High-rise fire fighting and rescue system
AssigneePegasus International, Inc.
InventorsMichael D. Montaigne, Bernard Lietaer
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
An external elevator system piggy backs a first rail car on a second rail car to permit simple and rapid transfer of the first rail car to an upper setback section of a high-rise building. Each rail car is equipped with pinion drives that engage racks fixed to vertical rails that are attached to the faces of the base section and setback section of the buildings. The cars also have motor driven wheels that allow the car to drive on horizontal surfaces.
Claims11
An emergency fire fighting and rescue system for a high-rise building having a first multi-story base section with a first vertical side wall and a second multi-story upper section, the upper section having a second vertical side wall that is set back from the first side wall of the base section, the system comprising:
- at least one first vertical rail fixed to the first vertical wall of the base section of the building;
- at least one second vertical rail fixed to the second vertical wall of the upper section of the building;
- a first rail car having means for engaging the at least one second vertical rail for movement longitudinally along said rail;
- a second rail car, the second rail car having means for engaging the at least one first vertical rail for movement longitudinally along said rail;
- means for raising and lowering the first and second rail cars along the at least one first rail between ground level and a setback level at the top of the base section of the building;
- the second rail car carrying the first rail car above the setback level;
- means for translating the first rail car from the top of the second rail car, when the, second rail car is at the setback level, to engage with the second rail;
- and
- means for raising and lowering the first rail car along the at least one second rail.
A method for conducting fire fighting and rescue operations at an upper setback section of a high-rise building, the method comprising:
- engaging a first rail car with at least one first vertical rail fixed to an outer wall of the building below the setback;
- raising the first car on the first rail for a distance approximately equal to the height of the car;
- engaging a second rail car with the at least one first vertical rail below the first car;
- moving one of the first and second rail cars so that the first rail car rests on and is supported by the second rail car;
- raising both rail cars along the first rail;
- the second rail car carrying the first rail car above the setback level until the top of the second rail car reaches a predetermined level at the setback of the building;
- translating the first rail car across the setback to at least one second vertical rail fixed to an outer wall of the setback section of the building;
- engaging the first rail car with the at least one second vertical rail;
- and
- raising the first rail car on the second rail to a desired floor level of the upper setback section.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.