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The invention relates generally to toilet accessory devices, and in particular to a toilet overflow prevention device. When a mechanical failure occurs in the toilet tank, the damage caused can be substantial. Often times, the tank continues to fill the toilet bowl with water, causing the toilet bowl to overflow, spilling water on the floor that may be contaminated with human urine and fecal material. When this occurs, it not only requires clean-up, but may present a serious health hazard, damage the floor, or even create a liability issue if the owner resides in an upstairs apartment. An overflow prevention device that detects an elevated level of water in the toilet bowl, and shuts off the flow of water from the toilet tank before the toilet bowl overflows, would prevent the need for clean-up and also eliminate the health, water damage, and liability risks.
Accordingly, the invention is directed to a toilet overflow prevention device. The device is a toilet tank shutoff system, composed of a sensor for use in the toilet bowl or toilet tank, an electro-mechanical actuator, and an electronic communication link. The electro-mechanical actuator, such as a solenoid switch, is configured to raise the control rod, which controls the filler valve of the toilet. A latch mechanism would retain the control rod, once it is raised. The system would raise the control rod upon receiving a signal from the sensor that the toilet is at risk of overflowing; the control rod would be retained in the raised position by the latch mechanism without requiring electric current, until released manually by the user when the toilet is safe for use. The sensor in the toilet bowl would preferably be in electronic communication with the electro-mechanical actuator in the toilet tank by a wire covered in a durable material such as rubber or plastic, or by a short range, wireless communication protocol, such as Bluetooth.
Additional features and advantages of the invention will be set forth in the description which follows, and will be apparent from the description, or may be learned by practice of the invention. The foregoing general description and the following detailed description are exemplary and explanatory and are intended to provide further explanation of the invention.
The accompanying drawings are included to provide a further understanding of the invention and are incorporated into and constitute a part of the specification. They illustrate one embodiment of the invention and, together with the description, serve to explain the principles of the invention.
Referring now to the invention in more detail, the invention is directed a toilet overflow prevention device. The device is a toilet tank shutoff system, composed of a sensor 10 for use in the toilet bowl or toilet tank, an electro-mechanical actuator 11, and an electronic communication link 15. The electro-mechanical actuator 11, such as a solenoid switch, is configured to raise the control rod 13, which controls the filler valve 14 of the toilet. A latch mechanism 12 would retain the control rod 13, once it is raised. The system would raise the control rod 13 upon receiving a signal from the sensor 10 via the electronic communication link 15, that the toilet is at risk of overflowing; the control rod 13 would be retained in the raised position by the latch mechanism 12 without requiring electric current, until released manually by the user when the toilet is safe for use.
The latch mechanism 12 may take any of several forms. In one embodiment, a spring-loaded pin may engage with the solenoid rod as the rod is pulled up through the coil. The pin may then be made directly accessible to the outside of the solenoid housing for manual disengagement, or may be indirectly accessible for disengagement, for example via a mechanical button. The latch mechanism may alternatively provide a pair of spring-tensioned arms which are urged together but may be forced apart by the rising fill valve control rod and then allowed to close behind the control rod until manually released.
Any type of sensor 10 or heuristic may be used to determine when to activate the shutoff. In the first exemplary embodiment, the water level in the bowl may be monitored, and the system activated when the water level in the bowl exceeds a threshold, such as imminent overflow. To that end, the sensor 10 of the first exemplary embodiment is equipped with a plurality of hooks by which the sensor 10 may be suspended from the bowl edge. In a second exemplary embodiment, the sensor 10 may be mounted in the toilet tank to detect the control rod 13 being in the open position, and would monitor the time that the filler valve 14 is open or that the tank water level is low; if a time threshold is exceeded, the system is activated. An additional advantage of this embodiment is that it would detect and stop water from being wasted if the toilet is running, for example, due to the flapper being stuck open. In either embodiment or in embodiments utilizing different types of sensors and heuristics, the sensor 10 may include a microprocessor, computer memory, and power source, with appropriate software residing in a persistent region of the memory for execution by the microprocessor; the logic of the heuristic used may alternatively be embodied directly in digital or analog logic circuits. Because of the variable location of the sensor 10, the location of the sensor in
Regardless of where the sensor 10 is placed, it is in electronic communication, via an electronic communication link 15 with the actuator 11. In the first exemplary embodiment, the sensor 10 would preferably be attached to the rim of the toilet tank, in a location that is higher than the normal expected water level. The communication between the sensor 10 and the actuator 11 is preferably achieved by running a wire between the sensor 10 and the actuator 11, or by using a short range wireless communication protocol, such as Bluetooth. If a wire is used as the electronic communication link 15, to facilitate the electronic communication between the sensor 10 and the actuator 11, the wire would preferably be covered in durable material such as rubber or plastic, in a coordinating color to the toilet, to minimize visibility of the device components. The covering of the wire would preferably prevent damage to the wire, enabling uninterrupted use of the device. The wire would preferably be composed of insulated copper. If the electronic communication link 15 is a short range wireless communication protocol, such as Bluetooth, the sensor 10 would preferably contain a radio wave transmitter and the actuator 11 would preferably contain a radio wave transmitter. Both the radio wave transmitter and receiver would preferably be battery powered and adhere to the standard protocol of the frequency-hopping spread spectrum.
In the second exemplary embodiment of the device, the sensor 10 is preferably placed in the toilet tank. The sensor 10 would preferably be attached to the filler valve 14. In this embodiment of the device, the sensor 10 would preferably detect the motion of the water as it runs and shut off the filler valve 14 as previously described in the first exemplary embodiment, after a pre-determined amount of time. The sensor 10 would preferably communicate with the actuator 11 via an electronic communication link 15, as previously described in the first exemplary embodiment of the device.
The device would preferably also include a provision for a reserve volume in the toilet bowl. This would stop the water from rising in the toilet bowl a significant distance from the rim, to permit the use of a plunger or other tool to clear any stoppage without causing an overflow.
Components listed are preferable, however, artisans will recognize that alternative components could be selected without altering the scope of the invention.
While the foregoing written description of the invention enables one of ordinary skill to make and use what is presently considered to be the best mode thereof, those of ordinary skill in the art will understand and appreciate the existence of variations, combinations, and equivalents of the specific embodiment, method, and examples herein. The invention should, therefore, not be limited by the above described embodiment, method, and examples, but by all embodiments and methods within the scope and spirit of the invention.
This application claims priority to U.S. Provisional Application No. 61/755,526 filed on 23 Jan., 2013.
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Number | Date | Country | |
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20140201896 A1 | Jul 2014 | US |
Number | Date | Country | |
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61755526 | Jan 2013 | US |