Year: 1886

page_text: Date of Application, 29th Apr., 1886.
Complete Left, 28th Jan., 1887.
Complete Accepted, 1st Mar., 1887
DESERV
We, RALPH Dowson and JOHN TAYLOR of Knowsley Street, Bolton in the County
of Lancaster, Fire Engineers, do hereby declare the nature of our said invention to be
as follows:—
This invention relates to improvements in automatic apparatus known as fire-
extinguishing sprinklers employed to protect buildings and other places and consists
in constructing sprinklers on the scaled principle wherein the latter is performed by
scaling or soldering the bottom ends of two elongated tubes together after the insertion
of one tube in the other. The inlet of the sprinkler is provided with a pap or pro-
jection to which is secured an elongated metallic tube (preferably of copper) of any
convenient length. In this tube is inserted an elongated metallic tube or thimble
(preferably of copper) with the top end closed and the bottom end open, the latter
being sealed or soldered at its lower end to the outlet of the external clongated tube
by a material fusible at a low temperature, which when a fire breaks out the heat
releases the internal elongated tube and distributer and allows them to drop clear of
the outlet of the external elongated tube, by which the water is liberated onto the fire
automatically. To the internal elongated tube is attached-by suitable arms or other
equivalents a disc which slides or passes along the outside of the outer tube when the
former is inserted in the latter. The arms or other equivalents attached to the internal
elongated tube slides through openings in a distributer carried by a suitable projection
or other equivalents from the easing or cover attached to the body of the sprinkler, by
which the internal tube is held or caught after the sealed or soldered joint is broken
and the sprinkler is in action.
If desired a suitable washer may be placed between the top of the internal elongated
tube and the pap or projection forming the inlet of the sprinkler to make a circulation
tight joint and thus minimise the admission of cold water into the cavity or space
between the inner and outer tubes whilst the sealed joint is in the act of fusing. The
said tubes are made as accurate a fit as possible by which the space or cavity between
them is so very small that the infinitesimal quantity of water it contains will have no
detrimental effect on the scaled joint which is placed at a considerable distance from

page_text: the body of water contained in the main supply pipes to which the sprinklers are
attached.
By this method the cooling effects of the water on the soldered or sealed joint will
be reduced to a minimum, making it possible for a sealed sprinkler to he made so
sensitive and reliable as to be used as a pendant sprinkler in the manner valve
sprinklers are used.
In another method or arrangement, we place an hermetically sealed or other vessel
between the inlet of the sprinkler and the point of scaling, being secured into the
clongated tube by an ordinary cap or thimble soldered to the end of same, such being
for the purpose of displacing or removing the body of water from the sealed or
soldered joint for the purpose before described.
In another method the arms attached to the internal elongated tube can be sub-
stituted with a centre spindle on which can be mounted the distributer, the latter being
stationary or otherwise.
It is obvious that, by placing the sealed or soldered joint at a distance from the
cooling action of the water that the sensitiveness of the same is increased as the
cooling action decreases.
EDMUND CHADWICK,
Agent for Applicants.
COMPLETE SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in Automatic Fire Extinguishing Sprinklers.
We, RALPH DOWSON and JOHN TAYLOR of Knowsley Street, Bolton in the County
of Lancaster, Fire Engineers, do hereby declare the nature of our said 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 improvements in. automatic apparatus known as fire-
extinguishing sprinklers employed to protect buildings and other places and consists
in constructing sprinklers on the sealed principle wherein the latter is performed by
sealing or soldering the bottom ends of two elongated tubes together after the insertion
of one tube in the other. The inlet of the sprinkler is provided with a pap or pro-
jection to which is secured an elongated metallic tube (preferably of copper) of any
convenient length. In this tube is inserted an elongated metallic tube or thimble
(preferably of copper) with the top end closed and the bottom end open; the latter
being sealed or soldered at its lower end to the outlet of the external elongated tube
by a material fusible at a low temperature, which when a fire breaks out the heat
releases the internal elongated tube and distributer and allows them to drop clear of
the outlet of the external elongated tube, by which the water is liberated onto the fire
automatically. To the internal elongated tube is attached by suitable arms or other
equivalents a disc which slides or passes along the outside of the outer tube when
the former is inserted in the latter. The arms or other equivalents attached to the

page_text: internal elongated tube slides through openings in a distributer carried by a suitable
projection or other equivalents from the casing or cover attached to the body of the
sprinkler, by which the internal tube is held or caught after the sealed or soldered
joint is broken and the sprinkler is in action.
If desired a suitable washer may be placed between the top of the internal elongated
tube and the pap or projection forming the inlet of the sprinkler to make a circulation
tight joint and thus minimise the admission of cold water into the cavity or space
between the inner and outer tubes whilst the sealed joint is in the act of fusing. The
said tubes are made as accurate a fit as possible by which the space or cavity between
them is so very small that the infinitesimal quantity of water it contains will have no
detrimental effect on the scaled joinit, which is placed at a considerable distance from
the body of water contained in the main supply pipes to which the sprinklers are
attached. By this method the cooling effects of the water on the soldered or sealed
joint will be reduced to a miniinium, making it possible for a sealed sprinkler to be
made so sensitive and reliable as to be used as a pendant sprinkler in the manner valve
sprinklers are used.
In another method or arrangement we place an hermetically sealed or other vessel
between the inlet of the sprinkler and the point of sealing, being secured into the
elongated tube by an ordinary cap or thimble soldered to the end of same, such being
for the purpose of displacing or removing the body of water from the sealed or soldered
joint for the purpose before described.
In another method the arms attached to the internal elongated tube can be sub-
stituted with a centre spindle on which can be mounted the distributer; the latter
being stationary or otherwise.
It is obvious that by placing the sealed or soldered joint at a distance from the
cooling action of the water that the sensitiveness of the same is increased as the cooling
action decreases.
DESCRIPTION OF DRAWINGS.
Fig. 1 is a sectional elevation of an automatic fire-extinguishing sprinkler constructed
according to our invention Fig. 2 is a sectional elevation of same at right angles to
that shown in Fig. 1, and Fig. 3 is a sectional clevation of Fig. 1 showing the same
in operation when released by the action of a fire.
A is the inlet of the sprinkler with the pap or projection B to which is secured, by
soldering, the elongated metallic tube C. In the tube C is inserted the elongated
metallic tube or thimble D closed at its upper end and open at its lower end; the
latter being sealed or soldered to the bottom end of the tube C by solder indicated by
the thick line N. To the tube or thimble D is attached, by the arms E, the disc &
which slides on the outside of the tube C. The arms E attached to the tube or
thimble D slide through the opening's H in the distributer 1; the latter being carried
by the projections or cars J on the casing K of the sprinkler. The sprinkler casing K
is provided with the holes R to allow of a current of air passing through same. The
distributer I is provided on each side with the ears L, as in Fig. 4, which hook
on the projections J: the outer rim of the distributer is serrated as shown in
Figs. 3 and 4. The distributer I is held in the position shown in Figs. 1 and 2 by the
ears on the arms E.
Immediately a fire breaks out and the solder fuses the tube or thimble D drops or
falls down as in Fig. 3, which also liberates and allows the distributer I to fall until
arrested by the ears L on the projections J; the tube or thimble D being caught or
held by the disc G on the distributer I, thus leaving a free passage for water passing
through the sprinkler to fall onto the distributer; from whence it is thrown in a spray
or divided form onto the fire.
The inlet A of the sprinkler is provided with the seat S against which is placed the
washer between the same and the top end of the tube or thimble D to make a
circulation tight joint and thus minimise the cooling effect of the water in the
sprinkler upon the fusible joint N whilst in the act of fusing, as well as that of pre-
venting the water coming in direct contact with the said joint. The washer T can be

page_text: of leather, vulcanite, lignum-vitæ, gutta-percha, or india-rubber, or, such as, solidified
tallow, lard, suet, paraffin-wax, or their substitutes as shown in Fig. 6. If desired,
when the non-conducting material is composed of tallow, lard, suct, paraffin-wax,
ceresin, spermaceti, or their substitutes, they can be melted and poured into the inlet
of the sprinkler, after the fusible joint has been soldered, which fills the cavity or
space between the inside of the tube C and the outside of the tube or thimble D, also
between the top end of the tube or thimble D and the seat S of the inlet of the
sprinkler, as shown in Figs. 1 and 2, wherein the non-conducting material or washer
is represented by the letter T.
Fig. 5 is an arrangement of our invention wherein we place the hermetically sealed
vessel or tube D¹ between the seat S of the inlet A and the point of sealing, thereby
displacing or removing the body of water from the sealed. joint for the purpose before
described. The vessel or tube D¹ is secured into position in the elongated tube C by
the tube or thimble D soldered to the end of same. To the top end of the tube D' is
attached the spindle X mounted in the crossbar or bridge Qin the inlet A of the
sprinkler. On the top end of the spindle is fixed the washer W to determine the drop
of the tube D' when released by the falling away of the tube or thimble D from the
end of the tube C by the action of fire. The distributer is held in position, when the
sprinkler is sealed, by the arms Y attached to the tube or thimble D. The distributer
is caught on the projections J by the ears L as in the modifications before described.
The arms E in Figs. 1 and 2 can be substituted by the spindle X and crossbar Q ;
the spindle being attached to the tube or thimble D.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of our said Invention
and in what manner the same is to be performed we declare that what we claim is
-
In a scaled sprinkler the use and application of an elongated inner tube or thimble,
or an hermetically sealed vessel or tube, or their equivalents, for the purpose of
removing the water from the soldered joint to minimise its detrimental effect upon the
same when in the act of fusing, substantially as described and illustrated.
EDMUND CHADWICK, Fel. Inst. P.A.,
92, St. George's Road, Bolton,
Agent for Applicants.