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US 4,776,631 AGranted
Self-contained RV sanitary systems
AssigneeThetford Corporation
InventorsCharles L. Sargent, John M. Antos
Life of this patent
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AssigneeThetford Corporation
InventorsCharles L. Sargent, John M. Antos
Estimating the term…
A self-contained sanitary fixture, particularly for a recreational vehicle, comprises a bench supported on a base cooperatively defining a stowage compartment. The bench contains a bowl having an outlet which connects to a tank in the stowage compartment. A valve on the tank controls passage between the bowl and the tank. The valve is itself operated from a knob on the bench through a coupling mechanism. Waste water from the bowl is collected in the tank and is disposed of by sliding the tank out of the stowage compartment through an opening in the RV's sidewall and carrying the tank to a suitable disposal site. The tank incorporates a rotatable pourspout and vent valve to facilitate pouring waste contents out of the tank. The connections between the bowl outlet and the tank and between the knob and valve automatically disconnect upon removal of the tank from the stowage compartment. Similarly they automatically reconnect when the tank is inserted back into the stowage compartment. There are numerous features to the invention including those in the fixture and its various parts and in relationships to the installation in the recreational vehicle.
In a recreational vehicle which comprises a body having a horizontal floor along which one or more service conduits are routed, a water use sanitary fixture disposed at a vertical level above said floor, and a tank underlying said sanitary fixture for water used with said sanitary fixture, the improvement comprising a base on said floor comprising means for supporting said tank at a vertical level above said floor within a stowage compartment which is defined at least in part by said base, said means for supporting said tank at a vertical level above said floor comprising track structure on which said tank is supported for substantially horizontal sliding motion into and out of said stowage compartment, said base comprising means in cooperative association with said floor forming a service conduit passage separate from said stowage compartment and located at a vertical level below that of said tank through which said one or more service conduits are routed.
In a recreational vehicle which comprises a body having a horizontal floor, a water use sanitary fixture, and a tank underlying said sanitary fixture for water used with said sanitary fixture, the improvement comprising a base on said floor comprising means for supporting said tank at a vertical level above that of said floor within a stowage compartment which is defined at least in part by said base, said base having a cooperative association with said tank in defining a space within said stowage compartment at a vertical level below that of said tank, said space being defined in part by an integral pan formation in said base which is upwardly open toward said tank, said means for supporting said tank at a vertical level above said floor comprising a pair of horizontal parallel tracks guiding the tank for horizontal motion into and out of said stowage compartment along a straight line, and said pan formation being disposed to lie between and below said tracks.
In a recreational vehicle comprising a body having a horizontal floor and a vertical exterior sidewall, a water use sanitary fixture which is supported in vertically spaced relation above said floor by a base on said floor, said base and said sanitary fixture cooperatively defining between themselves a stowage compartment, a tank in said stowage compartment which in stowed position has a fluid passage connection with said sanitary fixture which includes a disconnectable sealed coupling, said stowage compartment being adjacent said sidewall and said sidewall having an opening through which said tank passes into and out of said stowage compartment, said base comprising means supporting said tank for horizontal motion into and out of the stowage compartment through said sidewall opening at a vertical level which is above that of said floor, said disconnectable sealed coupling connecting and disconnecting as said tank is moved into and out of the stowage compartment.
In a recreational vehicle comprising a body containing a water use sanitary fixture, a stowage compartment containing a tank for water which is used with said sanitary fixture, and a fluid passage between said sanitary fixture and said tank, the improvement wherein said fluid passage comprises a disconnectable sealed fluid coupling constructed and arranged for automatic disconnection in accompaniment of bodily movement of said tank out of said stowage compartment and for automatic sealed connection in accompaniment of bodily movement of said tank into said stowage compartment, said tank comprising an opening at said disconnectable sealed fluid coupling and said sanitary fixture comprising an outlet which projects into said stowage compartment to said disconnectable sealed fluid coupling, said sanitary fixture outlet and said tank opening being disposed in a horizontal alignment parallel and correlated with a straight line guidance of said tank into said stowage compartment provided by a track structure within said stowage compartment so that said opening is brought into registry with said outlet when said tank is in fully stowed position within said stowage compartment.
In a recreational vehicle comprising a body containing a water use sanitary fixture, a stowage compartment containing a tank for water which is used with said sanitary fixture, and a fluid passage between said sanitary fixture and said tank, the improvement wherein said passage comprises a disconnectable sealed fluid coupling constructed and arranged for automatic connection in accompaniment of bodily movement of said tank into said stowage compartment, said tank comprising an opening at the disconnectable sealed fluid coupling and a valve disposed on the tank to open and close said opening, an operator on said sanitary fixture and a coupling means from said sanitary fixture operator for operating the tank, said coupling means including a separable connection which automatically connects and disconnects in accompaniment of bodily movement of the tank into and out of the stowage compartment.
In a recreational vehicle body comprising an interior occupant space containing a water use sanitary fixture and a tank for water used in the sanitary fixture, the improvement wherein the tank is stowed within a stowage compartment and constrained against withdrawal from the stowage compartment by a spring-loaded catch means having an interference relationship with respect to the tank to retain the tank in stowed position within the stowage compartment but releasable from the interference relationship to permit the tank to be intentionally withdrawn from the stowage compartment, said spring-loaded catch means being disposed to engage one bottom end edge portion of said tank when the tank is in stowed position, said tank having a bottom wall which passes in confrontational relationship to said spring-loaded catch means as the tank is being withdrawn from the stowage compartment after said catch means has been released from its interference relationship, to permit the tank to be withdrawn from the stowage compartment, said tank including clearance formed in its bottom wall along the direction of withdrawal motion which, as said tank is being withdrawn, permits said spring-loaded catch means to return to an inteference relationship for abutment with a stop in said bottom wall after the tank has been withdrawn a predetermined amount from the stowage compartment thereby arresting motion of the tank before the tank has been moved completely out of the stowage compartment.
In a recreational vehicle body comprising of interior occupant space containing a water use sanitary fixture and a tank for water which is used in the sanitary fixture, the improvement wherein the tank is stowed within a stowage compartment and constrained against withdrawal from the stowage compartment by a spring-loaded catch means having an interference relationship with respect to the tank to retain the tank in stowed position within the stowage compartment but releasable from the interference relationship to permit the tank to be intentionally withdrawn from the stowage compartment, said tank including a valve for opening and closing an opening into the tank from the sanitary fixture, and means preventing the tank form being withdrawn from the stowage compartment, even if the catch means is released, unless the valve is in closed position.
In a recreational vehicle having a body which contains a water use sanitary fixture, a holding tank disposed at a level vertically below that of said sanitary fixture, a fluid passage from said sanitary fixture to said holding tank through which waste water from said sanitary fixture passes into said holding tank, a valve blade on said holding tank which opens and closes said fluid passage, the improvement wherein said fluid passage comprises a joint at which said holding tank disconnects from said sanitary fixture to enable said holding tank to be removed from the recreational vehicle for dumping waste water from said holding tank, and said tank comprises a pourspout through which waste water from said holding tank is poured out and which is selectively positionable on said holding tank to a stowed position and to a pouring position, said pourspout being disposed on said holding tank to define a weir level which is vertically below the level of said valve blade, said body having an opening through which said pourspout projects when positioned to pouring position while said holding tank is connecting to said sanitary fixture whereby when the pourspout is in pouring position while said holding tank is connected to said sanitary fixture, waste water above the level of said valve blade can pass into said holding tank when said holding tank is full when said valve blade is opened by forcing waste water out of said holding tank through said pour spout to the outside of said body.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.