Note: Descriptions are shown in the official language in which they were submitted.
CA 02525819 2006-01-30
-1-
A Removable Cartridge Assembly for a Waterless Urinal
Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a removable cartridge assembly for a
waterless
urinal.
Background of the Invention
Waterless urinals that utilise a one-way valve are known. The valve
automatically opens in the presence of urine, to allow the urine to flow
therethrough to
sewerage, and then automatically closes to prevent the passage of any sewerage
odour to
the room where the waterless urinal is installed. It is also known to mount
the valves in a
removable cartridge assembly that can be fitted to a purpose built urinal or
retro-fitted to
an existing flushing urinal, after the flushing water supply to the latter is
disabled. It is
also known for the cartridge to contain a scent or deodorant block to reduce
the negative
impact of any odours that may become associated with the cartridge due to
having urine
pass therethrough.
A known cartridge assembly has a domed cap which protrudes into the interior
of the urinal bowl, which is not aesthetically pleasing.
A known cartridge assembly also has a scent block contained within a plastic
casing that can be releasably connected to the cartridge assembly. This
results in
unnecessary expense and material wastage as the plastic casing is also
discarded when the
scent block has been depleted.
It is an object of the present invention to substantially overcome or at least
ameliorate one or more of the prior art deficiencies.
Summary of the Invention
Accordingly, in a first aspect, the present invention provides a removable
cartridge assembly for a waterless urinal, the cartridge assembly comprising:
a cup adapted to receive a scent block therein; and
a cap adapted to releasably engage the cup,
CA 02525819 2006-01-30
-2-
wherein, when the cap is engaged with the cup, the scent block is retained in
the
cup and, when the cap is disengaged from the cup, the scent block is removable
from
within the cup, and thus from the cartridge assembly.
The cup preferably has at least one tab adapted to releasably engage at least
one
corresponding opening in the cap.
The cartridge preferably includes a body adapted for sealing connection to an
opening in the waterless urinal. The body preferably has an external thread on
one end
for engaging a retaining nut. The other end of the body preferably has a
distally diverging
taper adapted to receive the cup therein.
The interior of the body preferably has a shoulder adapted to engage with
corresponding recess formed in a flexible one way valve. The cup is preferably
releasably connected to, and supported within the taper by, the valve.
The cap is preferably located spaced apart from the body by a gap through
which
urine can enter the body.
The cap is preferably adapted for removal from the cup, from within the
urinal,
whilst the cartridge assembly is installed in the urinal.
In a second aspect, the present invention provides a waterless urinal
comprising:
a urinal bowl having an interior surface with an outlet opening therein;
a removable cartridge assembly adapted to mount within the opening, the
cartridge assembly having a substantially flat cap,
wherein the cartridge assembly is mounted with the cap substantially parallel
to,
and slightly proud of, the bowl surface adjacent to the outlet opening.
The cap is preferably positioned above the adjacent bowl surface by a gap,
most
preferably approximately a 9 mm gap.
The cap is preferably slightly convex into the interior of the urinal bowl.
CA 02525819 2006-01-30
-3-
The removable cartridge assembly preferably has a scent block holder therein
and the cap is preferably releasably connected to the scent block holder.
In a third aspect, the present invention provides a waterless urinal cartridge
assembly removal and installation tool, the cartridge assembly comprising: a
scent block;
a scent block cup; a cap; and one-way valve, the tool comprising: a first end
adapted for
selective engagement with one or more of the cup, scent block or cap, and the
second end
adapted for selective engagement with the one-way valve.
to Preferably, the first end comprises a set of manually expandable, spring
retractable jaws and the second end comprises a manually slidable, valve
engagement and
ejection device.
Brief description of the drawings
1s Preferred examples of the invention will now be described, by way of
examples
only, with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which:
Fig. 1 is a cross-sectional side view of a waterless urinal according to a
first
embodiment of the invention, having a removable cartridge assembly, according
to a first
embodiment of the invention, therein;
20 Fig. 2 is a side view of the cartridge assembly shown in Fig. 1;
Fig. 3 is a front view of the cartridge assembly shown in Fig. 1;
Fig. 4 is a top view of the of the cartridge assembly shown in Fig. 1;
Fig. 5 is a bottom view of the cartridge assembly shown in Fig. 1;
Fig. 6 is a cross-sectional view of the cartridge assembly shown in Fig. I
along
25 the line 6-6;
Fig. 7 is a cross-sectional view of the cartridge assembly shown in Fig. 1
along
the line 7-7;
Fig. 8 is a side view of a removable cartridge assembly according to a second
embodiment of the invention;
30 Fig. 9 is a cross-sectional side view of the cartridge assembly shown in
Fig. 8
along the line 9-9;
Fig. 10 is a top view of the cartridge assembly shown in Fig. 8;
Fig. 11 is a bottom view of the cartridge assembly shown in Fig. 8.
CA 02525819 2006-01-30
-4-
Fig. 12 is a side view of a removable cartridge assembly according to a third
embodiment of the invention;
Fig. 13 is a cross-sectional side view of the cartridge assembly shown in Fig.
12
along the line 13-13;
Fig. 14 is a top view of the cartridge assembly shown in Fig. 12;
Fig. 15 is a bottom view of the cartridge assembly shown in Fig. 12;
Fig. 16 is a front view of an embodiment of a cartridge assembly removal and
installation tool according to the invention;
Fig. 17 is a side view of the tool shown in Fig. 16;
Fig. 18 is a cross-sectional side view of the tool shown in Fig. 16 along the
line
18-18;
Fig. 19 is a top view of the tool shown in Fig. 16; and
Fig. 20 is a bottom view of the tool shown in Fig. 16.
Detailed description of the preferred embodiment
Referring firstly to Fig. 1, there is shown a first embodiment of a waterless
urinal
10 according to the invention. The urinal 10 has an interior bowl surface 12
with an
outlet opening 14. Fig. 1 also shows a first embodiment of a removable
cartridge
assembly 16 according to the invention. The cartridge assembly 16 is mounted
within the
opening 14 and connected to mains sewerage by pipes 18.
The cartridge assembly 16 is best shown in Figs. 2 to 7 and has a generally
cylindrical plastic body 20. The body 20 has external threads 22 on one end
and a distally
diverging taper 24 on the other end. The taper 24 terminates in a flange 26
which is
adapted, upon installation, to seal against the outlet opening 14 in the
urinal's interior
surface 12. The cartridge assembly 16 is inserted through the outlet opening
14 from the
urinal's interior and is retained by tightening a nut 28 along the thread 22
until it engages
with the lower edge 14a of the outlet opening 14.
A rubber one-way valve 30 is positioned within the body 20 by an external
flange 34 thereon locating against an internal shoulder 36 on the interior of
the body 20.
The valve 30 is of the type previously described and has flexible walls 38
(see Fig. 7)
which expand and separate to allow urine to pass downwardly therethrough and
then
CA 02525819 2012-03-01
-5-
automatically close to the position shown in Fig. 7 to prevent odour from
passing upwardly
therethrough.
The top of the valve 30 has four locating arms 40 which are adapted to snap
engage with a
plastic cup 42. The cup 42 is adapted to receive a scent or deodorising block
44 therein. A
shallowly curved, plastic cap 46 is releasably connected to the cup 42 by tabs
48 on the cup 42
which engage with corresponding openings 50 in the cap 46. The cap 46 can be
removed from the
cup 42 by pressing the tabs 48 inwardly away from the openings 50. The
operation of the tabs 48
make the cartridge assembly 16 resistant to unauthorised disassembly (e.g. by
vandals), as will be
described in more detail below, making it suitable for public applications.
The cap 46 is positioned so as to leave about a 9 mm high gap 52 between the
bottom of
the cap 46 and the top of the flange 26. In use, urine flows along the bowl
surface 12 into the gap
52, through the cartridge assembly 16 and through the valve 32 to mains
sewerage via the pipes
18. The gap 52 also allows pleasant odours from the scent block 44 to pass
into the room in
which the urinal 10 is installed.
The cartridge and urinal described above have several advantages. Firstly, the
cartridge is
very easy to install and use. It is also very easy to install, remove, or
replace the scent block 44,
and without requiring disassembly of the cartridge 16 from the urinal 10.
Secondly, the mounting
of the slightly convexly curved (almost flat) cap 46 only slightly protruding
from the adjacent
interior surface 12 of the urinal 10 provides an aesthetically pleasing,
unobtrusive visual
appearance to the cartridge assembly 14 and the urinal 10, as the cap appears
to follow the
contours of the bowl interior. This is particularly apparent when viewed from
almost directly
above, which is the point of view of most users of the urinal 10.
Figs. 16 to 20 show an embodiment of a cartridge assembly removal and
installation of a
tool 60 according to the installation. The tool 60 has a handle 61, a first
end 62, adapted for
selective engagement with the cup 42, and the cap 46, and a second end 64,
adapted for selective
engagement with the one-way valve 30.
CA 02525819 2012-03-01
-6-
The first end 62 of the tool 60 has a moveable jaw 66 and a fixed jaw 68. The
movable
jaw 66 is connected to button 70 and, as best shown in Fig. 18, depression of
the button 70
towards the tool body 61, as indicated by arrow 72, causes the movable jaw 66
to move away
from the tool body 61, as indicated by arrow 74, to increase the distance
between the jaws 66 and
68. The tool 60 also includes a spring 76 which biases the jaws 66, 68 towards
the (minimum
opening) position shown in Figs. 16 to 20 in the absence of pressure on the
button 70.
In use, a user depresses the button 70 to widen the gap between the jaws 66,
68. This
allows the jaws 66, 68 to be passed over the top of the cap 46 and into the
gap 42. When pressure
on the button 70 is released, the jaws 66, 68 move inwardly and contact the
tabs 48 and move the
tabs 48 inwardly and away from engagement in the openings 50, which frees the
cap 46 from
engagement with the cup 42. The cap 46 is also gripped by the jaws 66, 68 and
can then be lifted
free of the cartridge assembly 16.
A similar procedure to that described above can also be used to grip and
remove the cup
42 from the cartridge assembly 16.
A reverse of the above procedures can be used to reinstall a fresh cup 42 and
scent block
44 and also reinstall the cap 46.
The second end 64 of the tool 60 includes an end formation 176 which is
adapted to
engage with the interior of the flange 34 associated with the one-way valve
30. The end formation
176 also includes a gripping part 78, which may be slid in the direction of
double-headed arrow
80, relative to an internal formation 82.
In use, the gripping part 78 is slid away from the first end 62. The end
formation 176 is
then pressed into engagement with the one-way valve 30. Withdrawing the tool
60 away from the
cartridge assembly 16 results in the removal of the valve 30 from the
cartridge assembly 16. The
gripping part 78 is then slid back towards the first end 62 which causes the
internal formation 82
to abut the valve 30 and force it out of engagement with the end formation
176, for disposal.
CA 02525819 2006-01-30
-7-
A reverse of this procedure can be used to install a replacement one-way valve
30 into the cartridge assembly 16.
It should be noted that the tool 60 allows the cap 56, cup 42, scent block 44
and
one-way valve 30 to be removed and/or replaced in the cartridge assembly 16
without
requiring human contact with these, or any other, components of the cartridge
assembly
16. This is advantageous from a hygiene perspective.
Figs. 8 to 11 show a second embodiment of a removable cartridge assembly 16'
according to the invention. The cartridge assembly 16' is similar to that
shown in Figs. 1
to 7 and like reference numerals are used to denote like features with the
first
embodiment. However, the cap 46 of the cartridge assembly 16' is formed from
Vitreous
China and does not snap engage with the cup 42 like the first embodiment.
Instead, the
cap 46 merely sits on top of the cup 42 and is retained in the position shown
in the
drawings by its own mass. As a result, the cartridge assembly 16 is suited for
home or
other non-public applications.
Figs. 12 to 15 show a third embodiment of a removable cartridge assembly 16"
according to the invention. The cartridge assembly 16" is similar to that
shown in Figs. 1
to 7 and like reference numerals are used to denote like features with the
first
embodiment. The cartridge assembly 16" has a cap 46 which is releasably
connected to
the cup 42 by the tabs 48 which engage with corresponding openings 50 in the
underside
of the cap 46. As a result, and similar to the first embodiment of cartridge
assembly 16,
the cartridge assembly 16" also requires use of the tool 60 for removal of the
cap 56 and
access to the scent block 44 and is also therefore vandal resistant and thus
suited for use
in public applications.
Although the invention has been described with reference to specific examples,
it
will be appreciated by those skilled in the art that the invention may be
embodied in many
other forms.
