# US 7,461,418 B2 · System for encouraging good personal hygiene in toilet facilities

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- Number: US 7,461,418 B2
- Document ID: US7461418B2
- Status: Granted
- Kind: B2
- Application number: 11/358,551
- Filed: 2006-02-21
- Published: 2006-08-31
- Granted: 2008-12-09
- Earliest claimed: 2005-02-25
- Assignees: Vlahos Enterprises
- Inventors: Gustav Vlahos; Robert B. Jones
- Web page: https://patentgrep.com/patent/US7461418B2

## CPC

- G08B 21/245: {Reminder of hygiene compliance policies, e.g. of washing hands}
- E03D 3/02: Self-closing flushing valves (self-closing valves in general F16K21/04)
- G08B: SIGNALLING SYSTEMS, e.g. PERSONAL CALLING SYSTEMS; ORDER TELEGRAPHS; ALARM SYSTEMS
- E03D: WATER-CLOSETS OR URINALS WITH FLUSHING DEVICES; FLUSHING VALVES THEREFOR

## Abstract

A system encouraging users to cleanse their hands after use of a tankless toilet having a flush valve controlling the flow of water into a toilet bowl through a conduit, in which an abrupt temperature change in the conduit is used to trigger a recorded message urging the user to wash his or her hands.

## Claims

### Claim 1

A system encouraging users to cleanse their hands after use of a tankless toilet having a flush valve controlling the flow of water through a conduit into the toilet bowl, comprising:
a sensor detecting the temperature of the conduit wall;
means for interrogating said sensor at selected intervals;
means for comparing the conduit wall temperature at the beginning of an interval with that at a succeeding interval;
means detecting the rate of change of the conduit wall temperature; and
means triggering a recorded announcement urging the toilet user to wash his or her hands upon detection of a preselected rate of change of the conduit wall temperature.

### Claim 2 (depends on 1)

The system of claim 1 wherein the conduit wall temperature decreases upon opening of the flush valve.

### Claim 3 (depends on 1)

The system of claim 1 wherein the conduit wall temperature increases upon opening of the flush valve.

### Claim 4 (depends on 1)

The system of claim 1 wherein the preselected rate of change of the conduit wall temperature is at least about 0.2° F. in 30 seconds.

### Claim 5

A method of encouraging toilet users to wash their hands after flushing a tankless toilet having a flushing means for controlling flow of water through a conduit into the toilet bowl comprising:
sensing a temperature of the wall of the conduit downstream of the flushing means at preselected intervals of time;
detecting the rate of change of said temperature between said intervals; and
triggering a recorded announcement urging the user to wash his or her hands when the detected rate of change of said temperature is greater than a preselected value.

### Claim 6 (depends on 5)

The method of claim 5 wherein said preselected value is at least about 0.2° F. in 30 seconds.