US814781A - Fire-alarm and sprinkler attachment. - Google Patents

Description

No. 814,781. PATENTED MAR. 13, 1906:

I J. HARTLEY. FIRE ALARM AND SPRINKLER ATTACHMENT APLPLIOLTION TILED JUNE 9,1905.

ating parts.

UNITED STATES PATEN OFFICE.

FIRE-ALARM AND SPRINKLER ATTACHMENT.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented March 13, 1906.

Application filed June 9, 1905, Serial No. 264,384.

To all whom it may concern.-

Be it known that I, JAMES HARTLEY, a citizen of the United States, residing at Philadelphia, county of Philadelphia, and State of Pennsylvania, have invented a certain new and useful Improvement in Fire-Alarms and Sprinkler Attachments, of which the following is a specification.

My invention relates to a new and useful improvement in fire-alarms and sprinkler attachment, and has for its object to provide a device to be attached to the ceiling waterpipes of a sprinkler system, the device consisting of a valve closing. the nozzle of the sprinkler-pipe, said valve'being held upon its seat by means of a flexible substance which will fuse at a certain temperature, allow the valve to be moved from its seat, and at the same time an electric contact will be made, sounding an alarm; and a further object of my invention is to connect with the device a preliminary alarm consisting of two electrical contacts normally held out of contact with one another by a fusible substance adapted to fuse at a lower temperature than the fuse of the sprinkler arrangement.

With these ends in view this invention consists in the details ofconstruction and combination of elements hereinafter set forth and then specifically designated by the claims.

In order that thoseskilled in the art to which this invention appertains may understand how to make and use the same, the construction and operation will now be described. in detail, referring to the accompanying drawings, forming a part of this specification, in which Figure 1 is a side elevation of my attachment, portions of the same being broken away and shown in section to better illustrate the interior construction Fig. 2, an end elevation of the device, portions being broken away and shown in section; Fig. 3, a plan view of the frame of the device.

A represents a frame which may be of any suitable shape or design to support the oper Threaded in the lower portion of this frame is a plug B, having an opening formed therethrough. This block is adapted to be threaded into the water-pipe sprinkler C of the sprinkler system. The upper end of the plug B is ground to form a valve-seat. D is a valve normally pressing downward upon the seat. The valve-stem E of said. valve eX- tends upward through the frame, the upper end of said stem coming in contact with an arm F, which arm is normally secured to a fuse-block G by a fusible substance H. The block G has a stem passing downward through the frame, which stem is threaded, and nuts G are threaded upon said stem upon each side of the frame, so that the block G can be adjusted so that the valve-disk D can always be held tightly upon its seat. The valve-stem E is threaded through a portion of its length, and a disk I is threaded upon this threaded portion, and between the disk I and the frame A is interposed a spring J, tending to force the valvedisk D from off its seat. This spring is also placed here to aid the fuse in breaking, and by so doing the fuse may be made to break within a given variation of temperatures below the actual fusing temperature of the fusible substance. K is a wheel provided with a number of wings, said wheel being journaled loosely upon the valvestem just above the valve-disk. Thus it will be seen that when the temperature of the arm in which the device is located. reaches a predetermined point the fusible substance H will fuse, thus allowing the arm F to be separated from the block G, and then the valvedisk D will be raised by the spring J together with the water-pressure within the pipe, and the water will then issue from the plug B and striking the winged wheel K will revolve said wheel, which will cause the water to be spread over a larger area.

In order to sound an alarm at the same time as the sprinkler is released, I provide a contact-point L, secured to the frame, but insulated therefrom, directly over the disk I, and when the valve is raised the disk I will be forced against the contact-point L, and as a wire extends from the frame to a battery M and from the other terminal of the battery through an electric signal back to the contact L a circuit will be established which will give a signal at any place desired and notify the authorities that the sprinkler arrangement has been released at a certain point in the building. I

It has been found desirable to provide a preliminary alarm to be sounded in advance of the release of the sprinkler, and this alarm is designed to be sounded when a small fire has started in the room or the temperature of the room has increased by any cause whatsoever to a dangerous point, but the heat not being sufficient to release the sprinkler. Thus the preliminary alarm will notify the authorities that a fire has started in said room or the room is becoming overheated, and therefore will enable them to either put the fire out or reduce the temperature of the room to a normal degree without the sprinkler being re has a stem Q passing through the same. Said stem Q is threaded and has a nut threaded upon said stem upon each side of the ear. Said stem and nuts are insulated from the frame by suitable insulation. Upon the upper end of the stem Q is located a block R, and the height of this block may be regulated by means of the nuts threaded upon the stem S is a rod which is adapted to be slipped into the ear P, said ear P being slotted to receive the same. The rod S is insulated from the frame by any suitable insulation, and upon the lower end of the rod S is secured a head S, and the head S and block R are normally secured together by fusible substance T.

U represents binding-nuts threaded upon the upper end of the rod S, and between the binding U and the ear P is interposed a spring V, which tends to force the rod S upward. A are is connected to the rod S by means of the binding-nuts U, and this wire passes through an electric signal to one terminal of the battery M and then to the frame, so that when the fusible substance T is fused and the rod S is raised by means of the spring V the head S will come in contact with the under side of the ear P of the frame and establish a circuit, sounding the alarm.

Of course I do not wish to be limited to the exact construction here shown, as slight modifications could be made without departing from the spirit of my invention.

Having thus fully described my invention, what I claim as new and useful is 1. In a device of the character described, a framework, a tubular plug carried by said framework, the lower end of said plug adapted to be threaded into a water-pipe, a valvedisk normally closing the upper end of said plug, a valve-stem extending upward from the valve-disk through the framework, an adjustable block secured to the frame, an arm adapted to come in contact with the upper end of the valve-stem and hold the valve upon its seat, fusible substance cementing the arm to the adjustable block, a spring adapted to force the valve from oil its seat, a winged wheel ournaled loosely upon the valve-stem above the valve-disk and adapted to be revolved by the flow of water, a contact-point secured to but insulated from the frame, an adjustable extension carried by the valve-stem adapted to come in contact with the contact-point when the valve is raised, a battery, an electric signal, a wire leading from the frame to the insulated contact-point and including in the circuit the battery and the signal, and means for sounding an alarm preliminary to the fusing of the fusible substance controlling the sprinkler attachment, as and for the purpose specified.

2. In a device of the character described, a framework, a tubular plug carried by said framework, the lower end of said plug adapted to extend into a water-pipe, a valve-disk normally fitted to close the upper end of said plug, a spring tending to force the valve-disk off its seat, fusible substance adapted to hold the valve upon its seat, means for sounding an alarm when the valve is removed from its seat, a movable contact-point, an adjustable block secured to the frame but insulated therefrom, fusible substance cementing the contact-point and block together and holding the contact away from the frame, a spring tending to force the contact against the frame, said fusible substance adapted to fuse at a lower temperature than the fusible substance controlling the valve, and means for sounding an alarm when the movable contact-point comes in contact with the frame, as and for the purpose specified.

In testimony whereof I have hereunto affixed my signature in the presence of two subscribing witnesses.

JAMES HARTLEY.

WVitnesses:

JABEZ V. THOMSON, JAMES S. HAMILTON.

Images