GB2272933A

GB2272933A - Fire investigation window

Info

Publication number: GB2272933A
Application number: GB9322651A
Authority: GB
Inventors: Andrew Joseph Patrick Dixon
Original assignee: Individual
Current assignee: Individual
Priority date: 1992-11-25
Filing date: 1993-11-03
Publication date: 1994-06-01
Anticipated expiration: 2013-11-03
Also published as: GB9224645D0; GB9322651D0; GB2272933B

Abstract

A fire investigation device comprises a rearwardly-open chamber (2) of a transparent, heat-resistant material sized to receive therein, through the open rear thereof, the head of a user, the chamber (2) being located in an aperture in a door (26) separating first and second volumes with the open rear of the chamber (2) substantially co-planar with one side of the door (26) and with the chamber (2) extending through the door (26) to project beyond the other side of the door (26), whereby a user in the first volume can put his head in the chamber (2) and view into the second volume. <IMAGE>

Description

FIRE INVESTIGATION DEVICE This invention relates to a fire investigation device, and more particularly to such a device for enabling investigations to be made of the presence of a fire in an enclosed volume without the necessity for opening a door leading into said volume.

Various means are well established for indicating that a fire is present at or adjacent a given location. Smoke alarms, which provide an audible warning of such situations, are becoming increasingly common, particularly in domestic residences.

When a fire in a room is detected, either by the actuation of an associated warning device or by someone seeing smoke in the room through a pane of glass in the door or issuing from under the door, the preferred course of action is immediately to evacuate the building and raise the alarm.

However, natural human reaction is not to leave the building immediately, particularly if it is one's home, but is to investigate the situation to determine exactly where the fire is and what is involved. That is to say, they need to confirm with their own eyes that there is no alternative to leaving the building before they will do so.

Often the first action they take is to open the door leading into the room in question, and this can often be fatal. Opening a door into a room containing a fire often results in the fire exploding outwards from the room due to the inrush of oxygen or 'backdraft' that occurs. The fire then quickly spreads beyond the original source, and escaping from the building thereafter, even for people in rooms other than that containing the fire, is often not possible.

It would therefore be desirable to be able to provide means which were capable of satisfying the extremely high human threshold for accepting that there is a fire present, sufficient to convince the person involved that evacuation, and not potentially disastrous investigation, is necessary, but which did not require that person to open the door leading into the room believed to contain the fire.

According to the present invention there is provided, for a door separating first and second volumes and provided with an aperture therethrough, a fire investigation device comprising a rearwardly-open chamber of a transparent, heat-resistant material sized to receive therein, through the open rear thereof, the head of a user, the chamber being configured for location in the aperture in the door such that the open rear thereof is substantially co-planar with one side of the door and the chamber extends through the door to project beyond the other side of the door whereby a person in the first volume can put his head into the chamber and view into the second volume.

In a preferred embodiment of the invention, the chamber is of generally box shape and includes substantially flat top, bottom, front and opposed side walls. Conveniently the interconnecting upright edges between the front wall and the opposed side walls are each curved.

Preferably the device incorporates therein a light which can be selectively activated by an operator from the one side of the door to illuminate the volume to the other side of the door.

It is further preferred that the device includes temperature sensitive means and an associated warning device so arranged that, when the temperature sensed by the temperature sensitive means reaches a predetermined maximum permissible value, the warning device, which may be of a visual and/or audible nature, is actuated.

Conveniently, the temperature sensitive device comprises a thermometer, and the warning device comprises a red light.

By way of example only, an embodiment of the invention will now be described in greater detail with reference to the accompanying drawings of which: Fig 1 is a schematic side view of a device according to the invention installed in a door, and Figs 2, 3 and 4 are views of the device of Fig 1 in the directions of arrows II, III and IV respectively.

Referring to the drawings, the illustrated device comprises a rearwardly open box indicated generally at 2 of transparent, heat-resistant glass, the box including a flat front wall 4, a flat top wall 6, a flat bottom wall 8 and flat opposed side walls 10, 12. The upright joints 14, 16 between the front wall 4 and the opposed side walls 10, 12 are each curved in horizontal section as best seen in Fig 3, primarily with a view to eliminating any blind spots in the device.

Secured to the bottom wall 8 of the box 2, to be integral therewith, is a rectangular compartment 18 also of a transparent, heat-resistant glass in which is housed a battery-operated lamp, a button 20 within the box 2, on the bottom wall 8 thereof, being provided to effect actuation of the lamp.

A thermometer 22 extends downwardly through the bottom wall 8 of the box 2 adjacent the front wall 4 thereof and just in front of the compartment 18, said thermometer being linked to a red warning lamp 24 located in the forward regions of the box 2.

The thermometer 22 and lamp 24 are contained within a batteryoperated circuit in such a manner that, when the temperature sensed by the thermometer 22 reaches a predetermined maximum permissible value, the warning lamp is switched on.

The box 2 is of a size capable of receiving therein the head of a user, and is sealingly located within a suitably prepared aperture formed within a door 26 leading into the room under investigation with the rear open face thereof substantially flush with the outer surface of the door 26, and the box 2 projecting through the door 26 well into the room served thereby. The device is positioned substantially centrally of the door 26 and at a height therein convenient for the average user - typically between one and one and a half meters above the floor.

Thus it will be appreciated that, in the event that a fire is suspected of being present in the room, either as a result of actuation of an associated smoke alarm, the issuance of smoke from below the door 26, or the illumination of the lamp 24 as a result of excessive heat within the room, the user can insert his head into the box 2 and view substantially all of the interior of the room without having to open the door 26. In the event of darkness, the lamp within the compartment 18 can be illuminated by actuation of the button 20 to assist said viewing.

The user can thereby determine in his own mind the overall situation within the room, and can hopefully make a categoric decision to evacuate the building without having to open the door 26 and risk the aforementioned backdraft.

Clearly the precise construction of the device can vary from that illustrated and described above. The box may be other than substantially rectangular in shape providing it is of a size capable of receiving the head of a user and gives a clear view of the room in question. The temperature sensing means associated with the warning lamp may be other than a thermometer, for example a bimetallic strip, thermistor or the like, while the warning lamp may be replaced by, or supplemented with, an audible alarm. Other modifications or variations from the described arrangement will be apparent to those skilled in the art.

Claims

1. A fire investigation device for location in a door separating first and second volumes and provided with an aperture therethrough, the device comprising a rearwardly-open chamber of a transparent, heat-resistant material sized to receive therein, through the open rear thereof, the head of a user, the chamber being configured for location in the aperture in the door such that the open rear thereof is substantially co-planar with one side of the door and the chamber extends through the door to project beyond the other side of the door whereby a person in the first volume can put his head into the chamber and view into the second volume.

2. A device as claimed in claim 1 in which the chamber is of generally box shape and includes substantially flat top, bottom, front and opposed side walls.

3. A device as claimed in claim 2 in which the interconnecting upright edges between the front wall and the opposed side walls are each curved.

4. A device as claimed in any one of claims 1 to 3 and incorporating therein a light which can be selectively actuated by an operator from the one side of the door to illuminate the volume to the other side of the door.

5. A device as claimed in any one of claims 1 to 4 and including temperature sensitive means and an associated warning device so arranged that, when the temperature sensed by the temperature sensitive means reaches a predetermined maximum permissible value, the warning device is activated.

6. A device as claimed in claim 5 in which the temperature sensitive device comprises a thermometer, and the warning device comprises a red light.

7. A fire investigation device substantially as described with reference to and as illustrated by the accompanying drawings.