Self-cleaning sanitary apparatus

• US 4,642,821 A
• Filed: 03/17/1986
• Issued: 02/17/1987
• Est. Priority Date: 06/28/1982
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: ICA SPA Industria Componenti Per L'Architettura
• Original Assignee: ICA SPA Industria Componenti Per L'Architettura
• Inventors: Zanuso, Marco, Fratti, Fabio
• Primary Examiner(s): Phillips, Charles E.
• Application Number:
  US06/840,338
• Time in Patent Office: 337 Days
• Field of Search: 4/111.6, 4/313, 4/300, 4/314, 4/234, 4/237, 4/302-305, 4/308, 4/DIG. 15, 4/460, 4/662, 4/643, 4/644, 52/34, 52/249
• US Class Current: 4/662
• CPC Class Codes: E03D 11/12 Swivel-mounted bowls, e.g. for use in restricted spaces slidably or movably mounted bowls; combinations with flushing and disinfecting devices actuated by the swiveling or sliding movement of the bowl

Abstract

The invention relates to a self-cleaning sanitary apparatus which comprises a booth provided with an automatically openable door and formed by an outer shell having an inner shell off-centered therein, thereby between the two shells a space is defined which accommodates devices for effecting the functions of the apparatus. The cited devices comprise an automatic dispenser of toilet paper, a hand washing compartment for the user, equipped with an automatic soap dispenser, and a plurality of flushing liquid dispensing nozzles arranged peripherally over the inner wall of the inner shell. The inner shell interior includes a bowl seat and a tilting footrest acting as a floor, which is connected to weight sensing members for a person, in turn connected kinematically to members controlling the cabin door opening and closing to only enable its use by a single person.

Claims

1. A self-cleaning sanitary apparatus comprising:

a booth having an automatically openable arcuate door, actuator members adapted for opening said arcuate door, a tubular outer shell including a number of arcuate panels defining a tubular outer wall, a tubular inner shell at least vertically surrounded by said outer shell said tubular inner shell defining within said booth a tubular inner wall of a smaller diameter than said tubular outer shell, said inner shell being positioned off-center with respect to said outer shell to define a space, between said inner and outer shells, having a region of maximum breadth and a region of minimum breadth, a bowl seat housed within said inner shell, a tilting footrest defining the floor of said inner shell and having a center portion of larger height than its peripheral portion, members for sensing a person in said inner shell and connected to said tilting footrest and to said actuating members for said door, an automatic toilet paper dispenser housed in said space for dispensing a metered amount of said toilet paper inside said inner shell, a hand washing compartment housed in said space and including an automatic soap dispenser, a plurality of washing liquid dispensing nozzles arranged peripherally around said inner wall to form a layer of said liquid exhibiting laminar flow over the lower portion of said inner wall, directed nozzles dispensing water at differentiated pressures and housed in said bowl seat, members for flushing said bowl seat housed in said space and comprising a flushing hood said flushing hood having a hood face and defining such a conformation as to overlap said bowl seat, a fan defining a rotation plane and having end portions, said fan being associated rotatably with said hood face confronting said bowl seat, said fan having in said end portions respectively a first opening for dispensing said liquid over said bowl seat surfaces affected by a user along an angled direction to said rotation plane of said fan and a second opening for dispensing said liquid along an orthogonal direction to said rotation plane, a motor having a motor side and being adapted for driving said fan, a cogged belt for transmitting the motion from a first pulley fast with said motor to a second pulley fast with said fan, said second pulley having a larger diameter than said first pulley, a ventilation cowl associated with said hood on said motor side thereof next to said first and second pulleys and remote from said fan, hood control members for swinging said hood through an opening in said inner wall from said space inwardly of said inner shell and vice versa.

2. An apparatus according to claim 1, wherein said control members comprise a first conneting rod-crank lever driven by a first motor to actuate a tilting door hinged on the top edge of said opening in said inner wall, a second connecting rod-crank lever driven by a second motor for swinging said hood against and by the action of an elastic means through said opening from a substantially parallel position to said inner wall to a substantially orthogonal position thereto, said hood being hinged to the bottom edge of said opening.

3. An apparatus according to claim 2, wherein said first connecting rod-crank lever comprises a crank lever having one end rigid with said connecting rod and the opposite end associated with said tilting door through an elastic element.

4. An apparatus according to claim 1, wherein said tilting footrest comprises at least one first pair of levers having their ends hinged respectively on a bed of said inner shell and to a second lever pair, said second lever pair being hinged on said bed in alignment with said first lever pair, said first and second lever pairs supporting said tilting footrest on the remote ends from said bed.

5. An apparatus according to claim 4, wherein said first and second lever pairs have on their common hinge point a tubular rod orthogonal thereto from the end portions whereof there extend two arms having their free ends joined and associated with said sensing members, said arms and said tubular rod being movable in an orthogonal direction to said bed.

6. An apparatus according to claim 1, wherein said sensing members comprise first and second swinging counterweights, said first counterweight being adapted to counterbalance the weight of said footrest and to cooperate with said second counterweight solely after a free oscillation of said first counterweight proportional to a downward movement of said footrest when loaded with a set weight.

7. An apparatus according to claim 6, wherein said first counterweight is actuated by a bar having one end hinged to the ends of said arms and the opposed end slidable over a distance freely and over a distance against and by the action of a shock absorber in a cylindrical body, said bar having on a portion thereof a bracket adapted to activate and deactivate first and second switches respectively of insufficient and excessive weight applied to said footrest.

8. An apparatus according to claim 6, wherein said free oscillation of said first counterweight is adjustable by shifting a spacer element slidable on said second counterweight support arms, said spacer element having a shorter length than the distance between said support arm of said second counterweight and a support arm of said first counterweight in the rest position.

9. An apparatus according to claim 1, wherein said actuating members for said door comprise:

a gear motor driving a swivel arm connected with its end to said door, a small rod hinged coaxially with the hinge connection of said swivel arm with said gear motor, said small rod having one end associated with said swivel arm by means of an elastic member, a lay rod attached with one end to said ends of said arms and with the opposite end to an equalizer rocker arm driving a travel limiter for sensing the presence of said person internally of said cabin.

10. An apparatus according to claim 9, wherein said small rod is parallel to said swivel arm when said door is shut and said travel limiter activated.

11. An apparatus according to claim 9, wherein said equalizer rocker arm has a dog engaging with said small rod so as to be held back in a position activating said travel limiter when said door is open and said footrest is not subjected to the weight of said person.

12. An apparatus according to claim 1, wherein said automatic toilet paper dispenser comprises a frame defined by two parallel shoulders spaced apart and supporting rotatably a support shaft for a roll of toilet paper, a main roller of entrainment of said paper between said two shoulders and feeding a secondary roller adapted for the exiting of said paper from said dispenser, paper pinch rollers cooperating with said main and secondary rollers for advancing said paper and members for cutting said paper into set sheets.

13. An apparatus according to claim 12, wherein said cutting members comprise a fixed blade and a moving blade, said moving blade being guided swingingly by a motor in synchronization with the rotation of said main and secondary rollers to and away from said paper, there being also provided an elastic connection member for holding said moving blade slidingly adjacent said fixed blade.

14. An apparatus according to claim 13, wherein said moving blade has on its cutting portion a recess adapted to break said cutting portion, said cut off sheet being fast over an equivalent length to the width of said recess with the remainder of said toilet paper inside said shoulders.

15. An apparatus according to claim 1, wherein said bowl seat has steep inner walls defining an inside conformation of said bowl seat which is substantially conical, a journal extending partially inside said bowl seat from the top edge thereof to define a channel internally whereof there are accommodated said oriented nozzles, said oriented nozzles having a first dispenser provided with two dispensing outlets respectively inclined to address said water under pressure coaxially into said channel and in a substantially parallel direction to the one of said inner walls most affected by the filth and a second dispenser adapted to produce a continuous film of water across said wall most affected by said filth.