Accelerator for fire extinguisher system

Claim 2

An accelerator for use in a dry pipe fire extinguisher system, having main valve controlling the admission of a fire extinguishing medium to the system and normally held closed against the pressure of a supply of said medium by the normal pressure of the gas in the system, sensing means including a fluid medium responsive to a change in the pressure of the gas in the system, and actuating means responsive to said fluid medium for disturbing the balance of the gaseous pressure in said main valve to permit the same to open, said actuating means comprises first and second chambers, a control valve in said first chamber; a piston in said second chamber responsive to said fluid medium, control valve opening means in said first chamber for opening said control valve, and linkage means positioned between said first and second chambers and responsive to said piston for acting on said control valve opening means.

Claim 3

An accelerator according to claim 1 in which said sensing means includes a differential pressure chamber responsive to pressure of the gas in the system, fluid passages connecting said differential pressure chamber to said second chamber at point on one side of said piston and also to an accumulator through an orifice, and a fluid passage connecting said accumulator to the second chamber at a point on the opposite side of the piston, said fluid medium being present in said fluid passages, and said accumulator and said differential pressure chambers. 3 An accelerator according to claim 1 in which said linkage means comprises a rod movable within both of said first and second chambers. 4, An accelerator according to claim 2 in which said linkage means comprises a rod slidably movable within both of said first and second chambers.

Claim 4

An automatic fire extinguisher system including a dry pipe valve coupling a water main to the distribution piping of a sprinkler system, said dry pipe valve having a first clapper and a second clapper, said first clapper normally maintaining by linkage means said second clapper in a closed position, a dry pipe valve chamber being formed between said first and second clappers, an accelerator responsive to the pressure of the air in said distribution piping, said accelerator comprising a chamber having an inlet port and an outlet port, said inlet port coupled to the water main, said outlet port coupled to dry pipe valve chamber, and valve means for controlling the flow of fluid from said water main to said dry pipe valve chamber, said valve means including means responsive to a change in the pressure of the air in said distribution piping.

Claim 5

An automatic fire extinguisher system including a dry pipe valve coupling a water main to the distribution piping of a sprinkler system, said dry pipe valve having a first clapper and a second clapper, said first clapper normally maintaining by linkage means said second clapper in a closed position, a dry pipe valve chamber being formed between said first and second clappers, an accelerator responsive to the pressure of the air in said distribution piping, said accelerator comprising a chamber having an inlet port and an outlet port, said inlet port coupled to the water main, said outlet port coupled to dry pipe valve chamber, and valve means for controlling the flow of fluid from said water main to said dry pipe valve chamber, said valve means including means responsive to a change in the pressure of the air in said distribution piping.

Claim 6

An accelerator for use in a dry pipe fire extinguisher system having a main valve controlling the admission of a fire extinguishing medium to the system and normally held closed against the pressure of a supply of said medium by the normal pressure of the gas in the system, actuating means for disturbing the balance of the gaseous pressure in said main valve to permit the same to open, control means to control the operation of said actuating means, means responsive to a change in pressure in said system to operate said control means, said control means being located so that said fire extinguishing medium does not come in contact therewith.

Claim 7

An accelerator for use in a dry pipe fire extinguisher system having a main valve controlling the admission of a fire extinguishing medium to the system and normally held closed against the pressure of a supply of said medium by the normal pressure of the gas in the system, actuating means for disturbing the balance of the gaseous pressure in said main valve to permit the same to open, control means to control the operation of said actuating means, means responsive to a change in pressure in said system to operate said control means, said control means being located so that said fire extinguishing medium does not come in contact therewith.

Claim 8

An accelerator device for a dry pipe valve interconnecting a main to distribution piping comprising a first chamber having an inlet port and an outlet port, valve means in said first chamber for preventing fluid in said first chamber from entering said outlet port, a second chamber, first means positioned in said second chamber and extending into said first to open said valve means of said first chamber, actuating means in said second chamber to actuate said first means to cause said valve means in said first chamber to open, and second means having fluid therein which is responsive to the pressure of the air in the distribution piping for actuating said actuating means.

Claim 9

An accelerator device for a dry pipe valve interconnecting a main to distribution piping comprising a first chamber having an inlet port and an outlet port, valve means in said first chamber for preventing fluid in said first chamber from entering said outlet port, a second chamber, first means positioned in said second chamber and extending into said first to open said valve means of said first chamber, actuating means in said second chamber to actuate said first means to cause said valve means in said first chamber to open, and second means having fluid therein which is responsive to the pressure of the air in the distribution piping for actuating said actuating means.

Claim 10

An accelerator for use in a dry pipe fire extinguisher system, having main valve controlling the admission of a fire extinguishing medium to the system and normally held closed against the pressure of a supply of said medium by the normal pressure of the gas in the system, sensing means including a fluid medium responsive to a change in the pressure of the gas in the system, said sensing means including separating means positioned between said fluid medium of said sensing means and said fire extinguishing system for closing said sensing means to intermingling of said fire extinguishing medium with the medium of said sensing means, and actuating means responsive to said fluid medium for disturbing the balance of the gaseous pressure in said main valve to permit the same to open.

Claim 11

An accelerator for use in a dry pipe fire extinguisher system, having main valve controlling the admission of a fire extinguishing medium to the system and normally held closed against the pressure of a supply of said medium by the normal pressure of the gas in the system, sensing means including a fluid medium responsive to a change in the pressure of the gas in the system, said sensing means including separating means positioned between said fluid medium of said sensing means and said fire extinguishing system for closing said sensing means to intermingling of said fire extinguishing medium with the medium of said sensing means, and actuating means responsive to said fluid medium for disturbing the balance of the gaseous pressure in said main valve to permit the same to open.

Claim 12

An accelerator for a dry pipe fire extinguisher system having a main valve controlling the flow of a fire extinguishing fluid into the system and held closed by a gas pressure in said system, comprising control means for disturbing the balance of pressures on said main valve to cause said main valve to open, a closed fluid conduit means including a fluid moving means having a movable surface face for sensing the pressure of said gas in said fire extinguisher system and for moving fluid in said fluid conduit system in accordance with said sensed gas pressure, piston means operatively connected to said control means, said fluid conduit means further including means for establishing a fluid pressure differential on opposed surfaces of said piston means responsive to change in said air pressure, whereby said pressure differential moves said piston to actuate said control device when said air pressure decreases at a rate which is greater than a predetermined rate.

Claim 13

An accelerator for a dry pipe fire extinguisher system having a main valve controlling the flow of a fire extinguishing fluid into the system and held closed by a gas pressure in said system, comprising control means for disturbing the balance of pressures on said main valve to cause said main valve to open, a closed fluid conduit means including a fluid moving means having a movable surface face for sensing the pressure of said gas in said fire extinguisher system and for moving fluid in said fluid conduit system in accordance with said sensed gas pressure, piston means operatively connected to said control means, said fluid conduit means further including means for establishing a fluid pressure differential on opposed surfaces of said piston means responsive to change in said air pressure, whereby said pressure differential moves said piston to actuate said control device when said air pressure decreases at a rate which is greater than a predetermined rate.

Claim 14

An accelerator according to claim 10, in which said sensing means comprises a cylinder and piston, one surface of said piston communicating with said gas pressure in said fire extinguisher system and an opposing surface of said piston communicating with fluid in said closed fluid system.

Claim 15

An accelerator according to claim 11, in which said sensing piston is resiliently biased toward said gas pressure. 13. An accelerator according to claim 10, in which said means for establishing a pressure differential on said piston means includes an accumulator and an orifice located in said closed fluid system between said sensing means and said accumulator and between said opposed surfaces of said piston means.