The present invention generally relates to the bathroom-type stand-alone systems, and particularly to a bathroom cabin foldable and stackable in large numbers consisting of different fittings for use in the different modes of recirculating chemical toilets; squat toilets; dry toilets with mechanical waste discharge; and stand-alone vacuum-operated toilet, toilet with removable tank, shower and the system can be connected to the waste discharge network.
The object of the present invention is to develop a bathroom cabin foldable and stackable in large numbers of the type which are telescopically foldable, designed for easy and simple transportation using different types of transportation, namely, pallet truck, fork-lift, or manual transportation.
A second object is to develop a multi-purpose cabin based on said stackable and transportable cabin for different bathroom applications such as a dressing room, a storage room, a shower, and different variants of toilet.
There are many areas of use where portable bathroom facilities are necessary such as in the construction of various objects, holding large events, in open areas such as beaches and natural surroundings, in agriculture, for the armed forces which are in training grounds, and all type of natural disaster emergencies. These needs are even more apparent and urgent when they involve a large number of users.
Different solutions generally involving a high installation cost due to their transportation cost (fixed and mobile units), storage and waste removal (waste water storage and removal) are known in the state of the art. Portable individual bathroom cabins in particular involve a significant transportation and storage cost.
Document GB 1477482 describes a bathroom cabin suitable to be transported in a container. It comprises a lower and an upper section interconnected to one another, wherein the lower section can be releasably bolted and included within the upper section for its transportation, and can alternatively be released for its assembly. It incorporates an unloading chamber for the bathroom unit.
Document CN 2796621 proposes a shower cabin which height can be regulated; the cabin can be folded, rolled-up and concealed inside a cabin. It consists of a hoist, a traction belt which is connected with the shower cabin cover, and a zipper which is connected with the shower cabin water catch bowl. It can be installed temporarily outdoor or indoor. Its drawback is that it mainly requires indoor installation, its outdoor use is considerably limited.
Document JP2005176998 describes a non-bulky portable toilet foldable into a compact shape or stackable suitable for being transported manually. It consists of a small funnel-shaped liquid receiving cup formed with an orifice at the bottom for discharging urine; a hose extending from the orifice of the bottom, and a lid with one end screwed on the mouth of a container for storing urine and the other end attached to the end of said hose. It eliminates contamination by the liquid waste stored in the container until its subsequent removal. It does not solve the problem of privacy provided by bathroom cabins.
Document US 2003121093 claims a portable toilet in the form of a cabin which can be stacked and is relatively easy to assemble. The portable toilet includes a collapsible enclosure intended for receiving a roof. The foldable enclosure includes respective opposite walls and respective side walls at both ends. The portable toilet in the form of a cabin is partially disassembled when it is folded at a height corresponding to the thickness of two walls, wherein the opposite walls of both ends are folded respectively towards each other and rest on the side walls. However, the system itself is quite bulky, complicated to fold, and has the drawback that parts of the folded structure (doors) are outside the fold, and must be transported separately.
Document WO2008089319 describes a collapsible structure, mainly for a toilet, which can be moved from a raised position to a lowered position, a structure providing a private space. The inventors state that when the structure is in its lowered position it is easily stackable and transportable. Additionally, it does not contain therein loose pieces or pieces to be assembled. The collapsible structure has an upper section comprising a roof, a wall-type upper member and a door-type upper member, a middle section with a middle member and a middle panel with a door and a lower section which has a base, bottom middle wall and a bottom door panel. The three telescopic sections are deployed respectively from one another, and folded respectively to one another. However, the dimensions and the design of the structure itself is quite bulky, and the deploy and folding thereof is not very straightforward. A considerable space is taken up when stacking several structures.
In short, it must be highlighted that in the state of the art there are no references referring to:
The present invention thus fulfils the existing need for an essentially new cabin solving the drawbacks of the devices known up to now and which at the same time meet the features of simple and multi-purpose transportation.
The present invention proposes a new multi-purpose bathroom cabin based on a foldable and stackable cabin which without the addition of its fittings can serve as a dressing room, a storage room or for other purposes. The cabin is very easy and quick to fold and deploy. This possibility is particularly important since it allows storing a high number of folded cabins in a smaller space, for example, up to 200 cabins in a space of 5.9×6.15×5.9 metres.
The bathroom cabin can be equipped with different fittings, i.e., foot pump-operated recirculating chemical toilet, 2 stage recirculating chemical toilet, toilet with a squat pan with free fall to plinth, toilet with a squat pan equipped with an open waste pipe, dry toilet with mechanical discharge and accumulation in a pit, dry toilet with mechanical discharge and accumulation in a box, vacuum discharge toilet; and finally as a shower cabin.
The base cabin of the invention allows its height to be increased from 70 up to 234 cm in less than one minute. It is very light as a result of the materials from which it is made. Tools are not required for deploying it. It is based on three stackable units, although it is easy to deploy in a greater number of units depending on the needs. A great saving in transportation is achieved. Additionally, as a result of its design where three stackable units are inserted into one another, it saves quite a lot of space during storage. It is very light as a result of the materials from which it is made.
The cabin is fixed by four anodised aluminium columns with telescopic extension such that at its final height they are blocked and correctly maintain the structure for use. The body of the cabin attaching the roof with the base is formed by a fabric material and plasticized by a flame retardant treatment and a front zipper closure. This material is attached to the roof and when the cabin is folded it is rolled-up within the bathroom cabin.
The roof and the base of the base cabin of the invention are made from polyethylene with ultraviolet UV protection, and they are envisaged to adapt to one another, and to be stacked in a number of up to 200 cabins safely and securely in a space of 5.9×6.15×5.9 metres.
The base of the cabin is made such that it is possible to transport it both by the pallet truck transportation system and/or with a fork-lift. At the sides of the base there are arranged handles for its handling and manual transfer.
The foldable and stackable bathroom cabin is thus envisaged for multiple purposes such as a dressing room and a storage room, and different bathroom applications such as foot pump-operated recirculating chemical toilet, 2 stage recirculating chemical toilet, toilet with a squat pan with free fall to plinth, toilet with a squat pan equipped with an open waste pipe, dry toilet with mechanical discharge and accumulation in a pit, dry toilet with mechanical discharge and accumulation in a box, vacuum discharge toilet; and a shower cabin. This is based on a design of a cabin formed by foldable and stackable elements, envisaged so that said elements take up little space in their storage and transportation, and that it is additionally capable of being easily and simply transported using the different types of transportation available.
The object of the invention will now be described based on the three preferred embodiments which will be better understood based on the following attached drawings
The preferred embodiments of the present invention based on the following drawings will be described below, the drawings are:
A first preferred embodiment corresponds to the cabin 1 without any type of fitting.
Said sections are controlled by means of the casings 3a, and they are equipped with the securing mechanisms or devices 4 and with end deployment stops 5. The four sides of the multi-purpose cabin are covered by a tarpaulin or canvas 6 made of a semi-flexible and plasticized fabric, wherein the front side is equipped with a zipper closure system 7. This material is attached to the roof and is rolled-up inside the multi-purpose bathroom cabin when the cabin is folded.
Since it has no fittings, in this first preferred embodiment the inner space of said cabin 1 is empty so that the user can freely change clothes, or it is used for storing the tools necessary in the work area.
Finally, the utilisation of this important stacking feature can be seen in practice in
A second preferred embodiment corresponds to the versatility of use of the cabin 1 of the present invention in the different possible toilet types in open spaces.
A first type corresponds to the cabin 1 of the present invention based on the stackable cabin of the first embodiment, deployed and equipped with foot pump-operated chemical toilet fitting.
A second type corresponds to a cabin 1 also equipped with a chemical toilet 16 of the 2 stage recirculating type (
A third type corresponds to a cabin 1, based on the stackable cabin of the first embodiment, equipped with toilet 16 with a squat pan. It is characterised by a free fall to plinth. The excrement is accumulated in a box 23 arranged below the squat pan 22, see
In a fourth type the cabin 1, based on the stackable cabin of the first embodiment, corresponds to a foldable and stackable cabin equipped with toilet 16 also with a squat pan even though it is equipped with an open waste pipe, see
A fifth type corresponds to a cabin 1, based on the stackable cabin of the first embodiment, equipped with a dry toilet 16 with mechanical discharge, see
A sixth type the foldable and stackable cabin 1, based on the stackable cabin of the first embodiment, corresponds to a cabin also equipped with a dry toilet 16 with mechanical discharge, see
A seventh type corresponds to a cabin 1, based on the stackable cabin of the first embodiment, equipped with a vacuum operated discharge toilet 16, see
In a third embodiment the cabin 1 of the present invention is used in the shower variant. Shower fitting is incorporated in a variant based on the stackable cabin of the first embodiment, see
In summary, the foldable and stackable cabin of the present invention, unlike the cabins of the state of the art, has the following advantages:
Having sufficiently described the invention as well as several preferred embodiments thereof, it must only be added that modifying their conformation and the materials used is possible without departing from the scope thereof defined in the following claims.
Number | Date | Country | Kind |
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P201000159 | Feb 2010 | ES | national |
Filing Document | Filing Date | Country | Kind | 371c Date |
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PCT/ES2011/000029 | 2/9/2011 | WO | 00 | 11/21/2012 |