CABINET D'AISANCES AERE

VENTILATED TOILET

Abrégé anglais

ABSTRACT
Toilet bowl ventilating apparatus is described in which
the bowl is ventilated automatically in response to the weight
of a user sitting on the seat. This is achieved by locating a
resilient pressure switch on the underside of the seat which
when closed by the user's weight, actuates an extraction fan
which draws gases from the toilet bowl through a vapour inlet
device located at the rear of the toilet seat and bowl, and
through flexible conduits to a vent pipe where the gases are
eventually discharged to atmosphere. The vapour inlet device is
secured to the toilet bowl via the seat bolts and has a low
profile. The apparatus is suitable for domestic use with a
conventional electrical supply or for field use where no a.c.
supply is present.

Revendications

1. Toilet bowl venting apparatus, which:-
is adapted to fit to the standard fixing holes of a toilet
bowl, and to fit between the rim of the bowl and the seat;
is adapted for use with a fan means for drawing air through
the apparatus, the said fan means being located remotely
from the apparatus, and being connected to the apparatus via
an air duct;
comprises a housing, the walls of which define a hollow
chamber;
comprises a pair of lugs, which are formed integrally with
the walls of the housing;
comprises respective fixing means, which are suitable for
fixing the apparatus to the said standard fixing holes, and
which are formed in the said lugs;
comprises an inlet opening into the hollow chamber;
where the inlet opening comprises a slot which is formed in
the wall of the chamber, and which, when the apparatus is
fixed to the toilet bowl, opens forwards into the toilet
bowl;
where the hollow chamber is long in the lateral direction;
where the hollow chamber spans between and extends behind
the lugs;
where the slot lies between the lugs and no further forward
than a line between the lugs, there being no other opening
into the hollow chamber from the toilet bowl apart from the
said slot;

and, where the portion of the walls of the chamber, being
that portion which lies between the lugs, and which
includes the slot, lies in substance well hack towards a
line drawn between the respective fixing means in the
lugs.
2. Apparatus of claim 1, where the conduit is
attached to the housing at an attachment boss;
where the front-to-back dimension of the attachment boss
is substantially larger than the front-to-back dimension
of the chamber, measured at one of the lugs;
and where the boss lies laterally outside the lugs.
3. Apparatus of claim 2, which includes two such
bosses, located one each side of the lugs.
4. Apparatus of claim 1, where the slot is in the
front wall of the chamber, and is open over substantially
the full distance between the lugs.
5. Apparatus of claim 4, where the roof of the
chamber is, in substance, no higher than the level of the
lid of the toilet.
6. Apparatus of claim 1 where the fixing means
comprises respective bolt-receiving holes in the lugs.

7. Apparatus of claim 1, where the fan means is
controlled by a switch, and where the switch is actuated
by the weight of a person sitting at the toilet bowl.

Description

~ ~ VE~TILATED TOILET 1~S~55
The present invention relates to toilet bowl
~ ventilating apparatus and particularly to apparatu~ in which the
f toilet bowl is vented automatically in response to the weight of
a user.
Toilet bowl ventilating apparatus are known in the
prior art, however these prior art arrangements are complex,
expensive and invariably require substantial modification to be
carried out to the toilet bowl assembly and the plumbing
associated therewith for in~tallation.
An object of the present invention is to obviate or
mitigate the abovesaid disadvantages.
According to a first aspect of the present invention
there is provided toilet bowl venti~lating apparatus comprising
inlet means adapted to be located at the rear o the toilet seat
and the toilet bowl and supported on the toilet bowl, conduit
means connected between the inlet means and atmosyhere,
resilient switch means locatable between the toilet bowl and the
toilet seat, said resilient pressure switch means belng
connected to air extraction means, the resilient pressure switch
being responsive to the weight of the user and permitting power
to be supplied to the air extraction means whereby actuation of
the air extraction means causes gases to be extracted from the
toilet bowl through the inlet means and conduit ~neans and to be
vented to atmosphere. ~ ~

Preferably, the conduit means includes a flexible hose,
. said flexible hoses being connected to an outlet of the inlet
~ means. ~ 1 252255
r Preferably also, the inlet means has two flange
portions with apertures, through which bolts of the toilet seat
hinge assembly pass, the bolts co-operating with fastening means
to permit the inlet means to be secured to the toilet bowl.
According to a second aspect of the present invention
there is provided inlet means for use with toilet ventilating
apparatus, the inlet means being adapted to be located at the
rear of the toilet bowl and a toilet seat, the rear of the
toilet seat and the toilet bowl defining a space therebetween,
the inLet having an opening which, in use, is at the space,
means by which i'~ is secured at said location, a chamber
communicating with the opening and with outlet parts located on
opposite lateral sides of the opening, the outlet parts being
adapted to be connected to conduit means whereby, in use, gases
from the toilet bowl are drawn through said opening and pass
through said chamber and exit by the outlet ports into said
conduits.
- Embodiments of the present invention will now bë ~
described by way of example with reference to the accompanying
drawings in which:
FIG. 1 is perspective schèmatic view of a water closet
with the toilet ventilatlng apparatus installed;
FIG. 2 is an enlarged and more detailed view of the
suction intake member shown in Fig. l; and ~

FIG. 3 is a perspective schematic view similar to Fig.
~;; 1 but illustrating a different conduit arrangement for removing
~ gases from~the toilet bowl. ~2S2Z55
Referring now to Figs. 1 and 2 of the drawings a toilet
bowl 10 has a pedestal base which is mounted on a supporting
surface, which is a floor 14. The toilet bowl 10 is adapted to
be connected to a seat 16,which has a ~over 17,by hinge member
18. The hinge member 18 includes threaded rods 20 on either
side of the hinge which are adapted to pass through apertures 22
in the toilet bowl. A plas~ic suction intake member,generally
indicated by numeral 24,has flanges 26 with apertures 28 and
locatable on the toilet bowl 10 such that the apertures 28
reyister with the apertures 22 o~ the toilet bowl. The threaded
rods 20 are passed through apertures 28 and 22 and are engaged
on the other side of the toilet bowl by wing nuts 30 th~reby
securing the seat 16 to the bowl 10 and effectively retaining
the suction intake member 24 at the rear of the toilet bowl 10.
The suction intake member 24 has an inlet opening 32 which leads
into an interior chamber 33. The interior chamber 33
communicates with exit ports 34 on either side of the suction
intake member 24, each exit port 34 leading into a elbow 36.
Each elbow 36 is connected by respective ones of sections of
pipe 37 which extend beneath the water tank 38 to elbow joints
39. Flexible plastic hoses 40 are connected to a respective one
of the.joints 39 and~the hoses are joined at the other end by a
plastic T-piece 42 which extends through the floor 14 and is
attached to an ABS plastic conduit 44 which i~ connec~ed to one

inlet of an extractor fan 48. The other side of the extractor
fan 58 is connected to an outside vent 59. The extxactor fan 48
J takes power from a light switch 50 via a step down relay 52. A
resilient pressure switch 54 located underneath the seat 16 i~ ~ S ~Z 5
also connected to the relay 52. In use, when the weight of a
user is on the seat the switch contacts close completing the
electrical circuit in the relay 52 and thus permitting power to
be provided to the extractor fan 48 which then causes gases
within the toilet bowl to be drawn through the inlet opening 32
and into chamber 33 and through the elbows 34, pipes 37, elbow
39, flexible hoses 42 to the conduit 44 and finally through the
conduit 58 to the outsiae vent 59. The power to the extractor
fan is supplied only as long as the switch contacts are closed,
that is, only as long as the user is seated on the toilet bowl.
When the user rises from the seat, the resilience o~ the switch
54~forces the switch contacts open disconnecting the supply to
the extraction fan 48.
~:
In the embodiment referred to in Fig. 3 the apparatus
and operation is the same as the first embodiment except for the
passage of the yases from the toilet bowl. In this embodiment
- the conduit 44 extends up behind a wall 46 and into the
extraction fan 48. The other side 48a is connected to a vent
pipe 60 which serves as the vent pipe also for the waste pipe 62
from the toilet bowl 10. Power to the extractor fan and the
~ :
; ~ operation of switch 54 is carried out in exactly the same way as
~ ~or the first embodiment. ~ ~ ~

Various ~odifications may be made to the embodiement
described without departing from the scope of the inventl4n.
For example power can be taken from any domestic supply. In the
apparatus the extractor fan can al50 be batt.ery driven, thus it
is suitable for field use where normal a.c. supply is
unavailable. The plum~ing arrangement for the flexible conduits
could be modified to suit any type of installation. And the
suction intake member, conauits and flexible hoses may be made
of any suitable material. The extractor fan 48 could be
actuated by way of an independent electrical circuit or via the
light switch at the option of the installer.
Advantages of the invéntion are that it is very
inexpensive to produce and since it is simple and involves
~inimum components, the apparatus is made oE plastic, is
non-corrosive ancl can be easily colour matched to ma~ch the
toilet decor, it is simple to install and the flexible hoses
permit unlversality of installation. The low profile of the
suction intake member is not only functionally efficient in
receiving and removing gases as the opening is in close
proximity to the source of the odors but it is also aesthetic in
appearance. Consequently the apparatus is very efficient in
extracting the noxious gases. No plumbing modifications are
required to the basic household water closet in contrast to
prior art devices. The resilience of the pressura switch is
such t~at a predetermined weiyht, for example 15 pounds, is
required to~activate the~fan so that when the toilet seat and
covéx~are in the down posit~ion it will not be continuously on.

2i~SSi
low voltage power supply is used for saftey reasons due to the
proximity of water and moisture. The double hose system permits
~ central vent dispensing which is convenient for left or right
installations, and the simplicity and effectiveness of the
construction is such that minimum tools or expertise is re~uired
to effect installation.
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