Elevator air lock

A pressurized multi-story building having a pressure transition chamber and air lock, said building comprising:

• a plurality of walls, a roof, and a plurality of floors, all cooperating to define a multi-story building including a ground floor and at least one upper floor;
• a pressurization system for pressurizing the interior of at least some of said upper floors to an elevated pressure, above ambient atmospheric pressure, while leaving at least said ground floor substantially at ambient atmospheric pressure;
• an elevator system including an elevator car having an elevator door, a plurality of elevator shaft doors, one elevator shaft door positioned at each floor of the multi-story building, and means mounting said elevator car for movement to positions corresponding to each floor of the multi-story building with the elevator car door adjacent the elevator shaft door of the floor, said elevator car door and the elevator shaft door for such floor then being openable and closable in concert to permit passage between such floor and the interior of the elevator car;
• first sealing means providing a substantially airtight seal on said elevator car door when said elevator car door is closed;
• second sealing means providing a substantially airtight seal on the elevator shaft doors of at least those floors at substantially ambient atmospheric pressure when such elevator shaft doors are closed;
• pressurization means for pressurizing the interior of said elevator car to a pressure above ambient atmospheric pressure as said elevator car moves from a floor at ambient atmospheric pressure to a floor at said elevated pressure;
• and
• depressurizing means for depressurizing the interior of said elevator car from said elevated pressure as said elevator car moves from a floor at said elevated pressure to a floor at ambient atmospheric pressure;
• whereby, with said elevator car at a floor at ambient atmospheric pressure and with the elevator shaft door of such floor and the elevator car door open, the elevator car interior is substantially at ambient atmospheric pressure and when the elevator car door and the last-named elevator shaft door then close and the elevator car moves to a floor at said elevated pressure, the elevator car interior is pressurized to a pressure above ambient atmospheric pressure, and with said elevator car at a floor at said elevated pressure and with the elevator shaft door of such floor and the elevator car door open, the elevator car interior is substantially at said elevated pressure and when the elevator car door and the last-named elevator shaft door then close and the elevator car moves to a floor substantially at ambient atmospheric pressure, the elevator car interior is depressurized so that said elevator car interior serves as a pressure transition chamber as said elevator car moves between a floor substantially at ambient atmospheric pressure and a floor at said elevated pressure, and said elevator car serves as an air lock inhibiting air flow between locations substantially at ambient atmospheric pressure and locations within said building at said elevated pressure.