US2562963A - Portable fire extinguisher - Google Patents

Description

Aug. 7, 1951 J. H. STROOP PORTABLE FIRE EXTINGUISHER Filed Dec. 6, 1949 ATTORNEY Patented Aug. 7, 1951 UNITED STATES PATENT orrice PORTABLE FIRE EXTINGUISHER John H. .Stroop, New York, N. 11, assignor to Specialties Development Corporation, Belleville, N. J., a corporation of New Jersey Application December 6, 1949, Serial No. 131,454

tubefor conducting the fluid medium the discharge valve.

Accordingly, an object of the present invention is to simplify the construction and assembly of portable fire extinguishers of the foregoing type. and to reduce the cost thereof.

Another object is to so coordinate the elements of the extinguisher that the number of parts heretoiore required is reduced without any sacrifice in the efliciency of the extinguisher.

A further object is to prevent obstruction of the discharge passage of the valve upon operation of the safety discharge means.

Other and further objects of the invention will be obvious upon an understanding of the illustrative embodiment about to be described, or will be indicated in the appended claims, and various advantages not referred to herein will occur to one skilled in the art upon employment of the invention in practice. r

In accordance with the invention, the foregoing objects are accomplished by constructing the extinguisher in such a manner that a container for storing the fluid medium cooperates with a simple valve body to position an annular disc between the outlet of the container and the outlet of the valve body, which disc serves both as safety discharge means and the seat for a valve member adapted to control discharge of the fluid medium at will. In the event a syphon tube is utilized, a spring serves to urge the valve member on its seat and to hold the syphon tube in place within the container. Provision is made for preventing the valve member and/or inner portion of the disc from obstructing the discharge passage upon rupture of the disc due to excessive pressure.

In an illustrative embodiment of the invention about to be described, such an extinguisher comprises in combination: a container having an exteriorly threaded outlet spud formed with an annular sealing zone at the outer end thereof; a valve body having an interiorly threaded bore 4 Claims. (Cl. 169-31) passage in fluid flow communication with the bore and an annular shoulder between the bore and passage positioned over the sealing zone; an

annular disc having an outer marginal portion secured between the sealin zone and shoulder, a central aperture serving as a valve port between the container and the valve body outlet passage and an annular zone between the marginal portion and the aperture for facilitating rupture of the disc; a valve member for closing the port at the container side of the disc; and operating means for moving the valve member to unclose the port to thereby control at will the discharge of the fluid medium.

The valve body has a shoulder in the outlet passage which is engaged by the ruptured inner portion of the disc to prevent this portion from obstructing the passage and means are provided for preventing the valve member from moving into engagement with this portion or otherwise obstructin the discharge passage.

In such arrangements, where a syphon tube is utilized, the outlet spud is further formed with an internal shoulder. A syphon tube extends into the container having a flange supported on the shoulder of the spud and having a shoulder positioned inwardly of the flange, and a spring is seated on the syphon tube shoulder and engages the valve member to urge the same towards its seat.

A preferred embodiment of the invention has been chosen for purposes of illustration and description, and is shown in the accompanying drawing, forming a part of the specification, wherein:

Figure 1 is an elevational view of a portable fire extinguisher embodying the present invention.

Figur 2 is an enlarged fragmentary view partly in section and partly in elevation, illustrating the upper end of the extinguisher in detail with the parts thereof in their normal position.

Figure 3 is a view similar to Figure 2 with the parts in their position after rupture of the disc.

Referring to the drawing, and more particularly to Figure 1 thereof, there is shown a portable fire extinguisher comprising a metallic container or cylinder l0 adapted for storing liquefied carbon dioxide or other like fluid medium under pressure, a discharge control head I 1 including a valve body [2 (Figures 2 and 3), a handgrip I4 and a manually operable trigger l5, and a horn or shield l6 connected to the valve body for directing carbon dioxide to a flre. 4

adapted for securement on the spud, a Outlet 56 As illustrated in Figure 2, the container in has escapes an externally threaded neck or outlet spud 24 provided with an opening 2| which may be formed with an internal shoulder 22 or like means for supporting a syphon tube 24, as will be described hereinafter. The outer end of the spud has an annular sealing zone 25 surrounding the opening 2| and serving a purpose about to be made apparent.

The valve body I2 is generally cylindrical or cap-shaped; and has an axial extending bore comprising a lower interiorly threaded section 28 adapted for securement to the spud 29, an annular shoulder 21 above the section 26, an in- I termediate outlet passage including a section 29 of smaller diameter than the section 28, a section 99 of smaller diameter than the section 29, shoulder means 3| between the sections 29 and 39 and a lateral opening 92 in the section 39 in fluid flow communication with the horn or shield, and an upper section 34 of relatively small diameter.

. An apertured disc 35 is seated on the sealing zone 25 and is positioned over the container openin'g 2|. This disc may be of the type illustrated and described in my copending application for United States Letters Patent Serial Number 667,902, filed May 7, 1946, which is adapted to serve as both a valve seat and safety discharge member.

The disc 95 as shown herein is generally annular in shape, and has an outer marginal portion secured between the sealing zone 25 and the valve body shoulder 21 and has a central aperture 96 serving as a valve port. The inner portion of the disc, between its outer marginal portion and its aperture, extends inwardly across the container opening and is unsupported by the shoulder 21. This disc is constructed and arranged to rupture along an annular zone between the inner and outer portions thereof and be displaced in the (event the pressure of the medium in the container exceeds a predetermined safe value. Rupture of the disc along this zone is facilitated by hardening the inner portion and/or by providing an annular groove 31 at this zone by reducing the thickness of the disc by, a coinin operation or the like.

A valve member 49 is positioned below the disc 95 for closing the port provided by the aperture 99, and is adapted to be moved by a stem 4i to unclose the port which extends outwardly through the upper bore section 94. The stem is adapted to be moved downwardly on the trigger I! which is pivotally mounted on the valve body.

The syphon tube 24 has an outwardly extending or enlarged upper end portion such as a flange 42 supported on the shoulder means 22 and has an inwardly extending or constructed portion such as a shoulder 44 below the flange 42 supporting a spring 45 or the like for urging the valve member 49 towards the disc.

It will be appreciated that th extinguisher can be easily assembled to position the parts as shown in Figure 2. For example, the syphon tube is dropped into the container opening, the spring is placed in the upper end of the syphon tube, the valve stem is inserted through the disc aperture and is then inserted into the upper bore section of the valve body, and the valve body is threaded on the spud to position the valve member and the disc and to seal the container.

In normal operation, the trigger is engaged manually and is pivoted to move the stem 4i downwardly to unseat the valve member and permlt fluid medium in the container to be discharged through the disc aperture 90, the outlet passage, the opening 92 and the horn I8.

In the event that the pressure of the fluid medium in the container exceeds a predetermined safe value, the disc is adapted to rupture and be displaced as shown in Figure 3. The contents then will be discharged through the opening in the outer marginal portion of the disc which is retained between the sealing zone 25 and the shoulder 21, the disc aperture 38 in the inner portion, and the outlet passage opening 32.

It will be noted that the detached inner disc portion is displaced upwardly and is held against the shoulder means Si by the fluid medium being discharged, and is prevented by this shoulder means from obstructing the discharge outlet passage or from becoming lodged therein in a manner to make removal and displacement thereof dimcult.

Also, it will be noted that the valve member 40 is prevented from reclosing the aperture 39 in the detached inner disc portion by limiting its upward movement under the influence of the spring. This is accomplished by limiting the upward movement of the trigger portion 49 engaging the stem 4i, for example, by the top of the handgrip casing at 59, whereby the portion 49 acts as a stop to maintain the stem in a position to hold the valv member 40 in spaced relation to the inner disc portion to provide sufflcient clearance for discharge of the fluid medium through the disc aperture.

From the foregoing description, it will be seen that the present invention provides an improved portable fire extinguisher constructed of a minimum number of simple, inexpensive elements which are readily manufactured and assembled. The container, the valve body, the valve member and the disc cooperate to provide a seal for the container, a simple valve and safety discharge means thereby eliminating the use of complicated valve structures and greatly reducing the number of points at which leakage of the fluid medium from the container can occur. The parts of the flre extinguisher are rugged in construction and can readily withstand such rough usage to which they normally may be subjected.

As various changes may be made in the form, construction and arrangement of the parts herein, without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention and without sacrificing any of its advantages, it is to be understood that all matter herein is to be interpretedas illustrative and not in any limiting sense.

This application is a continuation-in-part of my prior application for United States Letters Patent, Serial Number 711,995, flled November 23, 1946 now Patent Number 2,548,750, dated April 10, 1951, in which the present invention is fully illustrated but not claimed.

I claim:

1. A portable fire extinguisher comprising in combination: a container for storing fluid medium under pressure having an exteriorly threaded spud'formed with an annular sealing zone at the outer end thereof and having an outlet; a valve body having a bore provided with an interiorly threaded portion adapted for securement on said spud, an outlet passage in fluid flow communication with said bore and an annular shoulder in said bore positioned over said sealing zone; a disc having an outer-marginal portion secured betweensaid sealing zone and shoulder, an inner portion over said spud outlet provided with .a central aperture serving as a valve port for conducting fluid medium from said container to said outlet passage, and an annular zone between said outer and inner portions so constructed and arranged to facilitate rupture of said disc at said zone; a valve member at the container side of said disc normally closing said valve port to confine the fluid medium in said container, whereby pressure of the fluid medium acts on said valve member and said disc and upon exceeding a predetermined value causes the disc to rupture to release the fluid medium in the container through said outlet passage; and mechanism operable at will to move said valve member to un-- close said port.

2. A portable fire extinguisher comprising 1n combination: a container for storing fluid medium under pressure having an exteriorly threaded spud formed with an annular sealing zone at the outer end thereof and having an outlet formed with internal shoulder means; a valve body having a bore provided with an interiorly threaded portion adapted for securement on said spud, an outlet passage in fluid flow communication with said bore and an annular shoulder in said bore positioned over said sealing zone; a disc having an outer marginal portion secured between said sealing zone and shoulder, an inner portion over said spud outlet provided with a central aperture serving as a valve port for conducting fluid medium from said container to said outlet passage, and an annular zone between said outer and inner portions so constructed and arranged to facilitate rupture of said disc at said zone; a valve member at the container side of said disc normally closing said valve port to con fine the fluid medium in said container, whereby pressure of the fluidmedium acts on said valve member and said disc and upon exceeding a predetermined value causes the disc to rupture to release the fluid medium in the container through said outlet passage; and mechanism operable at will to move said valve member to unclose said port; a syphon tube extending into said container having a flange supported on said shoulder means of said spud and having shoulder means inwardly positioned of said flange; and a spring seated on said syphon tube shoulder means and engaging said valve member to urge said valve member towards said disc and to maintain said syphon tube flange on its supporting shoulder means.

3. A portable flre extinguisher comprising in combination: a container for storing fluid medium under pressure having an exteriorly threaded spud formed with an annular sealing zone at the outer end thereof and having an outlet; a valve body having a bore provided with an interiorly threaded portion adapted for securement on said spud, an outlet passage in fluid flow communication with said bore and an annular shoulder in said bore positioned over said sealing zone; a disc having an outer marginal portion secured between said sealing zone and shoulder, an inner portion over said spud outlet provided with a central aperture serving as a valve port for conducting fiuid medium from said container to said outlet passage and an annular zone between said outer and inner portions so constructed and arranged to facilitate rupture of said disc at said zone; a valve member at the container side of said disc normally closing said valve port to confine the fluid medium in said container, whereby pressure of the fluid medium acts on said valve member and said disc and upon exceeding a predetermined value causes the disc to rupture to release the fluid medium in the container through said outlet passage; said outlet passage having shoulder means therein adjacent said first shoulder but spaced therefrom serving as a stop for preventing the detached inner portion of said disc from obstructing said outlet passage; and mechanism operable at will to move said valve member to unclose said port including stop means for maintaining said valve member out of engagement with the detached inner portion of said disc when in engagement with said stop shoulder means.

4. A portable flre extinguisher comprising in combination: a container for storing fluid medium under pressure having an exteriorly threaded spud formed with an annular sealing zone at the outer end thereof and having an outlet; a valve body having a bore provided with an interiorly threaded portion adapted for securement on said spud, an outlet passage in fluid flow communication with said bore and an annular shoulder in said bore positioned over said sealing zone; a disc having an outer marginal portion secured between said sealing zone and shoulder, an inner portion over said spud outlet provided with a central aperture serving as a valve port for conducting fluid medium from said container to said outlet passage and an annular zone between said outer and inner portions so constructed and arranged to facilitate rupture of said disc at said zone; a valve member at the container side of said disc normally closing said valve port to conventing the detached inner portion of said disc I upon rupture thereof from obstructing said outlet passage; and stop means cooperating with said valve member moving means for maintaining said valve member out of engagement with the detached inner portion of said disc when in engagement with said stop shoulder means.

JOHN H. STROOP.

REFERENCES CITED The following references are of record in the file of this patent:

UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Name Date 564,812 Winne July 28, 1896 1,041,945 Anderson Oct. 22, 1912 1,740,420 Friedman Dec. 17, 1929 2,106,176 Huflman Jan. 25, 1938

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