This invention relates to rappelling apparatus and more particularly to a mounting anchor apparatus for securing the upper end of a rappel line to a fixed, elevated support, including walls and other generally planar support surfaces, for facilitated, emergency rappelling evacuation of a personnel from an elevated location.
The present invention provides a rappel line anchor apparatus for providing a quick and secure emergency mount for a rappelling line when urgency or other dangerous conditions require the most expedient escape by rappelling. As an example, if a firefighter or other rescue personnel is trapped on an upper floor of a building with a fire blocking stairway exit and about to break through to the floor occupied by the personnel, immediate rappelling exit from the building is oftentimes the only escape possible, and it is a matter of life and death action. Similarly, in an example of a military situation, if a soldier were trapped on an upper floor with enemy soldiers advancing on him from floors below, a rappelling escape from the building may be his only realistic hope of surviving the situation.
In any such situation as these, among many other different situations as may be imagined, there may not be any fixed structure or fixture available in the area to which the evacuee can safely loop, tie or otherwise attach his rappel line. Indeed, it is likely that a room may only have a window frame on an exterior wall or even a jagged hole through the exterior wall left by previous artillary shelling, etc. This emergency evacuation rappel line anchor apparatus is directed to such circumstances among many other similar mounting situations as may be encountered by persons requiring emergency rappelling exit from elevated locations.
Emergency rappelling systems have been provided in order to address the needs of firefighters, military and other emergency personnel in emergency rappelling situations involving buildings and other structures. One such system is disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 4,714,135 to Bell, et al. wherein a compact, rapidly-deployable rappel line having a carabeener secured at its upper end is provided in a carrier pouch connected to a harness arrangement worn by a military, fire or other rescue personnel working at elevated positions. This reference teaches the need and benefit of providing such personnel involved in potential rappelling situations with a rappelling arrangement that provides for quickest deployment for rapid, rappelling evacuation.
Aside from this teaching, this reference also illustrates the state of the prior art and the limitations and disadvantages that have been left unresolved with regard to the securement of the upper end of a rappel line to fixed supports available in a building or other elevated structure. In this, Bell, et al. neither provides nor suggests any rappel line anchor mount apparatus for securing the upper end of the rappel line except simply to loop the upper terminal end portion of the rappel line itself about a fixed support structure such as a vent stack on the roof of a building, as shown in
In its basic concept, this invention provides an anchor mount apparatus arranged for quick, emergency deployment from a folded, storage condition carried in a pouch worn as standard equipment by firefighters, military and other emergency personnel into an extended, operative, substantially T-shaped condition arranged to engage generally planar support surfaces bordering an opening therethrough for securing the upper end of the rappelling line for emergency rappelling evacuation of an elevated scene by the personnel.
It is by virtue of the foregoing basic concept that the principal objective of this invention is achieved; namely, the provision of a quickly-deployable rappel line anchor mount apparatus that is arranged to permit safe securement of a rappel line to flat and other available generally planar support surfaces of an elevated structure for rapid rappelling evacuation from an area in emergency situations, and thereby expand the range of possible mounting options available to emergency personnel in need of quick and safe rappelling evacuation of buildings and other structures, and thus overcome the disadvantages and limitations of emergency rappelling evacuation apparatus of the prior art.
Another object and advantage of this invention is the provision of an emergency rappel line anchor apparatus of the class described which may be arranged to be pivoted between a collapsed, compact storage and transport condition arranged to be conveniently worn by a person as a part of standard equipment and an extended, operative, locked condition for engaging flat and other generally planar support surfaces for supporting the upper terminal end of a rappel line for use.
Another object and advantage of this invention is the provision of an emergency rappel line anchor apparatus of the class described which may be provided for frictional, biting engagement with a generally planar support surface for assuring positive operative and safe securement of the apparatus during use.
Yet another object and advantage of this invention is the provision of an emergency rappel line anchor apparatus of the class described utilizing a pair of substantially identical jaw members pivotally secured together, one jaw member in inverted condition relative to the other, whereby to simplify manufacturing complexities.
A further object and advantage of this invention is the provision of an emergency rappel line anchor apparatus of the class described which is arranged to be releasably locked in operative condition and secure a rappel line by engagement of a standard carabeener or other suitable connector ring structure.
A further object and advantage of this invention is the provision of an emergency rappel line anchor apparatus of the class described which avoids the necessity of a physical structure to which the rappel line itself must be directly tied or physically looped around and secured, and the associated time-consuming operations that may be involved therewith.
A still further object and advantage of this invention is the provision of an emergency rappel line anchor apparatus of the class described which is of simplified construction for economical manufacture and reliability in operation.
The foregoing and other objects and advantages of this invention will appear from the following detailed description, taken in connection with the accompanying drawings of a preferred embodiment.
As can be readily seen in viewing
The L-shaped jaw members 18, 20 are preferably formed of metal, such as steel, aluminum or other metal as may be desired, but may also if desired be formed of other suitable strong materials such as high strength composite fiber resin materials if needed. For obvious reasons however, metal is preferred for its strength, durability, high heat tolerance and overall reliability and safety for its intended use as will become apparent later.
The upright leg of the T-shaped body is provided with an attachment bore member for receiving a rappel line-mounting ring-type fastener member. In the embodiment illustrated, each jaw member 18, 20 is provided with an enlarged attachment bore 24 through the short leg 18″, 20″ of the L-shaped jaw member adjacent the outer terminal end of the respective short leg, as shown. Each attachment bore 24 is arranged and dimensioned to closely, but freely receive a leg portion of a selected ring-type fastener member such as carabeener 16 inserted therethrough. As illustrated in
With a leg portion of a carabeener or other selected ring-type connector member extending through the aligned bores 24, the respective jaws 18, 20 are effectively locked or secured against substantial relative pivoting movement, with the respective long legs 18′, 20′ of each L-shaped jaw member extending outwardly in opposite longitudinal directions of extension as shown. In this locked, extended condition, the anchor apparatus 10 forms a generally T-shaped member with the overlying, aligned short legs 18″, 20″ of the jaw members forming the normally vertical, or upright leg of a T and the axially-extending long legs 18′, 20′ together forming the lateral, top leg of a T.
With this in mind, it is to be understood that each long leg extends laterally outwardly on a line forming an included angle of no more than 90 degrees relative to a line extending through the aligned short legs. Preferably the long legs extend on lines forming an included angle that is slightly less than 90 degrees in order to better insure positive anchoring of the anchor apparatus in use.
Again with reference to the L-shaped jaw members 18, 20, it can be seen that each long leg includes a plurality of sharp, coarse, pitched claw teeth 26 formed along and projecting outwardly along the length of its edge facing the direction of extension of its short leg. This edge defines the working edge surface of the top leg of the T-shaped body. While the particular size, pitch and shape of the teeth may of course vary as may be determined to be best suited for the purpose in various environments likely to be encountered in different uses, it is to be understood that the teeth are configured to provide a positive, secure frictional biting engagement with an engaged surface to prevent any slipping, sliding or other movement of the apparatus on the supporting engaged surface that may result in disengagement of the apparatus from the surface to which it is abuttingly engaged. Other work surface configurations may alternatively be selected as needed or desired.
As best illustrated in
An illustrative example of the emergency egress rappel line anchor apparatus of this invention in use is shown in
The user then opens the carabeener latch 16′ and inserts the leg 16″ of the carabeener 16 through the aligned bores 24, thereby locking the anchor apparatus in its operative condition of
The anchor apparatus 10 of the present invention is then positioned as illustrated with the working surface of the working edge of the top leg of the T-shaped body positioned against the wall diagonally bridging the corner section of the window frame jamb structure 28, 30, whereupon the rappel line 32 may be dropped outside the building through the opening bordered by the wall surface and bridged by the apparatus. The evacuee, maintaining a tension on the rappel line to assure against displacement of the apparatus from its mounted condition against the wall, then begins his rappel down the outside of the building.
If time allows, the user, after initially positioning the anchor apparatus diagonally at the jamb structure, may then strike the edges of the jaw members opposite the working edge having the teeth with any suitable object in order to embed the teeth more positively into biting engagement with the surface of the wall and window frame structure for more security against displacement of the anchor apparatus in use. Clearly, once the evacuee is supported on the rappel line, his weight applies continuous force on the anchor structure to assure its maintained, biting engagement with the window jamb structure and against inadvertent displacement therefrom.
As will be apparent to those skilled in the art, any existing structural configuration, other than the corner of a window jamb as illustrated, which permits the teeth to engage with a support surface and allow the center short leg section, carabeener and rappel line to extend outwardly towards the outside of the wall or structure being rappelled, will permit suitable anchoring and operation of the tool of this invention. As an example, in an older building there may be hot water or steam radiators located in a room to be evacuated, and the user may secure the apparatus in operative, extended condition by securement of the ring type fastener, carabeener 16, through the aligned bores 24, the terminal end of the rappel line of course being secured to the carabeener as shown in
This application is a continuation of U.S. patent application Ser. No. 11/543,437 titled “Emergency Evacuation Rappel Line Anchor Mount Apparatus” filed on Oct. 4, 2006, which claims priority under 35 U.S.C. §119(e) to U.S. Patent Application No. 60/723,598 titled “Emergency Evacuation Rappel Line Anchor Mount Apparatus” filed on Oct. 4, 2005, which are both fully incorporated herein by reference.
Number | Date | Country | |
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60723598 | Oct 2005 | US |
Number | Date | Country | |
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Parent | 11543437 | Oct 2006 | US |
Child | 13152120 | US |