HK1140238A - Toilet with reduced water usage - Google Patents

Description

Water closet with reduced water consumption

Cross Reference to Related Applications

Not applicable to

Federally sponsored research and development statement

Not applicable to

Background

The present invention relates generally to a toilet bowl that uses a small amount of water to remove waste from the bowl.

Water shortages are a very serious problem in many regions and government regulations have been enacted regarding water consumption rates for certain products. For example, some jurisdictions dictate maximum water consumption for a toilet during a flush. Although it is common to consume up to 7 gallons per flush in the early 50 s, current regulations in certain jurisdictions require that the water consumption per flush should not exceed 1.6 gallons, and proposals have been made to further reduce the permitted usage.

Even without government requirements to limit water usage, environmentally conscious consumers often prefer to use low water usage toilets. Also, water utilities have significantly increased water costs, another reason consumers are willing to use low water consumption toilets.

If the water consumption per flush cycle is reduced, it is important to maintain the cleaning efficiency at an acceptable level. If the cleaning efficiency is compromised, the consumer may, in some cases, flush a second flush, thus defeating the stated, resource-saving, and cost-saving objectives.

Complicating matters is the fact that the flush water has other functions in addition to cleaning the sides of the toilet bowl. Typically to create a gravity siphon that helps to dislodge the dirt in the bowl. At the same time, water is required to flush the bowl when the main waste is flushed and emptied. Furthermore, water is required to re-form the airtight seal in the trap. At the same time, it is also necessary to clean the entire circumference of the toilet bowl with water. These additional requirements complicate the design of low water usage toilets.

One method of improving cleaning efficiency is to pressurize the cleaning water source. However, this disadvantageously increases the cost of the toilet.

Another approach is to split the rim stream into two asymmetric streams. See U.S. patent nos. 4,930,167 and 6,397,405. However, existing systems of this type have drawbacks in terms of drainage effect when operating with low water consumption.

Another approach is to use a tapered channel at the bottom of the cylinder near the cylinder outlet (also called the nozzle) to more effectively initiate the siphoning action of the cylinder. See, for example, U.S. Pat. nos. 5,218,726, 5,283,913, and 6,145,138. However, it is very difficult to clean sufficiently along the cylinder side with a small amount of water when most of the water has been diverted for use as a spray.

Yet another approach is to use a multi-loop eddy current approach. See, e.g., U.S. patent application publication No. 2004/0040080. Water can be consumed before it reaches the siphon, and therefore is problematic.

In U.S. patent application publication No. 2003/0115664, a toilet is disclosed having some rim flow along the right branch, some rim flow along the left branch, and some direct downward flow. However, this design has certain drawbacks, which restrict the reduction of water consumption. For example, water enters perpendicular to the rim, thus wasting cleaning energy. Also, some water is utilized in the opposite way.

It would therefore be desirable to provide a further improved toilet with reduced water usage without compromising cleaning or other performance characteristics of the toilet.

Disclosure of Invention

One embodiment of the present invention provides a toilet bowl including: a toilet bowl with an upper rim groove; and a water delivery structure for delivering water from the water source to the toilet bowl. The water delivery structure has an inlet adapted to be connected to a water source (e.g., a toilet tank or a flush valve type water source) and at least three outlet channels.

The first exit channel communicates with the rim channel to provide at least one counter-clockwise flow around a first side of the rim channel. The second exit channel communicates with the rim channel to provide at least one clockwise flow around a side of the rim channel opposite the first side. The third water outlet groove is communicated with the rear part of the edge groove.

The rim channel has a first enlarged opening to the cylinder near the rear of the cylinder and a second enlarged opening to the cylinder near the front of the cylinder. The water delivery structure is configured so that when water is supplied to the rim channel, a vortex is formed in the bowl.

In a preferred form, the third exit channel is configured to supply water to the rim channel at an angle relative to the rim channel. Also, the first exit channel is adapted to carry a greater amount of water (e.g., a greater cross-sectional area) than the second exit channel, and both the first and second exit channels are adapted to carry a greater amount of water than the third exit channel.

In another preferred form of the invention, the toilet bowl has front and rear vertical central planes. The first and third exit channels are connected to the rim channel on one side of the vertical central plane and the second exit channel is connected to the rim channel on the opposite side of the vertical central plane.

In yet another embodiment of the invention, the first and second enlarged openings each have a center point on the same side of the vertical center plane, the cylinder is provided with an integral rearward extension, the water delivery structure is integrally formed along the rearward extension, the rim channel is an open rim-shaped rim channel, wherein the gap between the sides of the rim channel is varied to form the enlarged opening.

With this embodiment of the invention, incoming water from a tank or other source is thus divided into three sub-streams. A branch flow directly enters the rear part of the cylinder from the edge groove; the other substream (main stream) merges with the first substream part and has two other functions. One function is to clean one side of the cylinder. Another effect is to pass substantially through the front of the cylinder and then into the cylinder at a large flow rate. The other bypass primarily cleans the opposite side of the vat, although most preferably it also helps to clean the upper rear portion of the vat.

Importantly, the water enters the rim channel at an angle so that the water is substantially not lost. One significant effect is that in the preferred embodiment, the substantially forward water flow (e.g., one o 'clock or eleven o' clock orientation) position avoids the need for spraying, thus allowing all water flow to enter from the rim channel.

In another aspect of the present invention, there is provided a toilet bowl including: a toilet bowl with an upper rim groove; and a water delivery structure for delivering water from the water source to the toilet bowl. The water delivery structure has an inlet adapted to be connected to a source of water and at least two exit channels.

The first exit channel communicates with the rim channel to provide both counterclockwise and clockwise flow around the first side of the rim channel when water is supplied to the toilet. There is also a second exit channel in communication with the rim channel to provide a flow selected from the group consisting of clockwise and counterclockwise around a side of the rim channel opposite the first side when water is supplied to the toilet.

The rim channel has a first enlarged opening to the cylinder near the rear of the cylinder and a second enlarged opening to the cylinder near the front of the cylinder. The water delivery structure is configured so that when water is supplied to the rim channel, a vortex is formed in the bowl.

Effective cleaning with a small amount of water is possible regardless of the aspect of the invention used. Water may also be used to rinse, evacuate, and reseal.

Current tests show that effective cleaning can be achieved with 1.6 gallons per flush, and that these toilets can provide effective cleaning even with low levels of water used per flush. Such toilets can be manufactured using conventional molding techniques without significant added expense as compared to conventional cast toilets.

These and other advantages of the present invention will become more apparent and the present invention will be more easily understood with reference to the following description of the preferred embodiments of the present invention (with reference to the accompanying drawings).

Drawings

FIG. 1 is an exploded perspective view of a toilet bowl according to the present invention;

FIG. 2 is a lower, left fragmentary perspective view of a portion of the toilet of FIG. 1;

FIG. 3 is a lower, right partial perspective view of a portion of the toilet of FIG. 1;

FIG. 4A is a top plan view of the toilet of FIG. 1, shown without the tank, during an initial phase of a flush cycle;

FIG. 4B is similar to FIG. 4A except that the flushed water forms a cleaning vortex;

FIG. 5 is a cross-sectional view taken along section line 5-5 of FIG. 1;

FIG. 6 is a cross-sectional view taken along section line 6-6 of FIG. 4A;

FIG. 7 is a cross-sectional view taken along section line 7-7 of FIG. 4A;

FIG. 8 is a cross-sectional view taken along section line 8-8 of FIG. 4A;

FIG. 9 is a cross-sectional view taken along section line 9-9 of FIG. 4A;

FIG. 10 is a cross-sectional view of a toilet bowl according to another embodiment of the present invention, similar to FIG. 5, but utilizing a perforated rim structure in place of the open rim design; and

fig. 11 is a top view of yet another embodiment.

Detailed Description

Referring now to the drawings, and more particularly to FIGS. 1, 4A, 4B and 5, there is shown a toilet 20 including a toilet bowl 22 having a rim 24 at an upper portion 26 of the bowl 22. The rim 24 has a rim groove 28 therein. The cylinder 22 may generally be considered to have a vertical central plane 30.

There may be a tank 32 with a conventional internal flush valve, flush actuator and other fittings (not shown) as desired. Alternatively, toilet 10 may be of a tankless design, with a flush valve type valve directly connected to the pipe water pressure (also not shown). The tank 22 discharges into a trap and sewer (also not shown).

A rearward extension 34 may extend from the rim 24 and include a water diversion structure 36 in communication with two water tubes and three exit channels 38, 40 and 42. And the exit channel communicates with the rim channel 28. Channels 38, 40 and 42 extend at respective angles 46, 48 and 50. Each of the channels 38, 40 and 42 is not parallel to the vertical central plane 30.

Angle 46 is greater than angle 48 and angle 50 is greater than angle 48 to create the optimum vortex. Channels 38 and 40 are on the same side of vertical central plane 30, while channel 42 is on the other side.

Although three exit channels are preferred, it should be understood that one or more additional exit channels may be used in a particular type of toilet. Moreover, if one exit channel can provide both clockwise and counterclockwise flow due to its inlet angle and orientation, only two exit channels may be needed in some cases.

Regardless, in a preferred embodiment, the cross-sectional area 52 of exit channel 38 is greater than the cross-sectional area 54 of exit channel 42 or the cross-sectional area 56 of exit channel 42. And cross-sectional area 56 is preferably greater than cross-sectional area 54. This further facilitates the formation of a vortex and at the same time facilitates emptying of the cylinder. For example, channels 38 may account for 33% to 45% of the total flow, channels 42 may account for 27% to 39% of the total flow, and channels 40 may account for 21% to 33% of the total flow.

The rim 24 of the toilet 20 has gaps 58, 59, 60 and 61 (in fig. 5-9) that allow flush water to be continuously discharged from the rim channel 28 into the bowl 22, but at different rates at different locations depending on the size of the gaps. The two separate portions of the larger gaps 60, 61 in the rim 24 define a first offset flow aperture/enlarged opening 62 having a first center 64 and a second offset flow aperture/enlarged opening 66 having a second center 68. Center 68 is preferably at-30 to +30 from directly in front and center 64 is preferably at-30 to 30 from behind.

The orientation and design of the offset flow apertures/enlarged openings 62, 66, in conjunction with the orientation and design of the exit channels 38, 40, and 42, produce a first offset flow 70 and a second offset flow 72 that merge near a waste region 74. This merging/impingement forms with the other rim flush 76 from the secondary outflow hole 77 a turbine 78 which discharges out of the toilet 20 through an outlet 80 in the waste region 74, which overcomes the toilet trap's restriction, helps create a siphon to discharge the waste in the bowl 22 into the trap and waste pipe, and re-forms the bowl seal.

In this embodiment, the center 64 and the center 68 are located on the same side of the vertical center plane 30. The cylinder 22 has a water inlet side 82 and a front side 84 opposite the water inlet side 82, and the first offset outlet aperture/enlarged port 62 may be located on the water inlet side 82 and the second offset outlet aperture/enlarged port 66 may be located on the front side 84.

Gap 58 may be the same or different than gap 59. Similarly, gap 60 may be the same or different than gap 61. The gaps 60, 61 are larger than the gaps 58, 59.

Note that the narrowing of gaps 58 and 59 relative to gap 60 has a variety of effects. One function is to allow most of the water to flow from the trough 38 to the enlarged opening 66 and still allow some of the water to flow down the side of the bowl near 77.

Another effect is to help deliver a sufficient amount of water to the rim taper 90 so that the water flow is accelerated as it is delivered to the opening 66, the increased thrust helping to evacuate and form a vortex.

It should also be noted that water from the exit channel 42 flows in a substantially clockwise direction as indicated by arrow 91. However, there is also a counter-clockwise flow of the secondary water stream 92, which helps to clean the rear of the upper cylinder. This is important because the spout 40 is inclined to the portion of the bowl to conserve water energy.

The toilet 20 may include mounting holes 86, 87 for mounting the tank 32 and a toilet seat (not shown), respectively, and a tank inlet hole 88 for providing access to the tank 32 for water (not shown).

The embodiment of toilet 20 shown in fig. 1-9 has a rim channel 28 that drains through a continuous gap of "open rim" design. However, other types of edge slots may also be used with the present invention. For example, fig. 10 shows a toilet 90 having a rim channel 92, wherein the first offset inflow aperture comprises a first water supply channel 94 along an underside of the rim and the second offset inflow aperture comprises a second water supply channel 96 along the underside of the rim. The second inflow hole includes at least one additional water supply hole 98 in the rim, each smaller than the first water supply hole 94 and/or the second water supply hole 96. Other aspects of toilet 90 are the same as or similar to those of toilet 20.

Although counter-clockwise swirl is shown in the embodiment of fig. 1-10, the present invention is also applicable to clockwise flow as shown in fig. 11. In this case, toilet 100 has slots 38, 40, 42, which are each arranged on the other side on vertical central plane 30 than the arrangement of toilet 20. Similarly, although not shown, the first and second offset inflow apertures are disposed on the other side of the vertical central plane 30 than the arrangement of the toilet 20 to generate the first and second offset flows 102 and 104 to generate the clockwise vortex 106. This arrangement may be applied in an open rim arrangement of toilet 20 or in an aperture arrangement of toilet 90, or a combination of both.

Also, it should be noted that while rim channel flow is described with reference to clockwise and counterclockwise flow, it is highly desirable that these mixed direction water flows rapidly create a one direction vortex. Thus, to flow out of the trough 42, ideally, most of the clockwise energy is released from the water as it begins to drip down the sides of the bowl. This may be achieved by stretching slot 42 relative to slot 38 and widening the rim slot from 6 o 'clock to 12 o' clock.

In another preferred embodiment, a first portion of water enters from tank 38 (rather than tank 42) when the flush cycle begins. This is more prone to eddy formation. This can be achieved by making slot 38 longer than slot 42.

Therefore, the present invention is not limited to the above-described preferred embodiments, but is defined by the claims for protection of the entire invention.

Industrial applicability

The present invention provides a toilet bowl with reduced water consumption and which maintains effective cleaning and other performance.

Claims (10)

1. A toilet, comprising:

a toilet bowl with an upper rim groove; and

a water delivery structure for delivering water from a water source to the toilet bowl, the water delivery structure having an inlet adapted to be connected to the water source and at least three outlet channels;

wherein the first exit channel communicates with the rim channel to provide at least one counterclockwise flow around a first side of the rim channel when water is supplied to the toilet;

wherein the second exit channel communicates with the rim channel to provide at least one clockwise flow around a side of the rim channel opposite the first side when water is supplied to the toilet;

wherein the third water outlet groove is communicated with the rear part of the edge groove;

wherein the rim channel has a first enlarged opening to the cylinder proximate the rear of the cylinder;

wherein the rim channel has a second enlarged opening to the cylinder near the front of the cylinder; and is

Wherein the water delivery structure is configured to form a vortex in the bowl when water is supplied to the rim channel.

2. The toilet of claim 1, wherein the third exit channel is configured to supply water to the rim channel at an angle relative to the rim channel when water is supplied to the water delivery structure.

3. The toilet of claim 1, wherein the first exit channel is adapted to carry a greater amount of water than the second exit channel.

4. The toilet of claim 1, wherein the first and second exit channels are adapted to carry a greater amount of water than the third exit channel.

5. The toilet of claim 1, wherein the first exit channel is longer than the second exit channel such that when water is supplied to the water delivery structure, water from the first exit channel reaches the rim channel before water from the second exit channel.

6. The toilet of claim 1, wherein the bowl has front and rear vertical center planes such that the first and third exit channels and the rim channel are connected on one side of the vertical center plane and the second exit channel and the rim channel are connected on a side of the vertical center plane opposite the one side of the vertical center plane.

7. The water closet of claim 6 wherein the first and second enlarged openings each have a central region on the same side of a vertical central plane.

8. The water closet as claimed in claim 1, wherein the bowl is provided with an integral rearward extension, and the water delivery structure is integrally formed along the rearward extension.

9. The toilet of claim 1, wherein the rim channel is an open-ended rim channel, wherein the size of the gap between the sides of the rim channel varies along the perimeter of the rim channel to form openings of different sizes.

10. A toilet, comprising:

a toilet bowl with an upper rim groove; and

a water delivery structure for delivering water from a water source to the toilet bowl, the water delivery structure having an inlet adapted to be connected to the water source and at least two outlet channels;

wherein the first exit channel communicates with the rim channel to provide both counterclockwise and clockwise flow around the first side of the rim channel when water is supplied to the toilet;

wherein the second exit channel communicates with the rim channel to provide a water flow pattern selected from clockwise and counterclockwise flow around a side of the rim channel opposite the first side of the rim channel when water is supplied to the toilet;

wherein the rim channel has a first enlarged opening to the cylinder proximate the rear of the cylinder;

wherein the rim channel has a second enlarged opening to the cylinder near the front of the cylinder; and is

Wherein the water delivery structure is configured to form a vortex in the bowl when water is supplied to the rim channel.