Claims
- 1. A damper operator for use with a damper having a frame and at least one blade, said blade being movable between open and closed positions with respect to said frame, said operator comprising:
- (a) at least one pawl member associated with said frame;
- (b) blade positioning means mounted for movement with respect to said frame for engaging said at least one blade of establishing, according to the relative position of said blade positioning means, the relative position of that blade with respect to said frame; and
- (c) heat responsive means connected during normal conditions between said blade positioning means in at least one of said relative positions and said pawl member, for disconnecting from between said pawl member and said blade positioning means at least in response to a preselected increase in ambient temperatures.
- 2. The invention of claim 1 wherein said pawl member is mounted for movement between any of a variety of preselected positions with respect to said frame.
- 3. The invention of claim 2 wherein said operator further comprises a pawl member tracking means fixedly mounted with respect to said frame for moving and selectively positioning said pawl member in any of said preselected positions.
- 4. The invention of claim 3 wherein said portions of said blade positioning means and said pawl tracking means comprise means for limiting the relative displacement of said blade positioning means in at least one direction to define at least an activated position of said blade positioning means.
- 5. The invention of claim 4 wherein said blade positioning means is biased to move into said activated position in response to said disconnecting of said pawl member from said blade positioning means.
- 6. The invention of claim 5 wherein said preselected variety of positions of said pawl member includes a reconnection position wherein said pawl member is reconnectable to said blade positioning means in said activated position by said heat responsive means under said normal conditions.
- 7. The invention of claim 6 wherein said blade is allowed to close as said blade positioning means moves into said activated position.
- 8. The invention of claim 5 wherein said blade is caused to open as said blade positioning means moves into said activated position.
- 9. The invention of claim 3 wherein said pawl member tracking means comprises at least one shaft journalled within a bore defined in said pawl member.
- 10. The invention of claim 9 wherein said shaft is threaded within said bore.
- 11. The invention of claim 10 wherein said tracking means comprises at least one tracking member for slidingly engaging a surface of said pawl member during movement of said pawl member.
- 12. The invention of claim 2 wherein, once established, said connection is maintained under normal conditions during the movement of said pawl into any of said preselected variety of positions.
- 13. The invention of claim 12 wherein said movement of said pawl member between said positions when said pawl member is connected to said positioning means acts through said blade positioning means to adjust to relative position of said blade with respect to said frame.
- 14. The invention of claim 13 wherein said pawl member and said blade positioning means slidingly engage each other at least during movement of said blade positioning means in response to activation by said heat responsive means.
- 15. The invention of claim 1 wherein said blade positioning means comprises at least one blade positioning wing for slidably engaging the face of said blade.
- 16. The invention of claim 1 wherein said heat responsive means comprises a fusible link.
- 17. A damper operator for use with a damper comprising a frame and at least one blade pivotally mounted on said frame for movement between at least open and closed positions with respect to said frame, said damper operator comprising:
- (a) a blade positioning means mounted for movement with respect to said frame for engaging said at least one blade for moving said blade between said open and said closed position;
- (b) a pawl member mounted for reciprocal movement with respect to said frame; and
- (c) heat responsive means for selectively connecting said blade positioning means to said pawl member in response to normal conditions and for disconnecting said pawl member from said blade positioning means at least in response to preselected increases in ambient temperature in the vicinity of heat responsive means.
- 18. The invention of claim 17 wherein said operator comprises means for defining the relative position of said blade positioning means, said relative position corresponding to the movement of said at least one blade in response thereto between said open and said closed position.
- 19. The invention of claim 18 wherein said operator further comprises pawl tracking means for selectively moving said pawl to and maintaining said pawl in any of a variety of preselected positions along said path.
- 20. The invention of claim 19 wherein sad pawl tracking means may always move said pawl to a position relative to said heat responsive means where, under normal conditions, said heat responsive means is reconnectable to said pawl.
- 21. The invention of claim 20 wherein said blade positioning means comprises at least one blade positioning wing for slidingly engaging the face of said blade.
- 22. The invention of claim 21 wherein said damper comprises a plurality of blades and wherein said blade positioning means comprises a plurality of wings, at least one for each blade, for slidingly engaging the faces of said blades.
- 23. The invention of claim 19 wherein said pawl tracking means further comprises at least one guide member mounted on said frame for slidingly engaging said pawl.
- 24. The invention of claim 23 wherein said pawl tracking means further comprises at least one threaded rod for engaging a complementally threaded bore in said pawl, whereupon rotation of said threaded shaft produces axial movement of said pawl therealong.
- 25. The invention of claim 24 wherein said pawl tracking means further comprises at least one pawl track stop plate extending at least between said guide member and said threaded shaft, said stop plate being disposed to interfere with and limit the movement of at least a portion of said blade positioning means.
- 26. The invention of claim 25 wherein said threaded shaft further comprises a rotation means for utilization to cause the rotation of said shaft to adjust the position of said at least one damper blade with respect to said frame by re-positioning said pawl member when engaged by said heat responsive means.
- 27. The invention of claim 17 wherein said heat responsive means further comprises a fusible link.
- 28. The invention of claim 17 wherein said damper further comprises two blades pivotally disposed for movement with respect to a main mounting member, and wherein said blade positioning means comprises a plurality of blade positioning wings, one for each blade, for movement on generally opposing sides of said main mounting member for moving said blades towards their open position.
- 29. The invention of claim 17 wherein said blade positioning means reciprocates along a path which is substantially perpendicular to the axis of rotation of said at least one blade.
- 30. The invention of claim 17 wherein said pawl member is reciprocally moveable along an axis which is substantially perpendicular to the plane of said blades in the closed position.
CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS
The present application is a continuation-in-part of my prior co-pending patent application Ser. No. 900,620, now U.S. Pat. No. 4,263,930, filed Apr. 27, 1978 entitled, "DIFFUSER CONCEALABLE, VOLUME CONTROL, HEAT-RESPONSIVE, SEMI-AUTOMATIC RESETTING, BUTTERFLY DAMPER AND OPERATOR" which in turn is a continuation-in-part of my prior co-pending patent application Ser. No. 792,525, filed May 2, 1977 entitled, "BUTTERFLY DAMPER" now U.S. Pat. No. 4,146,048 dated March 27, 1979, which applications are incorporated by references as if fully set forth herein.
Application Ser. No. 900,620, now U.S. Pat. No. 4,263,930, filed April 27, 1978 is also a continuation-in-part of my prior co-pending patent application entitled, "SELF-RESETTING, CABLE OPERATED TRANSLATING DRIVE LINK" Ser. No. 896,299, filed Apr. 14, 1978, now U.S. Pat. No. 4,195,384 dated Apr. 1, 1980 which in turn is a continuation-in-part of my prior co-pending patent application Ser. No. 779,044, filed Mar. 18, 1977 entitled "TELESCOPING HEAT RESPONSIVE RELEASING MEANS", now U.S. Pat. No. 4,099,292 dated July 11, 1978 which in turn is a continuation-in-part of my prior co-pending patent application entitled, "RESETTABLE HEAT ACTUABLE FIRE LINK", Ser. No. 676,483, filed April 13, 1976, now U.S. Pat. No. 4,041,570 dated Aug. 16, 1977 as well as a continuation-in-part of my prior co-pending patent application entitled, "CLUTCH MOTOR FOR USE IN RESETTABLE FIRE DAMPER", Ser. No. 676,413, filed Apr. 13, 1976, now U.S. Pat. No. 4,040,304 dated Aug. 9, 1977 which applications are also incorporated herein by reference as if fully set forth herein.
Application Ser. No. 900,620, filed Apr. 27, 1978, now U.S. Pat. No. 4,263,930, is also a continuation-in-part of my prior co-pending patent application Ser. No. 764,774, filed Feb. 2, 1977 entitled, "ROTATING BLADE FIRE DAMPER", now U.S. Pat. No. 4,113,230 dated Sept. 12, 1978 which in turn is a continuation of application Ser. No. 689,994, filed May 26, 1976 entitled, "ROTATING BLADE FIRE DAMPER", now U.S. Pat. No. 4,081,173, dated Mar. 28, 1978, which applications are also incorporated by reference as if fully set forth herein.
Application Ser. No. 900,620, filed Apr. 27, 1978, now U.S. Pat. No. 4,263,930, is also a continuation-in-part of my prior co-pending patent application entitled, "ELECTRO-THERMAL, FIRE PROTECTION LOCKING CLIP", Ser. No. 896,237, filed Apr. 14, 1978, now U.S. Pat. No. 4,219,041, which application is also specifically incorporated herein by reference.
US Referenced Citations (17)
Foreign Referenced Citations (1)
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2307228 |
Nov 1976 |
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Related Publications (4)
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896237 |
Apr 1978 |
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May 1977 |
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764774 |
Feb 1977 |
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676413 |
Apr 1976 |
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Continuations (1)
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689994 |
May 1976 |
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Continuation in Parts (4)
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Apr 1978 |
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896299 |
Apr 1978 |
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676483 |
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