US2163477A - Fire extinguisher - Google Patents

Description

June 20, 1939. E H WARR Er AL 2,163,477

FIRE EXTINGUISHER Filed Dec. 1, 1937 Patented June 20, 1939 UNITED STATES FIRE EXTINGUISHER Application December l, 1937, Serial No. 177,580

4 Claims.

This invention relates to a fire extinguisher and more particularly to a fire extinguisher of the hand actuated type in which powder is utilized as the nre extinguishing medium.

Prior to my invention, many types of hand operated fire extinguishers have been known but such devices have been cumbersome, relatively difficult to operate, subject to jamming, contain many parts, and are relatively expensive to fabricate. Those extinguishers which have been so constructed as to operate satisfactorily, invariably have incorporated in their construction accurately machined parts, or parts otherwise difficult to produce, which are relatively expensive to manufacture. These difficulties have prevented the wide use of this type of extinguisher.

VIt is an object of the invention to provide a fire extinguisher of few parts, of simple, inexpensive, and foolproof construction as Well as an extinguisher that is commercially practicable.

Other objects and advantages of the invention will be apparent from the following description taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawing, wherein:

Fig. 1 is a reduced longitudinal section of a fire extinguisher and supporting bracket therefor illustrating one application of the invention;

Fig. 2, a section on line 2 2 of Fig. l;

Fig. 3, a section on the line 3-3 of Fig. 1 showing the discharge end of the pump cylinder with the flexible valve removed;

Fig; 4, a perspective of the resilient valve; and

Fig. 5, a plan View of the discharge end of the extinguisher.

Referring to the drawing, the fire extinguisher comprises an outer casing or body portion Il] cooperating directly with a substantially funnel shaped or frusto-conical end portion II which forms the discharge end of the extinguisher. The other end of body portion I may be provided with a closure I2. The substantially frustoconical end portion ll may be of metal or the like and is preferably provided with a tip I3 of a dissimilar material, such as for example rubber composition or the like. The difference in materials serves to eliminate corrosion and the accompanying undesired bond between the elements which prevents their being separated. The tip I3 may be provided with discharge orifices I4 which are set at a slight angle to the axis of the casing to form a focal point, not shown, in order to direct in a better manner the fire extinguishing powder P discharged.

Within the casing I0 and in concentric relation thereto is mounted a pump cylinder I5 having a discharge end provided with a valve V spaced inwardly of the end of the cylinder so that a clear space is provided to prevent interference of the powder with the valve mechanism. As shown a cup shaped element C, see Fig. 3, is pressed into the end of the pump cylinder I5, said element being provided with a curved portion i6 having orifices I'I formed therein. The orifices I1 may be symmetrically or asymmetrically arranged and include a center orifice and four or more side orifices as depicted in Fig. 3. These orifices are arranged to be closed by valve body V which may be fabricated of rubber or other flexible material substantially rivet shaped, comprising a head I8, see Fig. 4, an axial stem portion I9, and a valve stop 2Q. This valve stop 2E is so arranged as to permit its being forced through the center orifice of the orifices I'I, the axial stem I9 filling the center orifice and holding the head l in operative relation to close the Valve orifices ll. With the above recited construction, negative pressure above the valve body will permit air to be exhausted from the pump cylinder I5 but will exclude powder from the pump cylinder.

The upper ends of cylinder Il) and pump cylinder I5 are capped by closure i2. An internal disc 2l within the upper end of cylinder I5 formed of suitable material, such as wood or the like, is provided with an external cap 22 to form the head of the fire extinguisher. A pump rod 23 is arranged to extend through said disc and cap and is provided at its lower end with a piston 2t comprising a metal disc 25, a leather cup packing 26, and a resilient packing spreader 2l Whereby the piston 24% in cooperation with cylinder l5 and valve V will operate on its downward stroke to force air through the orifices Il in cup member C past the head i8 of the valve V, forcing the fire extinguishing powder P through discharge orifices I4 on to the fire to be extinguished. On the up stroke of the piston 2li the leather cup packing does not effect a seal between the piston 24 and the cylinder I5 and permits air to enter that portion of the cylinder between the piston 2d and the cup element C.

To facilitate operation of the device, a suitable handle H may be secured to the rod 23 in any suitable manner as for example by screw threads 28. A spring 29 may be provided at the lower portion of the rod 23 with one of its ends bearing against piston 24 whereby on the upward stroke of the piston 24 the spring 29 will engage the lower portion of the internal disc 2l and act as a shock absorber. Similarly a rubber washer may be arranged about the rod 23 between the external cap 22 and the handle H whereby shock may be absorbed on the downward stroke of the piston 24. The cap 22 may be suitably secured to the device by screw 3l which may enter the disc 2l.

It is often convenient to have a fire extinguisher secured to a convenient wall whereby it may be readily demounted therefrom and put into play in emergencies. A wall bracket for so mounting my re extinguisher may comprise a U-shaped stamped sheet metal bracket 4l having a generally cone shaped nozzle supporting piece 42 secured thereto at its lower end, one of the legs of the U, and a bifurcated portion 43 at the upper end of the bracket, the other leg of the U, for 'cooperation with a handle H of the re extinguisher whereby the fire extinguisher is suitably securely mounted on said bracket and yet readily demountable therefrom for quick action in an emergency should one occur. The bracket 40 may be punched to provide holes 44 and 45 in the vertical portion of the bracket, the lower portion of the U, whereby said bracket may be secured to a convenient wall by suitable means such as screws.

It will be obvious to those skilled in the art that various changes may be made in this device without departing from the spirit of the invention and therefore the invention is not limited to what is shown in the drawing and described in the specification but only as indicated in the appended claims.

We claim:

l. A dry powder re extinguisher comprising a pair of elongated cylinders, a nozzle cooperating with the outer of said cylinders which forms a container for a quantity of fire extinguishing powder, the inner cylinder having a recessed inner end wall providing with ther cylinder walls an open ended chamber, said recessed wall having an aperture providing communication between said chamber and inner cylinder, a piston slidably mounted in said inner cylinder, and an all rubber check valve carried by said recessed wall and cooperating therewith to normally close the aperture therein, said cylinders and chamber being arranged in normally vertical, concentric relation to each other whereby air may be forced by said piston through said valve controlled aperture and into said open ended chamber for expansion against the body of re extinguishing powder normally disposed there beneath for the forceable discharge of said powder through said nozzle concentrically arranged with respect to said chamber.

2. The structure defined in claim 1 in which said nozzle is provided with a plurality of orices and said orifices are arranged to converge to a focal point there beyond.

3. The structure defined in claim l in which the recessed end wall is centrally indented to provide a dome-shaped portion of materially less diameter than said wall having an aperture therein communicating with the open ended chamber on one side and the inner cylinder on the other, and an all rubber valve anchored adjacent its Center to said indented portion and having a radially extending flat underside spanning said portion with its periphery in normally sealing engagement with the Wall there beyond.

4. A dry powder fire extinguisher comprising a pair of elongated concentric cylinders, a noz zle cooperating with the outer of said cylinders which forms a container for a body of fire eX- tinguishing power, the inner of said cylinders having its inner end longitudinally spaced a substantial distance from the inner end and nozzle of the other cylinder to provide therebetween an unobstructed space for the accumulation of fire extinguishing powder, and an open ended compression chamber formed in the inner end of said cylinder, said chamber comprising a vcup-shaped body having a relatively flat inner wall provided with a centrally disposed indentation which is substantially dome-shaped in cross section, apertures formed in said indented wall portion and providing communication between said inner cylinder and chamber, a substantially rivetshaped all rubber valve having its central stem anchored in an aperture in said wall and the hat underside of its head spanning said indented portion for normally sealing engagement with the wall there beyond, and a piston in said inner cylinder and cooperating with said bottom wall and check Valve to compress air within said open ended compression chamber and against the body of re extinguishing powder disposed between said chamber and nozzle in said outer cylinder for the forcible discharge of said powder through said nozzle.

FRANK C. RUSSELL.

EDWARD H. WARR.

BENJAMIN HARRY S'I'OTTER.

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