ALEXANDRIA, Va., Oct. 28 -- United States Patent no. 12,449,050, issued on Oct. 21.
"Pipe burst prevention ceramic cartridge, valve system and method" was invented by James H. Stathis (Cambridge, Mass.).
According to the abstract* released by the U.S. Patent & Trademark Office: "A pressure relief valve that is spring-activated or utilizes a burst disk is described for preventing pipe bursts in a building plumbing system. A control valve system and method for preventing pipe bursts utilizing the pressure relief valve are also described. Also described are spring-activated control valve cartridges and control valve systems utilizing spring-activated control valve cartridges that prevent pipe bursts when installed building plumbing systems. ...