Patent Application
20240216732
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The disclosure relates to wildfire control devices and more particularly pertains to a new wildfire control device for controlling the direction of a wildfire. The device includes a trailer and a tower mounted to the trailer that is positionable between a collapsed position and an elongated position. A sprinkler head is mounted to the tower and the sprinkler head is fluidly attachable to a water source. In this way the sprinkler head can spray water from an elevated position for soaking an area with water to inhibit a wildfire from burning the area.
The prior art relates to wildfire control devices including a mobile firefighting device that includes a trailer, a fluid supply mounted to the trailer and a monitor mounted the trailer for spraying fluid from the fluid supply. The prior art discloses a firefighting device that includes a tripod with extendable legs and a spray head mounted atop the tripod for spraying water. The prior art discloses a sprinkler head that includes a tripod with extendable legs. The prior art discloses a home fire protection device that includes a circuit of sprinklers disposed on a house and a pond employed as a fluid reservoir. The prior art discloses a portable firefighting device that includes a cart, a pump mounted to the cart and a rotatable sprinkler attached to the cart for spraying water from the pump.
An embodiment of the disclosure meets the needs presented above by generally comprising a trailer that is towable behind a tow vehicle. A tower is mounted to the trailer and the tower is comprised of a plurality of sections that slidably engage each other such that the tower is positionable between a collapsed position or an elongated position. An actuator is mounted to the tower and the actuator urges the tower into the elongated position or the collapsed position. A sprinkler head is mounted to the tower and the sprinkler head is fluidly attachable to a fluid source thereby facilitating the sprinkler head to spray the fluid in a strategic location. In this way the sprinkler head can inhibit a wildfire from spreading into the strategic location.
There has thus been outlined, rather broadly, the more important features of the disclosure in order that the detailed description thereof that follows may be better understood, and in order that the present contribution to the art may be better appreciated. There are additional features of the disclosure that will be described hereinafter and which will form the subject matter of the claims appended hereto.
The objects of the disclosure, along with the various features of novelty which characterize the disclosure, are pointed out with particularity in the claims annexed to and forming a part of this disclosure.
The disclosure will be better understood and objects other than those set forth above will become apparent when consideration is given to the following detailed description thereof. Such description makes reference to the annexed drawings wherein:
With reference now to the drawings, and in particular to
As best illustrated in
Each of the sections 20 comprises a plurality of bottom members 24 which intersects each other at a perpendicular angle such that the plurality of bottom members 24 defines a rectangle. Each of the sections 20 includes a plurality of top members 26 which intersect each other at a perpendicular angle such that the plurality of top members 26 defines a rectangle. Furthermore, each of the plurality of top members 26 has a length that is less than a length of each of the plurality of bottom members 24. In this way the rectangle defined by the plurality of top members 26 has a perimeter that is less than a perimeter of the rectangle defined by the plurality of bottom members 24.
Each of the sections 20 includes a plurality of vertical members 28 each extending between a respective one of the bottom members 24 and a respective one of the top members 26. In this way the plurality of top members 26 is spaced upwardly from the plurality of bottom members 24 such that each of the sections 20 has a trapezoidal shape. Each of the sections 20 includes a plurality of angled members 30 each angling between a respective one of the plurality of top members 26 and a respective one of the bottom members 24. Additionally, each of the sections 20 includes a plurality of stop bars 32 each coupled to and extending laterally away from a respective one of the plurality of bottom members 24. Each of the plurality of stop bars 32 is perpendicularly oriented with the respective bottom member 24 having the plurality of stop bars 32 extending outwardly from the trapezoidal shape defined by the sections 20.
The plurality of sections 20 includes a bottom section 34, a first middle section 36, a second middle section 38 and a top section 42. The tower 18 includes a top plate 44 that is fixed on the plurality of top members 26 associated with the top section 42. The stop bars 32 associated with the first middle section 36 abuts a respective one of the top members 26 associated with the bottom section 34 when the tower 18 is positioned in the elongated position. The stop bars 32 associated with the second middle section 38 abuts a respective one of the top members 26 associated with the first middle section 36 when the tower 18 is positioned in the elongated position. Additionally, the stop bars 32 associated with the top section 42 abuts a respective one of the top members 26 associated with the second middle section 38 when the tower 18 is positioned in the elongated position. Furthermore, the plurality of sections 20 is nested within each other when the tower 18 is in positioned in the collapsed position. The tower 18 may have a height ranging between approximately 3.0 meters and 6.0 meters.
An actuator 46 is mounted to the tower 18 and the actuator 46 is actuatable between an extended condition or a retracted condition. The actuator 46 urges the tower 18 into the elongated position when the actuator 46 is in the extended condition. Conversely, the actuator 46 urges the tower 18 into the collapsed position when the actuator 46 is in the retracted condition. The actuator 46 has a bottom end 48 and a top end 50 and the actuator 46 includes a plurality of sections 52 which slidably engage each other such that the actuator 46 has a telescopically adjustable height.
A lower plate 68 is provided which is attached to the plurality of vertical members 28 of the top section 42 such that the lower plate 68 lies on a plane oriented parallel with said top plate 44. Additionally, the lower plate 68 has a slot 70 extending inwardly on a perimeter edge 72 of the top plate 44. The bottom end 48 of the actuator 46 is attached to the top surface 16 of the bed 14 of the trailer 12. The top end 50 of the actuator 46 is attached to a lower surface 54 of the lower plate 68. The actuator 46 is substantially hollow and each of the sections 52 of the actuator 46 is in fluid communication with each other. The actuator 46 has an air input 56 that is fluidly integrated into a lowermost one of the plurality of sections 57 of the actuator 46. Furthermore, the actuator 46 may comprise a pneumatic actuator or the like.
A sprinkler head 58 is provided and the sprinkler head 58 is mounted to the tower 18. The sprinkler head 58 is fluidly attachable to a fluid source 60 thereby facilitating the sprinkler head 58 to spray a fluid 62 in a strategic location. In this way the sprinkler head 58 can be employed to inhibit a wildfire 73 from spreading into the strategic location. The sprinkler head 58 is mounted to the top plate 44 on the top section 42 of the tower 18 and the sprinkler head 58 has an inlet port 64 and an outlet port 66.
An air conduit 74 is fluidly attached to the air input 56 on the actuator 46 and the air conduit 74 has an air inlet 76 that is located on the trailer 12. The air conduit 74 is fluidly attachable to a source of compressed air 78 thereby facilitating the actuator 46 to receive compressed air for urging the actuator 46 into the extended condition. A fluid conduit 80 is provided which has a fluid outlet 82 and a pair of fluid inlets 84. The fluid outlet 82 is fluidly attached to the inlet port 64 on the sprinkler head 58 and each of the fluid inlets 84 is located on the trailer 12. Additionally, the fluid conduit 80 is comprised of a deformable material thereby facilitating the fluid conduit 80 to be coiled on the trailer 12 when the tower 18 is positioned in the collapsed position. The fluid conduit 80 has a pair of bends 86 that define a horizontal section 88 extending between a lower section 90 and an upper section 92. The lower section 90 extends through the slot 70 in the lower plate 68 such that the horizontal section 88 is positioned between the lower plate 68 and the top plate 44 and the upper section 92 is directed toward a center of the top plate 44 to engage the inlet port 64 on the sprinkler head 58.
A fluid tank 94 is mounted to a fluid trailer 12 and the fluid tank 94 contains the fluid 62 which may be water or other flame suppressing fluid. A pump 96 is attached to the fluid tank 94 and the pump 96 has an intake 98 and a plurality of exhausts 100. The intake 98 is in fluid communication with an interior of the fluid tank 94 thereby facilitating the pump 96 to urge the fluid in the fluid tank 94 outwardly through the pair of exhausts 100 when the pump 96 is turned on. The pump 96 may comprise an electric fluid pump or other similar type of fluid pump. A fluid hose 102 is fluidly attachable between a respective one of the exhausts 100 on the pump 96 and a respective one of the pair of fluid inlets 84 of the fluid conduit 80 thereby facilitating the pump 96 to deliver the fluid to the sprinkler head 58.
In an alternative embodiment 104 as is most clearly shown in
In use, the trailer 12 is towed to an area that is strategically located with respect to a wildfire 73 being fought by firefighters 116. The tower 18 is positioned in the elongated position and the fluid hose 102 is fluidly attached between the fluid conduit 80 and the pump 96 on the fluid trailer 12. In this way the sprinkler head 58 can spray the fluid over the area thereby soaking the area with the fluid. Thus, the direction of the wildfire 73 can be controlled by strategically locating multiple trailers 12 at various locations for controlling the wildfire 73 by soaking areas that have not yet been burned by the wildfire 73. In this way the firefighters 116 can stay ahead of the wildfire 73 while fighting the wildfire 73 thereby reducing the likelihood of injury or loss of life.
With respect to the above description then, it is to be realized that the optimum dimensional relationships for the parts of an embodiment enabled by the disclosure, to include variations in size, materials, shape, form, function and manner of operation, assembly and use, are deemed readily apparent and obvious to one skilled in the art, and all equivalent relationships to those illustrated in the drawings and described in the specification are intended to be encompassed by an embodiment of the disclosure.
Therefore, the foregoing is considered as illustrative only of the principles of the disclosure. Further, since numerous modifications and changes will readily occur to those skilled in the art, it is not desired to limit the disclosure to the exact construction and operation shown and described, and accordingly, all suitable modifications and equivalents may be resorted to, falling within the scope of the disclosure. In this patent document, the word “comprising” is used in its non-limiting sense to mean that items following the word are included, but items not specifically mentioned are not excluded. A reference to an element by the indefinite article “a” does not exclude the possibility that more than one of the element is present, unless the context clearly requires that there be only one of the elements.
