Anchorage inventor patents passive dryer-fire alarm built into vent gasket

A passive dryer-fire alarm that requires no power and mounts between a clothes dryer and its exhaust vent has been patented by an Anchorage inventor, though fire safety guidance treats such devices as supplemental rather than primary protection.

Ryan James Mulholland received U.S. Patent No. 12,682,737 on July 14, 2026, for a gasket-sized device. The application was filed Feb. 14, 2024, and claims the benefit of a provisional application filed Aug. 9, 2023. The patent covers 20 claims across seven drawing sheets. CO2 cartridges embedded in the gasket activate above 135 degrees Fahrenheit, venting gas through angled perforations to produce a 120-decibel whistle while helping suppress the fire. The gasket fits duct openings of roughly 3 to 6 inches in diameter.

The patent cites National Fire Protection Association data placing dryer fires at roughly 15,970 U.S. home fires per year and notes that dryers in garages and laundry rooms sit beyond the practical reach of ceiling smoke detectors. The NFPA attributes 34 percent of dryer fires to failure to clean lint, and fire safety guidance emphasizes lint removal, proper installation, and working interconnected smoke alarms as the primary defense. Passive fusible-element devices date to at least a 1967 patent; this design is dryer-specific. Mulholland holds the patent individually, with no corporate assignee listed.