Clean toilet and accessories

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-10544574-B2
Application number	US-201815994713-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	May 31, 2018
Priority date	Aug 24, 2015
Publication date	Jan 28, 2020
Grant date	Jan 28, 2020

Abstract

A toilet that includes a bowl; a tank having a sidewall and a bottom defining a reservoir; a container located inside the reservoir and configured to contain a chemical compound that mixes with water to form a cleaning compound; a connector for coupling the container to the sidewall; and a flush valve. The connector has a bracket coupled to the container, a threaded protrusion that extends from the bracket into a hole in the sidewall of the tank, and a threaded fastener having a threaded body and a head, which is larger radially than the threaded body such that the head contacts an outside of the sidewall in a secured position in which the threaded body threads to the threaded protrusion. The flush valve is fluidly connected to the container to introduce the cleaning compound into the bowl through an outlet in the bottom during a cleaning cycle.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A toilet comprising:
a bowl;
a tank having a sidewall and a bottom defining a reservoir;
a container located inside the reservoir and configured to contain a chemical compound that mixes with water from a fill valve to form a cleaning compound;
a connector for coupling the container to the sidewall, the connector comprising:
a bracket coupled to the container;
a threaded protrusion that extends from the bracket into a hole in the sidewall of the tank; and
a threaded fastener having a threaded body and a head, which is larger radially than the threaded body such that the head contacts an outside of the sidewall in a secured position in which the threaded body threads to the threaded protrusion; and

a flush valve fluidly connected to the container to introduce the cleaning compound into the bowl through an outlet in the bottom of the tank during a cleaning cycle.

2. The toilet of claim 1 , wherein the bracket of the connector is located inside the reservoir and directly coupled to the container through a fastener.

3. The toilet of claim 2 , wherein the container has a wall and a flange extending from the wall, and the bracket is directly coupled to the flange through the fastener.

4. The toilet of claim 3 , wherein the bracket has a body and two spaced apart arms extending from the body to form a clevis, and the fastener extends through one of the two spaced apart arms and threads to the other of the two spaced apart arms.

5. The toilet of claim 1 , wherein the hole in the sidewall is positioned in the sidewall above a high water level in the reservoir.

6. The toilet of claim 5 , further comprising a shroud removably disposed in the reservoir to close off an open top of the tank at an upper end of the sidewall of the tank, wherein the hole in the sidewall is positioned below the shroud.

7. The toilet of claim 6 , further comprising a container lid detachably coupled to a body of the container through an opening in the body of the container in a coupled position, in which the container lid and the shroud conceal the container.

8. The toilet of claim 7 , wherein the container lid comprises:
a base that is disposed on the body of the container in the coupled position, the base having a through bore;
a slider comprising:
an upper portion fitted in the through bore; and
a lower portion fitted in the opening in the body of the container, the lower portion having an outwardly extending lip;

a resilient member disposed around at least part of the lower portion of the slider between the lip and the base; and
a cam lever rotatably coupled to the slider about a pivot axis and comprising a cam surface offset from the pivot axis, wherein rotation of the cam lever relative to the base and the slider from a non-locking position toward a locking position moves the slider relative to the base through the cam surface so that the lip expands the resilient member outwardly from a clearance fit into an interference fit with the body of the container when in the coupled position.

9. A toilet comprising:
a tank having a sidewall;
a container disposed inside the tank and coupled to the sidewall, the container comprising a body having a wall with an open top to define a reservoir in the body, the reservoir configured to contain a chemical compound that mixes with water from a fill valve to form a cleaning compound; and
a container lid that detachably couples to the container in a secured position, wherein the container lid comprises:
a base that is disposed on an upper end of the wall, the base having a bore;
a slider having an upper portion, which is fitted in the bore, and a lower portion, which is fitted in the open top in the body and includes an outwardly extending lip;
a resilient member disposed around at least part of the lower portion of the slider between the lip and the base; and
a cam member comprising a lever and a leg extending from the lever, wherein the leg is rotatably coupled to the slider about a pivot axis and includes a cam surface offset from the pivot axis, wherein rotation of the cam member relative to the base and the slider from a non-locking position to a locking position moves the slider relative to the base through the cam surface contacting the base such that the lip biases the resilient member outwardly from a clearance fit into an interference fit with the wall of the body to secure the container lid to the container in the secured position.

10. The toilet of claim 9 , wherein the resilient member forms a fluid tight seal between the body of the container and the container lid in the secured position.

11. The toilet of claim 9 , wherein an outer profile of the upper portion of the slider complements a profile of the bore, and an outer profile of the lower portion of the slider complements a profile of the open top in the body.

12. The toilet of claim 9 , wherein the leg of the cam member is a first leg, and the cam member includes a second leg extending from the lever so that the lever and first and second legs form a clevis shape that wraps around the upper portion of the slider.

13. The toilet of claim 12 , wherein each of the first and second legs is rotatably coupled to the upper portion of the slider about the pivot axis, the cam surface is a first cam surface of the first leg that contacts a first part of the base, and the second leg includes a second cam surface offset from the pivot axis and configured to contact a second part of the base.

14. The toilet of claim 12 , wherein the cam member nests with the upper portion of the slider in the locking position.

15. The toilet of claim 14 , further comprising:
a shroud disposed in and closing off an opening in a top of the tank in an installed position, the shroud comprising a body with a through hole, wherein the container lid nests within the through hole in the shroud in the locked position; and
a tank lid configured to conceal the shroud with the tank in a covered position;
wherein the reservoir is accessible through the through hole in the shroud with the tank lid removed from the tank and the container lid removed from the container.

16. A toilet comprising:
a tank having a sidewall with an open top to define a reservoir;
a shroud disposed in and closing off the open top in an installed position, the shroud comprising a body with a through hole;
a tank lid configured to conceal the shroud with the tank in a covered position;
a container located inside the reservoir and below a top of the shroud, wherein the container is configured to contain a chemical compound that mixes with water to form a cleaning compound; and
a container lid configured to detachably couple to the container through the through hole to form a fluid tight seal between the container lid and the container in a locked position, wherein the container lid is accessible with the tank lid removed from the tank.

17. The toilet of claim 16 , wherein the through hole in in the body of the shroud is a first through hole, and the toilet further comprises:
a valve that controls a flow rate of water from a fill valve into the container, the valve operable in at least first and second settings that provide different flow rates; and
a multi-position control that changes operation of the valve between the at least first and second settings;
wherein the control nests within and is accessible through a second through hole in the shroud that is separate from the first through hole.

18. The toilet of claim 17 , further comprising:
the fill valve, wherein the fill valve is locate

Assignees

• Kohler Co

Inventors

• Kuru William
• Garrels Clayton
• Denzin Peter W

Classifications

• C11D7/04

  Water-soluble compounds · CPC title

• E03D5/10

  operated electrically (E03D5/01, E03D5/12 take precedence), {e.g. by a photo-cell; also combined with devices for opening or closing shutters in the bowl outlet and/or with devices for raising/or lowering seat and cover and/or for swiveling the bowl} · CPC title

• E03D1/36

  Associated working of inlet and outlet valves · CPC title

• E03D9/032

  Devices connected to or dispensing into the bowl · CPC title

• E03D2009/028

  using a liquid substance · CPC title