Low volume vacuum toilet assembly

• US 6,148,860 A
• Filed: 11/27/1996
• Issued: 11/21/2000
• Est. Priority Date: 09/09/1993
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Dometic LLC
• Original Assignee: Sealand Technology, Inc. (Dometic Group AB)
• Inventors: Sigler, James A.
• Primary Examiner(s): Ferensic, Denise L.
• Assistant Examiner(s): Kim, Joanne Y.
• Application Number:
  US08/757,768
• Time in Patent Office: 1,455 Days
• Field of Search: 137/849, 137/846, 137/845, 137/844, 137/852
• US Class Current: 137/846
• CPC Class Codes: B60R 15/04 Toilet facilities in railway vehicles B61D35/005
• CPC Class Codes: B63B 29/14 Closet or like flushing arrangements; Washing or bathing facilities peculiar to ships
• CPC Class Codes: B63B 29/16 Soil water discharges arrangements of installations for treating waste water or sewage B63J4/006
• 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: E03F 1/006 Pneumatic sewage disposal systems; accessories specially adapted therefore
• CPC Class Codes: F16K 15/147 the closure elements having specially formed slits or being of an elongated easily collapsible form
• CPC Class Codes: Y10T 137/3109 Liquid filling by evacuating container
• CPC Class Codes: Y10T 137/788 Having expansible port
• CPC Class Codes: Y10T 137/7882 Having exit lip
• CPC Class Codes: Y10T 137/7885 Multiple slit
• CPC Class Codes: Y10T 137/7888 With valve member flexing about securement

Abstract

A vacuum tank assembly has a low volume configuration so that it can be used in boats and recreational vehicles where space is at a premium. A stack of components, with a waste tank at the bottom, then a vacuum tank with directly connected vacuum pump, and one or more fresh water tanks, is located remote from a vacuum toilet, with a discharge from the toilet (below a vacuum-tight ball valve) connected to the vacuum tank, which is in turn connected to the vacuum pump, in turn connected to the waste tank. A submersible centrifugal pump may be provided mounted to a cap of the water tank, with an anti-siphon device associated with it. The vacuum tank is of high density polypropylene having flat walls, with no continuous flat surface more than 80 square inches. Lipless duckbill check valves are provided on opposite sides of the vacuum pump, the valves of elastomeric material having a ratio of the wall thickness to thickness of the sealing edges of about 1:1. The waste tank may have a dip tube with a dog leg portion having a large cross-sectional are oval bottom opening to minimize the possibility of clogging.

Claims

1. A duckbill valve having an integral body of elastomeric material with a Type A durometer between 40-70, and having a tubular inlet portion at a first end with a diameter of less than 2 inches, and side walls tapering down to sealing edges at a second end opposite the first end, the side walls and sealing edges having predetermined thicknesses;

and wherein the ratio of wall thickness to sealing edge thickness is about 1;

1.

2. A lipless duckbill valve as recited in claim 1 wherein said integral body is made of ethylene propylene.

3. A lipless duckbill valve as recited in claim 2 disposed in at least one of an inlet to and an outlet from a sewage vacuum pump, acing as a check valve.

4. A lipless duckbill valve as recited in claim 1 wherein said tubular inlet portion has a diameter of about 1.6 inches.

5. A lipless duckbill valve as recited in claim 4 wherein the thickness of said sealing edges is 0.092 inches and said wall thickness is 0.095 inches.

6. A lipless duckbill valve as recited in claim 1 disposed in at least one of an inlet to and an outlet from a sewage vacuum pump, acing as a check valve.

7. A lipless duckbill valve as recited in claim 1 in combination with a vacuum sewage pump having an inlet and an outlet, and a second said lipless duckbill valve, one of said duckbill valves disposed in each of said sewage pump inlet and said sewage pump outlet, and each duckbill valve acting as a check valve.

8. A lipless duckbill valve as recited in claim 1 wherein said tubular inlet portion has a diameter of about 1.6 inches.

9. A lipless duckbill valve as recited in claim 8 wherein the thickness of said sealing edges is 0.092 inches and said wall thickness is 0.095 inches.

10. A vacuum pump comprising:

an inlet and an outlet; and

a check valve disposed in at least one of said inlet and outlet, said check valve comprising a lipless duckbill valve of elastomeric material with a Type A durometer between 40-70, and having a valve inlet with a diameter of less than 2 inches, and side walls terminating in edges remote from said valve inlet, and wherein the ratio of the thickness of said side walls to the thickness of said edges is about 1;

1.

11. A vacuum pump as recited in claim 10 wherein a said check valve is disposed in each of said pump inlet and outlet.

12. A vacuum pump as recited in claim 11 wherein said duckbill valves are of ethylene propylene.

13. A vacuum pump as recited in claim 10 wherein said elastomeric material is ethylene propylene.

14. A vacuum pump as recited in claim 10 wherein said tubular inlet portion has a diameter of about 1.6 inches.

15. A vacuum pump as recited in claim 14 wherein the thickness of said sealing edges is 0.092 inches and said wall thickness is 0.095 inches.

16. A vacuum pump as recited in claim 10 wherein the thickness of said sealing edges is 0.092 inches and said wall thickness is 0.095 inches.