The statements in this section merely provide background information related to the present disclosure and may not constitute prior art.
Historically, automatic sprinklers have been used in automatic fire extinguishing systems to disburse a fluid to control a fire. Typically, the fluid utilized in such systems is water, although systems have also been developed to disburse foam and other materials. Generally, sprinkler heads include a solid metal base connected to a pressurized supply of water, and a deflector used to change the trajectory of the water flow. Alteration of the water flow by the deflector produces a specific spray pattern over a protected area. The deflector is typically spaced from an outlet of the base by a frame. The frame typically has a pair of arms which are disposed in a plane. A fusible linkage typically has a protruding portion which projects in one direction from the plane. The fusible linkage secures a plug seal over a central orifice of the outlet. When the temperature surrounding the sprinkler head is elevated to a predetermined temperature indicative of a fire, a portion of the fusible linkage melts, causing the fusible linkage to disassemble and thus allowing the plug seal to be pushed away from the center orifice by the water pressure in the fire sprinkler piping, resulting in water flow from the center orifice.
To make sure that the fusible linkage melts at the predetermined temperature during a fire, it is important to maintain the designed alignment of the protruding portion of the fusible linkage. During packaging, transport, handling, and installation of sprinkler heads, however, the aforementioned alignment of the fusible linkage may be accidentally disrupted. For example, the protruding portion may be rotated out of its preferred alignment because it is hit by some objects that are external to the sprinkler head.
USPTO Backgrounds
USPTO Backgrounds