Patent Grant
11149435
The present disclosure generally relates to fire protection systems, and more particularly, to a method and apparatus for protecting structures against fires in high wind conditions capable of wetting the exterior of a building in high-wind conditions to prevent combustion of the building from a fire near the building.
The numerous occurrences of recent fires throughout the world have highlighted the need for improved fire protection. Structures located in certain geographic areas are subject to high risk of fires, whether that is due to climate change or other environmental effects, such as droughts or natural occurrences of fires, such as in heavily wooded areas. In addition, fires due to arson or other human causes can exacerbate the issue.
Some existing fire protection systems operate by spraying water on the rooftops of the building structure, such as single-family dwellings that have sloped roofs. The main purpose of these fire protection systems is to protect the building from flaming debris from igniting the building structure. The flaming debris can come from fires that are next to the building structure, such as from a forest fire or fire from another building structure. However, these systems prove to be ineffective when there are high wind conditions, such as due to a phenomenon referred to as a firestorm when the intense heat from a large fire causes significant air movement that may reach several tens of miles per hour. Thus, the water that is meant to protect the roof is instead blown away by the wind generated by the firestorm—leaving the rooftop exposed and subject to ignition by flaming debris.
It would therefore be greatly advantageous to provide protection against fires that will be effective in all types of wind conditions, including wind conditions that would normally render other approaches ineffective.
The systems, methods, apparatuses, and devices of the disclosure each have several aspects. No single one of the aspects is solely responsible for desirable attributes of such systems, methods, apparatuses, and devices. Without limiting the scope of this disclosure as expressed by the claims which follow, some aspects will now be discussed briefly. After considering this discussion, and particularly after reading the section entitled “Detailed Description” one will understand how the aspects of this disclosure provide advantages that include improved protection for rooftops against embers or other flaming debris from a nearby fire under various wind conditions, including high wind conditions.
The following presents a simplified summary of one or more aspects of the disclosed approach for a method and apparatus for protecting structures against fires in high wind conditions, in order to provide a basic understanding of such aspects. This summary is not an extensive overview of all contemplated features of the disclosure and is intended neither to identify key or critical elements of all aspects of the disclosure nor to delineate the scope of any or all aspects of the disclosure. Instead, its sole purpose is to present some concepts of one or more aspects of the disclosure in a simplified form as a prelude to the more detailed description that is presented later herein.
The present invention provides an improved fire protection system. In accordance with one aspect of the invention, a fire-retardant distribution system of the fire protection system includes features to ensure that, regardless of the surrounding environmental conditions, a fire-retardant substance such as water is discharged onto the roof of a structure along its peak or crest and flows by gravity along the roof to the eaves, then around the underside of the eaves to the walls, and finally downwardly along the walls. Thus, both the roof and walls are wetted with a water discharging mechanism that is economical to manufacture and easy to install. One element of this water discharging mechanism is a unique water channel structure. According to an important feature of this inventive aspect, a protective cover is provided along a water channel, configured to cover the water channel while simultaneously acting as a windbreak.
Another aspect of the invention is concerned with the configuration of the water distribution system in such a way that multiple roof tops may be simultaneously protected. Specifically, the water distribution system includes an interconnection mechanism for connecting multiple water channels that, for example, connects a first water channel of the water distribution system to a second water channel of the water distribution system to simultaneously supply water to the first water channel while also supplying water to a second water channel. The water distribution system may be supported by a pump that is operated by a control unit. The control unit may be configured to operate based on information received from one or more sensors. These sensors may be placed at selected locations on and/or about the building structure to be protected. Actuation of the control unit to start the water distribution system may be by detection of a fire by any of the sensors.
Aspects generally include methods, apparatuses, and systems, as substantially described herein with reference to and as illustrated by the accompanying drawings. Numerous other aspects are provided.
To the accomplishment of the foregoing and related ends, the one or more aspects include the features hereinafter fully described and particularly pointed out in the claims. The following description and the annexed drawings set forth in detail certain illustrative features of the one or more aspects. These features are indicative, however, of but a few of the various ways in which the principles of various aspects may be employed, and this description is intended to include all such aspects and their equivalents.
These and other aspects of the invention will become more fully understood upon a review of the detailed description, which follows.
So that the manner in which the above-recited features of the present disclosure can be understood in detail, a more particular description, briefly summarized above, may be had by reference to aspects, some of which are illustrated in the appended drawings. It is to be noted, however, that the appended drawings illustrate only certain typical aspects of this disclosure and are therefore not to be considered limiting of its scope, for the description may admit to other equally effective aspects.
To facilitate understanding, identical reference numerals have been used, where possible, to designate identical elements that are common to the figures. It is contemplated that elements disclosed in one aspect may be beneficially used on other aspects without specific recitation.
Various aspects of the disclosure are described more fully hereinafter with reference to the accompanying drawings. This disclosure may, however, be embodied in many different forms and should not be construed as limited to any specific structure or function presented throughout this disclosure. Rather, these aspects are provided so that this disclosure will be thorough and complete, and will fully convey the scope of the disclosure to those skilled in the art. Based on the teachings herein one skilled in the art should appreciate that the scope of the disclosure is intended to cover any aspect of the disclosure disclosed herein, whether implemented independently of or combined with any other aspect of the disclosure. For example, an apparatus may be implemented or a method may be practiced using any number of the aspects set forth herein. In addition, the scope of the disclosure is intended to cover such an apparatus or method which is practiced using other structure, functionality, or structure and functionality in addition to or other than the various aspects of the disclosure set forth herein. It should be understood that any aspect of the disclosure disclosed herein may be embodied by one or more elements of a claim.
The word “exemplary” is used herein to mean “serving as an example, instance, or illustration.” Any aspect described herein as “exemplary” is not necessarily to be construed as preferred or advantageous over other aspects. Although particular aspects are described herein, many variations and permutations of these aspects fall within the scope of the disclosure. Although some benefits and advantages of the preferred aspects are mentioned, the scope of the disclosure is not intended to be limited to particular benefits, uses, or objectives. Rather, aspects of the disclosure are intended to be broadly applicable to a variety of structures, some of which are illustrated by way of example in the figures and in the following description of the preferred aspects. The detailed description and drawings are merely illustrative of the disclosure rather than limiting, the scope of the disclosure being defined by the appended claims and equivalents thereof.
The following description is directed to certain implementations for the purposes of describing the innovative aspects of this disclosure. However, a person having ordinary skill in the art will readily recognize that the teachings herein can be applied in different ways and may be incorporated into various types of communication networks or network components. In some aspects, the teachings herein may be employed in a fire protection system capable of operating in high wind conditions.
The techniques may be incorporated into (such as implemented within or performed by) a variety of water distribution systems. In some implementations, the water distribution system of the fire protection system only needs to provide water for one roof. In some other implementations, the water distribution system of the fire protection system needs to provide water for multiple roofs. In still some other implementations, the water distribution of the fire protection system may provide water for multiple, non-adjoining roofs.
The following terms may be used to describe and reference the parts of a structure that may be protected by the fire protection system:
It should be noted that although the term “conduit” is used throughout the specification to refer to a structure for distributing and deploying firefighting material, those of ordinary skill in the art would understand that other terms may be used. By way of example and not limitation, these other terms may include terms such as: passageway, channel, duct, pipe, tube, gutter, groove, furrow, trough, trench, culvert, cut, sluice, spillway, race, flume, chute, ditch, or drain. Thus, the term “conduit” and its equivalents should not be interpreted nor limited in a manner contrary to how the term is used herein.
Moreover, the term “fire-retardant” as used herein may refer to any substance that can be used to slow down or stop the spread of fire, and/or reduce its intensity. Thus, a fire-retardant may operate by initiating chemical reactions that reduce the flammability of materials or delay their combustion. A fire-retardant may also cool materials through physical action or endothermic chemical reactions. For example, water is usually the first substance that many people think of as a “fire-retardant” and is used as an example herein to describe the various inventive aspects of the method and apparatus for protecting structures against fires in high wind conditions. However, fire-retardants may also refer to substances that may be mixed with water to create a foam or gel.
Turning now to the drawings, in
The building structure 10 may be equipped with a fire protection system 100 configured in accordance with various aspect of the current disclosure. In general terms, the fire protection system 100 includes a water distribution system 102 mounted along a peak (crest) of the roof 14. The water distribution system 102 include multiple conduits 104 configured to dispense water onto the roof 14 from each crest, as further detailed herein. Once dispensed, the water flows by gravity, downwardly following the contours of the roof 14, as illustrated by arrows 192. For sake of clarity and to minimize potential clutter in the figures, only a limited number of the arrows 192 are illustrated. Those skilled in the art will understand the roof 14 will be sufficiently covered by the water dispensed by the conduits 104 and the fire protection system 100.
In accordance with one aspect of the current disclosure, the fire protection system may include a gutter system with a number of gutters 22 (gutter structures) mounted along the eaves 18 of the roof 14. The gutters 22 may include outlets for discharging water under the eaves 18 onto upper portions of the sidewalls 16. The water thus flows by gravity downwardly along the sidewalls 16, as illustrated by arrows 194. For sake of clarity and to minimize potential clutter in the figures, only a limited number of the arrows 194 are illustrated. Those skilled in the art will understand the sidewalls 16 will be sufficiently covered by the water dispensed by the gutters 22 and the fire protection system 102.
Also included in the fire protection system 100 is a water supply 130 for providing water to the water distribution system 102. Water from the water supply 130 may flow through one or more pipes 120. A pump (not shown), which may be operated by a motor, can be connected to the water source 130 for pumping water from the reservoir to supply the water distribution system 102. In accordance with various aspects of the present invention, water in the water supply 130 may be from a public source, such as a municipal water company. In addition, water for the water supply 130 may further or alternatively be sourced from a water reservoir such as a well, a swimming pool (not shown), or even recycled through a gutter/drain system that allows water already dispensed by the water distribution system 102 to be recaptured and reused. For example, the fire protection system 100 may also include a trough system with troughs mounted along each base of the sidewalls 16 for collecting the water draining from the sidewalls 16.
Those skilled in the art will understand that various fittings and materials may be used to implement and interconnect the pipes 120, the Y-joint 222, the collar 220, bypass inlet 226a, the collar 224a, the supply inlet 226b, and the collar 224b. For example, PVC materials may be used, and the fittings may be attached using adhesives. As another example, compression fittings may be used. Brass or other corrosion-resistant material may also be used. Thus, a combination of one or more approaches and different materials may be used.
In
The shaft 1102, which may be cylindrical or in any other shape, includes a stop portion 1106 on an end that is opposite to the end of the shaft 1102 attached to the L-shaped bracket 1120. The stop portion 1106 is larger than the opening in the end wall 1152822 of the gutter 812 for purposes that will be described herein. For example, the shaft 1102 may be implemented using a bolt, and secured to the L-shaped bracket 1120 by being threaded therethrough. The shaft 1102 is held in place in the gutter 812 with a pin 1112 that is inserted through a hole 1104 of the shaft 1102. The pin 1112 includes an opening 1114 through which a rope or chain 1116 may be attached. The rope 1116 may include a ring 1118 to facilitate removal of the pin 1112 from the hole 1104 of the shaft 1102.
A spring 1124 includes one end that presses against a washer 1122 that is thus forced against the end wall 1152822. The spring 1124 also includes another end that presses against the bracket wall 1132. The compression forces exerted by the spring 1124 also helps to hold the pin 1112 in place.
In one aspect of operation of the gutter drain shutoff device 1100, once the pin 1112 is removed, such as by a user pulling on the ring 1118, the spring 1124 will be allowed to force the L-shaped bracket 1130 away from the end wall 1152822 of the gutter 812. The shaft 1102 would be prevented from passing through the opening in the end wall 1152822 by the stop portion 1106 of the shaft 1102 that, as stated above, is larger than the opening in the end wall 1152822. The L-shaped bracket 11201130 would be stopped at a position such that the cover portion 1134 will block the opening of the gutter drain 802. Thus, when a fire-retardant such as water is dispensed from the conduits 104 and flows into the gutter 812, it will continue to be collected in the gutter 812 because the water will not be allowed to drain as the gutter drain 802 is blocked by the cover portion 1134 of the gutter drain shutoff device 1100. Once enough water has accumulated in the gutter 812 to reach the opening 902 of each insert in the plurality of openings 852, the water will be dispensed over the ledge 1012, as guided also by the overhang 1014.
In another embodiment, instead of a gutter drain shutoff device such as the gutter drain shutoff device 1100 of
Several aspects of a fire protection system have been presented with reference to a residential structure. As those skilled in the art will readily appreciate, various aspects described throughout this disclosure may be extended to other architectures and structures, including commercial structures. Further, it should be noted that although water is mentioned as the liquid that is used in the fire protection system, other liquids, including liquids that are specifically designed to quench fire, may be used.
As used herein, a phrase referring to “at least one of” a list of items refers to any combination of those items, including single members. As an example, “at least one of: a, b, or c” is intended to cover a, b, c, a-b, a-c, b-c, and a-b-c, as well as any combination with multiples of the same element (e.g., a-a, a-a-a, a-a-b, a-a-c, a-b-b, a-c-c, b-b, b-b-b, b-b-c, c-c, and c-c-c or any other ordering of a, b, and c). As used herein, including in the claims, the term “and/or,” when used in a list of two or more items, means that any one of the listed items can be employed by itself, or any combination of two or more of the listed items can be employed. For example, if a composition is described as containing components A, B, and/or C, the composition can contain A alone; B alone; C alone; A and B in combination; A and C in combination; B and C in combination; or A, B, and C in combination.
The previous description is provided to enable any person skilled in the art to practice the various aspects described herein. Various modifications to these aspects will be readily apparent to those skilled in the art, and the generic principles defined herein may be applied to other aspects. Thus, the claims are not intended to be limited to the aspects shown herein but is to be accorded the full scope consistent with the language claims, wherein reference to an element in the singular is not intended to mean “one and only one” unless specifically so stated, but rather “one or more.” For example, the articles “a” and “an” as used in this application and the appended claims should generally be construed to mean “one or more” unless specified otherwise or clear from the context to be directed to a singular form. Unless specifically stated otherwise, the term “some” refers to one or more. Moreover, the term “or” is intended to mean an inclusive “or” rather than an exclusive “or.” That is, unless specified otherwise, or clear from the context, the phrase, for example, “X employs A or B” is intended to mean any of the natural inclusive permutations. That is, for example the phrase “X employs A or B” is satisfied by any of the following instances: X employs A; X employs B; or X employs both A and B. All structural and functional equivalents to the elements of the various aspects described throughout this disclosure that are known or later come to be known to those of ordinary skill in the art are expressly incorporated herein by reference and are intended to be encompassed by the claims. Moreover, nothing disclosed herein is intended to be dedicated to the public regardless of whether such disclosure is explicitly recited in the claims. No claim element is to be construed under the provisions of 35 U.S.C. § 112, sixth paragraph, unless the element is expressly recited using the phrase “means for” or, in the case of a method claim, the element is recited using the phrase “step for.”
It is to be understood that the claims are not limited to the precise configuration and components illustrated above. Various modifications, changes and variations may be made in the arrangement, operation and details of the methods and apparatus described above without departing from the scope of the claims.
This application claims priority to and the benefit of provisional patent application No. 63/063,710 filed in the United States Patent and Trademark Office on Aug. 10, 2020, the entire content of which is incorporated herein by reference.
| Number | Name | Date | Kind |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1644603 | O'Neill | Oct 1927 | A |
| 3583490 | McFadden | Jun 1971 | A |
| 5537696 | Chartier | Jul 1996 | A |
| 20100263295 | Flanagan | Oct 2010 | A1 |
| Number | Date | Country | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Parent | 63063710 | Aug 2020 | US |
| Child | 17200769 | US |
