Protected fire protection sprinkler and tool assemblies
AssigneeMinimax Viking Research & Development GmbH
InventorJed Edmond Pipe
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
Installation and protective devices for fire protection sprinkler assembly having a support cup is disposed about the sprinkler assembly. A protective cap engages the support cup to define an internal volume to enclose the sprinkler therein and protect operational components of the sprinkler during storage, transport, installation and when awaiting to be placed into service. The protective cap defines a tool path with slots of the protective cap in fluid communication with the internal volume. The protective cap and tools are configured to cooperate with one another to permit the tool to adjustably navigate within the internal volume to access the protected sprinkler for installation or adjustment of the sprinkler frame and/or for removing the protective cap.
Claims34
A protected sprinkler assembly comprising:
- a fire protection sprinkler including a frame and a fluid deflector coupled to the frame, the frame having a body defining an inlet, an outlet and an internal passageway extending along a sprinkler axis from the inlet to the outlet;
- a support cup having an end cap with a central opening disposed about the body and a plurality of apertures radially arranged about the central opening with the support cup including an open receiving end opposite the end cap to define a cup chamber centered about a central cup axis, the plurality of apertures being angularly spaced about the cup axis to define a first arc length about the cup axis between two angularly adjacent spaced apertures;
- and
- a protective cap including a tubular member having a first end, an opposite second end, and an internal baffle supported within the tubular member and spaced from the first end to define a cap chamber centered about a cap axis, the protective cap being engaged with the support cup to define an internal volume of the sprinkler assembly between the end cap and the internal baffle, the internal baffle defining a plurality of slots in fluid communication with the internal volume to define a tool path therethrough, each slot in the plurality of slots defining a slot length spanning a second arc length about the cap axis that is greater than the first arc length between the two angularly adjacent apertures of the plurality of apertures of the support cup.
A protective cap for a fire protection sprinkler assembly having a sprinkler frame, a fluid deflection member and a support cup having an end cap with a central opening centered about a cup axis and disposed about the sprinkler frame, the end cap including a plurality of apertures angularly spaced about the central opening to define an arc length about the cup axis between two angularly adjacent spaced apertures, the protective cap comprising:
- a tubular member for engaging the support cup, the tubular member having an inner surface, an outer surface, a first end and a second end spaced apart from one another along a cap axis;
- an internal baffle formed within the tubular member, the internal baffle being axially spaced from the first end to define a cap chamber with the inner surface and centered about the cap axis;
- and
- a plurality of slots formed between the internal baffle and the inner surface of the tubular member, each slot in the plurality of slots being in fluid communication with the cap chamber so as to define a tool path in fluid communication with an internal volume defined between the tubular member and the support cup, each slot in the plurality of slots having a slot length spanning over an arc length with respect to the cup axis that is greater than the arc length between the two angularly adjacent spaced apertures of the end cap.
A method of protecting a sprinkler assembly having a frame, a deflector and a support cup having an end cap with a central opening centered about a cup axis and disposed about the sprinkler frame, the end cap including a plurality of apertures angularly spaced about the central opening to define an arc length about the cup axis between two angularly adjacent spaced apertures, the method comprising:
- engaging a tubular member with the support cup to define an internal volume between the endcap of the support cup and an internal baffle formed within the tubular member with an inner surface of the tubular member circumscribed about the sprinkler assembly;
- and
- defining a tool path with a plurality of slots formed about the internal baffle and in fluid communication with the internal volume to access a tool engagement portion of the sprinkler assembly during installation of the sprinkler assembly, each slot in the plurality of slots has a slot length spanning over an arc length with respect to a central axis of the tubular member that is greater than the arc length between the two angularly adjacent spaced apertures of the plurality of apertures of the support cup.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.