CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS

This application is the same as the.C.I.P; ;..12/317,612 filed 29/12/2008, which was a C.I.P. of 11/540,246 filed 2/10/2006, which was a C.I.P. of the original application 11/214,562 filed 31/8/2005, all filed in the U.S.

STATEMENT REGARDING FEDERALLY SPONSORED RESEARCH OR DEVELOPMENT

Not Applicable

REFERENCE TO SEQUENCE LISTrNG. A TABLE. OR A COMPUTER PROGRAM LISTING COMPACT DISC APPENDIX

Not Applicable

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

Refer to RJELYEA et al. US Patent 5.301,756 on April 12. 1994. which discloses a telescoping boom having a nozzle and camera, but designed for use with fires in airplanes at airpons where the invention is kepi, mounted permanently on a truck.

However, without any knowledge, whatsoever, of the above patent, I invented a system for fires in tall buildings on Monday, December 6.2004; as I watched (on television) the uninhibited spreading of a very bad fire in an upper story of the tall office building in Chicago at 135 South LaSalle Street. They were only able to contain it after it had finally spread to near the top of an adjacent lower rooftop where they had placed fire hoses. At that point r realized that firemen might _, somehow, be able to inject water directly on similar fires from nearby windows of the burning building itself. However, there has never been a really good way to do that, so let's consider the invention herein described BRIEF SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

Except for a few special cases, serious fires above the tenth story level, the reach of the longest ladder trucks, present fire fighters with no other choice but to combat the blaze in a hands-on way, in what is generally a constricted and unfamiliar environment. This invention, however, presents a real alternative to that. Particularly because an intense fire blows out the windows of the room on fire, coupled with the fact that fire departments will also have a tool to easily take out a window of their choosing, normally just below the fire.. This system will then use a telescoping, tubular shaft extending outside the building through that window opening; at the outside tip of the shaft is a nozzle connected to a fire hose, aimed by a servomechanism, all adjacent to a miniature television camera. The hose and wiring to this use the shaft to connect to an operator, inside the room from which the shaft emanates, who has a control console with a television screen. The entire operating system stored in three containers, each weighing less than 60 pounds and kept aboard a special small truck, stationed in areas which have large numbers of buildings of more than ten stories. The three containers are carried up stairs, separately, by three firemen, to a room below and as close to the fire as practical. High-rise buildings are required to guarantee fire departments a certain minimum water pressure on all floors, consequently, this invention will, normally, be able to effectively, apply large volumes of water onto serious fires inside most tall buildings.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE SEVERAL VIEWS OF THE DRAWING

Fig. 1 - Side view of entire portable shaft system

Fig.2 - Expandable shaft (A), side views

A - Base section

B - Tip, outside end section

Fig.3 - Base (B)

A - From above

B - End view, facing windows

Fig. - Mounting (C), side view

Fig.5 - Triangular channel piece (R)

A - From above

B - Side view

C - End view, facing windows

Fig.6 - Brace and clamp (E), from above

Fig.7 - Motor (G) to extend shaft (A), side view

Fig.8 - Brace (F) to ceil ing, side view

Fig.9 - Shaft (A) tip, details

A - Shaft tip overall, including (P), (H), and (I) with (I-R), side view

B - Two motor sub-assembly (I), details including (I-A), (I-B), (I-MH), (I-MV), (I-R), (T) and (I-W), view when looking outside

Fig. 1 0 - Cont rol .console (J), view of operator DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

Following this detailed description of the pans of the portable shaft system ("the system") is an analysis of how it operates.

A Expandable shaft ("the shaft") in threaded; hollow, five foot long sections, telescoping in and out from within a base section which has a lip on its outside end so that it overlaps the mounting (C) by a stabilizing distance. All sections probably tubular and extruded.

B Base, transported in sections, as wide as possible given weight considerations, resting on structurally sound ("solid") floor, the base having: a raised area on the pan of it which is farthest from the window in which the ball of mounting (C) sits; a semi-circular track around (C) in which a triangular channel piece ( ) slides, a channel piece in which a matching triangular flange on (C) remains so as to prevent the rotation of (C); indentations in a semi-circle in the pan of the base closest to the window in one of which the ball on (E) sits; two rings attached to the top of the base, each of which are in a venical plane which is roughly parallel to the outside wall of the building and on the opposite side of the base from console (J), through which a fire hose passes during operation, one ring near the center of the base relative to distance from the window and the other on the end farthest from the window; an indentation in the base near all four corners in which the four legs of brace (F) fit.

C Mounting for shaft (A) to snap into and to rotate within. The mounting having a ball on its stem which sits within the raised area on base (B) farthest from the window, a triangular longitudinal extrusion on its lower side and a place where motor (G) anaches on its upper side.

D Disc of electrically neutral material inside mounting (C) adjacent to shaft (A), with wire (L) and wire (M) connected to ii on opposite sides of the same spot.

E Adjustable brace and clamp having a ball at one end which snaps into one of indentations arranged in a semi-circle in base (B), and a clamp at the other end which fastens around shaft (A), such that the clamp slides easi ly along the shaft, particularly during installation, and such that the shaft is free to rotate within the clamp during actual .operation. Overall length of (E) adjustable so as to set required angle between shaft (A ) and base (B), .it also being necessary for shaft (A) and center section of (E) to remain at a right angle during operation. The indentation in (B) in which the ball of (E) sits is determined by whatever is the required angle between shaft (A) and the building wall .

F Ad ustable-he qht brace, between the four indentations in the base near its four comers and the four opposite points of a solid ceiling above it, consisting of four independently-adjustable legs, whose lengths are specific to fit in a room whose height is substantially the national-standard room height, connected together near what is the vertical center of the room.

G Direct current electric motor attached to upper pan of mounting (C) having a protruding gear 10 engage the threading on the outside of the largest and most inside-the-building section of shaft (A), and an internal clutch which disengages the gear when the shaft ceases to rotate easily, such as when all sections become fu lly extended or retracted. Reversing current direction to the motor reverses direction of motor rotaiion and causes shaft to retract.

H Semi-circularly curved coupling snapped into fitting (P) on the outer end of the shaft, to change water direction as it moves from hose (0) to nozzle (N), both of which fasten to it.

I Subassembly snapped onto outside tip of shaft (A) consisting of: a base (I-B) on which are mounted two low-torque, electric motors, (I-MFT) for horizontal movement and (l-MV) for venical; a ring (I-R), to which motor ( l-MV) is connected at the bottom and to which motor (I-MH) is connected one-quaner of ihe circumference of the ring away, and through which ring coupling (H ) fits so as to aim nozzle (N); the ring having an arm (I-A) extending upwards on which is mounted a miniature television camera (T) to help to accurately aim water flowing from said nozzle; electric wire (I-W) which connects the two motors and camera to shaft wire ( ). J Control console containing a television screen,. one control for each of the three motors and rechargeable battery power for the system.

K Electric wire from console (D) to motor (G), and mounting (C).

L Electric wire inside mounting (C) from point where wire ( ) connects to inside center of

disc (D).

M Coiled electric wire inside shaft (A) permanently attached to the inside of its tip. On the

opposite side of this connection, outside shaft, wire (I-W) connects Just prior to the installation of shaft (A) the free other end of this coiled wire is connected to disc (D) on the side opposite wire (L)

N Special fire hose water nozzle incorporating medium volume with high pressure.

O Common iwo and one-hal f inch fire hose, connecting to fire water main of building.

P U-shaped fitting, into which curved coupling (H) snaps, permanently attached to the outside of shaft (A) at the cross-sectional center of its outer end by a ball joint.

R Triangular channel piece sliding in semi-circular track, around shaft mounting (C) on base (B). T Miniature television camera mounted on shaft-tip subassembly arm ( I-A).

** Henceforth, "electrical wiring" refers to the electric wire ((K), (L), (M), and (I-W)J, which connect the "electrical devices", which refers to

[(D), (G) , (I- H), (I-MV), and (J)], together as specified herein.

This invention allows fires to be safely controlled when they occur above the ten story level, which is the max i mum reach of the longest ladder trucks. And from the normally safe room directly below the fire. Stored aboard its own smal l truck in areas with many high buildings, and packaged in three units, each under 60 pounds i n weight and 6x 1 x 1 feet in size. Operated by the three man crew of a companion ladder fire truck, and carried up the stairways, separately, by the same three firemen. After the system arrives outside a burning building, it is carried via some safe path within the building, normally using only floors and stairs, to the room pre-determined to be both functional and safe for its setup and use. Base (B) assembled ^' just inside a window opening on level and solid flooring, the fi-remen having a special tool to first remove that window. Brace (F) tightly installed between the base and solid pans of the exposed ceiling, it possibly being necessary to first chop-out parts of an artificial lowered ceiling. Following the connection of wire (M) to disc (D), shaft (A) is snapped into mounting (C). which has a triangular flange, which remains within a matching triangular channel piece (R), sliding on a semi-circular track around (C) on base (B), to prevent rotation of mounting during shaft extension and retraction. Ball on brace and clamp (E) snapped into whichever indentation in the base fixes the desired angle between shaft and outside wall of building, with clamp pan then fastened around shaft, followed by length of brace being adjusted to fix the desired angle between shaft and base while also resulting in a right angle between the brace and the shaft. Shaft (A) will probably be in six telescoping sections, extruded, tubular, and of an alloy of aluminum, as is the overall shaft system as much as possible.

Electric motor (G) now installed on upper pan of mounting (C) so that its protruding gear engages outside threading on shaft (A). This motor will probably be of the worm-drive gear variety, and operates on direct current All sections of (A) are threaded on both inside and outside except for outside of outer section, except for near the base where shaft is threaded for the motor altering the shaft length to engage. It is also not necessary for the inside of innei section to be threaded. Examining the shaft while moving away from mounting, external threading on all but the base section begins after the desired overlap distance of adjacent shaft sections, or about ten inches. Said threading will cause all of the inner sections to move outward together as the outer one rotates, until the unthreaded overlap pan is reached. Manually-held taut fire hose connected to the tip of the shaft, as well as static friction between the sections, prevents the inner sections from rotating. During operation water pressure in the hose, will also accomplish this, so that shaft length can be altered during use. Once each section becomes fully extended it will then also rotate, consequently forcing out the sections inside it Reversing the direct current to the motor reverses its rotation and the entire process, retracting all sections, the section adjacent to the bottom, driving one, first. Again, even during actual operation.

After wire (I-W) of subassembly (I) is connected to (M), (I) is snapped onto the outside shaft-tip. Coupling (H) now placed through ring (I-R) and then snapped into permanent fitting (P), with hose (O) then threaded through the two rings on base (B) and connected to coupling (H), as is nozzle (N) at the end of the coupling just beyond ring (I-R).

Simultaneously, console (J) is electrically connected to shaft mounting (C) using wire (K), as it also is to motor (G). Its battery suppl yi ng all necessary electrical power to the system, and probably rechargeable.

Finally, a fireman, at console (J) in the room where the shaft is situated, extends it. A second fireman then activates the building water, having already connected the hose to the pressurized, fire water supply system of the building as close to the room as possible. The first man is now able to accurately direct a moderately, high-pressure water stream from his console, whi le the third fireman is free to handle general problems. The water stream is initially used to knock-out whatever fragments of window remain in place, following the very hot, high-pressure air of the room on fire invariably blowing-out its windows. Enabling the system to put up to 400 gallons of water per minute onto serious fi res, which may be even somewhat inside buildings, and at any height. Nozzle movement also allows efficient use into rooms which may not be directly above the invention, panly because the shaft does not need to be installed at right angles to the building wall. By vinue of being remotely controlled from below fires, the operation of this system is normally very safe for those using it.