Patent ID: 11872425
Assignee: MINIMAX VIKING RESEARCH & DEVELOPMENT GMBH
Field: Environmental technology (Chemistry)
Classification: CPC A  F | IPC A

Claim 12:
13. A fire protection system, including a network of pipes for connecting fire protection devices to a source of firefighting fluid, the network of pipes including branch lines comprising:
a pipe header having internal fluid passageway extending along a longitudinal axis, the pipe header having an opening formed therein radially about the longitudinal axis; and
a branch connector including an annular seal member; and a unitary tubular member having a first terminal end welded to the pipe header, and a second terminal end spaced from the first terminal end, the unitary tubular member including an internal surface extending from the first terminal end to the second terminal end and circumscribed about a central axis of the tubular member that extends perpendicular to the longitudinal axis of the pipe header, the internal surface including a gasket chamber surface with the annular seal member housed and supported in the tubular member by the gasket chamber surface, an internally threaded surface between the gasket chamber surface and the second terminal end for engaging a fire protection device, and a stepless surface in fluid communication with the internal fluid passageway of the pipe header, the stepless surface extending from the first terminal end to the gasket chamber surface;
wherein the first terminal end and the second terminal end are axially spaced and coaxially aligned along the central axis, the stepless surface including a first segment and a second segment contiguous with and between each of the first segment and the gasket chamber surface, the first segment of the stepless surface extending parallel to the central axis to define a constant internal diameter about the central axis and the second segment of the stepless surface being skewed at a constant slope with respect to the central axis to define a decreasing diameter about the central axis from the first segment to the gasket chamber surface, the gasket chamber surface including a planar backstop surface circumscribed about and perpendicular to the central axis of the tubular member, the second segment of the stepless surface extending from the first segment and terminating contiguously with the backstop surface.