GB2224154A - An escape guidance aid from enclosed spaces in an emergency situation - Google Patents

Abstract

To enable people to find escape routes from burning buildings, aircraft, ships, underground stations etc. an embossed flexible tape can be attached to the walls and to the touch it feels smooth in one direction, which would be away from the nearest exit, and rough in the other which would be towards an exit and safety. Thus in dark or smoke filled conditions a way to safety could be found. <IMAGE>

Description

AID TO ESCAPE FROM BUILDINGS AND TRANSPORT SYSTEMS THAT ARE ON FIRE This invention relates to a system to aid the safe escape of persons from burning buildings or any other confined spaces such as aircraft, trains, subways and ships.

Many lives are lost in fire situations because with dense smoke filling corridors, rooms, walkways people are unable to find their way to exits or safe places and even those people familiar with their surroundings become bewildered and disorientated in a fire situation.

The invention is a tape, strip or surface which can easily be affixed to a wall, handrail, floor etc and which has serations or bumps or some form of embossed or moulded pattern on it's surface which, if touched by the hand, feels different in one direction along the tape to the other, for example smooth one way and rough in the other. The tape strip or surface will be affixed to the wall at a convenient height and a standard convention will be adapted such that the direction of feel or touch that produces a given sensation will be the direction of the nearest exit or staircase or corridor or walkway leading to a safe place. (This assumes that the obvious direction of the fire does not dictate otherwise).

A specific embodiment of the invention will now be described by way of example with reference to the accompanying drawing in which: Figure 1 Shows a longitudinal section through a tape which will feel rough if stroked from left to right but smooth if stroked from right to left. The vertical scale is enlarged three times for clarity.

Figure 2 Shows a front view of the tape which could be tailored and coloured to suit the surrounding decor. As an extra safety measure the tape could be overprinted with such information as "The rough feel direction of this safety tape leads to an exit".

This information would be a constant reminder to people when the situation was normal. Overprinting directional arrows pointing towards exits would also help to evacuate the building or conveyance in an emergency situation when the tape could be seen.

Figure :3 Shows a tape affixed to a corridor wall in a typical Hotel situation where door one is not an exit route but door two is and is indicated by terminating the tape in a geometric shape such as a square.

The tape, strip or surface would be made from any suitable material such as all forms of plastic, paper, metal or combinations of these materials. It would be fixed in place by self adhesive backing or any other form of adhesive or by mechanical means such as nails screws or pins.

The width of the strips could be any width with a recommended minimum of three centimetres, the frequency and mark-space ratio of the serations will vary to suit the situation. A second strip could be attached near the floor so that if very dense smoke forced people to crawl, they could still feel the tape.

Claims (2)

WHAT WE CLAIM IS:

1. For a flexible or rigid embossed tape, strip or surface fixed to the walls, handrails, floor or skirting of a building, aircraft, ship, train or any other public conveyance that provides a continuous directional guide by touch or vision or both to the nearest exit or safe place from the building, aircraft, ship, train or public conveyance.

2. That in dark or smoke filled or burning buildings, aircraft, ships, trains etc, the invention would enable the occupants to find their way to an exit or safe place.