Patent ID: 8333036

Claim:
A vehicle emergency egress assembly suitable for a vehicle, the vehicle emergency egress assembly comprising: a vehicle door comprising one or more layers of opaque armor, the vehicle door having an inside surface facing an occupant compartment of the vehicle and an outside surface facing away from the occupant compartment of the vehicle, and an interior portion of the vehicle door defined by a perimeter portion of the vehicle door; an egress portal formed in the interior portion; a stepped periphery defining an outer perimeter of the egress portal; a latching and unlatching mechanism affixed to the vehicle door; a plug having a plug body, the plug body having a stepped periphery defining an outer perimeter of the plug body and shaped to mate with the stepped periphery of the egress portal, wherein the plug is releasably disposable in the egress portal via a mating of the stepped periphery of the egress portal and the stepped periphery of the plug body, and wherein the plug fills the egress portal when the plug is disposed therein; an opening formed in the plug body; a window affixed to the plug body and covering the opening, wherein the window further comprises a window pane of one or more layers of transparent material and a frame holding the window pane, and wherein the plug body further comprises one or more layers of opaque material, and interiorly accessible release means selectively operable by a vehicle occupant, wherein operating the interiorly accessible release means shifts the plug from the vehicle door to allow emergency egress by the vehicle occupant through the egress portal, and wherein engaging the latching and unlatching mechanism allows for routine opening and closing of the vehicle door when the vehicle door is mounted on the vehicle.