ESCAPE DEVICE

FIELD OF THE INVENTION

The present invention is concerned with an escape device, in particular a device which allows an infant or small child to be safely lowered to ground from an elevated location such as a first or higher floor window or similar opening, in particular in the event of a fire or similar emergency.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

It is well known to provide, in buildings having two or more floors, some means of escaping from the upper floor or floors of the buildings in the event of an emergency such as a fire or the like. The most basic example is a fixed ladder or step arrangement provided on the outside of a building leading from a window of the building or a dedicated fire escape. However, this type of arrangement is generally undesirable in domestic dwellings, both for practical and aesthetic reasons. However, a large number of alternative fire escapes have been devised over the years for use in domestic dwellings. Some examples are rope ladders which may be deployed from an upper window, inflatable chutes which are again deployed from a window of the building, of which many variations exist. However, the majority of these emergency escape devices are not suitable for smaller children or infants, who do not have the capacity to climb down or negotiate these types of devices. It is also usually unsafe for a parent or other adult to try and negotiate such devices while carrying an infant.

There is therefore a need for an escape device which is suitable for use with infants and smaller children.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

The present invention provides an escape device comprising a base adapted to be secured to or about a suitable support; a seat releasably retainable on the base; and means for lowering the seat away from the base.

Preferably, the base comprises adjustable retaining means for securing the base in position to or about the support.

Preferably, the adjustable retaining means are adapted to enable the base to be secured in position about an opening.

Preferably, the retaining means comprises a pair of arms displaceable relative to one another and between which the support may be gripped.

Preferably, the retaining means are collapsible.

Preferably, the lowering means is adapted to enable the controlled lowering of the seat away from the base.

Preferably, the lowering means is manually operable.

Preferably, the lowering means comprises a winch.

Preferably, the lowering means comprises a handle mounted about the base and at least one cable secured between the winch and the seat and which may be wound on and off the winch to effect, in use, raising and lowering of the seat relative to the base.

Preferably, the seat comprises a harness for securing a child to the seat.

Preferably, the device comprises a release mechanism adapted to automatically open the harness upon contact of the seat with the ground.

Preferably, the release mechanism comprises a trigger which projects beyond a lower end of the seat, and which is depressible to effect actuation of the release mechanism

Preferably, the seat is displaceable between a collapsed state for storage and an expanded state for receiving an infant or small child.

Preferably, the base comprises a guideway on which the seat is slidably retainable and disengagable from at or adjacent an end of the guideway.

Preferably, the guideway may be raised into an elevated position relative to the base.

As used herein, the term "seat" is intended to mean both a seat in the conventional sense of the word, in which an infant or small child can be seated in, but also any other arrangement, for example a harness or similar restraint, which allows an infant or small child to be secured and supported while being lowered to the ground from a height such as a first floor window or the like.

As used herein, the term "support" is intended to mean any object or structure which enables some other object to be anchored or secured thereto, and may for example be a wall, floor, post, beam, window ledge, balcony, or the like.

As used herein, the term "opening" is intended to mean an opening in a wall or the like, for example an opening in which a window or the like is located, preferably provided access to an exterior of a building or the like, and further preferably defining a ledge along a bottom side of the opening, about which ledge retaining means may be secured, and from which ledge extends an unobstructed vertical path to the ground.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

The present invention will be better understood from the following description of an embodiment of the invention, in which;

Figure 1 illustrates an embodiment of an escape device according to the present invention, in a stored state;

Figure 2 illustrates the escape device of Figure 1 from an underside thereof;

Figure 3 illustrates the escape device of Figure 1 in a partially deployed state;

Figure 4 illustrates the escape device with one arm having been displaced towards the other arm for the purposes of gripping a window sill or the like therebetween;

Figure 5 illustrates the escape device with a slideway on which a seat is mounted in a partially raised position;

Figure 6 illustrates the escaped device with the slideway in a fully raised position;

Figure 7 illustrates the escape device in the fully raised position with the seat deployed in readiness for receiving an infant or small child thereon;

Figure 8 illustrates the escape device in which the seat has been partially slid off the device;

Figure 9 illustrates an alternative view of the escape device with the seat partially slid off the device; and

Figure 10 illustrates the seat being lowered towards the ground

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

Referring now to the accompanying drawings, there is illustrated a preferred embodiment of an escape device, generally indicated as 10, which is adapted to be secured to or about a support, for example a window sill or the like, and to then permit an infant or a small child to be lowered from a building to safety.

The device 10 comprises a base 12 and a seat 14 releasably retainable on or about the base 12 as will be described hereinafter in detail. The base 12 is adapted, as will be described, to be secured in position about the window sill, or any similar opening in a wall of a building (not shown) and which provides access to an exterior of the building. The body 12 is preferably provided with a pair of handles 15 formed integrally therein, in order to allow the device 10 to be quickly and easily handled into position. As will become apparent from the following description of the operation of the escape device 10, it is preferable that the window sill has an unobstructed path downward therefrom to the ground, as this is the path along which the seat 14 will be lowered to safety. The seat 14 preferably comprises a backrest 16 and a lower portion 18, which may be hinged relative to one another as illustrated in Figure 7, in order to provide a seating position for a child during use, and which can be collapsed flat when not in use, primarily for storage purposes. The seat 14 further comprises a harness 20, which may be of any suitable configuration, and which is adapted to secure the child to the seat during deployment of the device 10, and again as will be described in detail hereinafter. It will be understood that the seat 14 may be of any other suitable form adapted to secured and retain an infant therein, and to allow lowering of the infant to the ground in safety. Thus the seat 14 could be in the form of a basic harness (not shown) or the like into which the infant can be secured.

Referring now to Figures 1 to 3 it can be seen that the base 12 comprises retaining means in the form of first and second arms 22, 24 which may be hinged outwardly from a collapsed or storage state illustrated in Figure 1 and 2 into an extended or operational state as illustrated in Figure 3. However, it is not essential for the operation of the invention that the arms 22, 24 are displaceable between the collapsed and extended positions, and could

be permanently fixed in the extended position. However allowing the arms 22, 24 to collapse flat against the base 12 significantly reduces the dimensions of the device 10, allowing it to be easily stored in a number of locations close to the window, for example in a wardrobe or under a bed, and to be quickly removed from said storage location when needed. Were the arms 22, 24 (and other components of the device 10) not collapsible for storage, it might be necessary to store the device 10 in a location other than the bedroom or other room from which the device 10 is to provide a means of escape. Then in the event of an emergency such as a fire or the like, requiring use of the device 10, the device 10 may not be immediately accessible, and in such emergency situations time is often of the essence.

The pair of arms 22, 24 are preferably slidable relative to one another in order to allow the distance between the arms 22, 24 to be varied to accommodate different supports therebetween. In particular the first arm 22 is slideably mounted to the base 12, preferably on a pair of tracks 26 forming part of the base 12. In this way the first arm 22 can be slid towards and away from the second arm 24 along the tracks 26. This allows the device 10 to be positioned straddling the window sill or the like, with the first and second arms 22, 24 being located on opposite sides of the wall in which the window sill is formed. Once in this position, the first arm 22 can then be slid towards the second arm 24 (see Figure 4) until the wall is firmly clamped therebetween. A lock 28 provided in operative association with the first arm 22 which lock 28 can then be engaged in order to lock the first arm 22 in position relative to the second arm 24, thereby securely clamping the device 10 in position about the window sill. The lock 28 may be in the form of a ratchet having a spring loaded pawl (not shown) which cooperates with a corresponding rack (not shown) on the respective track 26 such as to only permit unidirectional displacement of the first arm 22 towards the second arm 24, with movement in the reverse direction requiring depression or similar actuation of the lock 28 to release the spring loaded pawl from engagement with the rack. In this way, when fitting the device 10, it is simply necessary to slide the first arm 22 towards the second arm 24 until the window sill is firmly clamped therebetween. The first arm 22, by virtue of the ratchet based lock 28, will then remain fixed in this position when pressure is released therefrom by the person fitting the device 10. The lock 28 may of course operate in any suitable fashion.

To ensure a robust clamping action, each of the arms 22, 24 is preferably provided with a foot 30 which projects at an angle from the respective arm 22, 24. It is preferred that the feet 30 are at least partly formed from a resiliently deformable material such as rubber or the like. In this way, the pair of the arms 22, 24 can accommodate the lip of a window sill whilst still firmly clamping the wall of the window sill. The use of a resiliently deformable material such as rubber or the like for the feet 30 also improves the grip effected by the arms 22, 24. It will, however, be appreciated that the device 10 could be provided with any other suitable functional equivalent to the arms 22, 24 in order to function as retaining means to secure the device 10 in the position illustrated in Figures 4 - 10. It will also be understood that the base 12 and/or the retaining means may be designed to enable the device 10 to be secured in an alternative location, for example to a balcony or railing (not shown), and in such a situation the retaining means and/or base 12 would be suitably designed for engagement therewith.

Once the base 12 has been fixed about the window sill, the seat 14 is then raised into an elevated position as illustrated in Figure 7. The base 12 is provided with a guideway 32 on which the seat 14 is releasably, and preferably slideably, retainable. The guideway 32 is hingedly mounted to the base 12 at a lower end thereof, in order to allow the guideway 32 to be hinged upwardly, as shown in Figure 5, into the fully raised position shown in Figure 6. At this time the lower portion 18 of the seat 14 is also hinged off the guideway 32 into the position illustrated in Figure 7, and is then locked in this position by any suitable means. A snap lock arrangement is preferable, such that as soon as the lower portion 18 is raised into position it is automatically locked in place, in order to reduce the time taken to prepare the device 10 for use. The infant may now be secured to the seat 14 using the harness 20.

As can be seen in Figures 6 - 8, the device 10 further comprises means for lowering the seat 14 away from the base 12, the lowering means being provided in the form of a winch 34. When the device 10 is not in use the winch 34 is normally collapsed flat against and forming part of the base 12, again preferably for ease of storage, as can be seen in Figures 2 and 3. Once the device 10 is deployed, and the guideway 32 raised into the elevated

position, the winch 34 is drawn up, preferably automatically, into a position in which it provides an upright support for the guideway 32. The winch 34 therefore ensures that the guideway 32 remains in the upright position. It will however be appreciated that an alternative support (not shown) for the guideway 32 may be provided, and in such a case the winch 34 need not be displaceable between collapsed and extended positions, and could as a result be located at an alternative position on the device 10.

Forming part of the lowering means, and extending from the winch 34, are a pair of cables/ropes 36 which are secured to the rear of the seat 14 as can be seen in Figures 9 and 10. The winch 34 also comprises an externally accessible handle 38 which is preferably displaceable between a retracted and extended state, and which is operable to wind the cables/ropes 36 out of or back onto the winch 34, as will be described hereinafter. The winding of the winch 34 could of course be powered, although this would then require either an onboard source of power (not shown) to be provided on the device 10, or means to connect the device 10 to the mains. Both of these options are less desirable, as with an onboard power supply there is a risk that if the device 10 remains unused for extended periods the onboard power supply may not be at full capacity, and in the case of a mains connection, this will require additional time, and there may not be a socket close enough to the window at which the device 10 will be deployed. For these reasons a manually operable lowering means is preferred. The lowering means may also be of any other suitable functional equivalent to the winch 34 and cables 36.

Therefore, in use, the device 10 is unfolded from the storage state illustrated in Figure 1 and secured about the window sill or the like, using the arms 22, 24 to clamp the base 12 firmly in position as explained above. The guideway 32 is raised into the elevated position and the lower portion 18 of the seat 14 is folded into the upright position, as illustrated in Figure 7. The device 10 must be oriented on the window sill such that with the guideway 32 in the raised position, the raised end is pointing into the building and the lower end is pointing outwardly through the opening/window. The infant is then secured within the seat 14 using the harness 20.

At this point, the handle 38 is cranked in the appropriate direction to begin feeding the cables/ropes 36 out from the winch 34. As a result, under the influence of gravity, the seat 14 will begin to slide downwardly along the guideway 32. As illustrated in Figure 10, the seat 14 will eventually clear the end of the guideway 32 and tip forward into an upright position, essentially hanging out of the opening/window. The provision of the raised and therefore sloping guideway 32 allows this displacement of the seat 14 to be completed without requiring the person operating the device 10 to have to lean out of the window opening, thereby improving the safety of operation of the device 10. By further releasing cable/rope 36 from the winch 34 the seat 14 will slowly be lowered towards the ground, in a safe upright position, with the infant safely secured therein.

As can be seen from Figures 9 and 10 the seat 14 is provided with a release mechanism comprising a trigger 40 projecting below the seat 14. In this way, during descent of the seat 14, the trigger 40 projects beyond the lowermost point of the seat 14. As the seat 14 reaches the ground, the trigger 40 will be contacted by the ground thus depressing and actuating the trigger 40. The trigger 40 is arranged to effect the automatic opening of the harness 20. In this way the infant will be immediately able to exit the seat 14 to safety on reaching the ground. It is however envisaged that this release mechanism could be provided either directly on the harness 20 to be released by an individual already on the ground, or an alternative remote release mechanism actuatable from the base 12.

The seat 14 may be designed with a pair of downwardly projecting legs (not shown) which ensure that once the seat 14 reaches the ground it will tilt forwardly in order to eject the infant/child therefrom once the harness 20 is released. This will ensure that even if the infant is too young to stand up out of the seat 14 that it will nevertheless be ejected from the seat 14 to safety.

Once the child has been safely released from the seat 14, the winch 34 can then be used to retract the seat 14 up to the base 12 to be used again for further children trapped in the building.

The various components of the device 10 may be manufactured from any number of different materials, for example metal, plastic, material, etc. However, it is preferable for handling/deployment purposes that the device 10 is relatively lightweight, while being sufficiently robust to support the weight of a child during use, and as a result may be formed primarily from plastics.