Vacuum assisted toilet

• US 5,142,712 A
• Filed: 11/26/1990
• Issued: 09/01/1992
• Est. Priority Date: 11/26/1990
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Fluidmaster Incorporated
• Original Assignee: Fluidmaster Incorporated
• Inventors: Hennessy, Arnold
• Primary Examiner(s): Phillips, Charles E.
• Application Number:
  US07/618,170
• Time in Patent Office: 645 Days
• Field of Search: 4/369, 4/424, 4/431, 4/328, 4/370-372
• US Class Current: 4/431
• CPC Class Codes: E03D 11/00 Other component parts of water-closets pipe-joints or couplings in general F16L , e.g. noise-reducing means in the flushing system noise-reducing means in combination with flushing valves E03D9/14, flushing pipes mounted in the bowl, seals for the bowl outlet, devices preventing overflow of the bowl contents; devices forming a water seal in the bowl after flushing, devices eliminating obstructions in the bowl outlet or preventing backflow of water and excrements from the waterpipe
• CPC Class Codes: E03D 5/00 Special constructions of flushing devices in motor vehicles or trailers B60R15/00; in railway carriages B61D35/00; in ships B63B29/14; in aircraft B64D11/02, e.g. closed flushing system
• CPC Class Codes: Y02A 10/30 Flood prevention; Flood or storm water management, e.g. using flood barriers

Abstract

A vacuum assisted toilet is described wherein a vacuum is applied to a toilet bowl outlet during flushing, which avoids malfunctions that could allow sewer gas to escape, and which uses flushing water effectively. The toilet bowl outlet includes upper and lower trap devices (40,44, FIG. 5) coupled by a trapway (42), with the lower trap device forming an unobstructed air passage when no water is moving therethrough but which includes a trapping region (64) that completely fills with water and forms an airflow barrier during flushing. The vacuum source includes a container (72, FIG. 1) in the toilet tank, with the container fixed in place in the tank to lie stationary therein, and with an ordinary flush valve (23) lying outside the container, so substantially the only part of the toilet that moves during flushing is the long developed and reliable flush valve. A baffle (110) separates a first tank portion (114) which holds the container and flush valve, from a second tank portion (116) which holds an inlet valve. The top (118) of the baffle lies a plurality of centimeters below the high water level (16), so that a lot of water passes into the toilet bowl at the beginning of flushing.

Claims

1. In a toilet which includes a tank, a toilet bowl, a tank inlet valve through which water is received into the tank up to a predetermined high water level, a tank flush valve through which water in the tank is flushed into the bowl, a toilet bowl outlet, and a vacuum source coupled to said outlet to apply a vacuum therein during flushing, the improvement wherein:

said vacuum source includes a container lying in said tank and having upper and lower portions, with said upper portion being sealed from said tank and said lower portion having an opening leading to water in said tank, so that when the tank water level around said container opening drops during flushing a vacuum is created in said container upper portion, said vacuum source also including a vacuum conduit extending between said container upper portion to said toilet outlet to apply a vacuum that aids in moving material through said outlet; and

including

a baffle which divides said tank into two horizontally-spaced compartments, including a first compartment that includes said flush valve and said container opening, and a second compartment, said baffle having a bottom at the bottom of said tank and a top at a height that is a plurality of centimeters below said high water level, with the volumes of said compartments above said baffle merging, whereby when a flushing starts, water from above both compartments passes toward said flush valve, but when the water level drops below the top of the baffle substantially only water in said second compartment passes toward said flush valve.

2. The improvement described in claim 8 wherein:

said toilet outlet includes upper and lower trap devices and a trapway connecting them, said upper trap device forming a water trap with a height of a plurality of centimeters to present the passage of sewer gas therethrough, and said lower trap device including a trap conduit with upper and lower walls and with the lower wall forming a trap region that holds a pool of still water to a maximum height that is below the bottom of said upper wall so as to allow gas to pass through said lower trap device above said pool of water when no water is flowing through said trap conduit, while allowing the level of water in said trap conduit to rise above the bottom of said upper wall during flushing when water flows rapidly through said trap conduit.

3. A toilet which includes a tank, a toilet bowl, a tank inlet valve through which water is received into the tank, a flush valve through which water in the tank is flushed into the bowl, and a toilet bowl outlet which includes an upper trap device extending from said bowl, a trapway extending downwardly from said upper trap device, and a lower trap device extending from the trapway to a drain, the toilet also including flush assist apparatus which includes a vacuum source located in said tank and coupled to said trapway to apply a vacuum therein during flushing;

said vacuum source includes a vacuum producing container which creates a vacuum responsive to movement of tank water out of said flush valve;

said tank has opposite vertical walls, and said inlet valve allows water to rise in said tank to a predetermined high water level; and

including;

a baffle which extends between said tank opposite walls to divide said tank into two compartments, including a first compartment in which lies said container and said flush valve, and a second compartment in which lies said inlet valve;

said baffle has an upper end that lies a plurality of centimeters below said high water level.

4. A vacuum assist toilet for connection to a drain comprising:

a toilet tank within which water is held which drops in height during a toilet flushing, said tank having a lower portion;

a toilet bowl which can be flushed, said bowl having an upper portion;

a flush valve coupling said tank lower portion to said bowl upper portion;

a toilet bowl outlet which includes an upper trap device extending from said bowl, a trapway extending generally downwardly from said upper trap device, and a lower trap device extending from said trapway to extend to said drain;

a vacuum source located substantially in said tank and which is coupled to said trapway and which applies a vacuum thereto, in response to the drop in water level in sand tank during at least part of the time when water flows from said flush valve into said toilet bowl;

said lower trap device includes a trapping region that is unobstructed to the flow of gas therethrough along its top when no water is flowing through said trapping region, but that completely fills with water when water flows rapidly therethrough from said toilet bowl outlet through said trapway during flushing, to contain said vacuum in said trapway so said vacuum can help draw water and debris out of said toilet bowl.

5. The toilet described in claim 4 wherein:

all of the water flowing out of said flush valve flows into said toilet bowl, whereby to use all water to help carry debris out of said toilet bowl.

6. The improvement described in claim 4 wherein:

said flush valve is of the type that includes a primarily upwardly facing valve seat, a pivotally mounted valve member that can pivot from a closed position against said seat to an open position above said seat, and a flush handle pivotally mounted on said water tank and coupled to said valve member to raise it off said seat;

said vacuum source includes a container with upper and lower portions lying stationary completely within said tank and having only a lower container portion communicating with the rest of the tank so the drop in tank water level during a flushing creates a vacuum in the top portion of the container, said vacuum source also including a conduit coupling the upper portion of said container to said trapway;

said flush valve is horizontally spaced from the bottom of said container to lie outside said container, and said container forms a passage coupling its lower portion to the inside of said tank.