Foam odor plug for urinals

• US 20100186156A1
• Filed: 03/09/2009
• Published: 07/29/2010
• Est. Priority Date: 01/27/2009
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Gotohti.Com Inc.
• Original Assignee: Gotohti.Com Inc.
• Inventors: Ophardt, Heiner, Jones, Andrew
• Granted Patent: US 8,006,324 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 4/301
• CPC Class Codes: E03D 9/00 Sanitary or other accessories for lavatories hand tools for cleaning the toilet bowl A47K11/10; seats or covers for closets A47K13/00; body supports, other than seats for closets A47K17/02; devices for preventing contamination of drinking-water pipes E03C1/10 ; Devices for cleaning or disinfecting the toilet room or the toilet bowl; Devices for eliminating smells cleaning, disinfecting or deodorising the seat A47K13/30

Abstract

A urinal discharge pipe assembly comprising a discharge pipe having a passageway therethrough from an inlet in communication with a urinal discharge outlet and an outlet in communication with a urine disposal system, a foam dispensing device having a foam outlet open into the passageway for discharge of an allotment of foam into the passageway between the inlet and the outlet adequate to form a temporary foam plug across the passageway blocking the passageway.

Claims

1. A method of constraining gas within an effluent discharge pipe comprising discharging an allotment of collapsible foam comprising gas bubbles within a fluid inside the discharge tube to form a replaceable, collapsible foam plug entirely across a passageway through the pipe which foam plug is stable for a period of time.

2. A method as claimed in claim 1 including providing a support for the foam in the pipe, and

discharging the foam into the passageway of the pipe above the support so that the foam engages the support.

3. A method as claimed in claim 2 wherein the support comprises a porous screen disposed across the passageway.

4. A method as claimed in claim 2 including providing as the support a lower screen member disposed across the passageway and an upper screen member disposed across the passageway, the method including discharging the foam into the pipe intermediate the lower screen and the upper screen in a manner that the foam entirely fills a cavity defined within the passageway through the pipe between the upper screen and the lower screen, including discharging sufficient foam that the foam fills the cavity engaging each of the upper screen and the lower screen.

5. A method as claimed in claim 2 wherein the support comprises a portion of the passageway of the pipe having a restriction section of reduced cross-sectional area below the foam plug, the method including discharging the foam into the pipe in or above the restriction section, including discharging sufficient foam that the foam bridges across the restriction section.

6. A method as claimed in claim 1 including providing the pipe with an axial restriction section of reduced cross-sectional area and discharging foam in or above the restriction section of the pipe to form the foam plug in, above or in and above the axial restriction section.

7. A method as claimed in claim 1 comprising, after forming a foam plug, discharging a liquid down the discharge tube to at least partially collapse the foam plug and thereafter discharging a new allotment of collapsible foam inside the discharge tube to form a replacement collapsible foam plug.

8. A method as claimed in claim 7 wherein the foam plug has a foam plug life representing an estimated time the foam plug will, after being formed in the pipe, remain intact without collapsing to such an extent that it does not extend across the passageway of the pipe,

the method wherein after any foam plug has been in the passageway for a period of time less than the foam life discharging a new allotment of foam into the pipe to form a new replacement foam plug.

9. A method as claimed in claim 1 including periodically discharging successive allotments of foam into the pipe to provide at successive time intervals a new replacement foam plug in the passageway.

10. A method as claimed in claim 1 wherein the discharge pipe is a discharge pipe of a urinal, the method including discharging urine or other liquid into the urinal to flow down the discharge pump to at least partially collapse the foam plug and, after or at least partially collapsing the foam plug, discharging foam to form a new foam plug.

11. A method as claimed in claim 10 wherein the discharge pipe includes a trap to retain liquid therein, the method including disclosing foam into the discharge tube to form in the discharge pipe upstream from liquid retained in the trap.

12. A method as claimed in claim 11 wherein after each time that a person uses the urinal by discharging urine into the urinal, a new allotment of foam is discharged into the pipe to form a new foam plug.

13. A method as claimed in claim 1 including one or more of the following steps:

automatically sensing the presence of a person at the urinal, automatically actuating discharges of water into the urinal, automatically controlling the dispensing of foam into the passageway to form successive foam plugs, and automatically keeping records of the time at which a person is sensed at the urinal, water is discharged and each foam plug is formed.

14. A method as claimed in claim 1 wherein the foam plug being sufficient to block the passageway and substantially prevent passage of odors in the passageway below the foam plug through the passageway therepast.

15. A method as claimed in claim 1 including automatically sensing the presence of a foam plug in the passageway.

16. A method as claimed in claim 15 including providing an emitter of electromagnetic radiation and a sensor of electromagnetic radiation located such that electromagnetic radiation from the emitter must pass through a cavity in the discharge tube in which the foam plug is desired to be located, and determining whether the foam plug is adequately blocking the passageway to odor passage by the extent that the electromagnetic radiation emitted by the emitter reaches the sensor.

17. A method as claimed in claim 1 wherein the discharge pipe is a discharge pipe of a urinal, the method including discharging urine or other liquid into the urinal to flow down the discharge pump to at least partially collapse the foam plug and, after partially collapsing the foam plug, discharging foam to form a new foam plug after use of the urinal, and

providing as the support a lower screen member disposed across the passageway and an upper screen member disposed across the passageway, the method including discharging the foam into the pipe intermediate the lower screen and the upper screen in a manner that the foam entirely fills a cavity defined within the passageway through the pipe between the upper screen and the lower screen, including discharging sufficient foam that the foam fills the cavity engaging each of the upper screen and the lower screen.

18. A urinal discharge pipe assembly comprising a discharge pipe having a passageway therethrough from an inlet in communication with a urinal discharge outlet and an outlet in communication with a urine disposal system,

a foam dispensing device having a foam outlet open into the passageway for discharge of an allotment of foam into the passageway between the inlet and the outlet adequate to form a temporary foam plug blocking the passageway across the passageway.

19. An apparatus as claimed in claim 18 including a foam support structure in the passageway between the inlet and the outlet, the foam support including an upwardly directed surface for engagement by foam of an allotment discharged into the passageway and to support the allotment of discharged foam to assist the foam on discharge forming the foam plug entirely across the passageway.

20. An apparatus as claimed in claim 19 wherein the foam support structure is selected from the group comprising:

a porous screen member disposed across the passageway below the foam outlet passageway and a restricted section of the passageway having a cross-sectional area less than a section of the passageway above the restricted section.