GB2260154A

GB2260154A - Movable stairway safety barrier

Info

Publication number: GB2260154A
Application number: GB9116218A
Authority: GB
Inventors: John Terence Williams
Original assignee: Individual
Current assignee: Individual
Priority date: 1991-07-26
Filing date: 1991-07-26
Publication date: 1993-04-07
Also published as: GB9116218D0

Abstract

A safety device 10 for shutting off a floor of a building comprises a rigid barrier member 12 and guide tracks 11 arranged to mount the barrier member 11 in the region of a staircase. The barrier member 12 is movable between a use position and a storage position. The barrier member 12 is extruded in polycarbonate and includes axial through-apertures. <IMAGE>

Description

A SAFETY DEVICE The invention relates to a safety device.

A safety device is disclosed in British patent application no. 2227657 of the applicant. The device comprises a door mounted in two vertical guide tracks arranged on either side of a staircase so as to be movable by vertical translation between a use position in which it blocks the staircase and a storage position. The door is disclosed to be made from a flat sheet of polycarbonate and counter-balance means may be provided to counter the weight of the sheet and enable the door to be moved easily.

According to one aspect of the invention there is provided a safety device for shutting off a floor of a building comprising barrier means and mounting means arranged to mount the barrier means in the region of a staircase so that the barrier means is movable between a use position and a storage position, the barrier means including apertures or voids.

In this way the weight of the barrier means can be reduced.

The apertures or voids are preferably in even distribution. The apertures or voids may comprise at least about 75t of the volume of the barrier means and preferably comprise at least about 90t or even 95% of the volume of the barrier means. Most preferably, the apertures or voids comprise at least about 98% of the volume of the barrier means.

The barrier means may include support members on its outer surface to strengthen the barrier means. The support members may comprise elongate struts. The struts may be made from any suitable material which preferably is lightweight and may be, for example, aluminium.

The apertures may be through apertures and the barrier means may conveniently be made by extrusion.

Where the barrier means is made by extrusion and includes elongate support struts , the struts may be disposed with their axes transverse to the direction of extrusion.

The barrier means may be made from any suitable material but preferably is made from polycarbonate and may be made from the material sold under the trade mark "MAKROLON".

At least one outer surface of the barrier member may be continuous and preferably both outer surfaces of the barrier means are continuous. In this way the barrier means acts as a barrier e.g. to smoke and sound.

The barrier means is preferably movable vertically between the use position and the storage position, and the storage position may be above the use position.

Thus, the device may be readily fitted, for example, for use at the bottom of a set of stairs where the area above the stairs will commonly be available to enable storage of the barrier means.

One embodiment of the invention will now be described by way of example and with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which: Fig. 1 is a perspective view of the embodiment in use; Fig. 2 is an elevation in cross-section of the embodiment in use; Fig. 3 is an elevation in cross-section of a locking pin mounted on the barrier means of the embodiment; Fig. 4 is a plan view through one side of the embodiment, in cross-section; Fig. 5 is a perspective view of a lower corner of the barrier means of the embodiment; and Fig. 6 is a detail elevation of a retaining pin in its retaining position.

Fig. 7 is a perspective detail view in partial cross-section of the barrier means.

The device 10 comprises two guide tracks 11 mounting barrier means 12 and is shown in Figs. 1 and 2 in use on a staircase 13.

Each guide track 11 comprises a base part 14 from which extend two parallel ridges 15 defining a groove 16 therebetween for receiving an edge of the barrier means 12. The barrier means 12 is dimensioned to completely fill the space between the bottom stair 17 of a staircase 13 and the ceiling 18 of the lower floor. The guide tracks 11 extend from the lower step 17 to the ceiling 19 of the upper floor and may be recessed into the plaster of the staircase walls 38.

The barrier means comprises an extruded box form sheet of polycarbonate. As shown in Fig. 7, the sheet comprises three spaced layers 2 in the plane of the sheet and supporting walls 4 extending perpendicularly therebetween. The walls 4 extend vertically in use.

Three supporting members 6 are provided as shown in Fig. 1. The supporting members 6 extend transversely across the sheet and are located one at the top, one centrally and one at the lower edge of the sheet. The supporting members 6 may be made from aluminium.

The edge of the barrier means 12 which is received in the groove 16 mounts a brush seal 20 which engages with the inner surface of the groove 16 in use, and constitutes the aforesaid track sealing means. A resilient flexible member 21 is attached to the lower edge of the barrier means 12 so as to form a loop about the lower edge. The flexible member 21 thus forms a seal with the lower stair 17 when the barrier means 12 is in the position as shown. The upper end of the barrier means 12 overlap the vertical wall 22 between the ceilings 18, 19 of the two floors. A brush seal (not shown) is provided on the side of the barrier means 12 adjacent the upper edge such that it engages with the wall 22 in use and constitutes the aforesaid further sealing means.

The lower corners of the barrier means 12 are cut away so that the barrier means does not foul on the skirting 37 of the staircase 13 and can be pulled down to the level of the lower stair 17.

Adjacent the lower corners of the barrier means 12 are provided retaining means 23 as shown in Fig. 3. The retaining means 23 comprises a housing 24 journalling a pin 25. The pin 25 is resiliently mounted within the housing 24 by a helical spring 26 which abuts the pin 25 and a stop 27 rigidly mounted in the housing 24 to bias the pin 25 outwardly. The housing 24 includes a pair of inwardly extending shoulders 28 against which a pair of projections 29 extending from the pin 25 normally abut under the bias of the spring 26. The pin 25 extends outwardly from the housing at each end thereof. The end 30 of the pin 25 is downwardly sloped. At the inner end of the pin is provided laterally extending projections 31.

Adjacent the top corners of the barrier means 12 are provided locking means 32. The locking means 32 are identical to the retaining means 23, except that the outer ends of the pins are inwardly sloping.

The storage position of the barrier means 12 is with the barrier means 12 raised so that its lower edge does not extend below the level of the ceiling 18 of the lower floor. The barrier means is held in this position by the retaining means 23 in the following manner. As the barrier means 12 is raised, the downwardly sloping end 30 of the pin 25 engages with an upwardly sloping surface 33 of a projection 34 extending from a guide track ridge 15. Further raising of the barrier means 12 results in the pin 25 being moved inwardly against the bias of the helical spring 26 until the pin 25 has been carried past the projection 34 when the pin 25 is forced outwardly again by the helical spring 26. If the barrier means 12 is now lowered, the substantially horizontal lower surface 35 of the pin 25 will engage the substantially upper surface 36 of the projection 34 as shown in Fig.

6 and thus prevent the barrier means moving further downwards. The upper surface 36 of the projection 34 constitutes the aforesaid stop. If it is required to move the barrier means downwards, the pins 25 can be manually retracted conveniently by pulling the pin backwards by means of the projections 31.

The use position of the barrier means 12 is when it is lowered fully. The barrier means 12 is held in the lowered position by locking means 32 which operates in the same way as retaining means 23 but with the engagement between the pin of the locking means 32 and the projection on the guide track 15 occurring in the opposite sense so that movement of the barrier means upwards is prevented.

The pins 25 of the retaining means 23 and the locking means 32 and their respective projections 34 are off set so that the pin 25 of a retaining means 23 will not engage a projection 34 corresponding to a pin 25 of a locking means 32 and vice versa.

In the use position, the seals and each edge of the barrier means 12 provide an airtight seal between the two floors. Thus, a fire or fumes therefrom can not pass by the barrier means.

Thus, for example, in a domestic building such as a house in which people generally sleep upstairs, the barrier means may be pulled down into the use position at night to shut off the upper floor from the lower and provide additional security.

The device 10 is unobtrusive as it can be retracted out of view from the lower floor and conveniently is stored adjacent the wall 22 in space which normally would not be required for any other purpose.

A sensor (not shown) may be provided in the form of a fire detector wired to an alarm so that if a fire should start on the lower floor of the building, for example, people upstairs would be alerted and provided with time to escape by the fire resistance of the barrier means 12. The barrier means 12 will be transparent so that it is possible to check the seriousness of a fire by looking through the barrier means 12. Similarly, if an intruder sensor and alarm system is used, the barrier means 12 will resist any attacks thereon and as it is transparent a person is able to observe an intruder through the barrier means 12, possibly enabling later identification for the police.

The retaining means 23 and locking means 32 need not be in the form as shown, but may take any suitable form.

The guide tracks 11 need not be formed with ridges 15 defining a groove 16, but may be formed in any suitable shape.

The various brush seals and the flexible member 21 may be replaced by alternative seals if desired, or seals may not be provided.

The flexible member 21 need not be provided and a further guide track may be provided on the lower stair 17. This arrangement is not preferred as the further guide track and may make the lower stair less safe.

Claims

1. A safety device for shutting off a floor of a building comprising a rigid barrier member and mounting means arranged to mount the barrier means in the region of a staircase so that the barrier member is movable between a use position and a storage position, the barrier member including apertures or voids.

2. A safety device as claimed in claim 1, wherein the apertures or voids are in even distribution.

3. A safety device as claimed in claim 1 or claim 2, wherein the apertures or voids comprise at least about 75 of the volume of the barrier member.

4. A safety device as claimed in any of claims 1, 2 or 3, wherein the apertures or voids comprise at least about 90t of the volume of the barrier member.

5. A safety device as claimed in any preceding claim, wherein the apertures or voids comprise at least about 95% of the volume of the barrier member.

6. A safety device as claimed in any preceding claim, wherein the apertures or voids comprise at least about 98t of the volume of the barrier member.

7. A safety device as claimed in any preceding claim, wherein the barrier member includes at least one support member on its outer surface to strengthen the barrier.

8. A safety device as claimed in claim 7, wherein the or each support member comprises an elongate strut.

9. A safety device as claimed in claim 8, wherein the or each strut is made from lightweight material.

10. A safety device as claimed in claim 9, wherein the or each strut is made from aluminium.

11. A safety device as claimed in any preceding claim, wherein the apertures are through apertures.

12. A safety device as claimed in any preceding claim, wherein the barrier member is made by extrusion.

13. A safety device as claimed in claim 12 when dependent on any of claims 7 to 10, wherein the or each support member is disposed with its axis transverse to the direction of extrusion.

14. A safety device as claimed in any preceding claim, wherein the barrier member is made from polycarbonate.

15. A safety device as claimed in any preceding claim, wherein at least one outer surface of the barrier is continuous.

16. A safety device as claimed in any preceding claim, wherein both outer surfaces of the barrier member are continuous.

17. A safety device as claimed in any preceding claim, wherein the barrier member is movable vertically between the use position and the storage position.

18. A safety device as claimed in claim 17, wherein the storage position is above the use position.

19. A safety device for shutting off a floor of a building substantially as described herein with reference to the accompanying drawings.