Patent Application
20250050152
This disclosure relates generally to firefighting accessories, and in particular to a support sleeve for supporting the structural integrity of firefighting accessories.
Extinguishing a fire typically involves applying water or extinguishing foam to the fire. Ideally, firefighters are able to access the seat of the fire to apply water or foam directly to the seat of the fire, resulting in relatively quick and straightforward extinguishment.
Many fires are difficult to extinguish due to inability to adequately access the seat of the fire. This inability can be caused by many factors, including closed cavity spaces, weakened and dangerous structural conditions due to total elapsed fire duration, heavy fire conditions, the number of firefighters at the scene, and weather conditions that can interfere with operation of fire hoses and other equipment. In some cases, conditions at the scene of a fire create the need to conduct exterior only fire suppression. Fighting a fire from the exterior only can cause extinguishment to take longer than in a scenario where firefighters can apply water or foam directly to the seat of the fire. In addition to increased property damage that occurs the longer a fire continues to burn, firefighters' and fire victims' exposure to dangerous fire, smoke, carcinogens, and heat increases as extinguishment efforts continue.
Additionally, because of the durability and accessibility needed for firefighting accessories, firefighting accessories can become quite heavy and lengthy which can put extreme stress on points where accessories connect.
For the reasons stated above, and for other reasons which will become apparent to those skilled in the art upon reading and understanding the specification, there is a need in the art for a support sleeve for a firefighting accessory that allows for greater structural integrity of the connection points of firefighting accessories.
These and other objects, features, or advantages of the present disclosure will become apparent from the specification and claims.
The disclosure relates to a support sleeve for a firefighting accessory. In one arrangement, the support sleeve comprises a tube having a first end and a second end. The first end of the tube is configured to frictionally fit within a first firefighting accessory having threaded connectors, and the second end is configured to guide the threaded connectors of the first firefighting accessory into alignment with the threaded connectors of a second firefighting accessory.
In the following detailed description of the embodiments, reference is made to the accompanying drawings which form a part hereof, and in which is shown by way of illustration specific preferred embodiments in which the disclosure may be practiced. These embodiments are described in sufficient detail to enable those skilled in the art to practice the disclosure, and it is to be understood that other embodiments may be utilized and that mechanical, procedural, and other changes may be made without departing from the spirit and scope of the present disclosures. The following detailed description is, therefore, not to be taken in a limiting sense, and the scope of the present disclosure is defined only by the appended claims, along with the full scope of equivalents to which such claims are entitled.
As used herein, the terminology such as vertical, horizontal, top, bottom, front, back, end and sides are referenced according to the views presented. It should be understood, however, that the terms are used only for purposes of description, and are not intended to be used as limitations. Accordingly, orientation of an object or a combination of objects may change without departing from the scope of the disclosure.
The inventor has been in the fire service for over 20 years as a firefighter and officer. Over the years, he has worked many fires that were very hard to extinguish. A significant fire the inventor responded to was on New Year's Eve Day 2017. It was a two-story residential dwelling and due to heavy fire conditions and severely cold temperatures, causing many issues with lines and trucks freezing, the decision to conduct exterior only fire suppression was made. Due to the many angles, and closed cavities of the structure, and general fire extension within the structure, extinguishment took several hours. It was a very frustrating incident for all responders present. After that fire, the inventor became determined to develop a nozzle that could have reduced this overall time significantly, and later designed the extension assembly 100 described in this application to extend the reach of fire nozzles into structures that cannot be entered and to increase the distance of firefighters from the hazards associated with a fire. Additionally, it was critical for the inventor to ensure the strength and integrity of the component parts of the extension assembly 100. Therefore, the inventor included a support sleeve 140 to prevent failure of the component parts at their meeting locations.
As shown in
The nozzle used in connection with extension assembly 100 may be a Torpedo Nozzle manufactured by American Fire Equipment Co. The nozzle may be as described in U.S. patent Ser. No. 16/545,262 filed Aug. 20, 2019, the entirety of which is hereby incorporated by reference. The nozzle may be as described in U.S. patent Ser. No. 16/545,091 filed Aug. 20, 2019, the entirety of which is hereby incorporated by reference. Alternatively, the nozzle may be any another fire suppression spray nozzle.
Tube 110 provides an elongated and rigid structure configured to extend a nozzle connected to the furthest end of extension assembly 100 into a fire compartment. Tube 110 is the component of extension assembly 100 that gives extension assembly 100 its length and allows fire crews to work at greater distance from a fire or from an external position. Additionally, water, foam, or other fire suppressing fluid flows through tube 110 during operation of extension assembly 100.
In one arrangement, tube 110 may comprise a length of extruded structural seamless aluminum tubing such as a 6061 T6 aluminum tube. In other arrangements, tube 110 may comprise another metal or another suitable material without departing from the scope of the disclosure. Tube 110 may be anodized or hard coat anodized to meet NFPA standards. Tube 110 may comprise a 2 inch outer diameter and ⅛ inch thick wall. Alternatively, tube 110 may be of any other dimensions without departing from the scope of the disclosure.
Tube 110 comprises a first end and a second end, and each end of tube 110 may be welded onto a hose coupler 120 or 130 that has been machined to fit onto tube 110.
Welded onto the second end of the tube 110 is a male hose coupler 120 that has been machined to fit onto tube 110. Welded onto the first end of the tube 110 is a female hose coupler 130 that has been machined to fit onto tube 110. Tube 110 and hose couplers 120, 130 may be hard-coat anodized to meet NFPA standards.
Hose couplers 120, 130 may comprise threaded connectors configured to securely connect tube 110 to fire suppression spray nozzles, fire hoses, fire hydrants, other fire suppression equipment, and other sections of extension assembly 100. Hose couplers 120, 130 may comprise standard 1.5 inch NH hose couplers. In operation, hose couplers 120 and 130 prevent extension assembly 100 from disconnecting from fluid leakage fire suppression spray nozzles, fire hoses, fire hydrants, other fire suppression equipment, and other sections of extension assembly 100 as high pressure fluid moves between connected elements.
In one embodiment, hose couplers 120, 130 may be machined from 6061 extruded aluminum. In other embodiments, hose couplers 120, 130 may be formed from another suitable material without departing from the scope of the disclosure.
As shown in
In one arrangement, support sleeve 140 is machined from 304 stainless steel. In other arrangements, support sleeve 140 may be formed from another metal or other suitable material without departing from the scope of the disclosure.
Support sleeve 140 is sized to be slightly smaller than the inner dimension bore of the female hose coupler 130. Support sleeve 140 is fit into the inner dimension bore of the female hose coupler 130, and a permanent retaining compound may be applied between the support sleeve 140 and the female hose coupler 130. In one embodiment, support sleeve 140 is press fit into the inner dimension bore of the female hose coupler 130; however, support sleeve 140 may be installed in other ways without departing from the scope of the disclosure. As shown in
The support sleeve 140 has the ability to fit within any type of connector without departing from the scope of the disclosure. In one arrangement, the support sleeve 140 has the ability to fit in a standard female hose coupler and is not limited to being utilized with a coupler welded onto an extension assembly 100.
In one arrangement, the first end 144 of the support sleeve 140 is press fit into the inner dimension bore of the female hose coupler 130 and the second end 146 of the support sleeve 140 helps connect the female hose coupler 130 to a male hose coupler, fire suppression spray nozzles, fire hoses, fire hydrants, or other fire suppression equipment.
In another arrangement, the second end 146 of the support sleeve 140 is press fit into the inner dimension bore of a female hose coupler and the first end 144 of the support sleeve helps connect the female hose coupler to a male hose coupler, fire suppression spray nozzles, fire hoses, fire hydrants, or other fire suppression equipment.
When the support sleeve 140 is in use, it helps guide one firefighting accessory to a secure attachment with another firefighting accessory and maintains the stability of the attachment when water is flowing at a high pressure between the two firefighting accessories.
In one arrangement, support sleeve 140 may further include a shoulder feature 150. Shoulder feature 150 is located between the portion of the support sleeve 140 that is configured to fit inside the female hose coupler 130 or other firefighting accessory and the portion of the support sleeve 140 that is disposed outside the female hose coupler 130 or other firefighting accessory. Shoulder feature 150 is shaped as a raised lip to help facilitate connecting different firefighting accessories without departing from the scope of the disclosure.
When attaching a female hose coupler 130 or other firefighting accessory to support sleeve 140, the shoulder feature 150 prevents the over insertion of the support sleeve 140 into the female hose coupler 130 or other firefighting accessory.
In one arrangement, one instance of extension assembly 100 may be used to extend a fire suppression nozzle closer to or into a fire compartment. In such arrangements, a first end of a fire hose is connected to a source of water or other fire suppressing fluid, and the second end of the fire hose is connected to female hose coupler 130, and support sleeve 140 aids in aligning the threads of female hose coupler 130 to the threads of the fire hose as well as providing strength to the connection. A fire suppression nozzle is connected to male hose coupler 120. A shut-off valve may be installed at any connection point between the source of water or other fluid and the nozzle. For example, a shut-off valve may be attached between the source of water or other fluid and the first end of the fire hose, between the second end of the fire hose and the female hose coupler 130, or directly to the extension tube on its own. Once assembled, extension assembly 100 is extended toward a fire. Water or other fluid flows through tube 110 and into the nozzle, and the nozzle directs the water or fluid toward the fire. Extension assembly 100 may vary in length from 3 feet to 24 feet; however, extension assembly 100 may be other lengths without departing from the scope of the disclosure.
In other arrangements, any number of instances of extension assembly 100 may be connected together to extend the reach of a fire suppression nozzle. In such arrangements, a first end of a fire hose is connected to a source of water or other fire suppressing fluid, and the second end of the fire hose is connected to female hose coupler 130 of a first instance of extension assembly 100, and support sleeve 140 aids in aligning the threads of female hose coupler 130 to the threads of the nozzle as well as providing strength to the connection. The female hose coupler 130 of a second instance of extension assembly 100 is connected to the male hose coupler 120 of the first instance of extension assembly 100, and support sleeve 140 aids in aligning the threads of the female hose coupler 130 to the threads of male hose coupler 120 as well as providing strength to the connection. Additional instances of extension assembly 100 are similarly attached until the desired length of the combined extension assemblies 100 is reached. A fire suppression nozzle is connected to the male hose coupler 120 of the extension assembly 100 that is furthest from the first instance of extension assembly 100. A shut-off valve may be installed at any connection point between the source of water or other fluid and the nozzle. For example, a shut-off valve may be attached between the source of water or other fluid and the first end of the fire hose, between the second end of the fire hose and the female hose coupler 130 of the first instance of extension assembly 100, between the female hose coupler 130 of any instance of extension assembly 100 and the male hose coupler 120 of an adjacent extension assembly 100, or directly to the extension tube on its own. Once assembled, the combined extension assemblies 100 are extended toward a fire. Water or other fluid flows through tubes 110 and into the nozzle, and the nozzle directs the water or fluid toward the fire. Each instance of extension assembly 100 may vary in length from 3 feet to 24 feet; however, each instance of extension assembly 100 may be other lengths without departing from the scope of the disclosure. By connecting multiple instances of extension assembly 100 together, any length may be achieved with the combined extension assemblies 100.
Through use of extension assembly 100, fire crews may reach the seat of the fire and more effectively extinguish fires while distancing themselves from the point of discharge.
The extension assembly 100 has many benefits and advantages including, but not limited to reducing the amount of time needed to extinguish fires from an external position, increased safety for fire crews by limiting harmful exposure, increased ability to reduce interior compartment heat to increase fire victims' survivability and reduce exposure to heat and fire for firefighter and rescue operations, and reduced water usage resulting from faster fire suppression.
These and other benefits and advantages of the extension assembly 100 are apparent from the specification and claims.
In one arrangement, the first end 144 of the support sleeve 140 is press fit into the inner dimension bore of the female hose coupler 130 and the second end 146 of the support sleeve helps connect the female hose coupler 130 to a male hose coupler, fire suppression spray nozzles, fire hoses, fire hydrants, or other fire suppression equipment.
In another arrangement, the first end 144 of the support sleeve 140 is press fit into the inner dimension bore of a hose and the second end 146 of the support sleeve helps connect the hose to a hose coupler, fire suppression spray nozzles, fire hoses, fire hydrants, or any other fire suppression equipment.
When the support sleeve 140 is in use, it helps guide one firefighting accessory to a secure attachment with another firefighting accessory and maintains the stability of the attachment when water is flowing at a high pressure between the two firefighting accessories.
This patent application claims priority to U.S. Provisional Patent Application No. 63/163,206 filed on Mar. 19, 2021 as well as U.S. patent application Ser. No. 17/695,425 filed on Mar. 15, 2022, the entirety of which is incorporated herein fully by reference.
| Number | Date | Country | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 63163206 | Mar 2021 | US |
| Number | Date | Country | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Parent | 17695425 | Mar 2022 | US |
| Child | 18931983 | US |
