Note: Descriptions are shown in the official language in which they were submitted.
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FIELD OF INVENTION
The invention pertains to a device for use in a
checking system whereby the status of some matter may be simply
and expediently indicated or accounted for. By way of example
the invention provides a system whereby restricted or disabled
occupants of an institution such as a hospital, can be checked
and accounted for in case of an emergency such as in a fire. The
invention may also be used by way of example as part of inventory
control in manufacturing, warehousing, stores, libraries and the
like, to indicate that inventory taking has been completed with
respect to a particular item or particular items.
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
With the present increase in the number of fires and
~he heightened awareness for safety both for the occupants and
emergency personnel, it has become desirable to provide a system
whereby all occupants of homes for the aged and the like, are
accounted for in an emergency. The problem is particularly
compounded in the instance of homes for the aged, since the
residents are senior citizens and may suffer in varying degrees
for disabilities due to age and illness. These ailments may
include blindness, deafness, being confined to a wheelchair or
being bedridden. The restricted residents may thus not be able
to evacuate the premises without assistance in case o~ a fire.
Therefore, in the event of an emergency, for the safety of all
concerned, it is desirable to provide a system whereby the
orderly evacuation of the residents may be confirmed.
The usual procedure, at present, is for emergency
personnel, such as the Fire Department personnel, to check each
room of the residence ensuring that the residents are evacuated.
Upon confirmation that a room is empty a chalk mark is made on
the door of the room indicating that the room has been checked.
The conditions under which the check is made may include the
presence of smoke, water or other ha~ards. The chalk marks may
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therefore get erased or rubbed away, and in any event they are
not clearly visible in a darkened or smoke filled hallway. The
uncertainty created by the foregoing can result in confusion and
duplication of effort by the emergency personnel.
During inventory taking, one or more people engage in
checking all items in inventory and the checking includes all
items of a particular nature whether for example, on the counter,
or shelves in a store or on racks in a warehouse. It would be
desirable to provide a simple yet expedient visual means of
indicating when an item or items have been checked to avoid
possible duplication of inventory taking.
Accordingly, it is an object of this invention to
provide a device whereby the status of some matter is indicated
or accounted for.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
The invention in its broader aspects pertains to a
device for indicating a change in the status of a matter to be
checked, upon the occurrence of a speclfied event. The device
comprises a first plate adapted to be attached proximate a
matter to be checked and having an outer surface and a second
plate having an inner and outer surface, the outer surface
bearing prominantly visible predetermined first indicia. At
least one of the first plate outer surface and the second plate
inner surface bears predetermined second indicia. Means are
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provided to permit selective movement of tAe second plate
relative to the first plate, so as to expose and make
prominantly visible the second indicia and obscure the first
indicia.
The invention particularly comprehends in one aspect
a device for indicating that an adjoining room has been checked
in an emergency situation, the device including a first plate
and means by which the plate may be secured proximate to access
means to the room and a second plate having inner and outer
surfaces, the outer surface of the second plate having
prominantly visible predetermined first indieia having
reference to contents or objects normally within the room.
At least one of the first plate outer surface and second plate
inner surface bearing predetermined second indicia having
reference to a checked status. Means hingedly mount the second
plate to the first plate so that the second plate is movable
from a first position parallel with an-d overlying at least
a portion of the first plate whereby the second indicia is
obscured from view to a second position substantially planar
with the first plate so as to expose and make prominantly
visible the seeond indieia while obseuring the first indieia.
Manually releasable means releasably retain the plates in
the first operative position.
In one partieular aspeet as ~iselosed, the present
invention provides a deviee for indieating that an adjoining
room to the eheeker deviee has been eheeked in an
emergeney. The deviee is comprised of a first plate whieh
has a front surfaee bearing prominently visible predetermined
first indieia. The deviee may be fixed to a wall or door
frame so as to show that it is representative of
the adjoining room. The first indieia may be seleeted as
a eheek mark symbol or the like. The deviee further
has a seeond plate whieh is movable relative to the
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first plate. The second plate bearing prominently visible
second indicia on its outer surface. In the normal mode the
second plate obscures the visibility of the first indicia.
However, after a room has been checked, the second plate is
movable so as to expose the first indicia. In the normal mode
the second indicia may be used to designate the nature of the
disabilities of the occupants of a particular room. The device,
in addition to having an application in homes for the aged, could
also be adapted for use in nursing homes, senior citizen
housing, hospitals, institutions for the handicapped, children's
camps and prisons. In general the device could be adapted for
use wherever residents are not mobile or easily visible.
The device may also be used in situations such as
inventory taking where the indicia on the first plate, attached
or affixed to a shelf or rack, is indicative of the checked
status whereas the indicia on the second plate is indicative of
the nature of the item in inventory to be checked.
Other uses will become apparent from the
specification as a whole and in particular from the preferred
embodiments o~ the invention set forth below ln conjunction with
the drawings.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE D~AWINGS
FIGURE 1 is a perspective view of one embodiment of
the device in a closed position.
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FIGURE 2 is a front view of the embodiment of
FIGURE 1 in open position.
FIGURES 3a, 3b, 3c, and 3d illustrate other indicia
that may be applicable.
FI~URE 4 is a perspective view of a modification of
the device.
FIGURE 5 is a side view, partially in section, of the
embodiment of FIGURE 4.
FIGURE ~ i5 a perspective view of a further
modification of the device.
FIGURE 7 is a perspective view of the plates
associated with the embodiment of FIGURE 6.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS
The embodiment shown in Figures 1 - 3 is designed to
be permanently fixed or attached on or adjacent the door of each
room in an institution such as a hospital or nursing home
providing a quick and clearly visible indication of the checked
status of the room. More particularly the device 10 comprises
a first plate 12 and a second plate 14 hinged at hinge 22.
Retaining means 24 hold the plates together in their normal
position. Fastening screws 20 secure the device to a door or
the adjoining wall or door frame associated with a room. Plate
14 carries indlcia 32 on it~ outer 9urface which indicia is
indicative of the nature of the occupant~s) in the room.
Designation markings 30 may also be placed on the device to
identify the purpose or use of the device.
As further displayed in Figure 2, the device may be
opened by unfastening retaining means 24 which may be
the type of two part separable materlal fastener (sold under
the trade mark VELCRO ~ (24a and 24b). Hinge means 22,
pre~erably a strip of flexible plastic, permits the second plate
14 to be folded down. In the open position or folded down
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position of the second plate 14, one surface of the plate 12
becomes visible. This surface carries indicia 40 which may be
of the form of a check mark.
Normally the device remains closed as shown in
Figure 1, displaying the indicia 32. In the event of a fire,
emer~ency personnel, for example, would be able to determine at
first glance the nature of the disabilities of the occupants in
the room. Once evacuation of the occupants from the roorn had
been completed the second plate would be pulled down revealing
indicia 40 namely, a check mark, indicia 32 no longer being
visible. The check mark would indicate to subsequent passing
emergency personnel that the door may be left closed, thus
minimizing the danger of fire spreading because of open doors.
The siæe of the device is chosen so as to avoid giving
a cluttered look, however, it should be large enough to be
clearly visible. Additionally when the device is mounted,
consideration is given to mounting it on or about eye level.
The device may be constructed of plastic, wood or
preferably of fire-resistant material such as aluminum. The
plastic or wood may be coated with fire-retardant material. The
device may be coloured and marked for "emergency" use only. The
colouring chosen for the preferred embodiment is red wlth white
lettering - red being the colour associated with Fire Departments
and emergency equipment. White lettering contrastlng the red
background may be used to further alert people to the fact that
t"he device is for emergency use only.
Displaying indicia 32 or like assists emergency
personnel in determining the nature of the disability of the
individual resident in the room. Other information may be
displayed using representations such as those shown in
Figures 3a - 3d. The information could be carried by adhesive
stickers which could be altered every time the nature of the
disabilities of the residents of the room changed. The markings
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on these stickers could be luminous and/or florescent.
Although not shown, an alternative to varying the indicia on
plate 14 would be to provide a selective demountable mechanical
hinge 22 so that plate 14 with indicia could be detached from
plate 12 and a new pla~e 14 with a different indicia mounted for
hinged connection with plate 12.
~ modified embodiment to the device is shown in
Figures 4 and 5. Plates 12 and 14 are hinged together similar
to the embodiment shown in Figures 1 - 3 but plate 14 includes a
receptacle or bracket 50 secured to the front surface thereof
which bracket holds plastic card 52. Indicia 32 is located
on card 52 and card 52 may be selectively removed and replaced
by a card carrying a different indicia as circumstances such as
a change in the nature of the disability of the occupants of
the room dictate. A friction fit between card 52 and the
confines of bracket 50 would be all that is necessary to
secure card 52 in bracket 50 even when plate 14 is pulled down.
The embodiment of Figures 4 and 5 also show a variation in the
fastening means to nominally hold plates 12 and 14 together.
Rotatable screw stud 56 extends through plate 12 and has a wing
nut-like outer end 58 whlch in one position passes through a like
shaped aperture 60 in plate 14 and may then be rotated 90 to
secure the platestogether~ Thls type of fastener would be
more tamperproof but requlres more positlve operation during
an emergency situation.
Figures 6 and 7 illustrate still further modifications
of the device. Bracket 70 includes back plate 72 with holes
74 enabling the bracket to be secured by screwsor bolts to an
appropriate wall or frame. Bracket 70 has an open front
defined by side ~langes 76 which include sufficient b~ttom
portions 78 to support plate 80. Plates 80 and 82 are hinged
together, plate 80 being adapted to fit within bracket 70 with
plate 82 extending outwardly between side flanges 76. Plate 82
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may be pulled downwardly similar to the embodiment of
Figure 1. Seal means 84 comprising an adhesive strip retains
plate 82 upright but may be broken by simply pulling down on
plate 82. This embodiment permits the plates as a pair to be
removed and replaced if it is preferred to change the combined
indicia information of the device.
It will be appreciated that any symbol could be used on
the surface of plate 82 to indicate the nature of the matter to
be checked. For example, the checking device or checker could be
mounted adjacent a rack or bin in a warehouse containing parts
with the indicia on the plate 82 symbolic of the parts. Plate
or tab 82 could be pulled down after inventory taking of such
rack or bin to indicate that th~ parts have been checked.
Accordingly, the invention provides a checker device
whereby the checked status of a matter may be quickly indicated
in a visual manner upon the occurrence of a specified event.
The embodiments described above included indicia on two separate
plate means or associated with two separate plate means but it
will be appreciated that the "checked" indicia such as indicia 40
could be placed on the back surface of plate 14 rather than the
front surface of plate 12. Furthermore, it will be appreciated
that in emergency situations in particular, it may be desirable
to have a "checked" symbol or indlcia 40 which is substantially
larger than the indlcia 32 in whlch case the indlcia 40 may be
spread over the back surface of plate 14 and the front surface
of plate 12. It is preferred, particularly in emergency
situations that the initial indicia 32 for example be removed
completely from visual contact in order to avoid any possible
confusion or error.
The term "indicia" as used herein and in the claims
includes the use of selected colours by themselves and is not
limited to written or visually shaped material.
Other variations of the invention will become apparent
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to those skilled in the art and the invention is accordingly
not limited to the preferred embodiment only but includes those
modifications and variations within the scope and spirit of the
appended claims.
