Improvements in Automatic Fire Sprinklers.
Year: 1899

page_text: PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in Automatic Fire Sprinklers.
I, LEROY AUGUSTUS WESTON, of 2, Dean Street, Adams, in the County of
Berkshire, and State of Massachusetts, United States of America, Master
Plumber, do hereby declare the nature of this invention to be as follows:-
My invention relates to that class of fire extinguishers or sprinklers_com-
prising water supply pipes extending along the walls of the building and pro-
vided with openings normally closed by a valve which is held to its seat by a
support made in sections retained by a fusible joint which, when the tempera-
ture of the room rises sufficiently high, fuses and permits of the separation
of the valve support and the consequent distribution of the water.
My invention relates to an improved valve support for such fire extinguishers
or sprinklers made in sections, one of which is hollow and is provided with
a spring held together by a key as hereafter described.
The nozzle which is screwed or otherwise secured to the water supply pipe
is constructed with a yoke having the valve sent in its base and at its opposite
side an adjustable seat for one of the bearing points of the valve support.
The valve support sectious are adapted normally to rest one on top of the other
with their bearing points seated the one in a recess in the valve, and the other
in the voke frame. To this end the one section is provided with an upper flat
face on which the corresponding lower face of the other section rests, the rear
edges of these faces terminating before they come into alignment with the
two bearing points whereby the sections will have a tendency to tilt one on
the other when pressure is brought to bear on the valve. To prevent the
tilting the lower section is provided at its front edge with an upward extension
above its upper face, the said extension being formed with a hook, and the other
section has a forked forward end straddling the extension and is provided with
a perpendicular flange whose forward edge rises immediately in the rear of the
hook extension and extends rearwardly and joins the normally upright part
of the section. A U-shape key embraces with its parallel arms the sides of
the extension and flange, the said arms lying upon the normally horizontal
upner face of the upper section, and the cross bar or head of the key is caught
under the hook on the lower section and solder or other fusible metal is poured
around the flange, the parallel arms of the restraining key and the adjacent
sides of the section. When the fusible metal has melted and the key is released,
the pressure in the pipes will cause the sections to tilt on their rear edges and
the key itself will also tilt about the hook as a pivot and the forked end of the
upper section will clear itself of the extension on the lower section and the sec-
tions will fall apart and release the valve.
The lower face of the upper section projects beyond the upper face of the
lower section on both sides, thereby permitting the heat to be conducted moro
readily to the solder or the like and rendering the device more sensitive.
The sprinkler used in connection with my device is cast of one piece of suit-
able metal provided with a central opening and a series of concentrically

page_text: arranged upright teeth. I preferably make the normally upright arm of the
lower section hollow and enclose a coiled spring therein, the spring being
compressed by the upper section when the latter is in place. By this means 1
am enabled to usure a perfect working of the device no matter how small a
head of water bears on the valve, as the spring is positive in operation and by 5
reason of its being enclosed in the hollow arm is entirely free from being
affected by atmospheric changes.
Botad i 10th
1000
Improvements in Automatic Fire Sprinklers.
I, LEROY AUGUSTUS WESTON, of 2, Dean Street, Adams, in the County of
Berkshire, and State of Massachusetts, United States of America, Master
Plumber, do hereby declare the nature of this invention and in what manner
the same is to be performed to be particularly described and ascertained in
and by the following statement:-
My invention relates to that class of fire sprinklers or extinguishers in which
a system of water pipes is laid along the walls or ceiling of the room to be
protected, the pipes having at desired intervals openings closed by a valve held
to its seat by a support made in sections held together by a fusible joint, so
that when the temperature of the room becomes dangerously high, the joint
will fuse, causing the separation of the sections of the valve support and the
consequent outlet of water through the valve.
The object of the invention is to produce an improved valve support to be
used in this class of fire sprinklers, and the invention consists in certain details
of construction and arrangement of the sections of the support, which I shall
first describe and then point out the novel features in the appended claims.
Reference is to be had to the accompanying drawings, in which like char-
acters of reference indicate corresponding parts in all the views.
Figure 1 is a perspective view showing my improved valve support in place
in the nozzle.
Figure 2 is a sectional side elevation of the same.
Figures 3 and 4 illustrate the operation of the valve support when the fusible
metal hus fused.
Figure 5 is an edge view of the support.
Figure 6 is a detail perspective view of the parts of the valve support, and
Figure 7 is a detail perspective view of the spreader.
a
The sprinkler is provided with a nozzle A of any preferred construction, the
said nozzle being formed for attachment to a water supply pipe and having
yoke frame B formed in its base with a valve seat for the valve C, and at its
opposite side with a screw adjusted scat for one of the bearing points
of a valve support section. To maintain the valve on its seat until the heat
of the room demands that it be released, I provide the valve support D, made
in two sections E, F, adapted to normally rest one on top of the other with the
usual bearing points seated in a recess in the upper face of the valve and the
recess in the opposite side of the yoke frame. To this end the section E is pro-
vided with an upper flat face on which the corresponding lower face F
of the other section rests, the rear edges of these faces terminating before they
come into alignment with the two bearing points whereby the sections will

page_text: have a tendency to tilt one on the other when pressure is brought to bear on the
valve. To prevent the tilting until it becomes advisable or necessary, the
section E is provided at its front edge with an upward extrusion E above its
upper face, the said extension being formed with a hook at its upper outer
end, and the section F has a forked forward end Fa straddling the extension F.
The section F is further provided with a perpendicular flauge 13 whose for-
ward edge rises immediately in the rear of the hook extension E and the said
flange extends rearwardly and joins the normally upright part of the section.
A U-shape restraining key G is adapted to embrace with its parallel arms the
sides of the extension and flange F³, the said arms lying upon the normally
horizontal upper face of the section F, and the cross bar or head of the key
is caught under the hook E as shown in Figure 2. Solder or other fusible
metal is then poured around the flange F3, the parallel arms of the restraining
key and the adjacent sides of the section F, thereby holding the parts normally
in place. When the fusible metal has melted and the restraining key is
released, the pressure in the pipes will cause the sections to tilt on their rear
edges, and the key itself will also tilt about the hook as a pivot, the key, at
one stage of the movement of the parts, assuming the position shown in
Figure 4, when, it will be seen, the forked end of the section F can readily
clear itself of the extension E, and the sections will fall apart and release the
valve.
It will be noted that the lower face F1 of the section F projects beyond the
upper face E of the section E on both sides, thereby permitting the heat
to be conducted more readily to the solder or the like and rendering the device
more sensitive.
The sprinkler H used in connection with my device, as shown in Figure 7,
is cast of one piece of suitable metal provided with a central opening Hand
a series of concentrically arranged upright teeth 3 spaced from each other.
I preferably make the normally upright arm of the section E hollow, as
shown in Figure 2, and enclose a coiled spring I therein, the spring being com-
pressed by the section F when the latter is in place. By means of the spring I
no enabled to ensure a perfect working of the device no matter how small a
head of water is bearing on the valve, as the spring is positive in operation
and by reason of its being enclosed in the hollow arm is entirely free from
being affected by atmospheric changes.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of the said
invention and in what manner the same is to be performed I declare that what
I claim is :- -
1. The herein described valve support for automatic fire extinguishers, con-
sisting of the sections E, F, the section having a hook E3 and a key Gengag-
ing the hook and the section F.
2. The hereindescribed valve support for automatic fire extinguishers, con-
sisting of the hollow section E, the spring I, the section 1', and the key G.
1000
A. M. &. WM. CLARK,
Chartered Patent Agents, 53, ('hancery Lane, London.