Self-cleaning helical drain toilet

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-9737181-B1
Application number	US-201615201822-A
Country	US
Kind code	B1
Filing date	Jul 5, 2016
Priority date	Jul 5, 2016
Publication date	Aug 22, 2017
Grant date	Aug 22, 2017

Abstract

A toilet comprising a rinsing seat, a rimless bowl, and a helical loop trapway is disclosed. An annular cavity for the purpose of storing and dispensing rinse water from the rinsing seat is disclosed. In one embodiment, the rinsing seat includes a pressurized line which can be pressurized by a compressible membrane compressed by a toilet user. Outlet nozzles arranged about the circumference of the rinsing seat and designed to dispense rinse water at the rimless bowl are disclosed. Rinsing seat supports, hinge assemblies, and seat sensors which offer additional functionality to the rinsing seat are also disclosed. A steep interior surface and hydrophobic material for the rimless bowl are also disclosed and claimed herein.

First claim

The invention claimed is:

1. A toilet comprising:
a rimless bowl comprising a hydrophobic material;
a helical loop trapway connected to the rimless bowl;
a seat comprising an annular cavity, said annular cavity comprising inlet ports connected to a remote water source, the seat further comprising a plurality of outlet nozzles arranged circumferentially and directed to the rimless bowl, the plurality of outlet nozzles being connected to the annular cavity; and wherein
a rinsing volume of water is dispensed out of the seat through the plurality of outlet nozzles.

2. The toilet of claim 1 , wherein the rinsing volume comprises a volume of water sufficient to fully flush the toilet.

3. The toilet of claim 1 , wherein the annular cavity further comprises a volume sufficient to store water and flush the toilet using only the stored water.

4. The toilet of claim 1 , wherein the annular cavity further comprises a volume sufficient to store water and flush the toilet using the stored water and a water jet below a nominal water level of the toilet for initiating a flush.

5. The toilet of claim 1 , wherein the remote water source is pressurized, the annular cavity further comprises a pressurized line, and the pressurized line is capable of dispensing pressurized water out of the outlet nozzles.

6. The toilet of claim 5 , wherein the remote water source is a pressurized utility line of a building.

7. The toilet of claim 1 , wherein the seat further comprises one or more arcuate supports, each of said one or more supports being hingedly attached to a hinge assembly.

8. The toilet of claim 7 , wherein the one or more arcuate supports each comprise an interior cavity connected to the inlet ports, each inlet cavity being connected to the remote water source.

9. The toilet of claim 1 further comprising one or more seat sensors, a memory unit, and a processor, and wherein the rinsing volume of water is dynamically varied by the processor based on inputs from the one or more seat sensors.

10. The toilet of claim 9 , wherein the one or more seat sensors measure a user's weight and comprise strain gauges, pressure transducers, or a combination thereof.

11. The toilet of claim 9 , wherein the one or more seat sensors measure a displacement of reservoir water in the rimless bowl and wherein the one or more seat sensors comprise ultrasonic sensors, a machine vision system, laser range-finding sensors, infrared range-finding sensors, or a combination thereof.

12. The toilet of claim 1 , wherein the outlet nozzles comprise oscillating spray nozzles.

13. The toilet of claim 1 further comprising a bidet, the bidet directing water to a user's posterior or directing water to the rimless bowl to rinse waste off of the rimless bowl.

14. The toilet of claim 1 , wherein the hydrophobic material comprises a coating sprayed onto an interior surface of the rimless bowl.

15. The toilet of claim 1 , wherein the remote water source is combined with a disinfectant, the disinfectant being dispensed with water through the outlet nozzles and the disinfectant comprising one or more of an oxidizer, ozone, bleaching chemical, or a combination thereof.

16. The toilet of claim 1 further comprising a memory unit, a processor, and one or more user detection sensors, said memory unit and processor being in communication with the one or more user detection sensors.

17. The toilet of claim 1 , wherein the seat comprises a compressible membrane and wherein water in the annular cavity of the seat is pressurized by a user sitting on the seat and compressing the compressible membrane.

18. The toilet of claim 1 further comprising a water tank, said water tank storing and dispensing a flushing volume of water into the helical loop trapway, and wherein the flushing volume of water and the rinsing volume of water are independently controlled such that the rinsing volume of water may be dispensed while the flushing volume of water is not being dispensed.

19. The toilet of claim 1 , wherein the rinsing volume of water is dispensed from the plurality of outlet nozzles in an overlapping pattern.

20. The toilet of claim 19 further comprising user detection sensors, a memory unit, and a processor, and wherein the rinsing volume of water is dispensed while a user is using the toilet.

Assignees

• Hall David R
• Allen Dan
• Reynolds Jared
• Larsen Joshua
• Fox Joe
• Magleby Eric

Inventors

• Hall David R
• Allen Dan
• Reynolds Jared
• Larsen Joshua
• Fox Joe
• Magleby Eric

Classifications

• E03D11/02 Primary

  Water-closet bowls (auxiliary chambers with connections to flushing water for bowl-cleaning utensils E03D9/06; modified for using upwardly-directed sprays E03D9/08; seats or covers A47K13/00 ){; Bowls with a double odour seal optionally with provisions for a good siphonic action; siphons as part of the bowl (parts or details of bowls E03D11/13)} · CPC title

• E03D5/00

  Special constructions of flushing devices (in motor vehicles or trailers B60R15/00; in railway carriages B61D35/00; in ships B63B29/14; in aircraft B64D11/02), {e.g. closed flushing system} · 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

• A47K13/24 Primary

  Parts or details not covered in, or of interest apart from, groups A47K13/02 - A47K13/22 · CPC title

• A47K13/302

  Seats with cleaning devices · CPC title