Emergency exit indicators

• US 4,489,308 A
• Filed: 02/03/1983
• Issued: 12/18/1984
• Est. Priority Date: 03/03/1981
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Emanuel L. Logan Jr, Walsh J. William
• Original Assignee: Emanuel L. Logan Jr, Walsh J. William
• Inventors: Logan, Emanuel L. Jr., Walsh, J. William
• Primary Examiner(s): Rowland, James L.
• Assistant Examiner(s): Myer, Daniel
• Application Number:
  US06/463,596
• Time in Patent Office: 684 Days
• Field of Search: 340/286 R, 340/286 T, 340/815.29, 340/331, 340/628, 116/5, 191/12.4, 191/12.2 A, 339/5 RL, 339/6 RL, 339/8 RL, 242/54 R, 242/85, 254/345, 254/362
• US Class Current: 340/628
• CPC Class Codes: G08B 17/00 Fire alarms; Alarms responsive to explosion
• CPC Class Codes: G08B 7/062 indicating emergency exits

Abstract

A system for identifying emergency exits in a building includes a strobe light which is tethered at an elevated location with respect to the floor of the building. The strobe light is normally held at the elevated position by an electromagnet, which electromagnet is kept energized as long as a smoke detector connected thereto does not sense a dangerous level of smoke. As soon as the smoke detector detects smoke above a certain threshold level, the electromagnet is deenergized and the strobe light drops to a position suspended just above the floor. The strobe light includes its own battery source which is connected to the strobe light by a switch which closes when the strobe light is dropped. An electric motor is provided to rewind the tether when the smoke detector no longer indicates an emergency situation. By tethering the strobe light, the light can be dropped beneath the smoke level in the building, allowing people crawling along the floor to determine the location of emergency exits.

Claims

1. In combination with an enclosure having an emergency exit having a top and a bottom, a floor adjacent to the bottom of the exit and a ceiling adjacent to the top of the exit;

a system for identifying the emergency exit in the enclosure to a person in the room when the enclosure becomes partially filled with smoke accumulated from the ceiling down to a level spaced from the floor defining a relatively smoke free space, the combination comprising;

detecting means for detecting the occurrence of a fire;

emergency signal-generating means connected to the detecting means for generating an emergency signal upon the occurrence of a fire;

indicating means installed in juxtaposition with the exit, the indicating means including;

mounting means for mounting the indicating means in the enclosure at a level spaced from the floor and adjacent to the top of the exit, a tether having first and second ends and being secured to the mounting means at the first end, the tether having a length sufficient to extend from the mounting means to a position within the relatively smoke free space proximate the floor, light means attached to the tether at the position which is proximate the floor when the tether extends from the mounting means, holding means connected to the mounting means for releasably holding the light at the mounting means under normal conditions and for releasing the light from the mounting means upon occurrence of an emergency signal from the emergency signal generator, whereby the light drops into the relatively smoke free space upon the occurrence of the emergency condition so that the light is not concealed by smoke accumulated from the ceiling of the enclosure down to the relatively smoke free level.

2. The system of claim 1 wherein the holding means includes electromagnetic means, a power source for the electromagnetic means and means connected between the power source and electomagnetic means for interrupting current flowing between the power source and electromagnetic means to deenergize the electromagnet upon the occurrence of an emergency signal.

3. The system of claim 2 further including means for energizing the light only upon the occurrence of an emergency condition.

4. The system of claim 3 wherein the means for energizing the light includes battery means connected to the light through switching means and means for operating the switching means when the light drops from the mounting means.

5. The system of claim 4 wherein the light is a strobe light.

6. The system of claim 4 further including means for raising automatically the light back to the position adjacent to the mounting means upon termination of the emergency signal.

7. The system of claim 6 wherein the detecting means is a smoke detector which is connected to the current interrupting means for interrupting power to the mounting means upon generation of an emergency condition signal by the smoke detector.

8. The system of claim 1 wherein the light is a strobe light.

9. The system of claim 1 wherein the detecting means is a smoke detector which is connected to the current interrupting means for interrupting power to the mounting means upon generation of an emergency condition signal by the smoke detector.