Note: Descriptions are shown in the official language in which they were submitted.
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This invention relates generally to flush toilets, and
has to do particularly with an accessory which may be applied
to flush toilets incorporating valve-closed outlets, and
which will reduce or restrict the amount of water required
per flush.
Many flush toilet designs, particuarly on the North
American continent, have traditionally provided for a
flushing operation in which, most of the time, consider-
ably more water than the minimum necessary is utilized
to evacuate the toilet bowl. This traditional design
stems from an era in which water was readily and cheaply
available.
Currently, however, certain densely populated areas
and municipalities are experiencing shortages or curtail-
ment of the water supply, accompanied by rising costs of
supplying water, and it would be of advantage to provide
some instrumentality by which new and exsiting flush toilets
may be adapted to use a smaller amount of water to evacuate
the toilet bowl.
Despite the desirability of utilizing a smaller amount
of water to evacuate the toilet bowl, however, it is none-
theless of advantage to be able to employ the standard or
full head of water for the flushing action which is provided
by the original or traditional design of the reser~oir tank.
~y utilizing the traditional full head of water in the
reservoir tank, a strong and vigorous flushing action can
be attained.
This invention addresses itself to the foregoing ;
disadvantages of conventional flush toilet design.
More specifically, this invention is directed to
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the provision of an attachment which may be applied to
a particular kind of flush assembly currently in use,
namely that illustrated and described in U.S. Patent
2,773,268, issued December 11, 1956 to B. ~urko et al.
There are a variety of presently employed
configurations for the Hurko valve assembly, and it is
an aspect of this invention to provide an attachment
which adapts readily to several different configurations.
It is a further aspect of this invention to provide
an attachment allowing the saving of water, the construc-
tion of the attachment being such that the amount of
! water saved per flush may be selected by the user.
Accordingly, this invention provides, for use with
a flush toilet mechanism having a valve member adapted to open
and close a flush tank water outlet, and a cylindrical float
~ member disposed with its axis horizontal, the valve member
J and the float member being fixed with respect to each
other and being swingable about a horizontal axis parallel
r. with the cylinder axis and spaced from both said members,
the cylindrical float member being supported by a plate member
parallel with the cylinder axis and having edges spaced
' inward from the ends of the cylindrical float member, an
attachment for effecting a saving of water used in flushing,
~ the attachment comprising: upwardly open receptacle means
: pivotally mounted on a frame element and adapted to be selec-
tively set at a plurality of different orientations with
respect to the frame element, and means for attaching the
frame element to the flush toilet mechanism such that the
vertical location of the frame element with respect to the
flush toilet mechanism can be selectively adjusted.
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One embodiment of the attachment of this invention
is illustrated in t]e accompanying drawings, in which
like numerals denote like parts throughout the several
views, and in which:
: Figure 1 is a perspective view of the Hurko-type
valve assembly to which the attachment of this invention
has been applied;
Figure 2 is a sectional view taken at the line 2-2
in Figure l;
Figure 3 is a partly broken-away view, to a larger
scale, of one of the components of the attachment of this
invention; and
Figures 4 and 5 are elevational and partly sec-
tional views of the apparatus in Figure 1, at different
stages during a single flushing procedure.
Attention is directed to Figure 1 which shows
a conventional flushing assembly, namely that described in
the Hurko U.S. Patent No. 2,773,268, to which the attach- -
ment of this invention has been applied.
The conventional arrangement will be referred to
i as the ~urko assembly hereinafter, and in Figure 1 this ~ :
¦ is seen to include an outlet fixture 10, an upstanding
support element 12 integral with the fixture 10, a rocker
arm 14 pivotally mounted with respect to the upper end
of the support element 12, a cylindrical reservoir member
16 fixed to the rocker arm 14 with its cylindrical axis
. parallel with the plane in which the rocker arm 14 pivots,
and a cylindrical float member 18 also fixed with respect
to the rocker arm, the cylindrical float member 18 having
. 30 its cylindrical axis transverse to the plane in which the
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rocker arm 14 pivots. The rocker arm 14 also supports a
valve member 20 which is adapted to close the opening 21
de~in~d by the fixture 10.
As can be seen particularly in Figures 4 and 5,
the fixture 10 has an intermediate, outwardly-extending
ledge 23, and is integral with a downwardly projecting
threaded pipe portion 24. A wedge-shaped sealing member
26 is provided at the top of the pipe portion 24 and is
adapted to cooperate with an opening in the
bottom 28 of a porcelain flush tank of the usual variety.
A plastic nut 30 is-adapted to thread onto the pipe portion
to secure the entire assembly in place inside a flush tank,
and simultaneously to put compressive pressure on the
sealing member 26 so that a proper water-tight seal may be
effected with the bottom wall 28 of the flush tank.
Returning to Figure 1, the reservoir member 16 has
an open top end 25 and a closed bottom end except for a
small aperture (not seen in the Figures), which allows
water initially collected in the reservoir member gradually
to leak out. By contrast, the float member 18 is hollow
and is entirely sealed so that no water can enter it.
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The reservoir member 16 has a chain 33 attached to
it as shown at upper left in Figure 1. When an upward
pull is exerted on the chain 33 by the usual lever-arm
arrangement mounted on the tank wall (not shown), upward
force is exerted at the top of the reservoir member 16, which
causes the rocker arm 14 to rotate in the counter-clockwise
direction thus lifting the valve member 20 off the opening
21 and allowing water to flow out of the flush tank.
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Also shown in Figure 1 is the usual standpipe 34,
which in the Hurko assembly is provided along with the
remaining parts as a single unit.
The cylindrical float member 18 is supported by a
plate member 36 which lies parallel with the cylinder axis
and which has side edges 38 which are spaced inwardly from
. the ends 40 of the cylindrical float member 18. Each edge
38 of the plate member 36 has anupper portion at right- :~
angles to the axis of the cylindrical float member 18 (this :
being seen in the nearer side edge in Figure 1), and a
lower portion which diverges downwardly and outwardly to
meet the surface of the cylindrical float member 18 (this
being seen in the far edge in Figure 1). In Figure 2
the outwardly diverging portions of the edges 38 are
: identified as 38'.
The attachment of this invention includes an
upwardly open receptacle means generally shown at the
numeral 42, which is pivotally mounted with respect to a
frame element 44 and is adapted to be selectively set at
a plurality of different orientations with respect to the
frame element 44. More specifically, the frame element
44 is elongated parallel to the axis of the cylindrical
. float member 18, and as best seen in Figure 3, has two
downwardly projecting finger members 46 and 47, each of
- which has at its lower end a protuberance 49 the purpose
of which will subsequently be described.
' At an intermediate location on each of the finger
members 46 and 47 there is an outwardly projecting pin
51 (only one pin 51 being visible in Figure 3). The
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, ' 30 frame member 44 has two upwardly projecting integral journal
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portions 53 which receive the ends of rod-like support
members 55. The rod-like support members 55 are not
intended to rotate with respect to the journal portions
53, and indeed could be manufactured integrally with the
frame member 4q if manufacturing techniques permitted.
In a preferred method of assembly, these portions are
made separately, and then the support members 55 are
inserted into the journal portions 53 with a tight
or snap fit.
10The rod-like support members 55 are part of means
for attaching the frame element 44 to the flush toilet
mechanism described earlier, and in particular to $he
cylindrical float member 18, in such a way that the
vertical location of the frame element 44 with respect to
the flush toilet mechanism can be selectively adjusted.
To accomplish the selective adjustment of the vertical
position, there are provided two penannular hoop members -
57 which are adapted to partially encircle the cylindrical
float member 18 adjacent either edge of the plate member
36. Each hoop member 57 has registry means for inter-
acting with the plate member 36 to define a plurality of
selectable positions of the hoop members 57 with respect
to the plate member 36. More particularly, the registry
means is constituted by a plurality of lugs 58 which
extend laterally inwardly from the hoop members 57. As
seen in Figure 2, each hoop member 57 supports five lugs
which extend to either side of the particular hoop member
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57. The lugs 58 have lower or inner surfaces which lie
on the same cy].indrical surface as the inner surface of
the hoop members 57, and therefore bear inwardly against
the cylindrical float member 18. Each hoop member 57 has
- a T-shaped cross section which is inverted so that the
cross bar of the "T" li.es flat against the cylindrical
surface of the float member18, and the stem of the "T"
extends upwardly away from the surface. The stem is
identified in Figure 2 by the numeral 60, while the
cross bar of the "T" is identified by the numeral 61.
The lugs 58 extend to either side of each hoop
member so that they apply against the surface of the
float member 18 o~7er 2 greater width, thus contributing
to the stability of the hoop member attachment.
As can be particularly well seen in Figure 2, each ~`
adjacent pair of lugs 58 is spaced apart by a distance
which is substantially the same as the thickness of the
plate member 36. This allows the lower edge of the plate
member 36, where it contacts the surface of the float
member 18, to be received between an adjacent pair of
lugs 58, thereby determining the rotational position of
the hoop members 57 with respect to the float member 18.
The hoop members, although resilient, can be distorted quite
easily by the fingers to allow the plate member 36 to be
inserted between other pairs of the lugs 58.
The support members 55 extend integrally outward
. , from the hoop members 57, as best seen in Figure 1, and thus
. ~ once the lugs 58 have closed around the plate member 36
. in a particular position, the location of the frame member
44 with respect to the cylindrical float member 18 is
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definitely determin~d.
As particularly well seen in Figures 1 and 3,
the receptacle means which cooperates with the frame
member 44 is constituted by a semi-cylindrical trough
64 with semi-circular end walls 65, 66. Each end wall
65, 66 has an upwardly extending integral tab 67 which
defines an aperture located substantially at the centre
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of curvature of the semi-cylindrical trough 64, the
pins 51 being received in these apertures. The two
finger members 46 and 47 project to the inside of the
respective end walls 65 and 66, and are made such that
the protuberances at the bottoms of the fingers bear
outwardly against the lower part of each of the end
walls 65 and 66. Each end wall has, bordering its
lower inner margin, a plurality of spaced-apart ribs
68 which provide intermediate recesses in any one of
which the respective protuberance can lodge. This allows
~; the angulation of the semi-cylindrical trough 64 with
respect to the frame member 44 to be adjusted.
The operation of the device may be visualized by
referring to Figures 4 and 5.
Prior to the flushing of the flush tank, the water
level may be that shown by the dashed line 70 in Figure 4.
The main apparatus would not be in the position of Figure
4 prior to the flush, but would be rotated in the clockwise
~ direction so that the valve 20 were in sealed relationship
; with the opening fixture 10.
Upon initiation of the flush, the portions affixed
to the rocker arm 14 would be rotated in the counter-
clockwise direction to the position shown in Figure 4, and
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water would begin to exit through the opening fixture 10.
As can be seen in Figure 4, the setting of the
trough 64 is such that, when the remainder of the apparatus
is in the position of Figure 4, the trough is oriented to
hold the most amount of water. As the water level in the
tank moves downwardly down past the trough 64 to about the
position shown by the solid line 72, the additional weight
of the water in the trough 64 will exert a clockwise closing
torque on the remainder of the apparatus secured to the
rocker arm 14, and the valve member 20 will begin to move
downwardly toward the opening fixture 10. As is well known,
as soon as the valve member 20 approaches closer than a
certain threshold point to the opening fixture 10, the
differential water pressure above and below the valve 20
due to the movement of the water will add even more
closing torque and the valve will snap suddenly into a
closed position.
Figure 5 shows the valve 20 in the last split
second before closing, and it will be noted that the water
level 74 is still well above the location of the outlet
fixture 10.
The provision of the adjustability feature for the
hoop members 57 and for the trough 64 is made to allow the
user to select the amount of water retained by the trough
64 and thus the extent of the closing torque applied by the ~:
: retained water, and also to permit the attachment provided
herein to be affixed to differing models of the basic :~
~ conventional apparatus which is seen in Figure 1. In the
different models, the exact position of the support plate
36 with respect to the remaining parts of the apparatus
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can change, and thi.s is one of the reasons for the provision
of multiple setting positions of the hoop members 57 with
respect to the cylindrical float member 18. For any one
model of the conventional apparatus, the provision of the
hoop member adjustability will also allow a certain
additional control over the timing of the closure of the
valve 20.
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