Source: https://patents.google.com/patent/US6499421B1/en
Timestamp: 2019-06-18 13:35:39
Document Index: 130660259

Matched Legal Cases: ['§1023', '§4', '§16', '§4', '§4', '§4', '§4', '§25', 'art 112', '§112', 'art 112', '§112']

US6499421B1 - Tactiovisual distance-to-exit exit-finding system - Google Patents
Tactiovisual distance-to-exit exit-finding system Download PDF
US6499421B1
US6499421B1 US09/547,605 US54760500A US6499421B1 US 6499421 B1 US6499421 B1 US 6499421B1 US 54760500 A US54760500 A US 54760500A US 6499421 B1 US6499421 B1 US 6499421B1
tactiovisual
US09/547,605
1999-05-19 Priority to US13493799P priority Critical
2000-03-06 Priority to US18709400P priority
2000-04-12 Application filed by Richard F. Honigsbaum filed Critical Richard F. Honigsbaum
2000-04-12 Priority to US09/547,605 priority patent/US6499421B1/en
2002-12-31 Publication of US6499421B1 publication Critical patent/US6499421B1/en
The most common exit-finding aids are the ubiquitous illuminated overhead EXIT signs that satisfy §1023.0 of The Building Officials and Code Administrators International, Inc. National Building Code (BOCA), §4-7 of the National Fire Protection Association, Inc. Fire Prevention Code (NFPA 1), 14 CFR 25.812(b), 46 CFR 112.15-1(d), etc., and the simplified vision-dependent floor plans posted on or near the doors of hotel, motel and dormitory rooms, passenger ship cabins, etc. to satisfy NFPA 1 §16-2.4.1 and SOLAS II-2/28-1/1.7. While overhead EXIT signs are effective in clear air, they are hardly so when vision is compromised or when they are obscured by smoke, and the simplified floor plans are of doubtful effectiveness not only because they are vision-dependent aids that can also be obscured by smoke, but also because they are not readily interpreted by people unfamiliar with them.
Aids 100, 200, 300 are intended to facilitate exit-finding under the conditions mentioned, and are preferably in accordance with the signage requirements of the Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990 and any revisions thereof, i.e., presently ADA Handbook Appendix B §4.30, because ADA signage is intended to be effective under all conditions of vision, and therefore effective under all conditions of visibility as well. Thus symbols 124, 144, 264, 284, 324, 344, 364, 384 and number characters 126, 146, 266, 286, 326, 346, 366, 386 are presently preferably at least ⅝ in. (16 mm) but no more than 2 in. (50 mm) high, have a width-to-height ratio between 3:5 and 1:1, have a stroke-width-to-height ratio between 1:5 and 1:10, are raised {fraction (1/32)} in. (0.8 mm) above their background, are light symbols and numbers that contrast with a dark background or vice versa, and have an eggshell, matte or other non-glare finish as does their background. While the non-glare requirement precludes specular symbols and numbers, it does not preclude symbols and numbers that fluoresce, phosphoresce or photoluminesce.
Appendix B §4.30 also mentions Braille, hence the optional Braille block 160 shown dotted in FIG. 1, and by implication, similar blocks for the other embodiments (not shown in the respective drawings).
Aids like those of FIG. 1 are preferably affixed to or a part of both the space side and the corridor side of door 590, and are preferably centered horizontally at the presently ADA §4.30.6-required height of 60 in. (1525 mm.). Aids so positioned are not, however, on the present ADA §4.30.6-required latch side of wall or bulkhead 592 because aids positioned as preferred are easier to find tactilely than are ADA-compliant aids 515 that, if they were to the right of the door in the corridor, would be to the left of the door in the room; because aids positioned as preferred can positively identify doors to be included in the count of doors to an exit; and because aids positioned as preferred eliminate uncertainty with respect to whether doors immediately adjacent to aids on walls or bulkheads should be included in that count. Where strict compliance with ADA is required, the aids can, of course, be positioned as is aid 515 in the drawing, or, where appropriate, where both 510 and 515 are shown.
1. A guidance system for providing directional information to a user, comprising:
a plurality of multi-directional-capable tactiovisual signs being integral with or affixed to substantially fixed architectural features, each one of the plural multi-directional-capable tactiovisual signs having a plurality of separate spaces, wherein each one of the plural separate spaces is approximately equal in size and corresponds to a direction away from the location of the multi-directional-capable tactiovisual sign, wherein said each one of the plural separate spaces is capable of containing a tactiovisual numeral-symbol pair, wherein said each one of the plural multi-directional-capable signs has at least one tactiovisual numeral-symbol pair, wherein every one of the plural separate spaces whose corresponding direction is a path direction to an exit has a tactiovisual numeral-symbol pair, wherein the absence of a tactiovisual numeral-symbol pair from one or more of said plural separate spaces indicates that the direction corresponding to each of said one or more plural separate spaces is not a path direction to an exit, wherein at least one of the plural separate spaces of at least one of the multi-directional-capable signs does not contain a tactiovisual numeral-symbol pair, and wherein each tactiovisual numeral-symbol pair comprises:
a numeral recognizable by touch and sight, the numeral indicating a number of substantially fixed countable architectural features along the path from the location of the multi-directional-capable sign to the exit; and
a symbol recognizable by touch and sight, the symbol indicating the path direction to the exit.
2. The system as recited in claim 1, wherein said each one of the plural multi-directional-capable tactiovisual signs comprises one of a decal, a tag, a raised or relief section of the substantially fixed architectural features, furniture, furniture upholstery, or an attachable piece of wood, metal, or plastic.
a bi-directional-capable sign.
10. The system as recited in claim 9, wherein said bi-directional-capable sign has a first space containing a first numeral-symbol pair and a second space capable of containing a second numeral-symbol pair, wherein the first space is located distally from the second space.
a quad-directional-capable sign.
12. The system as recited in claim 11, wherein said quad-directional-capable sign has a first space containing a first numeral-symbol pair, and has second, third, and fourth spaces capable of containing second, third and fourth numeral-symbol pairs, respectively, and wherein the first space is located distally from the second space and the third space is located distally from the fourth space.
a plurality of floor means for indicating at least one path to an exit, wherein the plural floor means uses at least one of tactile sensation and visual sensation to indicate said at least one path.
16. The system as recited in claim 15, wherein the plural floor means are at least one of integral with and affixed to at least one of a floor, flooring, and a floor covering.
a plurality of bi-directional-capable tactiovisual signs being integral with or affixed to substantially fixed architectural features along a corridor, each one of the plural bi-directional-capable signs comprising:
a right space capable of containing a tactiovisual numeral-symbol pair and corresponding to a direction to the right of the bi-directional-capable sign;
a left space capable of containing a tactioovisual numeral-symbol pair and corresponding to a direction to the left of the bi-directional-capable sign; and
a substantially horizontal tactiovisual strip dividing each of the left space and the right space into an upper half and a lower half wherein the upper half is substantially the same size as the lower half;
wherein the right space is approximately the same size as the left space;
wherein said each one of the plural bi-directional-capable signs has at least one tactiovisual numeral-symbol pair;
wherein every space whose corresponding direction is a path direction to an exit has a tactiovisual numeral-symbol pair;
wherein every space whose corresponding direction is not a path to an exit does not contain a tactiovisual numeral-symbol pair; and
wherein each tactiovisual numeral-symbol pair comprises:
a numeral recognizable by touch and sight, the numeral indicating a number of substantially fixed countable architectural features along the path from the location of the bi-directional-capable tactiovisual sign to the exit; and
a symbol recognizable by touch and sight, the symbol indicating the path direction to the exit; and
tactiovisual numeral-symbol pairs are located in the upper half of the right spaces, the upper half of the left spaces or the upper half of both spaces of said bi-directional-capable signs integral with or affixed to a corridor side of said fixed architectural features to indicate said path direction and said number of substantially fixed countable architectural features along the same side of the corridor as the bi-directional-capable sign;
tactiovisual numeral-symbol pairs are located in the lower half of the right spaces, the lower half of the left spaces or the lower half of both spaces of said bi-directional-capable signs integral with or affixed to a corridor side of said fixed architectural features to indicate said path direction and said number of substantially fixed countable architectural features along the side of the corridor opposite the bi-directional-capable sign;
tactiovisual numeral-symbol pairs are located in the upper half of the right spaces, the upper half of the left spaces or the upper half of both spaces of said bi-directional-capable signs integral with or affixed to a room, office or cabin side of said fixed architectural features to indicate said path direction and said number of substantially fixed countable architectural features along the side of the corridor opposite the bi-directional-capable sign; and
tactiovisual numeral-symbol pairs are located in the lower half of the right spaces, the lower half of the left spaces or the lower half of both spaces of said bi-directional-capable signs integral with or affixed to a room, office or cabin side of said fixed architectural features to indicate said path direction and said number of substantially fixed countable architectural features along the same side of the corridor as the bi-directional-capable sign.
27. The system as recited in claim 26, wherein said each one of the plural bi-directional-capable tactiovisual signs comprises one of a decal, a tag, a raised or relief section of the substantially fixed architectural features, furniture, furniture upholstery, or an attachable piece of wood, metal, or plastic.
a floor-based marking system having a plurality of tactiovisual floor means, wherein the plural tactiovisual floor means are symbols and at least a portion of each of the floor symbols has substantially the same shape as at least a portion of the symbols of said bi-directional signs.
35. The system as recited in claim 34, wherein the plural tactiovisual floor means comprises at least one of sculptured carpeting, tactiovisual strips, sculptured flooring, a sculptured floor, and tactiovisual directional symbols affixed to one of a floor, flooring, or floor covering.
a plurality of quad-directional-capable tactiovisual signs being integral with or affixed to substantially fixed architectural features in the multi-level structure, wherein each of the substantially fixed architectural features is a feature located at or near means for reaching another level of the multi-level structure, each one of the plural quad-directional-capable tactiovisual signs comprising:
a top space capable of containing a tactiovisual numeral-symbol pair and corresponding to an upward direction from the quad-directional-capable tactiovisual sign;
a left space capable of containing a tactiovisual numeral-symbol pair and corresponding to a direction to the left of the quad-directional-capable tactiovisual sign,
a bottom space capable of containing a tactiovisual numeral-symbol pair and corresponding to a downward direction from the quad-directional-capable tactiovisual sign, and
a right space capable of containing a tactiovisual numeral-symbol pair and corresponding to a direction to the right of the quad-directional-capable tactiovisual sign,
wherein each of the spaces is approximately equal in size,
wherein said each one of the plural quad-directional-capable signs has at least one tactiovisual numeral-symbol pair; and
wherein every space whose corresponding direction is a path direction to an exit has a tactiovisual numeral-symbol pair, wherein every one of the plural separate spaces that does not contain a tactiovisual numeral-symbol pair indicates that its corresponding direction is not a path direction to an exit, and wherein each tactiovisual numeral-symbol pair comprises:
a numeral recognizable by touch and sight, the numeral indicating a number of substantially fixed countable architectural features along the path from the location of the quad-directional-capable tactiovisual sign to the exit; and
43. The system as recited in claim 42, wherein each one of the plural quad-directional-capable tactiovisual signs comprises one of a decal, a tag, a raised or relief section of the substantially fixed architectural features, furniture, furniture upholstery, or an attachable piece of wood, metal, or plastic.
a floor-based marking system having a plurality of tactiovisual floor means, wherein the plural tactiovisual floor means are one of integral with and affixed to one of a floor, flooring, and a floor covering.
51. The system as recited in claim 50, wherein the plural tactiovisual floor means are symbols, and at least a portion of each of the floor symbols have substantially the same shape as at least a portion of each of the symbols of said plural quad-directional-capable tactiovisual signs.
US09/547,605 1999-05-19 2000-04-12 Tactiovisual distance-to-exit exit-finding system Expired - Fee Related US6499421B1 (en)
US13493799P true 1999-05-19 1999-05-19
US18709400P true 2000-03-06 2000-03-06
US09/547,605 US6499421B1 (en) 1999-05-19 2000-04-12 Tactiovisual distance-to-exit exit-finding system
DE2000618297 DE60018297T2 (en) 1999-05-19 2000-05-12 Tactile and visual system to output isolation and determination of the distance to an exit
PCT/US2000/012949 WO2000070586A2 (en) 1999-05-19 2000-05-12 Tactiovisual distance-to-exit exit-finding system
EP20000948496 EP1221148B1 (en) 1999-05-19 2000-05-12 Tactiovisual distance-to-exit exit-finding system
AU61976/00A AU6197600A (en) 1999-05-19 2000-05-12 Tactiovisual distance-to-exit exit-finding system
CA 2374258 CA2374258A1 (en) 1999-05-19 2000-05-12 Tactiovisual distance-to-exit exit-finding system
PA8495501A PA8495501A1 (en) 1999-05-19 2000-05-18 touch-visual to find a way out and know the distance to her system
US6499421B1 true US6499421B1 (en) 2002-12-31
ID=27384647
US09/547,605 Expired - Fee Related US6499421B1 (en) 1999-05-19 2000-04-12 Tactiovisual distance-to-exit exit-finding system
US (1) US6499421B1 (en)
EP (1) EP1221148B1 (en)
AU (1) AU6197600A (en)
CA (1) CA2374258A1 (en)
DE (1) DE60018297T2 (en)
PA (1) PA8495501A1 (en)
WO (1) WO2000070586A2 (en)
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2000-05-12 DE DE2000618297 patent/DE60018297T2/en not_active Expired - Fee Related
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