US2744580A

US2744580A - Handleless discharge head for portable fluid dispensing apparatus

Info

Publication number: US2744580A
Application number: US299834A
Authority: US
Inventors: Jr Henry H Schroeder
Original assignee: Specialties Development Corp
Current assignee: Specialties Development Corp
Priority date: 1952-07-19
Filing date: 1952-07-19
Publication date: 1956-05-08
Anticipated expiration: 1973-05-08

Description

May 8, 1956 H. H. SCHROEDER. JR HANDLELESS DISCHARGE HEAD FOR PORTABLE FLUID DISPENSING APPARATUS Filed July 19, 1952 INVENTOR. HengflScfiroemh ATYURAE'Y United States Patent HANDLELESS DISCHARGE HEAD FOR PORTABLE FLUID DISPENSING APPARATUS Henry H. Schroeder, Jr., Essex Fells, N. .L, assignor to Specialties Development Corporation, Beileville, N. 1., a corporation of New Jersey Application July 19, 1952, Serial No. 299,834

1 Claim. (Cl. 169-31) The present invention relates to improvements in a discharge head for portable fluid dispensing apparatus such as fire extinguishers, insecticide sprayers and the like.

Such apparatus generally comprises a cylindrical receptacle for storing under pressure the medium to be dispensed; and a discharge head secured to the upper end of the receptacle including a valve body for a manually operable valve for releasing the medium, a discharge directing shield connected to the valve body and a, carrying handle also connected to the valve body. I

In such apparatus the handle and the shield extend,

laterally outwardly beyond the receptacle, and, in some instances where a lever type valve operating element is employed, such element also extends laterally outwardly beyond the receptacle. Consequently, in packaging such apparatus for shipment by placing the same into individual cartons or the like, the cross sectional area of the carton was required to be of a size sutiicient to accommodate the outwardly projecting parts of the discharge head thereby requiring a larger size carton than normally adapted to receive the storage receptacle and the valve body. As a result, the cost of the cartons is increased and the space required to store the cartons with the apparatus therein likewise is increased. This provides an important outwardly beyond the storage receptacle are eliminated.

Another object is to provide such a discharge head wherein the valve operating element and the shield are constructed and arranged to facilitate manually supporting and operating the apparatus in a simple and practical manner.

Another object is to provide such apparatus which is adapted for dispensing fire extinguishing fluids of the snow forming or vaporizing type which cause considerable cooling of the shield while passing therethrough.

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 claim, and various advantages not referred to herein will occur to one skilled in the art upon employment of the invention in practice.

In accordance with the present invention, the foregoing objects are accomplished by providing a handleless discharge head generally comprising a valve body, a substantially vertically movable valve in the body including a valve operating stem having its upper end extending upwardly through the upper end of the body, a substantially horizontal forwardly facing discharge directing shield connected to the body at the front side thereof, and a valve stem operating lever having one end pivotally mounted at the upper end ofthe body adjacent the back side thereof and extending diametrically across the stem and having its other end adjacent the inner end of the shield, whereby the shield provides a finger gn'p for sup porting the head and the lever is adapted to be operated by pressing thereon with the thumb. In the embodiment of the invention about to be described, the shield is removably connected to the valve body, and'provisionis made for heat insulating the exterior of the shield to enable the same tojbe gripped comfortably while a fluid which causes cooling thereof is discharged therethrough.

'Fig. 2 is an enlarged fragmentary longitudinal sectional view of the apparatus shown in Fig. 1 with the lever locking pin applied.

Fig. 3 is an enlarged top plan view of the apparatus as shown in Fig. 2.

Referring to the drawing in detail, apparatus, such as a fire extinguisher, is shown which generally comprises a cylindrical receptacle It] for storing a medium under pressure; a spud or nipple 11 secured tothe upper end of the receptacle; and a discharge head 12 attached to the spud, including a valve seat member 13, a valve body 14, a valve member 15,'a valve operating stem 16, a valve stem operating lever 17 and a discharge directing horn or shield 18.

The spud 11 is formed with a vertical central bore 19 Y which is constricted adjacent'its lower end to provide an annular shoulder for supporting the flange of a s'yphon tube'20 extending to adjacent the bottom of the receptacle, and also is formed With an exteriorly threaded nipple portion 21. The spud may further; be formed with a radial passageway 22 in communication with the bore 19 for mounting a safety plug 24 of the type including a fusible element 25 adapted to unseal the passageway in the event the apparatus is subjected to a higher than predetermined temperature whereby the pressure within the receptacle can be relieved before attaining an unsafe value.

The valve body 14 is generally cup-shaped, .and com-L prises an interiorly threaded skirt portion 26 adapted to v be secured to the nipple portion 21, a shoulder 27 cooperat-, ing with the upperend of the nipple portion to hold the valve seat member in place, a bore 29 terminating in an opening at the top of the valve body through which the upper end of the valve stem 16 extends, and a laterally extending, exteriorly threaded nipple 30 formed with a discharge passageway 31 which has its inner end in communication with the bore 29.

The valve seat member 13 is an apertured metallic disc providing a discharge port controlled by the valve member 15 and having an annular zone against which the valve member is adapted to seat. As shown, the valve member isurged upwardly against theseat member by a spring 32 seated on theflange of the syphon tube 20 which at the same time holds the latter downwardly.

The valve stem operating lever 17 has one end thereof pivotally mounted at thev upper corner of the valve body,

opposite the side from which the nipple 30 extends, by means of 'a pin 33 which is perpendicularly disposed with respect to the longitudinal axis of the valve steam 16.

This lever is generally channel-shaped, and includes a top portion 34 extending diametrically across the valve stem for engagement therewith and further includes side flanges 35 between which the upper end portion of the valve body extends.

The portion 34 extends to about the inner end of the shield 13, and, by reason of its positioning with respect to the shield, is in cooperating arrangement therewith, whereby the shield provides a finger grip for supporting the discharge head (with the receptacle attached thereto) and the lever is adapted to be operated by pressing thereon with the thumb. This manner of carrying the apparatus and operating the same is illustrated more particularly in Fig. l which illustrates the ease with which the shield can be grasped and the application of thumb pressure on the lever to take advantage of the leverage provided by this arrangement of elements to unseat the valve member against the force of the spring 32 and the pressure of the medium in the receptacle. All this is accomplished without the need of a carrying handle, whereby the cost of the apparatus is reduced and the apparatus is more compact and can be packaged in a smaller carton.

Preferably, the lever 17 is restrained against accidental or unauthorized operation. This may be accomplished by a pin 36 having a pair of prongs 37 one of which extends into an aperture in the valve body and the other of which extends into an aperture in one of the side flanges 35 of the lever (Fig. 2). A ring-shaped section 39 (Fig. 3) connects the prongs which facilitates withdrawalof the pin. If desired, the pin may be fastened to the valve body by a seal wire which is adapted to be broken when the pin is to be withdrawn.

The shield 18 is generally cylindrical and has an open outer end and a wall at its inner end formed with an interiorly threaded opening 40 for receiving the nipple 30 and an orifice 41 communicating with the passageway 31. An annular gasket 42 forms 'a seal between the end of the nipple 30 and a shoulder 44 provided by the opening 40. If desired, the gasket may be adhered to this shoulder or retained thereon in any other suitable manner to prevent loss thereof in the event the shield is removed during shipment.

Since the shield is likely to become quite cold when vaporizable pressure medium is expanded through the orifice 41, the exterior of the shield preferably is heat insulated. This may 'be accomplished in a convenient manner by stretching a rubber sleeve 45 over the cylindrical body part of the shield which is in the region grasped by the fingers of the operator.

From the foregoing description, it will be seen that the present invention provides asimple, compact and economical discharge head for dispensing apparatus which is .practical and reliable in operation.

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 interpreted as illustrative and not in any limiting sense.

I claim:

A handleless discharge head for fire extinguishing apparatus of the type including a receptacle containing a fire extinguishing agent adapted to produce a refrigerating effect upon expansion thereof and having an opening, said head comprising a nipple adapted to be mounted in the openi g, a valve body having a vertical bore provided with a valve seat and a portion below said valve seat secured to said nipple and having a horizontal outlet nipple at the front side thereof in communication with ,said bore, said body having a substantially fiat upper end surface formed with an aperture, a vertically movable 'valve for said valve seat including a valve operating stem having its upper end extending upwardly through said upper end surface aperture of said body, a horizontal forwardly facing discharge directing shield having a cylindrical body portion formed with a bore removably connected to said valve body nipple at the front side thereof and formed with an orifice at the interior thereof in communication with said valve body nipple, a valve stem operating lever having side flanges each formed with an opening adjacent one end thereof, a pin extending through said openings and the upper end of said valve body adjacent the back side thereof extends for pivotally mounting one end of said lever so that said lever extends diametrically across said valve operating stem and is inclined with respect to said valve body upper end surface and has its free end adjacently above the inner end of said discharge shield, and a cylindrical rubber insulating sleeve fitting over said shield body portion and gripping the same, said discharge shield being the sole element associated with said discharge head which extends laterally outwardly of said head to a point beyond the outer periphery of the receptacle, whereby said discharge shield provides a finger grip for supporting said head and said lever is adapted to be operated by pressing thereon with the thumb to move the same into a horizontal position to unseat said valve, and, when said shield is removed, the remaining elements of said discharge head are within the maximum horizontal cross section area of said receptacle.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 578,703 Parker et al Mar. 9, 1897 778,439 Battelle Dec. 27, l904 2,023,984 Wells, Jr. H Dec. 10, 1935 2,098,454 Kelly, Jr. Nov. 9, 1937 2,533,685 Nurkiewiez Dec. l2, i950 FOREIGN PATENTS 622,004 Great Britain Apr. 26, 1949