Emergency lighting device for firefighters

• US 20040212514A1
• Filed: 04/23/2003
• Published: 10/28/2004
• Est. Priority Date: 04/23/2003
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Gregory S. Popps, Steven G. Pfleiderer
• Original Assignee: Gregory S. Popps, Steven G. Pfleiderer
• Inventors: Pfleiderer, Steven G., Popps, Gregory S.
• Granted Patent: US 6,864,799 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 340/691.1
• CPC Class Codes: G08B 7/062 indicating emergency exits

Abstract

A safety device for firefighters to mark a viable exit for a building includes an audible sounder and a number of laser diodes in a housing with lenses that create panes or sheets of light. The housing of the device can have prongs that allow the device to pierce drywall to mount it near a door or window, as well as an adhesive or cement for mounting on other vertical surfaces. The housing is also has a tapered wedge shape and can wedge a door in an open position. There can be e.g. four laser diodes oriented at various angles.

Claims

1. A portable emergency lighting device for firefighters for marking a door or window exit to a building structure so that the firefighter entering the building structure can find the door or window exit as a means of escape, comprising

a housing having a front portion and a back wall, with a plurality of penetrations in said front portion;

a plurality of laser diodes within said housing and positioned to emit visible light through respective ones of said penetrations;

an audible sounder;

an electrical power supply within said housing for powering said laser diodes and said sounder; and

means on the back wall of said housing permitting a firefighter to mount, without use of additional tools, said device onto a vertical wall surface near said door or window.

2. The portable emergency lighting device of claim 1 wherein the housing front portion has a wall portions angled about 45 degrees to the right and to the left, and a wall portion angled about 45 degrees below horizontal, with respective ones of said laser diodes positioned to emit light through ones of said penetrations in said angled wall portions.

3. The portable emergency lighting device of claim 1 wherein housing has a center wall portion, a left portion angled at about 135 degrees from said center wall portion, and a right portion angled at about 135 degrees from said center wall portion.

4. The portable emergency lighting device of claim 1 wherein said housing front portion has four facets oriented a respective different angles, and there are four of said laser diodes situated at respective penetrations in each of the four facets of said housing front portion.

5. The portable emergency lighting device of claim 1 wherein at one of more of said penetrations there is a lens for converting the beam of light of the associated laser diode into a flat pane of light.

6. The portable emergency lighting device of claim 1 wherein said means permitting the firefighter to mount the device onto a vertical wall surface includes one or more prongs on said back wall capable of penetrating through a sheet of drywall material.

7. The portable emergency lighting device of claim 6 wherein said at least one prong is pivotably mounted on said back wall to be rotated up from a vertical position into a horizontal position.

8. The portable emergency lighting device of claim 1 wherein said means permitting the firefighter to mount the device onto a vertical wall surface includes an adhesive pad affixed onto said back wall.

9. The portable emergency lighting device of claim 1 further comprising a flexible cord extending from said housing.

10. The portable emergency lighting device of claim 1 wherein said housing is tapered to have a wedge shape so that the device can be used for wedging a door into an open position.