     The unit operating between floors  31  to  40 , hangs at floor  40  and after the designated operator sets the hand brake, takes on three passengers, it goes down to floor  30 , where the evacuees exit the unit. Then, with all doors open, the evacuator can only get to floor  31 , where it is stopped by the arm protruding into the evacuation tube. The carriage will then go back up to floor  31 , take on three more people and go back down to  30 . This will continue until all passengers/evacuees on floor  31  are discharged to safety. Then the carriage will go back to floor  32 , where it is stopped by the arm extending into the tube, and the process continues until everyone is off floor  32 . 
     While those skilled in the art will, upon reading this detailed description, perceive alternative structures to those specifically designated, it will be appreciated that such additional and alternative structures are within the contemplation of the invention, as set forth in the following claims: