Claims
- 1. The method of re-using flushing liquid used to flush a recirculating toilet system having a toilet bowl and a waste tank for receiving a mixture of human waste and flushing liquid therein and using a pumping mechanism to operate the flushing mechanism, the flushing liquid having a lower specific gravity than the specific gravity of said waste, said method comprising the steps of:
- storing said flushing liquid in said waste tank on top of said waste;
- closing a valve means between the toilet bowl discharge and the waste tank;
- operating the pumping mechanism until essentially all of said flushing liquid in said tank is pumped directly from said mechanism into said toilet bowl thereby filling said bowl with essentially all of said flushing liquid;
- subsequently emptying the waste tank of human waste while retaining essentially all of said flushing liquid in said bowl; and
- opening the connection between the toilet bowl discharge and the waste tank to return all of said flushing liquid in said bowl directly to said tank.
- 2. A method according to claim 1 which includes the steps of repetitively
- 3. A method according to claim 1 in which the amount of flushing fluid held by said toilet bowl is sufficient to cover the bottom surface of the tank.
- 4. A method according to claim 1 which includes the step of using sufficient flushing fluid to completely cover the bottom surface of the waste tank.
Parent Case Info
This is a continuation of application Ser. No. 212,594 filed Dec. 27, 1971 now abandoned.
This invention relates to a two phase recirculating sanitary system and more particularly to a two phase system in which the flushing fluid phase is stored in the toilet bowl while the contents of the waste tank are drained.
The most significant prior art is set forth in an application for patent entitled "Recirculating Toilet" by D. A. Dotson, J. M. Kemper and R. L. Rod, filed contemporaneously herewith and assigned to the same common assignee Ser. No. 395,936 filed Sept. 10, 1973, which is a continuation of Ser. No. 212,423 filed Dec. 27, 1971, now abandoned.
Until the advent of the copending patent application, two phase recirculating toilet systems were troubled by the problems associated with the separation and disposal of the flushing fluid phase.
The flushing fluid phase can be generally defined as a fluid that has a specific gravity that is less than that of the waste materials normally found in a recirculating toilet. The most popular flushing fluids used today in two phase systems have an oil base which serves the dual purposes of completely cleaning the toilet bowl of all waste material and also maintaining the flushing mechanism in a completely lubricated state at all times.
The flushing fluid, being lighter than the waste material, floats on the surface thereof in the waste tank. In the preferred embodiment a float holding an intake pipe is located on the surface of the flushing fluid and continuously skims the topmost portion of the fluid for use in the recirculating toilet. In prior art systems, when the waste tank was full of waste material, the waste tank was cleansed and drained and a new charge of flushing fluid was used. In order to achieve the benefits of a separate flushing fluid, the bottom portion of the waste tank should be filled to a depth of at least two inches, in order to effect the proper skimming action of the intake and to insure that the accumulated waste material is covered by the flushing fluid.
Unfortunately, when draining and cleaning the waste tank, both the flushing fluid and the waste material are removed and must be disposed of. In the conventional manner, the recirculating toilet is connected to a macerater pump which completely pulverizes and shreds the waste material.
The output of the macerater pump is then connected either to a conventional sewer line or to a privately maintained incinerator system. The flushing fluid being an oil based liquid is difficult to dispose of, since in many locations, it cannot be dispensed into the conventional sewer systems. Private incinerators also have problems with properly and completely disposing of flushing fluid. The present invention provides a convenient and proper means of holding the flushing fluid in a recirculating toilet system having extended connections to a sewer line.
As disclosed in the aforementioned patent application, a two phase recirculating system is highly desirable since the use of a separate flushing liquid has many advantages. A first is that the flushing fluid phase in the waste tank will cover the waste material in the waste tank and thereby seal the waste tank against the escape of any odors or other obnoxious smells that may have a tendency to be generated. A second, more important advantage comes from the lubricating qualities obtained from the use of an oil based flushing liquid in the pumping mechanisms associated with the recirculating system and in the toilet bowl itself as a flushing and lubricating liquid.
The use of such a special oil based flushing liquid eliminates the need for special deodorants and water colorants which are generally added at periodic intervals to the conventional recirculating toilet systems. However, unless the recirculating fluid can be conveniently and economically separated from the waste material, most of the above mentioned advantages of a two phase recirculating toilet are lost, since the cost of adding new flushing liquid and properly disposing of the old liquid can be prohibitively expensive.
The present invention discloses a method and apparatus for retaining the flushing liquid phase while draining and disposing of the waste phase. According to the present invention, the flushing fluid phase is temporarily stored in the toilet bowl itself when the waste tank is full of waste material and is cleaned. A controllable valve is located in the discharge line which connects the toilet bowl outlet with the waste tank.
Initially the waste tank is charged with the flushing preferably to a depth of at least two inches. The flushing fluid is continuously skimmed from the surface by an intake device which is connected to a suitable pump.
In normal operation, the operator either presses a button-switch if the pump is electrically or pneumatically controlled, or operates a lever if the pump is mechanically driven. Operation of the pumping mechanism draws a supply of flushing fluid from the surface of the waste tank and discharges the flushing fluid into the toilet bowl for flushing purposes.
When the waste tank is full, the controllable valve located between the toilet bowl and the waste tank is closed and the pumping mechanism is operated. The flushing fluid fills the toilet bowl which is then used as a means for temporarily storing the flushing fluid. The waste tank is then drained and cleaned of all waste material in the conventional manner.
For those applications where the waste tank is connected to a conventional sewer line, a macerater pump is used to completely shred the waste material for discharge into the sewer line. Since the flushing fluid phase has been substantially removed from the waste material phase there is no significant loss of flushing fluid when cleaning the tank, whether the tank is discharged through a macerater pump, through a conventional sewer line or discharged into a private incinerator system.
After the waste tank has been drained and cleaned the controllable valve is opened and the stored flushing fluid flows back into the waste tank. In the preferred embodiment, the capacity of the toilet bowl will be matched to the size of the waste tank so as to insure that the area at the bottom of the waste tank will be completely covered by the flushing fluid held by the toilet bowl.
The invention is highly adaptable for use with recirculating systems connected to conventional sewer lines as well as with those recirculating systems having no connections to either power or sewer lines.
The novel features which are believed to be characteristic of the invention, both as to organization and method of operation, together with further objects and advantages thereof, will be better understood from the following description considered in connection with the accompanying drawings in which several preferred embodiments of the invention are illustrated by way of example. It is to be expressly understood, however, that the drawings are for the purpose of illustration and description only and are not as a definition of the limits of the invention.
US Referenced Citations (9)
Foreign Referenced Citations (1)
| Number |
Date |
Country |
| 121,356 |
Jun 1901 |
DD |
Continuations (1)
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Number |
Date |
Country |
| Parent |
212594 |
Dec 1971 |
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Patent Grant
3934275
