Patent Publication Number: US-8528652-B2

Title: Fire extinguishing ball

Description:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 
     1. Field of the Invention 
     The present invention relates to fire safety devices, and particularly to a fire extinguishing ball that can be safely deployed into difficult to reach areas. 
     2. Description of the Related Art 
     When one is faced with a fire emergency, one of the most difficult and dangerous aspects of combating the fire is being able to approach close enough to effectively extinguish the flames with whatever means are available. In most situations, it may be relatively safe to hose down a burning building or domicile with water or fire extinguishing chemicals from a distance. However, firefighters oftentimes must charge into the burning building in their attempts to rescue survivors. In this scenario, firefighters face many hazards, such as smoke, backdrafts and potential falling debris. Even if a survivor is reached, rescue may not be possible due to surrounding fire. The surrounding fire may be located in a place where the conventional fire hose cannot reach or so vigorous that a conventional fire extinguisher will be ill suited to handle the flames. 
     Similar issues can also occur in industrial sites. While most large-scale industrial fires can be relatively easy to reach, other small-scale or localized fires can occur in areas where it is difficult or even impossible to reach by conventional means, e.g., ducts for air and wires. 
     Many fire-fighting devices have been proposed which will help combat the fires in the above examples to a degree. Some examples include the conventional fire extinguisher mentioned above and explosive devices that contain fire-extinguishing agents. With respect to the fire extinguisher, this device is typically heavy and cumbersome requiring much physical effort to carry and operate. Moreover, they require expert periodic inspection and maintenance. With respect to the explosive devices, they can be costly and difficult to manufacture due to the materials and processes used to make them safe for normal use, e.g., the shell is usually made from materials that will not turn into shrapnel upon explosion. Oftentimes, special care must be exercised when using such devices. 
     In light of the above, it would be a benefit in the fire fighting arts to provide a fire-extinguishing device that can be easily and safely deployed in typically inaccessible areas. Thus, a fire extinguishing ball solving the aforementioned problems is desired. 
     SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 
     The fire extinguishing ball includes an outer ball cage, an inner ball cage freely rotatable within the outer ball cage about one axis, and an internal fire extinguishing assembly carried by the inner ball cage and freely rotatable therein about a different axis. The internal fire extinguishing assembly includes a hollow ball-shaped body containing compressed gas and fire extinguishing agents. A valve assembly attached to the top of the body permits refilling of the body and dispersion of the contents during operation. The internal fire extinguishing assembly is connected to the inner ball cage so that the valve assembly will be disposed on top when the fire extinguishing ball is at rest. The ball can be tossed or rolled towards fires in difficult to reach areas. Exposure to heat opens the valve in the valve assembly to thereby disperse the contents of the body and extinguish the flames. 
     These and other features of the present invention will become readily apparent upon further review of the following specification and drawings. 
    
    
     
       BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
         FIG. 1  is a perspective view of a fire extinguishing ball according to the present invention. 
         FIG. 2  is a perspective view of the outer ball cage of the fire extinguishing ball shown in  FIG. 1 . 
         FIG. 3  is a perspective view of the inner ball cage of the fire extinguishing ball shown in  FIG. 1 . 
         FIG. 4  is a perspective view of the internal fire extinguishing assembly of the fire extinguishing ball shown in  FIG. 1 . 
         FIG. 5  is a perspective view of the internal fire extinguishing assembly of  FIG. 4  shown mounted to the inner ball cage of  FIG. 3 . 
         FIG. 6  is a perspective view of a joint for connecting the internal fire extinguishing assembly of  FIG. 4  to the inner ball cage of  FIG. 3 . 
         FIG. 7  is a perspective view of a ring connector for the outer ball cage of  FIG. 2 . 
         FIG. 8  is a perspective view of the valve assembly for the internal fire extinguishing assembly of  FIG. 4 . 
     
    
    
     Similar reference characters denote corresponding features consistently throughout the attached drawings. 
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS 
     The fire extinguishing ball, generally referred to in the drawings by reference number  10 , provides a safe means of extinguishing fires in typically inaccessible or hard to reach areas. The user rolls or tosses the fire extinguishing ball  10  into the target area from a safe distance, and the heat of the flames opens up a valve assembly to thereby release fire extinguishing agents on and around the fire extinguishing ball  10 . 
     As shown in  FIGS. 1-4 , the fire extinguishing ball  10  includes an outer ball cage or frame  20 , an inner ball cage or frame  40  rotatable within the outer ball cage  20 , and an internal fire extinguishing assembly  60  carried by the inner ball cage  40  and rotatable therein. The outer ball cage  20  includes two spaced ring connectors  22  and a plurality of arcuate or curved wires, bars or beams  21  connected to the ring connectors  22  at their respective ends. The curved wires  21  are angularly spaced around the ring connectors  22  to form a ball or spherical shape. The wires  21  can be constructed from metal, composites or other materials that can withstand heat from a typical fire without losing its shape, at least long enough for the internal fire extinguishing assembly  60  to perform. 
     As shown in  FIGS. 1 ,  2  and  7 , each ring connector  22  can be a cylindrical disk having a top side  23 , a bottom side  25  and an outer, circumferential side surface  26 . A plurality of mounting holes or bores  24  are formed around the circumferential side surface  26  at spaced intervals, the mounting holes  24  being constructed to receive one of the ends of the curved wires  21 . A plurality of set holes or bores  28  are formed and circumferentially spaced on the top side  23 , each set hole  28  being in communication with a corresponding mounting hole  24 . The end of a curved wire  21  is inserted into one of the mounting holes  24 , and that end can be secured by a set screw through the corresponding set hole  28 . Although a circular, disk-shaped ring connector  22  has been disclosed, the ring connector  22  can be constructed in a variety of shapes that include mounting holes  24  and set holes  28 . The ring connector  22  also includes an inner bearing  30 . The inner bearing  30  facilitates rotation of the inner ball cage  40  when the inner ball cage  40  is mounted inside the outer ball cage  20 . 
     As shown in  FIGS. 1 and 3 , the inner ball cage  40  includes an upper mounting bracket  42  and a lower mounting bracket  44 . A plurality of arcuate or curved wires, bars or beams  46  are connected to and extend between the upper and lower mounting brackets  42 ,  44  to give structure and shape to the inner ball cage  40 . The curved wires  46  are preferably constructed from the same materials as the curved wires  21 . A swivel joint assembly  50  is disposed on opposite sides of the inner ball cage  40 . Each swivel joint assembly  50  is slidably mounted to a pair of the curved wires  46 . The swivel joint assembly  50  facilitates free rotation of the internal fire extinguishing assembly  60 . Each mounting bracket  42 ,  44  also includes a mounting rod or bar extending outwardly therefrom for rotatably attaching the inner ball cage  40  to the outer ball cage  20 . Each mounting rod  43  passes through a through bore  32  in the respective inner bearing  30  on the ring connectors  22 , and the mounting rod  43  is secured thereon by a fastener or nut  34 . With this construction, the inner ball cage  40  is free to rotate inside and independently of the outer ball cage  20  about the axis defined by the mounting rods  43 . 
     As shown in  FIGS. 1 ,  3  and  6 , the swivel joint assembly  50  includes a central swivel joint  52  having a bearing  53  therein. The bearing  53  rotatably connects the internal fire extinguishing assembly  60  to the inner ball cage  40  so that the internal fire extinguishing assembly  60  can freely rotate inside and independently of the inner ball cage  40 . An extension bar, beam or rod  54  extends from opposite sides of the central swivel joint  52 . Each extension rod  54  is threaded to facilitate adjustable connection of a mounting head  56 , as well as attachment to the central swivel joint  52 . Each mounting head  56  includes a through bore  57  for slidably mounting that end of the swivel joint assembly  50  to one of the curved wires  46 . Slight adjustments of the mounting head  56  along the extension rod  54  can be made to properly position the central swivel joint  52  for mounting the internal fire extinguishing assembly  60 . The adjustable movement can be limited by the end cap  58 . 
     As shown in  FIGS. 1 ,  4  and  5 , the internal fire extinguishing assembly  60  includes a ball-shaped body  62  and a connection rod, bar or beam  64  extending outwardly from opposite ends of the body  62 . The body  62  can be spherical, ovoid or any other ball shape. Each connection rod  64  is configured to be insertably mounted to a respective one of the central swivel joints  52  in a manner that allows free rotational movement of the internal fire extinguishing assembly  60  within the inner ball cage  40  about an axis defined by the connection rods  64 , this axis being different from the rotational axis of the inner ball cage  40 . The body  62  is hollow and constructed from copper or fiberglass, materials that are light and resist high temperature and pressure. The body  62  is filled with compressed gas and fire extinguishing agents. The top of the body  62  includes a valve assembly  70  where the body  62  can be filled with the compressed gas and fire extinguishing agents. Moreover, the valve assembly  70  facilitates dispersion of the fire extinguishing agents during operation. For effective operation of the fire extinguishing ball  10 , the connection rods  64  are preferably placed at points offset from the central axis of the body  62 , i.e., between the central axis and the valve assembly  70 . With this construction, the weight or center of mass of the internal fire extinguishing assembly  60  will be concentrated toward the ground as the assembly  60  swivels on the swivel joint assembly  50 . This allows the internal fire extinguishing assembly  60  to right itself with the valve assembly  70  at the top whenever the fire extinguishing ball  10  is at rest. 
     As shown in  FIGS. 1 ,  4 ,  5  and  8 , the valve assembly  70  includes a valve housing  72  connected to first and second adjacent ports  76 ,  78  extending from the valve housing  72 . The first port  76  can be configured to introduce the compressed air into the body  62  while the second port  78  can be configured to introduce the fire extinguishing agents. A flow tube  74  is connected to the valve housing and extends towards the bottom of the interior of the hollow body  62 . The flow tube  74  allows the gas and agents to flow into the interior, and to exit therefrom. The valve housing  72  includes a thermally sensitive valve, such as a mercury valve, as is known in the art. When exposed to heat, the mercury expands rapidly and opens the valve  70 . Upon opening, the contents of the body  62  escape through the flow tube  74  and funnel through a dispersion tube  80 . The dispersion tube  80  is preferably smaller in diameter than the flow tube  74  in order to increase escape pressure. The dispersion tube  80  is supported by a support bracket  82 . In order to maximize the area that can be reached by the escaping fire extinguishing agents, the valve assembly  70  includes a dispersion shroud  84 . The shroud  84  may be shaped as an umbrella. As the contents escape from dispersion tube  80 , the contents deflect off the interior surface of the shroud  84  to spread the fire extinguishing agents in a wide 360° area. The shroud  84  is also supported by the support bracket  82 . 
     In operation, the user tosses or rolls the fire extinguishing ball  10  towards the desired area in flames. Once in the fire, the independent rotational movements of the outer ball cage  20 , the inner ball cage  40  and the internal fire extinguishing assembly  60  allows the fire extinguishing assembly  60  to right itself with the valve assembly  70  disposed on top, this action being aided by the offset rotational axis of the internal fire extinguishing assembly  60  with respect to the inner ball cage  40 . As the body  62  heats from exposure to the flames or heat source, this causes the valve in the valve housing  72  to rapidly open and allow the compressed gas and fire extinguishing agents inside to escape. The shroud  84  helps to disperse the contents in a wide circular area to extinguish the fire. 
     Thus, it can be seen that the fire extinguishing ball  10  can be an economical, lightweight solution for extinguishing fires in typically inaccessible or hard to reach places. The ball cage construction minimizes the weight of the fire extinguishing ball  10  while providing high mobility for placing the same in the desired area. 
     It is to be understood that the fire extinguishing ball.  10  encompasses a variety of alternatives. For example, the fire extinguishing ball  10  can be constructed in a variety of sizes, depending on the needs of the user. Moreover, the body  62  can contain specific fire extinguishing agents for specific types of fires. 
     It is to be understood that the present invention is not limited to the embodiments described above, but encompasses any and all embodiments within the scope of the following claims.