WO1993005694A1

WO1993005694A1 - Human waste disposal apparatus and process

Info

Publication number: WO1993005694A1
Application number: PCT/US1992/007881
Authority: WO
Inventors: Mitsuhiro Kishi
Original assignee: Americ Corp
Current assignee: Americ Corp
Priority date: 1991-09-17
Filing date: 1992-09-17
Publication date: 1993-04-01
Anticipated expiration: 1994-03-17
Also published as: JP2511344B2; AU2682692A; JPH0568963A

Abstract

The present invention relates generally to human waste disposal systems to be used with portable toilets and more particularly to an improved human waste disposal apparatus and process that efficiently disposes of human waste by dehydrating it, vaporizing off the water from the waste, and storing the remaining solid waste. The human waste disposal apparatus comprises a collecting container (10) for collecting the waste, a heater (16) for dehydrating the waste so as to convert the liquid portion to vapors, a catalyst box (15) for purifying the vapors, and a particle collector box (24) for cleaning the collecting means. The process for human waste disposal comprises the steps of collecting human waste in a container (10), dehydrating the human waste with heat and air, vaporizing off the liquids from the human waste, purifying the vapors, cleaning the container by removing the remaining solid waste, and collecting and storing the waste in a particle collecting bag (48) for disposal. The apparatus and process provide for a sanitary, easy and environmentally sound way of disposing of human waste, while at the same time eliminating the offensive odors associated with human waste.

Description

HUMAN WASTE DISPOSAL APPARATUS AND PROCESS

DESCRIPTION

Technical Field

The present invention relates generally to human waste disposal systems to be used with portable toilets and more particularly to an improved human waste disposal apparatus and process that efficiently disposes of human waste by dehydrating or drying it with the use of heaters and heat accumulators having multiple blades that churn the waste and accelerate the dehydration process. The human waste disposal apparatus comprises a means for collecting the waste, a means for dehydrating the waste so as to convert the liquid portion to vapors, a means for purifying the vapors, and a means for cleaning the collecting means and a means for storing the remaining solid waste. The process for human waste disposal comprises the steps of collecting human waste in' a container, dehydrating the human waste with heat and air, vaporizing off the liquids from the human waste, purifying the vapors, cleaning the container by removing the remaining solid waste and collecting and storing the waste in a particle collecting bag. The apparatus and process provide for a sanitary, easy and environmentally sound way of disposing of human waste, while at the same time eliminating the offensive odors associated with human waste. Background Prior Art

Human waste in households is usually disposed of by a toilet which flushes the waste into sewage pipes or a septic tank, so the waste can be treated and then discharged into surrounding waters. When toilets are needed in areas where there are no sewage treatment facilities however, portable temporary bathrooms are conventionally installed. This practice is common at sporting events or festivals where a large crowds gather. Portable temporary bathrooms are usually used at outdoor activities and events where there are no sewage treatment facilities. Most of these temporary bathrooms are equipped with containers that merely store the human waste. The stored waste must periodically be collected and then transported to a nearby sewage treatment facility. This task is usually performed by a vacuum truck or some other means. In using the disposal methods associated with conventional portable bathrooms, the extra steps of collecting the human waste and transporting the human waste are necessary before the treatment process. These extra steps are normally extremely unsanitary.

Similar portable temporary bathrooms are used in transportation systems such as trains, buses, and ships. These systems are usually equipped with a tank exclusively used for storing human waste. The waste is usually deodorized with chemical products and then collected by a vacuum truck at a terminal or dock. However, this form of waste storage and collection is costly, as the chemicals used in deodorizing must be replaced frequently.

It is customary that both the portable temporary bathrooms used at outdoor activities and in trans¬ portation systems store human waste in its excreted form. The waste is then transferred to sewage treatment facilities. However, wheii portable temporary bathrooms are in use for long periods of time, the odor from the waste becomes offensive and unbearable. Because of these adverse conditions, workers despise the processes involved in storing, collecting, and transporting the human waste. The processes of storing, collecting, and treating human waste have proven to be unsanitary and unmodern. Therefore, the conventional systems used in maintaining human waste are in need of greater sanitization and modernization.

Because of the many disadvantages associated with conventional systems, numerous advancements have occurred in this area. For example, chemical products are added to disinfect and deodorize human waste. This method has been used for transportation systems in Japan such as the Shinkansen Line. However, the chemical products circu¬ late in the tank, cannot be used for long periods of time, and are costly. Another disposal system that is known involves the packaging human waste in vinyl bags. However, there are disadvantages associated with this system. It is very costly because large vinyl bags are required per excrement. It is also difficult to separate the waste from the vinyl bags, and such process requires a sophisticated and large-scale treatment facility.

Another system for disposal of human waste that is known is one that uses a heating device, such as a burner, to directly dry up human waste. However, since human waste is primarily composed of water, the system requires great amounts of heat energy to remove the water from human waste. Furthermore, use of a heating device usually takes a considerable period of time to finish each disposal cycle. The present invention is an improvement over the prior art and overcomes the problems associated with the prior art. It is apparent that what has been needed and heretofore unavailable is a human waste disposal apparatus and process that is easy to operate, economical, sanitary, eliminates offensive odors, and is environmentally advantageous. Summary of the Invention

The present invention is directed to a human waste disposal apparatus and process for dehydrating human waste in an airtight container, vaporizing the human waste, and eliminating offensive odors associated with such waste. The human waste disposal apparatus has an airtight heat-resistant container that houses a plurality of blades and a plurality of heat accumulators that act to agitate, stir and disperse the waste in the container. The container is externally heated, and the multiple stirring blades move and churn the human waste around in the container so that the waste is evenly heated. This churning also accelerates the dehydration process, so that the main component of human waste, water, evaporates quickly. The vapors emitted as a result of the dehydration process move from the container via a series of pipes and into a catalyst box which houses a catalyst that acts to purify the vapors and eliminate offensive odors associated with the vapors. The apparatus is ideal for use at outdoor events that attract large crowds because offensive odors are eliminated and the environment is kept clean. In addition, the apparatus has a self-cleaning mechanism that cleans the container by removing the solid dried materials of the human waste remaining in the container after dehydration and vaporization of the liquid portion of the waste. Thus, the apparatus can store greater amounts of human waste since the waste is in a dried, compressed condition. In addition, the stored waste does not have to be collected as often as in prior art waste disposal systems due to the compact nature of the waste and the elimination of offensive odors.

The human waste disposal apparatus comprises a means for collecting the waste, a means for dehydrating the waste so as to convert the liquid portion to vapors, a means for purifying the vapors, and a means for cleaning the collecting means, and a means for storing the remaining solid waste. Specifically, the human waste disposal apparatus comprises: an airtight heat-resistant drying container which collects the human waste; a heating device that heats the human waste in the container; an air supply pipe connected to the container that supplies air into the container; a series of pipes and valves that discharge the vapors from the container and into a catalyst box; a plurality of blades and a plurality of globular-heat accumulators that churn the human waste and distribute it so that it can be evenly heated; and a series of pipes and valves that discharge the solid human waste particles remaining after dehydration and vaporization, from the container and into a particle collecting bag housed inside a particle collector box. In addition, the present invention is directed to a process for human waste disposal comprising the steps of collecting human waste in a container, dehydrating the human waste with heat and air, vaporizing off the liquids from the human waste, purifying the vapors, cleaning the container by removing the remaining solid waste, and collecting and storing the waste in a particle collecting bag. The apparatus and process provide for a sanitary, easy and environmentally sound way of disposing of human waste, while at the same time eliminating the offensive odors associated with human waste.

It is among the objects of the present invention to provide an improved human waste disposal apparatus that collects human waste in an airtight, heat- resistant container; heats the container so that the liquid portion of the human waste vaporizes out of the container; self- cleans the container by removing the remaining solid particles from the container and transporting them to a particle collecting bag; and sends the vapors to a catalyst, where an oxidation/reduction reaction in the catalyst eliminates the offensive odors of the vapors and diffuses them into the outside air. Thus, the apparatus has the advantage that it can be used in densely populated residential areas or at activities attracting large crowds without the concern of giving off offensive odors.

It is another the object of the present invention to provide an improved human waste disposal apparatus having an airtight heat-resistant container housing a plurality of blades and a plurality of globular-shaped heat accumulators that act to churn and disperse the human waste so that the human waste can be heated evenly and so that vaporization of the liquids from the human waste can be accelerated.

It is another object of the present invention to provide an improved human waste disposal apparatus having a particle collector box and bag which efficiently stores the remaining solid dried particles of the human waste and which can be easily discarded and disposed of. Since the particle collector box does not use a cyclone system as prior art inventions use, the environment is not polluted by the present invention. In addition, the particle collecting bag can store greater amounts of human waste since the waste is in a dried, compressed states. Also, the stored waste does not have to be collected as frequently.

It is another object of the present invention to provide an improved human waste disposal process that includes the general steps of collecting the human waste, heating the human waste in the container, dehydrating the human waste, vaporizing off the water from the human waste, purifying the vapors from the human waste in a catalyst box, and cleaning the container by removing the remaining solid materials of the human waste, and collecting and storing the solid waste in a particle collecting bag for disposal.

It is another object of the present invention to provide an improved human waste disposal apparatus and process that provides for sanitary and easy disposal of the human waste.

It is among the objects of the present invention to provide an improved human waste disposal apparatus and process that is cost efficient, long-lasting, and easy to manufacture.

Additional objects and features of the present invention will appear from the following description in which the preferred embodiments are set forth in detail in conjunction with the accompanying drawings.

Brief Description of Drawings

In order that the present invention may be more fully understood, it will now be described by way of example, with reference to the accompanying drawings in which:

FIG. 1 is a transparent view of a human waste disposal apparatus installed in a portable temporary bathroom of the type used in connection with the present invention; FIG. 2 is a perspective view of the internal system of the human waste disposal apparatus;

FIG. 3 is a side view of the piping configuration of the human waste disposal apparatus;

FIG. 4 is a perspective view of a toilet bowl and the attached drying container of the human waste disposal apparatus;

FIG. 5 is a blown-up rear view of the human waste disposal apparatus;

FIG. 6 is a block illustration of the control circuits of the human waste disposal apparatus;

FIG. 7 is a first portion of a flow chart diagramming the functions of the human waste disposal apparatus;

FIG. 8 is a continuation of the flow chart of FIG.

7;

FIG. 9 is a continuation of the flow chart of FIG.

8;

FIG. 10 is a continuation of the flow chart of FIG. 9? and, FIG. 11 is a second embodiment showing the piping configuration of the human waste disposal apparatus of FIG. 3 with additional elements. ^* Detailed Description of a Preferred Embodiment

The present invention is susceptible of embodiment in several forms. The drawings and the specification describes in detail a preferred embodiment of the invention. It is to be understood that the present disclosure is to be considered as an exemplification of the principles of the invention. It is not intended to limit the broad aspects of the invention to the illustrated embodiment. FIG. 1 shows the human waste disposal apparatus of the present invention installed in a portable temporary bathroom (1) of the type used in connection with the present invention. The portable temporary bathroom (1) used is elongated and rectangular in shape and having a large enough interior so that a person can enter and exit the bathroom (1) . The outer frame of the bathroom (1) can be made of a variety of materials such as plastic, reinforced synthetic resin or the like. The bottom portion of the bathroom typically comprises a cubic- shaped base (2) on which the bathroom housing (3) is in¬ stalled. Attached on the front side of the housing (3) is a door (4) , which a user can open outwardly to enter and exit the housing (3) . A human waste disposal apparatus (5) is installed inside the bathroom (1) and onto and above the base (2) . A toilet (6) is connected to the center of the upper portion of the apparatus (5) , and there is a first enclosure (7) and a second enclosure (8) installed on each side of the toilet (6) . As discussed below, the first enclosure (7) contains a gear box motor and gear box, and the second enclosure (8) contains a catalyst box.

FIG. 2 is a perspective view of the internal system of the human waste disposal apparatus (5) . The apparatus (5) is assembled as a unit and can be operated independently with electrical or fuel energy. The apparatus (5) is comprised of the following major sub- units: a drying container (10), a particle collector box (24) and a catalyst box (15) . The drying container (10) , preferably cylindrical in shape, is connected to an inside corner of the apparatus (5) . A first inlet pipe (11) has a first end .connected to a shutter (12) and a second end connected to one side of the container (10) . The first inlet pipe (11) slants in an upward direction from the connection with the container (10) to the connection with the shutter (12) . The shutter (12) is in turn connected to an opening at the bottom of a toilet (6) . A gear box (14) , preferably square in shape, is affixed to the top of the container (10) , and a gear box motor (13) is connected to one side of the gear box (14) . Both the gear box (14) and the gear box motor (13) are covered by enclosure (7) . The gear box (14) controls a shaft (38) (shown in FIG. 3), and controls a plurality of blades connected to the shaft (38) . The gear box (14) also acts to reduce the rotating power of the gear box motor (13) . A substantially disk- shaped cover (29) is attached to the top of the container (10) , and the cover (29) creates an airtight seal for the container (10) . An exhaust pipe (19) has a first end connected to the container (10) and a side portion of the cover (29) . The exhaust pipe (19) also has a middle portion in which one end of a first valve (20) is connected. The first valve (20) has its other end connected to a first end of a second inlet pipe (21) . The second inlet pipe (21) has a second end connected to a middle portion of a heating pipe (17) . The exhaust pipe (19) has a second end connected to one end of a second valve (22) . The other end of the second valve (22) is connected to a first end of a cleaning pipe (23) . The second end of the cleaning pipe (23) is connected to the circular top of a particle collector box (24) . Finally, a return pipe (25) has a first end connected to a side of the particle collector box (24) and a second end connected to one end of a third valve (28) . The other end of the third valve (28) is connected to a middle portion of the second inlet pipe (21) .

A catalyst box (15) , preferably rectangular in shape, is placed in an upright and vertical position inside the apparatus (5) and directly across from the container (10) on the same side as the container (10) . A substantially L-shaped exhaust pipe (26) has a first end connected to the top of the catalyst box (15) and second end connected to a side of an executor device (27).

A long cylindrical heating pipe (17) housed inside the apparatus (5) has a first end connected to a lower side portion of the catalyst box (15) and a second end connected to a lower blower (18) . The heating pipe (17) transports hot air from the lower blower (18) to the catalyst box (15) .

A motor-driven upper blower (30) is installed inside and to the front portion of apparatus (5) . An air delivery pipe (31) has a first end connected to the output side of the upper blower (30) and a second end ending at junction where two pipes form, one pipe being a pressurizing pipe (32) and the other pipe being an air supply pipe (33) . The pressurizing pipe (32) extends from the junction and along an inner side of apparatus (5) to connect to a second lower end of executor (27) . The pressurizing pipe (32) provides a constant supply of air to the executor (27) . The air supply pipe (33) extends from the junction with the pressurizing pipe (32) and along the opposite inner side of apparatus (5) to connect with cover (29) through a fourth valve (34) and finally connecting to the container (10) . A small semi¬ circular inner diameter throttle pipe (35) is connected at two junctions along one side of the air supply pipe (33) so as to bypass a fifth valve (34).

FIG. 3 is a side view of the piping configuration of the human waste disposal apparatus that connects the toilet (6) , the container (10) , the catalyst box (15) , and the particle collector box (24) . The shutter (12) is connected to the bottom portion of the toilet (6) , and the first end of the first inlet pipe (11) . The first inlet pipe (11) slopes downward from the toilet (6) towards the container (10) . The second end of the first inlet pipe (11) is connected to the center of a side portion of the container (10) .

The container (10) in which the human. waste is collected and dehydrated is hollow and preferably cylindrical in shape. The container (10) has a bottom plate to which a disk-shaped container heater (16) is attached. The container (10) also has a disk-shaped cover (29) attached to the top of the container (10) and which completely covers the entire top of the container (10) so as to create an airtight seal. A gear box (14) is affixed to the top of the cover (29) , and has connected to it a shaft (38) extending from the bottom of the gear box (14) to the bottom portion of the container (10) . A plurality of blades (39) are fixed to the bottom edge portion of the shaft (38) . There are also a plurality of globular-shaped heat accumulators (40) that roll around by the blades (39) located in the container (10) . These globular-shaped heat accumulators (40) are made of aluminum dioxide or a similar highly thermal material. A temperature sensor (41) is attached to the side of the container (10) and positioned slightly above the container (10) bottom.

An exhaust pipe (19) is connected at a first end to the cover (29) of the container (10) and extends into the container (10) . The exhaust pipe (19) splits at a second end and forms two other pipes, one having a first valve (20) and the other having a second valve (22) . The first valve (20) is connected to a first end of the second inlet pipe (21) , and the second end of the second inlet pipe (21) is connected to a side portion of the heating pipe (17) . The second valve (22) is connected to the first end of the cleaning pipe (23) which is connected to and extends into the particle collector box (24) . A particle collecting bag (48) is connected to the second end of the cleaning pipe (23). The particle collecting bag (48) is made of cloth or coarsely-made paper. On the side opposite the cleaning pipe connection, the particle collector box (24) has a return pipe (25) connected to it. The return pipe (25) is also attached to the outer circumference of the particle collecting bag (48) . The return pipe (25) extends below the particle collector (24) and is connected to the second inlet pipe (21) via a third valve (28) . An upper blower (30) is equipped with an upper fan (44) activated by an upper motor (43) , and the air compressed by the upper blower (30) is sent to an air delivery pipe (31) . The air delivery pipe (31) branches out to form two pipes, a pressurizing pipe (32) and an air supply pipe (33) . When the air sent by the upper blower (30) goes through the pressurizing pipe (32) and through the executor (27) , a pressurized load created by the airflow occurs in the executor (27) . The air supply pipe (33) , is connected to the cover (29) via a fourth valve (34), so that the air supply pipe (33) is directly connected to the container (10) . There is a throttle pipe (35) which bypasses the fourth valve (34) so that, even when the valve (34) is closed, air is supplied to the container (10) in order for oxidation to occur inside the container (10) .

A lower blower (18) is equipped with a lower fan (46) activated by a lower motor (45) . The output side of the lower blower (18) is connected to a first end of the heating pipe (17) . A heating pipe heater device (47) is located in the interior of the heating pipe (17) , and acts to heat the air sent by the lower blower (18) through the heating pipe (17) . The second end of the heating pipe (17) is connected to the bottom portion of the catalyst box (15) . A filter (49) is positioned above the connection between the second end of the heating pipe (17) and the catalyst box (15) . A catalyst (50) is positioned above the filter (49) in the interior of the catalyst box (15) . When air heated by the heating pipe heater device (47) is sent through the filter (49) , the catalyst (50) is activated by the air and is warmed. The air is eventually emitted outside of the apparatus as indicated by the arrow in FIG. 3 due to the pressurized load with the executor (27) . FIG. 4 shows the arrangement of the toilet (6) , the container (10) , the cover (29) and various other parts. A shutter-blade (52) that is capable of moving horizontally back and forth is attached in the shutter (12) via a pivot. Depending on whether the shutter blade (52) moves right or left, the opening between the toilet (6) and the inlet pipe (11) is either open or closed.

FIG. 5 shows a rear view of the human waste disposal apparatus (5) of FIG. 2. FIG. 6 is a block illustration of control circuits of the apparatus (5) . The reading of the temperature sensor (41) is sent to a temperature discriminator cir¬ cuit (55) , and the output of the discriminator circuit (55) is sent to the central arithmetic circuit (56) comprised of microcomputers. When a user of the bathroom (1) sends a signal set off by an activating switch (57) , the signal is sent to a drying process activating circuit (58) . The output from the drying process circuit (58) is sent to the central arithmetic circuit (56) . A power switch (59) , which activates and shuts off not only the central arithmetic circuit (56) but the entire apparatus system (5) , is also attached to the central arithmetic circuit (56) .

The control output that is generated by the central arithmetic circuit (56) is sent to a shutter control circuit (60) , a motor control circuit (61) , a valve control circuit (62) and a heater control circuit (63) , and all of these circuits are independently activated by the output of the central arithmetic circuit (56) . Each one of these circuits activates the system for which it is responsible. The shutter control circuit (60) is connected to and activates the shutter (12) . The motor control circuit (61) is connected to and activates the gear box motor (13), the upper motor (43) and the lower motor (45) . The valve control circuit (62) independently connects to and activates the first valve (20) , the second valve (22) , the third valve (28) and the fourth valve (34) . Finally the heater control circuit is connected to and activates the container heater (16) and the heating pipe heater device (47) .

Each function of the apparatus is explained below.

FIGS. 7, 8, 9 and 10 illustrate flow charts that detail and diagram the flow of the functions of the human waste disposal apparatus (5) and process of the present invention.

(1) Maintaining the apparatus in standby state or condition. Before the human waste disposal apparatus (5) activates its dehydration or drying process, it has to be maintained in a standby state or condition. First, the power switch (59) is turned on to signal the central arithmetic circuit (56) that the apparatus (5) is about to be used. This signal is sent to the motor control circuit (61) , the valve control circuit (62) and the heater control circuit (63) from the central arithmetic circuit (56) .

First, the heater control circuit (63) sends a signal to the heating pipe heater (47) to heat the heat¬ ing pipe (17) . Simultaneously, the upper motor (43) and the lower motor (45) are activated by the motor control circuit (61) . The upper fan (44) that is activated by the upper motor (43) sends pressurized air ^"to the execu- tor (27) through the air delivery pipe (31) and the pressurizing pipe (32) . When this pressurized air flows through the executor (27) , a pressurized load is created inside the executor (27) . This load, in turn, draws the air from the catalyst box (15) . When the lower motor (45) is activated, the lower fan (46) starts blowing to draw air from the outside toward the heater pipe heating device (47) . The heater pipe heating device (47) heats this air, and the air continuously warms the catalyst (50) . The catalyst (50) is maintained at an even temperature suitable for oxidation-reduction reactions.

With the system described above, two airflows are created. The first airflow is created by the upper blower (30) , the air delivering pipe (31) , the pressurizing pipe (32) and the executor (27) . The second airflow is created by the lower blower (18) , the heating pipe (17) , the catalyst box (15) and the executor (27) . These two airflows must be constantly maintained when the apparatus is in its standby state. (2) Actual use of the apparatus.

As described above, when in its standby state, the human waste disposal apparatus is ready to process human waste. First, a user opens the door (4) , enters into the housing structure (3) and uses the toilet (6) . The waste excreted is initially stored on the shutter (12) .

(3) Dehydration and vaporization of the human waste. After the user finishes using the toilet (6) , the user activates the disposal system by pushing the activating switch (57) . When the user pushes the activating switch (57) , the signal is sent to the drying process activating circuit (58) and then is sent to the central arithmetic circuit (56) .

The central arithmetic circuit (56) then sends its output to the shutter control circuit (60) to activate the shutter (12) . When the shutter blade (52) moves horizontally in one direction, the connection between the bottom opening of the toilet (6) and the first end of the first inlet pipe (11) is opened. The human waste that has accumulated on the shutter (12) falls down through the first inlet pipe (11) and into the container (10) . After a fixed time period elapses, the shutter control circuit (60) determines that the human waste has fallen into the container (10) and signals the shutter (12) to close the shutter blade (52) . The shutter (12) installed between the toilet (6) and the inlet pipe (11) prevents an offensive odor from being emitted through the toilet (6) during the process of dehydration and vaporization. As the shutter control circuit (60) is activated, the central arithmetic circuit (56) simultaneously signals the motor control circuit (61) to activate the gear box motor (13) . The rotating output of the motor (13) is conveyed to the gear box (14) . The speed of the rotating output is reduced and its direction is also changed by the gears in the gear box (14) . The output causes the shaft (38) to rotate. When the shaft (38) rotates, the plurality of churning blades (39) and the heat accumulators (40) at the bottom of the container (10) start to rotate and roll.

As the signal from the central arithmetic circuit (56) signals the motor control circuit (61) , the valve control circuit (62) simultaneously opens the first valve

(20) and keeps the second valve (22) , the third valve (28) and the fourth valve (34) closed. The airflow through the upper blower (30) , the air delivery pipe

(31) , the air supply pipe (33) and the throttle pipe (35) is created by the signals for opening and closing by the valve control circuit (62) , and the appropriate volume of air is supplied into the container (10) . The air flowing from the upper blower (30) creates a constant airflow supply to the executor (27) via the air delivery pipe (31) and the pressurizing pipe (32) , and a pressurized load is constantly created in the executor (27) . Thus, one airflow is sent into the container (10) through the upper blower (30) , the air delivery pipe (31), the air supply pipe (33) and the throttle pipe (35) .

A second airflow is created from inside the container (10) and sent through the exhaust pipe (19) and flows through the first valve (20) , the second inlet pipe

(21) , the heating pipe (17) and the catalyst box (15) . This airflow is drawn by the executor (27) . The small volume of air that is supplied from the throttle pipe

(35) to the container (10) helps promote an oxidizing reaction of the human waste heated in the container (10) by mixing the human waste with the air.

In addition to the procedures described above, the central arithmetic circuit (56) simultaneously sends a signal to the heater control circuit (63) to activate the container heater (16) to begin heating the bottom of the container (10) . The human waste in the container (10) is heated to a boiling point, and the major constituent of human waste, water, begins to evaporate. In the middle of the heating process by the container heater (16) , the shaft (38) which is connected to and controlled by the gear box (14) causes the blades

(39) to rotate inside the bottom of the container (10) . The blades (39) also cause the globular heat accumulators

(40) to roll on the bottom of the container (10) and churn the human waste. In addition, heat is conducted from the globular heat accumulators (40) to the human waste. Consequently, the human waste is evenly heated. Furthermore, the drying process is accelerated due to the large surface area covered by the globular heat accumula¬ tors (40) .

When each part of the apparatus (5) is simultaneously activated as described above, the vapors from the evaporation process flow from the container (10) through the exhaust pipe (19) , through the first valve (20) , through the second inlet pipe (21) and into the heating pipe (17) . When the vapors flow into the heating pipe (17) , they are mixed with the hot air formed by the heating pipe heater (47) . Since the temperature of the vapors drop during the flow process, the vapors are reheated once they enter into the heating pipe (17) . The reheated vapors then make their way to the catalyst box (15) . When the vapors flow through the filter (49) located within catalyst box (15) and contact the surface of the catalyst (50) , the offensive odors given off by the vapors are treated by an oxidation/reduction reaction in the catalyst (50) and are eliminated. Thereafter, the odor-free air flows through the catalyst box (15) and is drawn by the executor (27) and emitted to outside of the apparatus (5) . Through the process described above, the moisture vaporized in the container (10) is emitted into the outside air after being treated in the catalyst to remove the offensive odors (4) Self-cleaning the drying container and removing the remaining human waste particles. As described above, the major constituent element of the human waste, water, is vaporized by the heating process involving the drying and heating of the container (10) with the container heater (16), and using the churning blades (39) and heat accumulators (40) to move the human waste. At the end of the drying process, once the water has been sufficiently evaporated off, the remaining elements of human waste, such as fiber, stay in the container (10) . If the dried materials of human waste are left in the container (10) during prolonged use of the apparatus (5) , they eventually adhere to the walls of the container (10) and the apparatus (5) becomes less efficient and eventually unable to process human waste.

Thus, a cleaning process must be provided to remove the materials left in the container (10) after each drying process. This cleaning process involves removing the remaining materials by separating them from the airflow. Separation prevents the removed materials in the container (10) from being scattered into the air or from adhering to the catalyst box (15) . The separation of the remaining materials in the container (10) is performed when the apparatus circuit senses the drying process is completed.

Even when the major constituent element of human waste, water, is completely vaporized, the container heater (16) continues to supply heat to the container (10) and raises the temperature of the container (10) . A temperature sensor (41) senses this temperature rise and sends a signal to the temperature discriminator circuit (55) . The temperature discriminator circuit (55) then signals to the central arithmetic circuit (56) that the water in the container (10) has been substantially or completely evaporated, and the cleaning process is activated. When the central arithmetic circuit (56) receives the signal from the temperature discriminator (55) , a signal is first sent to the heater control circuit (63) . The heater control circuit (63) signals the container heater (16) to cease the heating of the container (10) . The signal is then sent to the valve control circuit (62) and activates the opening of the second valve (22) , the third valve (28) , and the fourth valve (34) , while simultaneously activating the closing of the first valve (20) . Upon activation and opening of the valves (22, 28, 34), the airflow compressed by the upper blower (30) rushes into the container (10) . A second airflow is also created from inside the container (10) and flows in the following sequence: from the container (10) to the exhaust pipe (19) , the second valve (22), the cleaning pipe (23), the particle collector box (24), the return pipe (25), the third valve (28), the second inlet pipe (21) and, lastly, the heating pipe (17) . By opening the fourth valve (34) , a strong airflow is directed into the container (10) . The dried materials remaining in the container (10) are subsequently blown away and flow with the air through the exhaust pipe (19) , the first valve (20) , the cleaning pipe (23) and finally into the particle collecting bag (48) .

Since only air can penetrate the particle collecting bag (48) , the particles of the remaining dried materials of the human waste are caught in the surface of the bag, and the particles are separated from the air in the particle collecting bag (48) . The purified air flows through the return pipe (25) , the third valve (28) , the second inlet pipe (21) and finally into the heating pipe (17) . Since the air supplied by the lower blower (18) flows through the heating pipe (17) , the purified air that has been separated from the particles of the dried materials goes into the catalyst box (15) with the airflow and is drawn by the executor (27) and emitted into the outside air. Even when a strong airflow rushes into the container (10) upon opening of the fourth valve (34) , the gear box motor (13) keeps running to activate the shaft (38) , the churning blades (39) and the globular heat accumulators (40) inside the container (10) . The globular heat accumulators (40) continue to roll on the bottom of the container (10) , and the dried materials accumulated at the bottom of the container and on the inside walls of the container (10) are crushed by the globular heat accumulators and eventually removed. The dried materials left in the container (10) are completely pulverized by the crushing process of the rolling globular heat accumulators (40) and are substantially removed and cleansed by the rushing airflow generated by the air supply pipe (33) . (5) Switching the apparatus back to its standby state. As described above, after the dried materials remaining in the container (10) are removed by the airflow supplied by the upper blower (30) , the human waste disposal apparatus (5) returns to its standby state in preparation for a next user of the temporary bathroom (1) . After the self-cleaning process is completed in the fixed time period, the central arithmetic circuit (56) relays a signal to the motor control circuit (61) and the valve control circuit (62). Upon relay of this signal, the gear box motor (13) stops and the churning blades (39) subsequently stop rotating. In addition, upon relay of this signal, the first valve (20) opens and the second valve (22) , the third valve (28) and the fourth valve (34) simultaneously close. The opening and closing of these valves causes the direction of the airflow to change. The air from the upper blower (30) begins to flow into the container (10) via the air delivery pipe (31) , the air supply pipe (33) and the throttle pipe (35) . In addition, a second airflow flows from the container (10) and into the heating pipe (17) via the exhaust pipe (19) , the first valve (20) and the second inlet pipe (21) . Because the lower motor (45) inside the lower blower (18) continuously runs, and the heating pipe heater device (47) inside the heating pipe (17) is always energized, the air supplied by the lower blower (18) is heated when it comes in contact with the heating pipe heater device (47) . This heated air then flows to the catalyst box (15) where the catalyst (50) is heated and maintained at a constant temperature level so that an oxidation/reduction reaction can be carried out. The apparatus (5) is kept in a standby state, ready for the next dehydration and vaporization process, by creating the airflows described above and maintaining the catalyst (50) at a predetermined temperature level.

Thus, as outlined above, the human waste disposal apparatus (5) is capable of repeating the steps of the disposal process including: maintaining the apparatus in the standby state, dehydrating the human waste in the container, vaporizing the water from the human waste in the container, purifying the vapors, and cleaning the container and storing and separating the remaining waste particle. During the disposal process, the major constituent element of human waste, water, is vaporized and the dried materials remaining in the container (10) are automatically removed and cleaned. Therefore, even after the apparatus is in use for a prolonged period of time, there are no dried materials left inside the container (10) and thus the human waste disposal apparatus (5) can used for a prolonged period of time.

The particle collecting bag (48) used to separate the dried material particles from the air is a simpler structure to use than a typical cyclone particle collector used in prior art particle collectors. More¬ over, the waste disposal apparatus and system does not pollute the environment because the particle collecting bag (48) collects even fine particles. The particle collecting bags can be discarded when full, much like vacuum cleaner bags that collect particles during the vacuuming process. Thus, the process is very sanitary, requires simple disposal of the particle collecting bags, and requires less frequent collection of the waste. FIG. 11 details another embodiment of the piping configuration of the human waste disposal apparatus (5) of FIG. 3. The majority of elements shown in this embodiment are identical to those shown in FIG. 3. However, several elements have been added and will be discussed in detail below.

A burning furnace (66) is provided and is installed at the bottom of the container (10) . The furnace (66) is hollow and an upper surface portion of the furnace (66) is in contact with the lower surface of the container (10) . The rear portion of the furnace (66) , (toward the right side of FIG. 11) extends upward and has a vertical dividing partition (67) connected to the inside of the rear portion. The furnace (66) interior is divided into two chambers by the vertical dividing partition (67) . The first chamber located in front of the vertical dividing portion (67) toward the container (10) is a burning chamber (68) . The second chamber located behind the vertical dividing partition (67) toward the rear of the apparatus is the catalyst chamber (69) . The catalyst chamber (65) houses a catalyst (70) . One end of the exhaust pipe (65) is connected to the pressurized load side of the executor (27) .

In order to dry the human waste stored in the container (10) shown in this embodiment, the fourth valve

(34) and a fifth valve (79) are kept closed and a sixth valve (76) is opened. The gear motors (13) , the upper motor (43) and the lower motor (45) are simultaneously activated. The air is compressed and sent from the upper blowers (30) and the lower blower (18) , by activating the upper motor (43) and the lower motor (45), respectively. In addition, the air flowing from the upper blower (30) supplies a small amount of air to the container (10) via the air supply pipe (33) and the throttle pipe (35) . The upper blower (30) simultaneously blows air to the executor (27) through the pressurizing pipe (32) , and this causes a strong pressurized load to be generated in the executor (27) . The pressurized load draws the air from inside the catalyst chamber (69) and through the ex- haust pipe (65) . The air generated by the lower blower (18) flows into the burning chamber (68) via the burner pipe (71) and this air subsequently flows into the catalyst chamber (69) from the burning chamber (68) .

Thus, with this embodiment of the human waste disposal apparatus, there are three airflows created. The first airflow is created by the upper blower (18) and flows through the exhaust pipe (71) , the burning chamber (68) , the catalyst chamber (69) , the exhaust pipe (65) and finally into the executor (27) . The second airflow is created by the lower blower (30) and flows through the air delivery pipe (31) , the air supply pipe (33) , the throttle pipe (35) , the container (10) , the exhaust pipe (19) , the sixth valve (76) and finally to the releasing opening (78) . The third airflow is created by the upper blower (30) and flows through the air delivery pipe (31) , the pressurizing pipe (32) and into the executor (27) .

While these airflows in the apparatus (5) described above are generated, a fuel pump (73) is activated and supplies fuel (75) through the opening of the fuel pipe (72) , through the burner pipe (71) and into the burning chamber (68) . The fuel mixes with the air from the lower blower (18) and ignites, causing flames to be generated inside the burning chamber (68) . The flame in the burning chamber (68) generates heat, which heats the bottom of the container (10) . When the container (10) is heated, the human waste stored in the container is heated and eventually begins to boil. The water contained in the human waste evaporates and these water vapors flow along with air into the burning chamber (68) via the exhaust pipe (19) , the sixth valve (76) , the inlet pipe (77) and the releasing pipe (78) .

The vapors and other elements that release an of¬ fensive odor from the human waste are reheated in the burning chamber (68) , flow into the catalyst chamber (69) and come into contact with the catalyst (70) . When the vapors and other elements having the offensive odor come into contact with the catalyst (70) , an oxidation/ reduction reaction takes place to eliminate the offensive odors. The odor-free air then flows into the exhaust pipe (65) and is emitted outside of the apparatus. Since the air in the catalyst chamber (69) is drawn by the load generated in the executor (27) , the vapor and other elements flowing from the container (10) , are emitted into the outside air.

When the major constituent element of the human waste, water, is completely evaporated in the container (10) due to heating by the burning chamber (68) , the temperature of the container (10) rises and the tempera- ture sensor (41) detects the rise in temperature and activates a signal to begin the cleaning process. When the self-cleaning process has been activated, -the fourth valve (34) and the fifth valve (79) are opened and the sixth valve (76) is closed. Upon the opening and closing of these valves, the air generated by the lower blower (30) rushes into the container (10) through the air delivery pipe (31), the air supply pipe (33) and the fourth valve (34) . The dried materials remaining in the container (10) are blown into the particle collecting bag

(82) which is stored in the particle collecting box (81) via the exhaust pipe (19) , the sixth valve (79) and the cleaning pipe (80) . The particle collecting bag (82) separates the human waste particles from the airflow and sends the purified air toward the return pipe (83) . The purified air then flows into the return pipe (83) and rushes into the burning chamber (68) through the dis¬ charge opening (84) . The air continues to flow into the catalyst chamber (69) , through the exhaust pipe (65) , and is finally emitted into the outside air as a result of being drawn by the executor (27) . After the self- cleaning process is activated and kept in activation for a fixed period of time, a circuit signals the completion of the process and stops the gear box motor (13) , which in turn stops the shaft (38) , the churning blades (39) and the heat accumulators (40) . Simultaneously, the amount of the fuel supplied by the fuel pump (73) is reduced and the flames in the burning chamber (68) are reduced, thus decreasing the temperature of the burning chamber (68) . The human waste disposal apparatus (5) resumes its standby state, and prepares for the next dehydration and vaporization process by closing the fourth valve (34) and the fifth valve (79) and opening the sixth valve (76) . While specific embodiments of the invention have been herein illustrated and described in detail, it will be understood that modifications and variations thereof may be effected without departing from the spirit of the invention and the scope of the accompanying claims.

Claims

CLAIMSWhat is claimed is:

1. A human waste disposal apparatus comprising: means for collecting human waste, wherein said waste has a liquid portion and a solid portion; means for dehydrating said collected waste, said dehydrating means connected to and disposed within said collecting means, wherein said dehydrating means converts said liquid portion of said waste into vapors; means coupled to said collecting means for purifying said vapors; means for cleaning said collecting means after completion of dehydration and vaporization of said liquid portion of said waste, wherein said cleaning means is connected to said collecting means; and, means for storing said solid portion of said waste remaining after said completion of dehydration and vaporization of said liquid portion of said waste, wherein said storing means is connected to said collecting means.

2. The apparatus of claim 1 wherein said collecting means collects said waste from a toilet, said toilet having a lower portion connected to a shutter, said shutter connected to a first inlet pipe, and said first inlet pipe connected to a side of said collecting means.

3. The apparatus of claim 1 wherein said collecting means includes a hollow, heat-resistant, drying container having a cover that creates an airtight seal and having a plurality of pipes connected to said cover.

4. The apparatus of claim 3 wherein said container has a gear box and a gear box motor connected to an outer portion of said cover of said container, said gear box having an elongated shaft extending from the bottom of said gear box to a bottom portion of the interior of said container.

5. The apparatus of claim 4 wherein said container includes a plurality of blades connected to said shaft bottom and further includes a plurality of heat accumulators spaced among said blades, wherein said blades and said heat accumulators rotate and move to agitate and stir said waste within said container.

6. The apparatus of claim 1 wherein said dehydrating means includes a heater adjacent said collecting means for heating said waste to a boiling temperature and for accelerating said vaporization of said liquid portion of said waste.

7. The apparatus of claim 6 wherein said heater is a heating pipe having an electric coiled heater device housed in the interior of said heating pipe.

8. The apparatus of claim 6 wherein said heater is a furnace that uses fuel to heat said waste and includes a fuel pump, a fuel pipe, a burner pipe, and a burning chamber.

9. The apparatus of claim 1 wherein said dehydrating means includes an air supply pipe that supplies air into said collecting means to accelerate vaporization of said liquid portion of said waste; an air delivery pipe connected to said air supply pipe; and an upper motorized blower connected to said air delivery pipe.

10. The apparatus of claim 1 wherein said purifying means includes an exhaust pipe for discharging vapors from said collecting means; a second inlet pipe connected to said exhaust pipe; a heating means connected to said second inlet pipe; and a catalyst box connected to said heating means.

11. The apparatus of claim 10 wherein said heating means is a heating pipe having a heater device housed in the interior of said heating pipe, said heating pipe receiving air from a lower blower, heating said air, reheating said vapors, and transporting said air and said vapors to said catalyst box.

12. The apparatus of claim 10 wherein said heating means is a furnace energized with fuel, further wherein said heating means reheats said vapors and transports said vapors to said catalyst chamber.

13. The apparatus of claim 10 wherein said catalyst box includes a catalyst and a filter for purifying said vapors, said catalyst being maintained at a constant temperature, carrying out an oxidation/reduction reaction when exposed to said vapors and eliminating odors associated with said vapors.

14. The apparatus of claim 13 wherein said catalyst box is connected to an executor for transporting said purified vapors to the air outside of said apparatus.

15. The apparatus of claim 1 wherein said cleaning means includes an exhaust pipe for discharging said solid waste particles from said collecting means after completion of dehydration and vaporization; a cleaning pipe connected to said exhaust pipe; and a particle collector box connected to said cleaning pipe.

16. The apparatus of claim 15 wherein said particle collector box includes a particle collecting bag that separates said solid waste particles from air, and further wherein said particle collector box is connected to a return pipe that transports said air to said catalyst box for emission.

17. The apparatus of claim 1 wherein said storing means includes said particle collecting bag comprised of cloth or paper for storing said solid waste for disposal.

18. A human waste disposal apparatus comprising: a toilet bowl; a shutter member having a top part and a bottom part, wherein said top part is connected to a bottom portion of said toilet bowl; a first inlet pipe having a first end and a second end, wherein said first end is connected to said bottom part of said shutter; a hollow, heat-resistant, dehydration container having a cover that creates an airtight seal and having a heater adjacent said container, wherein said second end of said first inlet pipe is connected to a side of said container; a gear box attached to said cover of said container, said gear box having an attached motor and having a shaft that extends from a bottom portion of said gear box into the interior of said container, wherein a plurality of blades for agitating said waste are housed within said interior of said container and are attached to a bottom portion of said shaft, and further wherein a plurality of heat accumulators for heating and agitating said waste are spaced among said plurality of blades within said interior of said container; an air supply pipe connected to said cover of said container, wherein said air supply pipe supplies air into said container from an upper blower and said air helps to convert liquids from said waste into vapors; an exhaust pipe for discharging said vapors from said container, said exhaust pipe having a first end and a second end, wherein said first end is connected to said cover of said container and wherein said second end splits to form a cleaning pipe and a second inlet pipe, said second inlet pipe connected to a heating means; a particle collector box connected to said cleaning pipe, wherein said particle collector box houses a particle collecting bag that collects and stores solid dried particles of said waste remaining after vaporization; and, a catalyst box housing a catalyst and a filter for purifying said vapors, said catalyst box having a first opening and a second opening, wherein said first opening is connected to said heating means and said second opening is connected to an executor.

19. The apparatus of claim 18 wherein said heater adjacent said container heats said waste to a boiling temperature and accelerates said vaporization of said liquid portion of said waste.

20. The apparatus of claim 19 wherein said heater is a heating pipe having a heater device housed in the interior of said heating pipe, said heating pipe receiving air from a lower blower.

21. The apparatus of claim 19 wherein said heater is a furnace that uses fuel to heat the waste and includes a fuel pump, a fuel pipe, a burner pipe, a burning chamber, and a catalyst chamber.

22. The apparatus of claim 18 wherein said particle collector bag has a means for separating said solid waste particles from air so that said air is transported outside of said particle collector bag via a return pipe and into said catalyst box for emission outside of said apparatus.

23. The apparatus of claim 18 wherein said catalyst housed in said catalyst box is maintained at a constant temperature, carries out an oxidation/reduction reaction when exposed to said vapors, and eliminates odors associated with said vapors.

24. A human waste disposal process for use with a portable bathroom comprising the steps of: collecting human waste in a container, wherein said waste has a liquid portion and a solid portion; dehydrating said waste with heat and air, such that said liquid portion of said waste is converted into vapors; purifying in a catalyst box said vapors formed from said dehydration step; cleaning said container by removing said solid portion of said waste remaining after completion of said dehydration step; collecting said solid portion of said waste in a particle collecting bag and separating said solid portion of said waste from air; and, storing said solid portion of said waste in said particle collecting bag for disposal.

25. The process of claim 24 wherein said waste collecting step includes transporting said waste from a toilet to an airtight heat-resistant container.

26. The process of claim 24 wherein said dehydration step includes heating said waste to a boiling temperature in said container and blowing air into said container to convert said liquid portion of said waste into vapors.

27. The process of claim 24 wherein said purification step includes discharging said vapors from said container via an exhaust pipe and a second inlet pipe and transporting said vapors into a catalyst box, wherein a catalyst housed in said catalyst box undergoes an oxidation/reduction reaction to eliminate odors associated with said vapors.

28. The process of claim 24 wherein said purification step includes emitting said purified vapors from said catalyst box into an executor and into the outside air.

29. The process of claim 24 wherein said cleaning step includes discharging from said container, said solid waste particles remaining in said container after dehydration and vaporization, via said exhaust pipe connected to a cleaning pipe and transporting said waste into a particle collector box which houses said particle collecting bag.

30. The process of claim 24 which includes the step of maintaining a human waste disposal apparatus in a standby condition.