US3667660A

US3667660A - Emergency vehicle rescue device and method

Info

Publication number: US3667660A
Authority: US
Inventors: Bruce B Lewis
Original assignee: Individual
Current assignee: Individual
Priority date: 1969-12-15
Filing date: 1969-12-15
Publication date: 1972-06-06
Anticipated expiration: 1989-06-06

Abstract

An emergency rescue device and method of releasing an accident victim trapped in a vehicle by locked or jammed doors. The device comprises powerful hook means on one end of a flexible draft line, the hook means being usable to smash the door window for engagement of the hook over the window sill. The free end of the draft line is attachable to another vehicle and used to deform or smash the door instantly for withdrawal of the victim for emergency treatment or from fire or explosion hazards. A supplemental or snubbing draft line movably attached to the main draft line can be attached to a fixed anchorage thereby enabling a rescue vehicle to apply a pulling force along a line at an angle to the pulling force acting on the door being opened.

Description

Q United States Patent [151 3,667,660 Lewis June 6, 1972 54] EMERGENCY VEHICLE RESCUE 3,130,884 4/1964 Lintz ..8 1/3 x DEVICE AND METHOD Primary Examiner-Frank T. Yost [72] Inventor: Bruce B. Lewis, 12623 Stillman St., and Brace Lakewood, Calif.

22 Filed: Dec. 15, 1969 [57] ABSTRACT 7 An emergency rescue device and method of releasing an ac- [-1] Appl' No" 885242 cident victim trapped in a vehicle by locked or jammed doors. The device comprises powerful hook means on one end of a [52] US. Cl. ..225/1, 81/3 R, 294/82 R fl b e aft l ne, the hook means being usable to smash the [5 l Int. Cl. ..B26f 3/00 door Window for engagement of the hook Over the Window [58] Field of Search 8 H3; 294/78, 82, 92; 72/705; The free end of the draft line is attachable to another vehicle 24 242 233 2 3 3 35 5 0 0; 49/141 and used to deform or smash the door instantly for withdrawal 507; 254/1, 13; 225/1, 93, 103 of the victim for emergency treatment or from fire or explosion hazards. A supplemental or snubbing draft line movably [56] References Cited attached to the main draft line can be attached to a fixed anchorage thereby enabling a rescue vehicle to apply a pulling UNITED STATES PATENTS force along a line at an angle to the pulling force acting on the door being opened. 2,651,539 9/1953 Polsal ..294/82 X 2,713,278 7/1955 Stump ..8l/3 8Claims,4Drawing Figures PATENTEDJUH 6 m2 INVENTOR 55066 5. A6W/5 ,4 Wa e/v5 r3 EMERGENCY VEHICLE RESCUE DEVICE AND METHOD This invention relates to emergency rescue equipment and more particularly to a simple, rugged, highly effective device and method by which vehicle accident victims trapped in a locked or jammed vehicle may be quickly released.

It not infrequently happens that unnecessary and crucial time is lost in releasing an accident victim from a vehicle because the doors are locked or damaged too seriously to permit opening. In consequence, loss of life occurs with increasing frequency because no door of the vehicle can be forced open quickly and with a minimum of effort. It is not uncommon to require the services of special flame cutting equipment and expert operators to cut through portions of the vehicle body to gain adequate access to the interior.

To avoid these serious handicaps, there is provided by the present invention simple, rugged, inexpensive, easily manipulated equipment readily carried by vehicles generally and particularly by police, ambulance and other emergency vehicles and usable to gain entrance to vehicles in a matter of a few minutes. The essential components of the device comprise a powerful hook carried on the end of a flexible line. The hook is quickly insertable through a door window and engaged over the sill as the other end of the line is attached to any available vehicle and used to break the door lock or bow the door frame for its complete release even though badly jammed. An auxiliary or snubbing draft line is securable to any available anchorage and looped about the main draft line thereby enabling the rescue vehicle to apply a pulling force along a non-straight line should this be desirable.

Accordingly, it is a primary object of the present invention to provide a simple, foolproof, emergency rescue apparatus and method for releasing accident victims trapped in a locked or damaged vehicle.

Another object of the invention is the provision of a specially designed rescue device having a hook readily insertable over the door sill of a jammed vehicle door and then tensioned by a rescue vehicle to deform and release the door.

Another object of the invention is the provision of a simple device and technique usable by any motorist to release an accident victim trapped in a vehicle quickly and without risk of injury.

These and other more specific objects will appear upon reading the following specification and claims and upon considering in connection therewith the attached drawing to which they relate.

Referring now to the drawing in which a preferred embodimen! of the invention is illustrated:

FIG. 1 is a top plan view showing somewhat one typical mode of employing the invention emergency rescue device;

FIG. 2 is a fragmentary perspective view on an enlarged scale showing the manner of supporting the rescue device over the edge of a car door window sill;

FIG. 3 is a cross-sectional view on an enlarged scale showing the rescue hook held supported over the door window sill; and

FIG. 4 is a fragmentary perspective view showing another preferred mode of using the rescue device.

The invention emergency rescue device, designated generally 10, comprises at least one long high strength cable assembly 11, a snubbing cable unit 12 and a destructor hook unit 13. When employed as shown in FIGS. 1 and 2, cable unit 11 passes over a pulley 14 supported in a clevis 15 attached to one end of snubbing cable 12. The latter is provided with an eyelet I6 readily assembled to and detached from the eyelet 17 of destructor hook 13. Eyelets at the opposite end of cable I 1 are permanently secured to strong hooks 19.

Hook 13 is made of high strength steel or the like in the general configuration shown in FIG. 3 and is provided at its free end with a sharp bevelled point 22. This point readily penetrates through the interior facing panel of a vehicle door structure and engages the door operating latch structure or other internal structural member of the door.

Although not essential, it is preferable that the shank of hook 13 be provided with stabilizing means for holding it in its intended operating position, as shown in FIGS. 2 and 3, until the cable is placed under tension. A suitable stabilizer serving this purpose comprises a short strip of tough hardened sheet metal 24. This strip is provided with a sharp-edged hole 25 having a loose sliding fit with the shank of hook 13. Strip 24 is sufficiently thin as to be readily forced downwardly through the window sill between the window and the slot in which the window is mounted. Once the strip has been installed, the hook is pulled outwardly abruptly as the top of the strip is pressed inwardly toward the interior of the car causing the sharp edges of hole 25 to cut into the shank and grip it thereby holding point 22 engaged with the interior finish panel of the door.

A typical rescue situation is represented in FIG. 1. There, vehicle 25 has been involved in an accident, the doors being locked or jammed to trap an occupant inside the vehicle which is located on a narrow road under conditions such that it is impossible for another vehicle to obtain a straight outward pull from the exterior of vehicle 25. In these circumstances, the rescue cable 11 is used in combination with the snubbing cable 12 in the manner generally illustrated in FIGS. 1 and 2. One end of the cable 11 may be connected to a suitable fixed anchorage such as a telephone pole, tree, guard rail post or the like or it may be connected to the rear of a second vehicle 26 and the other end of cable 1 1 to the rear of a vehicle 27.

The installation of the rescue equipment is accomplished quickly as hook 13 is employed to break the glass of door win dow 28 following which the hook is placed over the window sill. Preferably the rescue hook is firmly supported in the manner illustrated by inserting strip 24 in the manner described above. The opposite ends of cable 11 are then secured in the manner described to the rear of the vehicle or to the one vehicle and a fixed anchor. Thereafter, one of the vehicles is driven forwardly quickly under power to apply a powerful pull on hook 13. This is effective to destroy the door latching mechanism or, in the more usual case, to how the door outwardly. This pronounced bowing of the door, accomplished quickly and readily, is found to dislodge even the most securely jammed doors and to release any engaged door locking mechanism. This provides instant access to the interior of the car and permits the rescue of any person trapped or provides access for medical assistance.

In the alternative mode of use illustrated in FIG. 4, snubbing cable unit 12 is unnecessary and may be omitted. In this case, one of the cable eyelets 18 is engaged directly over eyelet 17 of hook l3 and the other end is assembled about the bumper or the frame of the hauling vehicle 27. In this case, rescue vehicle 27 is arranged so as to have, as nearly as is practical, a direct pull on the door being forced open. A slight amount of slack is usually desirable in cable 11 to enable the rescue car to gain some momentum before the cable is tensioned.

It will be understood that the invention emergency rescue device can be used in a great variety of ways readily suggested from the typical modes of use described above. Although only a short length of cable has been shown, it will be understood that it may be combined with a second cable to permit forcing the door of a damaged vehicle forced off the road and lying at some distance down an embankment or other location not readily accessible to a rescue vehicle. Actual experience has shown that the present device may be utilized to force entry to a wrecked or damaged car within a very short interval after arrival of the rescue equipment at the scene. The equipment is placed in use without need for tools of any kind, or cutting equipment, or the services of trained or skilled personnel.

While the particular emergency vehicle rescue device and method herein shown and disclosed in detail is fully capable of attaining the objects and providing the advantages hereinebfore stated, it is to be understood that it is merely illustrative of the presently preferred embodiment of the invention.

I claim:

1. That method of quickly gaining forced entry to a locked or damaged vehicle to effect the emergency rescue of an occupant which comprises: engaging the strong hooked end of a draft line over the window sill of a vehicle door, sliding a stabilizer member along the shank of the hook to a position engaging a different portion of the door structure and cooperating with the hook proper to hold the hook stabilized over the window sill while the draft line is being tensioned and utilizing another vehicle attached to the remote end of the draft line to apply a pulling force to the door adequate to force the door despite the locked or jammed condition thereof thereby to facilitate the withdrawal of the occupant through the open door.

2. That method defined in claim 1 characterized in the step of using the hooked end of said draft line to destory the door window adjacent the sill thereof and permit said hook to be engaged over the sill.

3. That method defined in claim 1 characterized in the step of engaging the hooked portion of said draft line over the midlength of the window sill and applying tension to the draft line adequate to bow the vehicle door outwardly and forcibly open the same.

4. That method defined in claim 1 characterized in the step of utilizing the hooked end of said draft line to apply a powerful force outwardly from the interior side of the vehicle door at a point opposite the door locking mechanism thereby breaking the same to release the door and provide acces to a victim trapped in the vehicle.

5. That method defined in claim 1 characterized in the step of utilizing a strong plate-like stabilizer member sized for insertion into a vehicle window sill slot formed to receive the door window pane.

6. That method defined in claim 1 characterized in the steps of attaching roller means to the outer end of a hook engaged over the window sill of a vehicle door, passing said draft line over said roller means, and attaching the opposite ends of said draft line to separate anchor means at least one of which comprises a motor-powered vehicle efi'ective to apply a pulling force on said draft line.

7. That method defined in claim 6 characterized in the step of attaching both ends of said draft line to separate motorpowered vehicles, and utilizing said vehicles to tension said draft line in a manner to bulge said vehicle door outwardly to force the same open.

84 That method defined in claim 6 characterized in the step of equipping both ends of said draft line with hooks readily engaged over the draft line after the end thereof has been wrapped about a strong anchorage including a structural member of at least one motor-powered vehicle.

Claims

3. That method defined in claim 1 characterized in the step of engaging the hooked portion of said draft line over the mid-length of the window sill and applying tension to the draft line adequate to bow the vehicle door outwardly and forcibly open the same.

6. That method defined in claim 1 characterized in the steps of attaching roller means to the outer end of a hook engaged over the window sill of a vehicle door, passing said draft line over said roller means, and attaching the opposite ends of said draft line to separate anchor means at least one of which comprises a motor-powered vehicle effective to apply a pulling force on said draft line.

7. That method defined in claim 6 characterized in the step of attaching both ends of said draft line to separate motor-powered vehicles, and utilizing said vehicles to tension said draft line in a manner to bulge said vehicle door outwardly to force the same open.

8. That method defined in claim 6 characterized in the sTep of equipping both ends of said draft line with hooks readily engaged over the draft line after the end thereof has been wrapped about a strong anchorage including a structural member of at least one motor-powered vehicle.