Fire retardant seating
First Claim
1. A seat comprising a cushion and an enclosure, said cushion having means for supporting the enclosure within the cushion, said means for supporting being plastic and generally combustible, said enclosure carrying a non-gaseous fire-extinguishing substance within said enclosure, said substance being releasable from said enclosure through passageway means, said enclosure having discrete early release means for causing dispensation of said substance upon heating of said cushion prior to ignition or substantial melting of said cushion and said enclosure, said early release means having substantially lower heat resistance than other materials comprising said cushion, and said early release means being disposed on a surface of said enclosure facing open areas generally below said cushion to ensure early exposure of said early release means to a heat source located below said cushion.
2 Assignments
0 Petitions
Accused Products
Abstract
A fire-resistant seating component. In a first embodiment, seat backs and pans are equipped with an enclosure containing a fire-retardant material which can flow out of early-release openings in the enclosure. The enclosure comprises at least one meltable zone which causes dispensation of the fire-resistant material at a temperature which is below the ignition temperature of the seating component. The enclosure is located at the lower portion of either a seat pan, a seat back, or both, so that burning rubbish such as paper cups and similar flammable debris disposed under a seat can be extinguished by the fire-retardant material as it flows vertically downwardly into the space beneath the seat. In a second embodiment, interior spaces within a seating component are coated or filled with non-combustible material to reduce the transfer of heat and the spread of fire. Such material may completely occupy the interior space within the component, or the material may simply coat the interior surfaces of the component. The non-combustible material may remain in contact, such as by adhesion, with the interior surfaces of the component to limit the amount of oxygen which comes into contact with the interior surfaces, thus limiting the tendency for the component to burn. Alternatively, the interior space within the component may be completely or partially filled with a highly heat absorbing material, such as water stabilized with a super absorbent polymer.
10 Citations
11 Claims
- 1. A seat comprising a cushion and an enclosure, said cushion having means for supporting the enclosure within the cushion, said means for supporting being plastic and generally combustible, said enclosure carrying a non-gaseous fire-extinguishing substance within said enclosure, said substance being releasable from said enclosure through passageway means, said enclosure having discrete early release means for causing dispensation of said substance upon heating of said cushion prior to ignition or substantial melting of said cushion and said enclosure, said early release means having substantially lower heat resistance than other materials comprising said cushion, and said early release means being disposed on a surface of said enclosure facing open areas generally below said cushion to ensure early exposure of said early release means to a heat source located below said cushion.
Specification