Year: 1886

page_text: I WILLIAM HENRY PERCIVAL of 23 Westbourne Villas in the county of
Middlesex Engineer do hereby declare the nature of the said Invention to be
as follows:-
The object of my invention is to provide a simple portable and effectual fire
extinguishing apparatus which shall work automatically in case of fire, and at the
same time shall not be unsightly when not thus employed.
And my invention consists in the construction and arrangement of a globular or
other form of vessel, capable of being ornamented as required, and suspended from
the ceiling or other suitable part of a room, and provided at its lower part with a
suitable rose or other similar spray-diffusing arrangement, such vessel containing
the fire-extinguishing liquid.
The opening from the said globular or other vessel into the said rose or other
arrangement being closed by a suitable fusible metallic valve or plug, held tightly
in place by a spiral or other suitable spring. Such valve or plug in case of fire
becomes fused by the heat and the contents of the said vessel will be discharged
all round to some distance varying according to the expansive pressure of the
liquid contained in the vessel.
The liquid employed for the above purpose may be the "carbonic" fire-
extinguishing liquid or any other suitable liquid.
By the above arrangement of apparatus it will be seen that the liquid will
always be discharged in case of fire although there may be no one at hand to take
any steps for extinguishing the same.

page_text: An Improved Apparatus for Automatically Extinguishing Fire.
I WILLIAM HENRY PERCIVAL of 23 Westbourne Villas in the County of
Middlesex Engineer, 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 :-
The object of my Invention is to provide a simple portable and effectual fire-
extinguishing apparatus which shall work automatically in case of fire, and at the
same time shall not be unsightly when not thus employed.
And my Invention consists in the construction and arrangement of a globular or
other form of vessel capable of being ornamented as required and suspended from
the ceiling or other suitable part of a room, and provided at its lower part with a
suitable rose or other similar spray-diffusing arrangement, such vessel containing
the fire-extinguishing liquid.
The opening from the said globular or other vessel into the said rose or other
arrangement being closed by a suitable metallic valve held tightly in place by a
spiral or other suitable metallic spring so as to be air-tight and thereby to prevent
evaporation and in the event of fire the contents of the said vessel will be caused
to be discharged all round to some distance (by the valve being opened as herein-
after described) varying according to the pressure of the liquid contained in the
vessel.
The arrangement of valve which I find to be best suited for the purpose is a rod
carrying a suitable valve or plug at each end, the upper valve or plug is caused to
open for the admission of air at the same time as the lower valve allows the liquid
to escape into and from the rose or other spray-diffusing arrangement. A set nut
being provided on the lower end of the valve rod (where it extends through and
below the said rose) so as to hold the valves in their seats as required by means of
an arrangement of jointed arms, such arms being secured in position by a fusible
pin which becomes softened by heat, when the spring opens the valves and the
liquid' is discharged from the extinguishing apparatus.
1
The liquid employed for the, above purpose may be the "carbonic" fire
.extinguishing liquid or any other suitable liquid.
By the above arrangement of apparatus it will be seen that the liquid will
always be discharged in case of fire although there may be no one at hand to take
any steps for extinguishing the same.
In order that my Invention may be fully understood I will proceed to describe
it more fully by the aid of the accompanying drawings in which are represented
the parts of apparatus above referred to.

page_text: Fig. 3 shews an arrangement in section which can be connected at H to a cistern
or other vessel as required the principle of action corresponding with that shewn
in the preceding figures.
In these several figures the same letters of reference indicate corresponding
parts.
A is the body of the vessel B is the spring shewn in tension in Figures 1 and 2
and in compression in Fig. 3.
The rose or spray-diffusing arrangement is shown at E.
C and D in Fig. 2 are the valves upon the valve rod and C in Fig. 3 also shows
the valve only one being used in that case.
The fusible pin is shewn at F in Figures 1 and 2.
In Figures 1 and 2 the apparatus is shewn as set ready for use in case of fire
but in the modification represented in Fig. 3 it is shown as it would be when
discharging the contents of the vessel A.
The top G is perforated so as to admit air as required when the contents are to
be discharged through E. I and J are the two jointed arms through which the
pin F passes whereof I is forked to receive the end of the arm J.
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:
First. An apparatus for automatically extinguishing fire consisting of a globular
or other shaped vessel to contain the fire-extinguishing liquid together with the
valve arrangement with a fusible pin substantially as herein before described.
And secondly. The modification shewn in Fig. 3 whereby the apparatus may be
applied to a cistern or other vessel substantially as and for the purpose hereinbefore
described.