Service shut off device

• US 6,725,615 B1
• Filed: 11/06/2001
• Issued: 04/27/2004
• Est. Priority Date: 05/07/1999
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Promat Australia Pty Limited (Etex NV)
• Original Assignee: Promat Fyreguard Pty Limited
• Inventors: Porter, Raymond
• Primary Examiner(s): Friedman, Carl D.
• Assistant Examiner(s): KATCHEVES, BASIL S
• Application Number:
  US09/979,806
• Time in Patent Office: 903 Days
• Field of Search: 522/32, 522/208, 52/1, 52/98, 52/99, 137/75
• US Class Current: 52/232
• CPC Class Codes: A62C 2/065 having as the main closure device materials, whose characteristics undergo an irreversible change under high temperatures, e.g. intumescent
• CPC Class Codes: F16L 5/04 to form a firebreak device
• CPC Class Codes: H02G 3/0412 Heat or fire protective means for fire in electric circuits A62C3/16

Abstract

A service shut off device which is a selected length of a composite body adapted to be formed into a shape to fit in use around a service line. The composite body has a flexible casing (20) and a body of intumescent material (28) received in the casing. The body of intumescent material (28) may be continuous. The composite body has means (32) associated with the casing to contain the intumescent material within the casing and means (36) to retain the collar in a selected shape around the service line. Mounting brackets (36) can clip onto the body or be part of the body.

Claims

1. A service shut off device comprising a continuous strip of fire collar material including a flexible casing, a continuous flexible intumescent material within the casing and a retention arrangement to retain the intumescent material within the casing, the strip comprising the casing and intumescent material adapted to be severed at a selected length along the length of the continuous strip whereby the strip can be severed at the selected length and the severed portion wrapped around a service line such as a pipe or cable tray to provide a fire collar, wherein the casing has transverse lines of weakening at regular positions along the length of the casing and the transverse lines of weakening are provided by a plurality of lines of perforations transverse to the length of the strip.

2. The service shut off device comprising a selected length of a continuous strip of fire collar material as claimed in claim 1 adapted to be formed into a shape to fit in use around a service line, the continuous strip of fire collar material including a flexible casing and a continuous flexible intumescent material within the casing, the strip comprising the casing and intumescent material adapted to be severed at a selected length along the length of the continuous strip whereby the strip can be severed at the selected length and the severed portion wrapped around a service line such as a pipe or cable tray to provide a fire collar, the service shut off device further comprising a retention arrangement associated with the casing to contain the intumescent material within the casing and means to retain the collar in a selected shape around the service line.

3. The service shut off device as in claim 2 wherein the flexible casing is substantially U-shaped with the intumescent material received in the hollow of the U-shape.

4. The service shut off device as in claim 2 wherein the flexible casing provides a backing for the intumescent material, provides a backing and one edge or provides a backing and two edges.

5. The service shut off device as in claim 2 wherein the flexible casing is made from a metallic material such as sheet aluminum, stainless steel or steel and is anodised or galvanised to prevent corrosion in an installation.

6. The service shut off device as in claim 2 wherein the flexible casing is a perforated sheet metal.

7. The service shut off device as in claim 2 wherein the flexible casing is manufactured from a composite material such as a glass reinforced material or the like.

8. The service shut off device as in claim 2 wherein the means to retain the collar in the selected shape such as a circular shape is a wire or other strap material which can be wound around the collar when it is formed into the selected shape and joined to hold the collar in that selected shape.

9. The service shut off device as in claim 2 wherein the retention arrangement is an adhesive.

10. The service shut off device as in claim 2 wherein the retention arrangement includes a plurality of tabs associated with the casing which extend against or into the intumescent material.

11. The service shut off device as in claim 2 wherein the body of intumescent material is transversely cut or perforated at intervals to assist with selection of the required length of the service shut off device.

12. The service shut off device as in claim 2 wherein the means to retain the collar in the selected shape includes a link member, the link member having a plurality of pins adapted to co-act with apertures on the casing across a join in the casing whereby the collar is retained in the selected shape.

13. The service shut off device as in claim 2 wherein the service shut off device is adapted to be formed around a service line within a wall or soffit.

14. The service shut off device as in claim 2 wherein the service shut off device is adapted to be mounted against a wall or soffit.

15. The service shut off device as in claim 2 further including at least one bracket either associated with the casing or being a separate bracket which can be fastened onto the casing to hold the service shut off device against a wall or soffit.

16. The service shut off device as in claim 15 including a plurality of co-acting connecting pieces on the bracket and the casing so that the bracket is retained on the casing.

17. The service shut off device as in claim 16 wherein the co-acting connecting piece between the casing and the bracket also acts as a connector between the ends of the casing of the composite body to both retain the casing in the selected shape and to be used as a bracket.

18. The continuous strip fire collar material as in claim 1 wherein the transverse lines of weakening also provide the regions at which the strip of material can be severed to form the individual lengths for the fire collar and also enable it to be bent around or wrapped around to form a selected shape for the fire collar.

19. The continuous strip fire collar material as in claim 1 wherein the body of intumescent material is transversely cut or perforated at intervals to assist with selection of the required length of the continuous strip of fire collar material.

20. The continuous strip fire collar material as in claim 1 wherein the retention arrangement to contain the intumescent material within the casing is an adhesive.

21. The continuous strip fire collar material as in claim 1 wherein the retention arrangement to contain the intumescent material within the casing includes lugs formed in the casing or bent out of the plane of the casing to extend against or into the intumescent material.

22. The continuous strip fire collar material as in claim 1 wherein the casing is comprised of a face section and two side sections adapted in use to provide a substantially U-shaped body and lugs bent out of the casing to extend against or into the intumescent material within the casing to retain the intumescent material in the casing are provided on the face of the casing or on one of the side sections.

23. The continuous strip fire collar material as in claim 1 wherein the flocible casing is a perforated sheet metal.

24. The continuous strip fire collar material as in claim 1 wherein the casing is comprised of a backing for the intumescent material or a backing and one edge.

25. The continuous strip fire collar material as in claim 1 wherein the casing is comprised of a face section and two side sections, wherein the side sections are formed from a plurality of tabs configured such that upon bending of the continuous strip into a selected shape such as a circular shape the tabs enable the inner side of the strip to form a smaller radius than the outer side and the tabs overlap or pass under adjacent tabs to enable the bending.

26. The continuous strip fire collar material as in claim 25 including on the casing two bend lines between the face section and each side section with the lines separated by essentially the thickness of the casing material and alternate tabs bent on one of the lines and the in between tabs bent on the other of the lines.

27. The continuous strip fire collar material as in claim 25 including a bend line for each tab of the plurality of tabs angled to the direction of elongation of the strip so that during bending each tab passes under the adjacent tab on one side and over the adjacent tab on the other side.

28. The continuous strip fire collar material as in claim 25 further including from one or both of the side sections tongues extending from the side sections and which are folded over the intumescent material such that they are substantially parallel to the face of the casing, with one rtongue extending from each tab on each side.

29. The continuous strip fire collar material as in as in claim 1 further including brackets to mount the fire collar to a wall or ceiling or soffit in use.

30. The continuous strip fire collar material as in claim 29 wherein the brackets are adapted to clip onto the casing so that they are retained with the casing.

31. The continuous strip fire collar material as in claim 29 including a plurality of co-acting connecting portions on the brackets and collar so that the bracket can be retained onto the continuous strip.

32. The continuous strip fire collar material as in claim 31 wherein the co-acting connecting arrangement includes a plurality of slots formed in the casing with a plurality of pins on the brackets or alternatively the pins are provided on the casing and the slots on the brackets.

33. The continuous strip fire collar material as in claim 1 further including means to retain the continuous strip of material into a selected shape such as a circular shape.

34. The continuous strip fire collar material as in claim 33 wherein the means to retain the continuous strip of material comprises wire or other strip material adapted to be wrapped around the casing and joined together to form the selected shape of the fire collar.

35. The continuous strip fire collar material as in claim 33 wherein the means to retain the continuous strip of material comprises co-acting connecting portions on both ends of the strip when wrapped in the selected shape and on a bracket so that the bracket act as both the mounting bracket and retainer for the selected shape.

36. The service shut off device formed from the continuous strip fire collar material as defined in claim 1.

37. The service shut off device comprising a stack of two or more fire collars formed from the continuous strip fire collar material as defined in claim 1.