Patent ID: 6910552

Claim:
A system particularly useful for the evacuation of individuals from an elevated level of a building having an exterior wall and an exit opening therethrough; said system comprising: a housing slidably mounted, to said building in alignment with said exit opening to move linearly from a stored position within said exit opening in said exterior wall, and to an operative position projecting outwardly from said exterior wall and defining a compartment in said housing; and a flexible sleeve folded into a compact form for storage within said compartment, and unfoldable into an operative form extending outwardly from said compartment to permit individuals to exit therethrough from the building; said flexible sleeve having an entry end secured with respect to said housing, and an exit end to be secured to a stable object at a lower level in the extended operative form of the flexible sleeve; said housing including a front wall and a rear wall located vertically, and substantially parallel to the building exterior wall with said rear wall in alignment with said exit opening, said housing further including a pair of lateral walls extending vertically on opposite sides of said front and rear walls, and substantially perpendicular to the building exterior wall, when said housing is mounted to the building; one of said lateral walls being formed with an opening in alignment with said entry end of the flexible sleeve, such that in the extended operative form of the flexible sleeve, it extends at an incline diagonally alongside the building exterior wall, thereby facilitating the securing of the exit end of the flexible sleeve to a stable object located relatively close to the building, and the evacuation of individuals entering the flexible sleeve in a sitting position at the entry end.