U.S. patent application number 11/436333 was filed with the patent office on 2007-01-04 for descent device.
Invention is credited to Kenneth L. Blue, Jay K. Falz, Robert P. McLain, Shain K. Rae, Peter C. Wooster.
Application Number | 20070001048 11/436333 |
Document ID | / |
Family ID | 37432095 |
Filed Date | 2007-01-04 |
United States Patent
Application |
20070001048 |
Kind Code |
A1 |
Wooster; Peter C. ; et
al. |
January 4, 2007 |
Descent device
Abstract
A descent device for lowering an individual includes a housing
and a spool rotatably carried by the housing. The spool includes a
barrel defining an interior volume and is adapted to receive a
length of high tensile strength line. A centrifugal brake is
carried within the barrel and a gear assembly couples the spool to
the centrifugal brake for rotation of the centrifugal brake with
the spool.
Inventors: |
Wooster; Peter C.;
(Scottsdale, AZ) ; Blue; Kenneth L.; (Scottsdale,
AZ) ; Falz; Jay K.; (Flagstaff, AZ) ; McLain;
Robert P.; (Dayton, OH) ; Rae; Shain K.;
(Aurora, CO) |
Correspondence
Address: |
ROBERT A. PARSONS
4000 N. CENTRAL AVENUE, SUITE 1220
PHOENIX
AZ
85012
US
|
Family ID: |
37432095 |
Appl. No.: |
11/436333 |
Filed: |
May 18, 2006 |
Related U.S. Patent Documents
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Application
Number |
Filing Date |
Patent Number |
|
|
60683107 |
May 18, 2005 |
|
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|
Current U.S.
Class: |
242/381.5 |
Current CPC
Class: |
A62B 1/10 20130101; Y02B
10/30 20130101 |
Class at
Publication: |
242/381.5 |
International
Class: |
B65H 75/48 20060101
B65H075/48 |
Claims
1. A descent device for lowering an individual comprising: a
housing; a spool rotatably carried by the housing, the spool
including a barrel defining an interior volume, the spool adapted
to receive a length of high tensile strength line; a centrifugal
brake carried within the barrel; and a gear assembly coupling the
spool to the centrifugal brake for rotation of the centrifugal
brake with the spool.
2. A descent device as claimed in claim 1 wherein the gear assembly
includes a spool gear carried by the spool for rotation therewith,
an intermediate gear meshing with the spool gear and rotated
thereby, and a brake gear meshing with the intermediate gear and
rotated thereby and coupled to the centrifugal brake.
3. A descent device as claimed in claim 2 wherein the spool gear
includes a plurality of teeth extending from the barrel radially
inwardly into the interior volume.
4. A descent device as claimed in claim 1 further including a line
carried by the spool and a brake mechanism carried by the housing,
the brake mechanism being moveable between a braking position
wherein the brake mechanism stops unspooling of the line and a
release position permitting unspooling of the line.
5. A descent device as claimed in claim 4 wherein the brake
mechanism includes a pair of releasing handles positioned on
opposing sides of the housing so as to selectively provide movement
of the brake mechanism into one of the braking position and the
release position.
6. A descent device as claimed in claim 1 wherein the centrifugal
brake includes a centrifugal clutch constructed to maintain
rotation of the spool at a predetermined rate.
7. A descent device as claimed in claim 1 having a width of less
than seven inches, a height less than twelve inches and a thickness
of less than three inches.
8. A descent device for lowering an individual comprising: a
housing; a spool rotatably carried by the housing, the spool
including a barrel defining an interior volume, the spool adapted
to receive a length of high tensile strength line; a centrifugal
brake carried within the barrel; and a gear assembly coupling the
spool to the centrifugal brake for rotation of the centrifugal
brake with the spool, the gear assembly including a spool gear
carried by the spool for rotation therewith, an intermediate gear
meshing with the spool gear and rotated thereby, and a brake gear
meshing with the intermediate gear and rotated thereby and coupled
to the centrifugal brake.
9. A descent device as claimed in claim 8 wherein the spool gear
includes a plurality of teeth extending from the barrel radially
inwardly into the interior volume.
10. A descent device as claimed in claim 8 further including a line
carried by the spool and a brake mechanism carried by the housing,
the brake mechanism being moveable between a braking position
wherein the brake mechanism stops unspooling of the line and a
release position permitting unspooling of the line.
11. A descent device as claimed in claim 10 wherein the brake
mechanism includes a pair of releasing handles positioned on
opposing sides of the housing so as to selectively provide movement
of the brake mechanism into one of the braking position and the
release position.
12. A descent device as claimed in claim 8 wherein the centrifugal
brake includes a centrifugal clutch constructed to maintain
rotation of the spool at a predetermined rate.
13. A descent device as claimed in claim 8 having a width of less
than seven inches, a height less than twelve inches and a thickness
of less than three inches.
14. A descent device for lowering an individual comprising: a
housing; a spool rotatably carried by the housing, the spool
including a barrel defining an interior volume, the spool carrying
a length of high tensile strength line; a centrifugal brake carried
within the barrel; a gear assembly coupling the spool to the
centrifugal brake for rotation of the centrifugal brake with the
spool; and a brake mechanism carried by the housing, the brake
mechanism being moveable between a braking position wherein the
brake mechanism stops unspooling of the line and a release position
permitting unspooling of the line.
15. A descent device as claimed in claim 14 wherein the gear
assembly includes a spool gear carried by the spool for rotation
therewith, an intermediate gear meshing with the spool gear and
rotated thereby, and a brake gear meshing with the intermediate
gear and rotated thereby and coupled to the centrifugal brake.
16. A descent device as claimed in claim 15 wherein the spool gear
includes a plurality of teeth extending from the barrel radially
inwardly into the interior volume.
17. A descent device as claimed in claim 14 wherein the centrifugal
brake includes a centrifugal clutch constructed to maintain
rotation of the spool at a predetermined rate.
18. A descent device as claimed in claim 14 having a width of less
than seven inches, a height less than twelve inches and a thickness
of less than three inches.
Description
CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATION
[0001] This application claims the benefit of U.S. Provisional
Application No. 60/683,107, filed 18 May 2005.
FIELD OF THE INVENTION
[0002] This invention relates to devices for facilitating lowering
individuals from elevated positions.
[0003] More particularly, the present invention relates to devices
for safety or evacuating structures.
[0004] In a further and more specific aspect, the instant invention
concerns devices for escaping elevated locations.
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
[0005] Providing exits from buildings and other structures is a
major concern during planning and construction, particularly in
multi-story buildings. Typically, elevators and stairways are
employed. For added safety during crisis, shorter multi-story
buildings employs fire escapes which are essentially stairways
erected on the outside of a building. Escaping buildings has always
been a concern during crisis. Elevators are often disabled, and
stairways can be blocked, crowded or otherwise made impassable.
Fire escapes are very expensive, and typically cannot be used on
very tall buildings.
[0006] Many diverse device have been developed for evacuating
buildings, such as ladders, foldable ladders, escape tubes,
climbing ropes, etc, but each has the drawback of being expensive,
difficult to use, and un-usable on buildings having great height.
Often, evacuation devices require physical strength and specialized
skills for use or an individual who is physically fit and skilled
to assist. These requirements are often difficult to meet quickly
in a crisis situation. On very tall buildings, often referred to as
sky scrapers, inner stairways, or aerial evacuation from the roof
are the only options.
[0007] The fall protection industry has made tremendous advances in
the last 10 to 15 years to ensure workers at heights will be safely
protected if they experience a fall. Though safety measures are
moving in the right direction, more than 200,000 workers are
injured each year due to falls. It is the second most cited OSHA
violation on construction sites.
[0008] It is not practical to rely on emergency responders, such as
firefighters, to provide rescue services in all instances. Many
times the construction or maintenance is occurring in remote
locations where it may take the emergency responders a long time to
arrive at the accident location or they may not be trained to
rescue on certain types of structures. It is the responsibility of
the employer to ensure that a safe rescue can take place from any
location the worker may be required to work. OSHA 1926.502(d) (20)
states the employer shall provide for prompt rescue of employees in
the event of a fall or shall assure that employees are able to
rescue themselves.
[0009] If a person experiences a fall in an electrical environment,
OSHA requires CPR be administered within 4 minutes of exposure.
This requires getting the victim to a safe location to begin CPR as
soon as possible. In most fall situations, the victim remains
suspended making it impractical to hoist them up to a higher level
where the fall occurred to administer CPR or other medical
attention, especially on steel beams, steel lattice communication
and power transmission line towers, oil rigs, wood pole
distribution poles, wind generators, bridges, pitched rooftops,
bucket trucks, grain elevators, and factory and warehouse
environments. Therefore the victim must be lowered using a rescue
descent device to safely bring them to the ground for medical
attention.
[0010] Another important reason to rescue as quickly as possible
after a fall is that the person can experience suspension trauma
(orthostatic hypertension), which can be fatal. Suspension trauma
can occur when a person is suspended in a harness for an extended
amount of time. The blood pools in the lower part of the body
because the individual is in an upright position with limited
movement. When this happens there is less blood circulating in the
rest of the body, which causes the heart to speed up increasing the
risk of a heart attack. Also the pooling in the veins reduces the
blood's oxygen content and can cause fainting making the rescue
more difficult and raises the seriousness of the situation because
if the blood is not equalized in the body after passing out, the
victim's position may be fatal.
[0011] When a worker is suspended in the air, rescue personnel need
to have the proper training and equipment on hand to react quickly.
A rescue plan should be in place addressing how to safely bring a
fallen person to the ground. It is important that the proper rescue
equipment be on site and ready for use. Currently, many rescue
devices are very heavy and complex to properly rig. Therefore, what
normally happens is that the rescue gear remains in the shop or in
a truck near the site. The time it takes to set up rescue equipment
puts the fallen worker at risk of further injury.
[0012] It would be highly advantageous, therefore, to remedy the
foregoing and other deficiencies inherent in the prior art.
[0013] Accordingly, it is an object of the present invention to
provide a new and improved descent device.
[0014] Still another object of the present invention is to provide
an evacuation device which is compact and lightweight, making it
easy to store, carry and use.
[0015] Yet another object of the invention is to provide an
evacuation device which can be operated by a single individual and
which does not require physical strength and no specialized
skills.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
[0016] Briefly, to achieve the desired objects of the instant
invention in accordance with a preferred embodiment thereof,
provided is a descent device for lowering an individual. The
descent device includes a housing and a spool rotatably carried by
the housing. The spool includes a barrel defining an interior
volume and is adapted to receive a length of high tensile strength
line. A centrifugal brake is carried within the barrel and a gear
assembly couples the spool to the centrifugal brake for rotation of
the centrifugal brake with the spool. In a particular aspect, the
compact nature of the device permits a smaller overall size with
the descent device having a width of less than seven inches, a
height less than twelve inches and a thickness of less than three
inches.
[0017] In a specific aspect, the gear assembly includes a spool
gear carried by the spool for rotation therewith, an intermediate
gear meshing with the spool gear and rotated thereby, and a brake
gear meshing with the intermediate gear and rotated thereby and
coupled to the centrifugal brake.
[0018] In yet a more specific aspect a brake mechanism is carried
by the housing. The brake mechanism is moveable between a braking
position wherein the brake mechanism stops unspooling of the line
and a release position permitting unspooling of the line.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
[0019] The foregoing and further and more specific objects and
advantages of the instant invention will become readily apparent to
those skilled in the art from the following detailed description of
a preferred embodiment thereof taken in conjunction with the
drawings, in which:
[0020] FIG. 1 is a front elevation view of a descent device
according to the present invention;
[0021] FIG. 2 is an side elevation of the descent device;
[0022] FIG. 3 is a top elevation of the descent device;
[0023] FIG. 4 a partially schematic vertical front sectional view
of the descent device;
[0024] FIG. 5 is a partially schematic vertical side sectional view
of the descent device;
[0025] FIG. 6 is a partial view illustrating the removal of a
fastening member from the outlet of the descent device;
[0026] FIG. 7 is a perspective view of a centrifugal brake assembly
according to the present invention; and
[0027] FIG. 8 is an exploded view of the centrifugal brake assembly
of FIG. 7.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT
[0028] Turning now to the drawings in which like reference
characters indicate corresponding elements throughout the several
views, attention is first directed to FIGS. 1-3 which illustrate a
descent device generally designated 10. Descent device 10 is a
compact device for storing and unspooling a high tensile strength
line in a controlled manner. Device 10 can be attached to
substantially any arrangement secured to an individual such as a
harness, belt, vest and the like. Descent device 10 is a compact
device permitting easy storage, and thus ready accessibility when
needed. Device 10 has been designed to meet the needs of rescue
personnel trapped or unable to reach victims by traditional
methods. Firefighters, police and military personnel are usually
required to carry already heavy loads therefore this device was
built to be exceptionally lightweight yet sturdy enough to
withstand harsh use and heat. As illustrated, device 10 has a width
of less than seven inches (6.6 inches), a height less than twelve
inches (11.6 inches) and a thickness of less than 3 inches (2.6
inches). The compact size is achieved through the arrangement of
elements as described herein.
[0029] Referring now to FIGS. 4 and 5, descent device 10 includes a
housing 12 enclosing a spool 14 and a brake mechanism 15. Spool 14
holds a length of high tensile strength line 17, such as fishing
line, in a manner similar to a fishing reel. Spool 14 is rotatably
mounted in housing 12 with line 17 exiting through and guided by an
outlet 18 at a top end of housing 12. Outlet 18 can be elongated
from housing 12 as illustrated in FIGS. 1-5, providing space for a
fastening member and a brake mechanism, each of which will be
described presently. Spool 14 includes a barrel 20 and end flanges
22. Barrel 20 receives and rotates on a spindle 25. Spindle 25
defines an interior volume 26. Spool 14 carries line 17 with an
outer surface 23 of barrel 20 underlying the spooled line.
[0030] The rotation of spool 14 is controlled by a centrifugal
brake mechanism 30 carried within barrel 20 and spindle 25. With
additional reference to FIGS. 7 and 8, centrifugal brake mechanism
30 is illustrated. In a preferred embodiment centrifugal brake
mechanism 30 includes a centrifugal clutch 32, such as that sold
commercially by SUCO Inc. or a similar structure. Centrifugal
clutch 32 includes flyweights 33 positioned to overcome adjustable
return springs when sufficient rotary speed (centrifugal force) is
reached. Outward pressure of flyweights 33 press brake elements 35
outwardly to engage a drum or spindle 25. A range of engagement
speeds can be achieved through adjustments of the return springs.
Because centrifugal clutches of the type described can be purchased
commercially, further description of the inner construction will
not be provided.
[0031] A driving shaft or axle 37 is coupled to centrifugal brake
mechanism 30 so as to rotate with the inner components of
centrifugal clutch 32. A gear assembly 40 couples spool 14 to
centrifugal brake mechanism 30 for rotation of centrifugal brake
mechanism 30 with spool 14. Gear assembly 40 includes a spool gear
42 carried by spool 14 for rotation therewith, an intermediate gear
43 meshing with spool gear 42 and rotated thereby, and a brake gear
45 meshing with intermediate gear 43 and rotated thereby and
coupled to axle 37. Spool gear 42 includes a plurality of teeth 47
extending from barrel 20 radially inwardly into interior volume 26.
Intermediate gear 43 is fixed in position within interior volume 26
for common rotary motion. Thus, rotation of spool 14 provides a
corresponding rotation of spool gear 42, which in turn causes
rotation of intermediate gear 43. Rotation of intermediate gear 43
causes rotation of brake gear 45 coupled to axle 37 and generally
concentric with spool gear. In this manner, rotation of spool 14 is
transferred to rotation of centrifugal brake mechanism 30. When a
pre-determined revolution rate is reached, centrifugal brake
mechanism prevents a greater rate, by preventing faster rotation of
brake gear 45 and subsequently intermediate gear 43, spool gear 42
and ultimately spool 14. Unspooling of line 17 is thereby limited,
controlling the rate of descent of an individual. Thus, the person
using descent device 10 does not have to control the descent.
[0032] Still referring to FIGS. 4 and 5, a brake mechanism 50 is
carried by housing 12. Brake mechanism 50 is moveable between a
braking position wherein brake mechanism 50 stops unspooling of
line 17 and a release position permitting unspooling of line 17.
The provision of brake mechanism 50 permits an individual to
control or stop their descent if desired. Thus a rescue worker can
descend to a lower window, stop and enter. Brake mechanism 50, in
this embodiment, includes a pair of releasing handles 52 positioned
on opposing sides of housing 12 so as to selectively provide
movement of brake mechanism 50 into one of the braking position and
the release position. Brake mechanism further includes cam members
53 positioned within outlet 18 to either side of line 17. Handles
52 are each coupled by elongate elements 55 to one of cam members
53 for rotation thereof between a disengaged position and an
engaged position. In the engaged position, cam members contact and
bind line 17 therebetween preventing unspooling thereof. It will be
understood by those skilled in the art that a single control such
as a single handle or lever can be employed to actuate brake
mechanism 50 and other varieties of brake mechanisms can be
employed.
[0033] Turning now to FIG. 6, it can be seen that line 17 ends in a
fastening member 60. Fastening member 60 is used to anchor line 17
to an anchor point or structure during descent, and in this
embodiment is a carabineer which can be fastened to a structure
directly, or wrapped about a structure and hooked to line 17.
Fastening member 60 is carried within outlet 18 prior to use. A cap
62 can be employed to close outlet 18 and prevent access until use
is desired. Cap 62 is removed and fastening member 60 extracted for
use. Referring back to FIGS. 4 and 6, a ring 63 is coupled to
housing 12 opposite outlet 18, for attachment to an individual such
as by being secured to a harness, belt, vest and the like.
[0034] Unlike the other devices in this category, device 10 can be
used as a self-rescue device or used in an assisted rescue
operation. Device 10 has a manual braking mechanism to ensure total
control during a rescue and can also be set to allow an automatic
descent safely to the ground. This lightweight, easy to use, rescue
descend device is adaptable to all industries and high angle
rescues.
[0035] Various changes and modifications to the embodiments herein
chosen for purposes of illustration will readily occur to those
skilled in the art. To the extent that such modifications and
variations do not depart from the spirit of the invention, they are
intended to be included within the scope thereof which is assessed
only by a fair interpretation of the following claims.
[0036] Having fully described the invention in such clear and
concise terms as to enable those skilled in the art to understand
and practice the same, the invention claimed is:
* * * * *