WO2009005341A1

WO2009005341A1 - Case with fire extinguishing element

Info

Publication number: WO2009005341A1
Application number: PCT/NL2008/000168
Authority: WO
Inventors: Antonius Maria Jansen
Original assignee: Prefire Holding B.V.
Priority date: 2007-07-05
Filing date: 2008-07-07
Publication date: 2009-01-08
Also published as: NL1034095C2

Abstract

The present invention relates to a case for extinguishing a fire, which case comprises a housing inside which is arranged at least one extinguishing element which can be activated by means of activating means and which discharges extinguishing agent after activation, wherein at least one opening is arranged in the housing to allow extinguishing agent to flow out of the housing when the extinguishing element is activated.

Description

CASE WITH FIRE EXTINGUISHING ELEMENT

The present invention relates to a case for extinguishing a fire. Banks and shops have long been held up by criminals intent on getting hold of money located there. So-called money couriers, i.e. people who transport money from for instance shops to banks or vice versa, are also frequently the victim of robbery. Very extensive security measures have however already been taken to prevent such robberies. The cases in which money is transported are for instance thus provided with a security mechanism, whereby, when the case is stolen, the money present therein is rendered unusable. Frequent attempts are also made to steal money from cash dispensers. A much used method has been to pull the cash dispensers out of the wall . Various security measures have now been taken in this respect. Recently however, persons filling and maintaining the cash dispensers are also being targeted by criminals. At present the method used by criminals is as follows. The money courier or maintenance engineer of the cash dispenser enters the relatively small space behind the cash dispenser, where for instance the money cassettes can be placed in the dispenser or where maintenance of the cash dispenser can be carried out. This space forms a vault and can be entered via a door which is closed after the entry of the money courier or maintenance engineer. Once the money courier or maintenance engineer has entered the space behind the cash dispenser, criminals spray a flammable substance under the door, whereby fire breaks out in the space behind the cash dispenser. The money courier or maintenance engineer is hereby forced to leave the space, after which the criminals can take possession of the money present in this space. No proper means for extinguishing such fires are currently available in these spaces, and the described criminal method represents a great danger to money couriers and maintenance engineers of cash dispensers. The more obvious options for obviating this problem include measures such as a sprinkler installation or fire-extinguishers in the vault. However, such measures usually have undesirable consequences. Sprinklers and fire- extinguishers for instance require maintenance and must be inspected regularly. This requires access to the vault, for which purpose more people than is desirable must then be able to gain access to the vault .

The present invention has for its object to provide a solution to this problem.

A first aspect of the present invention relates to a case for extinguishing a fire, which case comprises a housing inside which is arranged at least one extinguishing element which can be activated by means of activating means and which discharges extinguishing agent after activation, wherein at least one opening is arranged in the housing to allow extinguishing agent to flow out of the housing when the extinguishing element is activated.

By making use of such a case, which can be carried by the maintenance engineer or money courier, it is possible to quickly and effectively extinguish a fire occurring in for instance a space behind a cash dispenser. In an embodiment of the present invention there is moreover still sufficient space in the case to carry for instance tools therein.

The extinguishing element situated in the case can be activated in different ways. It is thus possible for the case to be provided with a so-called emergency switch which can be pressed by the money courier or maintenance engineer the moment a fire breaks out . Such a switch is preferably arranged on the outer side of the case. This is because it is desirable that no time is lost if the money courier or maintenance engineer were to have to open the case to take the extinguisher out of the case. Another method, which can also be combined with an emergency switch, is to provide the case with a so-called thermo-cord. This cord ensures that the extinguishing element is activated when the cord reaches a determined temperature. This can be particularly advantageous at the moment a money courier or maintenance engineer has lost consciousness. The extinguishing agent, which preferably flows from the extinguishing element under high pressure, is preferably a so-called fire-extinguishing aerosol. The extinguishing agent is preferably an agent which does not make use of smothering (removal of oxygen) but of the binding of free radicals, whereby the oxygen content in the space in which the extinguishing element is used is not substantially affected.

The extinguishing element is preferably a cylinder which is provided on one side with an opening through which the extinguishing agent can be delivered. The extinguishing agent then enters the space where there is fire through the opening in the case.

The housing of the case is preferably manufactured from a thermostable plastic material. This prevents the heat which develops in the extinguishing element from melting or deforming the case .

The inner side of the case can further be provided with heat-resistant material such as for instance rockwool or glass wool. The extinguishing element can further be covered with a heat-resistant element. A sleeve can then in particular be arranged around an extinguishing element in for instance the form of a cylinder. The sleeve may then be arranged only around the extinguishing element, although other elements and components, such as mounting means, for instance mounting plates, can also be further included in the sleeve for the purpose of mounting the extinguishing element in the case. The sleeve can even be arranged round the case, as long as it then still leaves clear an outflow passage for extinguishing agent. If a sleeve is applied, it will preferably be arranged only around the extinguishing element .

Preferably further provided in the case is a telecommunication device, such as a GSM telephone, which is connected to at least one of the extinguishing element, the case, a sensor and the activating means for the purpose of generating an alarm in an emergency situation associated with fire. Using such telecommunication is possible to localize the case (position determination) which, particularly in the case of emergency in which the extinguishing element has been activated, is useful for the safety of the user and carrier of the case. Mentioned and other features of the case according to the invention will be further elucidated hereinbelow on the basis of a number of exemplary embodiments, which are given only by way of example without the invention thereby being deemed limited thereto. Reference is made here to the accompanying drawings, in which:

Figure 1 is a side view of a case according to an embodiment of the invention;

Figure 2 is a view of the case of figure 1 in which it is open; Figure 3 is a view of the case of figure 1 in which the metal cover plate of the extinguishing element has been removed;

Figure 4 is a view of the case of figure 1 in which the extinguishing element has been taken out of the case. Figure 1 shows a case 1 according to an embodiment of the present invention. Case 1 is preferably manufactured from a thermostable plastic material . Placed close to handgrip 2 of case 1 is an emergency switch 3 with which extinguishing element 5 can be activated. Emergency switch 4 can preferably be operated quickly and easily from outside the case in order to enable activation of the extinguishing element without loss of time in an emergency situation and thus attempt to prevent personal accidents.

When extinguishing element 5 is activated, extinguishing agent then flows under (high) pressure out of extinguishing element 5 through opening 6 in case 1. The extinguishing agent thus reaches the space (which need not necessarily be closed and can be open) in which the case is situated and fire can be extinguished. Figure 2 shows case 1 of figure 1, wherein it is open. The case consists of a first housing part 13 and a second housing part 7. In the assembled situation as shown for instance in figure 1, extinguishing element 5 is accommodated in second housing part 7. Extinguishing element 5 is further covered with a metal cover plate 8, whereby- extinguishing element 5 cannot be damaged by the content of case 1, such as other tools. Provided in second housing part 7 is a space 9 in which tools (not shown) can be placed, for instance for repairing a cash dispenser. Case 1 is further also provided with closing means 10 for closing case 1.

Figure 3 shows the case of figures 1 and 2 , wherein cover plate 8 has been removed. It will be apparent that extinguishing element 5, which is here cylindrical, is placed on a base plate 16 against opening 6 in the case. When cover plate 8 is installed, strips of fire-resistant or at least heat-resistant material 11 are further arranged over extinguishing element 5. This prevents cover plate 8, and therewith the content of case 1, becoming too hot when extinguishing element 5 is activated.

Figure 4 shows the case of figures 1,2 and 3, wherein extinguishing element 5 on base plate 16 has been removed from case 1. Activating means 12 of extinguishing element 5 are connected via a passage 3 to switch 4, which is in turn connected to a battery (not shown) which is in contact with extinguishing element 5 by means of wires 14. A heat sensor in the form of a thermo-cord 17 is further connected to the extinguishing element for the purpose of activating extinguishing element 5 if the ambient temperature of case 1 rises above a preselected limit value, for instance 160 degrees Celsius.

The extinguishing element 5 itself placed in a sleeve or cover 15 of heat-resistant material in order to guarantee operation of extinguishing element 5 even at higher ambient temperatures. The cover or sleeve 15 is arranged round extinguishing element 5 and mounted with extinguishing element 5 by means of brackets 18 on or against base plate 16. Case 1 further comprises in the interior thereof a portable device for telecommunication, for instance a GSM telephone 20. The telephone is connected via cables 19 to extinguishing element 5. If extinguishing element 5 is activated with switch 4 or by means of thermo-cord 17, telephone 20 will make contact with a control room or alert another agency in order to raise the alarm. The location of the case with such a telephone therein is moreover easy to trace on the basis of usual GSM signals, this being deemed generally known. The case can thus be localized even if an emergency situation has not arisen and the extinguishing element has thus not been activated. The emergency services can on the other hand attempt to reach the location of the case quickly in the case of an actual alarm, and will then do so in the positive knowledge of where the case is located.

The present invention is not limited to the above described embodiments, the rights sought being rather defined by the following claims, within the scope of which many possible modifications can be envisaged, such as among others a combination of the above described embodiments.

Claims

I. Case for extinguishing a fire, which case comprises a housing inside which is arranged at least one extinguishing element which can be activated by means of activating means and which discharges extinguishing agent after activation, wherein at least one opening is arranged in the housing to allow extinguishing agent to flow out of the housing when the extinguishing element is activated.

2. Case as claimed in claim 1, wherein the extinguishing element comprises a container, preferably a cylindrical container, with extinguishing agent therein.

3. Case as claimed in claim 1 or 2 , wherein the extinguishing agent comprises a fire-extinguishing aerosol.

4. Case as claimed in claim 1, 2 or 3 , wherein the extinguishing agent is of a non-smothering type.

5. Case as claimed in any of the claims 1-4, wherein activating means for activating the extinguishing element are arranged on the outer side and/or inner side of the housing.

6. Case as claimed in claim 4, wherein the activating means comprise a switch for activating the extinguishing element .

7. Case as claimed in claim 4 or 5, wherein the activating means comprise a sensor for automatically activating the extinguishing element.

8. Case as claimed in claim 7, wherein the sensor comprises a so-called thermo-cord (17) for activating the extinguishing element.

9. Case as claimed in any of the claims 1-8, wherein at least two extinguishing elements are arranged in the housing.

10. Case as claimed in any of the claims 1-9, wherein the case is manufactured from a thermostable plastic material.

II. Case as claimed in any of the claims 1-10, wherein the housing comprises a first housing part and a second housing part which are hingedly connected to each other.

12. Case as claimed in any of the claims 1-11, wherein the housing is provided on the inner side with heat- resistant elements.

13. Case as claimed in any of the claims 1-12, wherein at least the extinguishing element is covered with a heat- resistant element, such as a sleeve or cover (15) round the extinguishing element and filling material (11) in the case.

14. Case as claimed in any of the claims 1-13, further comprising a telecommunication device, such as a GSM telephone, which is connected to at least one of the extinguishing element, the case, a sensor and the activating means for the purpose of generating an alarm in an emergency situation associated with fire.