Year: 1888

page_text: 1 HENRY BIRKBECK of 34 Southampton Buildings London in the County of
Middlesex Patent Agent (a communication from "The Edison Fire Extinguisher
Company of Now York" of Now York in the County and State of New York a
corporation organized under the Laws of the State of New York United States of
America) 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 :-
This invention relates to that class of portable fire extinguishers which are used
for throwing a suitable fire extinguishing liquid on the fire by the generation of a
suitable gas within the vessel the object of the invention being to produce an
extinguishing device that shall be reliable in operation and that throws the liquid
charged with the oxtinguishing chemicals quickly and effectively whenever required.
The invention consists in a fire extinguisher composed of a main vessel an outlet
tube parallel to said vessel and connected with the bottom of the same a discharge
tube having a nozzle at the upper end of the outlet tube the latter being provided
at the upper end with a detachable bulb having a perforated strainer for receiving
a suitable fire extinguishing salt. The acid vessel is supported by a suitable bracket
at the interior of the main vessel and crushed by the turning of a spindle provided
with fixed arms having eccentrically pivoted spur wheels. The crusher spindle is
provided with a handle which is adapted to be locked by a lever applied to the cock
or valve of the discharge nozzle so that the crusher spindle is protected against
rotation and the nozzle valve retained in closed position until by the release of the
handle of the crusher spindle the acid vessel can be broken and the liquid be thrown
on the fire by opening the nozzle valve by the lever.
In the accompanying drawings Figure 1 represents a side elevation of a fire
extinguisher with these improvements.
.
Figure 2 is a vertical longitudinal section of the same on line x x Figure 3.
Figure 3 is a plan view of Figure 1 and
Figure 4 is a horizontal section on line y y, Figure 2.
Similar letters of reference indicate corresponding parts.
Referring to the drawings a represents the main vessel which is made of suitable
sheet metal and cylindrical in form and provided with a removable cap or cover a¹

page_text: are
which is screwed on to the upper end of the vessel and tightly applied thereto by a
suitable packing ring. At the interior of the main vessel a are arranged a sholf or
bracket and side lugs & which support the acid bottled that is made of a sealed
glass jar filled with a suitable acid. The side lugs hold the neid bottle d in
connection with the arms of the crusher spindle e so as to prevent the bottle from
slipping off from the shelf while the extinguisher is carried to the place of use. The
crusher spindle is supported by a stuffing box in the cover a¹ and provided at its
outer end with a handle. Its lower end is supported in a in a step bearing of the
bracket the middle part of the spindle being bent or set off from the axial line and
provided with fixed and curved arms that carry at their outer ends eccentrically 1
pivoted spur wheels which serve to break the acid bottled whenever the spindle is
turned on its axis by taking hold of its handle e'. Near the bottom of the main
vessel a is arranged an opening with a strainer with a large number of small por-
forations which opening communicates with an outlet tube that is supported
sideways of and parallel to the main vessel a and connected at its upper end with 1
the discharge tube that is bent around the neck of the main vessel d and provided
at a point diametrically opposite to the outlet tube with the discharge nozzluf ns
shown clearly in Figures 1 and 3. The outlet tube and the discharge tube
attached to the main vessel a by suitable bracket straps so as to be rigidly supported
thereon the vertical tube serving at the same time as a handle for holding the vessel
whon directing the jet on the fire. To the upper end of the ontlet tube is applied
a bulb shaped receptacle g which is screwed on to the upper end of the outlet tube/1
and provided with a strainer like cap g which is screwed on to an interior flange of
the bulb and which extends into the upper end of the outlet tube as shown in
Figure 2. The receptacle y is charged with a suitable fire extinguishing salt in
powder form by detaching the same from the outlet tubo removing the perforated
cap and inserting the salt into the receptacle g' which is then replaced into its
position at the upper end of the outlet tube. The receptacle g is intended to
receive a supplemental charge of a suitable fire extinguishing chemical which is
dissolved and carried by the liquid in its passage from the outlot tube to the discharge
tube whenever the extinguisher is used. The liquid takes up an additional quantity
of fire extinguishing substance as it is forced up in the outlet tube and into the
receptacle g and replaces to some extent that portion of the alkali or other salt which
has been deposited at the bottom of the main vessel by the long standing of tho
extinguisher before the same is used for extinguishing purposes.
In the nozzle of tho discharge tube is arranged a valve or cock h the plug of which
is arranged in a plane at right angles to the axis of the nozzle so that for opening
the nozzle the opening of the valve plug can be placed in line with the interior
opening of the nozzle while for closing the nozzle its opening is placed at right angles
thoreto. To turn the valvo the plug is provided with a lover the forkod lower end
of which is attached to opposito suitable screw nuts thereon so as to swing from
an upright into a lowered position and close or open the valve or cock of the
nozzlo.
The upper end of the lover is provided with parallel lngs ³ which servo to ongago
the flattened end of the handla e of the crusher spindle e when the same is placed in
a normal position so that the crushing spur wheels only touch the acid vessel. Tho
lover of the valve of the discharge nozzlo retaining thereby the crushor e spindle
socuraly in position against rotation until it is released from the handlo e by moving
it in a downward direction over the nozzlo as shown in Figure 2. When the lever /
of the valve is released from the handle of the crushor spindle the latter can be turned
and tho spur wheels applied to the acid vessel so as to crush the same and produce
the instant goneration of gas at the interior of the main vessel. After this is accom-
plished the lover of the cook is lowered to its full extent over the nozzle as shown in
dotted lines in Figure 2 so that the liquid can be ejeclod through the nozzle on to
the fire. The oxtinguishor is held in the hands by grasping the outlet tubo the nozzlo
being in the direction of the fire so that a jet can be thrown on the same and tho firo
theroby quickly and effectively extinguished.

page_text: Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of my said inven-
tion and in what manner the same is to be performed I declare that what I
claim is :-
1. The combination with a main vessel of an outlet tube connected to the bottom
of the main vessel a discharge tube connected to the upper end of the outlet tube and
an auxiliary bulb applied to the upper end of the outlet tube for receiving a supple-
mental supply of a suitable fire extinguishing salt substantially as set forth.
2. The combination with a main vessel having an interior bracket or shelf for
supporting the acid vessel a crusher spindle supported in the cap of the main vessel
and in a step bearing of the bracket said crusher spindle being provided with fixed
arms having eccentrical spur wheels at the ends substantially as sot forth.
3. The combination of a main vessel an outlet tube connected to the bottom of the
main vessel (and parallel to said main vessel) a discharge tube communicating with
the upper end of the outlet tube an auxiliary bulb attached to the upper end of the
outlet tube for receiving a supplemental supply of a fire extinguishing salt a bottle
supporting bracket or shelf at the interior of the main vessel and a crusher spindle
supported in bearings of the cap of the main vessel and bracket and provided with
fixed arms having eccentrically pivoted spur wheels substantially as set forth.
4. The combination with a main vessel an outlet tube connected to the lower end
of the same a discharge tube connected to the upper ond of the outlet tubo a crushor
spindle supported in bearings of the cap and interior bracket and a locking device
for retaining the crusher spindle in normal position substantially as set forth.
5. The combination of a main vessel an outlet tube connected to the lower end
of the same a discharge tube connected to the upper end of the outlet tube a cock
or valve in the nozzle of the discharge tube a lever applied to said cock or valve and
provided with means for engaging the handle of the crusher spindle and preventing
the latter froin rotating substantially as set forth.
6. The combination with a main vessel of an outlet tube connected to the bottom
of the same a discharge tube connected to the upper end of the outlet tube a crusher
spindle having a handle at the outer end a valve or cock in the nozzle of the dischargo
tube a lever attached to said valve or cock and provided with lugs for engaging
the handle of the crusher spindle and locking the same in position substantially as
set forth.