US65682A - Improved automatic fire-extinguisher - Google Patents

Description

.RUFUS LAPHAM, Ol? NEW YORK, N. Y.

IMPROVKED AUTOMATIC FIRE-EXTINGUISHER.

Specification forming part 'of Letters Patent No. 65,682, dated June 11, 1867.

To all whom fit may concern.-

Be it known that I; RUFUs LALPHAM, of the city, county, and State of New York, have made certain Improvements in Automatic Fire Extinguishers and Alarms; andI do hereby declare that the following is an exact description thereof, reference being had to the accompanying drawing and letters of reference marked thereon.

The nature of my invention consists in constructing iire extinguishers and alarms in such a manner, and by the employment of suitable materials,that the increase of heat or the iiame produced by the breaking out of a fire shall immediately cause an alarm to be given and chemicals brought together which shall generate carbcnic-acid gas in the room on iire, and also to cause water, steam, gas, or any other extinguishable agent to be let into the room upon the re, thereby making the re itself give its own alarm and put itself out, all workmg automatically.

To enable others skilled in the art to make and use my invention, I will proceed to describe its construction and operation.

In the accompanying drawings the outlines B B may represent the walls of a room; A, an alarm-movement attached to the wall or ceiling, and having a hammer, D, acting upon the v bell B', which may be attached inside or outside of the building; M, a mercury pipe ortube, entering an upright block or tube, N; E, a screw by which the altitude of the mercury in N is regulated. T T is a thin piece of blocktin, or any other metal which will readily amalgamate with mercury, passing loosely through N, just above the tube M, and crossing the hole in N, which meets that of the tube M. L L L are small cords or wires, one being attached to the tin T Tl and to the pallet of the alarm, another to the tin T T and to the package or vessel C', containing carbonate or bicarbonate of soda, and the other attached to the tin T Tl and to the handle of the cock G. S is a spiral spring, also attached to said handle. R is a vessel for holding sulphuric acid, just beneath the package O.

Now, suppose the tube M is filled with mercury to a level, say a', and the alarm A wound up and held from running down by the cord L attached to the pallet, and suppose the vessel It be one-third iilled with dilute sulphuricacid,'and the cock C# to be shut, now, if the tinT T' be cut on", the cords L L L" will all be-loosened, causing the alarm to ring, the soda to drop into the acid, and the spring S to act, opening the -cock C, through which any extinguishablc agent keptin reserve can ow into the room. The carbonate of soda brought thus into contact with the acid will immediately generate-'carbonio acid gas, which, impregnating the atmosphere of the room, will extinguish the iire. Now, to cut the tin T Tl automatically, and accomplish thereby these desirable results, the mercury in the tube M is a certain agent. The increase of heat occasioned by the fire will cause the mercury to expand and to rise and cover the tin at a, and, forming an amalgam with the tin, will either sever it at on'ce, or make it so devoid of strength that a slight weight or draw upon it will pull it apart. The package G and the spring S answer being thus severed, the desired objects are thereby obtained.

The tube M may extend across the whole room, and have several branches entering it crosswise,'and even may extend into adjoining rooms; or there may be several of them in one room, acting independent of each other.

The cock C may connect by a pipe to a reservoir at a distance containing carbonio-acid gas, one reservoir serving for many buildings, probably for a large city.

To avoid all dangers from the gas during occupancy of the room, the package C can be very easily drawn aside, so thatgthere could be no possibility of danger of its falling into the acid, and then very easily replaced on leaving; but in all cases the alarm will give seasonable notice of escape. -And the tube M may hang vertically, and be made o'f glass, like a thermometer, having thereon indices to indicate the degrees of heat, but open at the top to allow the mercury to overflow onto the tin'T T whenever a iire shall break out in the room. Or the tube M may be covered on one end by an elastic covering, against which the mercury can expandwithout any escape, pressingit out ward; and to this elastic covering may be attached a lever or slide, which will move by the expansion, allowing the alarm to ring, the chemicals to 'be brought together, and the cock G to open; or, instead ofthe elastic covering, a

for such a weight. The tin plunger or stopple may be inserted in the end of the tube M, to which a lever or slide may be attached, accomplishing the same results. Intlllaoth these cases the tin T T is dispensed W1 What I claim7 and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is-

1. The application of the expansion of mercury by the heat produced by the breaking out oi' a iire in a room to cause an alarm to be gwen.

2. The application of the expansion of mercury by the heat produced by the breaking out of a fire in a room to cause chemicals that produce carbonio-acid gas to be brought together, for the purpose set forth.

3. The application of the expansion of mer; cury by the heat produced by the breaking out of a re in aroom to cause a cock, or its equivalent7 to open for the purpose of letting in any extinguishing agent kept in reserve.

4; The application of the expansion of meroury by the heat produced by the breaking out of a fire in a room to sever a wire, or its equivalent7 with Which vmercury readily amalgamates, for the purposes set forth.

5. Generally, for all purposes to Which it is adaptable, arranging a Wire, or its equivalent, with which mercury readily amalgamates in such a relation to the mercury that when eX- panded by heat it shall unite with said Wire7 or its equivalent7 and cause it to be separated.

` g RUFUS LAPHAM.

Witnesses:

GEo. CLARKE, SAMUEL CoLBY.

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