Note: Descriptions are shown in the official language in which they were submitted.
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ADAPTOR FOR VENTILATED TOILET
TECHNICAL FIELD
[0001] The present technology relates generally to toilets
and, in particular, to ventilated toilets.
BACKGROUND
[0002] Flush toilets use water to dispose of human waste
through a drain pipe into a sewer system. Exhausting
malodorous air from a toilet is typically done using a
ceiling-mounted fan. However, this is inefficient as the
malodorous air must be drawn upwardly from the toilet to the
fan on the ceiling. In recognition of this problem, a number
of ventilated toilets have been developed for evacuating
malodorous air in a more efficient manner. Generally, there
are three types of ventilated toilets. A first type of
ventilated toilet uses a filter or air scrubber to deodorize
the malodorous air. The main disadvantages of this first type
of ventilated toilet is that the filter or scrubber must be
regularly replaced and that the deodorization effect may be
ineffectual. A second type of ventilated toilet draws the
malodorous air into the drain pipe and sewer. However, this
can lead to back pressure especially in a septic system.
Furthermore, if air is forced through the drain pipe and into
the sewer, there would be no p-trap; as a consequence, there
is no way to ensure that there is no back-drafting of sewage
water. A third type of ventilated toilet uses a ventilation
conduit to exhaust the malodorous air from the toilet. This
requires retrofitting of after-market components. The present
invention is an improvement on this third type of ventilated
toilets. Although a number of different designs of ventilated
toilets exist, they are typically complex and/or inefficient.
Accordingly, a need remains for an improved ventilated toilet.
There is also a need for a means to easily retrofit a standard
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toilet to convert the toilet into a ventilated toilet capable
of efficient evacuating malodorous air.
SUMMARY
gam In general, the present invention provides an adaptor
to retrofit a toilet to convert the toilet into a ventilated
toilet.
[0004] An aspect of the present invention is a fan adaptor
for retrofitting a toilet to convert the toilet into a
ventilated toilet. The adaptor has an adaptor body adapted to
be disposed between a rear portion of a toilet bowl and a
holding tank. The adaptor also has a flush valve subassembly
having a drain and an upright pipe adapted to extend into the
holding tank, the upright pipe being adapted to convey water
from the holding tank to the drain. The adaptor further
includes an air exhaust pipe in fluid communication with the
drain to enable malodorous air from the toilet bowl to be
drawn through the air exhaust pipe.
[0005] The details and particulars of these aspects of the
invention will now be described below, by way of example, with
reference to the attached drawings.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
[0006] Further features and advantages of the present
technology will become apparent from the following detailed
description, taken in combination with the appended drawings,
in which:
[0007] FIG. 1A is a perspective view of a ventilated toilet
in accordance with an embodiment of the present invention;
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[0008] FIG. 1B is a perspective view of a ventilated toilet
in accordance with another embodiment of the present
invention;
[0009] FIG. 2 is a side cross-sectional view showing a
vertical ventilation pipe in a bathroom wall space connected
to a ventilated toilet in accordance with embodiments of the
present invention;
[0010] FIG. 3 is a side cross-sectional view showing a right-
angled ventilation pipe in a bathroom wall space and ceiling
space connected to a ventilated toilet in accordance with
embodiments of the present invention;
V011] FIG. 4 is a partial cutaway view of a modified toilet
bowl having a rear aperture and a removable plug that can be
removed to enable connection of the toilet bowl to a
ventilation pipe;
[0012] FIG. 5a is a side elevation view of a ventilated
toilet that has been retrofitted with a toilet fan adaptor in
accordance with another embodiment of the present invention;
[0013] FIG. 5b is a front elevation view of the ventilated
toilet retrofitted with the toilet fan adaptor;
[0014] FIG. 6 is a perspective view of the toilet fan
adaptor;
[0015] FIG. 7 is a cross-sectional view of the toilet fan
adaptor between a standard toilet tank and toilet bowl, the
cross-sectional view being taken through section 7-7 in FIG.
5a;
[0016] FIG. 8 is a cross-sectional view of the toilet fan
adaptor between the toilet tank and toilet bowl, the cross-
sectional view being taken through section 8-8 in FIG. 5b;
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[0017] FIG. 9 is a side elevation view of the ventilated
toilet retrofitted with the adaptor and connected to a first
type of exhaust fan; and
[0018] FIG. 10 is a side elevation view of the ventilated
toilet retrofitted with the adaptor and connected to a second
type of exhaust fan.
[0019] It will be noted that throughout the appended
drawings, like features are identified by like reference
numerals.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION
[0020] In general, the present invention provides a
ventilated toilet that uses a motion-sensitive switch mounted
to one movable element of the flush and refill mechanism in
order to control an air ventilation fan. The motion-sensitive
switch can be used to deactivate the fan when water is
discharged through a water feed conduit from the holding tank
into the toilet bowl. The conduit thus only conveys water
when the toilet is flushed. At all other times, the conduit is
filled with air. In other words, the conduit provides a
temporary passageway through which malodorous air may pass.
The malodorous air may pass through the conduit either (i)
before the water is discharged from the holding tank through
the conduit into the bowl or (ii) after the water has been
discharged through the conduit into the bowl. The ventilated
toilet makes use of this water feed conduit to draw malodorous
air back through the holes in the rim of the toilet bowl and
through this same conduit to an air outlet that is formed in
the rear wall of the toilet bowl. The motion-sensitive switch
ingeniously deactivates the fan (and thus the rearward suction
of air) when the toilet is flushed, i.e. when water flows
through the conduit. At all other times, the fan may operate
to draw malodorous air from the toilet bowl through the
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conduit and the novel air outlet formed in the back of the
toilet bowl.
[0021] As shown in FIG. 1A and FIG. 1B, a ventilated toilet
comprises a toilet bowl 12 having at least one hole 14
disposed around a rim 16 of the toilet bowl for discharging
water into the toilet bowl. The ventilated toilet also
comprises a holding tank 18 for containing a volume of water
sufficient to cause the toilet to flush when the volume of
water is discharged into the toilet bowl. The ventilated
toilet also includes a flush mechanism 20 for flushing the
toilet, the flush mechanism controlling a flush valve 22 that
covers a drain 24 in a bottom 26 of the holding tank. The
flush mechanism may include, for example, a handle or flush
lever 21 connected via a chain 21a to a flapper 23 (or
"plunger"). Other flush mechanisms can be substituted. The
ventilated toilet 10 further includes a refill mechanism 28
for refilling the holding tank after it has been emptied. The
refill mechanism may include a refill valve 29, a float arm 34
and a float 31 or "floating ball" or "floating bulb"). The
ventilated toilet further comprises a water feed conduit 30
(shown in FIG. 2) connecting the drain 24 to the hole(s) 14
disposed around the rim 16 of the toilet bowl 12. A motion-
sensitive switch 32 (e.g. a mercury switch or equivalent) is
connected to a movable portion of either the refill mechanism
(such as the float arm 34 as shown in FIG. 1A) or to a movable
portion of the flush mechanism (such as the flapper 23 as
shown in FIG. 1B). This motion-sensitive switch 32 controls
an air ventilation fan 36. When operating, the fan 36 draws
malodorous air from the toilet bowl through the flush holes 14
and the conduit 30. The fan draws the malodorous air out of
the toilet through an air outlet 38 which may be formed in the
rear wall of toilet bowl. The motion-sensitive switch
temporarily deactivates this fan to enable water to flow
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through the water feed conduit from the holding tank into the
toilet bowl through a plurality of holes disposed around the
rim of the bowl. When the water has passed through the
conduit, the fan is reactivated to resume drawing air through
the conduit into the ventilation duct. In other words, when
air is being drawn or sucked from the toilet bowl, this air
enters the holes around the rim of the bowl, travels through
the substantially horizontal water feed conduit, and then out
the rear aperture (air outlet 38) in the back wall of the
toilet. Typically, the air is then drawn through one or more
ventilation ducts 40, 42 in the wall and/or ceiling spaces.
[0022] FIG. 1A shows a first embodiment in which the motion-
sensitive switch 32 is connected or attached to, or otherwise
disposed on, an arm of a float, i.e. the float arm 34 which
serves as the movable portion of the refill mechanism 28. For
clarity, the float arm 34 extends between the refill valve 29
and the floating bulb 31. When the toilet is flushed, the
float arm moves, thus triggering the motion-sensitive switch.
The motion-sensitive switch cuts out the fan to allow water to
pass through the water feed conduit. Once the volume of water
from the holding tank has passed through this conduit, the
switch moves back to its original (starting) position to thus
reactivate the fan. Optionally, a delay circuit or timing
circuit (or a delay mechanism) may be used to delay
reactivation of the fan after a predetermined period of time
after the switch is triggered or after a predetermined period
of time after the switch has returned to its original,
starting position.
[0023] FIG. 1B shows a second embodiment in which the motion-
sensitive switch 32 is connected or attached to, or otherwise
disposed on, a flapper 23 (also known as a flap or a plunger)
that is the pivoting part of the drain valve 22. It is
preferred to locate the switch 32 on the flapper 23 rather
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than locating the switch 32 on the float arm 34 since the
flapper provides greater motion sensitivity and more directly
indicates whether water is transiting the conduit.
VION As will be appreciated, other mechanisms,
configurations or arrangements may be implemented for
triggering the motion-sensitive switch. It should be
understood that any suitable motion-sensitive switch may be
connected to any component of the toilet that moves in
response to flushing such as, for example, the handle (hand-
operated flush lever), the lever that actuates the chain, the
chain, the flapper, etc. Mechanisms can be devised to exploit
the motion of any of these components to trigger the switch to
deactivate the fan. In each of these alternative cases, the
switch temporarily deactivates the fan while water flows
through the water feed conduit and then reactivates the fan to
draw air through this same conduit.
V025] FIG. 2 is a side cross-sectional view showing a
vertical ventilation duct 40 in a bathroom wall space
connected to a ventilated toilet in accordance with
embodiments of the present invention. In this example
configuration, a fan may be disposed in a wall space or
elsewhere to draw malodorous air from the ventilated toilet.
Alternatively, the fan may be disposed between the air outlet
at the rear of the toilet and the wall. In one embodiment,
the fan may be wired into the wall switch circuit so that the
wall switch acts as a master switch. On entering the
bathroom, the user would turn on the wall switch to activate
the fan. When the toilet is flushed, the motion-sensitive
switch temporarily deactivates the fan. Once the motion-
sensitive switch moves back to its original position, the fan
reactivates. On leaving the bathroom, the user turns off the
wall switch to shut off the fan.
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U026] FIG. 3 is a side cross-sectional view showing a right-
angled ventilation duct in a bathroom wall space and ceiling
space connected to a ventilated toilet in accordance with
embodiments of the present invention. Malodorous air is drawn
through ducts 40, 42 in this example. In this example
configuration, a ceiling fan 44 draws air from the room in a
conventional manner but also the effect of drawing some air
through the air ventilation ducts 40, 42 leading from the
ventilated toilet 10. An air flap valve 46 in the duct 42
should be provided to ensure that air sucked into the ceiling
fan is not directed back down the duct 40 leading into the
ventilated toilet. The suction power of the ceiling fan 44,
however, is typically insufficient to effectively draw the
malodorous air from the toilet. Accordingly, it is preferable
to provide an additional fan 36 to draw malodorous air from
the toilet 10 and to convey this malodorous air through the
exhaust/ventilation ducts 40, 42 to the outdoors. A second
flap valve 48 can be provided to ensure that malodorous air
drawn through the ducts 40, 42 does not return into the
bathroom through the ceiling fan (in cases where the ceiling
fan is not also operating simultaneously with the fan 36).
[0027] FIG. 4 is a partial cutaway view of a modified toilet
bowl having a rear aperture defining an air outlet 38 and a
removable plug 50 that can be removed to enable the ventilated
toilet to be connected to the ventilation duct 40. The
removable plug may be made of a plastic/polymer or other
suitable material. The plug 50 may be installed using a
gasket or other sealing element to ensure a hermetic fluid-
tight seal. The plug may be connected into the rear aperture
of the toilet using a press-fit or threads, for example. The
plug enables the toilet to function conventionally if it is
not connected to the ventilation duct for whatever reason.
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[0028] In one embodiment, as illustrated by way of example in
FIG. 4, the air outlet (rear aperture) 38 is disposed in the
rear wall of the toilet bowl in substantial horizontal
alignment with the conduit (water feed conduit 30). This
simplifies construction and facilitates evacuation of
malodorous air straight through the conduit into the
ventilation duct.
[0029] The toilet bowl can be made of porcelain or other
suitable ceramic material. A pivoting toilet seat and toilet
seat cover are typically mounted to the toilet bowl in a known
manner. The toilet seat and toilet seat cover are typically
made of a plastic, for example, PVC, ABS or any other suitable
polymer.
[0030] Another embodiment of this invention is an adaptor for
retrofitting a standard flush toilet to enable efficient
evacuation of malodorous air through this adaptor. This
adaptor can be inserted between the toilet bowl and the tank
as will be elaborated below with regard to FIG. 5a to FIG. 10.
[0031] FIG. 5a and FIG. 5b depict an adaptor 50 disposed
between a standard toilet bowl 12 and a standard holding tank
18. The adaptor has the effect of raising the holding tank
18, as shown, but the tank and bowl remain operatively
connected so that water from the holding tank can be
discharged into the bowl to flush out the bowl in the usual
manner. Just like the ventilated toilet depicted in FIG. 1 to
FIG. 4, malodorous air can be drawn from the toilet bowl
through an air exhaust (or air exhaust pipe or outlet).
[0032] The structure of the adaptor 50 is depicted by way of
example in FIG. 6. In general, the adaptor 50 includes a body
52. This body may be solid, or partially hollow as shown. In
the embodiment depicted in FIG. 6, the body 52 has an internal
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lattice or web structure to structurally support the holding
tank 18. As such, the adaptor body is adapted to be disposed
between a rear portion 12a of the toilet bowl 12 and the
holding tank 18.
[0033] Fasteners 52 and 54 are provided to affix the tank 18
to the bowl 12. These fasteners 52, 54 are longer than the
fasteners that are typically employed for connecting the tank
to the bowl because these must also traverse the width of the
adaptor 50. In the particular embodiment depicted in FIG. 6,
the adaptor 50 includes a water conduit or passageway defining
a drain 56 that is in fluid communication with an upright pipe
58 adapted to extend into the holding tank 18. The upright
pipe is adapted to convey water from the holding tank to the
drain. The drain 56 and pipe 58 together form a flush valve
subassembly that is, in this exemplary embodiment, integrated
into the adaptor 50.
[0034] FIG. 6 shows the sloped (angled) or "bevelled" drain
56 for interacting with a standard flapper for opening and
closing the drain. As further depicted in FIG. 6, the adaptor
50 includes an air exhaust pipe 60 through which malodorous
air may be drawn by a fan in a manner identical (or at least
highly similar) to the technique described above. The air
exhaust pipe is in fluid communication with the drain to
enable malodorous air from the toilet bowl to be drawn through
the air exhaust pipe.
N019 As depicted in the specific embodiment shown in FIG.
6, the latticework or webbing inside the body 52 of the
adaptor 50 provides a substantially flat underside and a
substantially flat top side so that the holding tank rests
stably on the top of the adaptor and so that the adaptor rests
stably on the top of the rear portion 12a of the toilet bowl.
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[0036] In the best mode known to the inventors of
implementing this invention, this adaptor 50 may be made of
SLA polycarbonate or any other equivalent or similar material.
As will be appreciated, any other material that provides the
requisite strength, durability, and resistance to corrosion
and which permits the component to be manufactured
inexpensively may be substituted.
[0037] FIG. 7 is a cross-sectional view of the toilet fan
adaptor 50 installed between a standard toilet tank 18 and a
standard toilet bowl 12. The cross-sectional view is taken
through section 7-7 in FIG. 5a. In the particular embodiment
depicted by way of example in FIG. 7, the adaptor 50 includes
(as introduced above) a pair of fasteners 52 and 54 for
fastening the tank 18 to the bowl 12. These fasteners extend
through the body 52 of the adaptor 50. These fasteners may
be, for example, hex bolts although other types of fasteners
may be used. Wing nuts 55 engage the bolts 52, 54 as shown in
FIG. 7. As further shown by way of example in this figure,
washer and foam disk gaskets 53 may be provided under the
heads of the bolts 52, 54 and may also be provided above the
wing nuts 55. In addition, as shown by way of example in FIG.
7, the adaptor 50 may include nuts 57 (e.g. hex nuts or other
types of nuts) under the bottom of the tank 18. Elastomeric
pads 62 may be provided as shown in FIG. 7. Furthermore, as
shown by way of example in FIG. 7, standard toilet tank-to-
bowl gaskets 64 may be provided to provide a watertight seal.
These gaskets may be compressed in an interference fit to
provide a proper seal.
[0038] FIG. 8 is a cross-sectional view of the adaptor 50
installed between the toilet tank and toilet bowl as
introduced in FIG. 7. However, the cross-sectional view for
FIG. 8 is taken through section 8-8 in FIG. 5b. This figure
shows the air exhaust pipe 60 extending outwardly from the
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adaptor body 52. This air exhaust pipe 60 communicates with
the bowl 12 so that malodorous air may be drawn from the bowl
through the air exhaust pipe 60. This cross-sectional view
shows how the bottom end of the wall 56a of the drain 56
extends downwardly at least partially beyond the aperture
leading to the air exhaust pipe 60. This prevents water
discharging through the drain 56 from flowing accidentally up
the air exhaust pipe 60. The air exhaust pipe 60 also has an
upwardly sloped inlet portion 60a that inhibits water from
flowing up into the air exhaust pipe 60.
[0039] Once the adaptor is installed to retrofit a standard
toilet (and thus convert it into a ventilated toilet), the air
exhaust pipe is connected to a fan by a flexible duct as shown
in FIG. 9 and FIG. 10. This enables the retrofitted toilet to
draw malodorous air from the toilet bowl for exhausting
through the air exhaust pipe, and then through the flexible
duct and fan.
[0040] FIG. 9 is a side elevation view of the ventilated
toilet 10 retrofitted with the adaptor 50 and connected to a
first type of exhaust fan 70. The fan 70 can be connected to
a flexible duct 68 by an exhaust fan adaptor 71. For example,
this fan 70 can be a Panasonic WhisperFitTM FV-11VF2 (or
equivalent). Assuming a 2-inch (5 cm) diameter air inlet, the
estimated air suction created by this fan will be 74 CFM (2.2
cubic meters per minute). A variable speed controller can be
added to change the volumetric air flow.
g041] FIG. 10 is a side elevation view of the ventilated
toilet 10 retrofitted with the adaptor 50 and connected to a
second type of exhaust fan 80. The fan 80 can be connected to
a flexible duct 68 via an exhaust case fan adaptor 81. For
example, this fan may be an exhaust case fan such as, for
example, a Scythe DFS123812-3000 (or equivalent). Also
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assuming a 2-inch (5 cm) diameter air inlet, the estimated air
suction created by this fan will be 118 CFM (3.5 cubic meters
per minute). A variable speed controller can also be added to
change the volumetric air flow.
[0042] This new technology has been described in terms of
specific examples, embodiments, implementations and
configurations which are intended to be exemplary only.
Persons of ordinary skill in the art will appreciate that
obvious variations, modifications and refinements can be made
without departing from the scope of the present invention.
The scope of the exclusive right sought by the Applicant is
therefore intended to be limited solely by the appended
claims.
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