Improvements in Means or Apparatus for Automatically Shutting Off the Supply of Gas in Case of Fire.
Year: 1898

page_text: Date of Application, 10th Nov., 1898
Complete Specification Left, 29th May, 1899-Accepted, 1st July, 1899
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in Means or Apparatus for Automatically Shutting Off
the Supply of Gas in Case of Fire.
I, GEORGE NOBES, of 23, Somerford Grove, Stoke Newington, London, N.,
Engineer, do hereby declare the nature of my said invention to be as follows:-
-
The object of my invention is to provide improved means or apparatus whereby
on a fire breaking out in a building, the gas supply is automatically shut off
therefrom, thereby preventing further damage by the combustion or explosion
of the gas.
According to my invention I fit a plug cock to the main supply pipe and
provide a conical seating in such cock to fit the conical plug. Above the seating
a chamber is formed, detachable from the cock, the lower end being closed by
a leather or other suitable diaphragm and the other end being provided with a
screw cap or gland. The diaphragm and the cap are formed with a central
hole through which a spindle integral with the plug passes; the upper end of
the spindle carries a weight sufficient to force the plug on to its seating and
thus shut off the supply. The chamber is packed with tallow and vaseline or
other suitable semi-fluid material.
Between the top of the plug and the under side of the diaphragm, I some-
times fit a coil spring and a flanged disc; the spring assists in closing the
valve and the disc assists in rendering the chamber gas tight.
The plug is normally held suspended in the cock casing by a readily fusible
alloy or metal wire, which is carried to all parts of the house or building, suit-
able bell cranks, chains and pulleys, or other devices being employed where
necessary.
On a fire breaking out in any part of the building the wire melts (or is cut)
and liberates the plug which falls by gravity into its seating thus shutting
off the supply of gas.
Dated 10th November 1898
GEORGE DOWNING & SONS,
8, Quality Court, London, W.C., Agents.
COMPLETE SPECIFICATION.
› Improvements in Means or Apparatus for Automatically Shutting Off
the Supply of Gas in Case of Fire.
I, GEORGE NOBES, of 23, Somerford Grove, Stoke Newington, London, N.,
Engineer, do hereby declare the nature of my said invention and in what
manner the same is to be performed, to be particularly described and ascer-
tained in and by the following statement:-
The object of my invention is to provide improved means or apparatus whereby
on a fire breaking out in a building, the gas supply is automatically shut off

page_text: therefrom, thereby preventing further damage by the combustion or explosion
of the gas.
According to my invention, I fit a solid plug cock to the main supply pipe,
and provide a conical seating in such seating to fit the solid conical plug. Above
the seating a chamber is formed, detachable from the cock, the lower end being
closed by a leather or other suitable diaphragm, and the other end being provided
with a screw cap or gland. The diaphragm and the cap are formed with a
central hole through which a spindle integral with the plug passes. The upper
end of the spindle carries a weight sufficient to force the plug on to its seating,
and thus shut off the supply. The chamber is packed with tallow and vaseline or
other suitable semi-fluid material.
Between the top of the plug and the underside of the diaphragm, I some-
times fit a coil spring and a flanged disc; the spring assists in closing the
valve, and the disc assists in rendering the chamber gas-tight.
The plug is normally held suspended in the cock-casing by a readily fusible
alloy or metal wire, which is carried to all parts of the house or building, suit-
able bell cranks, chains and pulleys, or other devices being, employed where
necessary.
On a fire breaking out in any part of the building the wire melts (or is cut)
and liberates the plug which falls by gravity into its seating, thus shutting
off the supply of gas.
And in order that my said invention may be particularly described and ascer-
tained, reference is hereby made to the accompanying drawing illustrating my
invention, partly in section.
a is the body of the plug cock having a conical seating, as shown for receiving
the conical plug b, so as to form a gas tight joint when the plug is lowered to its
seat. c is a chamber, the casing of which is screwed to the upper part of the
cock. The lower end of the chamber is fitted with a leather or other suit-
able diaphragm d. c is a screwed gland fitting the upper part of the chamber c.
f is a spindle, the upper end of which carries the weight g, and the lower end
being fixed to the plug b, the weight 7 being sufficiently heavy to force the plug
down to its seating and shut off the supply. The chamber c is packed with
tallow and vaseline or other suitable semi-fluid material. h is a coiled spring
which is sometimes fitted between the diaphragm and the plug to assist in closing
the valve, and the disc assists in rendering the chamber gas-tight. k is an eye
attached to the weight by the rod f, by which the weight and plug are held
suspended as shown by means of a readily fusible alloy or metal wire, which is
carried to all parts of the house or building, suitable bell-cranks, chains and
pulleys or other devices being employed where necessary.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of my said
invention and in what manner the same is to be performed, I declare that what
I claim is:-
In means or apparatus for automatically shutting off the supply of gas in
case of fire, the combination of a plug cock a, a conical plug 6 fitting the same,
a chamber filled with semi-fluid material and a diaphragm d rendering the
same gas-tight, and with or without a spring h; the plug 6 being suspended by
fusible wire or the like, and being capable of falling to its seat by means of the
weight attached to the rod f, when released, substantially as hereinbefore
described and illustrated by the drawing.
Dated 25th Mar 1809
GEORGE DOWNING & SONS,
8, Quality Court, London, W.C.,
Agents for the Applicant.