Importance

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Abstract

The invention provides an escape system that enables automatic and unmonitored lowering of a body from a building or other height. The system includes a frame portion installed in a building so that it can be placed in or moved to a window in an emergency, and includes a track or slide portion extendable through the window a short distance from the exterior surface of the building. A length of special fire-resistant cord or rope is fed from a supply reel on the frame, along the track, through the window, and to the ground below. A descent regulator device incorporating an escapement mechanism is attached to the rope, and the user is secured to the descent regulator by a harness. The user then steps (or is placed) out the window, and the descent regulator incrementally moves down the rope, serving to lower the user to the ground. Once on the ground, the descent regulator is disconnected from the rope, and the user is removed from the harness, making way for other users similarly descending the rope from above.

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First Claim