Portable toilet

• US 4,217,668 A
• Filed: 09/20/1979
• Issued: 08/19/1980
• Est. Priority Date: 09/20/1979
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Thetford Corporation (Recreational Vehicle Group)
• Original Assignee: Thetford Corporation (Recreational Vehicle Group)
• Inventors: Antos, John M., Hoffman, John A., Sargent, Charles L., Henke, Arthur W.
• Primary Examiner(s): Artis, Henry K.
• Application Number:
  US06/077,175
• Time in Patent Office: 334 Days
• Field of Search: 4/321, 4/115, 4/323, 4/322, 4/116, 4/434, 4/437, 4/349, 4/350, 4/431, 4/422, 4/300, 4/419, 4/420
• US Class Current: 4/321
• CPC Class Codes: E03D 5/012 combined with movable closure elements in the bowl outlet bowls with closure elements between bottom or outlet and outlet pipe E03D11/10
• CPC Class Codes: E03D 7/00 Wheeled lavatories wheeled closets without flushing A47K11/00; construction of land vehicles B62

Abstract

A portable toilet of the type having two vertically stacked sections, the lower section (12) being a holding tank, and the upper section (14) including a toilet bowl (22), a water tank (26) for storage of water for flush purposes, and flush apparatus (32) for flushing the toilet bowl. Handles (78) and (80) are provided for separately carrying the lower section (12) and the upper section (14), the handles being arranged so that they form a unitary handle for carrying the toilet (10) without the need of a clasping mechanism for holding the sections together. An improved flush apparatus (32) including the flush bulb (84) is provided so that priming of the flushing system is unnecessary. A valve assembly (46) is mounted within the confines of the lower section (12) by providing a planar member (58) that is a part of the valve body (56) and can be inserted through an opening (72) in the top wall of the lower section (12) for attachment to the top wall within the holding tank.

Claims

1. A portable toilet comprising a portable lower holding tank section and a portable upper seat section removably stacked thereon, said seat section having walls defining a flush water storage tank and a toilet bowl which has an oulet port at its bottom, and having flush apparatus for discharing flush water from the storage tank into the bowl, said holding tank section having a top wall and side and bottom walls forming a closed receptacle with an inlet port in its top wall in registry with said outlet port, and having a valve assembly that defines said inlet port and is operable for opening and closing said inlet port, characterized in that said holding tank and seat sections have parting surfaces respectively at their top and bottom walls which are located generally in a flat plane, said sections having handles for carrying purposes, said handles being in engagement with each other at a location essentially in said plane so that they function as a unitary handle for the purpose of carrying the portable toilet with the sections in stacked-together relationship, said sections then also being joined together with said outlet port extending in registry into said inlet port.

2. A portable toilet according to claim 1, characterized in that said outlet port and said inlet port have cooperating means for snap-fitting said sections together in their registered positions, said cooperating means functioning with said unitary handle so that said sections are retained together when the unitary handle is used to carry the toilet.

3. A portable toilet according to claim 2, characterized in that said sections have resilient properties, and said outlet port has radially outwardly projecting lip segments at spaced intervals around its outer circumference and said inlet port has radially inwardly projecting lip segments at spaced intervals around its inner circumference, the inlet and outlet lip segments cooperating to retain the inlet and outlet ports together and being releasable for separating the sections by virtue of the resilient properties of the sections.

4. A portable toilet according to claim 1, characterized in that said flush apparatus comprises a nozzle for discharging flush water into the bowl, a flush bulb, and a conduit in communication with said flush bulb and said nozzle, said flush bulb having an inlet fitting in communication with the bottom of said flush water storage tank and an outlet fitting in communication with said conduit, said flush bulb being mounted adjacent to the bottom of said flush water storage tank so that when flush water is in the flush water storage tank a head of water will remain on said flush bulb to ensure an immediate response of flush water to the bowl when the flush bulb is squeezed.

5. A portable toilet according to claim 4, characterized in that said sections have a cavity defined between them and said flush bulb is mounted in said cavity.

6. A portable toilet according to claim 5, characterized in that said cavity extends inward from the front side walls of said sections, and said valve assembly includes a valve handle located in said cavity and extending into said holding tank section and a valve blade connected to said handle for movement to open and to close said inlet port, said flush bulb being located in the cavity above said valve handle.

7. A portable toilet comprising a portable lower holding tank section and a portable upper seat section removably stacked thereon, said seat section having walls defining a flush water storage tank and a toilet bowl which has an outlet port at its bottom, and having flush apparatus for discharging flush water from the storage tank into the bowl, said holding tank section having a top wall and side and bottom walls forming a closed receptacle with an inlet port in its top wall in registry with said outlet port, and having a valve assembly for opening and closing said inlet port, characterized in that said flush apparatus comprises a nozzle for discharging flush water into the bowl, a flush bulb, and a conduit in communication with said flush bulb and said nozzle, said flush bulb having an inlet fitting in communication with the bottom of said flush water storage tank and an outlet fitting in communication with said conduit, said flush bulb being mounted adjacent to the bottom of said flush water storage tank so that when flush water is in the flush water storage tank a head of water will remain on said flush bulb to insure an immediate response of flush water to the bowl when the flush bulb is squeezed.

8. A portable toilet according to claim 7, characterized in that said sections have a cavity defined between them, and said flush bulb is mounted in said cavity.

9. A portable toilet according to claim 8, characterized in that said cavity extends inward from the front side walls of said sections, and said valve assembly includes a valve handle located in said cavity and extending into said holding tank section and a valve blade connected to said handle for movement to open and to close said inlet port, said flush bulb being located in the cavity above said valve handle.

10. A portable toilet according to claim 7, characterized in that said outlet port and said inlet port have cooperating means for snap-fitting said sections together in their registered positions.

11. A portable toilet comprising a portable lower holding tank section and a portable upper seat section removably stacked thereon, said seat section having walls defining a flush water storage tank and a toilet bowl which has an outlet port at its bottom, and having a flush apparatus for discharging flush water from the storage tank into the bowl, said holding tank section having a top wall and side and bottom walls forming a closed receptacle with an inlet port in its top wall in registry with said outlet port, and having a valve assembly that defines said inlet port and is operable for opening and closing said inlet port, characterized in that said outlet port and said inlet port have cooperating means for snap-fitting said sections together in their registered positions, said cooperating means being the only mechanically interlocking elements between said sections.

12. A portable toilet according to claim 11, characterized in that said sections have resilient properties, and said outlet port has radially outwardly projecting lip segments as spaced intervals around its outer circumference and said inlet port has radially inwardly projecting lip segments at spaced intervals around its inner circumference, the inlet and outlet lip segments cooperating to interlock the inlet and outlet ports together and being releasable for separating the sections by virtue of the resilient properties of the sections.

13. A portable toilet comprising a portable lower holding tank section and a portable upper seat section removably stacked thereon, said seat section having walls defining a flush water storage tank and a toilet bowl which has an outlet port at its bottom, and having flush apparatus for discharging flush water from the storage tank into the bowl, said holding tank section having a top wall and side and bottom walls forming a closed receptacle with an inlet port in its top wall in registry with said outlet port, and having a valve assembly that defines said inlet port and is operable for opening and closing said inlet port, characterized in that said top wall has an elongated opening therein, and said valve assembly includes a valve body that has an elongated upper planar member with an upper wall area greater than the area of said elongated opening, said member being connected to said top wall of the holding tank in sealed relation thereto under the edge of said opening, said elongated planar members and said elongated opening having dimensions so that during installation the planar member can be inserted through said opening with the transverse axis of the member aligned generally with the longitudinal axis of the opening, after which the member can be connected to the inner wall of the holding tank to cover said opening, said member also defining said inlet port.

14. A portable toilet according to claim 13, characterized in that said elongated planar member has a vent port means located adjacent to said inlet port for venting said holding tank, and said valve assembly includes a blade for opening and closing said inlet port and a vent port closure element movable as an incident to movements of said blade to open said vent port means prior to the opening of said inlet port and to close said vent port means after the closing of said inlet port.

15. A portable toilet according to claim 13, characterized in that said elongated planar member and said toilet bowl have cooperating means at said outlet port and said inlet port for releasably snap-fitting the planar member to said toilet bowl when the seat section is placed in registered position on said holding tank section.