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US 6,687,922 B1Granted
Stainless steel toilet resistant to corrosion by sea water
AssigneeAcorn Engineering Company
InventorsKeith D. Marshall, Carlos J. Galeazzi, Darryl M. Boeltl
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
A stainless steel toilet resistant to corrosion by sea water. The toilet has a toilet bowl portion which is butt-welded to a rim. The welding is carried out while the inside surface of the weld line is flushed with argon gas. Similarly, a P-trap is butt-welded to an exit opening at the bottom of the bowl portion. A flush ring assembly is supported below the rim member. The result is a toilet which can be operated with sea water without corrosion for a period of years.
Claims8
A stainless steel toilet resistant to corrosion by sea water, said toilet comprising:
- a toilet bowl portion having an oval upper ring, side walls extending downwardly from said oval upper ring to a trap outlet ring, said toilet bowl portion being fabricated from stainless steel sheet metal,
- a rim and seat member having an oval lower ring of the same size and shape as the oval upper ring of said toilet bowl portion and said rim and seat member extending upwardly and then inwardly to a seat portion which, in turn, extends inwardly and downwardly to an inner terminus edge and said rim and seat member being fabricated from stainless steel and said oval upper ring of said toilet bowl portion being butt welded by butt welding to said oval lower ring of said rim and seat member along a butt weld line and wherein said butt welding is carried out by supporting at least one argon supply ring held adjacent an inner surface of said butt weld line, said at least one argon supply ring having outwardly facing openings through which argon escapes and bathes the inner surface of said butt weld line with argon;
- a P-trap having an upper ring having the same size and shape as the trap outlet ring of said toilet bowl portion and said P-trap being fabricated from stainless steel and said upper ring of said P-trap being butt welded to said trap outlet ring along a butt weld ring and wherein said butt welding is carried out with argon gas maintained on an inner surface of a weld line during a welding step;
- and
- a flush ring assembly supported below said rim and seat member and covered by said ring and seat member, said flush rim assembly being fabricated from a hollow conduit supported independently of said rim and seat member provided with a plurality of water outlet passageways aimed to direct a plurality of water flushing streams against an inner surface of said toilet bowl portion and said flush ring assembly having a sea water inlet opening.
2 more elements
A process for fabricating a stainless steel toilet impervious to corrosion by sea water comprising:
- forming a toilet bowl portion having an oval upper ring, side walls extending downwardly from said oval upper ring to a trap outlet ring, said toilet bowl portion being fabricated from 316 stainless steel;
- forming a rim and seat member having an oval lower ring of the same size and shape as the oval upper ring of said toilet bowl portion and said rim and seat member extending upwardly and then inwardly to a seat portion which, in turn, extends inwardly and downwardly to an inner terminus and said rim and seat member being fabricated from 316 stainless steel;
- butt welding said oval upper ring of said toilet bowl portion to said oval lower ring of said rim and seat member while maintaining an inner surface of a resulting weld line immersed in argon during said butt welding step and wherein said butt welding is carried out by supporting at least one argon supply ring held adjacent an inner surface of said butt weld line, said at least one argon supply ring having outwardly facing openings through which argon escapes and bathes the inner surface of said butt weld line with argon;
- forming a P-trap having an upper ring having the same size and shape as the trap outlet ring of said toilet bowl portion and said P-trap being fabricated from 316 stainless steel;
- and
- butt welding said upper ring of said P-trap to said trap outlet ring of said toilet bowl portion while maintaining an inner surface of a resulting weld line immersed in argon during said butt welding step.
3 more elements
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.