U.S. patent number 3,768,567 [Application Number 05/207,832] was granted by the patent office on 1973-10-30 for automatic remote control discharge system for portable fire extinguishers.
Invention is credited to George Weise.
United States Patent |
3,768,567 |
Weise |
October 30, 1973 |
AUTOMATIC REMOTE CONTROL DISCHARGE SYSTEM FOR PORTABLE FIRE
EXTINGUISHERS
Abstract
An automatic remote control discharge system for tank-type
portable fire extinguishers of the type having a discharge nozzle
and a spring-pressed operating lever at the upper end of the unit.
A housing structure including means for removably securing an
ordinary fire extinguisher thereto has a housing portion partially
enclosing the upper end of the attached fire extinguisher,
including an actuating lever movable between non-operating and
operating positions. Spring means is provided for resiliently
urging the actuating lever in its operating position, and
releasable trigger mechanism is provided for normally retaining the
actuating lever in its non-operating portion against the urging of
the spring means. A trip wire cable interconnecting the trigger
mechanism with a remote fusible device serves as heat sensing means
operative to release the actuating lever so that it abuts and
presses downwardly upon the extinguisher operating lever for
discharging a fire extinguishing substance from the nozzle. Pipe
means communicating at one end with the fire extinguishing nozzle,
conveys a fire extinguishing substance to the remote zone of heat
detected by the heat sensing means.
Inventors: |
Weise; George (Wayne, NJ) |
Family
ID: |
22772163 |
Appl.
No.: |
05/207,832 |
Filed: |
December 14, 1971 |
Current U.S.
Class: |
169/26;
169/30 |
Current CPC
Class: |
A62C
35/605 (20130101) |
Current International
Class: |
A62C
35/60 (20060101); A62C 35/58 (20060101); A62c
035/02 () |
Field of
Search: |
;239/29,26,30 |
References Cited
[Referenced By]
U.S. Patent Documents
Primary Examiner: King; Lloyd L.
Claims
What I claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent is:
1. An automatic remote control discharge system for tank type
portable fire extinguishers having a discharge nozzle and an
operating lever normally resiliently retained in a first position
relative to said extinguisher retaining said extinguisher in its
nonoperating condition and having a second position for placing the
extinguisher in its extinguishing condition comprising an open
bottom housing having a top wall and side walls extending
downwardly from said top wall, an actuating lever pivotally mounted
at one end within said housing and extending towards one side wall
of said housing, resilient means tending to pivot said lever
towards said housing open end, a hook shaped lever pivotally
mounted in said housing at a position for engaging the other end of
said lever and detachably retaining said lever in a position
constraining said resilient means, heat sensor means, a wire
extending through said housing one side wall and pivotally
connected at one end portion to said hook shaped lever and at its
other end being releaseably connected to said heat sensor means, a
second resilient means connected to said wire and tending to pull
said wire and thereby said hook shaped lever from said actuating
lever for releasing said other end of said actuating lever whereby
said first resilient means would pivot said actuating lever, means
for detachably supporting said fire extinguisher through said
housing open bottom with said fire extinguisher operating lever
positioned for being moved to its second position by said actuating
lever upon the release thereof and a conduit means detachably
connected to said fire extinguisher discharge nozzle.
2. An automatic remote control discharge system as claimed in claim
1 wherein said conduit means comprises a pipe having a tapered
adapter member at one end shaped to fit into the fire extinguisher
nozzle, an O-ring having a quick release fitting over said adapter
member and inside said nozzle providing a leak-proof fit.
Description
This invention relates to hazardous condition protection units and,
more particularly, to the adaptation of such portable fire
extinguishers for non-attended use. While not limited thereby, the
invention is particularly adaptable to portable hand operated fire
extinguishers.
Installation of the fire protection systems frequently utilize
permanently installed vessels controlled by automatic sensors and
cable release means. The dispensing outlets of such vessels are
directed toward especially hazardous areas such as a deep fryer in
a restaurant. Installations of such systems use relatively heavy,
non-portable vessels. More often, such systems are supplemented by
portable, hand operated fire extinguishers distributed at key
locations in the less hazardous areas of the building. These
portable extinguishers, in the present state of the art require
human operators and, consequently, are useless during those hours
that the building is unattended.
Thus, an object of this invention is to provide a relatively simple
and inexpensive mechanism to permit the automatic, unattended
operation of such portable hazard protection devices as fire
extinguishers upon detection by a sensor of a fire or other
hazardous condition.
A further object of this invention is to provide a tubular means
and adapter which can be easily attached to and detached from the
nozzles of such portable hazard protection devices, for the purpose
of directing the discharge of their contents toward an area likely
to be affected by a hazardous condition upon detection by a sensor
of a fire or other hazardous condition.
According to this invention a housing is placed over an ordinary
portable fire extinguisher or similar type device covering the
handle release mechanism and provided with an adapter member
extending to the nozzle. Within this housing is a spring-operated
lever held in place by a trigger release connected to a trip wire
controlled by a sensor. This housing simply sets above the fire
extinguisher or similar device. The nozzle has inserted within it,
or is inserted within a similar shaped adapter member of a tubular
discharge system. The nozzle and adapter member are held in a
leak-proof position by an adjustable, quick-release rubber O-ring.
Upon detection of a hazardous condition, the sensor releases the
trip wire which pulls the trigger, thereby releasing the spring
operated lever. The spring operated lever moves toward the handle
release of a standard fire extinguisher or similar device, thereby
activating the discharge of its contents through the nozzle and
then through the tubular discharge system. For manual operation,
the O-ring is loosened as the extinguisher is moved away from the
adapter member and lifted from the housing.
Certain words are used in this specification and in the claims
indicating direction, relative position, etc. These words are used
for the sake of brevity and clarity. It is to be understood,
however, that these words are used only in connection with the
illustrations of the drawings, and that in actual practice the
construction, parts, etc., may have entirely different directions,
relative positions, etc. Furthermore, it is to be understood that
the present invention can be readily modified to operate with most
portable, commercially available, hand operated fire extinguishers
and similar hazard protection devices, and hence it is not
restricted to the typical fire extinguisher illustrated in these
drawings.
Referring now to the drawings,
FIG. 1 is a side view of the present invention, with certain
portions broken away, illustrating a form of the present invention
in use with one type of conventional portable fire extinguisher,
and
FIG. 2 is a detailed view of the activator mechanism.
Referring now more specifically to the drawings, reference numeral
10 designates a tank type fire extinguisher suitable for use with
an automatic remote control discharge system embodying the
invention. Such a fire extinguisher comprises, at the upper end of
its tank, a discharge nozzle 11 extending outwardly to one side and
operating lever 12 extending outwardly to the opposite side and
adapted for manual actuation by squeezing downwardly against a
relatively fixed handle portion 12a.
The automatic control discharge system embodying the invention,
designated generally by reference numeral 13, comprises a housing
14, of inverted, box-like structure, having a downwardly-extending
housing extension portion 15 at one side. Strap means 16 is
provided for releasably securing the tank type portable fire
extinguisher 10 with respect to the housing 14 so that the
discharge nozzle 11 and the operating lever thereof are enclosed
within the housing.
A nozzle connector pipe 17 extends through a side wall portion of
the housing 14 at one side for connection with the extinguisher
nozzle 11, as is hereinbelow more particularly described. A remote
sensing and trigger release mechanism 18 also connects with the
housing 14, at the other side thereof, for the purpose hereinafter
described.
With reference to FIGS. 1 and 2 it will be seen that an activating
lever pin 19 is horizontally disposed within the housing 14 near
the upper or top wall 14a thereof, said pin being retained in
opposed side wall openings in said housing (not illustrated). A
pair of actuating springs 20, 21 near each end of the lever pin 19
have one end each thereof anchored with respect to the upper wall
14a of the housing 14 by extending upwardly through spring retainer
openings 22 therein (only one illustrated in FIG. 1). A U-shaped
actuating lever 23 has its leg end portions journalled in spaced
relation along the lever pin 19, as indicated by loops 24 and 25,
said loops being adjacent one each of the surrounding torsion coils
of the actuating springs 21, 22. The inner ends of the actuating
springs 20, 21 extend along the insides of their respective legs of
the U-shaped actuating lever 23, and terminate in hook portions
20a, 21a, respectively, bearing down upon said actuating lever. It
is to be understood that the actuating springs 20, 21 serve as
helical torsion springs and are stressed to resiliently urge the
U-shaped actuating lever 23 in the downward direction, as
illustrated in FIG. 1.
Trigger means is provided for releasably retaining U-shaped
actuating lever 23 in its upwardly stressed position, as
illustrated in the drawings. To this end, a trigger lever 26 is
provided, said trigger lever extending at one end through an
opening 27 in the housing top wall 14a, whereat it is pivotally
journalled with respect to a pivot block 28, and the other end of
which terminates in a catch hook 29. The trigger lever 26 is so
located and so swingable with respect to its pivot block 28 that
the catch hook 29 can hook under an outer end portion of the
U-shaped actuating lever 23, as illustrated in FIG. 1, so as
normally to retain said actuating lever in its upper or withdrawn
position against the reactive force of the torsion actuating
springs 20, 21.
Communicating with the nozzle connector pipe 17 is a conduit
assembly 30 which extends to the remote area to be protected
against fire, such as a fire hazard area designated A in FIG. 1
where it terminates in a flared discharge vent 31. As further
illustrated in FIG. 1, the inner end of the nozzle connector pipe
17 terminates in an adapter 32 designed for tight inter-fitting
with the nozzle 11 of an associated fire extinguisher 10.
Preferably, this nozzle interconnecting adapter will be in the form
of a quick-release snap-fit connector provided with an O-ring 33
for intersealing engagement.
The remote sensing and trigger release mechanism 18 comprises a
nipple 34 extending through a side wall portion of the housing 14
in the vicinity of the trigger lever 26, and a rigid conduit
assembly 35 connected with the outer end of said nipple and
terminating in the vicinity of the remote area A to be protected.
The distal end of the conduit assembly 35 is fitted with a heat
sensor device 36 having a fusible link 37 at its outer end. A
flexible trip wire 38 extending through the nipple 34 and rigid
conduit 35 is secured at its inner end to the catch hook portion 29
of trigger lever 26. The other end of the trip wire 38 is secured
to a piston member 41 slidable within the sensor 36. An annular
abutment member 40 within the housing of the sensor 36 serves as a
seat for one end of a helical compression spring 39 within the
sensor and circumjacent the trip wire 38. The outer end of the
compression spring 39 is constrained against the inside of the
piston member 41. A rigid piston rod 42 secured at one end to the
piston member 41 and secured at the other end to a fusible link 37
extending outwardly of the housing of the sensor 36, normally
retains the compression spring 39 in compressed, stressed
condition, as illustrated in FIG. 1.
In use of the device, heat of a hazardous degree emanating from the
protected zone or area A will melt the fusible link 37 of the
sensor 36, thereby relieving back pressure upon the piston member
41 and enabling it to move outwardly under the compressional force
of helical spring 39. The movement of the piston member 41 carries
with it the trip wire 38, whereupon the interconnected trigger
lever 26 will be released from the activating lever 23. The
activating lever 23 will thereupon, under the influence of the
actuating springs 20, 21, press downward upon the operating lever
12 of the fire extinguisher 10, causing it to discharge through
conduit 30 and discharge vent 31 to extinguish the fire at the area
A.
While I have illustrated and described herein only one form in
which my invention can conveniently be embodied in practice, it is
to be understood that this form is present by way of example only
and not in a limiting sense. The invention, in brief, comprises all
the embodiments and modifications coming within the scope and
spirit of the following claims.
* * * * *