Fire extinguishers – Sprinkler heads
Reexamination Certificate
2000-01-10
2001-05-15
Kashnikow, Andres (Department: 3752)
Fire extinguishers
Sprinkler heads
C169S019000, C169S038000, C169S041000, C169S042000, C169S056000, C169S057000
Reexamination Certificate
active
06230815
ABSTRACT:
BACKGROUND OF INVENTION
The invention relates to a sprinkler or a spray head comprising a housing, an inlet, a nozzle mounted in the housing, a passage from the inlet to the nozzle, and a holder for a release means, the holder being mounted in front of the nozzle so that it prevents the nozzle from spraying extinguishing medium forward without hindrance, the nozzle being arranged to spray extinguishing medium once the release means has been released, the holder being mounted in the housing by means of a locking mechanism, which is arranged to open and release the holder from the housing once the release means has been released.
The problem in the sprinklers of the above type is that the holder or some other part of the sprinkler always operates as an extinguishing-medium distributor, thus resisting the jet of extinguishing medium. Yet it is often desired that the nozzle can spray extinguishing medium without hindrance once the sprinkler has been released. If the extinguishing medium is water mist and the water mist hits the holder, the jet of extinguishing medium loses speed and momentum as the droplets gain in size. This is usually a drawback, since the aim is to spray water mist with a very small droplet size and, according to modern fire fighting technology, with high momentum and penetration capacity. Such an extinguishing medium absorbs heat very efficiently, and is simultaneously able to penetrate into the seat of fire. The longer the distance between sprinklers in a sprinkler system, the more important it is that individual sprinklers can spray directly forward, i.e. downward; otherwise a seat of fire directly under a sprinkler may expand, whereby the fire becomes more difficult to extinguish.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,618,002 discloses a sprinkler with such a design and structure that it can be embedded in the ceiling in an aesthetically pleasing manner. The sprinkler comprises a holder with a locking mechanism that opens in connection with the release as the release means melts. The locking mechanism comprises a spring, whose operation is crucial to the operation of the sprinkler. Whether or not the mechanism operates can be considered uncertain as the sprinkler has been unused for years, and, for example, the locking mechanism has dirtied and corrosion may have hampered the properties and operation of the spring. The sprinkler comprises a deflector, which prevents the extinguishing medium from being sprayed directly forward without hindrance when the sprinkler has been released.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,257,827 discloses a sprinkler comprising a valve that opens in connection with the release so as to direct the jet of extinguishing medium to the side. In this previously known sprinkler, the jet of extinguishing medium cannot be sprayed directly forward without hindrance.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,664,198 discloses a sprinkler with a locking mechanism that opens in connection with the release. A deflector prevents the extinguishing medium from being sprayed forcefully directly forward when the sprinkler is released.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF INVENTION
The primary object of the present invention is to provide a new sprinkler or spray head which does not involve the above drawbacks. The secondary object of the invention is to provide a sprinkler or spray head that allows the liquid flow to increase more with the increase in pressure than the earlier solutions by providing a structure that essentially changes the resistance value, so-called k-value, of a nozzle as the pressure changes.
The primary object is achieved by an invention which is characterized by a spindle being arranged to move, when the release means is being released, from a first position in the housing, in which the spindle is arranged to close the passage so as to keep the nozzle closed, to a second position, in which the spindle is arranged to open the passage so as to keep the nozzle open, the spindle being arranged to exert a force on the locking mechanism and, by moving toward the holder into the second position in connection with the release, to open the locking mechanism so that the nozzle can spray extinguishing medium forcefully forward essentially without hindrance. The sprinkler preferably comprises a spring-loaded spindle, which is arranged to move in the housing from a first position, in which the nozzle is closed, to a second position, in which the nozzle is open, whereby the spindle is arranged to exert a force on the locking mechanism and open it after the release means has been released and by moving the spindle toward the holder. A preferred, simple implementation is that the locking mechanism comprises at least two elements that can be inserted partly into recesses made in the housing and partly into recesses made in the holder.
The secondary object of the invention can be achieved with a sprinkler in which the nozzle is a central nozzle, the sprinkler further comprising a number of nozzles arranged obliquely on the side, each in its own nozzle housing, the nozzles arranged obliquely on the side each comprising an inlet end and a first conduit from the inlet end to a nozzle opening for spraying extinguishing medium from the nozzle, and the nozzle comprising a second conduit for spraying extinguishing liquid from the nozzle, a spring-loaded valve element being arranged in the conduit to keep the second conduit closed when a first pressure acts on the nozzle on account of the extinguishing liquid, the valve element being arranged to open the second conduit when a second pressure acts on the valve element, the second pressure being higher than the first pressure.
The preferred embodiments of the invention appear from appended claims
2
to
16
.
The main advantages of the sprinkler according to the invention are that the sprinkler allows spraying of extinguishing medium without hindrance with a great force, penetration and momentum when the release means has been released. Further, a preferred embodiment of the invention allows the liquid flow of extinguishing medium to increase heavily as the pressure of the extinguishing medium increases.
REFERENCES:
patent: 4508175 (1985-04-01), Pieczykolan
patent: 4618002 (1986-10-01), Mears
patent: 4664198 (1987-05-01), Johnson
patent: 4715447 (1987-12-01), Johnson
patent: 5188185 (1993-02-01), Mears
patent: 5257827 (1993-11-01), Takeuchi et al.
patent: 5513708 (1996-05-01), Sundholm
patent: 5944113 (1999-08-01), Sundholm
patent: 3032791 (1982-04-01), None
patent: 3816917 (1989-11-01), None
patent: 9531252 (1995-11-01), None
Evans Robin O.
Kashnikow Andres
Ladas and Parry
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