Patent ID: 8376567

Claim:
A system for enabling visual orientation and providing illumination to evacuees of a residential structure with portals such as doorways and windows in the event of an emergency requiring evacuation of said structure, where there is a planned path of safe emergency egress from an interior space such as a room or hallway of said structure and said path passes through a portal such as an interior or exterior doorway or window of said structure, said system comprising: a first linear illuminator section positioned along a wall of said interior space in an orientation that is generally parallel to a floor of said space and that is generally near and along the base of a wall of said space, such as along the top or bottom edge of a baseboard of the wall; a second linear illuminator section that is positioned in a generally vertical orientation along said wall in a location adjacent said portal in said planned emergency egress path; at least one energizer for energizing said first and second illuminator sections, said energizer(s) being associated with said sections in a manner that causes said sections to illuminate when said energizer(s) is actuated; said energizer(s) being actuated in response to a signal such as an electrical, electromagnetic or audible signal that is present when emergency conditions are detected by a detector such as a fire detector, smoke detector, carbon dioxide detector, or radon gas detector; a length of said first linear illuminator section being adapted and positioned to provide illumination along a line leading generally toward said second linear illuminator section; said first linear illuminator section comprising an intertwined combination of a plurality of linear illuminator strands, such as a twisted, braided or woven combination; and said first section being capable of leading evacuees toward said second section when said first section is energized to provide illumination.