Patent ID: 7188705

Claim:
A system for evacuation of an upper floor of a high-rise building, the evacuation system comprising: a) a portable carrier adapted to be located at the upper floor of the building; the carrier generally cup-shaped with a closed bottom, surrounding closed sides extending upwardly from the bottom and terminating in an upper surrounding flange, and a guide ring extending radially outwardly from the flange for guiding radially outwardly thereof; the carrier being sized to accommodate an adult therein; b) a stationary landing ramp exiting to the outside environment at ground level, c) a stationary evacuation tube extending vertically upwardly from the landing ramp; the tube having an open upper entrance end adapted to be located at the upper floor and an open lower exit end communicating with the landing ramp; the inside profile of an upper portion of the tube being configured for mechanically unrestricted pneumatically damped free-fall of the carrier in the tube, and the inside profile of a lower portion of the evacuation tube approaching the size of the guide ring for approaching zero clearance therebetween, whereby the speed of the carrier reduces as a result of pneumatic damping as it descends in the tube; and d) upper and lower valves spanning across the lower end of the evacuation tube proximately above the landing ramp, the valves being automatically operated sequentially between open and closed positions to establish an airlock between the inside of the evacuation tube and the outside environment as the carrier passes therethrough.