Patent Application
20240301666
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The disclosure relates to reclamation device and more particularly pertains to a new reclamation device for employing reclaimed water from a bathtub to fill a fluid tank of a toilet. The device includes a bathtub and a toilet each being positioned in a bathroom. The device includes a water reclamation unit that includes a water filter that is in fluid communication with the bathtub and a reservoir in fluid communication with the water filter for storing water drained from the bathtub. The device includes a pump that is in fluid communication between the reservoir and the fluid tank of the toilet for filling the fluid tank with the water stored in the reservoir.
The prior art relates to reclamation devices including a grey water reclamation device that is integrated into a plumbing fixture in a bathroom. The prior art discloses a grey water reclamation unit that includes a processor-readable medium that tests grey water for recyclability. The prior art discloses a shower waste water recycle apparatus that collects waste water from a shower and which includes a potable water inlet. The prior art discloses a grey water reclamation device that includes a reservoir which collects grey water from a shower, a chemical disinfectant to sterilize the grey water and a control system. The prior art discloses a water reclamation device that includes a drain pipe which runs between a sink drain and a fluid tank of a toilet.
An embodiment of the disclosure meets the needs presented above by generally comprising a bathtub that has a drain for draining water from the bathtub. A toilet is included and the toilet is in fluid communication with a sewer system. A water reclamation unit is fluidly coupled between the drain of the bathtub and the sewer system. The water reclamation unit includes a reservoir which has a pre-determined fluid capacity for storing a pre-determined volume of water. The reservoir is in fluid communication with the fluid tank of the toilet such that the fluid tank of the toilet can be filled with water stored in the reservoir. The water reclamation unit is in fluid communication with the sewer system. Furthermore, the water reclamation unit is actuated into a draining condition when the reservoir is filled to the pre-determined capacity to drain the water into the sewer system.
There has thus been outlined, rather broadly, the more important features of the disclosure in order that the detailed description thereof that follows may be better understood, and in order that the present contribution to the art may be better appreciated. There are additional features of the disclosure that will be described hereinafter and which will form the subject matter of the claims appended hereto.
The objects of the disclosure, along with the various features of novelty which characterize the disclosure, are pointed out with particularity in the claims annexed to and forming a part of this disclosure.
The disclosure will be better understood and objects other than those set forth above will become apparent when consideration is given to the following detailed description thereof. Such description makes reference to the annexed drawings wherein:
With reference now to the drawings, and in particular to
As best illustrated in
A water reclamation unit 24 is included and the water reclamation unit 24 is fluidly coupled between the drain of the bathtub 12 and the sewer system 22. The water reclamation unit 24 includes a reservoir 26 which has a pre-determined fluid capacity for storing a pre-determined volume of water. The pre-determined fluid capacity may be a fluid volume ranging between approximately 75.0 liters and 113.0 liters. The reservoir 26 is in fluid communication with the fluid tank 20 of the toilet 18 such that the fluid tank 20 of the toilet 18 can be filled with water stored in the reservoir 26. Furthermore, the water reclamation unit 24 is in fluid communication with the sewer system 22. The water reclamation unit 24 is actuated into a draining condition when the reservoir 26 is filled to the pre-determined capacity. Additionally, the water reclamation unit 24 drains the water into the sewer system 22 when the water reclamation unit 24 is actuated into the draining condition.
The water reclamation unit 24 comprises a first conduit 28 that has a first end 30 which is fluidly coupled to the drain 14 in the bathtub 12 to receive the water draining through the drain 14. The water reclamation unit 24 includes a water filter 32 that has an inlet 34, an outlet 36 and an overflow 38. A second end 40 of the first conduit 28 is fluidly coupled to the inlet 34 thereby facilitating the water filter 32 to receive the water from the drain 14. The water filter 32 includes a filtering element 42 that is in fluid communication between the inlet 34 and the outlet 36 to filter particles from the water passing into the inlet 34. The overflow 38 is fluidly coupled to the sewer system 22 and the water filter 32 is normally actuated into a filling condition which has a direction of flow moving from the inlet 34 to the outlet 36. The water filter 32 is actuatable into an overflow condition which has a direction of flow moving from the inlet 34 to the overflow 38. The water filter 32 may be a particulate filter of any conventional design that might commonly be found in residential water systems.
The water reclamation unit 24 includes a second conduit 44 that has a first end 46 which is fluidly coupled to the outlet 36 of the water filter 32. In this way the second conduit 44 can receive the filtered water from the water filter 32. The reservoir 26 has a top end 48, a bottom end 50 and an outer wall 52 extending between the top end 48 and the bottom end 50. The reservoir 26 has an input 54 that is fluidly integrated into the outer wall 52 and the input 54 is positioned closer to the top end 48 than the bottom end 50. The reservoir 26 has an output 56 that is fluidly integrated into the outer wall 52 and the output 56 is positioned closer to the bottom end 50 than the top end 48.
A second end 58 of the second conduit 44 is fluidly coupled to the input 54 on the outer wall 52 of the reservoir 26 such that the reservoir 26 can be filled with the water when the water filter is in actuated into the filling condition. The water filter 32 is actuated into the overflow condition when the reservoir 26 is filled to the pre-determined capacity to discharge the water into the sewer system 22 rather than directing the water into the reservoir 26. The water reclamation unit 24 includes a third conduit 60 that has a first end 62 which is fluidly coupled to the output 56 on the outer wall 52 of the reservoir 26. In this way the third conduit 60 can receive the water in the reservoir 26.
The water reclamation unit 24 includes a pump 64 which has a pumping inlet 66 and a pumping outlet 68. The pump 64 may comprise an electric fluid pump of any conventional design and the pump 64 may be electrically coupled to a power source 70 comprising an electrical system of the residential bathroom 17 in which the toilet 18 and the bathtub 12 are positioned. A second end 72 of the third conduit 60 is fluidly coupled to the pumping inlet 66 to receive the water from the third conduit 60. Furthermore, the pump 64 has a direction of flow which moves from the pumping inlet 66 to the pumping outlet 68 when the pump 64 is turned on.
The water reclamation unit 24 includes a fourth conduit 74 which has a first end 76 that is fluidly coupled to the pumping outlet 68 of the pump 64. In this way the fourth conduit 74 can receive the water when the pump 64 is turned on. A second end 78 of the fourth conduit 74 is fluidly coupled to the fluid tank 20 of the toilet 18. In this way the fluid tank 20 of the toilet 18 can receive the water from the fourth conduit 74 when the pump 64 is turned on.
In use, the water that is drained from the bathtub 12 is routed through the water filter 32 and into the reservoir 26 each time the bathtub 12 is drained. Once the reservoir 26 is filled the water drained from the bathtub 12 is routed through the overflow 38 in the water filter 32 to be drained into the sewer system 22. The pump 64 is turned on each time the toilet 18 is flushed thereby facilitating the water in the reservoir 26 to be employed to refill the fluid tank 20 on the toilet 18. In this way the toilet 18 does not consume fresh water each time the toilet 18 is flushed thereby reducing the overall water consumption of the residential bathroom 17 in which the toilet 18 and the bathtub 12 are positioned.
With respect to the above description then, it is to be realized that the optimum dimensional relationships for the parts of an embodiment enabled by the disclosure, to include variations in size, materials, shape, form, function and manner of operation, assembly and use, are deemed readily apparent and obvious to one skilled in the art, and all equivalent relationships to those illustrated in the drawings and described in the specification are intended to be encompassed by an embodiment of the disclosure.
Therefore, the foregoing is considered as illustrative only of the principles of the disclosure. Further, since numerous modifications and changes will readily occur to those skilled in the art, it is not desired to limit the disclosure to the exact construction and operation shown and described, and accordingly, all suitable modifications and equivalents may be resorted to, falling within the scope of the disclosure. In this patent document, the word “comprising” is used in its non-limiting sense to mean that items following the word are included, but items not specifically mentioned are not excluded. A reference to an element by the indefinite article “a” does not exclude the possibility that more than one of the element is present, unless the context clearly requires that there be only one of the elements.
