Patent ID: 7467764

Claim:
An emergency evacuation slide system for mounting to the airframe of an aircraft, comprising a packboard compartment comprising a rigid enclosure comprising an inner surface having rear and lateral sides and an open end covered by a releasable cover panel, said cover panel having an upper edge and a lower edge, said rigid enclosure being mounted within said aircraft with said open end substantially flush with the outer surface of said airframe; a source of inflation gas; an inflatable evacuation slide fluidically connected to said source of inflation gas and stored in an uninflated condition within said rigid enclosure of said packboard compartment; a soft cover for retaining said uninflated evacuation slide within said rigid enclosure, said soft cover comprising at least one fabric panel attached to said packboard compartment, said at least one fabric panel having a plurality of edges laced together with a flexible cord to form a barrier; means for forcing the uninflated evacuation slide out of the packboard compartment prior to inflation of said evacuation slide; and a chafing skirt attached to the inner surface of said rigid enclosure, said chafing skirt comprising a flexible panel having an inner edge attached to the inner surface of said rigid enclosure proximal the open end thereof, said flexible panel further comprising an outer edge capable of extending from a stored position wherein said flexible panel is fully within said rigid enclosure to a deployed position in which said outer edge of said flexible panel extends outside said open end of said rigid enclosure and outside said airframe.