Escape slide deploying apparatus for use in an airplane
First Claim
1. In combination with a door and means mounting said door for upward and downward movement relative to a substantially horizontally oriented floor and into and out of engagement with a door opening in a wall associated with said floor, said movement being between a closed position adjacent said floor and in engagement with said door opening and an open position spaced upwardly from said floor and said door opening, said door having inner and outer sides, an improved apparatus for deploying an escape slide container normally attached to said door, said container having a center of gravity, comprising:
- a movable member and support means operatively associated with said floor adjacent the bottom of said door opening, said support means being constructed to allow upward movement of said movable member relative to said floor,latch means operatively associated with said movable member, said latch means and said door having a first latching condition for securing said movable member to said door and releasing said movable member from said support means and a second latching condition for securing said movable member to said support means and for releasing said movable member from said door,linkage means for coupling said container to said movable member, said linkage means and said movable member being so constructed and associated with each other to mount said container for outward swinging movement relative to said door opening, said linkage means being so constructed as to hold said container in a stable position wherein said container will remain in a position located above said movable member, said linkage means capable of moving said container to an unstable position wherein the center of gravity of said container is shifted to a location so as to cause said container initially to swing outwardly toward said door opening solely under the urging of gravity,trip means associated with said linkage means for locking said linkage means to hold container in said stable position, and for causing said linkage means to move so as to shift said container to said unstable position in reaction to upward movement of said door when said latch means is in said second latching condition, thereby allowing said container to swing outwardly under the urging of gravity to position said container adjacent said door opening in readiness for deployment of an escape slide held by said container.
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Accused Products
Abstract
An escape slide container is mounted for selective, upward movement with a track-mounted, overhead sliding door in an aircraft fuselage. Slide deployment mechanism for releasing the container from the door and for attaching it to the floor of the aircraft allows the door to move upwardly independently of the container, leaving the container attached to the floor. An over-center linkage supports the container above the floor while upward movement of the door trips the over-center linkage to propel the container outwardly through the door opening to deploy the escape slide under the urging of gravity.
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Citations
17 Claims
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1. In combination with a door and means mounting said door for upward and downward movement relative to a substantially horizontally oriented floor and into and out of engagement with a door opening in a wall associated with said floor, said movement being between a closed position adjacent said floor and in engagement with said door opening and an open position spaced upwardly from said floor and said door opening, said door having inner and outer sides, an improved apparatus for deploying an escape slide container normally attached to said door, said container having a center of gravity, comprising:
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a movable member and support means operatively associated with said floor adjacent the bottom of said door opening, said support means being constructed to allow upward movement of said movable member relative to said floor, latch means operatively associated with said movable member, said latch means and said door having a first latching condition for securing said movable member to said door and releasing said movable member from said support means and a second latching condition for securing said movable member to said support means and for releasing said movable member from said door, linkage means for coupling said container to said movable member, said linkage means and said movable member being so constructed and associated with each other to mount said container for outward swinging movement relative to said door opening, said linkage means being so constructed as to hold said container in a stable position wherein said container will remain in a position located above said movable member, said linkage means capable of moving said container to an unstable position wherein the center of gravity of said container is shifted to a location so as to cause said container initially to swing outwardly toward said door opening solely under the urging of gravity, trip means associated with said linkage means for locking said linkage means to hold container in said stable position, and for causing said linkage means to move so as to shift said container to said unstable position in reaction to upward movement of said door when said latch means is in said second latching condition, thereby allowing said container to swing outwardly under the urging of gravity to position said container adjacent said door opening in readiness for deployment of an escape slide held by said container.
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2. In combination with a door and means mounting said door for upward and downward movement relative to a substantially horizontally oriented floor and into and out of engagement with a door opening in a wall associated with said floor, said movement being between a closed position adjacent said floor and in engagement with said door opening and an open position spaced upwardly from said floor and said door opening, said door having inner and outer sides, an improved apparatus for deploying an escape slide container normally attached to said door, said container having a center of gravity, comprising:
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a bar and support means operatively associated with said floor adjacent the bottom of said door opening, said support means being constructed to allow upward movement of said bar relative to said floor, said support means including a bearing means for mounting said bar for rotational movement between first and second positions, latch means operatively associated with said bar, said latch means and said bar having a first latching condition for securing said bar to said door and releasing said bar from said support means and having a second latching condition for securing said bar to said support means and for releasing said bar from said door, said latch means being in said first latching condition when said bar is in first position and being shifted to said second latching condition in reaction to rotation of said bar to said second position, said latch means including a rotatable member mounted for rotation in said bearing means, said rotatable member having a slot therein, said bar having a portion adapted to engage said slot, said slot being rotatable between an upwardly oriented position wherein said bar is released for upward movement relative to said floor and a locked position oriented transversely to said upwardly oriented position wherein said bar is prevented from moving upwardly and is thereby secured to said bearing means, linkage means for coupling said container to said bar, said linkage means and said bar being so constructed and associated with each other to mount said container for outward swinging movement relative to said door opening, said linkage means being so constructed as to hold container in a stable position wherein said container will remain in a position located above said bar, said linkage means capable of moving said container to an unstable position wherein the center of gravity of said container is shifted to a location so as to cause said container to swing outwardly toward said door opening under the urging of gravity, trip means associated with said linkage means for locking said linkage means to hold said container in said stable position and for causing said linkage means to move so as to shift said container to said unstable position in reaction to upward movement of said door when said latch means is in said second latching condition, thereby allowing said container to swing outwardly under the urging of gravity to position said container adjacent said door opening in readiness for deployment of an escape slide held by said container.
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3. In combination with a door and means mounting said door for upward and downward movement relative to a substantially horizontally oriented floor and into and out of engagement with a door opening in a wall associated with said floor, said movement being between a closed position adjacent said floor and in engagement with said door opening and an open position spaced upwardly from said floor and said door opening, said door having an outer sides, an improved apparatus for deploying an escape slide container normally attached to said door, said container having a center of gravity, comprising:
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a movable member and support means operatively associated with said floor adjacent the bottom of said door opening, said support means being constructed to allow upward movement of said movable member relative to said floor, latch means operatively associated with said movable member, said latch means and said door having a first condition for securing said movable member to said door and releasing said movable member from said support means and a second latching condition for securing said movable member to said support means and for releasing said movable member from said door, linkage means for coupling said container to said movable member, said linkage means and said movable member being so constructed and associated with each other to mount said container for outward swinging movement relative to said door opening, said linkage means being so constructed as to hold said container in a stable position wherein said container will remain in a position located above said movable member, said linkage means capable of moving said container to an unstable position wherein the center of gravity of said container is shifted to a location so as to cause said container to swing outwardly toward said door opening under the urging of gravity, said linkage means including a first link having one end thereof coupled to said movable member at a first coupling location for swinging movement outwardly toward said door opening, said container being coupled to the other end of said first link at a second coupling location for swinging movement outwardly toward said door opening, said container extending upwardly from said first link and from said floor, and a second link having one end thereof coupled to said first link at a third coupling location for swinging movement toward and away from said door opening, said container being coupled to the other end of said second link at a forth coupling location for swinging movement outwardly toward said door opening, said first and second links being so constructed and arranged and so coupled to each other as to have a first stable position in which said center of gravity is so located relative to said links as to position said container in said stable position inwardly relative to said door opening, trip means associated with said linkage means for locking said linkage means to hold container in said stable position, said trip means cooperating with said first and second links to hold said links in said first stable position thereby preventing said container from moving outwardly, said trip means causing said linkage means to move so as to shift said container to said unstable position in reaction to upward movement of said door when said latch means is in said second latching condition, said trip means cooperating with said first and second links to move said center of gravity outwardly toward said door opening thereby positioning said links in a second unstable position so as to move said container to said unstable position and to cause said container to fall outwardly toward said door opening about said coupling locations of said links to each other and to said movable member under the urging of gravity. - View Dependent Claims (4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14)
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15. An overcenter linkage for use in securing an upright movable member in a first, stable position and for shifting the center of gravity of said movable member so as to cause said movable member to rotate about a base member comprising:
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a first upwardly extending link swingably mounted on said base member, said link having an upper end adapted for connection to said movable member, a second link having an upper end and a lower end, the lower end of said second link being adapted for connection to said first link and the upper end of said second link being adapted for connection to said movable member, first coupling means for coupling the upper end of said first link to said movable member, second coupling means for coupling the upper end of said second link to said movable member, and third coupling means for coupling the lower end of said second link to said first link, said first link and said movable member, said second link and said movable member, and said first link and said second link being coupled members respectively coupled by said first, second and third coupling means, two of said first, second and third coupling means being means for pivotally coupling the respectively coupled members to each other, the remaining one of said first, second and third coupling means being a cam mechanism including a cam and a cam follower associated with the members respectively coupled by said remaining one of said first, second and third means, said cam mechanism being so constructed and arranged as to permit said movable member to tilt forwardly as the upper end of said first and second links are moved apart, and trip means for holding said first and second links in a first position wherein said movable member is held in said stable position, and for moving said first and second links to a second position wherein the upper ends thereof are spaced further apart than in said first position, thereby causing said movable member to tilt forwardly and to shift its center of gravity so as to cause it to rotate about said base member. - View Dependent Claims (16)
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17. In combination with a door and means mounting said door for upward and downward movement relative to a substantially horizontally horizontally oriented floor and into and out of engagement with a door opening in a wall associated with said floor, said movement being between a closed position adjacent said floor and in engagement with said door opening and an open position spaced upwardly from said floor and said door opening, said door having inner and outer sides, an improved apparatus for deploying an escape slide container normally attached to said door, said container having a center of gravity, comprising:
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a movable member and support means operatively associated with said floor adjacent the bottom of said door opening, said support means being constructed to allow upward movement of said movable member relative to said floor, latch means operatively associated with said movable member, said latch means and said door having a first latching condition for securing said movable member to said door and releasing said movable member from said support means, and having a second latching condition for securing said movable member to said support means and for releasing said movable member from said door, said latch means including a hook member and means mounting said hook member on said movable member, said door having a latch pin thereon adapted to be engaged by said hook member when said movable member is in a first position, said means mounting said hook member being capable of moving said hook member to a position disengaged from said latch pin in reaction to movement of said movable member to a second position, linkage means for coupling said container to said movable means, said linkage means and said movable member being so constructed and associated with each other to mount said container for outward swinging movement relative to said door opening, said linkage means being so constructed as to hold said container in a stable position wherein said container will remain in a position located above said movable member, said linkage means capable of moving said container to an unstable position wherein the center of gravity of said container is shifted to a location so as to cause said container to swing outwardly toward said door opening under the urging of gravity, trip means associated with said linkage means for locking said linkage means to hold said container in said stable position and for causing said linkage means to move so as to shift said container to said unstable position in reaction to upward movement of said door when said latch means is in said second latching condition, thereby allowing said container to swing outwardly under the urging of gravity to position said container adjacent said door opening in readiness for deployment of an escape slide held by said container.
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Specification