US2607336A

US2607336A - Device for setting and controlling backfires

Info

Publication number: US2607336A
Application number: US97692A
Authority: US
Inventors: Ambrose B Everts
Original assignee: Individual
Current assignee: Individual
Priority date: 1949-06-07
Filing date: 1949-06-07
Publication date: 1952-08-19
Anticipated expiration: 1969-08-19

Description

1952 A. B. EVERTS DEVICE FOR SETTING AND CONTROLLING BACKFIRES Filed June 7, 1949 INVENTOR. A B EVERTS ATTORNEYS Patented Aug. 19, 1952 1 DEVICE FOR SETTING AND CONTROLLING BACKFIRES Ambrose B. Everts,- Seattle, Wash.-,.de dicated to Q the free use of the People in the territory of the United States Application June 7, 1949, Serial No. 97,693

(Granted under the act of March 3,1883, as amended April 30, 1928; 370 O. G. 757) 1 Claim.

This application is made under the act of March 3, 1883, as amended by the act of April 30, 1928, and the invention herein described, if patented in any country, may be manufactured and used by or for the Government of the United States of America for governmental purposes throughout the world without the payment to me of any royalty thereon. v

I hereby dedicate the invention herein described to the free use of the People in the territory of the United States to take effect on the granting of a patent tome.

This invention relates to fire control and has among its objects provision of a device for setting and controlling backfires in grasslands or the like, which is of a simple construction carried directly on the back of a land vehicle, such as a fire engine, which may be easily raised to inoperative position for transportation to and away from grassland fires or lowered to operative position, and which may be quickly adjusted so as to set a fire on either side of the direction of travel of the vehicle by throwing a flame to that side and to extinguish the fire on the opposit side by spraying the grassland with a fire extinguishing fluid such as water on that side.

In general, according to the invention, the device has a rearwardly extending support for attachment to the back of a land vehicle. A flame thrower is pivotally mounted on this support to move horizontally, so that by simply adjustin it to either side of the support on its pivotal mounting, it is properly set to throw the flame to the desired side of the line of travel of the vehicle. A fire extinguishing fluid sprayer is also pivotally mounted on the support to move horizon-tally, thus providing a simple means for adjusting it to spray the grassland on the side opposite to that of the flame thrower.

Preferably, the support itself comprises tubes through which the fuel for the flame thrower and fluid for the sprayer are carried. Also, the support is preferably provided at its forward end with a vertically pivotal mounting adapted to be attached to the back of the land vehicle, whereby the support readily may be raised to inoperative or lowered to operative position, and is provided with a runner to ride over the land surface while the device is in operation and with a resilient element attached to the support and adapted to be attached to the land vehicle, quickly to return the support to operative position after the runner engages and rides over an obstruction.

For a detail description of the invention, reference is made to the accompanying drawing, in which:

Figure 1 is a three-dimensionalviewshowing the device attached to the ba'ck of a'fir engine, the fire engine, fuel and water tanks-and control panel being shown'schematically;

Figure 2 is a and v.

Figure 3 is asectionon the line 3-4 of Figurel.

In the drawing, the ventional design.

The device proper-is provided with afmainfsupport I2 made up of four parallel rigid rearwardly extending tubes l3, l4, I'5',"a nd 16 secured to-'- gether as by welding. This support is secured to the back of the fire engine by a pivotal'joint I! so that it may be rais'ed'to inoperative position. When in operative position,-as shown in the drawing, the support is held'a gai'nst sidesway by flexible chains l8 and IS, a runner 20, such as a sled, for riding over the land being secured to the support. If the runner engages obstructions, it rides over them, a resilient element 2| secured thereto and to the truck operating quickly to return the support to operative position.

A flame thrower 25, provided with an ignition spark plug 26 and designed to mix and burn a fuel comprising oil and gas, is of a usual design. This flame thrower is pivotally mounted on a bracket 2'! as at pivot 28 and locked in position with Wing nut 29. The bracket is pivotally mounted on the main support as at pivot 30. Thus, the flame thrower may be easily and quickly adjusted so as to throw the flame to either side simply by swinging it to the desired side on the pivot 30 and looking it in position with a wing nut 3|.

A fire extinguishing fluid sprayer is also mounted on the main support through an upright cylindrical bar 35. This sprayer comprises a tube 36 provided with

several spray nozzles

31, 38, 39, 40 and 4| communicating with the tube. The tube is slidingly and pivotally mounted on the bar by a bearing 42 attached near one end of'the tube. Thus, the sprayer may be quickly and easily adjusted upwardly and downwardly and to spray the section on the lin'e' 2-2 of Figure fire engine I I ,of con- :grass on the opposite side to that of the flam set by the flame thrower simply by swinging the tube 36 to its desired position on its bearing and locking it in this position with a set screw 43.

Fuel for the flame thrower and water for the sprayer are supplied from conventional type oil, gas and water pressure tanks 50, 5|, and 52, respectively, carried in the fire engine. Oil flows from its tank through a flexible tube 53, control valve 54, flexible tube 55, tube l3, and flexible tube 56 to the flame thrower. Gas flows from its tank Ignition of the fuel is provided by a battery 10,

push button switch H, and ignition coil 12 of ,a'

conventional buzzer type, the high tension, flexible spark plug wire 13 leading from the coil through tube IE to the sparlrlplug andbeingsupported near the flame thrower by a rigid member 14 thus to protect the wire from overheat.

Control valves

54, 58 and 63 and switch H are preferably arranged on a panel board 80 which,. due to the flexibility of the various tubes leading to it, may be located at any convenient place in the fire engine. As shown, the water strainer 62, battery 10 and ignition'ooil 12 are also on the panel board, but this is not necessary.

In use, t he fire engine is driven along a line where'it is desired to set the back fire with the flame thrower and sprayer set in proper positions. The operator by opening the fuel and Water control valves and closin the switch 1| starts the flame thrower and sprayer thus to set the back fire in the desired direction.

. I claim: I v

A device for setting and controlling back fires comprising a rearwardly extending support for attachment tothe back of a land vehicle,-a flame thrower pivotally mounted on the support so that it may be moved horizontally and set to throw the flame to either side of the line of travel of the vehicle, and a flame-extinguishing fluid sprayer pivotally mounted on the support so that it may be moved horizontally. and set to throw a 4 spray to the side of the line of travel opposite to that of the flame thrower, said support being provided at its forward end with a pivotal mounting adapted to be attached to the back of the vehicle so that the support,flam'e thrower, and sprayer may be raised to inoperative position and lowered to operative position, being provided with a runner to ride over the land surface when the support, flame thrower, and sprayer are in operative position, and being provided with a resilient element attached to it and adapted to be attached to the vehicle quickly to return the support, flame thrower, and sprayer to operative position after the runner engages and rides over an obstruction.

AMBROSE B. EVERTS.

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

UNITED STATES PATENTS. 7

Number Name 7 Date 531,648 Risdon et al Jan. 1, 1895 533,577 Ainger Feb. 5, 1895 851,011 Lamb Apr-. 23, 1907 r 899,404 Iten Sept. 22, 1908 1,254,145 Lieber Jan..22, 1918 1,399,229 Servoss Dec.5, 1921 1,526,642 Nissley 1 Feb. .17, 1925 1,629,044 Morter May 17, 1927 1,799,035 Benien et a1. Mar. 31, 1931 1,940,170 Howery et al Dec. 19, 1933 FOREIGN PATENTS Number Country Date France Jan. 7, 1924