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US 6,785,992 B2Granted
Emergency exit sign
OwnerOrlando G. Chiarucciinventor
Life of this patent
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OwnerOrlando G. Chiarucciinventor
Estimating the term…
An emergency exit sign is incorporated directly into the floor adjacent an emergency exit door. The emergency exit sign includes visual and tactile properties that allow the sign to be read on a day to day basis by those walking through the doorway. The tactile properties of the sign also allow the sign to be read by those on the floor in an emergency situation such as when the room or hallway is filled with smoke. The tactile properties of the sign may also be used by those trying to find the doorway in a dark room. Further, the tactile properties of the sign are used on a day to day basis as people walk over the sign to reinforce the person's memory of the location of the emergency exit door.
A room having a floor, a wall, at least one emergency exit door and at least one additional door that is not intended to be used in an emergency situation;
A room having a floor, a wall, at least one emergency exit door;
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.
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From the US filing history. Foreign family members aren’t listed.
Using electric transmission , e.g. involving audible and visible signalling through the use of sound and light sources: indicating emergency exits
Signalling systems
Term ended 22 May 2023 (estimated)
1. Technical Field
The present invention generally relates to signs and, more particularly, to directional and informational signs. Specifically, the present invention relates to a emergency exit sign that may be viewed under normal conditions as well as being used in emergency situations. The sign may be visually read under normal lighting conditions and has tactile properties that allow the sign to indicate an emergency exit during low visibility conditions.
2. Background Information
FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a hallway incorporating the emergency exit sign of the present invention.
FIG. 2 is a top plan view of a first embodiment of the emergency exit sign of the present invention.
FIG. 3 is a top plan view of a second embodiment of the emergency exit sign of the present invention.
Similar numbers refer to similar parts throughout the specification.
The first embodiment of the emergency exit sign of the present invention is indicated generally by the numeral 10 in FIGS. 1 and 2. Sign 10 is located on or in the floor 12 in a room or hallway 14 that has at least one exit 16 that is designed to be used in an emergency situation. A door 18 may be located at exit 16. An additional door 20 may also be present in hallway or room 14. Sign 10 allows a person in hallway or room 14 to distinguish between door 18 (to be used in emergency situations) and additional door 20 under conditions where time is of the essence and the person's vision may be impaired by darkness and/or smoke.
Emergency exit sign 10 is placed on top of floor 12. Sign 10 is preferably embedded within floor 12 by insetting tiles 30 so that the upper surface of each tile 30 is substantially coplanar with the upper surface of the material that covers floor 12. The material that covers floor 12 may be any of a variety of materials that are known in the art such as tile, carpet, vinyl, wood, etc. Tiles 30 may also be provided in relatively thin heights so that they may be placed on top of flooring materials if such a configuration is desirable. Although tiles 30 are the preferred embodiment of the invention, sign 10 may be fabricated from other materials capable of supporting a textured surface such as concrete, wood, metal, plastic, glass, fabric, and polymers.