GB2434746A

GB2434746A - Firefighting equipment storage receptacle

Info

Publication number: GB2434746A
Application number: GB0602309A
Authority: GB
Inventors: Jonathan Harry Gunn
Original assignee: Individual
Current assignee: Individual
Priority date: 2006-02-04
Filing date: 2006-02-04
Publication date: 2007-08-08
Anticipated expiration: 2026-02-04
Also published as: GB0602309D0; GB2434746B

Abstract

The invention provides a firefighting equipment storage receptacle with an indent shaped to receive a portable fire extinguisher 3, shaped to conform generally to the exterior features of the extinguisher, but gripping the extinguisher - if it does so grip it - only sufficiently to allow ready manual release of the extinguisher from the receptacle in an an emergency. The receptacle also includes an indent 8 for a fire blanket. Variants of the invention allow for mounting the receptacle within a drawer, or for the receptacle to be a drawer itself. A variant with a mechanism to lift an extinguisher from the receptacle is also provided; in some embodiments this is actuated automatically on opening of the drawer. A further varient is provided with wall mounting regions and the lower surfaces of the indent 3 are angled to ensure the extinguisher is retained in the receptacle. 1.

Description

A Receptacle

Field of the Invention

The invention relates to storage receptacles for fire fighting equipment, particularly for use in a domestic or institutional context, and in particular to such receptacles adapted to Background to the Invention and Prior Art Known to the Applicant(s') The need to pay attention to fire safety and security, especially in the home, has been increasing in recent years. Fire fighting equipment such as fire extinguishers and fire blankets, are produced for the domestic and institutional markets and are often purchased by consumers in response to e.g. public service advertising or high profile domestic fires.

Such equipment may also be purchased for Landlords of domestic properties, for use by tenants.

When purchased by consumers, or received by them as gifts, such extinguishers are often left in the original packaging material, designed to tightly grasp the extinguisher, to protect it in transit, and to prevent unwanted tampering with the device during retail display. This form of packaging is often difficult to open, and would be especially so in the context of an urgent requirement to use the extinguisher, e.g. in response to a kitchen fire. However the packaging does provide useful protection for the device to prevent it being damaged during the long periods in which it is likely to remain unused. This poses a difficult dilemma for consumer, and indeed for agencies wishing to improve domestic fire safety: whether to leave the extinguisher or fire blanket in the original packaging to protect its integrity, or to remove, or recommend removal, of the device from the packaging and place it e.g. in a kitchen cupboard or drawer ready for use. The former choice leaves to greater inaccessibility of the device when needed in an emergency; the latter may result in damage to the equipment. Either solution may also result in the potential end user either forgetting where the device has been stored, or, especially in the case of Tenants, not knowing where the device is stored.

Another solution to this problem of safety equipment accessibility is to mount the extinguisher on a bracket in e.g. the kitchen, clearly visible to all. This solution, however, creates two new problems: firstly, such brackets are usually produced of strong, resilient clips to firmly hold the extinguisher against a wall. This leads to difficulty for some end users, e.g. elderly or infirm people with limited strength in their hands, to remove the extinguisher from the bracket when required. Secondly, the kitchen has firmly entered the domain of the fashion-conscious, and the display of an often red-coloured extinguisher amongst the carefully designed kitchen units does not find favour with the consumer.

Extinguishers are therefore often consigned to the back of cupboards or hidden away in drawers where they are inaccessible, forgotten about, and liable to damage.

It is an object of the present invention to attempt a solution to some of these problems.

Summary of the Invention

Accordingly, the invention provides a firefighting equipment storage receptacle comprising a surface member having an indent shaped to receive a portable fire extinguisher, said indent being shaped to conform generally to the exterior features of the extinguisher, thereby locating the extinguisher within the receptacle, in use, but gripping the extinguisher -if it does so grip it -only sufficiently to allow ready manual release of the extinguisher from the receptacle in an emergency. Preferably, the indent is further shaped thereby enable a user to readily grasp the extinguisher within, and remove it from the receptacle.

In this way, the essential requirement of ready-accessibility by a user is achieved, providing the protection for the device that is absent when it is removed from its original packaging, whilst overcoming the difficulty of access to the device when in a pack designed for shipping or retail display, specifically configured to prevent unwanted access to the extinguisher.

In any aspect of the invention it is also preferable that the surface member is adapted to engage with the rim of a drawer, sufficient at least to resist gross movement of the receptacle relative to the drawer when so engaged.

In preferred embodiments, the receptacle itself has the form of a drawer, and preferably further comprises a drawer runner.

As a result, the unit can be located within e.g. a kitchen, ensuring that firefighting equipment is always readily locatable, easily accessible, and protected from damage. The receptacle preferably fills substantially the entire drawer area, preventing consumers adding further items, so impeding access to the extinguisher.

In any aspect of the invention the receptacle further comprises a mechanism to lift the extinguisher, in use, from the receptacle. When the receptacle is associated with, or comprises, a drawer, it is preferred that the mechanism operates automatically on opening the drawer. Given this essential teaching, the skilled addressee will be able to select a suitable mechanism. As a guide, one such mechanism is described below.

In any aspect of the invention it is preferred that the receptacle comprises a second indent shaped to receive a fire blanket, and further preferred that the second indent is further shaped to receive, in use, a portion of a user's hand, thus enabling a user to readily grasp a fire blanket within, and so remove it from the receptacle.

Where a second indent is provided, it is preferred that the first and second indents are contiguous. Preferably, the first and second indents are so arranged that, in use, a fire blanket must be removed prior to removal of the fire extinguisher.

In this way, a user in a hurry is guided to remove the fire blanket first, and make a reasoned judgement about which equipment is most suitable to tackle to situation in hand.

When the receptacle is not associated with, or does not comprise, a drawer, it is preferred that the receptacle further comprises wall-mounting regions and wherein the indent or indents are so shaped that, in use, an extinguisher and/or fire blanket will be held within the receptacle, under the action of gravity, when said receptacle is mounted on a wall.

Included within the scope of the invention is a firefighting equipment storage receptacle substantially as described herein, with reference to, and as illustrated by, and appropriate combination of the accompanying drawings.

Also included within the scope of the invention is any firefighting equipment storage receptacle as described above in combination with a portable fire extinguisher and/or a fire blanket.

Brief Description of the Drawings

The invention will be described with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which: Figure 1 shows a perspective illustration of a receptacle according to the present invention; Figure 2 shows a cross-section of the receptacle of Figure 1, together with an extinguisher; Figure 3 shows a perspective illustration of a receptacle having indents for a user's hand; Figure 4 is a cross-section of the receptacle of Figure 3, showing the position of an extinguisher, in use; Figure 5 is a perspective view or a receptacle having indents for both an extinguisher and fire blanket; Figure 6 is a perspective view of a receptacle having two contiguous indents; Figure 7 is a cross-section of a receptacle adapted to engage with the rim of a drawer; Figure 8 is a perspective view of a receptacle having the form of a drawer; Figure 9 is a cross-section of a receptacle further comprising a lifting mechanism; Figure 10 illustrates one mechanism to lift an extinguisher from the receptacle; and Figure 11 illustrates a wall-mounted embodiment of a receptacle.

Description of the preferred embodiments

Figure 1 illustrates a fire fighting equipment storage receptacle generally indicated by 1, according to the present invention. The receptacle comprises a surface member 2 having an indent 3 shaped to receive a portable fire extinguisher. In this instance, the indent 3 comprises two distinct portions; an extinguisher body-receiving portion 4 shaped to receive the main canister of the extinguisher and a valve assembly-receiving portion 5 shaped to receive the valve and trigger assembly.

Figure 2 illustrates a cross-section through the apparatus of Figure 1, along the line A-A.

The figure illustrates the indent 3 in the surface member 2 creating a means to locate the extinguisher 6 within the receptacle 1. It can be seen from the figure that the indent 3 is shaped so as not to grip the extinguisher 6 thereby allowing ready manual release of the extinguisher from the receptacle in an emergency.

Figure 3 illustrates a receptacle wherein the indent 3 is further shaped by the addition of further regions 7 to enable a user to readily grasp the extinguisher within and to remove it from the receptacle 1.

Figure 4 illustrates a cross-section through the receptacle Figure 3, along the line B-B. It can be seen that the additional portions 7 in the indent 3 allow a user to more readily grip the extinguisher 6 for removal.

Figure 5 illustrates an embodiment of a fire fighting equipment storage receptacle having a second indent 8 shaped to receive a fire blanket. In this case, the two indents, 3 and 8, are not only contiguous, but the fire blanket indent 8 traverses the indent 3 for the fire extinguisher such that, in use, a fire extinguisher located within indent 3 would sit below a fire blanket located in indent 8. Thus, a user would be forced to remove the fire blanket before the extinguisher, and thus give fuller consideration to an appropriate choice between the two forms of fire fighting appliance.

Figure 7 is a cross-sectional view of a fire fighting equipment storage receptacle 1 adapted to engage with the rim of a drawer 9 to resist gross movement of the receptacle one relative to the drawer 9 when so engaged. In this particular embodiment the adaptation comprises a protruding ridge moulded onto the underside of the surface member 2 and arrange to abut the inner face 11 of the drawer 9.

Figure 8 is an embodiment of the invention where the fire fighting equipment storage receptacle 1 itself has the form of a drawer. In this example, the drawer has substantially parallel sides 12 as well as substantially parallel top and bottom edges 13. At one end 14 is located a handle 15 to enable the drawer to be moved within a drawer carcass. Also illustrated in Figure 8 is a drawer runner 16 mounted on the side of the receptacle 1 Drawer runners are known themselves, and may take various forms. At their simplest, they might comprise a rebated groove; more complex forms of drawer runners may comprise a metal or moulded plastic channel, or runners to engage with corresponding units on the interior of a drawer carcass.

Figure 9 illustrates a fire fighting equipment storage receptacle I further comprising a mechanism 17 to lift an extinguisher, in use from the receptacle. Referring also to Figure 10, the mechanism 17 in this embodiment comprises an arcuate portion 18 connected to a lever portion 19 pivotally mounted about a point indicated by 20. One end of the lever portion 19 is connected by means of a cord 21 to a fixed point 22 on the drawer carcass.

Upon opening the drawer 9 in the direction indicated by the arrow in figure 9, the mechanism 7 moves from its configuration illustrated in Figure 10 (a) to that illustrated in Figure 10 (b). This movement causes the arcuate portion 18 of the mechanism 17 to swing through a hole 23 in the base of the indent 3 thus allowing a fire extinguisher to be momentarily lifted, thereby assisting a user to grasp it. In order to allow the mechanism to operate early in the drawer -opening cycle, and to prevent damage to the mechanism a portion of the cord 21 is preferably extensible, e.g. elastic.

Figure 11 illustrates a cross-section through an embodiment of the invention for wall-mounting. The receptacle 1 is provided with wall-mounting regions 24 to secure the apparatus, in use, to an essentially vertical wall. The lower surface 25 of the indent 3 is angled to ensure that, in use, an extinguisher 6 assumed a tilted attitude, thus retaining the extinguisher within the receptacle, whilst allowing its ready removal from the receptacle in case of emergency.

Claims

CLAIMS

1. A firefighting equipment storage receptacle comprising a surface member having an indent shaped to receive a portable fire extinguisher, said indent being shaped to conform generally to the exterior features of the extinguisher, thereby locating the extinguisher within the receptacle, in use, but gripping the extinguisher -if it does so grip it -only sufficiently to allow ready manual release of the extinguisher from the receptacle in an emergency.

2. A storage receptacle according to claim 1 wherein the indent is further shaped thereby enable a user to readily grasp the extinguisher within, and remove it from the receptacle.

3. A storage receptacle of any preceding claim wherein the surface member is adapted to engage with the rim of a drawer, sufficient at least to resist gross movement of the receptacle relative to the drawer when so engaged.

4. A storage receptacle according to either of claims 1 and 2 wherein the receptacle itself has the form of a drawer.

5. A storage receptacle according to claim 4 further comprising a drawer runner.

6. A storage receptacle according to any preceding claim further comprising a mechanism to lift the extinguisher, in use, from the receptacle.

7. A storage receptacle according to claim 6, (when dependent on any of claims 3 to 5) wherein the mechanism operates automatically on opening the drawer.

8. A storage receptacle according to any preceding claim comprising a second indent shaped to receive a fire blanket 9. A storage receptacle according to claim 8 wherein the second indent is further shaped to receive, in use, a portion of a user's hand, thus enabling a user to readily grasp a fire blanket within, and so remove it from the receptacle.

10. A storage receptacle according to either of claims 8 and 9 wherein the first and second indents are contiguous.

11. A storage receptacle according to claim 10 wherein the first and second indents are so arranged that, in use, a fire blanket must be removed prior to removal of the fire extinguisher.

12. A storage receptacle according to either of claims 1 and 2; or to any one of claims 8 to 11 when dependent on either of claims 1 and 2; further comprising wall-mounting regions and wherein the indent or indents are so shaped that, in use, an extinguisher and/or fire blanket will be held within the receptacle, under the action of gravity, when said receptacle is mounted on a wall.

13. A firefighting equipment storage receptacle substantially as described herein, with reference to, and as illustrated by, and appropriate combination of the accompanying drawings.

14. A firefighting equipment storage receptacle according any preceding claim, in combination with a portable fire extinguisher and/or a fire blanket.