ESCAPE SLIDE ASSEMBLY

• US 3,811,534 A
• Filed: 07/24/1972
• Issued: 05/21/1974
• Est. Priority Date: 07/24/1972
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: John M. Fisher
• Original Assignee: John M. Fisher
• Inventors: Fisher, John M.
• Primary Examiner(s): Machado, Reinaldo P.
• Application Number:
  US05/274,500
• Time in Patent Office: 666 Days
• Field of Search: 182/48,49 193/25B,16,21,2R,7
• US Class Current: 182/48
• CPC Class Codes: A62B 1/20 by making use of sliding-ropes, sliding-poles or chutes, e.g. hoses, pipes, sliding-grooves, sliding-sheets
• CPC Class Codes: B63B 2043/003 Arrangements of emergency exits, e.g. for escape from engine rooms
• CPC Class Codes: B64D 25/14 Inflatable escape chutes

Abstract

An escape slide assembly having a long inflatable ramp which is inflated from the folded condition to an extended condition for evacuating people from an elevated platform to a lower surface. The slide is hinged to the platform for swinging movement about a horizontal axis and upper and lower guy straps attached to both sides of the slide are connected to outrigger tripods on the platform at positions on the horizontal hinge axis and laterally spaced from the slide providing resistance to lateral displacement of the slide during inflation and after it is fully extended.

Claims

1. An escape slide adapted to be folded and inflated to extend from an elevated platform to a lower surface, said slide being hinged to said platform for swinging movement about a substantially horizontal axis, said escape slide being multitubular and having tubular members at each side of said slide with a slide member interposed between said tubular member, supporting members mounted on each side of said platform and extending outwardly in the direction of said horizontal axis, flexible guide members attached to said tubular members at opposite sides of an extensible portion of said slide at positions spaced along the sides of said slide and fastened to said supporting members mounted on said platform at positions laterally spaced outward from opposite sides of said slide whereby said guide members resist lateral displacement of the slide in the partially inflated and extended condition and permit unobstructed movement of people down said slide member.

2. An escape slide according to claim 1 wherein said supporting members are located with the guide members fastened at positions along said horizontal axis to maintain the resistance to lateral displacement of the slide during swinging movement of the slide about said axis.

3. An escape slide according to claim 1 wherein each of said guide members includes a single upper member between one of said supporting members and one of said tubular members of said slide and a lower member fastened to the tubular member at a position on the other side of said upper member from said platform and joining said upper member at a position spaced from the ends of said upper member whereby said upper member resists lateral displacement during initial extension of said slide and said lower member resists lateral displacement upon further extension of said slide.

4. An escape slide according to claim 3 wherein said upper member is fastened to said slide at a position near the midpoint between the ends of the tubular member of said slide and said lower member is fastened to the tubular member at a position near the swingable end of the slide.

5. An escape slide according to claim 1 wherein said guide members are of a resilient material to absorb the shock of inflating and extending said slide and resiliently resist lateral displacement.

6. An escape slide according to claim 1 wherein said laterally spaced positions of attachment to the supporting members on opposite sides of said slide are at a distance from said slide not less than one-fifth the height of said platform from said lower surface.

7. An escape slide according to claim 1 wherein said supporting members include rod members attached to said platform in the proximity of said slide and extending laterally away from said slide to said laterally spaced positions.

8. An escape slide according to claim 7 wherein said rod members form tripods with the vertex ends connected to said guide members and the other ends attached to said platform.

9. An escape slide according to claim 2 wherein said supporting members include rod members attached to said platform in the proximity of said slide and extending laterally away from said slide to said positions laterally spaced along said horizontal axis where the guide members are fastened to the rod members.