US 6,332,229 B1Granted

Automated flap and cup cleaner water-saving toilet

OwnerConor O'Malley, Joseph Zappelinventors

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Abstract

A gravity drop-toilet uses main water via electronically programmed valves to rinse separate areas of a bowl (71) in sequence via appropriately located and pointing jet orifices (136, 138,140) with about 70% less water than siphon toilets. Electronically timed valve (180) hydraulically causes a pair of bellows (110) to compress and expand and thereby reversibly pivot a mechanical linkage to retain waste in the bowl and drop waste via a vertical waste passageway into a sewer pipe (30). The linkage comprises a transfer arm (118) that pivots a rotating arm of a cup (128) and flap actuating arm (104) to pivot a springy plate (78) upward against a dimple (80) formed on under the side of the flap (30) which thereby aligns itself against the bottom edge (74) of the bowl (71). A urine version of this mechanism uses apertures (174, 175) that they enclose combine to center defecating sitters over a cylinder outlet (48) of the bowl. These parts and apertures prevent waste from smearing the seat, rim, and back of the bowl. Water valves (178) and (183) respectively respond to hand plungers 29 and 31 so that the toilet also works during an electric power outage. The toilet is programmable and more user friendly.

Claims17

Dependent claims

A toilet having a seat, a bowl, and a rim, which permit a user to rinse said bowl free of feces at a first attempt, comprising:

(a) said seat and rim each having a solid horizontal front part with a horizontal aperture so as to permit vertically falling feces to fall through said apertures into said bowl without soiling said solid horizontal front parts of said seat and rim,
(b) said solid horizontal front parts of said seat and rim each having a solid rear part which slopes upward and rearward,
(c) said solid rear part of said seat and rim each having an upward and rearward sloping aperture within said solid rear part so as to permit vertically falling feces to fall through said sloping aperture into said bowl without soiling said sloping solid rear part of said seat and rim,
(d) said bowl having a cylindrically-shaped bottom outlet which is the deepest and steepest part of said bowl so that feces are less likely to stick to said bowl and so that said user can readily dislodge said feces from said bowl with less rinse and flush water,
(e) said solid rear part of said seat and rim being higher than said cylindrically-shaped bottom outlet,
(f) said solid sloping rear part of said seat being shaped to limit rearward placement of a sacrum and thus, of an anus, of a user sitting on said solid horizontal part of said seat, and
(g) said upward and rearward sloping aperture of said seat and rim each being shaped to permit vertically-falling feces of said user, who is sitting so that said rearward placement of said sacrum and said anus is limited by said solid sloping rear part of said seat, so that said vertically-falling feces more readily fall through said sloping apertures towards said bottom outlet without soiling said solid sloping rear part of said seat and rim,
whereby said upward and rearward sloping apertures within said solid upward and rearward sloping seat part and within said solid upward and rearward sloping rim parts permit said toilet user more readily to rinse said bowl free of feces at a first attempt with less water and thereby to save water.

5 more elements

A toilet which can sequentially rinse different parts of a bowl surface of a toilet bowl free of feces and toilet tissue with less water, comprising:

(a) a toilet bowl having a bowl surface to which feces and urine can stick,
(b) a plurality of on-off water valves that regulate a flow of pressurized water,
(c) said water valves being arranged to open and close in response to hand actuated plunger and electronic means,
(d) at least one of said plurality of water valves being connected to at least one of a plurality of water conduits and said at least one water conduit being connected to at least one of a plurality of water jets in said bowl for the purpose of rinsing one area of said bowl surface free of feces and urine with said pressurized water,
(e) said at least one of said plurality of water conduits being fixedly and statically connected to said at least one jet so as to permit said pressurized water to flow through said at least one water valve, said at least one water conduit, and said at least one water jet so as to rinse said one area with a full force of said pressurized water, and
(f) at least one other water valve other than said at least one water valve being fixedly and statically attached to at least two other conduits and at least two other water jets in said bowl so as to permit said pressurized water to flow through said two other water conduits and said two other water jets so as to rinse the remainder of said bowl surface with a full force of pressurized water,
whereby said water valves can sequentially open and close so as to cause sequential rinsing of different parts of said bowl so as to free the entire of said bowl free of feces and urine at a first attempt with less water.

4 more elements

A rotatable flap and cup combination for flushing a toilet bowl free of solid waste so said cup can form a clean main water seal in said bowl, comprising:

(a) means for rinsing said bowl with clean water,
(b) a rotatable flap being positioned within a waste passageway leading to a sewer pipe,
(c) said rotatable flap being rotatably closed against a cylindrically-shaped bottom outlet of said bowl,
(d) said flap being rotatably open downward and rearward from said bottom outlet,
(e) a rotatable cup being within said waste passageway,
(f) said rotatable cup being rotatably closed to surround said closed flap and said bottom outlet,
(g) said cup being rotatably open downward and rearward from said bottom outlet and said closed flap,
(h) said flap, when normally closed, being closely applied to said bottom outlet,
(i) said cup, when normally closed, surrounding said closed flap and said bottom outlet of said bowl with water held within said cup to form a main water seal between said sewer pipe and said bowl,
(j) springy flap means which enable said closed flap to retain solid waste in said bowl so as to permit rinse water in said bowl slowly to seep from said bowl to fill said closed cup,
(k) means for opening and closing said flap and cup so as to permit solid waste in said bowl to flush freely and cleanly through said waste passageway into said sewer pipe without entering said cup upon the actuation thereof to open said flap and cup to an open position, and
(l) so as to permit said clean rinse water to accumulate in said cup and bottom outlet when said flap and cup is in a close position, wherein said accumulated clean water surrounds said closed flap and bottom outlet so as to form a clean main water seal to prevent sewer gases from rising into said bowl.

9 more elements

A method for sequentially rinsing an entire toilet bowl at a first attempt with less water, comprising:

(a) providing a plurality of on-off water valves that regulate a flow of pressurized water to rinse said bowl,
(b) providing hand-actuated on-off plunger and electronic means to open and close said water valves to regulate rinsing of said bowl,
(c) connecting at least one of said on-off water valves to a static and fixed water conduit and a static and fixed water jet in said bowl for the purpose of hydraulically rinsing feces and urine with a full force of said pressurized water from at least one area of said bowl,
(d) connecting another of said plurality of on-off water valves other than said at least one on-off water valve to at least two other static and fixed conduits and two other static and fixed water jets in said bowl other than said one conduit and said one water jet to hydraulically rinse the remainder of said bowl with a full force of said pressurized water, and
(e) rinsing said bowl sequentially by turning on said valves in sequence so that said full force of pressurized water rinses said entire bowl of said toilet,
whereby said entire bowl can be rinsed free of said feces and urine at said first attempt and thus save rinse water.

3 more elements

A method for enabling a user to flush a bowl of a toilet free of solid waste a first time with less water, comprising:

a) providing means for rinsing said bowl with clean water,
b) providing said bowl with a cylindrically-shaped bottom outlet so as to be the deepest and steepest part of said bowl for receiving and pre-shaping solid waste prior to flushing of said solid waste,
c) connecting said cylindrically-shaped bottom outlet to a waste passageway connected to a sewer pipe so that said solid waste can fall freely from said bowl into said sewer pipe,
d) hinging a rotatable flap and cup within said waste passageway so said flap and cup can open and close with respect to said cylindrically-shaped bottom outlet of said bowl,
e) providing flap-and-cup-closing means for closing said flap against said bottom outlet before closing said cup around said closed flap and said bottom outlet,
f) providing flap-closing means for closing said flap closely against said bottom outlet so that said closed flap can retain solid waste in said bowl and permit water to seep gravitationally from said bowl to fill said cup being closed,
g) closing said cup so that said closed cup surrounds said closed flap and said bottom outlet of said bowl so as to catch said clean rinse water seeping past said closed flap from said bowl so that said clean water surrounds said closed flap and said bottom outlet forms a clean main water seal so as to prevent sewer gases from rising into said bowl,
h) opening said cup before said flap opens,
i) opening said flap when said cup is substantially open so that said opening flap prevents said waste, as it falls through said waste passageway into said sewer pipe, from falling against said cup so that said cup remains clean,
whereby said user flushes said bowl free of said pre-shaped solid waste at a first attempt with less water.

7 more elements

Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.

Facts

Application: 09/789,897Filed 20 Feb 2001 · continuation in part
Priority: 13 Dec 2000
Granted: 25 Dec 2001
Term ends: Not estimatedThe source records don’t support an estimate.

Classification4 codes

E03D 9/05
Special arrangement or operation of ventilating devices: ventilating the bowl
E03D 5/08
Operated mechanically or hydraulically also details such as push buttons, levers and pull-card therefor: directly by the foot combined with…
E03D 11/08
Water-closet bowls ; Bowls with a double odour seal optionally with provisions for a good siphonic action; siphons as part of the bowl: bowls with…
E03D
Water-closets or urinals with flushing devices