Fire escape device

Claim 1

A fire escape device comprising a housing, a reel journalled for rotational movement within said housing, a cable fixed at one end thereof to said reel being wound upon said reel with the other end thereof extending through an opening in said housing, means carried by said housing for connecting said device to a fixed position on an elevated structure, harness means carried at the free end of said cable for supporting a human body, a sump reservoir within said housing, positive displacement fluid pump means carried by said housing for pumping fluid from said sump reservoir through an orifice, said pump means having a rotor, means coupling the rotor of said pump with said reel for retarding and impeding free rotational movement of said reel and at a controlled rate of speed in direct proportion to the amount of fluid being pumped through said orifice, said means coupling the rotor of said pump with said reel comprises a ring gear carried by said reel for rotation therewith, a shaft journalled for rotation within said housing and coupled with the rotor of said pump for driving said rotor when said shaft is rotated in a first direction, and a planetary gear system coupled between said ring gear and said shaft for causing rotation of said shaft in said first direction when said reel is rotated in a direction for unwinding of said cable, free wheeling bearing means journalling said shaft so that when said shaft is rotated in a second direction opposite to said first direction, said rotor will not be driven, and a cover plate mounted over the exit port of said pump, said orifice being formed in said cover plate, and wherein said orifice is dimensioned so as to control the rate of flow of fluid therethrough and thereby the rate or retardation of said reel, whereby the rate of retardation of said reel is independent of the viscosity of said fluid.