Fire sprinkler head emergency drain apparatus

Abstract

A fire sprinkler emergency drain apparatus for conveying liquid from an open or leaking sprinkler head or leaking portion of a fire extinguishing system that includes a shallow mouth collection ring and drain line assembly having a collection ring of a size to surround a fire sprinkler head or a recessed opening in which a fire sprinkler head is positioned and a flexible drain line connected to the collection ring to convey liquid from the sprinkler head to a drain area, the drain line being mounted in a rolled configuration wherein the drain line is flattened in cross sectional configuration adjacent the collection ring and the shallow mouth collection ring and drain line assembly being supported by a handle adapted to be attached to a pole for use in elevating the shallow mouth collection ring and drain line assembly relative to a sprinkler head.

Claims

1. A fire sprinkler emergency drain apparatus for conveying liquid from an open or leaking sprinkler head or leaking portion of a fire extinguishing system to a drain comprising, a shallow mouth collection ring and drain line assembly including a collection ring having an upper rim of a size to surround a fire sprinkler head or a recessed opening in which a fire sprinkler head is positioned and a flexible drain line connected at one end to the collection ring to convey liquid passing through the collection ring to the drain, the drain line being wound in a roll configuration wherein the drain line is flattened in cross sectional configuration with an inner end of a hose mounted to the collection ring, the shallow mouth collection ring and drain line assembly being supported by a handle, the handle being adapted to be attached to a pole for use in elevating the small mouth collection ring and drain line assembly relative to an open or leaking sprinkler head, releasing means for releasing the wound roll of drain line so that a discharge end of the drain line may be deployed to the drain to discharge liquid passing through the drain line, and an air vent passageway through the handle and having a first exterior opening communicating with an area inside the collection ring to thereby prevent a vapor lock when liquid is passing through the collection ring and at least one second exterior opening spaced from the first exterior opening, wherein the shallow mouth collection ring and drain line assembly is formed from materials that will melt when exposed to fire.

2. The fire sprinkler emergency drain apparatus of claim 1 wherein the roll configuration of the flattened drain line is wound about an open central core member.

3. The fire sprinkler emergency drain apparatus of claim 2 wherein the drain line is constructed of a polypropylene material.

4. The fire sprinkler emergency drain apparatus of claim 3 wherein the shallow mouth collection ring and drain line assembly is formed from materials that will melt when exposed to fire.

5. The fire sprinkler emergency drain apparatus of claim 4 in combination with a pole adapted to be connected to the handle.

6. The fire sprinkler emergency drain apparatus of claim 1 in combination with a pole adapted to be connected to the handle.

7. The fire sprinkler emergency drain apparatus of claim 1 wherein the drain line is constructed of a polypropylene material.

8. A fire sprinkler emergency drain apparatus for conveying liquid from an open or leaking sprinkler head or leaking portion of a fire extinguishing system to a drain comprising, a shallow mouth collection ring and drain line assembly including a collection ring having an upper rim of a size to surround a fire sprinkler head or a recessed opening in which a fire sprinkler head is positioned and a flexible drain line connected at one end to the collection ring to convey liquid passing through the collection ring to the drain, the drain line being wound in a roll configuration wherein the drain line is flattened in cross sectional configuration with an inner end of a hose mounted to the collection ring, the shallow mouth collection ring and drain line assembly being supported by a handle, the handle being adapted to be attached to a pole for use in elevating the small mouth collection ring and drain line assembly relative to an open or leaking sprinkler head, releasing means for releasing the wound roll of drain line so that a discharge end of the drain line may be deployed to the drain to discharge liquid passing through the drain line, and an air vent passageway through the handle and having a first exterior opening communicating with an area inside the collection ring to thereby prevent a vapor lock when liquid is passing through the collection ring and at least one second exterior opening spaced from the first exterior opening.

9. The fire sprinkler emergency drain apparatus of claim 8 including an air vent tube having a tubular body portion mounted within the air vent passageway extending from the air vent passageway through an opening in the drain line and through an opening in the collection ring, and the air vent tube having an outer opening which communicates with liquids passing through the collection ring.

10. The fire sprinkler emergency drain apparatus of claim 9 wherein the air vent tube serves as a pivot for pivotal movement of the shallow mouth collection ring and drain line assembly relative to the handle.

11. The fire sprinkler emergency drain apparatus of claim 10 including aligned openings through the tubular body portion of the air vent tube and fastening means extending into the handle and through the aligned opens to secure the shallow mouth collection ring and drain line assembly to the handle.

12. The fire sprinkler emergency drain apparatus of claim 11 wherein the roll configuration of the flattened drain line is wound about an open central core member.

13. The fire sprinkler emergency drain apparatus of claim 12 wherein the releasing means includes a first strap member secured to the handle and having oppositely extending end portions, and a second strap member extending through the open central core member and having oppositely extending end portions and releasable connecting means for securing the opposite end portions of the first strap member to the opposite end portions of the second strap member.

14. The fire sprinkler emergency drain apparatus of claim 13 wherein the releasable connecting means includes first and second hook and loop fastening members.

15. The fire sprinkler emergency drain apparatus of claim 8 in combination with a pole adapted to be connected to the handle.

16. The fire sprinkler emergency drain apparatus of claim 8 wherein the drain line is constructed of a polypropylene material.

Description

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

(1) A better understanding of the invention will be had with reference to the accompanying drawings wherein:

(2) FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a fire sprinkler head emergency drain apparatus in accordance with the present invention;

(3) FIG. 2 is an illustrational view of the apparatus of FIG. 1 mounted to an adjustable pole which can be extended from a floor, or other support, to position a shallow mouth collection ring and drain line assembly over an opened fire sprinkler head mounted from a ceiling or wall with the drain line deployed to channel water to a drain;

(4) FIG. 3 is a side view of the fire sprinkler head emergency drain apparatus including the shallow mouth collection ring, drain line and handle shown in FIG. 1;

(5) FIG. 4 is a top plan view of the fire sprinkler head emergency drain apparatus of FIG. 1.

(6) FIG. 5 is a front perspective view of the handle shown in FIG. 1;

(7) FIG. 6 is cross sectional view of the handle shown in FIG. 5,

(8) FIG. 7 is a perspective view of an air tube that is mounted within the handle of FIGS. 4 and 5; and

(9) FIG. 8 is a perspective illustrational view of the fire sprinkler emergency drain apparatus of the present invention shown in solid line in a first position and in dotted line in an automatically self-adjusted position with an adjustable pole not being shown in the drawing figure.

DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

(10) With continued reference to the drawings, the fire sprinkler emergency drain apparatus of the present invention will be described in detail. The apparatus includes a shallow mouth collection ring and drain line assembly 10 having a tubular water conveying collection ring 11 to which is attached an extendable drain line or conduit 12. Although the collection ring is shown in the drawings as being circular, the collection ring may by of other configurations such as rectilinear, oval or oblong and the like as long as the collection ring is of a size to surround a sprinkler head to channel water being sprayed from the sprinkler head to the drain line. An annular lip 14 is secured to an upper end of the collection ring 11. The lip is outwardly flared and is preferably somewhat resilient or flexible for engaging a wall or ceiling surface about or around a fire sprinkler head 15, shown in dotted line in FIG. 2, to thereby direct all water or other liquid being discharged from the sprinkler head through the collection ring 11 and into the drain line 12. In this manner the water being discharged from the open sprinkler head will be conveyed to an appropriate drain or other area to thereby reduce damage to the surrounding structure and other items such as furniture, carpets and other flooring, electronics, art, pictures, cabinets, and communication devices such as televisions, computers, audio devices and the like. The invention is particularly designed to contain and drain water being discharged by a failed, broken or accidentally opened sprinkler head to a drain.

(11) The shallow mouth collection ring and drain line assembly 10 are preferably formed of plastic materials that will melt quickly if exposed to fire. In this manner, should the emergency drain apparatus be deployed and a fire breaks out in the area of the opened sprinkler head, the assembly will quickly melt thereby allowing water being discharged from the sprinkler head to combat the fire.

(12) In the preferred embodiments of the invention, the drain line or conduit 12 is formed of a lightweight polypropylene or similar material that can withstand the pressure of water being discharged through an opened sprinkler head. By way of example, the hose is formed in a tubular structure in such a manner as to be wound, when in a generally flat configuration, into a roll 20 as shown in FIGS. 1 and 2. The drain line may be of a predetermined length, such as fifty or more feet, from an inner end 16, attached to the collection ring 11, to a discharge end 18. The diameter of the drain line may also vary, however, the diameter must be sufficient to allow all water being discharged from an opened sprinkler head to be safely conveyed to an appropriate drain or drainage area. As the drain line 12 can be wound in a flat configuration, the drain line can be compactly rolled for storage and be of lighter weight than prior art fire sprinkler emergency drain lines or hoses. A prototype of the invention has been constructed having a wound flattened hose which is approximately four inches in width and having a diameter when deployed of approximately three and one-half inches. As previously discussed, the shallow mouth collection ring and drain line assembly is light weight and easily storable. An assembly with a fifty foot drain hose in accordance with the teachings of the invention weighs less than approximately one pound and requires a storage space of no more than four by five inches.

(13) Although the drain line 12 may be secured to the collection ring 11 in a variety of ways, as shown, the inner end 16 is mounted to surround the collection ring with an outer portion thereof folded to the inside of the ring, after which the drain lip 14 is frictionally insert onto the collection ring 11 to frictionally bind the drain line 12 between the lip and the collection ring. Although not shown in the drawings, in a modified embodiment of the invention, to further secure the drain line 12 to the collection ring 11, the lip may include an annular recess which would fit over the upper end of the collection ring and an extension or leg portion that would extend along an outer wall portion of the collection ring such that the inner end of the drain line will become seated and bound within the annular recess when the lip is mounted to the upper end of the collection ring and the leg portion of the lip would engage against the drain line along an outer wall of the collection ring.

(14) The shallow mouth collection ring and drain line assembly 10 is mounted to a handle or bracket member 22 so as to form the fire sprinkler emergency drain apparatus of the invention. Belts or straps 23 and 24 are used to removable mount the shallow mouth collection ring and drain line assembly 10 to the handle 22 as shown in FIGS. 1 and 2. A first belt or strap 23 is secured to the handle as will be described here in after. The first strap has hook and loop fastening materials 25, such as Velcro, at the opposite ends thereof, see FIG. 4. The second belt or strap 24 passes through a central tubular core 28 around which the drain line 12 is wound. The second strap has opposite ends including hook and loop fastening materials 29 that may be locked with the fastening materials 25 of the first strap to secure the shallow mouth collection ring and drain hose assembly 10 to the handle 22. Appropriate buckle devices may also be used to secure the ends of the straps together. The second belt or strap thus forms a support for the core 28 about which the wound drain line may rotate as the line is being deployed.

(15) With reference to FIGS. 5 and 6, the handle 22 is preferably made of plastic or similar material and has an elongated bore 30 which is open at 31 to a bottom portion 32 of the handle. The bore defines inner threads 33 for cooperatively mating with exterior threads of a conventional extension pole, see FIG. 2. In this manner the, the collection tube and drain hose assembly 10 may be quickly secured to any conventional extension pole or the assembly may be sold with an extensible and/or angularly adjustable pole.

(16) Also mounted to the collection ring 11 and the upper portion of the drain line 12 is an air vent tube 42, see FIGS. 4 and 7, having a tubular body portion 43 that is mounted within a horizontal air passageway 44 formed in the handle 22 after passing through openings formed in a side wall of the collection ring 11 and the drain line 12. The air vent tube also includes an outlet surrounded by an annular rim 45 that communicates with the water passageway defined within the collection ring and drain line. The passageway 44 communicates with upwardly oriented air vents 46 that vent to the outside of the handle. The air vent tube, air passageway and openings in the collection tube and drain line are provided to prevent a vapor lock from forming within the collection ring and drain line as liquid is passing there through.

(17) The annular rim 54 of the air vent tube 42 extends outwardly relative to the tubular body portion 43 such that the rim compresses against the upper or inner portion 16 of the drain line 12 and the inner wall of the collection ring 11 to secure the drain line relative to the collection ring. To further secure the shallow mouth collection ring and drain line assembly 10 to the handle 22, the air vent tube 42 has aligned openings 47 in the tubular body portion 43 that receive a mounting screw 50, see FIG. 5. The screw is received within a threaded bore 52, see FIG. 6, formed in the upper portion of the handle.

(18) The air vent tube 42 also functions as a pivot about which the shallow mouth collection ring and drain line assembly 10 may rotate relative to the handle during use. In this manner, the orientation of the collection tube may easily vary to accommodate fire extinguisher spray heads mounted to a ceiling or a wall C, regardless of the pitch or angle of the ceiling or wall, see FIG. 8 wherein the shallow mouth collection ring and drain line assembly 10 is shown vertically aligned with the handle 22 to surround a sprinkler head mounted to a horizontal ceiling C and shown in full line to surround a sprinkler head mounted to a sloped ceiling. The shallow mouth collection ring and drain line assembly 10 may be rotated to be perpendicular relative to the handle for vertical wall installed sprinkler heads. The air vent tube 42 also passes through the first strap 23, see FIG. 4, and thereby secures the first strap to the handle 22.

(19) For hanging the emergency drain apparatus in storage when not in use, a hole 55 is provided in a rear wall 56 of the handle 22.

(20) In use of the fire sprinkler head emergency drain apparatus of the invention, the handle 22 is attached to a pole that may be an extendable pole P. The extendable pole may be of conventional structure or may be one especially adapted to permit angular adjustment of the collection tube and drain hose assembly 10 relative to a ceiling C or wall mounted sprinkler head. In the preferred embodiment of the invention, the handle 22 has a hollow lower bore 30 including screw threads 33 that cooperate with screw threads provided on an outer surface of an upper end portion of the extendable pole. To deploy the drain hose, the first mounting strap or belt 23 which is connected to the handle for supporting the wound roll 20 of flexible drain line 12 of the invention so that the drain line is compactly positioned adjacent to the collection ring 11, is detached from the second strap 24 such as by separating the hook and loop engaging or fastening materials 25 and 29. The rolled drain line is thus free to deploy by rolling the reel of drain line about the core 28 through which the second strap or belt 24 extends. With reference to FIGS. 2 and 8, the pole P is thereafter manipulated to place the open end of the collection ring 11 over the opened sprinkler head 15 and the discharged end 18 of the drain line 12 is extended to an appropriate drain or drainage area. As the shallow mouth collection ring and drain line assembly 10 is pivotally mounted relative to the handle 22, the orientation of the collection ring may be easily changed to permit coverage of sprinkler heads mounted to ceilings that are horizontal or sloped and to vertical walls. Because of the light weight and compact size of the handle 22 and the shallow mouth collection tube and drain line assembly 10, the drain line may easily be deployed for use with the shallow mouth collection ring and drain line assembly be retained in place with the pole P extending between a floor F and ceiling or vertical wall C without further manual manipulation. After use, the drain line 12 may be re-wound about the core 28 and secured to the handle 22 by the first and second mounting straps.