Fire hydrant apparatus

Abstract: A fire hydrant apparatus comprising a coiled shape-retaining hose (3), the inner end of the hose being connected to the hydrant (2) characterised in that the hose is wound as an unsupported spiral so that the nozzle end is withdrawable axially.

Description: The present invention relates to improvements in fire hydrant apparatus of the type which are installed on building walls and which are utilized for fire fighting activity. One type of fire hydrant apparatus incorporating a hose is described in Japanese Utility Model Application Laid-Open No. 57-165154 and has been developed and commercially applied. This hose reel-type fire hydrant apparatus is of the type in which the fire hose by virtue of its construction is self-supporting in a circular cross-section (hereinafter called a shape-retaining fire hose) and is wound on a hose reel mounted rotatably on a supporting frame. The base end of said fire hose is connected to a rotary joint of the hose reel. In fire fighting a hydrant valve is first opened to cause water to be supplied through a conduit pipe to the rotary joint of the hose reel. Then, the fire hose is drawn by pulling the hose while holding a discharge nozzle connected to a head of the fire hose, and discharging toward a fire point is performed. Said hose reel-type fire hydrant apparatus has many advantages in that pulling the fire hose allows the hose reel to be rotated and the fire hose to be very smoothly drawn, whereby discharging can be started promptly, and in that using the shape-retaining fire hose allows a smooth discharging to be performed even in a condition that part of the hose is wound on the hose reel. However, said hose reel-type fire hydrant apparatus has a problem that the conduit pipe fixed to the wall of a building must be connected to the base end of the fire hose rotating with the hose reel, thereby requiring a rotary joint with a complex structure of increased cost. The water discharged from the fire hydrant valve flows through the conduit pipe and the rotary joint into the base end of the fire hose, so that the water flowing pass becomes complex compared with a case where the base end of the fire hose is connected to the outlet of the fire hydrant valve. This causes a problem that the installing of fire hydrant apparatus and the assembling of water pass require much labour. Further, in a fire hydrant apparatus in which a hose reel is mounted to a horizontally rotatable supporting arm so as to move the hose reel from the inside to the outside of the wall in performing fire fighting activity, there is a problem that part of the passage (for instance, the corridor) is blocked by the hose reel in performing fire fighting activity, thereby obstructing fire fighting activity and escape. GB-2,238,038 discloses a fire hydrant apparatus comprising a shape-retaining hose coiled as an unsupported spiral within a separate box being removably located within said apparatus and having an aperture through which the hose is withdrawable. The present invention is characterised in that that a holder (4) for supporting the front of the hose comprises spaced vertically extending rollers (4(a)) between which the hose is withdrawn. A first embodiment of the present invention has a shape-retaining fire hose spirally wound without a a central former or reel and housed in a fire hydrant box having a door on its front. The front of the fire hose is supported by a hose holder disposed on the front side of the fire hydrant box, and a base end of the fire hose is connected to an outlet of a fire hydrant valve. A discharge nozzle is connected to a head of the fire hose. In the event of fire, by forward pulling of the head of the fire hose withdraws the hose smoothly from its spiral coils. A second embodiment of the present invention has a hose housing box as disclosed in GB-A-2,238,038 in which the shape-retaining fire hose spirally wound has been installed in advance is placed in the fire hydrant box and in the event of fire the fire hose is drawn through a passage provided on the front of the hose housing box and for drawing the fire hose. In the first embodiment, the coils of shape-retaining fire hose are housed in the space formed by the side walls of the fire hydrant box and the hose holder disposed on the front side of the fire hydrant box. Also, the base end of the fire hose is connected directly to the outlet of the fire hydrant valve and the head of the fire hose is connected to the discharge nozzle. In the second embodiment, the coils of shape-retaining fire hose are housed in a separate hose housing box installed in the fire hydrant box. The base end of the fire hose passes through a hose insertion hole of the hose housing box and is connected to the outlet of the fire hydrant valve provided in the fire hydrant box, and the head of the fire hose is connected to the discharge nozzle. In the event of fire, an operator opens the fire hydrant valve and holds and pulls the nozzle and the head of the hose whereby the hose can be drawn continually from the inside of the fire hydrant box (or the hose housing box). After the apparatus is used, the fire hydrant valve is closed, and the hose allowed to dry is wound spirally in said space (or the hose housing box 16) and rehoused. By spirally wound as described and shown in the drawings we mean typically that the hose is wound from its inner end into a first series of similar advancing coils, then reversed wound back inside as a second series inside the first series and so on until the hose is completely coiled with the nozzle emerging frontwardly from inside the coils. The coils are usually axially compressed into register for ease of storage. When the nozzle is drawn forwardly the coils will readily unwind in sequence to allow the hose to be extended and used. As the hose is self-supporting of circular cross section it has the resiliently flexibility for winding without a reel or former into spirals and unwinding as described before and hereinafter. The invention will be described by way of example and with reference to the accompanying drawings wherein: Figure 1 is a front view of a first embodiment of a fire hydrant apparatus with the door removed; Figure 2 is a partially-omitted cross-sectional view taken along the line A-A of Figure 1; Figure 3 is a view similar to Figure 1 showing a second embodiment of a fire hydrant apparatus; and Figure 4 is a partially-omitted cross-sectional view taken along the line A-A of Figure 3. Figures 1 and 2 show an embodiment of the present invention in which 1 indicates a fire hydrant box, 2 a fire hydrant valve, 3 a hose, 4 a hose holder, and 5 a discharge nozzle. Said fire hydrant box 1 is formed in a flat box-shape rectangular in cross-section and has a door (not shown) on its front side. The inside of said fire hydrant box 1 is divided into two compartments by a partition wall 6, and in the upper compartment is housed instruments relating to fire alarm device and in the lower compartment is wound and housed the fire hose 3. The fire hydrant box 1 is installed usually on a wall or similar. In Figure 1, numeral 7 indicates a sound passage hole, 8 an indicating lamp, and 9 a transmitter. The hydrant valve 2 is fixed to the rear wall of the fire hydrant box 1 and has an inlet connected via pipes (not shown) to the pressurised water source. Said fire hose 3 is a self-supporting shape-retaining hose whose sectional shape is always kept circular, whose base end 3b is connected directly to the outlet 2a of the fire hydrant valve 2, and whose head end 3a is connected to the discharge nozzle 5. Said fire hose 3 as coiled is housed drawably in a space formed by the side walls, the rear wall and the upper/lower walls of the fire hydrant box 1 and the hose holder 4 to be described. That is, the hose 3 is spirally wound continually from the outside to the inside so that the hose 3 can be smoothly uncoiled and drawn. Said hose holder 4 is vertically provided rearwardly of the fire hydrant door of the fire hydrant box 1 and holds the front of said hose 3 housed in the coiled state. In the present embodiment, a pair of rotatable rollers 4a are used for the hose holder 4, located vertically at a certain interval in front of the hose 3 housed in the coiled state and supported rotatably by supporting shafts 11 between a mounting base 10 mounted in a horizontal position on the rear wall of the fire hydrant box 1 and the bottom wall of the fire hydrant box 1. The interval between the rollers 4a, the space between the roller 4a and the rear wall of the fire hydrant box 1, and the length of each roller 4a are set in such a manner that the hose 3 wound spirally can be well held and the fire hose 3 be smoothly drawn forwardly and axially through the space between two rollers 4a. Further, said mounting base 10 is mounted removably on the fire hydrant box 1 by a bolt 12 and a butterfly nut 13 fixedly secured to the rear wall of the fire hydrant box 1, and at the centre of the front of the mounting base 10 is provided a nozzle hanger 14 for holding removably the nozzle 5. Although in said embodiment, the front side of the hose 3 wound spirally is supported by the hose holder 4, a supporting plate 15 may also be provided in the lower corner of the fire hydrant box 1 to hold the lower part of the fire hose 3 as shown with a one-dot chain line in Figure 1. Although in said embodiment, each roller 4a is supported by the mounting base 10 and the bottom wall of the fire hydrant box 1, the roller may be supported by the partition plate 6 and said bottom wall with the mounting base 10 omitted. Figures 3 through 4 show a second embodiment of the present invention. In the second embodiment, instead of the direct housing of the fire hose 3 in the fire hydrant box 1, the fire hose 3 has been housed in advance in a hose housing box 16 which is separately formed, and after the hose housing box 16 containing the hose 3 therein has been placed in the fire hydrant box 1, the base end 3b of the fire hose 3 is connected to the outlet 2a of the fire hydrant valve 2. Said hose housing box 16, as shown in Figures 3 through 4, is in the form of a trapezium cut at the the centre of the front wall is formed a rectangular aperture 17 for drawing the fire hose 3 therethrough. On the upper part of both side walls (that is, the inclined part of both side walls) of said hose housing box 16 is provided a hole 18 through which the base end 3b of the fire hose 3 extends. Further, on both sides of passage 17 formed on the front wall of the hose housing box 16 are vertical rollers 4a to allow a smooth drawing of the fire hose 3. The width of said hose drawing pass 17 is set in such a manner that the fire hose 3 can be uncoiled and coiled for housing therethrough. The hose housing box 16 housing the coiled fire hose 3 is installed on a frame 19 in the fire hydrant box 1 and fixed to the fire hydrant box 1 by a locking nut 20 and the like. The base end 3b of the fire hose 3 extends outward through hole 18 and is connected to the outlet 2a of the fire hydrant valve 2. Further, the head 3a of the fire hose 3 is connected to the discharge nozzle 5, and said discharge nozzle 5 is held by the nozzle hanger 14. In performing fire fighting activity, as with said case of Figure 1, by pulling the fire hose 3 while holding the discharge nozzle 5, the fire hose 3 is extended from its spiral coils and by opening the fire hydrant valve 2, water is discharged. When the discharge is finished, the fire hose 3 is allowed to dry, and then the fire hose 3 is drawn through the drawing pass 17 in the hose housing box 16, and spirally wound by continuously turning the hose. In the present invention, the shape-retaining fire hose 3 is wound spirally and housed in the fire hydrant box 1; the front side of the fire hose 3 having been wound and housed is supported by the hose holder 4; and the base end 3b of the fire hose 3 is connected to the fire hydrant valve 2. As a result, in case of emergency, the fire hose 3 can be smoothly drawn, thereby allowing a prompt fire fighting activity. The base end 3b of the fire hose 3 is connected directly to the fire hydrant valve 2, whereby the installing of fire hydrant apparatus and the assembling require less labour than that required by prior art hose reel-type fire hydrant apparatuses. Further, the fire hose 3 is wound and housed directly in the fire hydrant box 1, whereby an expensive hose reel used for prior art hose reel-type fire hydrant apparatuses is not required. Accordingly, the manufacturing cost of the fire hydrant apparatus can be significantly reduced. In addition, where the hose housing box 16 is used, the transportation and handling of the fire hose 3 become convenient, and the winding/housing of the fire hose 3 is not required at a building site where the fire hydrant box 1 is installed, whereby the fire hose 3 can be mounted by one person and at a high efficiency,

Claims: A fire hydrant apparatus comprising a coiled shape-retaining hose (3), the inner end of the hose being connected to the hydrant (2) wherein the hose is wound as an unsupported spiral so that the nozzle end is withdrawable axially characterised in that a holder (4) for supporting the front of the hose comprises spaced vertically extending rollers (4(a)) between which the hose is withdrawn. A fire hydrant apparatus according to Claim 1 wherein the hose spiral is contained within a separate box (16) removably located within the apparatus, the front of the box having an aperture (17) through which the hose is withdrawn characterised in that the vertical side edges of the aperture (17) are defined by the rollers (4(a)) between which the hose is withdrawn.

Inventors: YOKOI SHIN, YOKOI, SHIN, YOKOI, SHIN, C/O YOKOI MANUFACTURING CO., LTD.
Applicants: YOKOI MANUFACTURING CO LTD, YOKOI MANUFACTURING CO., LTD
Application year: 1993
Main classification: A62C33
IPC codes: A62C33