FIELD OF THE INVENTION

The invention relates to the air bottles for rescuing people in case of fire or smoke occurrence, so it is suitable for use in airless areas full of smoke.

TECHNICAL PROBLEM

When fire occurs, there is a great amount of smoke generated in premises and vehicles, and due to the inability to breathe in those conditions, rescuing people that are captured in this environment is much more difficult, which often leads to suffocations and casualties.

This invention solves a problem of how people whose life is in danger because of the smoke and smog can help themselves and save their life, when they don't have enough air to breathe.

PRIOR ART

This problem, which occurs in case of fire, has not been considered in a way that people who are endangered with smoke can help themselves with self-help method, using suitable portable air bottle and saving themselves in case of lack of breathable air in their surroundings. Only after the discovery of the possibility of compressing and storing the clean natural air, oxygen or different air mixtures of air and oxygen into the containers made of sheet metal or aluminum which are safe for use, the making of such air bottle for fire rescue started.

There are bottles/containers/ tanks cylinders filled with oxygen on the market made specifically for sport, that are used by athletes or mountaineers when exposed to increased physical exertion. That kind of bottles with volume of 10L, 5L or 2L filled with aromatized oxygen (e.g. eucalyptus, menthol or peppermint flavor) are put on the market by the company named Boost Oxygen, as it can be seen on their website htps://www.boostoxyaen.com/· Those botles are used for completely different purpose and in completely different environment than the air bottle for fire rescue. There are also botles filled with 95% oxygen mixture with added aromas intended for entertainment, advertised on the website of the company named Canna02 www.cannao2.com. which cannot be compared with hereby presented air botle for fire rescue.

BRIEF SUMMARY OF THE PRESENT INVENTION

The primary goal of this invention is that the people who are in danger caused by fire, and who found themselves in life threatening conditions due to smoke and lack of air, have the possibility to breathe, and especially that they can save their life and prevent smoke suffocation while saving themselves going through smoke and fire.

Secondary goal is the simplicity of use and that such a bottle is affordable for purchasing due to the low price, so everybody can afford to have that kind of bottle in their own apartment, hotel or public transport (airplane, cruiser ship...).

A further goal of this invention is the safe use of presented air bottle for fire rescue, that can be achieved with examination carried by the manufacturer and with the additional pouch that protects the bottle from heat and explosion. It is very easy to handle the presented bottle and to put it in use. Presented bottle is for single use only.

Air bottle for fire rescue is intended for breathing and saving people in premises polluted by smoke generated in fire, smoky airless areas, and smog polluted areas. It is not intended for firefighting due to its small dimensions and therefore limited time of use.

In addition, this air bottle for fire rescue is much smaller in size and weight, with much less components and it is easier to handle than air tanks used by firemen. The weight of presented bottle is usually about 180 grams, dimensions in standard version are 300mm x 65mm, and the filled bottle provides 270 inhalations (one inhalation = 1 second). Presented air bottle for fire rescue comprises a valve and an actuator, wherein the valve is installed into the bottle so it can be filled under pressure with breathable gas, and wherein the actuator is placed on the valve of the bottle filled with breathable gas which, when activated, releases gas from the bottle. Furthermore, air bottle for fire rescue comprises breathing mask which is put on the actuator while the bottle is in use. When the bottle is out of use, the breathing mask serves as a lid for the valve and the actuator. The bottle might be filled with air, oxygen and the mixture of air and oxygen. In one embodiment the air bottle for fire rescue is filled at pressure of 10 bar. The body of the bottle can be made of sheet metal or aluminum. In second, further embodiment of the bottle, the air bottle for fire rescue comprises a heat and explosion resistant pouch which is made of fire-resistant material. The air bottle for fire rescue is placed in that kind of pouch resistant to heat and explosion not only for protection of the bottle from fire, but also for protection of the person who uses it, in case of blowout of the bottle which can injure the user. Presented air bottle for fire rescue provides 250 inhalations.

The air bottle for fire rescue is filled by special compressors, thereby ensuring that the air pressured into the bottle does not contain any oil particles. First step in filling the presented bottle with air is pulling the air left in the bottle out of the bottle through the valve so that the negative pressure is formed, after that the filling under pressure is conducted.

The breathing mask, as a component of presented air bottle filled with pressured air, oxygen or mixture of air and oxygen, is designed to cover the mouth, possibly the nose as well, and it is very easy to handle.

The pouch, in which the bottle is put in, is made of fire-resistant material and as such is fire and explosion resistant. The pouch serves not only for protection of the bottle when the fire is near, but also for protection from injury of the person who is using the bottle in case of bottle blowout.

Firefighters can carry the presented bottle for fire rescue in fire-fighter backpack because of its simplicity for carrying in backpacks; one can carry multiple bottles thanks to its small mass. It is recommended to carry two bottles with air and one with oxygen in backpack. If a danger from the fire occurs/ or if there is a risk of air or oxygen disappearance, firefighter can save his own life and easily put the air bottle for fire rescue in function, and using it for approximately two minutes (about 250 inhalations) which is enough time to get away from the danger.

Air bottle for fire rescue is filled with compressed air which contains 20,9% oxygen and it is pressurized at 8 to 10 bar. The bottle is filled by special compressors so the air in the bottle doesn't contain oil particles that are regularly used in plain compressors for filling the air for breathing.

A great number of fire in European Union occurs in buildings in which people spend 90% of the time for private and business purposes. Fire in buildings are now larger, harder to predict and more dangerous due to the fact that the new buildings contains many more flammable synthetic materials.

Considering that fire in large buildings and skyscrapers nowadays occur regularly, as it can be seen on daily basis, it is very useful to keep here presented bottle in apartment or office. If there is a fire on lower floors of the skyscrapers, the danger of suffocation or burning in fire, especially above the third floor, is big and inevitable. In case of fire, exiting from the apartment and going through the smoky area in building or skyscraper is not possible, mostly because of the lack of air or oxygen in the smoke which fills the burning building. Because of that, people are desperately trying to save themselves exiting through the window, which often ends tragically.

In described situations it is possible to use air bottle for fire rescue, which should be kept in apartments or offices as well as fire extinguisher. One can inhale clean air from the bottle while going through the smoky area. The bottle contains the amount of air suitable to provide at least 60 seconds breathable air while speed walking or running.

Air bottle for fire rescue is useful in case of fire in hotels, where the fire spreads and creates strong smoke causing air and oxygen paucity. In that kind of situation, hotel guests who are in their rooms don't have many options to exit the room due to the smoky hallways, and due to the danger of suffocation while exiting the room. Presented air bottle for fire rescue allows at least 60 seconds of inhaling a pure air while running, which is enough time to pass through the smoky hallway and to save endangered people. The embodiment of presented bottle comprises five parts as follows:

1. A sheet metal or aluminum bottle that can be in various shapes and sizes; as best shown when the bottle was tested for squeezing at 15 bar pressure, and for the explosion at 18 bar pressure.

2. Valve which is installed on the bottle for sealing the air in it, and for regulating the air release from the bottle.

3. Breathing mask which is made of plastic, is installed on the valve and serves as an actuator, as well as an air dispenser which doses the air flow from the bottle to the mouth.

4. The air in the bottle, in its best embodiment, contains 20,9% oxygen. There are further embodiments where the bottle is filled with 99,5% pure oxygen or with mixture of air and oxygen, where the oxygen content varies from 20,9% to 99,4%. The bottle is filled with air by special compressors so the air in the bottle doesn't contain any residue of oil which serves compressors for greasing.

5. The pouch - etui in which the air bottle for fire rescue is put. The pouch is fire and explosion resistant, wherein it protects the bottle from external heat and it also protects the user in case of bottle blowout.

The air bottle for fire rescue is not part of the equipment for fire extinguishing and rescuing (as prescribed by applicable legislation), but it is used at its own risk if needed, according to the instructions issued by the manufacturer. It is recommended that each room in the hotel has at least as many air bottles for fire rescue as it has beds in the room.

Before using the bottle in case of danger, considering that the bottle is under pressure, one must wrap the bottle with wet towel, so that the impact of the external heat could be reduced even more. After that, one can use the bottle for one inhalation per every second. While breathing, the pressure in the bottle decreases, lowering the risk of the bottle blowout caused by external heat. The risk of blowout is also reduced because the bottle cools down while releasing the air.

If there is no need for exiting the room, considering that the bottle contains 10L of compressed air, this allows for up to 3-4 minutes of use in inactive state. The use of the bottle lasts 2 minutes when one is using it while going through the smoke. Fire in the airplane can occur during the flight, but most often happens when an airplane crashes and hits the ground. During the fire in the airplane when in flight, there are masks with oxygen which are automatically activated in case of danger. Sometimes the mentioned oxygen is not sufficient to help the passenger in case of fire. Also, when a plane crashes on the ground, due to the impact, a fire is generated as well as large amount of smoke injuring the passengers. The panic grows among passengers and they frantically start to push each other.

Presented bottle can be placed below each seat in the airplane next to the life-saving vest, so each passenger has their own bottle that will be used in the case of fire. Chapter 8. of the Technical instructions for the safe transport of dangerous goods by air (Doc.9284 AN 905) prescribes provisions for dangerous good carried by passengers or crew. Mentioned instructions stipulates that each passenger can carry such bottle into the plane, meaning that it is safe and permissible for airline to place the bottle, especially as it is protected by fire and explosion resistant pouch, below the seat of each passenger. If needed, each traveler has a bottle that can be used and will last for at least 2 minutes.

There is a risk of fire hazard on ships, especially on cruise ships or cruisers. In case of fire on the ship which may occur due to various reasons, the fire spreads, as well as large quantities of smoke. The smoke spreads along the hallways between the cabins with passengers, who don't have possibility to exit their cabins. The passengers who are in cabins with balcony have greater chance for saving themselves from smoke suffocation, because they have the ability to jump into the sea, which is not easy nor safe. The passengers that are in cabins without the balcony are in great danger, so the air bottle for fire rescue can serve them to save their life. Each cabin on the ship should have as may bottles as there are passengers in the cabin. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF AT LEAST ONE WAY OF CARRYING OUT THE INVENTION

The invention comprises bottle which can be made of sheet metal or aluminum. In one of its embodiments it can be purchased on the market as semi-finished product in size 300 x 65 mm and weighing about 180 grams. Presented bottle is filled with air, oxygen or nutrix (mixture of the air and oxygen) in a way that the air is compressed by special compressor which is not lubricated with oil (oil free compressor). The air is compressed in a compressor vessel at 10 bar pressure. Such compressed air is lead to a device that fills this air into the bottle, first removing the air from the bottle by creating a negative pressure (the bottle is previously vacuumed). Such bottle, that is sealed in negative pressure with the valve, is moved under the other head of the filling device. Through the valve that is previously put on the bottle, by using the mentioned other head of the filling the device, the air is filled into the bottle. The bottle is filled at 10 bar pressure. This is where the filling process is complete. In one embodiment the bottle is filled with 99.5% pure oxygen. In a further embodiment the botte is filled with a mixture of air and oxygen, where the oxygen content can vary from 20.9% to 99.4%.

To increase the safety, the presented bottle is put in the special pouch which is explosion resistant. This pouch is made of the fire-resistant material, and when the bottle is placed in it, it is protected from fire. The pouch also protects the person using the bottle from possible injury in case of bottle blowout.

The capacity of the full air bottle for fire rescue allows about 250 inhalations.

On the valve, which is installed on the bottle and serves for dosing the air from the bottle, the actuator is placed which by pressing allows the air to come out of the bottle.

On the mentioned actuator the breathing mask is placed which otherwise serves as a lid of the bottle. Then bottle is placed in a special fire-resistant and explosion-resistant pouch.

For one purpose, the bottle is used for saving the firefighters in danger when they are in place of fire and when there is a lack of air and oxygen. It is used in case of fire in residential buildings, skyscrapers, business offices in the upper floors. The bottle is especially helpful in case of the fire in hotels. In case of the fire on cruise ships and cruisers the bottle is very effective when used by passengers while running from fire in cabins and hallways of the ship.