Water saving flush system

Abstract

In an automatic shut off system for a water closet, a weight is added to the flapper valve and the chain is lengthened a precise amount to shorten the flush cycle and thereby reduces the amount of water used. This system conserves water by reducing the automatic flush system to release only one gallon of water for a short flush, while still permitting a full three gallon flush by merely holding the handle in the “on” position.

Description

BACKGROUND

[0001] 1. Field

[0002] The present invention relates to flapper valves used in toilet water closets and more particularly to modification in such valves that are designed to facilitate the saving of water by proper weighing of the flapper valve.

[0003] 2. Prior Art

[0004] A number of prior art inventions have been made to save water during the flush cycle. These inventions are described briefly below:

[0005] U.S. Pat. No. 3,982,283 illustrates a water conservation flushing apparatus where the flapper valve closed as soon as the handle is released. The handle must be held down for any flow. This system fails to have any automatic shut off for a reduced flow cycle.

[0006] U.S. Pat. No, 4,091,474 illustrates a short flow cycle system where a float height in the tank determines when the cycle is over by closing the flapper valve when the water drops below the float level. However, it fails to provide this function with a simple mechanism. It requires a separate float, weight and connection means.

[0007] U.S. Pat. No. 4,184,215 illustrates a flush system in which there is a rigid link from the handle which pushes the flapper valve down as long as the handle is held in a specific position. It fails to have an automatically shut off after a short flow cycle. It is completely manual in operation.

[0008] U.S. Pat. No. 5,073,995 illustrates a separate weighted float that can be set to close the flapper valve after a desired amount of flow has occurred. However, this is not a simple system. It requires a separate float, weight and connecting means.

[0009] U.S. Pat. No. 5,129,510 illustrates a system in which a weight is placed in the flapper valve. The toilet flushing handle is held down for the amount of water flow needed for a flush. The flow stopped as soon as the handle is released. This system cannot provide an automatically shut off for a reduced flush. It is entirely manual.

[0010] U.S. Pat. No. 5,148,554 illustrates a water saving device that uses a separate float attached to the flapper valve whereby the flapper valve is closed when the water flows below the float level. However, it fails to show a simple reliable and low cost system where a flapper valve includes a weight that automatically determines the amount of water flow in a flush. The device described in this patent requires a separate float and extension piece for adjusting the height of the float in the tank.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE FIGURES

[0011] FIG. 1 is a side cross sectional view of a prior art toilet water closet showing the flapper valve in the closed position.

[0012] FIG. 2 is a side cross sectional view of a prior art water closet showing the flapper valve in the open position.

[0013] FIG. 3 is a side cross sectional view of the present invention showing the flapper valve in the open position.

[0014] FIG. 4A is a plan view of a cap used to convert a conventional valve into one which incorporated the present invention.

[0015] FIG. 4B is a side elevation view of a conventional flapper 11, along with a weight and the cap of FIG. 4A which are all that are necessary to convert the conventional valve into one which incorporates the present invention.

SUMMARY

[0016] It is an object of the present invention to provide a toilet water closet with the capability of an automatic short flush cycle.

[0017] It is an object of the present invention to easily modify existing toilets to provide an automatic short flush cycle.

[0018] It is an object of the present invention to provide toilets with an automatic short flush cycle at low cost.

[0019] It is an object of the present invention to provide toilets with an automatic short flush cycle and a manually controlled long flush cycle.

[0020] The present invention illustrates a system where a weight is added to the flapper valve and the chain to the flapper valve is lengthened to shorten the flush cycle and thereby reduces the amount of water used. This system conserves water by automatically reducing the flush to one gallon of water for a short flush, and it permits the operator to obtain a full three gallon flush by merely holding the handle in the “on” position.

[0021] A weight added to the flapper valve and a lengthening of the chain to the flapper valve is all that is needed as change to existing equipment to achieve an automatic short flush time. An automatic short flush time provides an important economic advantage because most prior art system require much more complicated changes to obtain a short flush cycle. This short flush cycle is made possible by increasing the length of chain used to lift the flapper valve to a selected angle above the drain port. Typically the chain to the valve is lengthened by half an inch. This increase in chain length prevents the valve from being lifted to the fall vertical position and allows the valve to close after only a gallon has flowed.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0022] FIG. 1 is a side cross sectional view of a prior art toilet water closet showing the flapper valve in the closed position. A commonly available flush system in a toilet water closet 1, comprises a water closet 2, a rinse pipe 3, a flapper valve 4, an arm 4A connecting the flapper valve to rinse pipe 3, a pivot 4B on the rinse pipe supporting the flapper valve arm, and a drain port 4C for the flapper valve.

[0023] The water closet which has an open top 1B and a bottom IC also includes walls, such as wall 1A that enclose a volume of water 10. The drain port 4C is located in the bottom of water closet 1C while the flapper valve 4, which typically consists of a flap of material is located at the bottom inside the water closet directly above the drain port.

[0024] In a first closed position, the flapper valve 4 rests on the drain port and is in part is held in this position by the water 10 above it which fills the water closet. The flapper valve arm 4A, which is located at a first end of the flapper valve, connects the flapper valve to the rinse pipe 3 by way of a pivot 4B. The rinse pipe is mounted to the bottom of the water closet which therefore, connects the flapper valve to the water closet by way of the rinse pipe. The flapper valve is free to open and close by rotating about the pivot 4B. In the operation of this valve, a handle 7, which is connected to a control arm 6, is used to lift the flapper valve from the first closed position by way of a chain 5 that is connected between the control arm 6 and the flapper valve to a second open position which places the flapper valve at an angle X with respect to the horizontal. This angle X which can be seen in FIG. 2 typically ranges from 70 to 85°.

[0025] FIG. 2 shows the position of the control arm 6 to be within the water closet above the flapper valve 4. When the handle 7 is depressed, the control arm 6 rotates about a pivot 7A. Depressing the handle, which is attached to the left end of the control arm, causes the right end of the control arm to be raised upward. This lifts the chain 5 which is connected at one end to the right end of the control arm and which has its opposite end connected to the flapper valve at point 4D. The chain typically contains some slack referred to by drawing numeral 5B. The upward movement of the control arm first takes up the slack and then moves the flapper valve up from its position over the drain port, allowing the water in the closet to flow down through the drain port into the toilet. The direction of the water flow into the drain port 4C is shown by directional arrow 10A.

[0026] On the underside of the flapper valve is a projection that is in the form of a truncated cone 4E which is attached to the flapper valve at the base of this cone. The cone, which is hollow and provide a means of flotation for the flapper valve, projects downwardly into the drain port 4C, when the valve is closed. As the flapper valve is lifted, air bubbles 9 are released through a hole 4F at the bottom of the cone 4E. While these bubbles are being released, some water enters the cone. This water adds weight to the flapper valve, but the flapper valve has upward momentum and once it reaches its upright position it remains in the upright position for a short period at time, typically 8 seconds until the water closet is almost empty. The flapper valve remains in its upright position for this period even after the handle is released because the flapper valve is supported by the arm 4A which rest on the pivot 4B. In the upward position, the valve's center of gravity is close to being directly above pivot point 4B and in this position, the valve's own weight produces less closing torque than when the valve is in a more horizontal position. The closing torque of the valve is also partially counteracted by the buoyancy of the cone, which also aids in keeping the flapper valve in its upright position. As water flows in the direction shown by 10A into the port 4C, it causes the water level in the tank to drop, eventually causing the water level to fall below the level of the flapper valve. At this point, the flotation support provided by the water no longer exist for the flapper valve and the valve's own weight plus the added weight due to the water that has been taken into the cone causes the valve to fall to its previous first or closed position on the drain port. The water rushing past the valve in the direction 10A also tends to drive the flapper valve into this closed position. Whatever water was taken in by the cone is drained from the cone in its closed position, making it ready for the next flush cycle. This completes the description of the flush cycle for prior art toilets.

[0027] The major problem with prior art flush systems is that once the handle has been pressed down and released, the cycle uses virtually all the water in the water closet which usually amounts to three gallons. Often, much less water is required. However, a short flush cycle which uses less water cannot be obtained from prior art water closets of the type shown in FIGS. 1 and 2.

[0028] The present invention is shown in FIG. 3. It appears to be virtually the same as the prior art water closet shown in FIGS. 1 and 2, however, there are two small but very significant differences. The chain 5 has been replaced by a lengthened chain 5A and the flapper valve now includes on its upper side a weight 8. In the operation of this system, when the handle is pulled down, its downward movement is limited by a stop usually built into pivot 7A. Because the upward movement of the right end of the control arm and the upward movement of the chain are similarly limited, the opening of the flapper valve is limited. The lengthen of chain 5A does not allow pulling the flapper valve into the full upright position, but holds it at an angle of approximately 45 degrees with respect to the horizontal plane. In this position, the flapper valve does not receive as much support from the pivots 4B as does the prior art system where the flapper valve is in the full upright position. The torque required to close the valve is less because of the greater distance of the center of gravity of the valve from the pivot point 4B and the greater weight provided by weight 8. The weight 8 is chosen to make the flapper have a density which gives it a slightly negative buoyancy so that the valve, once released, slowly descends towards the port 4C. As it moves in this direction, the flow of the water 10A tends to pull the valve into the closed position.

[0029] This process takes nominally 5 seconds in which time approximately one gallon is allowed to flow out through the port 4C to produce the desired short flush cycle. One major difference between the present invention and the prior art is the shut off for the short flush cycle is automatic and it is accomplished reliably and at low cost. When the handle 7 is pulled in a downward direction and let go, the short cycle with automatically take place. If a longer flush cycle is desired, all that is required is for the flush handle 7 to held down by the operator for as long a flush cycle as is desired.

[0030] One of the primary advantages of the present invention is the ease with which an in place conventional system may be converted to a system incorporating the present invention. This is shown in FIGS. 4A and 4B.

[0031] FIG. 4A is a plan view of a cap 12. FIG. 4B is a side elevation view of a conventional flapper valve 10, along with a weight 11 and a cap 12. The weight and cap are the only components that are needed to convert the conventional valve to one that provide the water saving capability of the present invention. In the conversion process, the weight is placed on top of the conventional valve and the cap is placed over the weight to hold it in place. The cap is secured in place by water proof glue or can be held by a number of mechanical means. Those skilled in the art can devise many equivalent methods of securing the weight to the valve including gluing the weight directly, providing a slot in the valve into which the weight may be inserted, screwing the cap onto the valve and providing fingers in the cap which grip the valve. All of these equivalents are considered to fall within the spirit and scope of the present invention.

[0032] A significant difference between the present invention and the prior art is the weight added to the flapper valve is not intended to prevent the valve from lifting, except during the time the handle 7 is held down. The weight 4 is chosen to allow the valve to float, but prevents it from reaching it in full upright position. It should be noted that there are several embodiments that fall within the spirit and scope of the present invention. In one embodiment, a completely new valve, which has been successfully fabricated, the weight 11 is incorporated during the fabrication process, making it possible to simply replace the flapper valve to gain the automatic short flush or the manually controlled longer flush.

[0033] In a second embodiment, a different value of weight is incorporated to provide a different amount of water release for the automatic short flush. The different weight may, in a third embodiment, be adjusted in the field by adding weight at the site. This can be accomplished in several ways, one of which is using the configuration shown in FIG. 4B when the cap 12 is made removable by, for example, having it contain threads 14 which are used to engage mating threads 15 on the valve as shown in FIG. 4B. An alternate is to have the cap snap onto the valve.

[0034] A fourth embodiment provides the desired added weight by simply thickening the walls of the valve, eliminating the need for a weight. In this latter system, the only apparent difference with prior art installation is the lengthening of the chain or other link between the control arm 6 and the valve. Finally, in a fifth embodiment, the chain length by itself is used to adjust the short cycle flush time. The slack in the chain determines the angle to which the valve is raised, and this determines the torque the valve exerts to return to its first closed position. Different amounts of slack provide different amounts of flush. Of course, using both weight and chain length provide the most positive and sure way to obtain a desired short flush cycle.

Claims

1. A flapper valve system to adjust the amount of water released in a flush cycle in a toilet which includes a water closet that includes walls enclosing a volume of water and has a top and a bottom, a drain port in the bottom of the water closet to release water from the water closet, a flapper valve consisting fundamentally of a flap of material that has a first and a second end and is pivotly connected at its first end to the water closet, the second end of said flapper valve which, in a first closed position, is laid flat and generally horizontally over and against the drain port and then, in a second open position, is raised to an angle that generally ranges between 70 and 85 degrees from the horizontal to provide a downward force on the flapper valve caused by its weight which tends to return the flapper valve to its first closed position, said second open position being above and away from said drain port to allow the water in said drain port to exit said water closet, said flapper valve controlling the flow of water from the water closet through the drain port, and said system further including a control arm means with a limited range of upward movement, a linkage attached between the control arm means and the flapper valve to lift the flapper valve to its second position in response to the limited movement of said control arm which draws said linkage taught to release water from the water closet through the drain port, said flapper valve system further including means for flotation, said means for flotation being attached to and aiding said valve in remaining in it's second position until the water in said water closet has been drained away from said flapper valve through said drain port, at which time the weight of said flapper valve causes it to drop to its first position to cover and close said drain port, allowing the water closet to be refilled for the next flush cycle, said flapper valve system further comprising means for introducing slack in said linkage to prevent the raising of said valve to its full upward second position to cause said valve to drop to its first position prior to the complete draining of the water closet to provide the release of a selected volume of water that is less than the full volume of the water closet.

2. A flapper valve system to adjust the amount of water released in a flush cycle in a toilet which includes a water closet that includes walls enclosing a volume of water and has a top and a bottom, a drain port in the bottom of the water closet to release water from the water closet, a flapper valve consisting fundamentally of a flap of material that has a first and a second end and is pivotly connected at its first end to the water closet, the second end of said flapper valve which, in a first closed position, is laid flat and generally horizontally over and against the drain port and then, in a second open position, is raised to an angle that generally ranges between 70 and 85 degrees from the horizontal to provide a downward force on the flapper valve caused by its weight which tends to return the flapper valve to its first closed position, said second open position being above and away from said drain port to allow the water in said drain port to exit said water closet, said flapper valve controlling the flow of water from the water closet through the drain port, and said system further including a control arm means with a limited range of upward movement, a linkage attached between the control arm means and the flapper valve to lift the flapper valve to its second position in response to the limited movement of said control arm which draws said linkage taught to release water from the water closet through the drain port, said flapper valve system further including means for flotation, said means for flotation being attached to and aiding said valve in remaining in it's second position until the water in said water closet has been drained away from said flapper valve through said drain port, at which time the weight of said flapper valve causes it to drop to its first position to cover and close said drain port, allowing the water closet to be refilled for the next flush cycle, said flapper valve system further comprising a weight means added to said valve to cause said valve to drop to its first position prior to the complete draining of the water closet to release a selected volume of water that is less than the full volume of the water closet.

3. A flapper valve system to adjust the amount of water released in a flush cycle in a toilet which includes a water closet that includes walls enclosing a volume of water and has a top and a bottom, a drain port in the bottom of the water closet to release water from the water closet, a flapper valve consisting fundamentally of a flap of material that has a first and a second end and is pivotly connected at its first end to the water closet, the second end of said flapper valve which, in a first closed position, is laid flat and generally horizontally over and against the drain port and then, in a second open position, is raised to an angle that generally ranges between 70 and 85 degrees from the horizontal to provide a downward force on the flapper valve caused by its weight which tends to return the flapper valve to its first closed position, said second open position being above and away from said drain port to allow the water in said drain port to exit said water closet, said flapper valve controlling the flow of water from the water closet through the drain port, and said system further including a control arm means with a limited range of upward movement, a linkage attached between the control arm means and the flapper valve to lift the flapper valve to its second position in response to the limited movement of said control arm which draws said linkage taught to release water from the water closet through the drain port, said flapper valve system further including means for flotation, said means for flotation being attached to and aiding said valve in remaining in it's second position until the water in said water closet has been drained away from said flapper valve through said drain port, at which time the weight of said flapper valve causes it to drop to its first position to cover and close said drain port, allowing the water closet to be refilled for the next flush cycle, said flapper valve system further comprising means for introducing slack in said linkage to prevent the raising of said valve to its full upward second position, to aid in causing said valve to drop to its first position prior to the complete draining of the water closet and said flapper valve system further comprising a weight means added to said valve to aid in causing said valve to drop to its first position prior to the complete drawing of the water closet to release a selected volume of water that is less than the ful volume of said water closet, said weight means and said means for introducing slack combining to determine a selected amount of water to be released.

4. A flapper valve system as claimed in claim 1 wherein said means for introducing slack further includes means for adjusting the amount of slack to determine a selected volume of water to be released from the water closet by the flapper valve system.

5. A flapper valve system as claimed in claim 2 wherein said weight means includes means for adjusting the valve of the weight means to determine a selected volume of water to be released from the water closet by the flapper valve system.

6. A flapper valve system as claimed in claim 2 wherein said weight means comprises a discrete weight attached to said valve.

7. A valve system as claimed in claim 3 wherein said valve includes a removable cap and said weight is attached to said valve by capturing it between said cap and said valve.

8. A valve system as claimed n claim 7 wherein said cap includes a first set of threads and said valve includes a second set of threads which mate with said first set of threads to permit said cap to the detachably secured to said valve.

9. A valve system as claimed in claim 3 wherein said weight means is distributed weight obtained by thickening the walls of said valve over the thickness needed to allow said valve to rise to its full open second position.