US 5,042,096 A · Water-saving toilet flusher

Abstract

A toilet tank 13 is provided with a bottom flapper 5 in valved relationship to a tank outlet 6 attached at an angle from an overflow pipe 8 or directly above the tank outlet 6 at the bottom of the tank 13 and a top flapper 9 in valved relationship to the end of a top-level outlet pipe 10 that is offset at an angle from the overflow pipe 8 which is extended vertically from a side of the outlet orifice 6. A bottom flexible line 1 is attachable at one end to the bottom flapper 5 and to a flush rod 3 at the opposite end for pulling the bottom flapper 5 up to open the tank outlet 6 by operation of a swivelable flush handle 11. A top flexible line 2 is attachable to a top flapper 9 at the end of the top outlet pipe 10, threaded through a line eye 7 at the top of the overflow pipe 8 and then attachable to an end section 4 of the flush rod 3. Swiveling the flush handle 11 slightly in opposite directions up or down causes the two flappers 5 and 9 to be operable separately as valves. All water in the tank 13 is released when the flush handle 11 is swiveled downward for use in flushing solid water. But only the water above the top flapper 9 is released when the handle 11 is swiveled upward for use in flushing liquid water. A separate control valve 25 assures that there will be no water wasted for toilet-bowl water-seal effect at both levels of flushing. All parts can be retrofitted to conventional toilet flushing tanks. The user of this flusher will save more than three (3) gallons per each flush when the flush handle is swiveled upwardly when disposing of liquid water.

A dual-level toilet flusher comprised of:

a selectively large-diameter outlet orifice positionable centrally in the bottom of a toilet tank;
an overflow pipe having approximately the same diameter as the bottom outlet orifice and extended vertically therefrom to a select position in relation to a predetermable tank-full level in the tank;
a bottom flapper valve in valve-sealable relationship to the bottom output orifice and attachable swivelably to the overflow pipe;
a top-level outlet pipe extended outwardly from the overflow pipe at a select angle upwards from the vicinity of the bottom outlet orifice to a select upper level of water discharge from the tank;
a top flapper valve in valve-sealable relationship to a top-level outlet orifice in the top-level outlet pipe and attachable swivelably to the overflow pipe;
a flush rod and a flushing handle attachable rigidly at opposite sides of a tank wall by a flush-handle axle that is rotatable in selective arcs of partial rotation by selective up-and-down motion of the flushing handle;
a bottom-flapper flexible line having one end attachable to the bottom flapper and the opposite end attachable to an end section of the flusher rod;
a top-flapper flexible line extending through an orifice in a line eye attachable to the overflow pipe above the top flapper valve and with one end of the top-flapper flexible line attachable to the top flapper and the opposite end attachable to the end section of the flush rod such that downward swiveling of the flush handle causes upward travel of the flush rod to pull the bottom flapper open upwardly from the bottom outlet orifice and upward swiveling of the flush handle causes downward travel of the flush rod to pull the top flapper to open upwardly from the top-level outlet orifice;
water-inlet valving having a sufficiently-large outlet orifice for distribution of water to a toilet bowl for effecting a water-seal in a vertically-curved outlet from the toilet bowl during time that water is directed from the water-inlet valving to the tank for filling the tank;
a conveyance in fluid-communication relationship with said sufficiently large outlet orifice for distribution of water to a toilet bowl for effecting a water-seal in vertically-curved outlet from the toilet bowl;
a water-seal flow-control valve in said conveyance at a select position vertically in relation to water level in the tank for detection of water level for regulation of flow water through said conveyance to accomplish a water-seal in said vertically curved outlet without allowing more water to flow through the said conveyance than is necessary for accomplishing said water-seal;
wherein said water-seal flow-control valve comprises
a cylinder;
a float having a shaft extending downwardly from the float and in slidable relationship to the inside periphery of the cylinder;
an inlet conveyance connector at an inlet port in a wall of the cylinder;
an outlet conveyance connector at an outlet port in a wall of the cylinder;
and
an orifice through the shaft in fluid-communication relationship from the inlet port to the outlet port when the float is in a selectively raised position and the orifice in the shaft is not in fluid-communication relationship between the inlet port and the outlet port when the float and the shaft are in a selectively lowered position.

15 more elements

Water-saving toilet flusher

Life of this patent

Water-saving toilet flusher

Life of this patent

Abstract

Claims3