US 5,289,594 A · Water saver toilet flush control system

Abstract

A toilet flush control system which provides control over the volume of water used in conventional tank-type toilets. The disclosed toilet flush control apparatus and method can be used in existing toilets by easily retrofitting such toilets with said apparatus. The toilet flush control apparatus may also be incorporated into the design of new toilets. The apparatus comprises a flapper-type flush valve which by itself does not have adequate buoyancy to remain open during the flush cycle of a toilet and which is equipped with an eyelet member; a buoyant member capable of imparting the needed buoyancy to the valve during the flush cycle; a flexible line connected at one end to the buoyant member and passing through said eyelet, and mechanism for adjusting the vertical distance between the flush valve and the buoyant member from outside the toilet tank. The volume of water saved during flushing is equivalent to the volume of water between the level of the flush valve and the level of the buoyant member.

Claims11

Dependent claims

An apparatus for variably controlling the volume of discharge water from a toilet of the type having a tank with an overflow pipe with a top portion and a flush port therein, a valve seat surrounding said port and capable of accommodating a flapper-type flush valve for opening and closing said flush port, a lift arm for activating said flush valve, and a flush line connecting said lift arm to said flush valve, the apparatus comprising of:

(a) a non-buoyant flush valve having top and bottom sides and having an eyelet member for the free passage of a flexible line;
(b) a buoyancy means for providing adequate buoyancy to said flush valve so that it remains open during discharge of a predetermined volume of water from the tank, but not so much buoyancy that it will counteract the hydrostatic pressure upon the flush valve in its closed position;
(c) a flexible line which freely passes through said eyelet member and is secured at one end to said buoyancy means, and at its other end is secured to a means for adjusting the distance between the flush valve and said buoyancy means;
and
(d) a means for adjusting the distance between the flush valve and said buoyancy means, wherein said adjusting means is located outside of said tank.

2 more elements

Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.

Water saver toilet flush control system

Life of this patent

Water saver toilet flush control system

Life of this patent

Abstract

Claims11