Abstract:
A fire protection sprinkler includes a body having an input end and an output end, the body having an output orifice at the output end. The sprinkler includes a frame extending from the body in the output direction and a deflector supported by the frame positioned opposite the output orifice. Also, the sprinkler includes a seal assembly which seals the output orifice. The seal assembly has a first side and a second side, the first side bearing identifying indicia associated with the orientation of the seal assembly. When the first side is oriented in the input direction, a portion of the indicia is visible from the input end, to indicate a correct assembly. However, when the first side is oriented in the output direction, none of the indicia is visible from the input end, indicating incorrect assembly. The identifying indicia can take the form of one or more of the following: a color, a character, a symbol, and a mark. The seal assembly can include a cap and an annular spring washer, such as a Belleville spring washer, used to provide a pressure seal.

Description:
[0001]    This application claims benefit under 35 U.S.C. §119(e) of provisional A. No. 61/653,293, filed May 30, 2012, the entire contents of which are incorporated herein by reference. 
     
    
     BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 
       [0002]    1. Field of the Invention 
         [0003]    This application relates to assembly aids for assembly fire protection sprinklers, and more particularly, to visual aids to assist in accurate assembly. 
         [0004]    2. Background 
         [0005]    Some conventional sprinklers include relatively small parts that are assembled by hand. Also, some sprinklers include parts which, after assembly, are fully or partially concealed during visual inspection. Moreover, certain parts, such as seals, may have a required directional orientation which is not visually verifiable when the sprinkler is fully assembled, that is, the orientation of the part in the sprinkler is difficult to determine, so that it is hard to determine if the seal is properly oriented in the sprinkler assembly. 
       SUMMARY 
       [0006]    Thus, it would beneficial to have a visual aid that would indicate that certain parts of the sprinkler were properly assembled. 
         [0007]    To provide such a visual aid, a fire protection sprinkler is described that includes a body having an input end and an output end, the body having an output orifice at the output end. The sprinkler includes a frame extending from the body in the output direction and a deflector supported by the frame positioned opposite the output orifice. Also, the sprinkler includes a seal assembly which seals the output orifice. The seal assembly has a first side and a second side, the first side bearing identifying indicia associated with the orientation of the seal assembly. When the first side is oriented in the input direction, a portion of the indicia is viewable from the input end to indicate a correct assembly. However, when the first side is oriented in the output direction the indicia are not viewable from the input end to indicate an incorrect assembly. 
         [0008]    The identifying indicia can take the form of at least one of the following: a color, a character, a symbol, and a mark. The seal assembly can include a cap and an annular spring washer, such as a Belleville spring washer. 
     
    
     
       BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
         [0009]      FIG. 1  shows an embodiment of a fire protection sprinkler in accordance with an aspect of the invention. 
           [0010]      FIG. 2A  shows a view of an embodiment of an annular spring washer in accordance with an aspect of the invention, viewed from an upper side of the washer. 
           [0011]      FIG. 2B  shows a view of a conventional annular spring washer viewed from an upper side. 
           [0012]      FIG. 3A  shows the annular spring washer of  FIG. 2A  viewed from a lower side of the washer. 
           [0013]      FIG. 3B  shows the annular spring washer of  FIG. 2B  viewed from a lower side of the washer. 
           [0014]      FIG. 4A  shows a view of the sprinkler shown in  FIG. 1A  viewed from a lower end of the sprinkler when constructed with the washer shown in  FIGS. 2A and 3A . 
           [0015]      FIG. 4B  shows a view of the sprinkler shown in  FIG. 1A  viewed from a lower end of the sprinkler when constructed with the washer shown in  FIGS. 2A and 3A . 
           [0016]      FIG. 5A  shows an embodiment of a fire protection sprinkler in accordance with an aspect of the invention. 
           [0017]      FIG. 5B  shows a plan view of the sprinkler of  FIG. 5A  viewed from above the sprinkler. 
       
    
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION 
       [0018]      FIG. 1  shows a section through a fire sprinkler  100 . The sprinkler  100  includes a body  102  having a threaded base  104  and a pair of frame arms (not shown) extending from the base towards a hub  106 . The sprinkler  100  also includes a deflector  108  attached to the frame arms at the hub  106 . The hub  106  and deflector  108  are positioned longitudinally opposite an output orifice  110  formed through the body  102  of the sprinkler  100 . The sprinkler  100  also includes a cup  112  and an annular spring washer  114  which is positioned between the cup  112  and the body  102  of the sprinkler  100 . 
         [0019]    A conventional Belleville spring washer  200  is shown in  FIGS. 2B and 3B  in its uncompressed state. As shown in  FIGS. 2B and 3B  the conventional Belleville spring washer  200  has a generally frustoconical form. The annular spring washer  114  employed in accordance with an embodiment of the invention adopts such a conventional Belleville spring shape, as shown in  FIGS. 2A and 3A . The conventional washer  200  shown in  FIGS. 2B and 3B  has the same color on its upper side  208  and lower side  204 . However, the lower side  304  of the annular spring washer  114  shown in  FIG. 3A  is colored a different color than the upper side  308  of the annular spring washer  114  shown in  FIG. 2A . When compressed, the washers  114  and  200  shown in  FIGS. 2A ,  2 B,  3 A and  3 B are constructed to assume a flattened shape, as shown in  FIG. 1 . 
         [0020]    Also, the Belleville spring washer  200  typically has a layer of a material  202  ( FIG. 3B ), such as polytetrafluoroethylene, applied to the lower, wetted side  204  of the washer  200 . The layer of material  202  forms a suitable seal between the washer  200  and the cup (e.g.  112 ) and the body (e.g.  102 ) of the sprinkler (e.g.  100 ) when the Belleville spring washer  200  is compressed. Typically, the layered material  202  has a clear or transparent appearance, so that when viewed the color of the underlying washer  200  is visible through the layer  202 , and thus, the upper and lower sides,  208  and  204 , respectively, of the washer  200  appear to have the same color. 
         [0021]    However, in accordance with one embodiment, at least one layer of material  302  ( FIG. 3A ) is applied to the lower, wetted side  304  of the annular spring washer  114  so that when the layered washer  114  is viewed, the two sides  304  and  308  of the washer  114  are colored differently. The material  302  can be applied as a tape, film, or a coating, such as a liquid or powder coating. 
         [0022]    As shown in  FIG. 1 , a thermally responsive glass bulb  116  is retained between a load screw  118  threaded in the hub  106  and a cavity  120  in the cup  112 . The load screw  118  is tightened against the glass bulb  116  so as to apply a compressive load to the glass bulb  116  which transfers the load to the cup  112 , which compresses the annular spring washer  114  into a generally flat orientation against an annular sealing surface  122  formed in the body  102  around the output orifice  110 . When so assembled, the cup  112  and the annular spring washer  114  seal the output orifice  110  closed. 
         [0023]    As shown in  FIGS. 2A and 3A , the annular spring washer  114 , in its uncompressed state, has a frustoconical appearance. The spring washer  114  is constructed to be positioned in the sprinkler  100  with a tapered end  306  in the output direction facing the hub  106 . However, it is possible to orient and assemble the spring washer  114  incorrectly, with the tapered end  306  oriented in the input direction facing the body  102 . Whether the spring washer  114  is oriented in the desired direction described above, or not, the spring washer  114  takes a generally planar appearance, even upon close visual inspection from an open end  124  of the body  102 . Therefore, those of ordinary skill in the art will appreciate that it is difficult to see, after assembly of the sprinkler  100 , whether the spring washer  114  is oriented as desired. Moreover, when the annular spring washer  114  is incorrectly oriented and the sprinkler  100  has been completely assembled, there is a possibility that the sprinkler  100  may pass visual inspection and hydrostatic pressure testing, but fail, such as by leaking, when installed in a sprinkler system. 
         [0024]    In accordance with an aspect of the invention, the annular spring washer  114  bears indicia, which can be visually observed both before and after assembly of the sprinkler  100  and which indicate the orientation of the washer  114  in the assembled sprinkler  100 . In one embodiment, the sprinkler  100  includes an annular spring washer  114  that has a first, wetted side  304  ( FIG. 3A ) that has a portion that is visible after assembly of the sprinkler  100  and which has predetermined identifying indicia  302  that is/are unique to the wetted side  304 . The second side  308  ( FIG. 2A ) of the washer  114 , the non-wetted side, has a portion of its surface directly opposite that of the first side  304  which does not bear such indicia  302 . Accordingly, the indicia  302  associated with the wetted side  304  of the washer  114  can only be viewed when the washer  114  is oriented with the wetted side  304  visible from the open end  124  of the body  102 , which is the desired orientation. 
         [0025]    The identifying indicia  302  include at least one of a color, character, pattern, mark, logo, picture, or other visual identifier. For example, in one embodiment the wetted side  304  has a region  310  ( FIG. 3A ) which includes a predetermined color identifying the wetted side  304 . The colored region  310  is visible from the open end  124  of the sprinkler body  102 , as shown in  FIG. 4A . A corresponding region  312  on the un-wetted side  308  does not include the color. Thus, if the sprinkler  100  is visually inspected, if the colorized portion  310  of the wetted side  304  can be seen, as shown in  FIG. 4A , a determination can be quickly made that the washer  114  is oriented properly. On the contrary, if the non-colored side  308  is visible from the open end  124  of the sprinkler body  100 , as shown in  FIG. 4B , a determination can be quickly made that the washer  114  is oriented opposite the desired orientation and that the assembly is defective. 
         [0026]    In one embodiment, the wetted side  304  of the annular spring washer  114  is layered with a polytetrafluoroethylene tape  302  that is colorized, such as with a blue color, and at least a portion of the tape  302  is applied in a region  310  of the wetted side  304  such that the color is visible from an open end  124  of the body  102  of the sprinkler  100  when the washer  114  is in its assembled state. Of course, as described above, the colored layer can also be formed as a film, or a coating, including a powder or liquid coating. 
         [0027]    In another embodiment (not shown), the wetted side  304  of the annular spring washer  114  bears a character string such as “OK” that is positioned in the viewable region  310  of the wetted side  304  of the washer  114  when the washer  114  is assembled. 
         [0028]      FIG. 5A  shows a section of another embodiment of a sprinkler  500  that can be used in accordance with the present invention. The sprinkler  500  is shown upside down in  FIG. 5A . The sprinkler  500  has a body  502  defining an axial fluid passage  504  and which may have the features of a model JL17 sprinkler, manufactured by the Reliable Automatic Sprinkler Company, Inc., of Liberty, S.C. The body  502  has a threaded portion  506  on its outer surface to allow the sprinkler  500  to be connected to a conduit (not shown) for providing pressurized fire-extinguishing fluid, such as water, to an input end  508  of the fluid passage  504 . The fluid passage  504  has an output orifice  510  at an opposite end  512  that is sealed by a seal cap  513 . The input end  508  may have a nominal diameter of, for example, 1 inch NPT (national pipe thread). The sprinkler  500  may have a K-factor of, for example, 17, which is defined by K=Q/√(p), where Q is the flow rate in gallons per minute and p is the residual pressure at the input end  508  of the sprinkler  500  in pounds per square inch. 
         [0029]    Two frame arms  514  (seen in section in  FIG. 5B ) extend from the body  502  and meet at a hub  516  positioned below and in axial alignment with the output orifice  510  (since the sprinkler  500  is shown upside down in  FIG. 5A , the frame arm  514  visible behind strut  516  actually extends upward in that drawing). A deflector  518  is positioned on the hub  516  so as to be impinged by the output fluid upon activation of the sprinkler  500 . As further discussed below, the deflector  518  in this particular embodiment is a circular, planar disk that is centered on and orthogonal to an axis Z-Z of the fluid passage. The disk  518  may have a number of slots of varying length and orientation arrayed around its periphery. 
         [0030]    A release mechanism  520 , e.g., a fusible link assembly, having a thermally-responsive element, e.g., a fusible link, is positioned between the hub  516  and the seal cap  513  to hold the seal cap  513  in place over the output orifice  510 . As shown in the sectional view of  FIG. 5A , the link assembly  520  includes a lever  522  positioned on a set screw  524  that extends upward from the hub  516 . Strut  516  is positioned between the seal cap  513  and the lever  522 , such that one end of the strut  516  is positioned in a slot  524  on the surface of the seal cap  510  and the other end is positioned in a slot  528  on the lever  522 , slightly offset from the set screw  524 . 
         [0031]    The pressure of the fluid on the seal cap  510  causes a downward force on the strut  516 , which in turn causes an extended end  523  of the lever  522  to tend to rotate away from the strut  516  (i.e., the lever  522  rotates counter-clockwise in the view of  FIG. 5A ). The rotational force on the lever  522  creates a tension force on the fusible link  520 , which is attached between the extended end  523  of the lever  522  and a hook (not shown) on the upper portion of the strut  516 . 
         [0032]    The fusible link  520  comprises two thin, metal plates, e.g., beryllium-nickel alloy, one plate connected to the lever  522  and the other plate connected to the strut  516 . The plates are joined in an overlapping manner with solder that melts at a predetermined temperature. The link  520  separates at the predetermined temperature, due to the tension force applied by the lever  522  and the strut  516 , allowing the lever  522  and the strut  516  to swing outward. This in turn releases the seal cap  513  and allows the fluid to be output from the orifice  510 . 
         [0033]    Positioned between annular spring washer  526  and an annular flange  530  of the cap  513  is a trip spring  532 . As shown in greater detail in  FIG. 5B , the trip spring  532  is in contact with a portion of the circumferential surface of the cap  513  between the flange  530  of the cap  513  and the spring washer  526 , below the plane B-B passing through the frame arms  514 . The trip spring  532  extends to the frame arms  514  on an upper side of plane B-B. Thus, the trip spring  532  is resiliently retained between the frame arms  514  to bias the cap  513  in an upward direction in  FIG. 5B  so that when the cap  513  is released during sprinkler activation the cap  513  will be jettisoned outwardly away from sprinkler axis Z-Z. 
         [0034]    The annular spring  526  washer in  FIG. 5A  can be formed with one or more indicia as described above in connection with the embodiments shown in  FIGS. 1 ,  2 A,  3 A, and  4 A. For example, in one embodiment one layer of a colored material, such as material  310 , may be formed on one side of the washer  526  in  FIG. 5A  which results in both sides of the washer  526  being colored differently. 
         [0035]    While the present invention has been described with respect to what is presently considered to be the preferred embodiments, it is to be understood that the invention is not limited to the disclosed embodiments. To the contrary, the invention is intended to cover various modifications and equivalent arrangements included within the spirit and scope of the appended claims.