Abstract:
A fire barrier for buildings includes a ceramic fiber based material such as ceramic paper. The ceramic prevents the burning of the building in case of a fire. The ceramic material may be mounted to the building on spools prior to use and rapidly deployed therefrom in the event of a fire near the building.

Description:
PRIORITY 
       [0001]    The present application claims the benefit of U.S. Provisional Application Ser. No. 61/095,586, filed on Sep. 9, 2008, which is herein incorporated by reference in its entirety. 
     
    
     THE FIELD OF THE INVENTION 
       [0002]    The present invention relates to a method and apparatus for protecting buildings from fire. More specifically, the present invention relates to a ceramic fire barrier suitable for installation on the exterior of buildings to protect the buildings from external fire, such as forest fires or the like. 
       BACKGROUND 
       [0003]    Currently, fires damage a significant number of buildings each year. In some areas, periodic forest or grass fires are common and these fires destroy many buildings. The close proximity of houses and other buildings often causes fires to spread quickly from building to building. While some building materials such as concrete are not burned by fire, other building materials such as plywood sheathing are readily burned by fire. The readiness with which common building materials such as plywood burn causes the fires to spread quickly from building to building, and can make the fire difficult to contain as there is a large source of fuel for the fire. 
         [0004]    It would be desirable to improve the fire protection which is available for buildings and especially for houses and residential structures as these are often affected by periodic fires. It would be desirable to provide a fire protection device which may be quickly deployed to protect a building in case of an impending fire. Protecting a house from a fire not only protects the house from damage, but also removes a source of fuel from the fire and thereby diminishes the strength of the fire. If sufficient numbers of buildings employ such a fire protection device, a fire could be much more easily controlled and extinguished as it would lack fuel. 
         [0005]    Existing fire barriers for houses suffer from drawbacks. One such drawback is the inability to withstand high wind. Some existing fire barriers are constructed with coverings such as covered frames that extend over a house to enclose the house. It has been found that, in many cases, these frames and coverings were unable to withstand the high winds that are often associated with a fire. In some cases, these products made the fire more damaging to the building. Other fire protection devices rely on water or other consumable goods to combat a fire, and require a dispensing system to control the application thereof. These may fail where the supply of the consumable goods is exhausted, where the strong winds that associated with the fire prevent the distribution thereof, or where the fire renders the control system or communication lines necessary thereto inoperative. 
         [0006]    There is a need for a more effective fire barrier for buildings. There is a need for a fire barrier which protects a building from burning in a fire. There is a need for a fire barrier which is durable and which is not easily damaged by the high winds and other forces encountered during a fire. There is also a need for a fire barrier which is easily adapted to any building and which does not require specialized building construction. 
       SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 
       [0007]    It is an object of the present invention to provide an improved fire barrier. 
         [0008]    According to one aspect of the invention, a fire barrier is provided which uses sheets of ceramic fiber based material to cover the outsides of a building. The ceramic material may be a ceramic paper as is disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 6,533,897, which is expressly incorporated herein. The ceramic paper remains stable in very high temperatures and may be used to prevent or inhibit underlying structures from burning. The present invention does not rely on a consumable fire combatant such as water or the like. 
         [0009]    According to another aspect of the present invention, a fire barrier is provided which may be easily and reliably attached to a building. The fire barrier accommodates most types of exterior building finishes, and thus may be attached to most buildings. The fire barrier is durable and able to withstand mechanical stresses such as are caused by the wind associated with a fire. 
         [0010]    These and other aspects of the present invention are realized in a fire barrier as shown and described in the following figures and related description. 
     
    
     
       BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
         [0011]    Various embodiments of the present invention are shown and described in reference to the numbered drawings wherein: 
           [0012]      FIG. 1  shows an end view of a house having a fire barrier according to the present invention; 
           [0013]      FIG. 2  shows another end view of a house having a fire barrier according to the present invention; 
           [0014]      FIG. 3  shows an end view of a seam as may be used with the present invention; and 
           [0015]      FIG. 4  a partially cut-away perspective view of a fire barrier according to the present invention. 
       
    
    
       [0016]    It will be appreciated that the drawings are illustrative and not limiting of the scope of the invention which is defined by the appended claims. The embodiments shown accomplish various aspects and objects of the invention. It is appreciated that it is not possible to clearly show each element and aspect of the invention in a single figure, and as such, multiple figures are presented to separately illustrate the various details of the invention in greater clarity. Similarly, not every embodiment need accomplish all advantages of the present invention. 
       DETAILED DESCRIPTION 
       [0017]    The invention and accompanying drawings will now be discussed in reference to the numerals provided therein so as to enable one skilled in the art to practice the present invention. The drawings and descriptions are exemplary of various aspects of the invention and are not intended to narrow the scope of the appended claims. 
         [0018]    Turning now to  FIG. 1 , an end view of a house with a fire barrier according to the present invention is shown. Although a residence such as a house is shown, it will be appreciated that the fire barrier may be used with many types of buildings. The house  10  has been covered with a ceramic fiber based covering  14 . The ceramic covering  14  may preferably be a ceramic paper such as is discussed in U.S. Pat. No. 6,533,897. The ceramic covering  14  can withstand temperatures of 1400° C. or more without degrading, and is thus highly resistant to fires. The ceramic covering  14  also impedes heat transfer, and serves to protect the house  10  from the temperature of a fire. If desired, an additional insulation layer  18  may be placed between the house  10  and the ceramic layer  14  to further protect the house from the heat. 
         [0019]    Typically, rolls of the covering are used to cover the house, leaving joints between the lengths of covering. These joints are held closed, and the covering is fastened to the house. The ceramic covering  14  may be attached to the house  10  as described in the following figures and paragraphs. Because the covering  14  is attached directly to the house  10 , it is held secure. The present invention does not rely on a covering frame as in prior art fire barriers, and is thus quite resistant to winds as the house  10  is able to withstand high winds. 
         [0020]    Turning now to  FIG. 2 , another end view of a house is shown. The house  10  has been covered with a ceramic covering  14 . The ceramic covering  14  is stored in rolls  22  which are mounted to the house  10 . The rolls  22  are mounted to the house  10  such that the rolls can rotate easily to dispense the ceramic covering therefrom. To cover the house  10  with the ceramic covering  14 , a person would simply grasp the end of the ceramic covering on one of the rolls  22  and pull the covering outwardly or downwardly to cover the associated portion of the house. 
         [0021]    Having rolls  22  of the ceramic covering  14  permanently mounted to the house is advantageous in areas where forest fires are common as the homeowner need not worry about locating a suitable fire barrier when a fire is approaching and because the ceramic covering  14  may be extended to cover the house quite quickly in case of an emergency. Typically, a ceramic covering  14  would extend over the roof of the house and around and underneath the eaves and down the walls of the house. As shown, the sections of ceramic covering may extend from the peak of the roof to cover the roof and eaves and from the eaves to the base of the walls. 
         [0022]    Small sections of ceramic covering  14   a  may be placed at the peak and eaves of the house to ensure adequate covering of the house at the joints between the ceramic covering  14 . These smaller sections of ceramic covering  14   a  would typically be permanently attached to the exterior of the house  10  in the positions shown. They may be colored so as to not detract from the house visually. The rolls of covering  22  may also be colored to match the house  10  or may be covered with a colored cover when not in use so as to not detract visually from the appearance of the house. 
         [0023]    The ceramic covering  14  of  FIG. 2  would be attached together and to the house as described in the following figures and paragraphs. While not shown for clarity, a layer of insulating material  18  may be used as shown in  FIG. 1 . 
         [0024]    Turning now to  FIG. 3 , an end view of a seam used to join adjacent sections of ceramic covering is shown. It will be appreciated that ceramic materials such as ceramic paper are available in limited widths, and typically are not available in rolls wide enough to cover an entire wall of a house. Furthermore, it may often be too difficult to handle and apply an overly wide piece of ceramic material, particularly in an emergency where time and manpower may be limited. It is thus necessary to join adjacent sections of the ceramic covering  14 . While panels of ceramic paper or the like may be sewn together in a manner similar to cloth, this is typically too time consuming and difficult to accomplish when installing a fire barrier on a house. A joint may thus be made by partially wrapping a first section of ceramic covering  14 ′ and a second section of ceramic covering  14 ″ around a rod  26 . Preferably, the rod  26  is a ceramic rod or rope so as to be fire resistant, although some metals may work. A clip  30  may then be placed over the rod  26  to attach the ceramic coverings to the rod. The clip  30  may typically be a ceramic clip or a metal clip which would not be destroyed by exposure to fire. 
         [0025]    Additionally, the ceramic covering  14 ′ and  14 ″ may be sewn around the rod  26  by a fire proof cord  34 , such as a ceramic cord. Because the rod  26  gives strength to the ceramic coverings  14 ′ and  14 ″ and helps keep the ceramic coverings together, it is not necessary to stitch the ceramic coverings together with small stitches such as with clothing, but the cord  34  may loop around the rod  26  every few inches and pass through the ceramic coverings  14 ′ and  14 ″ to attach the ceramic coverings to the rod  26  and to each other. The pieces of ceramic covering  14 ′ and  14 ″ are thus quickly and reliably attached together in a manner which will secure the covering  14 ′ and  14 ″ against wind and fire. 
         [0026]    Turning now to  FIG. 4 , a partially cut-away perspective view of a joint and fastening method of the present invention is shown. When installing a ceramic covering  14  over a house  10 , it is desirable to periodically fasten the covering directly to the house. As discussed, strong winds are typically present during a fire and these winds have been shown to damage and disable various fire coverings for houses. Fastening the ceramic covering  14  to the house helps to prevent damage to the covering by the wind and fire. The ceramic covering  14  may be fastened to the house by using a ceramic batten strip  38  and fasteners  42  such as nails or screws to secure the covering to a house wall or roof  46 . The batten strip  38  may also be used to join adjacent sections of ceramic covering  14 ′ and  14 ″. The sections of ceramic covering  14 ′ and  14 ″ are placed against the wall in an overlapping configuration and the batten strip  38  is placed over the overlapping sections of ceramic covering. Fasteners  42  are then driven through the batten strip, ceramic covering, and into the wall or roof  46  at regular intervals. The batten strips  38  may also be used to fasten the ceramic covering  14  to the house  10  at non-edge locations to further secure the covering against wind and prevent damage to the covering. 
         [0027]    The ceramic covering  14  is thus placed to cover the entire house  10 . The battens  38  and seams shown in  FIGS. 3 and 4  are used in combination as needed to fasten the ceramic covering  14  to the house  10  and to join adjacent sections  14 ′ and  14 ″ of the ceramic covering. Because the assembled ceramic covering  14  does not present any open edges and is fastened to the house at regular intervals, the ceramic covering is quite resistant to damage from strong winds or the like. The ceramic covering  14  serves to insulate the house from elevated temperatures, but more importantly does not burn and protects the house from burning. It is anticipated that where many adjacent houses or buildings use a fire barrier as discussed herein, an approaching fire will be much more easily stopped and extinguished because the fire barriers effectively prevent the buildings from burning and eliminate or reduce the fire&#39;s source of fuel. 
         [0028]    There is thus disclosed an improved fire barrier for buildings. It will be appreciated that numerous changes may be made to the present invention without departing from the scope of the claims.