Fire resistant and water resistant enclosure for operable computer digital data storage device

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DESCRIPTION

Fire-resistant and water-resistant enclosure for computer-operable digital data storage device

Background and brief summary

The present invention relates to water and fire resistant enclosures for computer operable data storage devices. More particularly, according to some estimates, more than 80% of the damage in a fire is actually caused by exposure to water and not to fire. Extreme water pressure from fire hoses or automatic sprinkler damage usually causes more damage than the fire itself. In addition, large amounts of superheated steam and generated by fire-resistant insulation also serve to damage data storage devices if steam is handled improperly. The present invention provides significant improvements in the cost and performance of these enclosures during normal operation as well as in the presence of fire and / or flood.

A problem with the design of mobile trapdoor and fan of US patents 7,211,742 and 7,291,784 is that when the walls of the enclosure are made of plaster or concrete, in the presence of fire, the mobile trapdoor (or hatches) seal completely the ventilation openings of the enclosure. The prior art describes multiple enclosures for data storage devices that use water-based fire-resistant insulations in which the enclosures are completely sealed. Similar to the effect of a high pressure cooker of the stove type for cooking food, a completely sealed container combined with the water present in and chemically bonded inside the walls of plaster or concrete, becomes steam and is superheated and pressurized since it is unable to easily escape from inside the chamber of the enclosure. Superheated steam, useful for cooking a turkey, can easily destroy a data storage device without repair and cause the loss of valuable data. Allowing such steam to escape by not completely sealing the enclosure can drastically reduce the interior temperature of the enclosure by more than 37.7 ° C (100 ° C) allowing better options when data is recovered after a fire.

One aspect of the invention is to overcome the problem indicated above by preventing a mobile hatch (or hatches) from completely sealing the ventilation opening in the presence of fire. This aspect is useful for data storage devices with a relatively high power (from 20 to 2000 watts). The mobile trap concept allows a relatively large opening (2% larger than the external surface area of ​​the enclosure) so that the computer data storage device allows a maximum air flow during normal operations for sufficient cooling. When a high ambient temperature is exposed, above 93.3 ° C (200 ° F), such as in a fire, the mobile flaps would almost completely close to protect it from outside heat. During the fire, a critical difference from the prior art would be mobile hatches that are designed not to close completely but to allow a slight opening of 1% or less of the total external surface area of ​​said enclosure so that superheated steam escapes, giving as resulted in a drastically colder internal temperature than in a completely sealed enclosure. The slight opening, although critical, would allow the pressure inside the enclosure to match the external atmospheric pressure. Physics dictates the Combined Gas Law [(P1V1) / T1 = (P2V2) / T2], a drop in pressure from one condition to the next without changes in volume would result in a proportional drop in temperature (Kelvin ).

When comparing a data storage device with and without the small steam escape opening, the test results have shown that the indoor temperature can decrease more than 37.7 ° C (100 ° F) with the addition of a ventilation passage partially closed in a fire. This drastic improvement is critical for the survival of electronic equipment, since when exposed to above 148.8 ° C (300 °), typical active data storage media, such as hard disk drives, can easily degrade and could be irrecoverable, with loss of irreplaceable data.

A critical aspect arises in a design with flaps that never completely seal the internal cavity. As mentioned earlier, water damage caused by firefighters and automatic sprinklers can result in greater damage than the fire itself. Water, in a flood, can obviously penetrate an enclosure that never seals. A critical aspect of this invention provides a water resistant barrier around the data storage device that is completely contained within the fire resistant enclosure. As will be shown, this critical difference allows the invention to survive water damage from multiple sources including: the spraying of a fire hose, automatic sprinklers, full immersion and water emitted as steam from the fire-resistant insulation.

An apparatus that is not within the scope of the claims uses a hatch-free design. The trapless design could be used for devices with a relatively lower power (5-20 watts) in which, during normal operation, a sufficient amount of air can be transferred through the enclosure to cool the computer storage device contained inside . It is significant to note that this embodiment of the invention has no moving parts. In the presence of fire, the insulation and chemically bonded water are released through a small ventilation passage to drive the steam out before the steam is

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Superheat at dangerous temperatures. The ventilation passage is small enough to prevent the transfer of excessive heat from said fire through it.

A further aspect of the present invention is to increase the amount of water present in the plaster (or concrete) to prolong the period of time during which the enclosure maintains an interior temperature sufficiently low to protect the data storage device. The walls are supersaturated or supercharged with water according to the invention. Various techniques are also used to prevent supersaturated walls from losing water by ordinary evaporation. Water is critical for a successful operation of the enclosure, since it can dissipate huge amounts of heat (the latent heat of water vaporization is equal to 2260 kJ / kg) when it becomes steam. The amount of water dissipated during a fire is proportional to the duration of the possible protection through the enclosure. Assuming that the plaster or concrete is supersaturated with twice the amount of water, the enclosure has twice the cooling power and, in some cases, can withstand the presence of fire approximately twice as normal.

The present invention relates, in general, to an apparatus for protecting a computer-operable digital data storage device from damage and loss of data resulting from exposure to fire or water. More particularly, the present invention provides a low cost and compact fire and water resistant enclosure for a computer operable digital data storage device. Typical computer digital data storage devices include a computer's hard drives, optical drives, solid state memory devices, tape drives, computers or any other device that can be actively reading and writing digital data with the intention to store and retrieve computerized digital data. In the description below, occasionally a simple hard disk drive is referred to as an example of a data storage device. It should be understood that such reference below is an example and not a limitation of the invention to hard disk drives.

Also, in the description below, occasional reference is simply made to a fan as an example of a device for forcing an air flow through an enclosure. Multiple devices are known that actively move the air, with many names, such as fan, blower, air pump, etc. It should be understood that a reference to a fan below is an example and not a limitation of the types of devices for actively moving the air.

As data storage devices are available to store amazing amounts of data, the loss of a digital data storage device in disasters such as fire or flood is increasingly catastrophic. For the domestic consumer, digital photography, digital videos and digitized music are becoming increasingly common. According to some estimates, digital storage requirements are growing at an average combined speed above 100% per year. According to some studies, more than 90% of businesses close after experiencing catastrophic data loss. Smaller businesses and remote offices are especially vulnerable, since they usually do not have the resources to develop sophisticated disaster recovery plans. There is clearly a need to provide a reliable, low cost and compact fire and / or water resistant enclosure for operative digital data storage devices. The prior art contains numerous examples of enclosures that are more complicated, non-airtight, less reliable and more expensive, which result in loss of data when exposed to fire, flooding or water damage by the act of putting out a fire.

The present invention provides a low cost, compact and improved fire and water resistant enclosure for a computer operable digital data storage device. The term "fire resistant enclosure" as used herein and in the claims, is defined in this case as a fire resistant enclosure occurring outside the enclosure. The fire-resistant enclosures have been designed to protect the contents inside the enclosure. The present invention differs from the "fire suppression enclosures" of the prior art which are intended to suppress or prevent the dispersion of fire occurring within the enclosure, for example, in Blackmon et al, US Patent 6,548,753. Fire suppression enclosures are intended to protect the spread of fire to nearby objects outside the enclosure. As a result, fire suppression enclosures can be made of thin metal walls. On the other hand, fire resistant enclosures, such as those of the present invention, must include relatively thick thermally insulating walls incorporating insulating materials such as plaster, ceramic fiber insulation or other possible fire resistant insulations. Enclosures made of thick walls filled with insulation, filled with a material such as plaster present significantly different and more difficult design challenges than simple thin-walled metal enclosures due to the heat production nature of active electronic storage devices.

The main difference between the present invention and all known prior inventions is that the main enclosure uses a water-based insulation but is never completely sealed. A small opening is always present to allow internal superheated insulation vapor to escape during a fire.

The trapdoor-free device that is not within the scope of the claims also avoids the requirement of any fire or smoke detector. The removal of these components results in a device with a significantly lower cost. The conductive thread of the preferred embodiment is the discovery that

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bleed holes of a sufficiently small size (1% or less of the external surface area of ​​said enclosure) formed in a fireproof insulation based on relatively thick water, such as a plaster or concrete wall, for example, 3.8 cm (1.5 inches) thick will prevent fire damage while simultaneously allowing sufficient air ventilation in the absence of fire to cool the operative storage device. The concept has been tested with a prototype under fire, without data loss and without serious damage to the disk drive of the storage device. Before the water-based insulator releases steam, it is believed that, as the temperature of the internal air begins to rise in the presence of fire, the internal air expands and flows out through the small orifice or purge holes. (The fan or blower that may or may not be present forces the air through the drain holes with loss of power and stops operation at the beginning of the fire). The outward flow of the expanding air counteracts the external heat flow of the fire through the small purge holes inside the inner chamber. The small or small purge holes may be designed with tortuous or labyrinthine passages to reduce the amount of external heat from a fire flowing into the internal chamber. The examples are described below and are shown in the drawings.

Our discovery is confirmed by the following calculation. Assuming a constant atmospheric pressure, the internal air volume will expand proportionally to the temperature rise in Kelvin (Tkelvin = Tcentigrade + 273.15) according to the ideal gas theory and the Combined Gas Law [(P1V1) / T1 = (P2V2) / T2]. Assuming an initial temperature of 298 K (25 ºC) and a final temperature of 373 K (100 ºC), the volume of the internal air chamber is expected to increase by approximately 25%. Therefore, it is believed that 25% of the volume of air in the internal chamber will slowly flow out through the purge or purges as the temperature of the internal chamber gradually increases by 75 ° C. By appropriately sizing the internal chamber and the purge holes, it has been discovered that an isolated and purged chamber can be fire resistant enough to prevent data loss from most fires. Additionally, as the temperature inside the enclosure reaches 373 K (100 ° C) in a fire, chemically bonded water molecules in a water-based insulator, such as gypsum or cement, begin to release in the form of steam, providing a continuous flow of gas for the entire duration of the fire as long as water is still present in the insulator.

No prior art fire resistant enclosure is known for active data storage devices in which the bleed holes in the wall remain open in the absence of fire and in the presence of fire. The prior art includes U.S. Patent 6,153,720 to Olzak et al that teaches an aircraft recorder. The recorder enclosure includes purge holes that are normally closed but open in the presence of fire; A heat-absorbing layer with phase change melts and drains through the bleed holes. Purge holes allow pressure equalization if the logger falls into the ocean. The Olzak et al. Enclosure does not teach or suggest forced air ventilation (or any ventilation) for an operative digital data storage device in which significant amounts of heat are generated. It simply is not usable for the purpose of the present invention.

Another embodiment of the invention includes a water resistant, smoke resistant and heat conductive "bag" (cover, water vapor barrier or water impermeable enclosure) surrounding the data storage device. The "bag" and the data storage device are both located within a fire resistant enclosure. The heat generated by the data storage device is conducted through the "bag" (preferably metal) and subsequently transferred to the outside of the fire-resistant enclosure by various techniques. The "bag" is fully submersible and protects the device and data stored up to 9 meters (30 feet) of water and / or possible smoke damage.

The prevention of smoke or water damage is a significant issue with any enclosure with openings that easily allows water or smoke to enter the internal chamber and damage the data storage device. The present invention provides a waterproof barrier around the data storage device that conducts the heat generated by the device without interfering with its operation and / or its ability to properly dissipate heat.

The prior art contains devices with complicated closing mechanisms to seal water or smoke that depend on electrically driven water sensors and electromechanical actuators to seal and close the openings. Because the nature of water intrusion can be sudden and the closing speed is finite, there can be no complete certainty to avoid all water damage with a sensor and actuator architecture. The present invention, surrounding the data storage device in a waterproof bag, is inherently impervious to water from any exposure or flood, while not requiring an electrical performance or power to protect it from water damage.

Another problem with prior art water-based fireproof insulating enclosures is that, in some cases, when water present in water-based fire-resistant insulation, such as plaster or concrete, is exposed to a fire, the Inner chamber is completely saturated with water vapor that raises the humidity to 100%. That moisture can damage the data storage device. Waterproof barrier

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The water of the present invention can prevent damage to the data storage device of a condition of 100% humidity within the chamber.

The prior art includes water and fire resistant enclosures for paper documents (see Gelb et al. US Patent 4,992,310); however, such enclosures are totally unsuitable for a computer operable data storage device due to the absence of any feature to provide cooling to active electronics during normal use. Without such characteristics, the internal temperature could rise to hundreds of degrees, preventing the normal operation of typical electronic storage devices. The prior art also includes cooling jackets for data storage devices, but the cooling jackets are not waterproof (see published US application 2004/0190255 from Cheon).

The prior art includes a relatively large enclosure for operable digital data storage devices, such as Engler U.S. Patent 6,158,833, which dissipates the heat generated by the digital data storage device by conduction through the walls. isolated from the container. Engler's design requires a relatively large enclosure and a device with an electrical power within the opposite enclosure that does not provide any active or fan-driven cooling system. In contrast, the present invention provides a compact enclosure that is a fraction of the size of the Engler enclosure for devices with similar electrical power. The present invention has been shown to reduce the size, weight and cost of the enclosure by up to 90% while adapting to the same or greater cooling capacity. The compact size of the present invention in one embodiment is essentially achieved due to a forced air cooling system not present in the Engler device.

The prior art includes Pehrsson WO 89/06921, which provides a concrete wall enclosure with ventilation openings, a fan and movable flaps. However, the flaps are designed to completely block and completely seal the openings in the event of fire, which would result in the loss of data from superheated steam that is unable to escape from the completely sealed vessel. The present invention, as indicated above, never completely closes the ventilation openings overcoming the issue of superheated steam. Pehrsson also does not provide any water or smoke resistant protection for the enclosure contents that could result in loss of data due to damage of common elements in almost all fires, such as 100% humidity, smoke, fire sprinklers or fire hoses Pehrsson also does not have provisions for a complete immersion in water, common in hurricanes, basements with broken water pipes or common floods in many areas.

The prior art includes other enclosures for digital data storage devices with a complicated series of active sensors and an expensive electromechanical device to completely disconnect and seal the internal chamber from the external environment, such as Patent 5,479,341 to Pihl et al. The Pihl patent teaches an enclosure that has no active cooling during normal operation and that, inherently, does not protect the data storage device in advance from flooding but instead depends on complicated and expensive sensors and actuators. to detect and close the enclosure before water damage can occur. In addition, the Pihl enclosure is designed to completely seal the protected inner chamber, which will result in no escape route for superheated steam and elevated temperatures and pressure during a fire. Kikinis Patent 5,623,597 uses a passive heat exchanger, although quite complex, with a fairly large heat sink structure. This design requires a cumbersome insulation injection mechanism to fill the heat sink space when a threshold temperature is detected. The present invention includes a "free convection" embodiment that has a much simpler and more robust design than in the prior art, resulting in a design that is inherently fire resistant and water resistant without moving parts and that can cost up to 90% less than previous inventions.

The prior art also includes US application No. US 2004/0064631 published by Kishon et al dated April 1, 2004. The Kishon et al device uses passive conduction of heat generated by the data storage device or through screws extending from room temperature to the device cover (see paragraph [0021]). This technique is limited by the relatively low amount of heat transferable through the metal screws. The active or fan-driven cooling provided by the present invention achieves a much greater cooling capacity. In addition, the Kishon patent teaches a completely sealed enclosure and a plaster insulation that would result in superheated temperatures during a fire.

The prior art also includes forced air cooling systems for operational digital data storage devices, but which are not used in conjunction with a fire-resistant, water-resistant and compact enclosure.

A fundamental objective of the invention is to provide a fire resistant and / or water resistant enclosure for a computer operable digital data storage device that is robust in design, can accommodate high heat production electronics and is cheap to produce.

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A further object of the invention is to provide a water-based fire-resistant insulator, such as a plaster or concrete enclosure, which can use a fan and one or more purge holes to create free or forced convection cooling, and in which one or more movable flaps are closed in the presence of fire, but in which the flap closure does not completely seal the hole or purge holes.

Another object of the invention is to provide a plaster enclosure in which the plaster walls are supersaturated.

or supercharged with water, and in which said additional water is vaporized in the presence of fire and greatly prolongs the period of time during which the enclosure protects the data storage device from heat damage.

A further object of the invention is to provide a fire-resistant and water-resistant enclosure for an operative data storage device that has a hatch-free enclosure that avoids the requirement of any fire, water or smoke detection apparatus and that has no parts. mobile phones The operational digital data storage device would use purge holes of a sufficiently small size to prevent fire damage while simultaneously allowing sufficient air ventilation to pass through it in the absence of fire to cool the operative storage device.

Another object of the invention is to provide a fire-resistant enclosure for an active data storage device in which the purge holes in the walls of the enclosure remain open in the absence of fire and in the presence of fire.

Another object of the invention is to provide an enclosure for a computer operable data storage device in which a heat conductive "bag" surrounds the storage device, which can be submerged and inherently protects the data and data storage device. stored inside in advance of any potential flood or exposure to water in up to 9 meters (30 feet) of fresh water or salt water.

Other objects and advantages of the invention will be apparent from the following description and drawings in which:

Brief description of the drawings

Figure 1 is an illustration of a first embodiment using mobile hatches together with a fan and a stopper for each hatch, in which the storage device operates normally without the presence of fire; Figure 2 is an illustration of the embodiment of Figure 1 after a fire; Figure 3 illustrates a second embodiment in which the movable upper wall of the enclosure acts as a mobile trapdoor; Figure 4 is an illustration of the enclosure of Figure 3 in the presence of fire, in which the movable upper wall has contacted the stop; Figure 5 illustrates an embodiment similar to that shown in Figure 1 except that a fan is not provided; Figure 6 illustrates the embodiment of Figure 5 in the presence of fire, showing that the flaps do not close completely, but move to a partially closed position; Figure 7 illustrates an identical embodiment to that shown in Figure 3, except that the fan has been suppressed; Figure 8 shows the embodiment of Figure 7 in the presence of fire; Figure 9 illustrates an apparatus that is not within the scope of the claims, wherein the enclosure has two small ventilation openings that cooperate with the fan to ventilate the storage device during normal operation; in the presence of fire, the ventilation passages remain open, allowing gas expansion and superheated steam from inside the enclosure to flow out; Figure 10 illustrates an identical example to that shown in Figure 9 but where the fan has been removed; this embodiment has no moving parts; Figure 11 illustrates an additional example in which heat-sensitive tubes are included in the ventilation passages; Figure 12 illustrates the example of Figure 11 in the presence of fire, in which the heat-sensitive tubes have melted but still allow superheated steam to escape; Figure 13 illustrates an example in which the plaster or concrete walls of the enclosure are supersaturated with water; excess water provides added resistance to fire; and Figure 14 illustrates an example in which the ventilation passages are tortuous in nature.

Detailed description of the drawings

Figure 1 illustrates a first embodiment of the present invention. A digital data storage device 10 is placed inside the enclosure 20 having a lower wall 21, an upper wall 22 and side walls 23

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and 24. Each of the walls 21-24 is made of plaster or concrete (both of which are fire-resistant, water-based insulators), since these materials are not only good insulators but also have significant amounts of bonded water Chemically to them. In the presence of fire, water separates from gypsum or concrete and, when converted into steam, absorbs enormous amounts of energy in the form of latent heat of vaporization (2260 kJ / kg for water). This energy absorption helps to maintain a sufficiently low temperature inside the enclosure 20 to protect the storage device 10 and the data stored therein.

Openings or passages 31 and 32 are formed in walls 24 and 23, respectively. The mobile fire-resistant flaps 51 and 52 are located adjacent to the openings or passages 31 and 32. The flaps 51 and 52 have a first open position as shown in Figure 1, in which the ambient air can pass through the opening or passageway, thereby providing a forced air ventilation system for cooling the cooling device. digital data storage 10. A fan 40 is located adjacent to the opening 31 and forces the air through the opening 31 through the interior or enclosure 20 and out through the passage 32.

A waterproof coating, enclosure or "bag" 70 encloses the digital data storage device. The "bag" 70 must be thermally conductive to conduct the heat generated by the storage device 10 and must simultaneously be water resistant. Examples of such a waterproof coating are described in patent applications with Serial No. 12 / 009.072 and 11 / 980.215 and are not further described herein. These coatings include the following examples: aluminum foil; an extruded metal container; an elastomeric rubber epoxy compound known as Cotronics "Duralcotm 4538" available at www.cotronics.com; and an injection molded thermoset polyurethane polymer with reaction from www.rimnetics.com.

The stops 91 and 92 are provided to limit the movement of the flaps 51 and 52 in case of fire.

The trap door closing means includes tabs 55 and 56 and springs 57 and 58 that move the flaps 51 and 52 to their "closed" position in case of fire. The tabs 55 and 56 are temperature sensitive elements that normally cause the flaps 51 and 52 to remain open. In the presence of a threshold temperature indicative of fire, the tabs 55 and 56 melt, allowing the springs 57 and 58 to move the flaps 51 and 52 to their closed position.

Figure 2 illustrates the "closed" position in which the flaps 51 and 52 have contact stops 91 and 92. The stops 91 and 92 are sized to allow the flaps 51 and 52 to only partially close, in the sense that the flaps 51 and 52 do not sit completely against the surfaces of the side walls 24 and 23, respectively. This partial closure of the flaps 51 and 52 allows a small opening between the flaps and their respective openings through which superheated steam can escape. Those restricted openings also simultaneously prevent the flow of heat from a fire through the openings as superheated steam escapes. As indicated above, if the flaps 51 and 52 are allowed to close completely and are sealed against the side walls 24 and 23, the superheated steam may become excessively hot and cause damage to the storage device and the data stored therein.

It is also significant to note that water can enter through the opening through which superheated steam is escaping. The water-resistant coating 70 completely surrounds the exterior of the data storage device 10 and prevents water damage that would otherwise occur.

Figure 3 illustrates an optional embodiment in which the enclosure 120 has a pivotal upper wall 122 and a single opening 131 formed in the lower wall 121. Two data storage devices 110a and 110b are included in the enclosure 120. The stop 191 It is located adjacent to the upper pivoting wall 122 to prevent the upper pivoting wall 122 from closing completely in case of fire. In the embodiment shown in Figure 3, the pivoting upper wall 122 acts as a mobile hatch. A fuse element 155 melts at a threshold temperature indicative of the presence of fire. A pivotally mounted hatch 151 is located adjacent to the opening 131 and is held in its open position by a tongue 156. In this embodiment, the hatch 151 is allowed to close completely in the presence of fire, as shown in Figure Four. However, the stop 191 prevents the movable upper wall (or trapdoor) 122 from closing completely, thereby providing a passage 199 through which superheated steam escapes. In this embodiment, the fan 140 is located within the enclosure 120 to provide forced air ventilation for the data storage devices 110a and 110b.

Lines 180 provide data and power to data storage devices 110a and 110b through bottom wall 121. Those lines are destroyed in the presence of fire.

Figures 5 and 6 illustrate another embodiment that is identical to the embodiment shown in Figures 1 and 2 except that a fan 40 is not provided. Passages 231 and 232 provide "free convection" cooling of enclosure 220 simply by allowing the Heat generated by the storage device 210 flows up through the passages or openings 231 and 232 during normal operation.

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Figure 6 shows the position of the mobile flaps 251 and 252 in the presence of fire. These hatches have moved to their closed position, where stops 291 and 292 have penetrated hatches 251 and 252 to completely seal openings 231 and 232, thereby allowing superheated steam to escape and simultaneously blocking the inlet flow of heat from a fire through them.

Figures 7 and 8 illustrate an embodiment that is identical to the embodiment shown in Figures 3 and 4 except that the fan has been removed. Enclosure 320 provides free convection during normal operation of storage devices 310a and 310b. The heat generated by the storage devices 310a and 310b simply moves upward through the opening formed between the movable upper wall 322 and the side wall 324, which in turn directs the cooler air inwards through the passage 331 formed in the bottom wall 321 of the enclosure.

As shown in Figure 8, in the presence of fire, the stop 391 prevents the movable upper wall 322 from completely sealing against the side wall 324 forming a passage 399 that allows superheated steam to escape. The trapdoor 351 in this embodiment is completely sealed against the opening 331 in the presence of fire.

Figures 9-14 illustrate examples of an apparatus that is not within the scope of the claims, wherein the enclosure 420 has small passages or openings 431 and 432 in the side walls 424 and 423, respectively. A fan 440 mounted adjacent to the opening or passage 431 provides forced air ventilation through the enclosure 420. Passages 431 and 432 in this embodiment have a sufficiently small cross-sectional area, that is, 1% or less than the outer surface area of ​​said enclosure to prevent or limit heat intrusion through those passages in the presence of fire, to prevent damage to storage device 410. It prevents any water that enters passages 431 and 432 during the course of a fire by a sprinkler, or other sources of flooding, from damaging the storage device 410 by a water resistant cover 470.

The example shown in Figure 10 is identical to that shown in Figure 9 except that a fan is not present in the embodiment of Figure 10. The enclosure 520 of Figure 10 has no moving parts. Small passages 531 and 532 have a cross-sectional area of ​​1% or less of the outer surface area of ​​said enclosure and are capable of transmitting heat from relatively small storage devices 510 that generate less than 10 watts of energy. In the presence of fire, passages 531 and 532 are large enough to allow air to expand and superheated steam inside enclosure 520 to escape through them. The passages are also small enough to simultaneously resist or prevent heat transfer to the interior through them generated by an enclosure outside the fire 520. As indicated above, the expansion of air within the enclosure 520 together with the generation of superheated steam causes the outward flow of flow through passages 531 and 532 during the presence of a fire. This outflow of superheated gas and steam slows down the heat intrusion that would otherwise flow through passages 531 and 532 in the presence of fire.

Figure 11 illustrates an example in which the enclosure 620 houses a data storage device 610. The waterproof coating 670 covers the outer surface of the storage device 610. Passages 631 and 632 have heat-sensitive tubes 633 and 634. 633 and 634 tubes are designed to melt in the presence of fire. Under normal operating conditions, as shown in Figure 11, the fan 640 provides forced air ventilation for the storage device 610.

Figure 12 illustrates the example of Figure 11 after the fire has occurred. The heat-sensitive tubes, made of a polymer, have partially melted, but still allow the escape of superheated steam and gas.

The fan 640 illustrated in Figures 11 and 12 is optional and can simply be suppressed.

Figure 13 illustrates a further example in which the enclosure 720 has its walls 721-724, which are made of either plaster or concrete, supersaturated with water during the manufacture of the enclosure 720. To prevent or reduce the ordinary evaporation of water from those saturated walls 721-724, a vapor barrier 745 (such as a wax or thermally sensitive plastic) is applied to the interior walls of the enclosure and the vapor barrier 746 (such as a wax or thermally sensitive plastic) is applied to the outer surface of the walls 721-724. Alternatively, the vapor barrier may be an outer plastic sheet or a plastic container. In this embodiment, passages 731 and 732 are small passages that have a cross-sectional area of ​​1% or less than the area of ​​the outer surface of said enclosure, so that no moving parts are used. In the presence of fire, the vapor barriers 745 and 746 melt and allow the supersaturated water present in the walls 721-724 to escape. The supersaturated water that escapes into the enclosure 721 absorbs enormous amounts of energy as it becomes steam. This heat absorption keeps the temperature low enough to protect the storage device 710 and the data stored therein. The 770 waterproof cover prevents water damage to the storage device 710. As the water released becomes

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In steam, steam is released from enclosure 720 through restricted passages 731 and 732 to minimize the flow of heat from the fire through those passages.

The example in Figure 13 could also be used with a fan (not shown separately for a short time).

5 Figure 14 illustrates a variation of the example shown in Figure 13, in which the small passages 831 and 832 are tortuous. The enclosure 820 houses a storage device 810 and has no moving parts. The 870 waterproof cover protects the device 810.

10 The foregoing description of the invention has been presented for purposes of illustration and description and is not intended to be exhaustive or limit the invention to the precise manner disclosed. Modifications and variations are possible in light of the above teachings. The embodiments were chosen and described to better explain the principles of the invention and their practical application to enable other experts in the field the best use of the invention in various embodiments and with various modifications appropriate to the particular use contemplated. The scope of the

fifteen The invention is defined by the following claims.