Water conservation based on toilet seat position

• US 10,640,961 B2
• Filed: 12/19/2013
• Issued: 05/05/2020
• Est. Priority Date: 12/19/2012
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Gmat Ventures, LLC
• Original Assignee: Gmat Ventures, LLC
• Inventors: Hutchinson, Steven R., Holbrook, Troy A., Holbrook, Scott A., Knapp, Christopher J.
• Primary Examiner(s): Skubinna, Christine J
• Application Number:
  US14/135,249
• Publication Number:
  US 20140165278A1
• Time in Patent Office: 2,329 Days
• Field of Search: 4324, 4249-250, 4335
• CPC Class Codes: E03D 3/12 Flushing devices discharging variable quantities of water flushing cisterns discharging variable quantities of water E03D1/14
• CPC Class Codes: E03D 5/04 directly by the seat or cover combined with devices for opening and closing shutters in the bowl outlet and/or with devices for raising and lowering seat or cover; Raising or lowering seat and/or cover by flushing or by the flushing mechanism
• CPC Class Codes: Y10T 29/49428 Gas and water specific plumbing component making

Abstract

Various embodiments for conserving fluid based on the position of a toilet seat are presented. One example embodiment includes a toilet flushing system having a fluid regulation component and a position detector. The fluid regulation component is configured to regulate an amount of fluid used to flush a toilet during a flush cycle. The position detector is configured to detect whether the toilet seat is in a raised position or a lowered position. The position detector is coupled to the fluid regulation component to communicate whether the toilet seat is in the raised position or the lowered position. The fluid regulation component is further configured to regulate the amount of fluid used during the flush cycle based at least in part on whether the toilet seat is in the raised position or the lowered position.

Claims

1. A toilet flushing system comprising:

a fluid regulation component including a regulation valve fluidly connected via a fluid line to a flush valve of a toilet and a fluid regulation chamber fluidly connected to the regulation valve, the regulation valve regulating an amount of fluid flushed by the flush valve and used to flush the toilet during a flush cycle; and

a toilet seat positioning device including a position unit, a fluid-based movement source that generates a force upon actuation, and a movement transmission mechanism configured to transfer the force to a toilet seat to raise the toilet seat from a lowered position to a raised position, the movement transmission mechanism being connected to the fluid-based movement source to receive the force, the position unit configured to detect whether the toilet seat is in the raised position or the lowered position, the position unit being movable to a position that generates a hydraulic pressure within the fluid regulation chamber of the fluid regulation component to actuate the fluid regulation chamber when the toilet seat is in the raised position, the fluid regulation chamber fluidly transmitting the generated hydraulic pressure to the regulation valve to regulate the amount of fluid that passes through the flush valve during the flush cycle.

2. The toilet flushing system of claim 1, wherein the position unit includes a position detector that is configured to transmit a position of the toilet seat to the fluid regulation component.

3. The toilet flushing system of claim 1, wherein the fluid regulation component is locatable downstream of the flush valve of the toilet, locatable upstream of the flush valve of the toilet, is incorporateable into the flush valve of the toilet, or is incorporated into the position unit.

4. The toilet flushing system of claim 3, wherein the regulation valve situated in the fluid regulation chamber, the regulation valve being configured to control the amount of fluid that passes through the fluid regulation chamber during the flush cycle based on whether the toilet seat is in the raised position or the lowered position.

5. The toilet flushing system of claim 1, wherein the position unit includes a mechanical assembly connectable to the toilet seat and connectable to the fluid regulation component, the mechanical assembly configured to transmit a movement of the toilet seat from the toilet seat to the fluid regulation component when the toilet seat is raised from the lowered position to the raised position or when the toilet seat is lowered from the raised position to the lowered position.

6. The toilet flushing system of claim 1, wherein the position unit is coupleable to the toilet seat.

7. The toilet flushing system of claim 1, wherein the toilet includes a tank or the toilet is a tankless toilet.

8. The toilet flushing system of claim 1, wherein the flush valve of the toilet includes the fluid regulation component.

9. A system, comprising:

a toilet seat raising and lowering device including a fluid-based movement source that generates a force upon actuation and a seat coupling component coupled to a toilet seat of a toilet, the fluid-based movement source including a fluid inlet fluidly connected to a water supply and a fluid outlet fluidly connected to a flush valve, the fluid-based movement source being actuated by a fluid flow regulated by the flush valve during a single flush cycle to generate the force based on a pressure difference between the fluid inlet and the fluid outlet that causes the fluid flow to flow in the fluid inlet and out of the fluid outlet towards the flush valve during the single flush cycle when actuated by the flush valve, the seat coupling component configured to transfer the force to the toilet seat to raise the toilet seat from a lowered position to a raised position, wherein the single flush cycle is initiated responsive to the flush valve being actuated to flush a toilet bowl of the toilet; and

a regulation valve including an input portion configured to receive an input from the seat coupling component of the toilet seat raising and lowering device, the input indicating whether the toilet seat is located in the raised position or the lowered position, the regulation valve regulating an amount of fluid for flushing the toilet based on the input.

10. The system of claim 9, wherein the input is a mechanical input.

11. A method comprising:

equipping a toilet with a flush valve and a flow regulation component, the flow regulation component including a regulation valve that regulates an amount of fluid for flushing the toilet based on whether a toilet seat of the toilet is in a raised position or a lowered position and a fluid regulation chamber fluidly connected to the regulation valve; and

equipping the toilet with a toilet seat raising and lowering device including a position detector, a fluid-based movement source that generates a force upon actuation, and a movement transmission mechanism configured to transfer the force to the toilet seat to raise the toilet seat from the lowered position to the raised position, the movement transmission mechanism being connected to the fluid-based movement source to receive the force, the position detector configured to determine whether the toilet seat of the toilet is in the raised position or the lowered position, the position detector being movable to a position that generates a hydraulic pressure within the fluid regulation chamber included in the flow regulation component to actuate the fluid regulation chamber when the toilet seat of the toilet is in the raised position, the fluid regulation chamber fluidly transmitting the generated hydraulic pressure to the regulation valve to regulate the amount of fluid that passes through the flush valve for flushing the toilet.

12. The method of claim 11, wherein the position detector is coupled proximate the toilet seat.

13. The method of claim 11, wherein the toilet includes a tank or the toilet is a tankless toilet.