Abstract:
A room, such as a bedroom, used by a disabled user is provided with a ramp-door installed within an opening in an exterior wall. The ramp-door opens to the outside. Embodiments intended for use on the first floor of a building open to contact the ground directly. Embodiments intended for use on upper floors of a building open to hang against the exterior wall. An overhead rail mounted within the room connects a fixed loading location to the opening of the ramp-door. An extension rail stored within the opening rotates into alignment with the overhead rail to place the rail terminus outside of the building a distance away from the exterior wall. A winch assembly may be driven along the overhead rail. The winch assembly supports a harness that may be raised and lowered, permitting a disabled user to access the outside and be lowered to ground level.

Description:
CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS 
       [0001]    Not Applicable 
       STATEMENT REGARDING FEDERALLY SPONSORED RESEARCH OR DEVELOPMENT 
       [0002]    Not Applicable 
       PARTIES TO A JOINT RESEARCH AGREEMENT 
       [0003]    Not Applicable 
       REFERENCE TO SEQUENCE LISTING, A TABLE, OR A COMPUTER PROGRAM LISTING COMPACT DISK APPENDIX 
       [0004]    Not Applicable 
       BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 
       [0005]    The invention relates generally to escape systems for escaping from a building in an emergency and in particular to escape systems for assisting a disabled person in escaping from a building in an emergency. Many modern buildings are fitted with emergency exit features for egress in the event of a fire or other emergency. Exterior stairs and chutes are commonly built onto larger and taller buildings, while single family homes are often outfitted with one or more chain ladder that self-store within the sill or frame of one or more upper floor windows. Such facilities are crucial life-saving utilities for fully ambulatory people in an emergency, but can be difficult or impossible to use for disabled people. By contrast, disabled individuals caught in a fire or other emergency must typically wait for the assistance of a rescuer, who may or may not be able to safely carry the disabled individual through the provided escape facilities. In the case of wheelchair bound individuals who are able to self-propel, but who are caught in a large or tall building, the wheelchair bound individual may be forced to risk operating the building elevator in contravention of the posted warnings as the only practicable means of egress. 
         [0006]    Disabled individuals would benefit from a suitable emergency escape system installed in rooms that they typically inhabit. For first floor rooms, a ramp-door installed in the wall would permit a wheelchair-bound or partially ambulatory person to escape to the exterior at ground level. For upper floor rooms, an a ramp-door combined with an overhead track supporting a winch and harness system would permit a disabled person to be transported from a fixed location in the room, such as a bed, to the outside and then lowered to safety at ground level. 
       SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 
       [0007]    Accordingly, the invention is directed to an emergency escape system for a disabled person to escape a building. A room, such as a bedroom, that is frequently used by a disabled individual is provided with a ramp-door installed within an opening in an exterior wall. The ramp-door rotates out and down to provide an egress to the outside. The first exemplary embodiment, intended for use on the first floor of a building, opens to contact the ground at a gentle angle and provides guiderails to retain a wheelchair during a wheeled egress. The second exemplary embodiment, intended for use on upper floors of a building, opens to hang freely against the exterior wall. An overhead rail mounted within the room connects a fixed loading location such as a bed to the opening of the ramp-door. An extension rail stored within the opening rotates into alignment with the overhead rail to place the rail terminus outside of the building a distance away from the exterior wall. A winch assembly may be driven along the overhead rail. The winch assembly supports a harness that may be raised and lowered, permitting a disabled user to access the outside and be lowered to ground level. 
         [0008]    Additional features and advantages of the invention will be set forth in the description which follows, and will be apparent from the description, or may be learned by practice of the invention. The foregoing general description and the following detailed description are exemplary and explanatory and are intended to provide further explanation of the invention. 
     
    
     
       BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
         [0009]    The accompanying drawings are included to provide a further understanding of the invention and are incorporated into and constitute a part of the specification. They illustrate one embodiment of the invention and, together with the description, serve to explain the principles of the invention. 
           [0010]      FIG. 1  illustrates an interior perspective scene view of a first floor room in which the first exemplary embodiment is installed, and in which the ramp-door is in a closed state, showing the room interior  100 , ramp-door  101 , guiderails  102 , wall-mounted control  103 , exterior wall  104 , and inside ramp-door opening  105 . 
           [0011]      FIG. 2  illustrates an exterior perspective scene view of a first floor room in which the first exemplary embodiment is installed, and in which the ramp-door is in a closed state, showing the ramp-door  101 , exterior wall  104 , building exterior  200 , and outside ramp-door opening  201 . 
           [0012]      FIG. 3  illustrates an interior perspective scene view of a first floor room in which the first exemplary embodiment is installed, and in which the ramp-door is in an open state, showing the room interior  100 , wall-mounted control  103 , exterior wall  104 , inside ramp-door opening  105 , and wheelchair-bound user  300 . 
           [0013]      FIG. 4  illustrates an exterior perspective scene view of a first floor room in which the first exemplary embodiment is installed, and in which the ramp-door is in an open state, showing the ramp-door  101 , guiderails  102 , exterior wall  104 , building exterior  200 , outside ramp-door opening  201 , and wheelchair-bound user  300 . 
           [0014]      FIG. 5  illustrates an interior perspective scene view of an upper-floor room in which the second exemplary embodiment is installed and in which the ramp-door is in a closed state, showing the room interior  500 , wall-mounted control  503 , exterior wall  504 , inside ramp-door opening  505 , bed  506 , overhead rail  507 , disabled user  508 , harness  509 , harness tether  510 , winch assembly  511 , harness storage position  513 , and rail connection position  513 . 
           [0015]      FIG. 6  illustrates an exterior perspective scene view of an upper-floor room in which the second exemplary embodiment is installed, and in which the ramp-door is in a closed state, showing the ramp-door  501 , exterior wall  504 , building exterior  600 , and outside ramp-door opening  601 . 
           [0016]      FIG. 7  illustrates an interior perspective scene view of an upper-floor room in which the second exemplary embodiment is installed, and in which the ramp-door is in an open state, showing the room interior  500 , wall-mounted control  503 , exterior wall  504 , bed  506 , overhead rail  507 , disabled user  508 , harness  509 , harness tether  510 , winch assembly  511 , extension rail  700 , harness storage position  512 , rail connection position  513 , and rail end position  701 . 
           [0017]      FIG. 8  illustrates an exterior perspective scene view of a first floor room in which the first exemplary embodiment is installed, and in which the ramp-door is in an open state, showing the ramp-door  501 , exterior wall  504 , disabled user  508 , harness  509 , harness tether  510 , winch assembly  511 , building exterior  600 , outside ramp-door opening  601 , extension rail  700 , and rail end position  701 . 
           [0018]      FIG. 9  illustrates a cutaway portrait view of the ramp-door of the first exemplary embodiment, showing the ramp-door  101 , first floor floorline  900 , counterweight  901 , ramp-door motor  902 , and ramp-door axle  903 . 
           [0019]      FIG. 10  illustrates a cutaway portrait view of the ramp-door of the second exemplary embodiment, showing the ramp-door  501 , extension rail  700 , upper floor floorline  1000 , counterweight  1001 , ramp-door motor  1002 , and ramp-door axle  1003 . 
           [0020]      FIG. 11  illustrates a cutaway profile view of the ramp-door of the first exemplary embodiment, showing the ramp-door  101 , exterior wall  104 , first floor floorline  900 , and counterweight  901 . 
           [0021]      FIG. 12  illustrates a cutaway profile view of the ramp-door of the second exemplary embodiment, showing the ramp-door  501 , exterior wall  504 , extension rail  700 , upper floor floorline  1000 , and counterweight  1001 . 
           [0022]      FIG. 13  illustrates a portrait view of the winch assembly and harness of the second exemplary embodiment, showing the harness  509 , harness tether  510 , winch assembly  511 , extension rail  700 , user control  1300 , lift pulley  1301 , drive box  1302 , drive wheel  1303 , drive linkage  1304 , non-spooled end  1305  of harness tether  510 . And spooled end  1306  of harness tether  510 . 
       
    
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION 
       [0023]    Referring now to the invention in more detail, the invention is directed to an emergency escape system for a disabled person to escape a building. Generally, the invention is to be installed in a room, such as a bedroom, within a building, that has an outside wall. Embodiments directed both to first-floor rooms and to upper-floor rooms are described herein. 
         [0024]    The first exemplary embodiment is intended for installation in first-floor rooms. An interior perspective scene of a room in which the first exemplary embodiment is installed is shown in  FIG. 1 . The room interior  100  as shown contains essentially standard furnishings for a residential bedroom, however the invention may be installed in essentially any room that is used by a disabled person, with all appropriate furnishings for the room&#39;s ordinary use. The room  100  has at least one exterior wall  104 .  FIG. 2  shows the exterior wall  104  in the context of the building exterior  200 . Cut into the room interior  100  side of the exterior wall  104  and cleared of interior obstruction is an inside ramp-door opening  105 , and correspondingly a matching outside ramp-door opening  201  is cut into the building exterior  200  side of the exterior wall  104 , which is cleared of exterior obstruction. The inside ramp-door opening  105  may be framed in any manner appropriate to the material and architecture of the particular building; for example a standard residence constructed of wooden studs may have a door opening built into the framing in the manner of a standard exterior door. As shown in  FIGS. 9 and 11 , the inside ramp-door opening  105  and outside ramp-door opening  201  may extend below the floorline  900  of the first-floor room interior  100 . 
         [0025]    Referring still to the first exemplary embodiment, mounted within the ramp-door opening  105  is a ramp-door  101 . The ramp door  101  is mounted rotatably about an axle  903  that is preferably located within the plane of the exterior wall  104  and below the floorline  900  of the first-floor room  100 . The ramp-door may be driven on its axle  903  by an electric motor  902  with direct or indirect drive. A counterweight  901  may be placed in the base of the ramp-door  101  below the floorline  900 . The ramp-door itself is constructed such that its exterior surface outwardly matches building  200  and that its interior surface outwardly matches that of the room interior  100 . The interior surface of the ramp-door  101  is preferably made of a lightweight and durable material having sufficient sheer strength to support at least one adult human in a wheelchair, such as the wheel-chair bound user  300  of  FIG. 3 , traversing it. In one possible embodiment, where the invention is installed in a conventional home having interior drywall walls, an interior surface of plywood dressed in a finishing material with the appearance of drywall, such as plaster, may be used. 
         [0026]    referring still to the first exemplary embodiment, the ramp-door  101  is preferably opened and closed selectively by a wall-mounted control  103 . The wall-mounted control  103  may include any configuration of switches, buttons, or the like and may be linked to the electric motor  102  by direct wiring or by wireless link. The control need not be wall-mounted; one or more remote controls and optional multiple control points may be provided. A pair of guiderails  102  are mounted to the inside surface of the ramp door  101 , preferably parallel to and near the vertical edges (the edges that are vertically oriented when the ramp-door is in a closed position); the guiderails extend upward preferably 4-6 inches, sufficient to retain on the ramp-door  101  the wheelchair-bound user  300  of  FIG. 3  and prevent him from falling as he exits along the open ramp-door  101 . The guiderails  102  may optionally be rotatably mounted so as to move between a first storage position and a second operational position. In such embodiments, the first storage position may be configured such that the guiderails appear to blend into the interior surface of the ramp-door  101 . Automatic rotation may be accomplished by a direct or indirect electric drive motor or by mechanical interlink with the electric motor  902 . Alternatively, the guiderails  102  may be spring-loaded such that they are urged into the second operational position, but are retained in place by a selectively releasable latch, which would be tied mechanically or electronically to the opening of the ramp-door  101 . 
         [0027]    To use the first exemplary embodiment, the wheelchair-bound user  300  or other user first identifies an emergency situation requiring egress of the building where the first exemplary embodiment invention is installed in a ground-floor room. Such a situation may be signaled by the activation of a smoke detector or other fire alarm system. The user activates the wall-mounted control  103  or alternative control and the ramp-door  103  opens, providing a safe and accessible egress to the outside, which the user may then traverse. 
         [0028]    Referring now to the second exemplary embodiment, intended for installation on upper-floor room,  FIG. 5  shows an interior perspective scene of a room in which the second exemplary embodiment is installed. Internally, the upper floor room interior  500 , ramp-door  501 , wall-mounted control  503 , exterior wall  504 , and inside ramp-door opening  505  correspond to the first floor room interior  100 , ramp-door  101 , wall-mounted control  103 , exterior wall  104 , and inside ramp-door opening  105  of the first exemplary embodiment. Externally, the ramp-door  501 , exterior wall  504 , building exterior  600 , and outside ramp-door opening  601  correspond the first ramp-door  101 , exterior wall  104 , building exterior  200  and outside ramp-door opening  201  of the first exemplary embodiment, except that the ramp-door  501  of the second exemplary embodiment exhibits a wider range of motion than that of the first exemplary embodiment. Additionally the upper floor floorline  1000 , counterweight  1001 , electric motor  1002 , and ramp-door axle  1003  of the second exemplary embodiment correspond in all respects to the first floor floorline  900 , counterweight  901 , and electric motor  902 . The ramp door  501  of the second exemplary embodiment does not contact the ground to form a ramp and instead hangs against the building exterior  600  when fully open. The inside surface of the ramp-door  501  need not be traversed by a wheelchair bound user or other user, and so the second exemplary embodiment may lack a corresponding component to the guiderails  201  and also need not be reinforced or built differently than the surrounding interior  500  to support the weight of a traversing user. 
         [0029]    Referring still to the second exemplary embodiment, the second exemplary embodiment provides a mode of rapid, accessible, and safe descent from an upper-floor. A disabled user  508  may don a harness  509  and be carried to the outside and lowered to the ground by the mechanism herein described. The harness  509  may be of any type and material suitable for safely and comfortably supporting the weight of an adult individual. The harness  509  is preferably easily worn by an individual with limited mobility. A bed  506 , or other loading platform from which the disabled user may don the harness  509  and prepare an escape is provided. The harness  509  is linked to the non-spooled end  1305  of a harness tether  510 , which is wound onto a lift pulley  1301 , the lift pulley  1301  being a part of the winch assembly  511  and discussed in greater detail below. The spooled end  1306  of the harness tether  509  is securely fastened to the lift pulley  1301 . The winch assembly moves back and forth along an overhead rail  507 . The overhead rail  507  hangs from the ceiling or is otherwise rigidly affixed in an overhead position within the room interior and connects a harness storage position  512 , preferably located near or over the bed  506  or other loading platform, with a rail connection position  513  located near the inside ramp-door opening  505 . The overhead rail  507  is preferably a length of durable metal such as steel in an I-beam configuration. The overhead rail  507  need not be configured in a straight line, but may provide a curved track as shown with the degree of arc of any turn remaining within the reasonable turning radius of the particular hardware used in the winch assembly  511 . 
         [0030]    Between the inside ramp-door opening  505  and outside ramp-door opening  601 , and above the top edge of the ramp-door is a rotatably mounted extension rail  700 . The extension rail  700  may be rotated between a first storage position within the plane of the exterior wall  504  and a second operational position in line with the overhead rail  507 . The second operational position of the extension rail  700  is such that the extension rail  700  extends from the rail connection position  513  to a track end position  701  outside through the inside ramp-door opening  505  and outside ramp-door opening  601  to a safe clearing distance away from the building exterior  600 . The extension rail  700  is identical in construction to the overhead rail  507  and forms a minimal seam with the overhead rail  507  when in its second operation position. The extension rail may feature a stop structure at its distal end to occupy the rail end point  701 ; the stop structure may have any shape, size and strength sufficient to prevent the winch assembly  511  from rolling off the end. The extension rail  700  is optionally concealed on its interior and exterior sides to appear, in its first storage position, to blend into the building exterior  600  and upper-floor room interior  500 . The extension rail  700  may be driven on its rotating mount by direct or indirect drive of an electric motor with electronic control, or by mechanical interlink with the electric motor  1002  that drives the ramp-door  501 . 
         [0031]    In addition to the wall-mounted control  503 , the second exemplary embodiment may be controlled by the harness-wearing user from a user control  1300 . The user control  1300  is preferably affixed to the harness tether  510  within reach of a harnessed user. The user control  1300  is preferably capable of sending wired or wireless control signals to open and close the ramp-door, move the winch assembly  511  back and forth along the overhead trail  507  and extension rail  700 , and raise or lower the harness  509 . The harness tether  510  is spooled on a lift pulley  1301 , which is driven by direct or indirect drive from a motor within the drive box  1302 . The lift pulley spins freely while mounted to the drive box  1302 . The drive box  1302  is suspended from the axle of one or more drive wheels  1303 , which are supported by the overhead rail  507  or extension rail  700  and roll freely back and forth along the overhead rail  507  or extension rail  700 . At least one of the drive wheels  1303  is powered by indirect drive from a motor within the drive box  1302  via a drive linkage  1304  such as a chain. 
         [0032]    To use the second exemplary embodiment, the disabled user  508  or other user first identifies an emergency situation requiring egress of the building where the first exemplary embodiment invention is installed in a ground-floor room. Such a situation may be signaled by the activation of a smoke detector or other fire alarm system. The user then proceeds to the bad  506  or other loading platform and dons the harness  509 . The user then activates the user control  1300  to open the ramp-door  501 , move the extension ail  700  into its second operational position, lift the harness  509  and himself up above the bed  506  or other loading platform, traverse the overhead rail  507  and extension rail  700  to a point outside that is clear of the building exterior  600 , and lower the harness  509  and himself to the ground and safety. 
         [0033]    Components, component sizes and materials listed above are preferable, but artisans will recognize that alternate components and materials could be selected without altering the scope of the invention. 
         [0034]    While the foregoing written description of the invention enables one of .ordinary skill to make and use what is presently considered to be the best mode thereof, those of ordinary skill in the art will understand and appreciate the existence of variations, combinations, and equivalents of the specific embodiment, method, and examples herein. The invention should, therefore, not be limited by the above described embodiment, method, and examples, but by all embodiments and methods within the scope and spirit of the invention.