The present invention relates to a rescue system for use when evacuating high buildings or the like. The rescue system consists of a rope and a lowering mechanism, a fastening device to the building, and a housing.

In case of fire in high buildings from which escape may be problematic due to the height, means of escape can be provided either by ladders put up by people outside the building, or ladder trucks, or ladders mounted on the building itself, and which can be released from the desired height by the people preparing to evacuate the building. Another common piece of equipment is a rescue rope consisting of a lowering mechanism, a harness which the person can slip into, and a suspension system. This type of rescue rope is normally hanging on a hook by a window on the inside of the building, and it can be let out of the window when needed.

Norwegian Patents 24,690, 41,639 and 43,650 give the description of lowering mechanisms for rescue ropes consisting of a friction pulley in which the rescue rope runs. Thereafter, the rope runs between several smaller guide pulleys placed on a board which is itself positioned so as to move around a shaft, and thus effect a controlled swing motion. The board and the friction pulley are arranged in such a manner that the friction pulley will stop a number of times per rotation. This confers inertia to the system and acts as the necessary friction and brake mechanism for the system. Such devices comprise a large number of moving parts which are expected to function when needed in a rescue situation, even after long storage when not in use. They require maintenance and are entirely deprived of a mechanism which could provide friction as a function of weight. Only some of those devices feature the possibility of lowering people alternately from both ends of the rope.

In yet other devices currently available, the rescue rope runs over a pulley. A rotating arm presses the rope against the pulley and thus provides the desired braking effect. The arm also acts as suspension system between the building and the lowering mechanism, and is designed in such a manner that the weight of the person being rescued provides the required braking moment. Such devices are described in Norwegian Patent 35,095 and in U.S. Patent 659,093. Those devices also require maintenance to ensure reliable working order in an emergency after long storage when not in use. Those lowering mechanisms allow rescue at one end of the rope only.

In Norwegian Patent 168,807 a solution was proposed, reducing the number of moving parts to one single friction pulley in which the rescue rope runs. The friction pulley has a large diameter centre hole. A circular knob is provided in the centre hole, and a corresponding knob is provided on the outer edge of the friction pulley so that the pulley slides like a flat ring between the knobs. Before and after running over the friction pulley, the rescue rope is threaded between two other knobs placed under the pulley in such a way that a vertical line drawn through the centre of the knob positioned inside the centre hole will pass between the two knobs placed under the pulley. When a force is exerted on one end of the rope, the effect of the large centre hole of the pulley relative to the diameter of the knob around which it rotates will create a force which causes the pulley to rotate and press against the two knobs under it. This action provides a braking force. However, this device is also composed of moving parts, and maintenance is required to keep it in working order at all times. With this device, the rope must be drawn up again before a new person can be lowered. Rescue ropes of this type have therefore a reduced capacity in an emergency.

The temperatures inside and outside a building being rarely equal and the air having different humidity content, airing the bedroom will cause condensation to occur on the friction parts of the device mentioned. This will result in corrosion

and reduce the mobility of the pulley, with the subsequent risk of jamming when in use, and the person being rescued remaining hanging against the wall and unable to get down. Another factor to be taken into account is that the person who uses a rescue rope of the type proposed in NO-168,807 must hold the opposite part of the rope to be able to slow down their descent with their hands. Letting go means ending up in free fall towards the ground. The device is therefore relatively difficult to use, and the purpose of such a rescue rope is defeated. The corrosion risk in such devices argues in disfavour of the use of moving parts in rescue rope systems.

One object of the present invention is to provide a complete rescue system with a secure mounting to the building, maintenance-free storage after installation, and a reliable lowering and braking function. It is a further object of the present invention to combine a maintenance-free device with the possibility of lowering people alternately at both ends of the rope for optimum capacity.

This is achieved with a rope housing in which a pulley is mounted and held fixed by a locking pin. The pulley is also fixed in relation to a rope which is threaded into the rope housing, over the pulley, and out again through an opening, and where the incoming and outgoing lengths of rope through the walls of the rope housing are approximately parallel.

Further details of this invention will become apparent from the following description of an embodiment of the invention.

Fig. 1 is a cross-sectional view of the lowering and braking mechanism. Fig. 2 is a cross-sectional view of the same mechanism taken along the line A-A of Fig. 1.

Fig. 3 illustrates the principle of a loop rope between harnesses.

Fig. 4a is a front view of the fastening bracket for the rope housing.

Fig. 4b is a cross-sectional view of the fastening bracket of Fig. 4a.

This invention is composed of a rope housing 1 containing a braking mechanism. The rope housing 1 acts also as suspension device for the entire system, its upper extremity being provided with a suspension hole 2 which is used to suspend the device of this invention to a wall.

Inside the rope housing 1, a space 3 for the mechanism is provided, having an upper part of a semi-circular shape and a lower part approximately in the shape of a rectangle. In the side of the rectangle which is furthest removed from the suspension hole 2, an opening 4 is provided perpendicular to that side. Inside the space 3 for the mechanism, a circular pulley 5 is provided, the centre axis 6 of which is part of the rope housing 1. A locking pin 7 is placed between the pulley 5 and the centre axis 6 to prevent the pulley 5 from rotating.

The pulley 5 is designed with a V-groove 8 in which a rope 9 lies. The surface of the groove 8 is corrugated or has any other appropriate surface providing the necessary roughness to increase friction. The rope 9 is threaded into the space 3 for the mechanism through the opening 4, runs over the pulley 5, and runs out again through the opening 4 parallel with the incoming length of rope.

The opening 4 is funnel shaped and its inside face can be provided with a rough surface. Moreover, the narrowest end of the funnel-shaped opening has such a diameter that the incoming and outgoing lengths of the rope 9 will be somewhat squeezed together, and a further friction effect is therefore obtained in addition to the friction between the rope 9 and the pulley 5, thus giving further braking effect.

When one end of the rope 9 outside the rope housing 1 is pulled down, or when it is weighed down by a person evacuating the building, the rope will slide down into the groove 8 and the friction between the side walls of the groove and the rope 9 will determine how deep down the groove 8 the rope 9 will slide.

The force with which the rope 9 is being pulled upon determines the depth of the rope 9 inside the groove. A friction mechanism is therefore obtained where the amount of friction is determined by the person's weight, and the velocity of descent will be the same for any person, regardless of their weight.

When a person has reached the ground with the help of the rope 9, the next person can use the other end of the rope to lower themselves. The device of the present invention can therefore be used at optimal capacity when a harness is attached at each end of the rope 9.

The device of the present invention also offers the possibility of attaching a baby harness or a carrying bag for babies to the adult harness, thus increasing the capacity. The device of the present invention comprises no moving part requiring maintenance to ensure reliable function.

Figure 3 shows the principle by which the rope 9 is prolonged between harness S 1 and harness S2 to give a person lowering himself or herself in one of the harnesses the possibility to regulate and decrease their speed of descent by holding the rope on the opposite side of the pulley 5. Holding the opposite extremity of the rope 9 will cause the rope 9 to slide deeper into the groove 8 of the pulley 5 and thus increase the braking effect.

Figure 2 illustrates also a housing cover 10 placed in front of the rope housing 1, covering the pulley 5, and slightly wider than the rope housing 1. The wider edges are used to attach the outer cover so that the rescue system becomes a closed unit.

As illustrated in figure 1, a suspension hole 2 is provided in the rope housing 1. This allows the rope housing 1 to be connected to a fastening bracket 11 illustrated on figures 4a and 4b. A corresponding rope housing hole 12 is provided in the lower half of the fastening bracket 11. Such a connection permits the rope housing 1 to effect a sideways swinging motion about the suspension point for the fastening bracket 11.

The upper half of the fastening bracket 11 has several types of holes for mounting the bracket itself and the rescue system to a wall or the like. The mounting holes 13 are provided for mounting the fastening bracket 11 to a timber wall or structure. The position of the mounting holes 13 relative to one another

prevents the timber from splitting during mounting, as a vertical alignment of the holes is thus avoided. The central fastening hole 14 is used to suspend the rescue system from a hook when such a hook is available.

The upper and the lower halves of the fastening bracket 11 are positioned in such a manner that they stand each in their individual plane, both planes being parallel to each other. These planes are also approximately parallel to the plane of any wall on which the rescue system may be mounted.