US600765A - baker - Google Patents

Description

1. f... e e h S ,w e e .n s 2 R .E K A B l. R d. d 0 M o W AUTOMATIC FIRE ALARM.

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(No Model.) 2 Sheets-Sheet 2. R. J. BAKER. AUTOMATIC FIRE ALARM..

No. 600,765. Patented Mar. 15,1898.

Ml 111|] AMA] 'vll A A manif ROBERT J. BAKER, OF BALTIMORE, MARYLAND, ASSIGN OR OF ONE-THIRD TO JOSEPH MAISCH, OF SAME PLACE.

AUTOMATIC FIREALARM.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 600,765, dated March 15, 1898.

Applie ation tiled April 2 8, 1 89 7.

To @ZZ whom t may concern.-

Be it known that I, ROBERT J BAKER, residing at Baltimore, in the State of Maryland, have invented a new and useful Automatic Fire-Alarm, of which the following is a specication.

My invention relates to an automatic lirealarm for use in warehouses, factories, hotels, dwellings, &c., and it may be used in conjunction with the local lire-alarm system or not, as desired.

The object of my invention is to provide an automatic alarm which will indicate in what portion of the building lire has been started and at the same time sound an alarm and, if used in conjunction with the local fire system, will through suitable mechanism sound an alarm at the fire-station and by the alarm indicate in what districtthe alarm was turned in. I accomplish this object by providing a suitable alarm placed in a box of any dimension and locating in the circuit of the alarm an indicator. Throughout the several rooms of a house I locate Wires leading from the indicator and normally have the wire in open circuit. I also place thermostats in position in the wire circuit, so that when there is any great amount of heat in the room they will act to close the circuit and sound the alarm. I also provide automatic means in connection with the box whereby the hinged front will drop to expose the indicator, and also, if the alarm is used in connection with the local lire system, the falling front will permit suitable mechanism to operate to sound an alarm at the lire-station.

My invention, broadly stated, consists of the above arrangement of parts and of certain details of novel construction of the several parts, all of which will be hereinafter more fully described, and specifically pointed out in the claims.

In order that my invention may be fully understood, I will proceed to describe the same, with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which- Figure l is a front elevation of the automatic alarm with the hinged front down to disclose the indicator and the several parts of the alarm. Fig. 2 is a transverse sectional view of the box with the hinged front in closed Serial No. 634,225. (No model.)

position. Fig. 3 is a detail' View of the thermostat used in the wire circuit throughout the several views. Fig. 4 is a plan view of the same with the top removed. Fig. 5 is a fragmentary detail view on an enlarged scale, showing one of the contact-arms of the thermostat, illustrating also in dotted lines the position it assumes when heated.` Fig.' 6 is a detail sectional view of the mechanism on the dottedA lines 6 6 of Fig. 2 used for sounding an alarm in the engine-station. Fig. 7 is a diagrammatic view of the alarm and the manner of wiring a building.

In the said drawings, A represents the box or casing of my automatic alarm, which may be of any desired size or configuration as may be found convenient. It is preferably provided with the hinged front B, having the word Fire placed on the inside of the front in luminous paint, and this front is for the purpose hereinafter stated. The casing is also provided with the hinged door O` in one of the other sides, so that the mechanism contained in the box can be easily reached or inspected.

In the box or casing A, I preferably locate the several parts of my automatic alarm,

which is composed of the indicator,the alarmbell and mechanism for operating it, and the automatic catch for allowing the front to fall. As will be seen from Fig. l, the hinged front is in such a'position in the box that it will fall by gravity when the catch is operated and be assisted in its fall by the weight of the magnets.

The indicator D used in the alarm may be of any desired construction and be of any size. One wire from each station is passed through a common opening in the indicatorcasing, `and each wire has two branches D leading therefrom,which are run to that part of the building which the indicator will designate. The other wires from each station in the indicator are bunched and connected with a common wire K', which leads to the magnets of the catch.

The alarm is composed of the usual bell E, magnets E', and the clapper E2,which is carried by the armature F. The arrangement of clapper and armature which I use in this connection is as follows: The armature F is IOO hinged at one end to the box or casing, as shown at F', while its other end F2 is bent downward and opens and closes a switch, so that the alarm will be continuously sounded. The switch consists of the two springs G and G', secured at one of their ends in any desired manner and having their contacting ends in the path of the end F2. In will be understood (see'Fig. 7 that one pole Z from the battery is connected with one pole of the magnets E', and the wire leading from the magnets E' is connected with one of the springs,while the other spring G' is connected by a wire G2 with the magnets of the catch. Thus it will be seen that when the armature is attracted to the magnets the end F2 will descend upon the spring G to break the circuit, so that the spring G'l will pull the clapper E2 against the bell. Of course as the end F2 is moved away the circuit will be completed and the armature drawn down again. By this means a continuous ringing is kept up.

The automatic catch carried by the hinged front B, and which is operatedv to allow the front to drop, consists of the magnets I^I,which are in the circuit of the wire G2, and the armature H',which engages the hook H2 on top of the box. The armature H' has the springs H3, carried by the pins I, normally bearing against it to keep it in engagement with the hook. The pins I are carried by the guard I', which holds the magnets in place on the hinged front.

I3 represents a slotted plate which allows for the adjustment of the magnets toward or away from the armature.

It will be understood that the several parts above described are suitably located in the box so that when a iire is indicated they will operate.

The manner of connecting the several parts so that they will operate is as follows: One pole of the battery is connected with one pole of the bell-magnets E' by the wire Z, while indicator of the several stations.

the other wire Z' of the battery' is carried to the several rooms of the building, as seen in Fig. 7. After leaving the magnets E' the circuit passes through the springs G and G' into the magnets H of the catch through the wire G2, and after leaving the magnets H it passes through the wire K', which is connected with the wires of one pole of the magnets of the The other wire from each station-indicator, as above stated, is passed through an opening in the casing,which bunches them, and each of these wires is provided with two branches, which lead to that part of the building designated by the indicator. These two wires and battery-wire Z' run to each portion of the building, and at those points I locate my improved form of thermostat, which is shown in Figs. 3, 4, and 5. This thermostat consists of a back plate L, of porcelain or other non-conducting material, edge blocks having grooves in theirv upper surfaces, in which are located the wires from the battery and indicator, the contacting mechanism, and a perforated cover of porcelain or other non-conducting material. The contacting mechanism consists of an iron bow L5, in contact with the battery-wire, having arms L2 reaching to a position adjacent to the indicator-wires. A set-screw regulates the normal position of these arms. On the inner side of each arm is rigidly secured a bar L3, of copper or some metal which, while being a conductor of electricity, is expansible to a greater extent than iron under the application of heat. These bars L3 are provided at their outer ends with angular toes or contactpoints M. When, under ordinary temperature, the normal position of the contact-points M is out. of contact with the indicator-points, the application of a degree of heat in excess of a safe temperature will cause the outer ends of arms L2 and the bars L3 to become curved outward owing to the greater expansion of bars L3, which, as clearly shown in dotted lines in Fig. 6, will lcause the toes or points M to-contact with the indicator-wires, thus closing the circuit through the indicator and sounding an alarm.

It will be seen from the foregoing that I have provided an insulating means in connection with a thermostat and that owing to the arrangement there will be no uninsulated wire exposed, thereby avoiding accidental fires often caused by the uninsulated portion of the wire coming into contact with an electric wire, which causes a spark. The advantage of having two wires is that if one should get out of order the other will be ready to complete the circuit.

So far I have only described that part of my invention which is designed for use in a building and not in conjunction with the local fire system, and it will be seen from the foregoing description that I have provided an exceed- IOO ingly simple and effective arrangement for indicating fire in any part of a building. It will also be observed that I have described the several parts arranged in what is known as an open circuit, and it will be understood that an equally effective result could be obtained in a closed circuit.

If it is desired to use my automatic alarm in connection with the local fire system, I provide the usual clockwork system N on the casing, to which the wires from a battery located in the lire-station are connected. In the clockwork I provide the wheel N', having the pins N2, which are so arranged as to sound the bell in the engine-house, and which is in this circuit, to indicate the number of the individual box, so that the call can be located at once. The wires leading from the battery in the engine-house terminate in the springarms N3 N4, one of which, N3, is always in contact with the wheel N', while arm N4 is in the IIO anism by the chain O', so that when the front falls the chain will unwind and allow the side to drop gradually. In order to hold the clock mechanism when the hinged front is in position, I provide the spring P, which engages one of the train of wheels of the clock mechanism, so that it cannot unwind to sound the fire-alarm.

Q represents a switch for throwing out the arm Nato prevent an alarm being sounded` at the engine-house when it is desired to inspect the box or try the wires in the building.

It will be understood that the alarm proper can be used independently of the local system or in connection therewith, or, if preferred, a separate and distinct circuit can be employed to give an alarm in the fire-station.

Having thus described my invention, what I claim as new, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is-

1. The combination with the door and the casing provided with the catch, of an angular bracket having slotted arms in contact with the door, screws through the slots foradjustably securing the bracket to the door, magnetcoils mounted on the upright arms of the bracket, a bracket, I, secured to the door, provided with openings through which the coils pass and smaller side openings, the armature, pins projecting back therefrom through the side openings of bracket I, and springs arou nd the pins7 bearing against the armature and the bracket I to hold the armature normally in engagement with the catch, substantially as described.

2. In an automatic fire-alarm, the combination of a box or casing adapted to be secured to a wall, an alarm-bell mounted on a standard secured to the back of the box or casing,

a pair of magnets mounted on a bracket se cured to the back of the casing below the bell,

the armature, F, of said magnets, having thev 3. A thermostat, comprising an insulated iron bow in contact with the battery-wire and having outwardly-projected arms extending toward the indicator-wires, parallel with the battery-wires, bars of different expansibility 'lying against and rigidly secured to the inside of said arms and provided with angular toes or contact-points adjacent to the indicatorwires, and a set-screw for adjusting the spread of the bow, substantially as described.

4. A thermostat, comprising an iron bow -in contact with the battery-Wire but' otherwise insu-lated and having its arms extending toward the indicator-wires, a set-screw through thebow for regulating the amount of spread of the arms, and copper bars rigidly secured to the inside of the arms and provided with angular toes or contact-points, substantially as described.

5. The thermostat herein described, consisting of the non-conducting back plate, the edge blocks provided with grooves to receive indicator-wires, the iron bow having spreading arms, secured to the back plate in contact with the battery-wire, the copper bars :rigidly secured to the inside of the iron arms and having contact toes or points, and the setscrew for regulating the spread of the bow, substantially as described.

ROBERT J. BAKER.

Witnesses:

A. M. SPRonssER, JOHN R. Dovn.

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