IP Library Granted Patent US 9,072,923
Granted Patent B2
US 9,072,923 · App. 13/261,425 · Granted Jul 7, 2015

Industrial floor nozzle and fire fighting system

Inventors: Thomas E. Mason (Washington, IN); Dwight P. Williams (Vidor, TX); Casey R. Spears (Nederland, TX)
A62C31/03B05B1/265A62C31/12
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Quick Facts
Patent No.
US 9,072,923
App. No.
13/261,425
Granted
Jul 7, 2015
Kind
B2
Abstract

An industrial floor firefighting system including a grating structured to rest over a trench and a firefighting nozzle attached to the grating, the system preferably characterized in the nozzle having an adjustable discharge gap; in the nozzle barrel being structured with the grating such that the barrel bears essentially no weight from industrial objects on or passing over the grating; in having an adjustable bafflehead/barrel combination that produces a nozzle gap upstream of the nozzle discharge orifice; and/or, as well, producing an annular gap discharge and an essentially annular nozzle discharge.

Claims (23)

1. A flush industrial floor fire fighting system, comprising: a grating structured to fit over a trench in an industrial floor, the grating defining an opening for a fire fighting fluid discharge;

a fire fighting nozzle attached to the grating, located to discharge fire fighting fluid through the opening, the nozzle having a barrel adjustably attachable, directly or indirectly, to the grating and a bafflehead, separate from the grating, independently adjustably attachable to the barrel, where adjustably attachable includes in the direction of flow;

the barrel and the bafflehead structured in combination to define an adjustable annular discharge gap, the gap adjustable independently from the adjustable attachment of the barrel to the grating, and the nozzle and grating structured in combination, directly or indirectly, to define a substantially flush floor surface for the fire fighting system, including during discharge.

2. The system of claim 1 wherein the barrel is vertically adjustably attached to the grating through an adjustable connection fitting.

3. The system of claim 1 wherein the grating opening includes a dished area and a removable deflector plate portion extending over portions of the dished area.

4. The system of claims 3 including the dished area and/or removable plate portion structured to facilitate a nozzle discharge pattern.

5. The system of claim 1 including a removable top plate portion of the grating.

6. The system of claim 1 wherein the barrel is vertically adjustably attached to the grating through an adjustable mounting ring and wherein the barrel vertically adjusts so as to adjust the discharge orifice of the nozzle.

7. The system of claim 1 including a blow-off cap resting on a grating portion over the nozzle barrel.

8. The system of claim 1 wherein the nozzle defines a predominant flow path for fluid discharge and the adjustable annular discharge gap lies within the predominant flow path.

9. The system of claim 8 wherein the adjustable annular discharge gap is adjustable to a plurality of fixed open positions.

10. The system of claim 1 including the grating providing drain holes to drain fluid through the grating into the trench.

11. A flush industrial floor fire fighting system, comprising:

a grating structured to fit over a trench in a floor, the grating defining an opening for a fire fighting fluid discharge;

a fire fighting nozzle attached to the grating, located to discharge fire fighting fluid through the opening, the nozzle having a barrel adjustably attachable, directly or indirectly, to the grating and a bafflehead independently adjustably attachable to the barrel, where adjustably attachable includes in the direction of flow;

the barrel and the bafflehead structured in combination to define an adjustable annular discharge gap, the gap adjustable independently from the adjustable attachment of the barrel to the grating, and the barrel and grating structured in combination, directly or indirectly, to define a substantially flush floor surface for the fire fighting system; and

including the bafflehead providing one or more ports to define one or more secondary streams.

12. A method of industrial fire fighting, using fire fighting nozzles installed in trenches of an industrial floor, the floor having gratings over the trenches substantially flush with the floor, comprising:

discharging the nozzles through the gratings while maintaining a substantially flush surface with the industrial floor;

adjusting, in a direction of flow, adjustable annular discharge gaps of the nozzles to one of a plurality of fixed open discharge positions, the gaps defined between a nozzle barrel portion and a bafflehead portion within a predominant flow path for fluid discharge defined by the nozzle, the bafflehead portion being separate from the grating; and

independently of the adjusting of the discharge gaps of the nozzles, adjusting attachment of barrels of the nozzles to the gratings, including annular discharge stream shapers with respect to the nozzles, such that the nozzles discharge through the gratings to achieve predetermined spray patterns.

13. The method of claim 12 including discharging one or more secondary streams through one or more ports provided in baffleheads of the nozzles.

14. The method of claim 12 including draining fluid through the gratings into the trenches.

Assignments (3)
ASSIGNMENT OF ASSIGNOR'S INTEREST Recorded Sep 27, 2018
From: TYCO FIRE & SECURITY GMBH
To: TYCO FIRE PRODUCTS LP
Reel/Frame 047158/0767 →
ASSIGNMENT OF ASSIGNOR'S INTEREST Recorded Oct 15, 2013
From: WILLFIRE HC, LLC
To: TYCO FIRE & SECURITY GMBH
Reel/Frame 031407/0791 →
ASSIGNMENT OF ASSIGNOR'S INTEREST Recorded Sep 5, 2012
From: MASON, THOMAS E.; WILLIAMS, DWIGHT P.; SPEARS, CASEY R.
To: WILLFIRE HC, LLC
Reel/Frame 029026/0237 →
Continuity (3)
Continuation In Part 12925037 · Oct 12, 2010
Provisional Application 61340400 · Mar 17, 2010
Related Publication 20130000928A1 · Jan 3, 2013