AUTOMATIC SHUTOFF ASSEMBLY FOR A WATER CLOSET

• US 20090241248A1
• Filed: 03/28/2008
• Published: 10/01/2009
• Est. Priority Date: 03/28/2008
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: Kohler Company
• Original Assignee: Kohler Company
• Inventors: Vollmar, Donald Albert, Stauber, Joseph L.
• Application Number:
  US12/058,351
• Publication Number:
  US 20090241248A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 4/313
• CPC Class Codes: E03D 1/00 Water flushing devices with cisterns ; Setting up a range of flushing devices or water-closets; Combinations of several flushing devices
• CPC Class Codes: E03D 5/105 touchless, e.g. using sensors

Abstract

An automatic shutoff valve and sensor assembly is disclosed to control water supply to a toilet. There is a housing mountable upstream of the toilet and downstream of the room water supply. There is also a shutoff valve, an automated sensor, and a microcontroller in the housing. The sensor is suitable to detect when a potential user is adjacent the water closet. If it detects a user, the sensor can send an output signal that ultimately leads to the opening of the shut-off valve. The shutoff valve then later automatically re-closes when users aren'"'"'t present. A manual override can be incorporated in the housing as well. This reduces the potential for water leaks and water waste from the toilet.

Claims

1. An automatic shutoff valve and sensor assembly suitable for use with a water closet positioned in a room, the assembly comprising:

a housing mountable upstream of the water closet, the housing having an inlet water port connectible to a water supply for the room and an outlet water port connectible to the water closet;

a shutoff valve positioned in the housing;

an automated sensor positioned in the housing; and

a microcontroller coupled to the sensor and shutoff valve;

wherein if the assembly is positioned in the room, linked to a water supply for the room and the water closet, and supplied with electrical power, the sensor is suitable to detect when a potential user is adjacent the water closet, and if it does so detect an adjacent potential user, the sensor can send an output signal to the microcontroller such that the microcontroller can open the shutoff valve.

2. The assembly as recited in claim 1, wherein the sensor is selected from the group consisting of proximity sensors and motion sensors.

3. The assembly of claim 1, further comprising a battery suitable to supply power to the assembly.

4. The assembly of claim 3, wherein the battery is linked to the sensor, the microcontroller, and the shutoff valve to supply power to all three.

5. The assembly as recited in claim 1, further comprising a manual override mounted on the housing to permit the water supply to the water closet to be shut off even if the sensor is sensing an adjacent potential user of the water closet.

6. The assembly as recited in claim 1, further comprising a timer to shut off water supply to the water closet once a pre-determined time has elapsed after the assembly opens the shutoff valve.

7. The assembly as recited in claim 1, wherein after the sensor has signaled a presence of a potential user it can thereafter signal an absence of potential users, and when this occurs the microcontroller will send a signal to close the shutoff valve.