WO2003097165A2

WO2003097165A2 - Externally concealable modular high-rise emergency evacuation apparatus with pre-qualified egress

Info

Publication number: WO2003097165A2
Application number: PCT/IB2003/002009
Authority: WO
Inventors: Roberto Sanchez Catalan
Original assignee: Roberto Sanchez Catalan
Priority date: 2002-05-21
Filing date: 2003-05-13
Publication date: 2003-11-27
Also published as: AU2003230119A1; US6598703B1; AU2003230119A8; WO2003097165A3

Abstract

An externally cancelable modular high-rise emergency evacuation apparatus that enables people, including the injured, the elderly or disabled persons to escape entrapment from or to bypass the levels of a high-rise building that is impassable due to flame, smoke or heavy damage, with very little effort or assistance, comprising a slanted cylindrical booth with a trap door bottom, elongated poles with trusses, expandable reinforced descent tubes with fire-proof skin, stabilizer webbing’s, an inflatable slide, and active components comprised of sensors, switches, latches and relays that coordinates, prequalifies and controls access then egress through the apparatus, with emphasis on checking the integrity of a complete escape path and approximating free space for each evacuee within said-descent tubes, thereby enhancing supported evacuee volume and safety.

Description

TITLE: EXTERNALLY CONCEALABLE, MODULAR HIGH-RISE EMERGENCY EVACUATION APPARATUS WITH PRE-QUALIFIED EGRESS

DESCRIPTION

I. TECHNICAL FIELD

This invention relates to an apparatus for the swift and en-masse evacuation of people from high-rise buildings in a safe, non-strenuous and automatically coordinated manner. The invention is designed to prevent entrapment of people above or at the level or levels of a building that are engulfed in flame and damage, even when the stairwells and elevators are completely unusable.

II. BACKGROUND ART

There are known numerous devices used on aircraft, sea vessels and buildings for emergency evacuations to prevent or minimize injury or death resulting from fire, earthquakes and other tragic events.

The rescue devices disclosed by the following patents, U.S. Pat. No. 3,348,630, U.S. Pat. No. 3,973,644, U.S. Pat. No. 3,977,495, U.S. Pat. No. 4,099,595, U.S. Pat. No. 4,099,596, U.S. Pat. No. 4,122,934, U.S. Pat. No. 4,162,717, U.S. Pat. No.4,167,224, U.S. Pat. No.4,240,520, U.S. Pat. No. 4,595,074 ,U.S. Pat. No. 4,605,095, U.S. Pat. No. 4,778,031, U.S. Pat. No. 4,997,060, U.S. Pat. No. 5,320,195, U.S. Pat. No. 5,562,184 , U.S. Pat. No. 5,871,066, U.S. Pat. No. 6,098,747, U.S. Pat. No. 6,102,762 and U.S. Pat. . No. 6,467,575, have some or all of the following limitations that make these respective rescue devices unsafe and inappropriate for swift, safe and en-masse high-rise evacuations: a.) No means to detect and inform the evacuee regarding the condition of the whole escape path provided by the apparatus prior to use, b.) Lack of access controls to assure orderly escape and to prevent clogging of escape routes, c.) Lack of egress timing controls to prevent injuries due to collision while in transit, d.) Single rather than multiple access resulting in lower evacuee volume, e.) Does not consider normal fear of heights, f.) Does not prevent harmful abrasion to exposed skin, g.) Is not permanently affixed to the building and does not have intermediate support structures to distribute stresses on the apparatus itself or prevent evacuees inside the apparatus from slamming against the side of the building, h.) Does not provide a sufficiently safe distance from fire and smoke, i.) Utilizes composite materials sacrificing the needed individual characteristics of fire-resistance, elasticity and strength, j.) Has no means to preserve the external aesthetics of a building, k.) Makes use of inappropriate landing devices that do not allow swift exit in volume and may cause injury due to sudden deceleration, 1.) The apparatus does not deploy automatically and requires considerable external assistance to prepare the device for use, m.) Requires evacuees to attach portions of the apparatus themselves during deployment, n.) The descent of evacuees is either too fast, irregular or disorienting, o.) The apparatus is cannot be used for buildings in excess of twenty-five or more stories high, p.) Requires too much time and prolonged strenuous effort on the part of the evacuees, q.) Requires normal electrical power to be supplied during emergencies, r.) Does not prevent unauthorized ingress or egress from the building, s.) Does not prevent evacuees from using the device if the integrity of the device itself has been compromised and t.) Does not direct the evacuee to the nearest undamaged apparatus, etc. III. DISCLOSURE OF THE INVENTION

The central technical issue in the field of safely enabling swift and en-masse high- rise

it" parallel in the limitations found in modern fiber-optic networks. Specifically, the medium used for transmission lacks the intelligence required for providing feedback in real ime, hindering coordination, efficiency and effectiveness. The technical focus in nearly all prior-art examples was simply how to transport evacuees. By embedding the required intelligence into the medium used in the present invention. As will be seen in the succeeding discussion, it is now possible to focus instead on how safely evacuees can delivered from entrapment in burning and damaged high-rise buildings.

IV. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF DRAWINGS

Drawing Figures

In the drawings, closely related figures have the same number but different alphabetic suffixes.

Fig 1 A shows a side view of an abbreviated high-rise building with internal and external components of the present invention visible.

Fig 2 A shows a side, cut-away view of a building which focuses on egress booths in relation to the building.

Fig 2B shows a side view detail of a trap door for consistency with Fig 2 A

Fig 2C shows an exploded view of an internal cylindrical door for the egress booth.

Fig 3 A shows a side view of a typical support pole. Fig 3B shows a top view of the support pole and a pair of octagon-in-square trusses with guide lines that depict how diagonal descent tubes are alternately positioned and supported in relation to the support pole.

Fig 3C shows a side view of the topmost floor of the building focusing on the pre- deployment position of the support poles including the crane motor, drum and cables that return the said poles after use.

Fig 4A shows a side view of the building with focus on a y-shaped modular descent tube.

Fig 4B shows a front view of the modular descent tubes to facilitate the understanding of how greater evacuee volume is supported by two descent tubes and to show the positioning of the ventilation holes.

Fig 4C shows a perspective view a single-piece cargo netting that serves as an internal backbone component of the y-shaped modular descent tube.

Fig 4D shows a detailed front view of the state of the single-piece cargo netting prior to its cladding with breathable elastic material, thus allowing the netting to expand as required.

Fig 4E shows a detailed top view of special materials that make up the modular descent tube, with focus on fabric sensors.

Fig 4F shows a perspective view of a funnel-shaped reinforced elastic material that serves as an innermost layer for the modular descent tube and an attachment means to the pole trusses. Fig 4G shows a perspective view of a typical side of an octagonal truss, generally designed as four bars branching out from a center bar.

Fig 4H shows a side cut-away view of Fig 4G, and its unique design that facilitates the attachment of three main materials that comprise the modular descent tube.

Fig 41 shows a perspective, cross-sectional view of the descent tube material, sans fire-proof layer for clarity, with an evacuee with child in a recommended harness, in the diagonal section of a y-shaped modular descent tube immediately prior to transition to vertical descent.

Fig 4.T shows a perspective, cross-sectional view of the descent tube material, sans fire-proof layer for clarity, with an evacuee with child in a recommended harness, in the vertical section of a y-shaped modular descent tube immediately prior to crossing a typical elastic aperture that serves as a transition from diagonal to vertical descent.

Fig 4K shows a side view of a building with focus on the position of the fabric sensors internally embedded into the modular descent tubes for avoiding collisions between evacuees using the same modular descent tube.

Fig 4L shows a side view of a building with focus on the positioning of the fiberoptic cables internally embedded into the fire-proof layer on both the diagonal and vertical sections of the modular descent tubes for actively monitoring damage to the descent tube material.

Fig 4M shows a detailed front view of the wave-form shaped fiber-optic cable paths used in Fig 4L for preventing cable slippage and breaks due to expansion. Fig 5 A shows a side view of a building, focusing on the rope webbings and supports for the modular descent tube that prevent excessive sagging or swaying.

Fig 6 A shows a side view of a building, focusing on a fully deployed inflatable slide attached to a support pole that is nearest to the ground.

Fig 6B shows a front, cross-sectional view of the inflatable slide in Fig 6 A, with an evacuee to provide perspective for the height of the safety side walls and two slide channels for increased evacuee volume.

Fig 6C shows a perspective view of the optional test dummy with passive keyed bands of conductive material on both front and back to facilitate an initial test run of a recently deployed system.

Fig 6D shows a perspective view of the end portion of the inflatable slide with the optional active keyed bands of conductive material that triggers signaling as the test dummy successfully completes its test run.

Fig 7 A shows a front view of a glass covered interface panel, positioned immediately outside of the egress bootli and also serves as a wiring box, comprised of an auxiliary trap door release button, status light emitting diodes (LEDs) and the system activation button.

Fig 7B shows a front view of an interface panel, positioned inside the egress booth, comprised of a trap door release button and status LEDs.

Fig 7C shows a front view of a normally covered and locked interface panel, located outside the egress booth, comprised of an trap door override lever and vertical continuity check override key switch, generally used exclusively by authorized personnel. Fig 8A shows a perspective view of the sliding protective and aesthetic covers for the apparatus.

Fig 8B shows a perspective view of two L-shaped protective and aesthetic covers for the apparatus.

Figs 8C and 8D shows a perspective view of two possible versions of magnetic bolt latches used in the apparatus for applicable tasks such as fastening and releasing poles or keeping the protective and aesthetic covers shut.

Figs 8E to 8G shows a top view of the mechanisms used to open the protective and aesthetic covers without the use of large amounts of electrical power.

Fig 9 A shows a perspective view of a wall-based alternative embodiment of the system that does not require an egress booth.

Fig 9B shows a perspective view of an alternative embodiment of the system focusing on support poles, diagonal descent tubes and support webbings for primarily diagonal descent.

Fig 9C shows a building side view of a floor-based alternative embodiment of the system that also does away with the egress booth.

Fig 9D shows a building side view of an alternative embodiment of the system that supports an evacuee re-routing feature by utilizing a top sliding truss and four bottom descent tubes instead of the usual two. Fig 10A is a flowchart that details the step-by-step process and procedures used in the system, to significantly reduce any questions or ambiguity with regard to wiring and other related issues by those who are skilled in the art.

Fig 1 OB is a schematic summary of the relationships between active components used in the system.

Reference Numerals in Drawings

200 System Activation Button 202 Egress Booth

204 Trap Door

205 Trap Door Hinge

206 Internal Trap Door Release Button 208 Auxiliary Trap Door Release Button 210 Booth Occupancy Fabric Sensor 212 Trap Door Calibrated Damper Rod

214 Trap Door Magnetic Bolt Latch

215 Trap Door Open/Closed Sensor

216 Cylindrical Door

218 Cylindrical Door Sensors

220 Cylindrical Door Open/Closed Position Locking Gear

221 Cylindrical Door Magnetic Bolt Latch (while Trap Door is open)

222 Cylindrical Door Handle and Lever 224 Bearing Rails

226 Internal Light Emitting Diode (LED) Display Board 228 Auxiliary LED Display Board

230 Overhead Light

232 Manual Override Lever for Trap Door with Protective Cover

234 Vertical Continuity Override Key Switch

235 Override Cover Key Lock

236 Passageway

238 Circular Aperture with Rounded Edges and Padding

240 Elliptically-shaped Truss

244 Egress Booth Availability Signage

246 Signage - "Please Close the Door"

300 High-tensile strength Steel Support Poles

302 High-tensile strength Hinges

304 Cable Anchors (for Fixed Length Cable)

306 Fixed Length Cables

308 Nautilus-shaped Disks

310 Horizontal Sensor Switches

312 Bottom-side Struts

314 Maximum Travel Lock

316 Strut Rail and Guide

318 Gas-lift Rod

320 Octagonally-shaped Trusses

321 Five-bar Truss for Vertical Descent Tube Ends Attachment 324 Forged bends

326 Clamps and Fastening Bolts

328 Reinforced Edge of Fire-Proof Material (for Truss Attachment) 330 Arched Attachment Bar 332 Continuous Vertical Fire-Proof Material Shield 334 Support Arches 336 Horizontal Bars 340 Webbing Cable Anchor Points 342 Crane Motor 344 Crane Cable 346 Internally Insulated Pipes 348 Topmost Pole Truss Suspension Arm 352 Last Support Pole nearest to the Ground 400 Y-Shaped Modular Descent Tube 402 Cylindrical Modular Descent Tube 404 Diagonal Section of Y-Shaped Modular Descent Tube 406 Vertical Section of Y-Shaped Modular Descent Tube 408 Single-Piece Cargo Netting 410 Breathable Cladding for Cargo Netting

412 Breathable Elastic Lattice

413 Vertical Strips of Ultra High Molecular Weight PolyEtiiylene (UHMWPE) Material

414 Vertical Section Fabric Sensor

415 Funnel

416 Fire-proof material (such as No ex(TM)) 418 Base of z-pattern folds

420 Wave-form Cable Paths

422 Air Holes / Breathing Apertures

424 Vertical Elastic Lattice 426 Diagonal Elastic Lattice

428 Non-stick substance (i.e. PTFE or Teflon ™)

430 Extra Length of Breathable Elastic Lattice from the Diagonal Section

432 Reinforced Opening In Vertical Section Elastic Lattice and Cargo Netting

434 Cover Flap

436 Extra Cordura Shield

438 Fixed-tension UHMWPE netting

440 Elastic Support Band

442 Elastic Material Reinforced Edges

443 Reinforced Cargo Netting Edges

444 Reinforcement Material

445 Truss Foam Padding

446 Breathable Elastic Lattice Tail 448 Vertical Ventilation Openings

450 Overhead Netted Ventilation Openings 452 Single-mode Fiber-optic Cable

454 Multi-mode Fiber-optic Cable

455 Reserved Slack

456 Fabric Sensor Cables

460 Horizontal Segments of Cargo Netting

462 Vertical Segments of Cargo Netting

500 Webbing Ropes

502 Diamond-shaped Cordura (TM) and UHMWPE material

504 Vertical Section Stabilizer Webbing Cables/Ropes

506 Nomex (TM)-covered Cordura (TM) and UHMWPE Stabilizer Ring 512 Rock-Climbing Rope Locks 600 Inflatable Slide 602 Surface Reinforcements 604 High Side Walls and Cover Netting 606 Slide Support Webbings 608 Evacuee Receiving Area 610 Catch Wall

612 Air Cylinders with Aspirators 614 Protective Cover 616 Air Pressure Sensors

618 Test Dummy with Keyed Bands of Conductive material

619 Passive Keyed Bands of Conductive material

620 Active Keyed Bands of Conductive material and Switch 622 Slide Channel or Path

624 Test Dummy Suspension Loop

700 Fiber-optic Transceivers and Electronic Switches

702 Copper Cabling (for Trap Door Control Signals)

704 Low-voltage Electrical Relays (for Trap Door Magnetic Bolt Latch Release)

705 Wiring Box

706 Uninterruptible Power Supply (UPS) for extended system signals

708 UPS for local system signals

709 System Deactivation Key Switch 800 Sliding Door

802 L-shaped Hinged Door

803 Bolt Catch 804 Magnetic Bolt Latch

805 Rubber-ended Release Pin

806 Gas-lift Rods 808 Cables and Pulleys 810 Rail Guides

812 Extensible Rails 814 Hinges 816 Weather Seal 818 Barrier

V.a. BEST MODE FOR CARRYING OUT THE INVENTION

Just as a skyscraper is the successful embodiment of a very complex combination of engineering formulas, each individual component used in the present invention solves a long-felt, long-existing need by acting as a synergistic whole.

To facilitate writing, the lengthy detailed description is very roughly subdivided into sections composed of the present invention's major components, since the interrelationships between these components easily cross the intended descriptive subdivisions. The major components are:

I. Protective and Aesthetic Covering

II. Support Poles

III. Egress Bootli and Trap Door

IV. Modular Descent Tubes

V. Sensors and Switches

VI. Truss Design and Strategies for Volume VII. Stabilizer Webbing and Supports

VIII. Inflatable Slide and Test Dummy

IX. Control Signals

Trademarked names (such as Nomex, Cordura, Lycra and Teflon - all manu&ctured by DuPont) that may be used throughout this document does not imply that only these exact brands are recommended. Rather, these names are only used to facilitate writing by conveying of the inherent characteristics of the material in a single word. Other brands with the same or better characteristics than the trademarked materials may be used for as long as the safety features are well considered as in the previously mention case of Kevlar (TM) in the Background — Description of Prior Art section of this document.

I. Protective and Aesthetic Covering

A successful cover for the apparatus preserves the building's aesthetics by mimicking the visual characteristics of a building's external materials and shape, such that it is virtually unnoticeable to pedestrians looking at the building. The cover should also adequately protect the apparatus against the elements.

The preferred embodiment for the covering uses a combination of glass and steel that is so common in today's high-rise edifices. However, it should be noted that the exact combination of materials will depend on the existing material used on a building to which the present invention will be affixed.

The protective and aesthetic covers are well-balanced and lubricated 'doors' that mimic building windows panels. They are designed as either sliding doors 800 or L-shaped hinged doors 802 shown in Figs 8A and 8B, respectively. These doors are held firmly in place by magnetic bolt latches 804 comparable to that manufactured by SDC Security (www.sdcsecurity.com) as shown in Fig 8D. Weather seals line the edges of the covers to keep the elements from entering the building as shown in Figs 8E and 8F.

When the system activation button 200 shown in Fig 7A is pressed, the magnetic bolt latches 804 are released. Custom-built gas-lift rods 806 similar to that manufactured by Stabilus of Germany (www.stabilus.com), and a system of cables and pulleys 808 are simultaneously triggered to push the covers open. Hinges 814, or rails 812 with rail guides 810 allow the doors to be suspended and moved to an open position. A barrier 818 comprised of concrete or glass prevents building occupants from falling through the created opening, as shown in Figs 8E and 8F.

By using gas-lift rods 806 to open the doors, the need for a great and steady amount of electricity is precluded, and this is beneficial during a major crisis, as the regular amount of power may not be available. Inwardly-moving sliding doors 800 are preferred, whenever building design permits.

The interaction between active electronic components involving the above mentioned system activation button and magnetic bolt latches is summarized in Figs 10A and 10B.

II. Support Poles

The following description relates to Figs 3A to 3C. Once the gas-lift rods 806, used to open the protective and aesthetic covers 800 or 802, have been fully opened, the tip of the gas-lift rods activates switches that disengage magnetic bolt latches 804 show in Fig 8C, and frees all high-tensile strength steel support poles 300 and its attached trasses 320 from its vertical position as shown in Fig 3C. The support poles are attached onto the superstructure of the building by high-tensile strength steel hinges 302 that are bolted and welded directly onto the building superstructure. These support poles simultaneously move from a vertical to a horizontal position with its descent carefully controlled by a bottom- side support strut 312 led by a strut rail and guide 316 that compresses a fully extended industrial-grade gas-lift rod 318 until obstructed by a maximum travel lock 314. Fixed- length cables 306, cable anchors 304 welded and bolted onto the building's superstructure, including bottomside struts 312 and maximum travel lock, 314 firmly establishes the support pole at a horizontal position. As shown in Fig 3A. A nautilus-shaped disk 308 at the base of the support pole activates a weather-proof horizontal sensor switch 310 shown in Fig 3B, which indicates that horizontal rest position has been reached and maintained.

The interaction between active electronic components involving the above mentioned horizontal sensor and magnetic bolt latches are summarized in Figs 10A and 10B.

A single crane motor 342 near or at the top floor of the building is connected to the topmost support pole by a crane cable 344 and is used to return all support poles simultaneously to pre-deployment position, but only after strict and careful inspection of the whole system as shown in Fig 3C. Note that the crane motor 342 is not needed to deploy the support poles. It is instead the use of gas-lift rods 318 on the bottomside struts 312 that swiftly but carefully deploys the support poles without the need for a large and steady amount of electrical power that may not be available during a major crisis. Whenever building design permits, these support poles should be positioned along the corners rather than the center of the building IH. Egress Booth and Trap Door

Shown in Fig 2A, the primary portal for exiting the building with minimum effort and reasonable speed is a cylindrical egress booth 202 that is slanted at about sixty degrees. This booth can support a large adult in excess of six feet in height , two smaller adults, or an adult with a child or infant at a time. It has an overhead light 230 and a special internal cylindrical door 216 shown in Fig 2C, made of transparent non-toxic window- grade material such as Lexan (TM) polycarbonate similar to that manufactured by GE Plastics (www.geplastics.com). The cylindrical door is sandwiched between the walls of the egress booth. The cylindrical door generally rotates in one direction only, supported by a bearing rail 224. Its rotation is stopped at pre-determined, alternating open or close positions by a locking gear 220 that is released by depressing a lever 222 found the door handle. The cylindrical door has four available door handles for each alternating open and closed position, but only one handle is exposed at any given time. Moreover, the cylindrical door has sensors 218 that indicate whether it is in a close or open position.

The floor of the egress booth is a trap door 204 shown in Figs 2 A and 2B, covered by a fabric sensor 210 that indicates whether the egress booth is occupied or not. The trap door leads to a passageway 236 that is slanted at about thirty to forty degrees. While the trap door 204 is open, a magnetic bolt latch 221 prevents the opening of the booth's cylindrical door 216. The whole egress path, from the booth to the passageway, is lined with a coat of nonstick Teflon (TM) 428. Shown in Fig 2A, the passageway 236 leads out of the building through a somewhat circular aperture 238 with rounded edges and foam padding of about the same circumference as that of the egress booth, to prevent injury to evacuees. Outside the building, the aperture 238 is reinforced by an octagonal steel truss 240 that is bolted and welded onto the building's superstructure and serves as an attachment point for a diagonal section of a y-shaped modular descent tube 404 shown in detail by Fig 4A. This diagonal section generally keeps the angle of descent set by the passageway 236.

As shown in Fig 2A, the trap door 204 of the egress booth 202 and the whole passageway 236 is generally composed of very high tensile strength steel that is bolted and welded onto the building's superstructure to provide additional support for the octagonal steel truss 240, should the building walls be made out of glass instead of reinforced concrete or steel.

The interaction between active electronic components involving the previously mentioned magnetic bolt latch, door and occupancy sensors is summarized in Figs 10A and 10B.

IV. Modular Descent Tubes

A modular descent tube is either y-shaped 400 or cylindrical 402 as shown in Fig 4B.. The y-shaped modular descent tube 400, as shown in Fig 4A, is functionally divided into diagonal 404 and vertical 406 sections. The cylindrical modular descent tube 402 shown in Fig 4B, simply lacks the diagonal section 404 of the y-shaped modular descent tube 400. Both sections of the modular descent tubes are primarily composed of a continuous single piece cargo netting 408 shown in Fig 4C, using ropes of advance materials employed in rock climbing and rescue helicopter long-lines as shown in. Netting made of Amsteel Blue (TM) and Ultra-High Molecular Weight Poly- Ethylene (UHMWPE) material, as manufactured by Samson Rope (www.samsonrope.com), are good examples.

With reference to the backbone netting shown in Fig 4C, the vertical portion of the cargo netting 408 is compressed by about three-fourths of the average width of an adult person or less, while in the diagonal section of the cargo netting is compressed by about the average width of an adult person or less. The expansion of the modular descent tube is partially achieved by allowing horizontal segments of the cargo netting 460 to sag, as shown in Fig 4D. The total length of these horizontal segments must be roughly equal to three compressed vertical segments of the cargo netting 462. This expansive potential will allow the main body of the cargo netting to span roughly three times its current width.

As shown in Fig 4E, the compression difference between the vertical 406 and diagonal sections 404 of the modular descent tubes are maintained by enveloping the cargo netting 408 with a breathable elastic cladding 41 honeycombed with air holes 422, comprised of roughly seventy percent Lycra (TM) and roughly thirty percent Cordura (TM), both manufactured by DuPont (www.dupont.com).

Continuing with Fig 4E, a breathable elastic lattice 412 nearly as thick as the cargo netting, composed of roughly the same ratio of Lycra (TM) and Cordura (TM) is then bonded to the breathable cladding 410 of the cargo netting. Thin vertical strips of UHMWPE material 413 are embedded or sewn into the breathable elastic lattice 412 and attached at the points where the cargo netting's 408 horizontal 460 and vertical segments 462 are joined, for added strength. As the modular descent tube expands, the Lycra (TM) and Cordura (TM) materials that are integrated in the breathable cladding for the cargo netting 410, together with the breathable elastic lattice 412 will return the main body of the cargo netting 408 to its original compressed state.

The only variation to the abovementioned elastic compression procedure is that the top, bottom and diagonal ends of each modular descent tube, whether y-shaped 400 or cylindrical 402, must be expanded to form a funnel 415 as seen in Figs 4C and 4F. The fumiel is then affixed to trusses 320 or 240 that are affixed to the support poles 300 or the end of egress booth passageway 236 as shown in Figs 2A and 3B. The now expanded, funnel-shaped cargo netting 408 is reinforced and stabilized by a nearly identical funnel- shaped, fixed-tension UHMWPE netting 438 before being clad 410 in Lycra (TM) and Cordura (TM) as shown in Fig 4C.

The rest of the processes involved in the breathable cladding of the cargo netting 408 and its integration with the breathable elastic lattice 412 does not differ from the previous paragraph. An additional breathable elastic support band 440, made of Lycra (TM) and Cordura (TM), is used at the end of each funnel as shown in Fig 4A.

The near-maximum stretched width of the cargo netting 408 is about equal or somewhat less than the internal circumference of the egress booth 202. The normal, unstretched and uncompressed width of the cargo netting 408 after cladding is about equal to or somewhat greater than the average width of a large adult person. To prevent skin adhesion, a coating of non-stick substance such as PTFE or Teflon ™ 428 is used on the breathable elastic lattice 412 as shown in Fig 4E. This unique composition allows evacuees of varying physical builds a roughly regular rate of descent that is less than free- fall without compromising material strength and evacuee safety. For reasons of safety, evacuees within the vertical section of the y-shaped modular descent tube 406 shown in Fig 4J must not be able to grab onto the apertures in the diagonal section of the y-shaped modular descent tubes 404 as they travel downwards. This prevention is achieved by providing a reinforced opening in the vertical elastic lattice and cargo netting 432 that by allows an extra length of breathable elastic lattice from the diagonal section 430 clearly shown in Fig 41, to extend well within the vertical elastic lattice 424, and by completely covering this extra length 430, including the reinforced opening 432, with a cover flap 434 of elastic lattice material that is integrated with the vertical elastic lattice 424 such that it still offers a smooth surface to evacuees. An extra, internal Cordura (TM) shield 436 is used in the portion of the vertical section of the descent tube at the junction immediately opposite the opening of the diagonal section. The areas where the breathable cladding of the cargo netting 410 separates from the breathable elastic lattice 412 is strengthened by reinforcement material 444 composed of additional Lycra (TM) and Cordura (TM) plus UHMWPE thread.

As shown in Fig 4E, to protect evacuees against fire, the diagonal 404 and vertical 406 sections of the y-shaped modular descent tube are covered with a layer of fire-proof material 416, such as Nomex (TM) manufactured by DuPont, that is folded in a z-pattern, to provide a thicker shield against fire. The base of the z-pattern folds 418 has a layer of Lycra (TM) and Cordura (TM) that bonds with the breathable cladding for the cargo netting 410. The z-pattern folds 418 allow simultaneous expansion to roughly three times its current length, approximating the cargo netting's 408 elastic tolerances.

The outer skin of fire-proof material 416 does not afford ventilation unlike the cargo netting 408 and the breathable elastic lattice 412. Thus, the fire-proof material in the vertical section of the y-shaped modular descent tube 406 or the cylindrical modular descent tube 402 has large and regular vertical ventilation openings 448 shown in Fig 4B, that are positioned away from the building. For the diagonal section of the y-shaped modular descent tube 404, the portion which is farthest away from the building has several Nomex (TM) shielded ventilation openings 450 that ensure appropriate ventilation without risking direct exposure to fire as shown in Fig 4A.

The ends of each modular descent tube's fire-proof material 416 are joined together, reinforced and attached to a five-bar truss 321 as shown in Fig 4H.

V. Sensors and Switches

As shown in Fig 4K, the modular descent tubes are equipped with fabric sensors 414 similar to the ones manufactured by SoftSwitch Ltd. Company in the United Kingdom (www.softswitch.co.uk). These fabric sensors are embedded between the cargo netting 408 and breathable elastic lattice 412 as shown in Fig 4E. These sensors ensure that the egress booth trap door 204 will only open if a predetermined length of space in the descent tubes is free of evacuees. This length of space is projected to be available and thus reserved for the evacuee in the egress booth by the time the said evacuee crosses the diagonal section of the y-shaped modular descent tube 404.

As shown in Figs 4E and 4L, the diagonal length of the y-shaped descent tube is equipped to actively monitor its integrity or continuity by embedding multi-mode fiber optic cables 454 like those manufactured by Lucent (www.lucent.com) in the z-folds of the fire-proof material used in the descent tube. If the light from this continuity assurance fiber-optic cable is not received by the fiber-optic transceivers 700, the egress booth trap door 204 will not open. Similarly, also shown in Fig 4L, the whole vertical length of either y-shaped 400 or cylindrical 402 modular descent tube from the top of the building to the ground is equipped with single-mode fiber-optic cables 452 for integrity or continuity monitoring. Again, all egress booth trap doors 204 attached to a particular descent tube will not open if damage to vertical continuity is detected.

A vertical continuity override button 234 is available to authorized personnel should vertical continuity damage be determined to be restricted to higher floors while the rest of the system to the ground is still intact as shown in detail in Fig 7C and located througli Fig

2A.

All fiber-optic cables used are generally the light-weight, supple indoor-type, partially reinforced with Kevlar (TM) and clad with non-toxic material. All collision and continuity cables are deployed via a special wave form cable path 420 composed of Lycra (TM) in the outer z-pattern fold of the fire-proof material 416, as shown in Figs 4E and 4M. The wave form cable path 420 reduces the chance for expansive breakage and reduces cable slippage. The wave form path is comprised of elastic Lycra (TM) lining also allows the fiber-optic cables to take up reserved slack 455 located in each truss area, also to prevent breakage as shown in Fig 4H. All diagonal continuity verification multi-mode fiber-optic cables 454 and anti-collision fabric sensor cables 456 reach the building through internally insulated pipes 346 attached to the support poles 300 as shown in Figs 3A and 3B.

The interaction between active electronic components involving the previously mentioned fabric sensors, transceivers, overrides and fiber-optic cables is summarized in Figs 10A and 10B.

VI. Truss Design and Strategies for Volume Both elliptically-shaped truss 240 for the diagonal section of the y-shaped modular descent tube 404 and the octagonally-shaped trusses 320 on the support poles 300 shown in Figs 2A and 3B serve the same primary purpose of providing attachment point for the wrapping of reinforced edges 442 of either the y-shaped 400 or the cylindrical 402 modular descent tubes. These trusses are composed of very high tensile strength steel that are forged as a single finished unit. As shown in Fig 4G, each single side of the octagon is branches into five metal bars 321 so as not to significantly diminish thickness or strength, as shown in Fig 3C. The support poles similarly have forged bends 324 as shown in Fig 3B so as not to obstruct these metal bars.

As shown in Fig 4H, two of the bars on the top half support the bottom end of a higher modular descent tube and the other two bars on the bottom half supports the top end of the next modular descent tube, thus allowing separate modular descent tubes to be connected as a single functional unit. The two outer bars are for the attachment of the breathable elastic material's reinforced edges 442 and the two inner bars are for the attachment of the cargo netting's reinforced edges 443. Clamps and fastening bolts 326 are used for the breathable elastic material while rock climbing rope locks 512 are used on the cargo netting's reinforced edges 443 and complementary fixed-tension UHMWPE netting 438 to create the funnel 415 of each modular descent tube.

As shown in Fig 4B, the bottom of each modular descent tube has an extra length of breathable elastic lattice tail 446 that extends well within the modular descent tube immediately below it and provides a guided transition for the evacuees as they move from one modular descent tube to another. Foam padding 445 is used around the elastic lattice tail 446 as an additional safety measure. Both y-shaped 400 and cylindrical 402 modular descent tubes are provided for every other floor of the building, as shown in Fig 4B. Although other combinations are possible, depending on a building's exact design. This alternating descent tube strategy will allow for greater spacing between evacuees, thereby increasing the supported volume of evacuees without increasing the risk of collisions and installation costs.

As a primary protection against fire, all support poles 300 have an arched attachment bar 330 shown in Fig 3B, located between the building and the trusses for the deployment of a continuous vertical fire-proof material shield 332 as shown in Fig 2A that serves as the evacuees first defense against flame while within the vertical descent tubes. This primary fire-shield 332 is specially important when the design of the building requires that support poles be positioned to gently slope away from a lower roof. Naturally this fire- shield 332 has openings for each diagonal section of the y-shaped modular descent tube 404.

VII. Stabilizer Webbings and Supports

As shown in Fig 3B, between each pair of square/octagonal steel trusses are horizontal bars 336 and support arches 334 for torsion resistance. The support poles 300 have several regularly spaced webbing cable anchor points 340.

As shown in Fig 5A, the bottom of the diagonal section of the y-shaped modular descent tube 404 is supported from excessive sagging by a series of diamond-shaped Cordura(TM) and UHMWPE material 502 covered by fire-proof material such as Nomex (TM). In hammock fashion, the skyward-facing points of that diamond-shaped material serve as the attachment point for webbing ropes 500 made of advanced materials used in rock climbing or rescue helicopter long line cables, similar to that manufactured by Samson Rope (www.samsonrope.com). Each rope is covered with fireproof cladding material similar to that used for the descent tube's outer cover.

Likewise depicted in Fig 5A, the approximate center of each modular descent tubes is stabilized from excessive swaying by a Nomex (TM) covered Cordura (TM) and UHMWPE ring 506 lined with foam, which provides attachment points for the same webbing ropes 500 mentioned earlier. The webbing ropes are affixed to the support pole anchor points 340. This stabilizer system is important when the spacing of support poles 300 span several floors.

VIII. Inflatable Slide and Test Dummy

The very last support pole nearest to the ground 352 shown in Fig 6A, located about three or four stories high, is equipped with an inflatable slide 600 similar to that manufactured by Carlton Technologies (www.carltech.com) that is held by a protective cover 614. As tins last support pole reaches horizontal, the pole's horizontal sensor switch 310 simultaneously releases the protective cover magnetic bolt latch 804 and activates the air cylinders with aspirators 612. The slide quickly unfolds and inflates. The slide's thick padded base contains surface reinforcements 602 and has high side walls and cover netting 604 shown in Fig 6B, that create a separate channel or path 622 for each modular descent tube. Slide support webbings 606 originating from the last support pole 352 shown in Fig 6A is used to ensure that the slide does not sag prematurely due to its length. Towards the end of the slide at ground level, both sides of the slide have a flat padded area to serve as an evacuee receiving area 608. The very far end of the slide has a cushioned catch wall 610. Redundant electronic air pressure sensors and mated electronic switches 616, similar to that manufactured by Keyence America (www.keyence.com) or Entran (www.entran.com), are embedded within the slide to reach a predetermined threshold that indicates that the slide is sufficiently inflated.

As shown in Figs 4L and 6A, the mated electronic switches of the slide's air pressure sensors then activate around four to eight fiber optic transceivers its mated electronic switches 700 similar to the ones manufactured by Lucent (www.lucent.com) that Ught up the single-mode fiber optic cables 452 that run to the top of the building and down again, embedded vertically in the modular descent tubes. If the light returns to the other transceiver, the mated electronic switch of the fiber optic transceiver sends a signal to all egress booth trap door control relays 704 indicating that vertical continuity is intact. Should damage to the single-mode fiber-optic cables 452 occur, the vertical continuity good signal will not be sent and the egress booth trap door 204 will not open unless the vertical continuity override button 234 or the trap door manual override lever 232 would be engaged, shown in Fig 7C.

The interaction between all these active components involving the previously mentioned air pressure sensors, fiber-optic transceivers, magnetic bolt latches and override buttons are summarized in Figs 10A and 10B.

For security reasons, the last set of support poles nearest to the ground may be intentionally designed not to support diagonal descent and thus take the form of a simple cylindrical modular descent tubes 402 as shown in Fig 4B.

It is very important to emphasize that the intended emergency evacuation receiving area for the inflatable slide must be kept clear of cars and other obstructions at all times. A dry run of the modular descent tubes is optional, considering all the safety sensors employed. If required, a test dummy 618 shown in Fig 6B with passive keyed bands of conductive material 619 on both front and back surfaces can be provided to take the first trip down the just-deployed system. As soon as all poles have reached horizontal and the slide has sufficiently inflated, the topmost pole receives a 'vertical continuity ok' signal that triggers the activation of a magnetic bolt latch 804 that frees the test dummy's suspension loop 624, and the test dummy begins its descent. The test dummy is generally made of soft rubber and shaped to approximate a prone human form, but is contoured to be faster than a human in its descent so as not to waste valuable time. It has a flexible midsection, so as to facilitate passage from the diagonal section 404 to the vertical section 406 of the y-shaped modular descent tube. It is also of similar weight as that of a real person of the same height. The test dummy does not need to contain any active sensors, rather it has passive keyed bands of conductive material on both of its surfaces. Once the test dummy reaches matching active keyed bands of conductive material 620 found on each slide channel surface towards the end of the inflatable slide, as shown in Fig 6D, even if only momentarily, it completes a circuit that sends a signal through copper signaling cable 702 that ultimately reaches all egress trap door control relays 704 assigned to that particular tube, that indicates that the test dummy has successfully completed its descent.

The interaction between active electronic components involving the previously mentioned test run signal, magnetic bolt latches and pole horizontal switch is summarized in Figs lOA and lOB.

IX. Control Signals The following description in the succeeding paragraphs relates to Figs 10A and 10B. Each major component of the present invention has embedded sensors that belie its simplicity with regard to its application in the present invention. Even air pressure sensors 616 embedded in the inflatable slide 600 are pre-calibrated, thus all sensors indicated in this document are mated to, or function as, simple off-on electronic switches, which makes it a simple matter for those knowledgeable in the art to implement. For example, if light from the single-mode fiber-optic cable 452 within the cylindrical modular descent tubes 402 is received by the fiber-optic transceiver 700, the vertical continuity 'on' signal is sent through copper cabling for trap door control signals 702 running inside and up the building to each egress booth's wiring box 705.

For obvious safety reasons, the egress booth trap door 204 must only open if the following conditions have been met: the system activation button 200 has been pressed, all support poles 300 have reached horizontal position, the test dummy 618 successfully reached the end of the slide, diagonal section 404 continuity is verified , fabric sensor 414 space-reservation in the modular descent tube is okay, vertical continuity 402 and 406 is verified, the egress booth occupancy sensor 210 is positive, the egress booth cylindrical door is closed 218 and finally, the trap door release button 206 or the auxiliary trap door release button 208 is pressed. These nine safety conditions are given physical representation by the respective sensors and mated switches to signals for nine simple, low-voltage electrical relays 704 located at each egress booth wiring box 705. Each of these nine low-voltage electrical relays must all be in the 'on' position to complete a circuit that activates the opening of the egress booth trap door's magnetic bolt latch 214.

There are two sets of signal and power wiring. The first set involves wiring and uninterruptible power for system signals that must run up and down the whole height of the building. Specifically these signals affect all egress booths that are related through its attachment to a single modular descent tube. These four signals are: a) General System Deployment b) Test Dummy Descent Complete, c)AU-Poles are Horizontal and d) Vertical Continuity Okay (Slide Air-Pressure Sensors and Vertical Fiber-optic Cable). The wiring and power for these signals originate in the area within the building directly adjacent to the last support pole 352 that houses the inflatable slide 600,

The second set concerns wiring and UPS power for system signals that are considered 'local' to each egress booth on a particular floor. Specifically, these signals do not affect other egress booths on other floors. These five signals are: a) Diagonal Continuity Good c) Space-Reservation Okay d) Occupancy Positive e) Door is Closed and f) Trap Door Release Button Pressed (Auxiliary and Main).

As shown in Figs 2A to 2C, after the egress booth trap door magnetic bolt latch 214 is opened, as a result of all nine low-voltage electrical relays 704 being activated, a trap door hinge 205 takes the weight of the trap door 204 as it swings open and the evacuee descends. The booth's cylindrical door 216 is simultaneously locked via a magnetic bolt latch 221 with the opening of the trap door, and stays locked until the trap door closes, as detected by a trap door sensor 215. The egress booth trap door automatically closes with the help of a calibrated damper rod 212 similar to that manufactured by Stabilus of Germany (www.stabilus.com) after the evacuee's weight is off the trap door 204.

As previously mentioned, the egress booth trap door 204 can also be opened by engaging the trap door manual override lever 232 shown in Fig7C. The egress booth trap door 204 cannot be opened from the passageway 236 as the trap door magnetic bolt latches 214 are embedded in reinforced concrete and the building's superstructure. Likewise security is not compromised since the aesthetic and protective covers 800 or 802 for the apparatus are normally locked shut.

A required signage immediately above the egress booth 244 announces its status and availability as follows: Emergency Exit: Available (Green), Occupied (Yellow), Damaged: Use other Exits! (Red).

System deactivation after a general building evacuation must only be done by authorized personnel. It is accomplished by disabling the System Activation 200 signal wire to all egress booth wiring boxes 705. This is provided as a key switch 709 at secret, customized locations for obvious reasons.

V.b. ALTERNATIVE MODES FOR CARRYING OUT THE INVENTION

With regard to the egress booth, an alternative embodiment for more disciplined, somewhat military use is to forego the egress booth, trapdoor and inflatable slide altogether. An aperture in the wall immediately leads out to the diagonal section of a y- shaped modular decent tube. A steel bar immediately above the aperture allows the evacuee to lift his or her whole body into the passageway, as shown in Fig 9A. The evacuee should only let go of the bar when the anti-collision fabric sensors light up a green bulb that indicates that the evacuee can safely proceed.

Another embodiment simply removes the egress booth but retains the trap door as shown in Fig 9C. Using a floor-based apeiture, the trapdoor is repositioned at the very end of the passageway. This can be particularly useful since unconscious individuals can be supported upright with relative ease. These two previous alternative embodiments that forego the egress booth will reduce the amount of real estate needed by the system within the building to nearly nothing. For obvious reasons both alternative embodiments require specially-built aperture covers.

Another alternative embodiment relates to the support poles. If it becomes necessary to have evacuees travel somewhat diagonally at an angle where octagonal trusses would not be required, special support poles, webbings and descent tubes can be deployed as shown in Fig 9B. The advantage of this embodiment is that the evacuee can expeditiously transfer to another side of a building. Closer to the ground, this embodiment allows for greater flexibility with regard to the choice of evacuee receiving area.

Moreover, an alternative embodiment for the support poles relates to a re-routing feature that is impossible to implement using ordinary elevators. If for some reason, the regular exit inflatable slide location or the existing vertical path or building side is not desirable, a customized, heavier duty support pole will be equipped with a special two-part truss. The top portion can slide into position over a bottom truss that supports four descent tubes, as shown in Fig 9D. If no one is in both modular descent tubes, as verified by the anti-collision fabric sensors, the top truss be used to redirect evacuees from the usual descent tube to a new exit location provided by the alternate descent tubes.

V.c. OPERATION - PREFERRED EMBODIMENT

During a major building emergency such as fire, earthquake or a terrorist incident, any building occupant may press the system activation button 200 after breaking its transparent cover. The evacuee waits while the system initializes. The egress booth status signage 244 signals that it is available. Should damage be detected, the evacuee is directed by a signage to the nearest intact egress booth. The evacuee steps inside the egress booth 202 and due to its slanted position, induces the evacuee to lean and to assume a position appropriate for egress. The evacuee presses the internal trap-door release button 206. The evacuee then sees a signage 246 that says 'Please close booth door' if it is still open. Once the door is closed, the space-reservation fabric sensor 414 ensures that a length of space in the vertical descent tube is free of other evacuees. For safety reasons, the booth's 202 cylindrical door 216 must first lock into place immediately prior to opening the trap door 204. Once the cylindrical door lock is established, the fabric sensor then activates the last low-voltage electrical relay 704 required to release the trap door magnetic bolt latch 214. The trap door opens and the evacuee, by force of gravity and with a bit of help from the Teflon coating 428 will slide downwards to the passageway 236 and out of the building.

In the diagonal section of the modular descent tube 404 the evacuee's descent is somewhat rapid as the diagonal breathable elastic lattice 426 is not as narrow as it is in the vertical section of the modular descent tube 406. As the evacuee's body stretches the modular descent tube's material, the evacuee's rate of descent is reduced to less than free fall speed. However, the breathable elastic lattice 424 or 426 is designed to be soft and supple enough to allow evacuees of varying physical builds, a roughly regular rate of descent. The evacuee then reaches the end of the modular descent tube and is transported to the receiving area 608 at the end of the inflatable slide 600, where the evacuee is assisted by rescue personnel.

As previously mentioned, parents should wear- provided infant harnesses when carrying infants through the system. A small child can be embraced by the parent as they simultaneously travel down the modular descent tube. Small children or infants should never be allowed to travel down the modular descent tube without an adult. Unconscious individuals can be accompanied by an adult. VI. INDUSTRIAL APPLICABILITY AND SCOPE

Accordingly the reader will see that the present invention is applicable especially in central business districts of major cities around the globe. The presence of a transparent egress booth in corporate offices and condominiums will return confidence in high-rise tenancy. In this post-September 11, 2001 era, each corner of every high-rise building should have an implementation of the present invention as a government-mandated standard emergency evacuation device.

While the above description contains many specificities, these should not be construed as limitations on the scope of the invention, but rather as an exemplification of one preferred embodiment thereof . Accordingly, the scope of the invention should be determined not by the embodiments illustrated, but by the appended claims and their legal equivalents.

Claims

CLAIMS: I claim: (1) An externally conoealable, modular high-rise emergency evacuation apparatus with pre-qualified egress comprising: (a) a plurality of egress booths, each obliquely angled and equipped with a cylindrical door, having sufficient size to accommodate an adult in excess of six feet in height or an adult with an infant or child, generally positioned at vertically equidistant, predetermined locations, (b) a trap door affixed to the bottom of each said egress bootli, (c) a passageway affixed to said trap door, slanted to approximate the oblique angle of said egress booth, (d) a generally elliptically-shaped truss affixed to the end of said passageway, adapted to be secured to an aperture in the side of the building, (e) a plurality of support poles, (f) a plurality of pole bracing means for mounting and lowering said support poles from vertical to horizontal positions, adapted to be secured to the building at predetermined locations, (g) a plurality of generally octagonally-shaped trusses affixed substantially near the ends of said support poles, (h) a plurality of descent tubes formed from elastic material, generally y-shaped where a diagonal section approximates the oblique angle of said passageway, covered with a fire-proof material, viscerally coated with a non-stick substance, reinforced generally by an embedded single piece cargo netting, and affixed to aforementioned elliptically-shaped and octagonally-shaped trusses, (i) a plurality of web stabilizing means for supporting said descent tubes, affixed to said support poles, (j) an inflatable slide equipped with air pressure sensors, affixed to a last support pole nearest to the ground, (k) a protective and aesthetic covering means for concealing and revealing the external components of said evacuation apparatus, and (1) an active monitoring, coordinating and controlling means for deploying said evacuation apparatus and pre-qualifying conditions required for implementing safe evacuee egress, comprising: (1) a complete escape path integrity sensing means for constantly monitoring the wholeness of said descent tubes and said inflatable slide, including verification that said support poles are in a properly deployed position, for keeping said trap doors closed should damage be detected, (2) a collision avoidance sensing means for timing the opening of said trap doors at an opportune moment when collision between evacuees in diagonal and vertical descent is estimated to be avoided, (3) an access regulating means for preventing said cylindrical doors of said egress booths from being opened immediately after evacuees exit, while said trap doors have not yet returned to a closed position, (4) an optional initial descent validating means for verifying the arrival of a test dummy onto each said inflatable slide, after passing through the whole vertical length of said evacuation apparatus, prior to activating said trap doors assigned to said inflatable slide, (5) an egress controlling means for pre-qualifying compliance to signals to open said trap doors, by validating if said egress booths are occupied and checking if said cylindrical doors are closed, applied in conjunction with all previously mentioned active monitoring, coordinating and controlling means, and (6) an overall system regulating means for orchestrating the interaction between all aforementioned means and components of said evacuation apparatus, to establish proper deployment, autonomous operation and orderly shutdown, including overriding predetermined safety features if deemed necessary by authorized personnel, whereby said evacuation apparatus seeks to address the root cause of truly umiecessary and avoidable multiple fatalities that are suffered when people in burning high-rise buildings who are still conscious and mobile, have become totally cut-off from rescue, specially above or at the level of the fire, by empowering all evacuees with a safe, rapidly available, swift yet coordinated, direct, non-strenuous and verifiably complete escape path, a critical combination of features which are not provided by emergency stairwells or elevators. (2) A method of enabling people, including the injured, the elderly, or disabled persons to escape entrapment from or to bypass the levels of a high-rise building that is impassable due to flame, smoke or heavy damage, safely with very little effort or assistance, comprising: (a) giving evacuees simple, intuitive steps for implementing egress, comprising:

( 1 ) stepping inside an obliquely angled egress booth,

(2) closing a cylindrical door of said egress booth, and

(3) pressing a button to activate a trap door at the bottom of said egress booth,

(b) pre-qualifying egress safety conditions, before permitting evacuees to exit, comprising:

(1 ) providing a complete escape path integrity sensing means which will actively monitor the wholeness of a plurality of generally y-shaped descent tubes and an inflatable slide, including verification that a plurality of support poles are in a properly deployed position, for keeping said trap doors closed should damage be detected,

(2) providing a collision avoidance sensing means which will time the opening of said trap doors at an opportune moment when collision between evacuees in diagonal and vertical descent is estimated to be avoided, (3) providing an access regulating means which will prevent said cylindrical doors of said egress booths from being opened while said trap doors have not yet returned to a closed position, immediately after evacuees exit,

(4) providing an optional initial descent validating means which will verify the arrival of a test dummy onto said inflatable slide, after passing through all vertical sections of said descent tubes, prior to activating said trap doors assigned to said inflatable slide, and

(5) providing an egress controlling means which will pre-qualify compliance to signals to open said trap doors, by validating if said egress booths are occupied and checking if said cylindrical doors are closed, applied in conjunction with all aforementioned egress safety means,

(c) transporting evacuees after all previously mentioned egress safety conditions have been met, further employing additional safety features, comprising:

(1) generally covering a complete path used for descent with a non-stick substance at predetermined locations, so as not to cause harmful abrasion to exposed skin,

(2) opening said trap doors at a predetermined instance that complies with all previously mentioned egress safety conditions, causing evacuees to slide through passageways beneath said trap doors then through diagonal sections of said descent tubes, wherein said passageways and said diagonal sections approximate the oblique angle of said egress booths to facilitate the sliding motion, (3) transitioning evacuees thereafter to said vertical sections of said descent tubes, where the rate of descent of the evacuees are slowed down appreciably to less than free-fall speed due to the expansion of the elastic components of said descent tubes,

(4) protecting evacuees in diagonal and vertical descent against flame by covering said descent tubes with a fire-proof material, generally corrugated so as not to hamper the required elastic properties of said descent tubes,

(5) distancing evacuees considerably away from fire and smoke by locating said vertical sections of said descent tubes substantially near the extremities of said support poles,

(6) supporting the weight of multiple evacuees safely, by complementing each said descent tube generally with a single piece cargo netting interlaced with a breathable cladding of elastic material so as not to sacrifice required elastic properties,

(7) supplying evacuees with sufficient ventilation, by utilizing a breatiiable elastic lattice that is affixed to predetermined visceral areas of said cargo netting, and by furnishing said fire-proof material with openings at carefully predetermined locations, and

(8) providing slide means equipped with self-integrity monitoring, which enables multiple evacuees to either disembark swiftly in an orderly fashion, or be simultaneously fetched and assisted by emergency personnel, (d) providing an overall system regulating means which will orchestrate the interaction between all aforementioned means and components used in said method, to establish proper deployment, autonomous operation and orderly shutdown, including overriding predetermined safety features if deemed necessary by authorized personnel,

whereby said method overcomes the limitations of an elevator system, by safely enabling evacuees to randomly egress from different vertical locations of said high-rise building in a continuously streaming fashion, while requiring a comparatively minimal amount of power for proper deployment and autonomous operation,

whereby said method overcomes the inordinate amount of time, excessive physical exertion and prolonged mental concentration demanded from evacuees using an emergency stairwell, by enabling all evacuees, irregardless of physique or health condition, to be directly transported to safety with approximately equal speed and efficiency, and

whereby said method seeks to address the root cause of truly unnecessary and avoidable multiple fatalities that are suffered when people in burning high-rise buildings who are still conscious and mobile have become totally cut-off from rescue, specially above or at the level of the fire, by empowering all evacuees with a safe, rapidly available, swift yet coordinated, direct, non-strenuous and verifiably complete escape path, a critical combination of features which are not provided by emergency stairwells or elevators.