The subject disclosure relates to wall hung toilet technology, and more particularly, to gaskets for wall hung toilets.
Many toilets are arranged to connect to a drain through the floor of the room. Wall hung toilets, which are widely used in certain circumstances, connect to a drain pipe through a wall rather than through the floor. A wall hung toilet connector facilitates attachment of a wall hung toilet to a waste pipe. A typical connector supports the toilet off the floor and facilitates a connection between a waste pipe coupled to the toilet bowl and a drain pipe which carries wastewater out of the system.
For many reasons, including sanitary concerns, it is important that strong, tight seals are made along the wastewater transmission line. Given that the toilet is connected to the drain pipe horizontally, it can be particularly difficult to ensure an effective seal between the waste pipe and the connector. Further, it can be difficult to make a good seal while also setting up the toilet in a time efficient manner. For example, commercial buildings often require a large number of wall hung toilets, so it is important that the toilets can be set up quickly without sacrificing quality.
In light of the needs described above, in at least one aspect, there is a need for an apparatus and method for installing a wall hung toilet expeditiously while still ensuring effective seals for the transmission of wastewater to a drain pipe.
In at least one aspect, the subject technology relates to a toilet system having a connector configured for fixation to a support structure. The connector defines a cylindrical aperture around a central axis. The cylindrical aperture has a threaded interior surface. A cylindrical waste pipe is elongated along the central axis and has a plurality of spaced ribs extending from an exterior surface. A ring-shaped gasket is positioned around the central axis. The ring-shaped gasket has a plurality of interior voids each corresponding to, and configured to, receive one of the spaced ribs. A threaded exterior surface of the ring-shaped gasket is configured for engagement with the threaded interior surface of the connector. The threaded exterior surface slopes toward the central axis.
In at least one aspect, the subject technology relates to a toilet system having a connector configured for fixation to a support structure. The connector includes a flange defining a cylindrical aperture with a threaded interior surface around a central axis. The threaded interior surface slopes toward the central axis from a wide side of the flange to a narrow side of the flange. A cylindrical waste pipe is elongated along the central axis and has a first open end configured to form a fluid connection with a toilet and a second open end. A plurality of spaced ribs extend from an exterior surface of the waste pipe adjacent to the second open end. A ring-shaped gasket is positioned around the central axis. The ring-shaped gasket has a plurality of interior voids each corresponding to, and configured to, receive one of the spaced ribs. Engagement between the spaced ribs and interior voids forces the ring-shaped gasket to rotate around the central axis in response to rotation of the waste pipe around the central axis. The ring-shaped gasket also has a threaded exterior surface configured for engagement with the threaded interior surface of the flange, the threaded exterior surface sloping toward the central axis from a wide end to a narrow end. The toilet system is configured such that when the narrow end of the ring-shaped gasket is positioned within the wide side of the connector, rotation of the ring-shaped gasket around the central axis tightens a seal formed between the threaded interior surface of the aperture and the threaded exterior surface of the ring-shaped gasket.
In at least some embodiments, the threaded exterior surface slopes toward the central axis at an angle of about 10°. In some cases, the threaded exterior surface can slope toward the central axis at an angle of between 5° and 15°. In some embodiments, the toilet system includes a pipe chase configured for attachment to the connector around the cylindrical aperture. The system can further include a chase gasket configured to couple the pipe chase to the connector. In some embodiments, a plurality of screws are configured to attach to the connector around the cylindrical aperture.
In some embodiments, the ring-shaped gasket is of a first material of a first durometer and the ring-shaped gasket includes a ring insert structurally reinforcing the interior voids. The ring insert can then be of a second material of a higher durometer than the first material. The cylindrical waste pipe can be elongated along the central axis. The cylindrical waste pipe can have a first open end configured to form a fluid connection with a toilet a second open end. In some embodiments, the connector includes a flange and the cylindrical aperture is defined by the flange, threaded interior surface forming an interior surface of the flange. In some cases, threaded interior surface slopes toward the central axis from a wide side of the flange to a narrow side of the flange. The threaded exterior surface of the ring-shaped gasket can slope from a wide end of the ring-shaped gasket to a narrow end of the ring-shaped gasket. The narrow end of the ring-shaped gasket can have a smaller outer diameter than an inner diameter of the wide side of the flange. The wide end of the ring-shaped gasket can have a larger outer diameter than an inner diameter of the narrow side of the flange, preventing the ring-shaped gasket from passing entirely through the connector.
In some embodiments the cylindrical waste pipe includes at least two gaps along an interior diameter of the waste pipe. Each gap has an opposing gap at an opposite position along the interior diameter and the gaps are configured to receive a fixed member of a carrier nipple tool for rotation of the cylindrical waste pipe. In some cases, the cylindrical waste pipe includes exactly two opposing gaps.
Various aspects of the disclosure are discussed below with reference to the accompanying figures. It will be appreciated that for simplicity and clarity of illustration, elements shown in the drawings have not necessarily been drawn accurately or to scale. For example, the dimensions of some of the elements may be exaggerated relative to other elements for clarity or several physical components may be included in one functional block or element. Further, where considered appropriate, reference numerals may be repeated among the drawings to indicate corresponding or analogous elements. For purposes of clarity, not every component may be labeled in every drawing. The Figures are provided for the purposes of illustration and explanation and are not intended as a definition of the limits of the disclosure. In the Figures:
This application is a non-provisional application claiming priority from U.S. provisional patent application Ser. No. 62/656,567, filed Apr. 12, 2018 and entitled “Wall Hung Toilet Assembly With A Sloped Gasket,” the entire contents of which are incorporated by reference herein for all purposes.
The subject technology overcomes many of the prior art problems associated with wall hung toilets. In brief summary, the subject technology provides a gasket that more effectively seals the waste pipe of a wall hung toilet to a connector. Other advantages and features of the systems and methods disclosed herein will become more readily apparent to those having ordinary skill in the art from the following detailed description of certain embodiments taken in conjunction with the drawings which set forth representative embodiments of the present invention. Like reference numerals are used herein to denote like parts. Further, words denoting orientation such as “upper,” “lower,” “distal,” and “proximate” are merely used to help describe the location of components with respect to one another. For example, an “upper” surface of a part is merely meant to describe a surface that is separate from the “lower” surface of that same part. No words denoting orientation are used to describe an absolute orientation, i.e., where an “upper” part must always be on top.
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The ring-shaped gasket 118 includes a plurality of interior axial voids 134 which correspond to, and are configured to receive, spaced axial ribs 136 extending from the exterior surface 138 of the waste pipe 110. While the exterior ribs 136 are shown running almost the entire length of the waste pipe 110, the ribs 136, in one example, need only be provided adjacent to the second open end 132 of the waste pipe 110 such that the ribs 136 can couple with the gasket 118. When the ribs 136 and voids 134 are coupled, the ribs 136 prevent the gasket 118 from rotating with respect to the waste pipe 110. That is to say, rotation of the gasket 118 around the central axis X forces a corresponding rotation of the waste pipe 110, e.g., as shown in
The gasket 118 also includes a threaded exterior surface 140 which slopes from a proximate wide end 142 to a distal narrow end 144. In this way, the slope of the exterior 140 of the gasket 118 corresponds to the slope of the interior 124 of the flange 116, i.e., the components slope in the same direction at a similar angle, although the slope is not necessarily identical. The wide side 128 of the flange 116 extends from the connector 102 toward where the toilet 101 will be positioned, while the narrow side 126 is deeper within the support structure 106. This allows the wide side 128 of the flange 116 to easily receive the narrow end 144 of the gasket 118. After the narrow end 144 of the gasket 118 is positioned within the wide side 128 of the flange, rotation of the waste pipe 110 causes the exterior threaded surface 140 of the gasket 118 to engage with the interior threaded surface 124 of the flange 116 within the connector 102.
As the waste pipe 110 is rotated more, the narrow end 144 of the gasket 118 is pressed deeper into the threaded interior 124 of the flange 116, causing further engagement between the threaded surfaces 124, 140. In this way, rotation pushes the gasket 118 toward the narrow end 126 of the flange connector 102, tightening the seal between the gasket 118 and the connector 102 to provide a strong and effective seal for transmission of wastewater between the toilet 101 and the pipe chase 120. Additionally, the rotation causes the connector 102 to press the gasket 118 toward the central axis X and the waste pipe 110, sealing the gasket 118 against the waste pipe 110 to create a strong seal. Thus, a tight seal is effectively provided between the waste pipe 110 and the connector 102, both of which are sealed to the gasket 118. Notably, while the flange 116 is shown in
In some cases, one or more ring inserts (not shown) can be included in or near the interior voids 134 of the gasket 118 to structurally reinforce the voids 134 and prevent deformation during rotation. The insert(s) can be of a first material of a higher durometer than the material of the gasket 118, the first material being less susceptible to flexing and/or deformation. For example, the insert can be a metal material while the gasket 118 is a plastic. The insert can run directly across the entire interior surface of the gasket 118 (and within the voids 134) or several inserts can be placed along the interior surface of the gasket 118 in or around the voids 134. Alternatively, one or more inserts can be integrated into the gasket 118, rather than just on the interior surface.
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It will be appreciated by those of ordinary skill in the pertinent art that the functions of several elements may, in alternative embodiments, be carried out by fewer elements or a single element. Similarly, in some embodiments, any functional element may perform fewer, or different, operations than those described with respect to the illustrated embodiment. Also, functional elements shown as distinct for purposes of illustration may be incorporated within other functional elements in a particular implementation.
While the subject technology has been described with respect to various embodiments, those skilled in the art will readily appreciate that various changes and/or modifications can be made to the subject technology without departing from the scope of the subject technology.
This application is a non-provisional application claiming priority from U.S. provisional patent application Ser. No. 62/656,567, filed Apr. 12, 2018 and entitled “Wall Hung Toilet Assembly With A Sloped Gasket,” the entire contents of which are incorporated by reference herein for all purposes.
Number | Date | Country | |
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62656567 | Apr 2018 | US |