Motor vehicles – With means for promoting safety of vehicle – its occupant or...
Reexamination Certificate
2002-05-03
2004-06-08
Carone, Michael J. (Department: 3641)
Motor vehicles
With means for promoting safety of vehicle, its occupant or...
Reexamination Certificate
active
06745861
ABSTRACT:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
I. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates generally to emergency recovery tools for rescuing trapped, human passengers after vehicular accidents. More particularly, the present invention relates to an automotive rescue tool system primarily for protecting against air bag detonation when deforming and bending dashboards (and other vehicle parts) during the emergency rescue of trapped accident victims.
II. Description of the Prior Art
It has long been recognized by those skilled in the art that crashed vehicles must be manipulated with the utmost in caution to free trapped passengers without further injuring them. As a result of high speed accidents and collisions, one or more of the vehicle occupants may be trapped within the wreckage. The trapped passengers often may be severely injured, so they must be removed with an abundance of caution. The rescue procedure must proceed slowly and deliberately to prevent injury or aggravation of accident-caused injuries. While the rescue activities must proceed safely, speed is highly desirable, since potentially life-saving medical attention for the injured may be required. The trapped or disabled occupants, and those emergency response personnel involved in the rescue activities, also face the omnipresent danger of fire or explosion, underlining the value of speed.
At the same time, to minimize secondary injuries caused after the accident, speed must be attenuated by prudence, to avoid for example, exploding those vehicle air bags which have not already detonated as a result of the accident. For safety reasons, modern vehicles are required to be equipped with a plurality of air bags that are supposed to protect vehicle occupants during collisions. In response to suitable predefined forces, these gas-operated “bags” forcibly “detonate,” expanding rapidly to provide a soft, impact absorbing cushion. Within a short period after firing, the air bag is supposed to deflate automatically. However, it is well recognized that typical collisions or damaging impacts do not always detonate or “fire” all of the vehicle's air bags. Even after a serious accident or collision involving a modern vehicle, some of the air bags fail to fire. When the vehicle is thereafter subjected to bending, prying, pounding and other structural stresses applied to free the occupants, one or more air bags may suddenly and unpredictably detonate. A passenger trapped proximate an unexploded air bag in a wreck is seriously at risk. When a trapped and possibly-injured passenger is uncomfortably and haphazardly pinned behind the smashed dashboard of a wreck, for example, blows to the person caused by the inadvertent activation of an air bag can severely traumatize and further injure him.
In view of the almost universal incorporation of multiple air bags in modern vehicles, improved rescue hardware that prevents the detonation of un-spent airbags at the crash scene is desirable. Further, such a solution must be able to adapt itself into a variety of sizes and geometrical configurations to amicably handle the wide variety of vehicle shapes and sizes in use today.
One well known rescue tool is disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 3,819,153 This reference shows a basic, forcible mechanical device often referred to as the “Jaws of Life.” Such devices provide a means of forcibly cutting and deflecting bent and deformed vehicle parts to free trapped victims and provide an escape route. The device comprises a pair of rigid, cooperating pivoted jaws which can be activated hydraulically. When these jaws contact deformed metal parts, they are quickly deformed, cut and bent.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,425,260 issued Jun. 20, 1995 provides an accident rescue tool characterized by strong and relatively inflexible steel components. The device comprises a supporting base to which a rigid lifting arm is pivoted the base. Chains interconnected with the lifting arm are connected at various ends to a vehicle component that is to be deflected.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,732,029 disclosed an accident rescue tool in the form of a roller, comprising telescopic arms, a roller on a free end of one arm and a fixed roller on the free end of the other arm. The rigid and relatively heavy device is operated by chains associated with prior rescue tools, with the chains being supported by and coactive with the rollers.
None of the patents mentioned above or others known to me present a deformable and highly adaptable means for bending and deflecting crashed vehicles, which is specifically designed to provide protection against inadvertent safety air bag detonation.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
This invention provides a flexible and highly maneuverable net system that can be applied to portions of a deformed, crashed vehicle to deflect critical parts to free trapped passengers. The system guards against air bags that may explosively detonated during rescue. The system can also be used to deflect certain bent or deformed parts, while at the same time constraining air bags.
Thus possible additional injuries or trauma caused by the sudden activation of previously-unfired air bags is avoided during rescue. This fact speeds up the entire rescue operation, while concurrently making it safer for both the trapped or injured vehicle occupants and the rescue team.
My rescue tool system is adapted to be installed at accident scenes to thereafter deflect deformed vehicle parts such as the dashboard, steering columns, and the like. A large, flexible preferably rectangular net is inherently configurable to the irregular, structural contour of the deformed vehicle, so that forces are distributed evenly. The net can be foldably transformed between a variety of irregular and random configurations that result after a crash, so that it can properly “cover” various structural parts of crashed and deformed vehicles. The net thus firmly grasps target structures prior to being tensioned or pressured by external power-driven pulling or lifting apparatus.
The preferred net has a plurality of diametrically opposed corners from which outwardly extending draw straps extend. The net comprises interleaved, flexible lengths of reinforced polyester, which are assembled in a mutually orthogonal, woven pattern. The draw straps terminate in outer, buckles facilitating interconnection of the net draw ends externally of the crashed vehicle. The buckles also enable interconnection with conventional crash scene rescue tools. Optionally a smaller secondary net is deployed over the steering wheel to separately block the steering column air bag. It's straps enable it to be structurally interconnected with the system.
The rescue system additionally comprises one or more draw hook assemblies adapted to extend between various portions of the net, and various exposed structures of the crashed vehicle. These draw bar assemblies may also be interconnected with the powered lifting apparatus etc. The draw hook assemblies mechanically link to the net so that it may be forcibly pulled by conventional, powered equipment in typical use by rescue personnel. Each draw hook assembly comprises a rigid clasp that receives and captivates a portion of the net when it is attached. The unique clasp comprises a unique, thin rectangular channel disposed between its two rigid, planar and parallel walls that non-destructively mates with a selected net portion. The clasp flexibly connects to an elongated, rigid draw hook, that terminates in a cradle supporting one or more smaller, auxiliary hooks. The draw hook cradle is protectively covered sealed by a rigid closure plate that prevents dislodgment of the auxiliary hooks, compensating for twisting and turning movements.
In operation, the smaller secondary net may be installed over the steering wheel or steering column to block the steering column air bag. The larger net may be flexibly, custom fitted within the vehicle, primarily proximate the dashboard to provide controllable gripping force which is distributed over the surface of the constrained structure. The draw strap ends of the large net are extended th
Carone Michael J.
Carver Stephen D.
Thomson M.
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