US2682310A - Christmas tree fire extinguisher - Google Patents

Description

June 29, 1954 G c PAPPAS 2,682,310

CHRISTMAS TREE FIRE EXTINGUISHER Filed June 13. 1952 George 6'. Pappas INVENTOR.

Patented June 29, 1954 UNITED STATE i ATENT OFFICE 3 Claims.

The present invention relates to fire extinguishers such as fall in the class, broadly speaking, of sprinklers and it has more particular reference to one which is expressly designed and generally well adapted to be hung for use on the trunk or limbs of a trimmed Christmas tree so that in case the tree should catch on fire the fire extinguisher would come automatically into play and smother and thus extinguish the fire.

As the preceding general statement of the nature of the invention implies, various types of automatic Christmas tree fire extinguishers have been evolved and produced by others with a View toward accomplishing the same objective herein under advisement and it is common to this line of endeavor to employ a frangible container for fire extinguishing chemical or liquid and to, in addition, employ fuse controlled means to automatically actuate an impact hammer or the like to fracture the container and to cause the extinguishing liquid to shower down over the portions of the tree and to, in this manner, ex tinguish what might otherwise be a disastrous fire. It is an object in the instant matter to structurally, functionally and otherwise improve upon similarly constructed and performing fire extinguishers in the field of endeavor under consideration.

Another objective generally speaking is to improve upon and reduce the number of parts entering into the combination, thereby not only increasing the efficiency of the overall structure, but also rendering the same less costly to manu facture and produce and to otherwise simplify factors of sale and practical usefulness by untrained users.

Briefly summarized, a preferred embodiment of the invention is characterized by a clamp to embrace a portion of the tree, an ornamental ball containing a fire extinguishing liquid, a holder in which said ball is held, said ball being of frangible material, said holder being attached to said clamp, a spring actuated hammer for fracturing said ball, and a fusible trip link for holding said hammer in readiness to come into play under abnormal heat conditions in the vicinity of said link and hammer.

More specifically, the holder is a portion of a bent wire member whose support portion takes the form of a ring in which the ball-shaped container may be readily placed and utilized as an ornament.

Other objects, features and advantages will become more readily apparent from the follow- 2 ing description and the accompanying sheet of drawings.

In the accompanying drawings wherein like numerals are employed to designate like parts throughout the views:

Figure l is a top plan view of a Christmas tree-type fire extinguisher constructed in accordance with the principles of the instant invention;

Figure 2 is a vertical elevational view of the same with portions broken away; and

Figure 3 is a fragmentary elevation with the ball removed and observing the structure of Figure 2 in a direction from right to left.

Referring now to the drawings by way of reference numerals and accompanying lead lines. the frangible or fracturable container is denoted by the numeral 4 and this may be the size of a fairly large Christmas ball. In practice it will be decorated and colored like a Christmas ball but will difier in that it takes the form of a container for a fire extinguishing liquid and when said container is ruptured the liquid showers down and produces the gases necessary to smother the fire. As before stated, fracturable extinguisher containers are not in themselves new and, therefore, the invention is primarily in the ways and means for supporting and using the container. One of the principal support members or units is a holding unit which is fashioned from a length of wire which is suitably bent between its ends and the unit as whole is denoted by the numeral 6 and the intermediate portion of the wire is bent into ring form and the ring is denoted at 8. The free end portions of the wire are fashioned into a pair of vertical substantially spaced parallel limbs or arms Iii and the connective portions l?! which are coplanar with the ring, provide close spaced parallel bends which are supported in a manner to be described. The upper end of one limb is extended above the other and it is laterally bent as at I 4 and is fashioned at I6 into what'may be called a keeper for a readily attachable fusible trip link [8. A stabilizing brace member is provided and this comprises a vertically disposed plate 20 having a lateral shelflike flange 22 at the lower end, said flange 22 having upturned bends 24 providing lugs serving to cooperate with and suitably retaining the bent portions l2 of the holding ring 8. A hole or aperture 26 is provided in a plane just above the flange, as shown in Figure 3, to permit passage of the bends [2 through the plate with the 3 limbs following the side of the plate with which they cooperate.

The upper end portion of the plate is riveted or otherwise secured as at 28 to the intermediate portion of a substantially G-shaped clamping band 30, said band having return bends 32-32 providing grips or jaws which embrace the limb 34 of the Christmas tree in the manner shown. By interposing the upper end portions of the limbs ll0 between the plate 20 and the intermediate or bight portion of the clamp, a satisfactory assemblage of parts is had. The plate also serves, however, to provide outstanding spaced parallel ears 36-36 carrying a hinge pin 38 which serves to accommodate a coil spring 40. The coil spring has end portions 42 anchored. as shown in Figure 2 and has an intermediate portion 44 bearing against a terminal end portion 42 on what may be called a trigger 46. This trigger is actually more in the nature of a ham mer and the free end 50 of the finger 48 is laterally bent and is arranged so that it swings in the path of the arrow A and strikes the ball, fractures the latter and releases the fire extinguishing liquid, in an obvious manner. The aforementioned fusible link is so constructed that one end is attached to the keeper and the other end is attached to the hammer end of the trigger finger 48. It will be evident, therefore, that with the liquid-filled ball in the seating ring 8 and with the fusible link in place as shown in the drawings the device is now set for useful operation. The clamp means 30 is clipped on the trunk of the tree or at some other portion of vantage on one of the limbs and, of course, it is within the purview of the invention to use one or more extinguishers on a Christmas tree. In any event, it will be clear that if a fire is started within the vicinity of a tree the heat will impinge or play on the fusible link I8 which will melt and will allow the spring actuated hammer or trigger to come into play. By this is meant the hammer 50 will strike the ball and fracture the ball and the liquid in the latter will be released to extinguish the fire in an obvious manner.

It is thought that persons skilled in the art to which the invention relates will be able to obtain a clear understanding of the invention after considering the description in connection with the drawings. Therefore, a more lengthy description is regarded as unnecessary.

Minor changes in shape, size and arrangement of details coming within the field of invention claimed may be resorted to in actual practice, if desired.

Having described the invention, what is claimed as new is:

1. A Christmas tree fire extinguisher comprising a holder unit formed from a length of wire bent between its ends to provide a horizontally disposed ball seating and supporting ring having free end portions bent to provide close spaced parallel vertical limbs, one of said limbs extending beyond the companion limb and terminating in a keeper, plate means, clamp means at right angles to and secured to said plate means and adapted to embrace a trunk or other part of a tree, said limbs being superimposed against a surface of said plate means and having corresponding adjacent portions clamped between the plate means and clamp means, a pair of ears carried by said plate means, a spring actuated trigger pivotally mounted between said ears, and a fusible link carried by said trigger engageable with said keeper and operable to hold the trigger in a normal set ready-to-operate position.

2. A fire extinguisher attachment for a Christmas tree comprising a vertical flat plate having a lateral projecting flange at its lower end, a tree clamp, said plate being secured to said clamp, said plate being provided with outstanding spaced parallel ears, a trigger pivotally mounted between said ears and having a lateral free end forming a hammer, spring means cooperating with the trigger and ears and serving to project the hammer when said trigger is properly released, a holder embodying limbs, said limbs paralleling and contacting said plate and being interposed between the plate and clamp, the upper end of one of said limbs having an extension forming a keeper, and a fusible link engaging said keeper at one end and said trigger at the opposite end.

3. A Christmas tree fire extinguisher comprising a vertical plate having a lateral projecting flange at its lower ends, said flange being provided with a pair of upstanding spaced parallel lugs and said plate having an opening in a plane adjacent to the plane of said flange, said plate being further provided with spaced parallel ears, a clamp adapted to be attached to a part of a tree, said plate being secured to said clamp and said clamp being at right angles to the lengthwise axes of said plate, a trigger pivotally mounted between said ears and having a lateral free end forming a hanger, spring means cooperating with the trigger and ears and serving to project the hammer when said trigger is properly released, a holder formed from a length of wire bent between its ends and providing a horizontally disposed ball seating and supporting ring and having free end portions disposed in close proximity and providing vertical spaced limbs, the lower ends of the limbs being joined with adjacent end portions of the ring by way of bends and said bends being seated on said flange between said lugs and passing through the opening in said plate, the limbs being in superposed contact with one side of said plate and being clamped between the plate and said clamp, the upper end of one of said limbs having an extension forming a keeper, and a fusible link engaging said keeper at one end and said trigger at the opposite end.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Name Date 1,898,476 Banes Feb. 21, 1933 1,916,351 Whitman July 4, 1933 2,522,020 Deyo Sept. 12, 1950 2,581,324 Hartzell Jan. 1, 1952

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