US2702599A

US2702599A - Combined fire alarm and extinguisher

Info

Publication number: US2702599A
Application number: US271336A
Authority: US
Inventors: Charles B Sights
Original assignee: Individual
Current assignee: Individual
Priority date: 1952-02-13
Filing date: 1952-02-13
Publication date: 1955-02-22
Anticipated expiration: 1972-02-22

Description

Feb. 22, 1955 c. B. SIGHTS 2,702,599

COMBINED FIRE ALARM AND EXTINGUISHER Filed Feb. 15, 1952 VENTOR.

W a) ATTO EY a 2,702,599 lc Patented Feb. 22, 19

COMBINED FIRE ALARM AND EXTINGUISHER Charles B. Sights, Nashville, Tenn.

Application February 13, 1952, Serial No. 271,336

7 Claims. (Cl. 169-28) This invention relates to a combined fire alarm and extinguisher. More specifically it contemplates providing a relatively inexpensive and easily installable alarm and extinguisher utilizing simple explosive charges for producing a wirespread distribution of the fire-retarding substance and for producing one or a Series of loud warning reports.

The prior art has taught (1) the use of automatic fire alarms, and (2) the use of automatic extinguishing devices. Each kind has been somewhat effective for its intended purpose, but each has been relatively expensive, and has lacked the highly desirable functioning of the other type of device. Prior art devices also have been expensive, cumbersome, difiicult to install and maintain.

It is accordingly an object of this invention to provide a combined fire alarm and extinguisher which has the physical and psychological advantages of both extinguishing and warning devices.

It is another object of the invention to provide a combined alarm and extinguisher which is highly effective and yet which is inexpensive, easy to install and maintain.

These and other objects and advantages of the invention will become apparent as the following detailed description thereof proceeds.

In the drawings in which the same reference characters refer to like parts throughout the several views:

Fig. 1 is an elevational view showing the alarm and extinguisher in typical installations.

Fig. 2 is an enlarged cross-sectional elevation taken on the line 22 of Fig. 1.

Fig. 3 is an enlarged detailed showing of the upper right portion of Fig. 2.

Fig. 4 is an enlarged partial view of the upper part of Fig. 1.

Fig. 5 is an enlarged detailed showing of the explosive-charge portion of Fig. 2

With reference now to the drawings, the numeral 1 generally designates a preferred form of the fire retarder and alarm of this invention. prises a conical shell 3 of cardboard, plastic, metal or other suitable material, having an opening at its apex for passage of a fuse 5 for the explosive charge 7. The explosive charge 7 preferably is pre-fabricated as a conical unit for insertion into the apex of shell 3, but optionally can be built up in the shell 3, making use of its own conical shell 9 unnecessary. The charge 7 is disclosed as being formed of two separate portions designed for sequential detonation. The lower charge 7a is the expulsive charge for the fire-extinguishing or retarding substance 8 (which is shown herein as being a pulverulent substance, but which obviously could be a fire-inhibiting fluid if preferred). The expulsive charge 7a is preferably smaller and slower-burning than the alarm charge 711, which latter should explode with an extremely loud report a sufiicient period of time after the first explosion to permit a sleeping person to be sufficiently aroused to understand its meaning. Thus charge 7a will expel the fire-extinguishing substance 8 and simultaneously create a report loud enough to wake a sleeping person or to attract the attention of a watchman. However, a sleeping or relaxed person is not easily or quickly alerted to the degree necessary to correctly recognize the origin and/or meaning of a sound which could be interpreted as being a back-firing mo tor or even a dreamed experience. For this reason it This form com- A is desirable that the second fuse 10 should be relatively slow-burning, so that a few seconds thus would elapse between the two explosions, to allow time for the sleep ing or relaxed person to become fully alerted. Charge 7b, as stated, should produce an extremely loud report so that its warning can be heard for great distances and thru closed doors and windows. The divider disk 11 prevents ignition of charge 7b directly from charge 7a.

The fire-retardant substance 8 is held in the bottom of cone 5 by a diaphragm 19 of stiff paper, plastic, metal, etc. This disk 19 and the cone 3 are wax-impregnated or otherwise made moisture-proof, so that the substance will not absorb moisture and form lumps, or leak out if of liquid form. A sealing ring 21 of wax, cement, or the like, may be used to assist in making the seal hermetic. A similar seal is also desirable where the fuse 5 emerges from the cone 3.

The fuse 5 may be of any desired length so that it will extend out, or hang down, a distance sufiicient to insure its ignition by flames before the fire has spread dangerously. To improve the sensitivity of the device, it may be equipped with a temperature-sensitive detonator such as the mechanism 25-35, which merely requires a temperature in excess of any normally expected high temperature. Part 23 is a percussion cap which is cemented to the cone 3 closely adjacent the end of fuse 5. Cap 25 is detonated by a blow from a hammer member 25 carried by an arm 27 of spring wire, which is mounted in a yoke member 29 by being coiled around a pin 31 bridging the arms of said yoke 29. Both the yoke 29 and the fixed end of the spring 27 may be attached to the cone 3 by cement 31, or by other suitable means. Spring 27 is tensioned so that it would normally press hammer head 27 against the detonating cap 23. It is held in the cocked position shown in Figs. 2-4 by a fusible link 35 formed of an alloy or other substance having a relatively low softening temperature, so that the link 31 will break or open up to release the hammer upon an abnormal rise in temperature to a value which is preferably considerably below that which would be required to directly ignite the cap or fuse, but which is enough higher than normal ambient temperatures to insure that detonation will not occur in the absence of a fire.

The cone 3 may conveniently be supported by a relatively stiff wire 41 by spirally wrapping its lower end 43 around the apex of the cone. The end 43 may be cemented to the apex and additionally may have an inturned pointed tip 43a which can be pressed'into the cone wall to improve the bond and/or to hold the parts assembled while the cement hardens. The up per end 44 of the wire or rod 41 has a loop 44a bent therein to serve as an eye for a nail or screw 45, by which the device can be easily fastened to a rafter 46. It is preferable that the nail 45 have a squared head end slightly larger than the eye part 44a so that the device will be held against swinging, or so that it can be pointed or aimed as desired. The rod 41 can be bent, as shown in phantom in Fig. l, for attachment to a ceiling panel 47.

While I have disclosed a preferred form of the invention, it is to be understood that many changes can be made in the size, shape, composition and arrangements of the parts without departing from the spirit of the invention. For example, the first explosive charge could be embedded in the retardant material 8 somewhat remote from the second charge. Also the expelling charge could be divided into several parts for sequentially expelling portions of the retardant. If desired, an alrm could precede the expelling explosion instead of or in addition to the alarm following the same. It would also be a simple modification to design the expelling charge as a slow-acting one, to slowly distribute the powder or liquid retardant, which may be intermixed or interlayered therewith. This latter arrangement could be effected by making the body of the device in the form of a familiar pin-wheel for rotation about the axis of the rod 41, so as to produce a wide-spread lateral distribution of the material 8.

Having thus described my invention what I claim as spouse new and desire to secure by Letters Patent of th'e'United States is:

1. A combined 'fire alarm and" extinguisher'comprising: a container having a downwardly directed discharge opening, a closure means for said opening, said container having a relative high bursting strength as compared'with said closure means, a fire-retarding'substance held in said container by said closure means, an explosive charge to expel said substance'with an audible report, and means responsive to a fire-induced rise in temperature for detonating said explosive charge, a second explosive charge designed primarily as an alarm, and time-delay means' for detonating said second explosive charge responsive to, and at a predetermined time interval after, the fire-responsive detonation of said expelling charge for said fire-retardant substance.

2. A device according to claim 1 and additionally comprising a relatively stiff rod vertically axially extending upwardly from said container for supporting the same from above.

3. A device according to claim 1 and in which said rod has an eye in its upper end for receiving anail or like anchoring device for attaching said rod to a rafter or ceiling structure.

4; A device according to claim 3-and in which said' 4, rod is bendable to make it adaptable for'nailing to surfaces varying from the horizontal to the vertical.

5. A" device according to claim 1 and additionally comprising a wire rod wound around the upper por tion of said container and extending upwardly and axially therefrom to form a support therefor.

6. A device according to claim 5 and in which said container is of conical shape and said wire rod spirally embraces the apex thereof, whereby vertical and rotational displacement of said container due to expulsive reaction is prevented.

7. A device according to claim 1 and in which said time delay means is a fuse having a burning time of several seconds to time for arousing or alerting of a person between said detonations.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 1,708,869 Buddecke Apr. 9, 1929 1,941,298 Green Dec. 26, 1933 2,057,840 Neumann Oct. 20, 1936 2,152,761 Grison Apr. 4, 1939 2,383,048 Eckert, Jr. Aug. 21, 1945 2,598,273 Kromer May 27, 1952