AU2010100994A4 - Fire Protection Blanket - Google Patents

Description

AUSTRALIA PATENTS ACT 1990 COMPLETE SPECIFICATION INNOVATION PATENT "Fire Protection Blanket" The following statement is a full description of this invention, including the best method of performing it known to me: 2 FIRE PROTECTION BLANKET Field of the Invention 5 This invention relates to the area of safety equipment for use in the prevention of or minimization of personal injury resulting from fire. The invention particularly relates to fire safety blankets, and in particular to an emergency blanket for use in fire emergency events such as bushfires. 10 Background of the Invention Efforts have been made to increase the survivability of a person who is in danger from a fire emergency event such as a bushfire, grass fire or even industrial or domestic 15 related fire emergencies. Whilst there exist many fire resistant devices to protect property or minimize property damage, few of these are of any assistance to a person seeking protection from the heat and flames of a fire and are not able to be easily stored so as to be readily 20 available for that purpose. There are many situations where some sort of device for that purpose which is suitable for use by an individual would be desirable. For instance people can become trapped in a car or bus in a bushfire area, or alternatively may be in a house or other 25 building which catches fire in some other way, and need some protection while escaping. Frequently people have used a wet blanket or other such device to cover themselves while avoiding fire. But this provides relatively poor protection from fire and 30 associated heat.

3 It is an object of this invention to provide a personal protective device which can be worn or used by a person exposed to fire risk which aids in insulating the person from radiant heat to a large extent while shielding the user from fire or associated products such as embers and the like. 5 Summary of the invention According to one aspect of the present invention, a fire protection blanket for wrapping a person temporarily exposed to fire conditions, is provided comprising: 10 - on one side of the blanket an outer first layer woven from a wool-based yarn, - on the other side of the blanket an outer second layer also woven from a wool-based yarn, and - between said first and second layers an intermediate layer comprising a radiant heat reflective polymer film. 15 Preferably said outer first layer is formed such that its outwardly facing face is relatively smooth and dense so as to be resistant to the adherence of burning debris such as embers, sparks, and molten material, and said outer first layer is formed such that its face in contact with said intermediate layer has greater loft so that an increased 20 amount of air is enmeshed substantially over the area of the interface between said outer first layer and said intermediate layer. In another aspect the invention provides a fire protection blanket for wrapping a person temporarily exposed to fire conditions, said blanket having: 25 - a first face on a first side, - a second face on a second side which is obverse to said first side, - a first attachment means located on said first face and capable of receiving at least a portion of a foot of said person, and - a second attachment means located on said first face and capable of being held 30 by a hand or attaching to at least a portion of the head of said person, 4 wherein said first and second attachment means are spaced apart near to or at one edge of the blanket so that they are both accessible to the person when the person lays upon the blanket. 5 The blanket is preferably rectangular shaped having a pair of longitudinal edges and a pair of lateral edges on its perimeter. In one configuration: - said first attachment means is a loop located near to or at a first said 10 longitudinal edge and is set well in from a first said lateral edge to ensure there is substantial excess blanket extending below a foot engaged with the loop while the person is laying upon the blanket, and - said second attachment means is a handle located near to or at said first longitudinal edge and said second handle is also set well in from the second 15 said lateral edge of the blanket so that there is substantial excess blanket extending above the head of the person laying upon the blanket. In another configuration: - said first attachment means comprises a first pocket and said second 20 attachment means comprises a second pocket, - said first pocket is capable of receiving at least most of a foot of the person, and said second pocket is capable of receiving at least most of the head of the person, and - said first pocket is located at one end of the blanket and extends across at least 25 substantially the entire width of blanket, and said second pocket is located at the opposite end to said first pocket and also extends across at least substantially the entire width of the blanket.

5 Brief Description of the Drawings In order that the invention may be more fully understood there will now be described, by way of example only, preferred embodiments and other elements of the invention 5 with reference to the accompanying drawings where: Figure 1 is a perspective view of a fire protection blanket according to a first embodiment of the invention with a person laying upon it. 10 Figure 2 illustrates the fire protection blanket of Figure 1 shown in use protecting the body of a person, Figure 3 illustrates the various layers that make up the blanket shown in Figure 1. 15 Figure 4 shows a plan view of a fire protection blanket according to a second embodiment of the invention. Figure 5 shows an early stage in the interaction between the blanket in Figure 4 20 and a person using the blanket. Figure 6 shows a later stage in the interaction of the person and blanket in Figure 5. 25 Description of Examples of the Invention and the Preferred Embodiment Figures 1 to 3 show a multi-layered fire protection blanket 1. The blanket I has a first outer layer 3 on one side 2 of the blanket, a second outer layer 11 on the other side 10 of the blanket, and an intermediate layer 13 sandwiched between outer layers 3 and 30 11.

6 The first outer layer 3 has an inwardly facing face 15 and an outwardly facing face 16. The second outer layer 11 has an inwardly facing face 17 and an outwardly facing face 18. The faces 15 and 17 rest in face to face contact with the intermediate layer 13. The layers 3, 11 and 13 are fastened together by only stitching around the 5 perimeter of the blanket. They are thus able to slide face to face relative to each other. The blanket 1 has a rectangular shape having a pair of longitudinal edges 30 and 32 and a pair of lateral edges 34 and 36 all forming its perimeter. 10 One of the longitudinal edges 30 has a pair of loops 5 and 7 sewn onto it. To use the blanket I for protection, the person 9 lays on the blanket close to the longitudinal edge 30. They then hook a portion of their foot through the first loop 5 and grab onto the second loop 7 with their hand as shown in Figure 1. The person 9 then rolls in the 15 direction of the arrows shown in Figure 1 towards the opposite edge 32 of the blanket, dragging the blanket with them so that it spirally wraps around the person's body. Figure 2 shows the blanket in use protecting the body of a person. A substantial length portion 38 of blanket extends outwards beyond the person's head 20 and another substantial length portion 40 extends outwards beyond their feet and those portions 38 and 40 of blanket collapse to close off the opening at each end of the spiral wrapping to reduce the ingress of smoke. A problem with using the blanket 1 as described above is that it can be difficult to 25 ensure that the top of the head and the soles of the feet are protected. In addition to allowing heat to enter, the open ends of the blanket roll may also permit smoke to enter the roll. The user may try to tuck in the open ends of the blanket which extend above the top of their head and below their feet in order to close off the ends of the blanket roll, but this could be difficult in the emergency of a fire condition. Figures 4 30 to 6 illustrate the use of an alternative embodiment of the invention which provides improved performance in this aspect.

7 Referring now to Figures 4 to 6, instead of a longitudinal edge having attached loops, a first side 52 of this blanket 51 has a pair of rectangular pockets 19 and 21 which extend substantially across the entire width of the blanket. Each pocket 19 and 21 is formed by a respective panel of a single layer of the same fabric used for the inner 5 layer of the blanket. The panels 20 and 22 of fabric are sewn at three of their edges to corresponding perimeter edges 80, 82, 84 and 86 of the blanket and left unattached at the panels' respective fourth edges 23 and 25. To use the blanket 51, the person 9 lays upon the blanket close to a longitudinal edge 10 80 and places their feet into pocket 19. As shown in Figure 6, the person 9 then lays and inserts their head into the pocket 21. The person then rolls towards the opposite longitudinal edge 82 of the blanket as indicated by the arrows in Figure 6. The blanket is thus caused to spirally wind about the person's body. The pockets ensure the person's head and feet are fully covered and reduce the likelihood that smoke will 15 enter through either end of the blanket roll. Figure 3 shows how the blankets 1 and 51 are made up as a multi-layer construction. The first outer layer 3 and second outer layer 11 are each woven from a pure wool yarn. The intermediate layer 13 is a mirror finished metallised polymer film that is 20 both heat resistant and radiant heat reflective. The first outer layer 3 has a different construction to the second outer layer 11. The first outer layer 3 is that on which the person lies. It is a 400 gsm twill finish melton fabric. It is single brushed on its outer face 16 and double brushed on its inner face 25 15. The second outer layer is that which is exposed to the flames of a fire. It is a 600 gsm woven finish melton fabric. Its inner face 17 is double brushed like the inner face of layer 3, but its outer face 18 differs substantially as it has a milled finish which involves raising and the shaving the surface. Thus the outer face 18 has a densely compact very smooth surface which is highly resistant to catching any embers and 30 readily sheds even molten glass, metal and plastic materials.

8 The inner faces 15 and 17 have a high loft that enmeshes the maximum amount of air within the double brushed fibres. This layer of enmeshed air trapped agaist the impervious intermediate layer improves the overall heat resistance of the blanket. 5 Both layers 3 and 11 are treated with Zirpro fire retardant. Whereas most fire retardant treatments of this type involve treating the fabric after it is woven, it has been found to be significantly improve fire resistance of the fabric if the Zirpro retardant treatment is provided to the unspun fibres while the fibres are being dyed which is before the yarn is formed, 10 The blanket may be made in various sizes. It is envisaged that a size of 200 x 150 cm would be suitable for adults and a size of 150 x 100cm more suited for children. The blanket may be conveniently and compactly stored and easily carried in a motor vehicle during times of fire danger. 15 Whilst the above description includes the preferred embodiments of the invention, it is to be understood that many variations, alterations, modifications and/or additions may be introduced into the constructions and arrangements of parts previously described without departing from the essential features or the spirit or ambit of the 20 invention. It will be also understood that where the word "comprise", and variations such as "comprises" and "comprising", are used in this specification, unless the context requires otherwise such use is intended to imply the inclusion of a stated feature or 25 features but is not to be taken as excluding the presence of other feature or features. The reference to any prior art in this specification is not, and should not be taken as, an acknowledgment or any form of suggestion that such prior art forms part of the common general knowledge in Australia. 30

Claims (5)

1. A fire protection blanket for wrapping a person temporarily exposed to fire conditions, said blanket comprising: 5 - on one side of the blanket an outer first layer woven from a wool-based yarn, - on the other side of the blanket an outer second layer also woven from a wool-based yarn, and - between said first and second layers an intermediate layer comprising a radiant heat reflective polymer film. 10

2. A fire protection blanket as claimed in claim 1 wherein: - said outer first layer is formed such that its outwardly facing face is relatively smooth and dense so as to be resistant to the adherence of burning debris such as embers, sparks, and molten material, and 15 - said outer first layer is formed such that its face in contact with said intermediate layer has greater loft so that an increased amount of air is enmeshed substantially over the area of the interface between said outer first layer and said intermediate layer. 20

3. A fire protection blanket for wrapping a person temporarily exposed to fire conditions, said blanket having: - a first face on a first side, - a second face on a second side which is obverse to said first side, - a first attachment means located on said first face and capable of receiving at 25 least a portion of a foot of said person, and - a second attachment means located on said first face and capable of being held by a hand or attaching to at least a portion of the head of said person, wherein said first and second attachment means are spaced apart near to or at one edge of the blanket so that they are both accessible to the person when the person 30 lays upon the blanket. 10

4. A fire protection blanket as claimed in claim 3 wherein: - the blanket is rectangular shaped having a pair of longitudinal edges and a pair of lateral edges on its perimeter, 5 - said first attachment means is a loop located near to or at a first said longitudinal edge and is set well in from a first said lateral edge to ensure there is substantial excess blanket extending below a foot engaged with the loop while the person is laying upon the blanket, and - said second attachment means is a handle located near to or at said first 10 longitudinal edge and said second handle is also set well in from the second said lateral edge of the blanket so that there is substantial excess blanket extending above the head of the person laying upon the blanket.

5. A fire protection blanket as claimed in claim 3 wherein: 15 - the blanket is rectangular shaped, - said first attachment means comprises a first pocket and said second attachment means comprises a second pocket, - said first pocket is capable of receiving at least most of a foot of the person, and said second pocket is capable of receiving at least most of the head of the 20 person, and - said first pocket is located at one end of the blanket and extends across at least substantially the entire width of blanket, and said second pocket is located at the opposite end to said first pocket and also extends across at least substantially the entire width of the blanket. 25 Dated this 9th day of September 2010 The Lang Group Pty Ltd by their patent attorneys Morcom Pernat 30