System for encouraging good personal hygiene in toilet facilities

• US 7,461,418 B2
• Filed: 02/21/2006
• Issued: 12/09/2008
• Est. Priority Date: 02/25/2005
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Vlahos Enterprises Inc.
• Original Assignee: Vlahos Enterprises Inc.
• Inventors: Vlahos, Gustav, Jones, Robert B.
• Primary Examiner(s): Phillips; Charles E
• Application Number:
  US11/358,551
• Publication Number:
  US 20060191068A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,022 Days
• Field of Search: 4300-305, 431/4, 466/1, 490/2, 340/573.1, 434/262
• US Class Current: 4/661
• CPC Class Codes: E03D 3/02 Self-closing flushing valves self-closing valves in general F16K21/04
• CPC Class Codes: G08B 21/245 Reminder of hygiene compliance policies, e.g. of washing hands

Abstract

A system encouraging users to cleanse their hands after use of a tankless toilet having a flush valve controlling the flow of water into a toilet bowl through a conduit, in which an abrupt temperature change in the conduit is used to trigger a recorded message urging the user to wash his or her hands.

Claims

1. A system encouraging users to cleanse their hands after use of a tankless toilet having a flush valve controlling the flow of water through a conduit into the toilet bowl, comprising:

a sensor detecting the temperature of the conduit wall;

means for interrogating said sensor at selected intervals;

means for comparing the conduit wall temperature at the beginning of an interval with that at a succeeding interval;

means detecting the rate of change of the conduit wall temperature; and

means triggering a recorded announcement urging the toilet user to wash his or her hands upon detection of a preselected rate of change of the conduit wall temperature.

2. The system of claim 1 wherein the conduit wall temperature decreases upon opening of the flush valve.

3. The system of claim 1 wherein the conduit wall temperature increases upon opening of the flush valve.

4. The system of claim 1 wherein the preselected rate of change of the conduit wall temperature is at least about 0.2°

F. in 30 seconds.

5. A method of encouraging toilet users to wash their hands after flushing a tankless toilet having a flushing means for controlling flow of water through a conduit into the toilet bowl comprising:

sensing a temperature of the wall of the conduit downstream of the flushing means at preselected intervals of time;

detecting the rate of change of said temperature between said intervals; and

triggering a recorded announcement urging the user to wash his or her hands when the detected rate of change of said temperature is greater than a preselected value.

6. The method of claim 5 wherein said preselected value is at least about 0.2°

F. in 30 seconds.