Patent Grant
10428502
Not applicable
Not applicable.
This disclosure relates to toilets, including toilets operated by gravity-driven water flows from elevated tanks.
Conventional toilets include a toilet tank with an internal flush port (e.g., flanged tank opening) at the bottom thereof. A flapper resting on top of the flush port generally forms a seal to stop the flow of water through the flush valve. When a toilet handle outside the tank is manually activated, the flapper is generally lifted, thereby allowing water to flow through the flush port and into a toilet bowl to flush the toilet. However, degradation in the flapper and/or the flush port can result in degeneration of the seal between the two components, resulting in undesired leakage of water from the tank.
Embodiments of the invention can include a flush mechanism for a toilet, which may be useful in reducing leakage from a toilet tank.
According to one embodiment of the invention, a flush mechanism for a toilet with a tank can include a float basket that is configured to float on water within the tank, and that includes at least one inclined peripheral wall that at least partly defines an interior reservoir of the float basket, and a drainage port configured to drain the interior reservoir. A flexible conduit can be secured to the float basket to provide a liquid flow path between the drainage port and the flush port, such that water flooding from the tank into the interior reservoir and through the drainage port flows along the liquid flow path to exit the tank.
According to one embodiment of the invention, a flush mechanism for a toilet with a tank can include a float basket that is configured to float on water within the tank, and that includes at least one peripheral wall that at least partly defines an interior reservoir of the float basket, and a drainage port that is configured to drain the interior reservoir and is eccentrically disposed within the float basket. A flexible conduit can be secured to the float basket to provide a liquid flow path between the drainage port and the flush port, such that water flooding from the tank into the interior reservoir and through the drainage port flows along the liquid flow path to exit the tank.
According to one embodiment of the invention a flush mechanism for a toilet with a tank can include a float basket that is configured to float on water within the tank, and that includes at least one peripheral wall that at least partly defines an interior reservoir of the float basket, and a drainage port configured to drain the interior reservoir. A flexible conduit can be secured to the float basket to provide a liquid flow path between the drainage port and the flush port, such that water flooding from the tank into the interior reservoir and through the drainage port flows along the liquid flow path to exit the tank. A collar can include one or more collar openings. The collar can be configured to be secured around the rim, and to rotate relative to the rim, to control alignment of the one or more collar openings with the one or more rim openings to control a flow rate of water through the drainage port.
The details of some embodiments of the invention are set forth in the accompanying drawings and the description below, along with certain features and advantages. Other embodiments, and other features and advantages, will be apparent from the description, the drawings, and the claims.
Like reference numerals in the drawings indicate like components, parts, or operations.
The following discussion is presented to enable a person skilled in the art to make and use embodiments of the invention. Various modifications to the illustrated embodiments will be readily apparent to those skilled in the art, and the generic principles herein can be applied to other embodiments and applications without departing from embodiments of the invention. Thus, embodiments of the invention are not intended to be limited to embodiments shown, but are to be accorded the widest scope consistent with the principles and features disclosed herein. The following detailed description is to be read with reference to the figures, in which like elements in different figures have like reference numerals. The figures, which are not necessarily to scale, depict selected embodiments and are not intended to limit the scope of embodiments of the invention. Skilled artisans will recognize the examples provided herein have many useful alternatives and fall within the scope of embodiments of the invention.
Before any embodiments of the invention are explained in detail, it is to be understood that the invention is not limited in its application to the details of construction and the arrangement of components set forth in the following description or illustrated in the following drawings. The invention is capable of other embodiments and of being practiced or of being carried out in various ways. Also, it is to be understood that the phraseology and terminology used herein is for the purpose of description and should not be regarded as limiting. The use of “including,” “comprising,” or “having” and variations thereof herein is meant to encompass the items listed thereafter and equivalents thereof as well as additional items. Likewise, the phrases “at least one of A, B, and C,” “one or more of A, B, and C,” and the like, are meant to indicate A, or B, or C, or any combination of A, B, and/or C.
Unless specified or limited otherwise, the terms “mounted,” “connected,” “supported,” “coupled,” and the like thereof are used broadly and encompass both direct and indirect mountings, connections, supports, and couplings. Further, “connected” and “coupled” are not restricted to physical or mechanical connections or couplings.
The terminology used herein is for the purpose of describing particular embodiments only and is not intended to be limiting of the disclosure. As used herein, the singular forms “a”, “an” and “the” are intended to include the plural forms as well, unless the context clearly indicates otherwise. It will be further understood that the any use of terms “comprises” and/or “comprising” in this specification specifies the presence of stated features, integers, steps, operations, elements, and/or components, but do not preclude the presence or addition of one or more other features, integers, steps, operations, elements, components, and/or groups thereof.
As used herein, unless otherwise defined or limited, “flexible” indicates a feature that is configured to be bendable, compressible, bendable and compressible, or otherwise deformable.
As noted above, conventional flush mechanisms for toilets can include flush valves that are sealed by flappers, which can be prone to leakage. Embodiments of the invention can address this issue, and others. For example, some embodiments of the invention can provide a flush mechanism that relies on controlled flooding of a float basket to release water from a toilet tank into a toilet bowl. In some cases, this can eliminate the need for a flapper and the corresponding likelihood of undesired leakage.
Generally, a flush mechanism according to some embodiments of the invention can include a float basket configured to float at the surface of water within a toilet tank. The float basket can include a drainage port, which can extend through the float basket to the interior of a flexible conduit. The flexible conduit can be secured to a seal assembly, which in turn can be secured to a flush port (e.g., a flanged opening) on the toilet tank. Thus arranged, a fluid-tight flow path can be defined from the drainage port of the float basket, through the flexible conduit to the flush port, and out of the toilet tank. Accordingly, when the float basket floats on the surface of water within the toilet tank, the flow path can be isolated from the water in the toilet tank, such that no water flows from the toilet tank through the flush port and the toilet does not flush. In contrast, when the float basket is partially (or fully) submerged, as may be effected by actuation of an exterior toilet handle, water can be allowed to flow into (i.e., flood) the float basket, then flow through the drainage port into the flexible conduit and out of the flush port, thereby causing the toilet to flush.
In some embodiments, other features can be provided. For example, some embodiments can include a float basket that is eccentrically formed relative to the drainage port, with the float basket extending farther from the drainage port in one direction than in an opposite direction. This may be useful, for example, to allow for a sufficiently buoyant (e.g., sufficiently large) float basket, while avoiding interference with other mechanisms within the toilet tank (e.g., a float that controls refilling of the tank). As another example, some embodiments can include an anchor plate with multiple anchor points. A cable (i.e., generally, a flexible extended member configured to transmit pulling force, such as single-strand, braided, and non-braided lines) can be received at any one of the anchor points in order to allow for relatively easy conversion of the relevant flush mechanism between left-hand and right-hand flush configurations.
As another example, some embodiments can include a control device for flow of water through the drainage port of the float basket. For example, in some embodiments, a rim (e.g., an integral, raised wall) can surround a drainage port of a float basket, with the rim punctuated by one or more drainage openings. A collar with one or more corresponding collar openings can be configured to be rotatably seated around the rim, so that rotation of the collar relative to the rim can selectively align one or more of the collar openings with one or more of the drainage openings. In this way, for example, the collar can be rotated relative to the rim in order to generally control the flow rate of water from the float basket into the drainage port for flushing of the relevant toilet.
As another example, some embodiments can include a float basket with one or more inclined peripheral walls. For example, opposite elongate walls of an elongate float basket can be angled obliquely relative to a central axis of a drainage port of the flush basket or a base wall (e.g., floor or bottom “hull”) of the float basket. This can be useful, for example, in order to generally allow for easier control over inundation of the float basket, as well as to generally increase the amount of water from a particular tank that can move past the peripheral walls of the float basket to pass through the drainage port. It will be noted, relative to discussion herein, that a particular “peripheral” wall, including an inclined peripheral wall, may not necessarily surround an entire perimeter of a particular area (e.g., of an interior reservoir of a float basket).
In different embodiments, different configurations are possible. As illustrated in
In some embodiments, an outlet fitting can be configured to provide a liquid-tight seal with a toilet tank at the flush port. As illustrated in
In some embodiments, an anchor component can be provided in order to assist with activating the flush mechanism. As illustrated in
Generally, it may be useful to secure an anchor component to an outlet fitting, along with a separate seal (e.g., the gasket 30) as appropriate, to provide a seal assembly. As illustrated in
The configuration illustrated in
In the embodiment illustrated, the tube 50 is configured to exhibit a resting length that is generally equal to the compressed length (see
Generally, a flexible tube for a flush mechanism according to the invention can be configured to be secured at one end to a seal assembly for a flush port, and at another end to a float basket, so as to define a flexible flow path between the flush port and the float basket. To this end, in the embodiment illustrated in
Generally, as also described below, a float basket for a flush mechanism according to the invention can be configured to float at the surface of water within a toilet tank. When a user desires to flush the tank, the user can, for example, use a handle of the toilet to flood the float basket with water. This can allow water to move through the drainage port of the float basket, through the attached flexible conduit, and out of the flush port of the toilet tank. Because the float basket may be generally supported by buoyancy forces (particularly when not flooded), as the water level in the tank correspondingly decreases, the float basket generally also travels downwards, so that water can generally continue to flow through the float basket.
In some embodiments, it may be useful to configure a float basket in order to maximize the amount of water in a tank that can flow past (e.g., over) the peripheral walls of the float basket in order to exit the toilet tank via the drainage port. In some embodiments, for example, a float basket can be configured with generally inclined side walls, so that a part of the side walls presents a generally lower barrier to flooding of the float basket than the remainder of the side walls, without compromising the general ability of the float basket to float at the surface of water within the tank (e.g., to not be flooded) when the toilet is not being flushed.
Within the reservoir 74, a drainage port 78 extends through the base wall 76 at an eccentric location relative to the elongate dimension of the float basket 70 (i.e., left-to-right from the perspective
Generally, the peripheral wall 72 is inclined, such that the one end of the peripheral wall 72 (i.e., to the left in
In some embodiments, other types of attachment features can be provided, including at different locations. In some embodiments, no attachment feature may be provided. For example, a float basket can be configured to be flooded by using a relatively rigid body (e.g., a lever attached to a flush handle) to push an edge of a peripheral wall underwater.
In different embodiments, different types of inclines may be provided for different portions of one or more peripheral walls. In the embodiment illustrated, for example, the top of the peripheral wall 72 (i.e., as traced by a line 88 in
In other embodiments, other configurations are possible. For example, different overall or partial geometries can be used for different features of a float basket, including a rim for a drainage port, an attachment feature for a flexible conduit, a peripheral wall (or walls), one or more drainage ports or drainage openings, and so on. In some cases, multiple distinct peripheral walls may be provided, such as a set of relatively straight peripheral walls joined as corners to provide a continuous enclosure for the interior reservoir. In some cases, a float basket can be integrally formed as a unitary component. In some cases, a float basket can be formed by multiple separate components that are joined together (e.g., using adhesives, ultrasonic welding, or other techniques).
Generally, as water floods into the interior reservoir 74, further flow into the drainage port 78, and thereby out of the toilet tank (as also described above) can be regulated by the configuration (e.g., size, shape, and number) of the drainage openings 82 in the rim provided by the annular wall 80. Accordingly, it may be useful to configure the openings 82 in order to appropriately regulate the rate of flow out of the tank (i.e., via the openings 82 and the drainage port 78) in view of the flow of water into the tank from known refilling mechanisms (e.g., automatic refilling devices that begin to refill a toilet tank even as the toilet is being flushed).
In some embodiments, the drainage openings 82 (or other aspects of the float basket 70, such as the diameter of the drainage port 78) can be configured to naturally provide an appropriate outflow from type of flow regulation. However, due to the variation of refill characteristics between different toilets and different plumbing systems (e.g., due to variations in water pressure), it may also be useful to provide an adjustment mechanism, in order to allow users to selectively control the relevant flow rate(s). In this regard, for example, it may be useful to provide a collar with control openings, such as a collar 100 with openings 102, as illustrated in
Generally, the collar 100 can be configured to be seated (e.g., relatively loosely press-fit) around a drainage rim of a particular float basket, in order to allow for selective regulation of the flow rate through drainage openings in that rim. As illustrated in
In other embodiments, other configurations are possible. For example, in some embodiments, a set of differently sized openings can be provided in the collar 100. With such a configuration, for example, different flow rates through the drainage port 78 could be obtained by aligning differently sized sets of openings in the collar 100 with the drainage openings 82 in the wall 80. In some embodiments, other adjustment mechanisms that similarly control alignment of drainage openings can alternatively (or additionally) be used.
An example installation of the flush mechanism 20, including the seal assembly 38, the flexible bellows tube 50, and the float basket 70, is illustrated in
The float basket 70, as secured to the flexible tube 50, is configured to float in the water within the tank 22, with the inclined top of the peripheral wall 72 entirely above the surface of the water. Accordingly, so long as the float basket 70 floats as illustrated in
In order to allow the toilet to be flushed, an internal lever 114 connected to an external flush handle 116 is generally connected to the float basket 70. In this way, for example, when the handle 116 is activated, the float basket 70 can be tipped into the water within the tank 22, so that the interior reservoir 74 is flooded and water can flow to the interior of the flexible tube 50.
In some embodiments, the flooding of the float basket 70 can cause the float basket 70 to almost immediately sink to the bottom of the tank 22, so that water can also flow to the drainage port 78 via the top opening of the annular wall 80. In such an embodiment, for example, the majority of water drained from the tank 22 may flow to the drainage port 78 via the top opening of the annular wall 80, at least until the water in the tank 22 has been drained sufficiently so that the annular wall 80 extends above the water line. In these and other embodiments, water may also flow into the draining port 78 via the drainage openings 82 (see, e.g.,
In different embodiments, different mechanisms can be employed to cause the float basket 70 to be flooded. In the embodiment illustrated, for example, the internal lever 114 is secured to a chain 118, which in turn is attached to a cable 120. The cable 120 extends from the chain 118, through one of the anchor points 34 of the anchor plate 32, to be attached to the attachment tab 86 on the shallower end of the float basket 70. In this way, for example, as illustrated in
Generally, for all but the relatively low water levels in the tank 22, at least the lower-height end of the peripheral wall 72 may remain submerged, so that water can continue to flow from the tank 22, via the flush mechanism 20, into the toilet bowl. Correspondingly, for some duration of a flush cycle, the water level may fall below the top of the annular wall 80, but still remain above the lower-height end of the peripheral wall 72—i.e., may temporarily exhibit “intermediate” water levels. At these intermediate water levels, for example, the flow control provided by the collar 100 (see, e.g.,
Eventually, as illustrated in
In the configuration illustrated in
In some embodiments, features not expressly illustrated in
In the configuration illustrated in
The description of the present disclosure has been presented for purposes of illustration and description, but is not intended to be exhaustive or limited to the disclosure in the form disclosed. Many modifications and variations will be apparent to those of ordinary skill in the art without departing from the scope and spirit of the disclosure. Explicitly referenced embodiments herein were chosen and described in order to best explain the principles of the disclosure and their practical application, and to enable others of ordinary skill in the art to understand the disclosure and recognize many alternatives, modifications, and variations on the described example(s). Accordingly, various embodiments and implementations other than those explicitly described are within the scope of the following claims.
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| Number | Date | Country | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 20190093326 A1 | Mar 2019 | US |
