CA2115187A1 - Escape line apparatus - Google Patents
Escape line apparatusInfo
- Publication number
- CA2115187A1 CA2115187A1 CA 2115187 CA2115187A CA2115187A1 CA 2115187 A1 CA2115187 A1 CA 2115187A1 CA 2115187 CA2115187 CA 2115187 CA 2115187 A CA2115187 A CA 2115187A CA 2115187 A1 CA2115187 A1 CA 2115187A1
- Authority
- CA
- Canada
- Prior art keywords
- rope
- reel
- container
- friction
- fire escape
- Prior art date
- Legal status (The legal status is an assumption and is not a legal conclusion. Google has not performed a legal analysis and makes no representation as to the accuracy of the status listed.)
- Abandoned
Links
Classifications
-
- A—HUMAN NECESSITIES
- A62—LIFE-SAVING; FIRE-FIGHTING
- A62B—DEVICES, APPARATUS OR METHODS FOR LIFE-SAVING
- A62B1/00—Devices for lowering persons from buildings or the like
- A62B1/06—Devices for lowering persons from buildings or the like by making use of rope-lowering devices
- A62B1/14—Devices for lowering persons from buildings or the like by making use of rope-lowering devices with brakes sliding on the rope
Landscapes
- Health & Medical Sciences (AREA)
- General Health & Medical Sciences (AREA)
- Business, Economics & Management (AREA)
- Emergency Management (AREA)
- Emergency Lowering Means (AREA)
Abstract
This invention relates to a personal fire escape comprised of a rope having fastening apparatus at one end for fastening to a building structure, a reel contained in a container, the rope being wound around the reel contained in the container, and including friction apparatus for retaining the rope wound on the reel when the reel and container are suspended by the rope, a friction brake, the rope being contained in the friction brake between the reel and the fastening apparatus, a body supporting apparatus fixed to the brake above the reel and container, whereby a body suspended by the body supporting apparatus, the rope may be slipped through the friction brake allowing slow descent of the body along the rope, the body interfering with the container and thereby forcing rope to be unwound from the reel.
Description
FIELD OF THE INVENTION:
This invention relates to the field of fire safety, and in particular to a personal fire escape for use in multi-story buildings.
S BACKGROUND TO THE INVENTION:
A particular form of personal fire escape which can be used with multi-story buildings is comprised of a rope that can be fastened at one end to a structure fixed to the building, the user sliding down the rope e.g. through a window. In order to ensure both a slow descent and avoidance of friction on a user's body, a brake is used, as well as a body suspension device. A fire escape of this type is described in Canadian Patent 65,171 filed under serial number 87,856 on October 30 - November 2, 1899.
In a patented device, the rope is fastened to the frame of a window at one end, and the other end is wound around a reel. The rope passes through a brake in the form of a block having several holes, and is wound sinuously through the holes and around the block. A
sling for passing around or suspending the body is fastened to the block, and a handle through which the rope is passed is used as a clutch to control the speed of the rope passing through the block.
In use, the reel of rope is thrown out the window, the rope unwinding to the ground. The person places his weight on or through the sling, and using the handle to either suspend at least part of his weight, and/or in a twisting motion, controls his descent along the rope to the ground.
A problem with this form of fire escape is that once the rope has been thrown out the window, the user has no alternative but to pass along where it has been thrown. For example, if the rope has accidentally been thrown into a tank of air conditioner cooling water, that is the place to which the user is led during his descent, which is obviously undesirable.
Should there be many fire escape reels thrown from many windows of the building, which would be very likely in the case of a fire emergency, the several ropes can become entangled, which can create a dangerous situation when many people descend along the various ropes in a stressful state at the same time.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION:
I have invented an improvement to the above-described fire escape, which allows users to control where they descend. This provides a significant improvement to the safety of the fire escape, since it gives the user the ability to avoid descent to undesirable ground locations, to a certain degree, and avoids entangling ropes of several fire escape users who are descending at the same time.
In the present invention, the reel which holds the rope is enclosed in a casing, which provides friction against the reel and/or rope. This stops the rope from unwinding from the reel under its own weight.
Thus when the reel of rope is thrown out of the window, it does not unwind. Only when the user, who is suspended from the brake descends along the portion of the rope above the reel, interferes with the reel, does the rope unwind from the reel, providing additional rope along which to descend.
Thus as the user descends along the side of the building, he may use his legs to move himself sideways or to some extent farther from the wall of the building, avoiding descent to an undesirable position which would otherwise be dictated if the rope were already unwound from the reel.
Furthermore, with no rope unwound to the ground below the user, there is no possibility of loose ~l 15~87 rope tangling with loose rope of fire escapes of other users.
Thus the present invention provides a significant improvement in safety over the prior art fire escape described above.
A personal fire escape comprising a rope having fastened apparatus at one end for fastening to a building structure, a reel contained in a container, the rope being wound around the reel contained in the container, and including apparatus for creating friction for retaining the rope wound on the reel when the reel and container are suspended by the rope, a friction brake, the rope being contained in the friction brake between the reel and the fastening apparatus, a body supporting structure fixed to the brake above the reel and container, whereby with a body suspended by the body supporting structure, the rope may be slipped through the friction brake allowing slow descent of the body along the rope, the body interfering with the container and thereby forcing rope to be unwound from the reel.
BRIEF INTRODUCTION TO THE DRAWINGS:
A better understanding of the invention will be obtained by reading the description of the invention below, with reference to the following drawings, in which:
Figure 1 is an illustration of one embodiment of the invention, and Figure 2 is an illustration of another embodiment of the invention.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION:
Turning to Figure 1, a rope 1 has a fastening hook 3, loop, or any other means of fastening one end of the rope to a building, at one end thereof. The rope passes through a brake 5, which is preferably comprised of a block of material such as aluminum, hardwood or the -4- ~ 7 like containing a plurality of holes 7. The rope passes sinuously through the holes which provide friction against the sides thereof.
The other end of the rope is wound around a S reel 9, which is contained within a strong fabric bag 11, such as made out of canvas. The material of the bag is such, as the size of the bag is made, so that it fits closely around the reel, in order that it should exhibit friction against it. The friction should be sufficient that if the reel and bag is lifted by the part of the rope that extends out of the bag, it will not unwind from the reel, and that some pulling force is required to unwind the rope from the reel.
A suspension line or lines 13 is independently fastened to the brake 5, to which a bosun's seat 15 is fastened at the other end. A safety line 17 is attached by means of a ring 19 to the suspension line, the suspension line passing through the ring. The safety line 17 is preferably fixed at one end to ring 19, and at the other end to ring 19 by means of a removable fastening clip.
In use, the user fastens clip or hook 3 to the building, such as to a radiator, ring fastener at the top of a window frame, or other secure device, and sits in the bosun chair, fastening the safety line 17 around his waist. The ring 19 allows adjustment of the distance of the safety line from the bosun's seat, to accommodate different size people.
The user then eases himself out the window, allowing the friction brake to pass along the rope 1 as he descends. As the body of the user drops, it interferes with the bag containing the reel of rope.
This overcomes the friction against the reel, and the rope unwinds, the reel turning against the bag. The rope thus extends, allowing the user to drop slowly to 5 21~5187 the ground, to a balcony, or other desirable location, while allowing him to steer his lateral location by means of his feet against the side of the building, or merely adjacent the ground or another lower roof where S he may have to push against the side of a vessel in order to avoid descending into it.
Figure 2 illustrates another embodiment of the invention. The basic structure is similar to the embodiment of Figure 1, except in this case the reel 9 is encased in a hard case 21 such as made out of plastic. In this embodiment, the case contains a slot 23 through which the rope 1 extends. The slot 23 should be made sufficiently narrow that it exerts sufficient friction against the rope that together with the friction of the top of the reel against the inside of the case 21, the rope does not unwind when the case and reel are suspended by it.
This embodiment operates in a manner similar to the embodiment of Figure 1.
It should be noted that instead of a wide diameter reel, the rope may be wound around a central axle, the friction between the rope 1 and the slot 23 being sufficient to ensure that the rope does not unwind when the case and reel are suspended by it.
It is also preferred to enclose the portion of the rope between the ring 19 and the case with a loosely fitting tube 30, as shown in Figures 1 and 2, or more than one in series. The purpose of the tube is to ensure that the rope spin-off should not interfere with the user sitting in the bosun's chair as the user descends. To ensure that the tube not slip through the ring 19, preferably a stiff fabric washer 32 friction fitted around rope 1 is located between the ring and the adjacent tube 30. The washer can be made of several layers of canvas, for example. Indeed, to retain friction in case the slot 23 wears, another fabric washer may be friction fitted around rope 1 within the case.
Other variations in the design, which could be applied to either embodiment, is to suspend the bosun's seat by means of two lines from the brake, and to have the ring 19 pass around both lines. Since the suspension of a person in the bosun's seat spreads the two lines, the security of the person may be improved by passing both lines through the hole of a tightening washer 25. By pulling the washer 19 toward the bosun's seat while the user is suspended by it, the bosun's chair is tightened around the user due to friction of the hole of the washer against the two lines, closing it around the user.
A person understanding this invention may now conceive of alternative structures and embodiments or variations of the above. All of those which fall within the scope of the claims appended hereto are considered to be part of the present invention.
This invention relates to the field of fire safety, and in particular to a personal fire escape for use in multi-story buildings.
S BACKGROUND TO THE INVENTION:
A particular form of personal fire escape which can be used with multi-story buildings is comprised of a rope that can be fastened at one end to a structure fixed to the building, the user sliding down the rope e.g. through a window. In order to ensure both a slow descent and avoidance of friction on a user's body, a brake is used, as well as a body suspension device. A fire escape of this type is described in Canadian Patent 65,171 filed under serial number 87,856 on October 30 - November 2, 1899.
In a patented device, the rope is fastened to the frame of a window at one end, and the other end is wound around a reel. The rope passes through a brake in the form of a block having several holes, and is wound sinuously through the holes and around the block. A
sling for passing around or suspending the body is fastened to the block, and a handle through which the rope is passed is used as a clutch to control the speed of the rope passing through the block.
In use, the reel of rope is thrown out the window, the rope unwinding to the ground. The person places his weight on or through the sling, and using the handle to either suspend at least part of his weight, and/or in a twisting motion, controls his descent along the rope to the ground.
A problem with this form of fire escape is that once the rope has been thrown out the window, the user has no alternative but to pass along where it has been thrown. For example, if the rope has accidentally been thrown into a tank of air conditioner cooling water, that is the place to which the user is led during his descent, which is obviously undesirable.
Should there be many fire escape reels thrown from many windows of the building, which would be very likely in the case of a fire emergency, the several ropes can become entangled, which can create a dangerous situation when many people descend along the various ropes in a stressful state at the same time.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION:
I have invented an improvement to the above-described fire escape, which allows users to control where they descend. This provides a significant improvement to the safety of the fire escape, since it gives the user the ability to avoid descent to undesirable ground locations, to a certain degree, and avoids entangling ropes of several fire escape users who are descending at the same time.
In the present invention, the reel which holds the rope is enclosed in a casing, which provides friction against the reel and/or rope. This stops the rope from unwinding from the reel under its own weight.
Thus when the reel of rope is thrown out of the window, it does not unwind. Only when the user, who is suspended from the brake descends along the portion of the rope above the reel, interferes with the reel, does the rope unwind from the reel, providing additional rope along which to descend.
Thus as the user descends along the side of the building, he may use his legs to move himself sideways or to some extent farther from the wall of the building, avoiding descent to an undesirable position which would otherwise be dictated if the rope were already unwound from the reel.
Furthermore, with no rope unwound to the ground below the user, there is no possibility of loose ~l 15~87 rope tangling with loose rope of fire escapes of other users.
Thus the present invention provides a significant improvement in safety over the prior art fire escape described above.
A personal fire escape comprising a rope having fastened apparatus at one end for fastening to a building structure, a reel contained in a container, the rope being wound around the reel contained in the container, and including apparatus for creating friction for retaining the rope wound on the reel when the reel and container are suspended by the rope, a friction brake, the rope being contained in the friction brake between the reel and the fastening apparatus, a body supporting structure fixed to the brake above the reel and container, whereby with a body suspended by the body supporting structure, the rope may be slipped through the friction brake allowing slow descent of the body along the rope, the body interfering with the container and thereby forcing rope to be unwound from the reel.
BRIEF INTRODUCTION TO THE DRAWINGS:
A better understanding of the invention will be obtained by reading the description of the invention below, with reference to the following drawings, in which:
Figure 1 is an illustration of one embodiment of the invention, and Figure 2 is an illustration of another embodiment of the invention.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION:
Turning to Figure 1, a rope 1 has a fastening hook 3, loop, or any other means of fastening one end of the rope to a building, at one end thereof. The rope passes through a brake 5, which is preferably comprised of a block of material such as aluminum, hardwood or the -4- ~ 7 like containing a plurality of holes 7. The rope passes sinuously through the holes which provide friction against the sides thereof.
The other end of the rope is wound around a S reel 9, which is contained within a strong fabric bag 11, such as made out of canvas. The material of the bag is such, as the size of the bag is made, so that it fits closely around the reel, in order that it should exhibit friction against it. The friction should be sufficient that if the reel and bag is lifted by the part of the rope that extends out of the bag, it will not unwind from the reel, and that some pulling force is required to unwind the rope from the reel.
A suspension line or lines 13 is independently fastened to the brake 5, to which a bosun's seat 15 is fastened at the other end. A safety line 17 is attached by means of a ring 19 to the suspension line, the suspension line passing through the ring. The safety line 17 is preferably fixed at one end to ring 19, and at the other end to ring 19 by means of a removable fastening clip.
In use, the user fastens clip or hook 3 to the building, such as to a radiator, ring fastener at the top of a window frame, or other secure device, and sits in the bosun chair, fastening the safety line 17 around his waist. The ring 19 allows adjustment of the distance of the safety line from the bosun's seat, to accommodate different size people.
The user then eases himself out the window, allowing the friction brake to pass along the rope 1 as he descends. As the body of the user drops, it interferes with the bag containing the reel of rope.
This overcomes the friction against the reel, and the rope unwinds, the reel turning against the bag. The rope thus extends, allowing the user to drop slowly to 5 21~5187 the ground, to a balcony, or other desirable location, while allowing him to steer his lateral location by means of his feet against the side of the building, or merely adjacent the ground or another lower roof where S he may have to push against the side of a vessel in order to avoid descending into it.
Figure 2 illustrates another embodiment of the invention. The basic structure is similar to the embodiment of Figure 1, except in this case the reel 9 is encased in a hard case 21 such as made out of plastic. In this embodiment, the case contains a slot 23 through which the rope 1 extends. The slot 23 should be made sufficiently narrow that it exerts sufficient friction against the rope that together with the friction of the top of the reel against the inside of the case 21, the rope does not unwind when the case and reel are suspended by it.
This embodiment operates in a manner similar to the embodiment of Figure 1.
It should be noted that instead of a wide diameter reel, the rope may be wound around a central axle, the friction between the rope 1 and the slot 23 being sufficient to ensure that the rope does not unwind when the case and reel are suspended by it.
It is also preferred to enclose the portion of the rope between the ring 19 and the case with a loosely fitting tube 30, as shown in Figures 1 and 2, or more than one in series. The purpose of the tube is to ensure that the rope spin-off should not interfere with the user sitting in the bosun's chair as the user descends. To ensure that the tube not slip through the ring 19, preferably a stiff fabric washer 32 friction fitted around rope 1 is located between the ring and the adjacent tube 30. The washer can be made of several layers of canvas, for example. Indeed, to retain friction in case the slot 23 wears, another fabric washer may be friction fitted around rope 1 within the case.
Other variations in the design, which could be applied to either embodiment, is to suspend the bosun's seat by means of two lines from the brake, and to have the ring 19 pass around both lines. Since the suspension of a person in the bosun's seat spreads the two lines, the security of the person may be improved by passing both lines through the hole of a tightening washer 25. By pulling the washer 19 toward the bosun's seat while the user is suspended by it, the bosun's chair is tightened around the user due to friction of the hole of the washer against the two lines, closing it around the user.
A person understanding this invention may now conceive of alternative structures and embodiments or variations of the above. All of those which fall within the scope of the claims appended hereto are considered to be part of the present invention.
Claims (6)
1. A personal fire escape comprising:
(a) a rope having fastening means at one end for fastening to a building structure, (b) a reel contained in a container, the rope being wound around the reel contained in the container, and including friction means for retaining the rope wound on the reel when the reel and container are suspended by the rope, (c) a friction brake, the rope being contained in the friction brake between the reel and the fastening means, (d) a body supporting means fixed to the brake above the reel and container, whereby with a body suspended by the body supporting means, the rope may be slipped through the friction brake allowing slow descent of the body along the rope, the body interfering with the container and thereby forcing the rope to be unwound from the reel.
(a) a rope having fastening means at one end for fastening to a building structure, (b) a reel contained in a container, the rope being wound around the reel contained in the container, and including friction means for retaining the rope wound on the reel when the reel and container are suspended by the rope, (c) a friction brake, the rope being contained in the friction brake between the reel and the fastening means, (d) a body supporting means fixed to the brake above the reel and container, whereby with a body suspended by the body supporting means, the rope may be slipped through the friction brake allowing slow descent of the body along the rope, the body interfering with the container and thereby forcing the rope to be unwound from the reel.
2. A fire escape as defined in claim 1, in which the container is formed of fabric having a friction fit with the sides and periphery of the reel.
3. A fire escape as defined in claim 1, in which the container is formed of rigid material, having a slot in its periphery through which the rope passes, the slot having a friction fit with the rope.
4. A fire escape as defined in claim 1, 2 or 3 in which the body supporting means is comprised of a bosun's seat linked to the brake by means of a pair of lines, and a body sling for passing around a user fixed to said lines.
5. A fire escape as defined in claim 4 in which the body sling is fixed to said lines by means of a sliding ring.
6. A fire escape as defined in claim 1 further including a loosely fitting tube surrounding the rope between the sliding ring and the container, and means for restricting the tube from passing through the sliding ring.
Priority Applications (1)
| Application Number | Priority Date | Filing Date | Title |
|---|---|---|---|
| CA 2115187 CA2115187A1 (en) | 1994-02-08 | 1994-02-08 | Escape line apparatus |
Applications Claiming Priority (1)
| Application Number | Priority Date | Filing Date | Title |
|---|---|---|---|
| CA 2115187 CA2115187A1 (en) | 1994-02-08 | 1994-02-08 | Escape line apparatus |
Publications (1)
| Publication Number | Publication Date |
|---|---|
| CA2115187A1 true CA2115187A1 (en) | 1995-08-09 |
Family
ID=4152874
Family Applications (1)
| Application Number | Title | Priority Date | Filing Date |
|---|---|---|---|
| CA 2115187 Abandoned CA2115187A1 (en) | 1994-02-08 | 1994-02-08 | Escape line apparatus |
Country Status (1)
| Country | Link |
|---|---|
| CA (1) | CA2115187A1 (en) |
Cited By (1)
| Publication number | Priority date | Publication date | Assignee | Title |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| WO2008074988A1 (en) * | 2006-12-16 | 2008-06-26 | Donut Safety Systems Limited | A descending device |
-
1994
- 1994-02-08 CA CA 2115187 patent/CA2115187A1/en not_active Abandoned
Cited By (1)
| Publication number | Priority date | Publication date | Assignee | Title |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| WO2008074988A1 (en) * | 2006-12-16 | 2008-06-26 | Donut Safety Systems Limited | A descending device |
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Legal Events
| Date | Code | Title | Description |
|---|---|---|---|
| FZDE | Dead |