US1919508A

US1919508A - Automatic fire apparatus

Info

Publication number: US1919508A
Authority: US
Inventors: William B Griffith
Original assignee: Star Sprinkler Corp
Current assignee: Star Sprinkler Corp
Priority date: 1932-03-31
Filing date: 1932-03-31
Publication date: 1933-07-25
Anticipated expiration: 1950-07-25

Description

July 25, 1933. w. B. GRIFFITH 1,919,508

AUTOMATIC FIRE APPARATUS I Filed March 31, 1932 Patented July 25, 1933 UNITED STATES PATENT-1 oF EiC WILLIAM B. GRIFFITH, F AUDUBON, NEW JERSEY, ASSIGNOR T0 STAR SPRINKLER CORPORATION, OF PHILADELPHIA, PENNSYLVANIA,

JERSEY vA CORPORATION ,OF ;1 TEW- AUTOMATIC FIRE APPARATU$ Application filed March 31, 1932. Serial No. 602,171.

My invention relates to improvements in automatic fire extinguishers, and particularly relates to devices having separable members, such as sprinkler heads, and fusible ing position between said members by fusible material, and upon the melting of the fuslble material the key will readily move out of locking position and release the members.

A further object is to construct a deviceso that a key of relatively hard metal may be used which will not be compressed and distorted under the tension applied to the separable members.

' A further object is to construct the sepa rable members with recesses which are 0ccupied by the movable key. One of the re cesses being of suflicient size to contain the fusible material for holding the key in the locking position, and to receive the entire key when the fusible materialis melted, thus allowing the key to move out of locking posi tion and release the separable members.

A further object is to provide a key in the form of a ball, or cylinder, which will readily roll out of locking position when the fusible material is melted. V

These together with various other novel features of construction and arrangement of the parts, which will be more fully'hereinafter described and claimed, constitute my invention.

Referring to the accompanying drawing, Fig. 1 is a vertical sectional View of 'a sprinkler head embodying my invention.

Fig. 2 is a transverse vertical sectional view on line 2-2 of Fig. 1.

Fig. 3 is a partial view similar to Fig. 1 showing the separable members starting to separate.

Fig. 4 is a partial perspective view of one separable member, showing a key in the form of a cylinder.

Fig. 5 is a partial vertical sectional view similar to Fig. 1, showing a different form of my invention.

Fig. 6 is a central vertical sectional view of separable members forming a link for use upon fire doors, windows, and thelikefenr bodying my invention. 1 I, .7 l r In the drawing in which like reference characters refer to likepart's, 10 represents a sprinkler head, having .the usual form of valve seat12, normally closed by a valve cap 13. A frame 14 ismounteduponand forms part of the body of thesprinklerfhead, and i said frame .14

screw 15. g c a

Separable members

16 and 17 are pivotally' associated at the fulcrum 18, and have lugs 19-and 20 which engage the valve cap13 and the stop screw 15. Said member-s16 and 1'7 carries an {adjusting stop have extension arms 22 and '23, forming levers. The arm 23 has an extension part 25, extending at right angles to the length of the arm 23. Said part 25 embraces the outer end of the'arm 22, thus formingcadj

acent surfaces

26 and 27 which are movable longitudinally; H

relatively to'each other when the members 16 and'17 are separated by'th'e action of the air pressure acting upon the under side of the cap 13[ A key 30, formed of hard metal or other hard material, which will not be distorted under pressure, is provided-for locking the separable member's'ag'ainst the tension upon the outer ends of the arms and for preventing the

adjacent surfaces

26 and 27 from moving longitudinally relatively to each other.

The key 30 is normally positioned between the adjacent surfaces 26 and 27' of the separable members. The surface 27' of the extension part 25 has formed therein a recess 32, and the end surface 26, of the arm'22, has formed therein a recess 33, which recesses are occupied by the key 80, for locking the separable members in the position shown in Fig.1. j T

The recess 33 formed. in the arm 22is of sufficient length to allowthe key to move entirely into it for releasing-the

members

16 and 17. The key 30 is held in looking position between the adjacent surfaces ofthe members displacement, as long as the fusible material 7 35 remains in the solid state.

The melting of the fusible material 35 will tend to lubricate the surface of-the key and the latter will-freely roll into the recess 33,

by the action of the shoulders 37 and 38, as the fusible material flows out of the recess 33, as illustrated in Fig. 3. The key fits loosely into the'recess 33, thus forming sulficient space around the key for the fusible material to escape when in the fluid state.

The key 30, shown in Figs. 1 to 3, is in the form of a metal ball. Fig. 4 illustrates a key 40, in the form of a cylindrical roller. The

terial 46 is melted, thus insuring the free releasing of the

members

42 and 43.

V Fig. 6 illustrates my invention applied to a fusible link for fire doors and the like. The

separable members

48 and 49 have adj acent surfaces with

recesses

50 and 51 formed therein. The recess 50 is of suflicient size to allow thekey 52 to fully enter the same for releasing the

members

48 and 49. The key 52 is ofsolid metal and is held in looking position by the fusible material 54 which is under compression and holds the key in the plane of the adjacent surfaces of the separable members, which latter can only move longitudinally, relatively to each other, due to the keepers 55 and the tongues 56.

Heretofore devices of this character have been constructed with separable members having adjacent surfaces movable longitudinally relatively to each other, and interlocked by keys formed of soft fusible material. This construction was defective as the tension of the members was applied directly upon the fusible material. 7

My invention provides a key formed of hard material which is normally positioned between the adjacent surfaces of the portions of the separable members which are movable longitudinally relatively to each other. The key is freely movable transverselyto said surfaces, into a recess formed in one of the members whenthe fusible ma terial is melted.

By providing a circular. key, which may be either of'spherical or cylindrical form, the key will roll, when the fusible material is melted, due to the cam action of the shoulders upon the separable members. By this arrangement the shoulders may be located nearly upon the medial plane between the adjacent surfaces of the separable members, thus reducing the force tending to compress the fusible material. r

7 I claim V V 1.. A device of the character described comprising, separable members having adjacent surfaces movable longitudinally relatively to each other, a key positioned between said members, said membershaving recesses formed in their adjacent surfaces to receive said key, the recess in one of said members forming a deep pocket having a closed inner end, fusible material confined within said deep pocket arranged for normally holding the key in looking position between said members, and the recess formed in the opposite member forming a closed shallow pocket with cam surfaces arranged to force the key into said deep pocketto-displace the fusible material and release said members when the fusible material Q is melted. i i

2. 1L device of the character described comprising, separable members having adjacent surfaces movable longitudinally relatively to each other, one of saidv members having a recess formed therein extending transversely relatively to said surfaces, said recess forming a deep pocket having a closed inner end, a key of relatively hard material movably mounted .in' said pocket, a shoulder upon the other one of said members fusible material in said dee )ocket 1 a P I normally positioning the key in lockingengagement with said shoulderand said member upon which the shoulder is mounted having a closed shallow recess with cam surfaces arranged to force the key into said deep pocket to displace the fusible material when the latter is melted.

3. A. sprinkler head comprising aframe, a valve seat in said frame, a valve cap, separable members forming a strut betweensaid frameand. said cap for holding the latter upon said seat, an extension arm upon one of the separable members, said-arm having an elongated recess forming a deep pocket having a closed inner end, said pocket extending lengthwise at right angles to-the end surface of the arm, a key movably mounted in said pocket, an extension arm upon the other one of said members, an extension part upon the last mentioned arm and positioned adjacent to said end. surface of the first mentioned arm, fusible material Within said pocket arranged for normally holding the key in locking engagement with said extension part, and said extension part llOf having arecess forming a closed shallowpocket with cam surfaces arranged to force the key into said deep pocket to displace the fusible material and release sald members when the fusible materlal is melted.

1.-WILLIAM B. GRIFFITH.