Flush toilet for RV's and boats

Information

  • Patent Grant
  • 6584623
  • Patent Number
    6,584,623
  • Date Filed
    Tuesday, June 4, 2002
    22 years ago
  • Date Issued
    Tuesday, July 1, 2003
    21 years ago
Abstract
A flush toilet having two nozzles located within its bowl. The two nozzles being oriented in opposite directions and alternately providing pulses of flush water into and around the bowl.
Description




BACKGROUND AND SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION




The present invention relates to a low-water flush toilet and in particular to a toilet providing multiple pulse jets of flush water moving in opposite directions on ledges provided on the toilet bowl near its upper end. The flush water applied to the inner surface of the bowl is carefully controlled to produce consistent and repeatable flushing operations.




Water shortages on RV's and boats lead to the use of low-water flush toilets. In some situations, in boats and RV's, conservation of water is essential. The new flush system of this invention is created by providing dual nozzles at the back of the toilet bowl for providing alternating pulses of water from each nozzle, directed so that the water will move along ledges which extends on the sides of the bowl to the front of the bowl, the movement of each pulse of flush water providing for uniformed wetting of one half of the bowl surface below the ledge. The nozzle are directed in opposite directions so that when viewed from above, one jet of flush water will be moving counter-clockwise (from the back of the bowl to the front of the bowl) and the other jet of flush water will be moving in a clockwise direction (from the back of the bowl to the front of the bowl). As a result, total wetting of the bowl will be achieved because each volume of pulsed water can be controlled so as to totally wet half of the bowl, in contrast to previous pulsed flush toilets in which the pulsed water must wet the entire bowl in one pulse.




During flushing, a slide valve at the bottom of the bowl will be opened to allow the pulsed water in the bowl to move the entire content of the bowl into a holding tank below the outlet.




The slide valve is connected through a clutch to an actuator and this prevents damage to the slide valve in the event of a blockage at the outlet. In such case, the actuator would simply “free wheel” without moving the slide valve.




Furthermore, a slip tube or spacer allows variable height positioning of the bowl to meet the demands of the RV and boat industry. The slip tube provided in this toilet to allow the same toilet to be offered to customers in variable heights without adding unnecessary costs because the remaining mechanics of the toilet remain the same. A slip tube spacer is provided to allow the slide valve to be positioned a further distance from the holding tank in a higher (taller) version of the toilet. The slip tube or spacer also ensures a “no leak” path for water from the bowl to the floor to accommodate small variances in dimensions in bowls.




In light of the above, it is an object of the present invention to provide a toilet that consistently cleans the bowl's surface using a minimum quantity of water. Further, the electronic controls enable easy flushing of the toilet by the user, having only to depress a control button. A second button when depressed adds water to the bowl to enable the user to leave the toilet with the desired amount of water in the bowl.




The following U.S. patents, owned by the assignee of this application, utilize “ledges” and pulsed flush water:




U.S. Pat. No. 4,926,508




U.S. Pat. No. 5,010,602




U.S. Pat. No. 5,073,994




U.S. Pat. No. 5,715,544




U.S. Pat. No. 5,875,499




Further objects, features and advantages of the invention become apparent from a consideration of the following description and dependent claims when taken in connection with the accompanying drawings.











BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS





FIG. 1

is a perspective view of the toilet of this invention;





FIG. 2

is a side elevational view of the toilet shown in

FIG. 1

;





FIG. 3

is an enlarged sectional view of the toilet of this invention as seen substantially from the line


3





3


in

FIG. 2

;





FIG. 4

is a cross-sectional view of the toilet in this invention as seen substantially from the line


4





4


in

FIG. 3

;





FIG. 5

is a cross-sectional view of the toilet in this invention as seen substantially from the line


5





5


in

FIG. 3

;





FIGS. 6



a


and


6




b


are diagrammatic plan views of the toilet bowl to visually show the alternate pulses of flush water





FIG. 7

is an enlarged fragmentary version of

FIG. 5

to show the structure that supports the toilet on the floor;





FIG. 8

is a fragmentary view like

FIG. 7

but with a higher bowl;





FIG. 9

is a fragmentary cross-sectional view of the slide gate valve at the outlet opening of the bowl and the clutch driven actuator which moves the valve; and





FIG. 10

is a cross-sectional view near the back of the bowl showing the electronic controls that actuate the operation of the nozzles that supply the flush water pulses and the opening and closing of the waste valve plate.











DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT OF THE INVENTION




The flush toilet of this invention is shown at

FIGS. 1 and 2

and designated generally at


10


. The toilet


10


includes a bowl


12


made of china to provide a feeling of being home when using the toilet. The usual cover


11


and seat


13


rest on the bowl


12


when not in use. As shown in

FIG. 4

, the bowl


12


has an upper end


14


and a lower discharge outlet


16


. The inner surface


18


of the bowl


12


is formed with left and right hand ledges


20


and


22


each of which extends from the back


24


of the bowl


12


to the front


26


of the bowl


12


. As used throughout the specification and claims the term “ledge” is used to refer to a portion of the bowl surface


18


having a slope or an incline that is closer to horizontal than the slope of the surrounding bowl surface both below and above the ledge.




A nozzle


30


is mounted on the back


24


of the bowl


12


at a position adjacent the end


36


of ledge


20


at the back


24


of the bowl


12


. A second nozzle


32


is similarly mounted on the back


24


at a position adjacent the end


36


of ledge


22


adjacent the back


24


. Water comes out of each of the nozzles


30


and


32


as primarily horizontally directed jets. In a preferred embodiment, the nozzles


30


and


32


each include orifices, an inboard orifice and an outboard orifice, connected by a slot. The outboard orifices are larger in diameter than the inboard orifices such that water is primarily ducted along the ledges toward the front of the bowl


12


.




It should be noted that the ledges


20


and


22


are contoured so that they are wide at their ends


36


where the pulsed jet of flush water first hits the ledge and are slimmer at the ends


38


. This contour ensures that all of the bowl surface


18


is uniformly wetted to achieve continuous cleaning of the surface


18


when the toilet


10


is flushed.




A drain pipe


34


is mounted on the back


24


of the bowl


12


to avoid water in the bowl


12


overflowing out of the toilet


10


.




An arcuate cover


40


is mounted in the bowl


12


at the rear


24


to cover the nozzles


30


and


32


and the drain


34


. As shown in

FIG. 4

, the cover


40


is spaced ahead of the nozzles


30


and


32


to avoid flush water splashing on a user of the toilet


10


. Flush water from the nozzle


30


(

FIG. 6



a


) will follow a path which is counter-clockwise and the flush water from nozzle


32


will follow a clockwise path as shown in

FIGS. 3 and 6



b


. It is to be noted that the flush water will fall onto the bowl surface


18


below the ledges


20


and


22


but neither ledge will have water flowing very far from the end


38


of the ledge. The electronic controls, not yet explained, and the water system limit the pressure of the pulses so that they lose their momentum without proceeding much beyond the ends of the ledges


20


and


22


.




A rearward extension


50


of the bowl


12


supports the water systems and the controls that provide the necessary amenities for the toilet. A pad


52


on the extension


50


is in a location where it can be readily reached by a user sitting on the toilet. Push buttons


54


and


56


are electrically connected to a circuit board


58


, which controls a dual solenoid water valve


60


so that when the flush button


54


is depressed the dual solenoid water valve


60


provides water alternatively to the nozzles


30


and


32


. In this manner water from each nozzle


30


and


32


is under enough pressure that it will travel on the ledge


20


from the rear end


36


to the front end of the ledge


38


with water running off the ledge and down the bowl surface toward the outlet at all times as the water travels lengthwise along the ledge


20


. Under the control of the circuit board


58


, water through the nozzle


30


is then discontinued when it is timed out. Just before nozzle


30


times out, the circuit board


58


causes water to be supplied through the nozzle


32


which provides the same performance on the ledge


22


from end


36


to end


38


. The controller is programmed to stop alternating the supply of water to the nozzles


30


and


32


after a certain time. When the nozzles are “on”, the jets are at desired pressure capable of wetting the bowl uniformly with water without danger of having water run up and out of the bowl


12


. The appropriate design and construction of the circuit board will be apparent to one skilled in the art depending on the specific design criteria of the toilet


1


with which it is used.




A motor driven slide blade


66


(

FIGS. 4 and 9

) is movable between a closed position and an open position in which the contents of the bowl


12


can drop through the outlet


68


and into a suitable holding tank (not shown). A motor


70


drives a plate


71


which meshes with a driven plate


72


which in turn drives a screw


74


that is engaged and operable to move the slide gate valve


66


between open and closed positions. In the event of a blockage at the outlet


16


which is engaged by the slide valve


66


, the clutch formed by plates


71


and


72


will begin to slip relative to one another causing plate


72


to move axially away from and out of meshed engagement with plate


71


, against the biasing the spring


73


, stopping rotation of the screw


74


.




As an alternative to the mechanical clutch system described above, the invention could alternately employ an electric clutch. Such a clutch, in one embodiment, current being drawn by the motor


70


is monitored. Upon sensing an increase or spike in drawn current, indicating blocked movement by the blade


66


, the motor


70


would be shut down or reversed. The system would then periodically operate the motor


70


to determine if the blockage has be removed.




Referring to

FIGS. 7 and 8

, it will be seen that one of the advantages of this invention is the adaptability of the invention to china toilets which are difficult to maintain tolerances. The china bowl


12


is a fired clay body having low porosity that resembles glass. As shown in

FIG. 7

, the toilet bowl


12


has a base


80


and a cavity


81


which extends upwardly in the bowl


12


. The base


80


is adapted to be mounted on the floor and is retained on the floor by mounting bolts


82


. The base


80


carries a fixture


84


which includes a tubular section


86


, which is aligned with the bowl opening


16


, and an upwardly extending annular rim


88


. A seal member


90


made of rubber or the like is mounted on the rim


88


and sealingly abuts a tubular member


92


mounted to the bowl


12


below the side blade


66


and through which the water from the bowl


12


is directed downwardly into a floor mounted pipe


94


that extends into the holding tank (not shown). In the toilet shown in

FIG. 7

, the distance between the bowl opening


16


and the fixture


84


is minimal.




In

FIG. 8

, a toilet is shown in which the distance between the slide blade


66


and the base


84


is at a maximum. This maximum distance is achieved by a cavity


96


, which is much longer than the cavity


81


in the bowl


12


shown in

FIG. 7

, and the bowl


12


is of a maximum height. In this cavity


96


, a slip tube


98


is provided to accommodate the increased height of the cavity


96


. The upper end of the slip tube


98


is provided with a seal


100


that is identical to the seal


90


in FIG.


7


and which telescopingly receives tubular section


92


. The lower end of slip tube


98


is dimensioned to be the same as tubular section


92


and is telescopingly received in tubular section


86


, sealingly engaged by seal


90


. As such, the slip tube


98


allows the exact same parts to be used with a low height toilet


10


as with a “taller” height toilet


10


while providing a leak proof path for water from the bowl


12


to the floor mounted pipe


94


. Like parts in

FIGS. 7 and 8

are identified by similar numerals.




The use of the seals


90


and


100


in the toilets shown in

FIGS. 7 and 8

enable the manufacture of leak proof passages in the bowls


12


even though the bowls are not of a consistent size because of the inherent characteristics of china clay.




In the use of the toilet


10


, to institute full flush activation, the user depresses the button


54


on the pad


52


which is connected by wiring


59


to the circuit board assembly


58


which includes a microprocessor which signals to the dual solenoid water valve


60


which operates to alternately open and close the nozzles


30


and


32


and that sequence continues until the control board


58


times out. During the providing of water from the nozzles


30


and


32


, the circuit board assembly


58


also activates the motor


70


to cause the slide blade


66


to open, removing all contents from the bowl


12


. After a set amount of time, the circuit board assembly


58


also causes the motor


70


to close the slide blade


66


. In case it is desired to clean the flush system, the button


56


can be repeatedly depressed to flush the system to the satisfaction of the user.




To add water to the bowl either before or following the full flushing of the toilet


10


, a second button


56


can be depressed thereby signaling the circuit board assembly


58


to open both of the nozzles


30


and


32


at the same time so as to add more flush water to the bowl


12


in a very short time.




In light of the above, it is seen that this toilet


10


provides a china bowl


12


that can operate to uniformly wet the inside of the bowl


12


during a flushing operation. A modern electronically controlled flush water system provides for alternate flushing water on the contoured ledges


20


and


22


on the inside of the bowl. Similarly, the clutch drive for the slide valve


66


ensures a long life for the valve


66


.



Claims
  • 1. A flush toilet comprising:a bowl having an upper end and a bottom discharge outlet through which waste is flushed from said bowl, a valve mounted to said toilet for movement between open and closed positions with respect to said outlet, an actuation member connected to said valve causing movement of said valve between said positions; an actuator operable to move said actuation member; and a clutch associated with said actuator and said actuation member, said clutch providing slip between said actuation member and said actuator when an obstacle is in a position preventing opening or closing of said valve.
  • 2. The flush toilet of claim 1 wherein said actuation member includes a threaded member and a nut member, said nut member threadedly engaged on said threaded member and coupled to said valve so that rotation of said threaded member results in movement of said valve.
  • 3. The flush toilet of claim 1 wherein said clutch is a mechanical clutch.
  • 4. The flush toilet of claim 1 wherein said clutch is an electronic clutch.
  • 5. The flush toilet of claim 1 wherein said clutch comprises a driving plate and a driven plate, said driving and driven plates each having complimentary formed surfaces in engagement with one another.
  • 6. The flush toilet of claim 5 wherein said surfaces include ramped castilations protruding therefrom.
  • 7. The flush toilet of claim 5 wherein one of said driving and driven plates is biased axially toward the other of said plates by a biasing member.
  • 8. The flush toilet of claim 7 wherein said one of said driving and driven plates moves axially during slipping of said clutch.
CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATION

This is a divisional of an application filed Apr. 11, 2000 and assigned U.S. Ser. No. 09/547,121 (now U.S. Pat. No. 6,397,405).

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Number Date Country
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