Fire escape – ladder – or scaffold – Chute or escape tower for personnel
Patent
1984-08-01
1986-06-17
Machado, Reinaldo P.
Fire escape, ladder, or scaffold
Chute or escape tower for personnel
A62B 120
Patent
active
045950741
DESCRIPTION:
BRIEF SUMMARY
The present invention relates to a stocking-like escape device.
Stocking-like escape devices have been tried in connection with an escape from bore platforms and other installations in the North Sea, where the escape device has been stretched out from the platform to a ship lying below. Such stocking-like escape devices made of relatively closely woven, stretch-strong canvas material have been tried, but it has proved difficult especially in strong winds to maintain the device in position in a functionally efficient condition due to the large wind trap formed with such a relatively closely woven canvas material and the tendency for local twisting together of the canvas material and following from this a choking together of the internal passage. It has also been found difficult to have several persons conveyed in a controlled manner through the device at the same time successively one after the other.
In the stocking which is known from U.S. Pat. No. 1,116,189 use has been made of braking means in the form are made of elastic rings which are connected to each other by way of a series of mutually spaced apart support chains. In order to avoid injury to the person who undertakes the escape through the escape device the person is picked up in a bag-shaped enclosure. However, it is a danger that heavy persons may be shot at a quick speed downwards through the escape device, whereas light persons may have a substantially slower speed and may possibly be stuck locally in the escape device. It is also a small possibility for the person who is picked up in the bag-shaped enclosure to affect the escape course. It cannot be precluded that the person and the enclosure during the passage through the escape device under certain circumstances, instead of passing through the opening in the elastic ring, pass through one of the openings between the chains and, unhindered, out of the escape device.
In DE-Auslegeschrift it is shown an enclosure 11 to pick up a person who is to undertake an escape. In a similar manner as by the above-mentioned, known solution a light person will have difficulties in getting a sufficient escape speed, whereas a heavier person may have problems with a too quick speed, as one is quite dependent on the elasticity of the stocking.
With the present invention a solution is aimed for where the afore-mentioned problems can be avoided in a relatively simple manner.
Briefly, the invention provides an escape device comprising a tubular member such as a stocking, a plurality of annular reinforcing members which are spaced longitudinally of the tubular member, longitudinally extending support ropes connected with the reinforcing members and means for braking the speed of passage of a person passing through the tubular member. Each braking means extends obliquely downwards between a pair of reinforcing members to form one side portion of the tubular member while defining an access opening to the tubular member with a lower one of the pair of reinforcing members.
The tubular member is made of at least partially elastically yielding material such as netting material.
By using netting instead of the previously tried, relatively airtight canvas material, several advantages are obtained. Firstly, the trapping of wind in the device can be greatly reduced by allowing passage of the wind through the netting material in the device. Secondly, the collection of smoke internally in the device can be prevented. Thirdly, there is the possibility of forming a finger hold or possibly a foot hold where there would be a need for this, as a result of the mesh formation in the netting material, but, nevertheless, there is the possibility for ready sliding of persons along the netting material in the longitudinal direction of the device.
By utilising annular reinforcing elements suitably spaced in the longitudinal direction of the device, there is firstly the possibility of preventing folding and whirling together of the wall material (the netting) of the device, so that a through, open passage through the device can be guarant
REFERENCES:
patent: 99399 (1870-02-01), Burditt
patent: 391051 (1888-10-01), Jones
patent: 1339338 (1920-05-01), Hickok
patent: 2690827 (1954-10-01), Wiggins
patent: 3428156 (1969-02-01), Charyn
patent: 3994366 (1976-11-01), Okuma
patent: 4099595 (1978-07-01), Tracy
patent: 4240520 (1980-12-01), LaGrone
Bergen Patentkontor
Chin-Shue Alvin
Machado Reinaldo P.
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