Patent Application
20130305445
The invention relates to a free-standing toilet with a cast-on toilet tank, comprising a ceramic toilet body and a ceramic toilet tank.
A free-standing toilet of such design with a cast-on toilet tank is frequently also referred to as a “one-piece” toilet. This is a floor-mounted toilet which, after manufacture, comes in one piece and comprises not only the actual toilet body but also the toilet tank, which is inseparably joined to the toilet body.
Free-standing toilets according to prior art comprise a flush or water ring at the top of the toilet body. Said ring is annular and hollow, with water from the toilet tank being usually introduced into it by means of suitable piping, and the water being dispersed within the hollow water ring. The water ring is perforated toward the toilet body or the bowl section, respectively, there being a multiplicity of holes set at a distance from one another through which the water streams from the water ring into the toilet body. This water ring has to be manufactured as a separate component because, due to its shape being that of a hollow body which is merely perforated by means of a few holes, it cannot be cast together with the toilet body. That is to say that free-standing toilets according to prior art consist of three components, namely the actual bowl-shaped toilet body, the water ring and the toilet tank. These three separate components are joined to one another after manufacture. In this context, the water ring needs to be joined to the toilet body by means of adhesive slurry, and the toilet tank also has to be fixed to the rear region of the toilet body by means of adhesive slurry. Thereafter, the thus assembled toilet is glazed and fired.
The manufacture of such a free-standing toilet is, in consequence, very costly, given that three separate components need to be manufactured which subsequently have to be joined in corresponding work steps.
Moreover, the manufacture of such a free-standing toilet is not possible using pressure casting machines. Such machines apply pressure that squeezes the water contained in the casting slurry out through the porous mold walls, usually made of plastic, as opposed to the plaster of paris molds otherwise used, through which the water diffuses during the dwelling time. The complexity of the shape and the design of the water ring, respectively, do not permit manufacture on a pressure casting machine.
The object of the invention is, therefore, to provide a free-standing toilet which is firstly simpler to manufacture and which secondly may be manufactured on a pressure casting machine.
To achieve this object in a free-standing toilet of the aforementioned type, according to the invention, the pressure cast toilet body has an annular flange located on the upper rim of its bowl section, which annular flange continues circumferentially around and extends substantially horizontally toward the inside of the bowl section and serves as a border for the flushing water that is introduced below the annular flange by means of an introduction unit, and the toilet tank, which is also pressure cast, is fixedly joined to the toilet body by means of a ceramic bonding.
It is particularly advantageous that no hollow-body type water ring is provided for introducing or dispersing water in the free-standing toilet according to the invention. Instead, the free-standing toilet according to the invention only comprises an annular flange which continues circumferentially around on the upper rim and which extends inward, in other words, extends horizontally with reference to the installed position of the free-standing toilet, and which, being a simple annular flange, is open on the underside in the direction of the inside of the bowl. This annular flange ultimately serves merely as a splashguard or a flow boundary for the flush water which is introduced below this annular flange. The introduction, and thus ultimately the dispersion of the flush water, is carried out by means of a separate introduction unit, made preferably of plastic, which is inserted beneath the annular flange in the rear region thereof and which is supplied with flush water coming from the toilet tank.
As a result, the free-standing toilet according to the invention consists of only two pieces, namely the toilet body and the toilet tank, which are both ceramic components that may be simply joined to one another by using adhesive slurry. As the toilet tank, being a substantially rectangular hollow component, can be simply manufactured, it may be readily made on a pressure casting machine. The toilet body, too, is of a simple shape since, on the upper edge, there is provided only the inwardly extending flange in the form of a simple, single-walled body portion, as a result of which said toilet body can also be manufactured on a pressure casting machine. This is because it is readily possible to reproduce the shape of this annular flange on a pressure casting machine and thus to pressure cast the entire toilet body.
The free-standing toilet according to the invention offers a range of advantages. For one, it is significantly simpler to manufacture, as only two pieces need to be manufactured which are subsequently joined together by using adhesive slurry. Moreover, both pieces may be made on a pressure casting machine, which allows significantly faster manufacture than is the case with conventional free-standing toilets when using plaster of paris molds. As only a simple annular flange is provided, hygienic advantages are also offered, since cleaning underneath the annular flange, which is, after all, easily accessible, is very simple in comparison with a traditional closed water ring which has only multiple perforations. Finally, the free-standing toilet also has only one joint line, namely in the region where the toilet tank and the toilet body are joined together, as opposed to prior art, where two such joint lines are present.
As described, an introduction unit for introducing flush water has to be installed beneath the annular flange in the rear region of the bowl. In order to conceal said introduction unit from view from the front, a rim flange which is directed toward the bottom of the bowl section is expediently formed on the annular flange in the region close to the toilet tank in order to create an installation space for the introduction unit. This is to say that the annular flange with its free inside end angularly merges with a rim flange which projects by a few centimeters toward the inside of the bowl. Thus this dm flange creates a sight screen that obscures the introduction unit located behind it. The rim flange continues circumferentially around for at least 90°, its specific length depending on the length of the introduction unit which self-evidently also has a partially annular shape which corresponds to the shape of the bowl or the region below the annular flange, enabling it to be located there in a shape-adapted manner. The introduction unit is a hollow body, preferably made of plastic, on which, preferably on the rear side, there is provided a connection for a flush line which channels water from the toilet tank to the introduction unit. The introduction unit further comprises two front-mounted lateral exit openings from which the flush water streams into the bowl section on both sides. Otherwise, the introduction unit is of closed design, with the exception of the connection for the flush line and the two lateral exit openings, thus allowing flush water to flow in and to stream out into the bowl only in a defined manner, thus allowing an elevated flush water pressure to be achieved while, at the same time, any overflowing is precluded. The exit openings are located laterally, such that the flush water streams in dose to the wall of the bowl. The rim flange is arranged on the annular flange which continues circumferentially around the entire bowl, and is directed toward the bottom of the bowl and continues circumferentially around the bowl only sectionally, at least to the extent that the introduction unit may be installed behind it in an entirely obscured manner. An installation space is created by the rim flange for the introduction unit located behind it.
As the introduction unit needs to be supplied with water, and with the toilet tank being mounted on the toilet body in the rear region, a through hole for accommodating a flush water supply line to the introduction unit is expediently located in the region of the upper rear rim of the bowl section. The configuration may be such that either the introduction unit penetrates this through hole with a connection sleeve, the flush water supply line then being connected to said connection sleeve, or that the flush water supply line is carried through the through hole and connected to the introduction unit at that end.
There are two fundamentally distinct alternatives for the evacuation of waste accumulating in the toilet body. One is by means of the usual siphon which is immediately connected to the bowl, which is usual in particular in the case of toilets installed in Europe. The second alternative for the evacuation is the so-called suction action as used predominantly in Northern America and also Asia. In this method, the actual flush water which flushes the waste directly out of the bowl is introduced locally in the bottom region of the bowl, with the water then streaming into a suction siphon which is joined to a corresponding connection at the bottom of the bowl. The introduced water thus rises in the bowl as well as in the siphon, until reaching a maximum fill height which initiates an automatic suction effect causing the flush water to be evacuated from the siphon and thus also forcibly from the bowl by means of a powerful suction, until the bowl has been emptied almost entirely. To be able to realize this flushing-out capability in the free-standing toilet according to the invention, too, it is expediently provided that a through hole for connecting a flush line is located in the front of the lower region of the bowl section, and a connection is located, as an extension of the breakout, on the opposite rear side of the bowl section for a tortuous suction siphon enabling a suction-driven discharge from the bowl section. The flush water hose may thus be connected at the front side, such that the major part of the flush water (a certain proportion of the flush water is, after all, introduced in the upper region of the bowl via the introduction component) can be introduced in the lower bowl region directly at the transition to the suction siphon.
As described, an inflow of water is provided in the upper bowl region by means of the introduction unit, as well as in the lower bowl region by means, for example in the described respective embodiment, of the suction siphon. In order to implement this in a simple manner with reference to the arrangement of lines, a flush water line leading from the toilet tank is expediently provided which branches out to a line section that leads to the through hole located in the lower region of the bowl and to a line section section that leads to the through hole located in the upper region of the bowl and is connected to the introduction unit. Both line sections are thus commonly supplied. The operation is thus that the flush water firstly supplies the line section leading to the lower bowl connection. When the level of the water streaming rises in the siphon and the bowl respectively, it inevitably also backs up in the flush water line and the line section, respectively. This leads to the water also backing up into the upper line section, and to the flush water that subsequently streams in being channelled via said upper line section into the introduction unit. From there, it is then introduced with adequate pressure quasi tangentially to the bowl rim.
If a suction siphon is provided, this may be either fixedly joined to the toilet body by means of casting-on, that is to say that the suction siphon in the form of a ceramic component is also bonded to the toilet body at a suitable interfacing point by means of adhesive slurry prior to firing and then fired together with the toilet body and the toilet tank to form a complete unit. Alternatively, however, it is also conceivable to manufacture the suction siphon as a separate ceramic component and to fasten it by means of a corresponding adhesive means post-firing, after the free-standing toilet as such and the suction siphon have been fired separately. In principle, an embodiment of the suction siphon made of plastic is self-evidently also conceivable, with this plastic pipe then being fastened to the toilet body by a corresponding connecting means.
The introduction unit is itself preferably also made of plastic as already described, this being a very simple to manufacture hollow plastic injection-molded part.
Apart from the free-standing toilet, the invention further relates to a method for manufacturing a free-standing toilet of the described type. The method is characterized in that, by means of a pressure casting machine,
the toilet body, having a bowl section with an annular flange which is located on the upper rim and which continues circumferentially around and extends substantially horizontally toward the inside of the bowl section and which is open on the bottom, is cast in a first press together with a rim flange which is directed toward the bottom of the bowl section and which continues circumferentially around the annular flange only regionally,
the toilet tank is cast in a second press,
the toilet tank is transferred from the second press to the first press and placed on the toilet body in a region behind the annular flange and fastened to the toilet body by means of an adhesive slurry, and
the compound structure consisting of toilet body and toilet tank is glazed and subsequently fired.
The toilet tank is preferably transported from the second to the first press by means of a transport robot, with it self-evidently also being preferable for the adhesive slurry to be applied automatically by means of an application robot. That is to say that the manufacturing process is automated as far as possible.
Furthermore, the possibility exists according to the invention to join a ceramic suction siphon to the toilet body by means of adhesive slurry prior to glazing and firing. This is also carried out preferably in the first press, wherein this suction siphon, too, may be mounted by means of a transport robot and the adhesive slurry may likewise be applied automatically. It is, however, also conceivable that this is carried out manually. Alternatively, the possibility exists to join the then fired suction siphon by adhesive means to the compound structure consisting of toilet body and toilet tank after the latter has been fired.
Further advantages, characteristics and details of the invention are explained in the following exemplary embodiment with reference to the figures, wherein
In the rear region, that is to say in the region adjacent to the toilet tank 3, the annular flange merges with an angular rim flange 12. This rim flange 12 projects by a few centimeters toward the inside of the bowl. In the illustrated example, it continues circumferentially around for more than 90°, as shown in
By means of the line section 18, water is channelled into the introduction unit 14, the water being dispersed therein. The introduction unit 14 is open at its free end, as shown in
As mentioned, a second line section 19 is provided, through which most of the flush water is channelled. This line section 19 leads to a through hole 21 in a frontal region of the bowl section, said bowl section converging in its lower region. The bowl section 10 is of double-walled form in this region. The flush water is channelled through the line section 19 to the connection through hole 21 and from there into a cavity 22, from where it passes via a further through hole 23 into the inner region of the bowl, which is significantly converged in the region close to the bowl base 24. A further through hole 25 for the connection of a suction siphon is provided opposite this through hole 23 and thus also the through hole 21. This suction siphon, which is shown in detail in
The toilet body 2 is obviously embodied such that it can be manufactured on a pressure casting machine. This is in particular valid for the region of the annular flange 11 and rim flange 12. A hollow-body type water ring as used in prior art is specifically not provided here, this making manufacturing on a pressure casting machine possible in the first place. The toilet tank 3 and cover 6 are of a similarly simple geometric design. If the toilet body 2 and the toilet tank 3 are manufactured on respective pressure casting machines, the toilet tank 3 will be transported by a transport robot to the pressure casting press in which the toilet body 2 has been manufactured. The toilet tank 3 comprises no floor, the floor being embodied by means of a wall 27 of the toilet body in which a through hole 28 for the fastening of the flush water line 17 is provided. The toilet tank 3 is then placed onto this wall 27 and fixed to it by means of adhesive slurry. Subsequently, this compound structure is glazed and fired, such that, all in all, a one-piece free-standing toilet 1 is created.
As a result of the geometry of the suction siphon 29, a suction effect is produced. The functioning is such that upon flushing, the water streams from the toilet tank 3 into the flush line 17 and from there firstly into the line section 19. The water streams from there into the lower region of the bowl section 10. As more water flows in, the level rises in the suction siphon 29 as well as in the bowl. Once the water has reached a certain fill level, a backlog is created in the line section 19, that is to say that part of the flush water continues to stream in, but part also backs up and thus rises into the line section 18. From there, it passes into the introduction unit 14, from where it is then discharged into the interior of the bowl. As soon as the fill level in the suction siphon 29 and in the bowl section 10 is sufficiently high, the automatic suction-driven discharge is initiated, that is to say that the flush water that has risen is automatically drawn out through the suction siphon 29. A suction effect is produced which evacuates the flush water almost entirely.
Although the
| Number | Date | Country | Kind |
|---|---|---|---|
| 10 2012 010 580.0 | May 2012 | DE | national |
