Emergency service rescue marker

• US 5,216,418 A
• Filed: 03/13/1990
• Issued: 06/01/1993
• Est. Priority Date: 03/13/1990
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Golden West Communications, Inc
• Original Assignee: Golden West Communications, Inc
• Inventors: Lenz, Vernon C., Moore, Carey L.
• Primary Examiner(s): Oberley, Alvin E.
• Assistant Examiner(s): Luu, Matthew
• Application Number:
  US07/492,736
• Time in Patent Office: 1,176 Days
• Field of Search: 340/384 E, 340/384 R, 340/691, 340/815.21, 340/546, 340/693, 340/321, 340/331, 340/332, 340/286.05, 381/68.1, 381/68.2, 381/87, 381/88, 24/3 J, 24/3 L, 24/567, 24/549, 248/214, 248/215, 248/231.8
• US Class Current: 340/384.1
• CPC Class Codes: G08B 7/062 indicating emergency exits

Abstract

A marker is provided for use by emergency service personnel entering a room of a building, to keep the door from latching closed while he/she searches the room, and later help him find the door to exit the room, and to indicate to other rescuers that a search is in progress or has been completed. The marker includes a housing (12, FIG. 1) and a door clamp (14) mounted on the housing and constructed to fit on a door to prevent complete closing of the door. The housing holds an audible alarm generator (20) which generates sound beeps to help a searcher find the door in an environment of thick smoke. With the door clamp holding the door ajar, the sound beeps can be heard from outside the room, so another searcher can determine that a search is in progress. The alarm is settable to generate a different pattern of sound beeps, to indicate that a search is in progress, or has been completed. It also generates light flashes. The door clamp can include a length of wire that extends around the outer edge of a door. The wire door clamp can be pivoted on the housing between a stowed configuration wherein it lies adjacent to the housing before mounting compactly on a searcher'"'"'s belt, and in a deployed configuration wherein it projects from the housing and can clamp to a door.

Claims

1. An emergency service rescue marker for mounting on a door having first and second opposite sides and an outer edge, comprising:

a housing;

an audible signal generator mounted on said housing;

a door clamp mounted on said housing for clamping it to said door;

said door clamp including a length of wire having a first leg mounted on said housing to extend beside and adjacent to the first side of the door, a second leg which extends from said first leg and largely perpendicular to said first leg and along a distance of about two inches to extend along the outer edge of the door, and a third leg which extends from said second leg and largely perpendicular to said second leg to extend along the second side of the door, said wire urging locations along said first and third legs toward each other to tightly clamp to the edge portion of the door;

said housing has a first side for lying adjacent to the first side of the door in a deployed position of said door clamp, said housing also having an opposite second side which lies away from the door in said deployed position;

said first leg has an inner end opposite said second leg, with said inner end pivotally mounted on said housing about an axis perpendicular to the length of said wire, and wherein in said deployed position said first and third legs lie respectively on the first and second sides of said door, while in said stowed position, said door clamp is turned about 180°

about said axis from its position in said deployed position and said third leg lies at said second side of said housing.

2. A method for use by a firefighter to mark the location of a door to a room in a burning building, comprising:

establishing an audible alarm on a doorstop;

mounting said doorstop on a door that is open to a room in a burning building to keep said door open so it can be readily pushed open, including clamping said doorstop on the outer edge of the door with a portion of the doorstop projecting beyond the outer edge of the door to interfere with the door jamb and keep the door ajar, and manually turning on said alarm, whereby to enable sounds from said alarm to be heard on both sides of said room.

3. The method described in claim 2 wherein said room has a floor and a ceiling, wherein:

said step of mounting includes clamping said doorstop to a location along said door that is closer to the floor of the room than to the ceiling thereof.