Patent ID: 8074725

Claim:
A residential fire sprinkler for connecting to a piping network to protect a residential dwelling unit having a plurality of compartments as defined in accordance with the 2002 Edition of National Fire Protection Association Standards 13, 13D and 13R, the residential fire sprinkler comprising: a body defining a passageway between an inlet and an outlet along a longitudinal axis with the outlet closer to an area to be protected than the inlet, the passageway having a rated K factor that is at a minimum 6; a closure positioned proximate the outlet opening so as to occlude the passageway in an unactuated position; a heat responsive trigger that retains the closure to occlude the passageway; and a deflector assembly that distributes fluid fed to the inlet at less than 10 pounds per square inch gauge over a residential coverage area of at least 324 square feet when the heat responsive trigger is actuated to permit flow through the outlet, the deflector assembly comprising a plate with an arcuate peripheral edge defining a plate center disposed on the longitudinal axis and a plurality of open-ended slots distributed about the peripheral edge of the plate, the plurality of open-ended slots defined by side walls joined by a semicircular wall defining a closed end portion of the open-ended slot, side walls of two open-ended slots defining an arcuate wedge portion of the plate extending from the peripheral edge of the plate towards the plate center, each of the two open-ended slots that define the arcuate wedge portion of the plate having opposing parallel sidewalls defining a constant spacing of the open-ended slot between the peripheral edge of the plate and the semicircular wall of the open-ended slot, the arcuate wedge portion having a radially inward center portion between the longitudinal axis and the semicircular walls of the two open-ended slots that define the arcuate wedge portion and a radially outward inter-slot portion between the peripheral edge of the plate and the semicircular walls of the two open-ended slots that define the arcuate wedge portion, the arcuate wedge portion having a plurality of flow modifiers disposed on a plane intersecting and parallel to the longitudinal axis that divides the arcuate wedge portion, the plurality of flow modifiers including at least two of: (1) a through-opening, (2) a slot, and (3) a nub, a first flow modifier of the plurality of flow modifiers being a through-opening disposed in the radially inward center portion, a second flow modifier of the plurality of flow modifiers being a slot having at least one closed end disposed in the radially inward center portion and slot walls extending from the closed end into the radially outward inter-slot portion.