Portable and disposable toilet for temporary use

Abstract

A portable and disposable toilets for temporary use. The toilet has an interlocking foundation formed by a pair of front and rear walls interlocking a pair of sidewalls, and a top support interlocking the foundation defining a sitting area. The toilet may also have a liner with a collection bag attached thereto. The bag has its opening facing up when the liner is used to line the top support for each use. The liner can be adhesively folded closed after each use, thus also sealing the bag to prevent leakage and contamination. The liner may have a pair of loops at both ends, which serves both as a lock onto the top support and as a handle when the liner is folded after each use.

Description

RELATED APPLICATION

The present application claims priority based on Provisional Application filed Dec. 6, 2004, entitled “FOLDABLE AND DISPOSABLE TOILET,” Ser. No. 60/633,960, by inventors hereof. The entire disclosure of the provisional application is incorporated as if fully set forth herein.

FIELD OF THE INVENTION

The present invention relates to portable toilets and more particularly relate to easily packable, portable and disposable toilets that are made of environmentally-friendly and bio-degradable materials and for temporary use.

ART BACKGROUND

Mobile toilets are quite useful in situations where there are none or not enough permanent toilets for use, such as outdoor concerts, construction sites or festivals. However, in settings away from civilization, such as wilderness exploration, camping, military maneuvers and disaster relief, there are not even mobile toilets around for use. In the case of disaster relief operations, lack of proper toilet facility has contributed to the spread of diseases, exacerbating an already dire crisis. To provide for such extraordinary needs, another form of mobile and portable toilets has been developed. These toilets are generally designed for the users to carry around, or transport them, until usage.

Some prior devices have been in use, although they don't necessarily meet the aforementioned ideal requirements. One such device is disclosed in a U.S. Pat. No. 6,047,414 issued to Bailey on Apr. 11, 2000, entitled COMBINATION PACKABLE TOILET AND STOOL. The Bailey device is a unitary structure, made of die-cut paperboards. The Bailey device does not utilize a liner, which would have made it more sanitary for use, as well as for disposal. The construction, using double-layer of cardboard, is more costly and complicated than necessary, and the unitary structure is somewhat unstable when lateral forces are exerted upon it.

Therefore, there has been a need for portable and disposable toilets that can be simply manufactured and quickly transported to the affected areas for deployment. Such portable and disposable toilets should satisfy both sanitation requirements as well as logistic requirements. The portable and disposable toilets should be too heavy to transport, nor too light or flimsy to use. On the other hand, the toilets should not be too sturdy, such that they are susceptible to repeated or extended use, which can be a health hazard. Also, they should be easily packable for storage and transport, until they are ready for use, which requires simply assembly. Finally, they should provide a sanitary, as well as environmentally friendly, function.

SUMMARY OF THE PRESENT INVENTION

The portable and disposable toilet in accordance to the present invention is preferably constructed from corrugated cardboard materials, or from other light-weight, materials. The portable and disposable toilets of the present invention are simple and yet strong enough to support a person weighing at least 200 pounds. The toilets can be easily shipped flat, with some pre-assembly, and can remain sanitary and disposable without harming the environment. Additionally, the materials and structure of the toilets can withstand inclement outdoor conditions. All materials used for the toilets are preferably recyclable and bio-degradable, although the portable and disposable toilets can be readily constructed using other light-weight and low-cost materials.

The portable and disposable toilets in accordance with the present invention comprises an interlocking foundation, a top support, and a liner. The liner may also include a bag, which has its opening facing up when the liner is used to line the top support for each use. The liner can be adhesively folded closed after each use, thus also sealing the bag to prevent leakage and contamination. The liner may have a pair of loops at both ends, which serves both as a lock onto the top support and as a handle when the liner is folded after each use.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

Additional objects, features and advantages of the portable and disposable toilet in accordance with the present invention will become apparent in the following description, wherein:

FIGS. 1 (a)-(d) illustrates one exemplary embodiment of the portable and disposable toilet is shown to illustrate its basic components

FIG. 2 illustrates a complete exemplary cardboard blank 20 from which the foundation panels 12, 14, 16, 18, and the top support 110 are constructed.

FIG. 3 (a)-(j) illustrate the exemplary assembly steps of the portable and disposable toilet in accordance with the present invention.

FIG. 4 (a)-(d) illustrate the exemplary liner 100 construction in more detail.

FIGS. 5 (a)-(d) illustrate the exemplary cardboard blank with cut-out and fold lines in place.

FIG. 6 illustrates an alternate exemplary embodiment of the portable and disposable toilet in accordance with the present invention.

FIG. 7 shows the exemplary cardboard blank 20a, where the foundation 12a, 14a, 16, 18, and top support 110a can be constructed on the same cardboard blank 20.

FIGS. 8 (a) and (b) show the formation of the foundation 12a, 14a, 16, 18, and the top support 110a. FIGS. 8 (c)-(j) show the assembly of the liner 100 to the top support 110a, much in the same way as in the other embodiment.

FIGS. 9 (a)-(d) show the exemplary liner 100 in more detail, which has the same middle section 104 as in the aforementioned embodiment.

FIGS. 10 (a)-(d) illustrate the exemplary cardboard blank with dimensions.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

A portable and disposable toilet for temporary use is disclosed. In the following detailed description, numerous specific details are set forth to provide a full understanding of the present invention. It will be obvious, however, to one ordinarily skilled in the art that the present invention may be practiced without some of these specific details. In other instances, well-known structures and techniques have not been shown in detail so as to avoid unnecessarily obscuring the present invention.

Reference is first turned to FIGS. 1 (a)-(d), where one embodiment of the portable and disposable toilet is shown to illustrate its basic components. FIG. 1 (a) illustrates a liner 100 with a plastic bag 102 attached thereto. The liner 100 has a pre-cut interior section 104 (also shown in FIG. 3 (c)) in the middle, to which the bag's opening is aligned. The pre-cut section 104 can be folded up to expose the bag 102. After each use, the liner 100 can be folded and closed and sealed by exposing the adhesive strips (FIG. 3 (h), 106) placed around a portion of the edges of the liner 100. The adhesive strips are just one example of the methods commonly used to seal a bag. Other such methods include Velcro, draw strings or elastic bands. In some embodiments, the liner 100 and the bag 102 may be optional and avoided, thus lowering the cost of manufacturing and simplifying assembly.

FIG. 1 (b) illustrates a top support 110, which has an interior opening in its middle. The front of the top support 110 can be bent downward to lock onto the front and top corners of the side panels 12, 14 through its pre-cut openings 114, 112, respectively. At the rear of the top support 110, a folded-down portion can interlock the slots 116, 118 of the top support with the slots 124, 126 on the side panels 12, 14, respectively. Instead of having the front portion bent down, or sloped down, both the front portion and the rear portion could be folded-down to engage the side panels 12, 14. Both the front and rear portions would then be symmetrical. The slots 112, 114 at the front portion would be cut from the front edges of the top support 110, just as in the case of the rear portion. A pair of protruding tabs 36, 37 may be formed by leaving pre-cut lines on the top support, and folding down and sloping down of the rear and front portions. However, the top support 110 may not be implemented with the protruding tabs 36, 37, so as simplify the design and manufacturing. The top support 110 is preferably constructed of single-layer corrugated cardboard material, but other light-weight material could also be used.

FIGS. 1 (c) and (d) illustrate the foundation, which is formed by two pairs of interlocking vertical single-layer corrugated cardboard side panels 12, 14, 16, 18. The foundation is formed by interlocking the cardboard panels 12, 14, 16, 18 to each other, which can still be easily folded flat for shipping. When the side panels 12, 14, 16, 18 are interlocked using the pre-cut slots 120, 122, 128, 129 (FIG. 2), 133, 134, 135, 136, the panels form the four walls of the foundation. Even when the cardboards are interlocked, they can still be collapsed, or flattened, thus making easy shipping and storage.

On the panels 12, 14, the slots 120, 122, 128, 129 are cut vertically from the bottom edge upward. On the panels 16, 18, the slots 133, 134, 135, 136 are cut vertically from the top edge downward. The slots are preferably cut to middle of the height of the panels, such that when the panels 12, 14 interlock with panels 16, 18, they maintain a uniform height, same as the height of the panels 12, 14, 16, 18. Additionally, as illustrated in FIG. 2, the panels 12, 14, 16, 18 and top liner 110 can all be formed on the same, preferably single-layered, cardboard blank, thus simplifying the manufacturing.

Also, on the panels 12, 14, slots 33, 34 are horizontally cut so that they can receive the tabs 31, 32 (FIG. 2), when the top liner 110 has the tabs 31, 32 folded down.

FIG. 2 illustrates a complete blank 20 from which the foundation panels 12, 14, 16, 18, and the top support 110 are constructed. Preferably the pre-cut blank 20 is made of cardboard material; however, other light-weight materials can also be used. Currently, the cardboard blank 20 may have a dimension of 41 inch by 24 inch. Also, the orientation of the corrugation within the cardboard blank 20 should preferably reinforce the strength tolerance against a user's squatting position.

FIGS. 3 (a)-(j) illustrate exemplary assembly steps of the portable and disposable toilet in accordance with the present invention. In FIG. 3 (a), after the foundation is erected from the two interlocking pairs of cardboard panels 12, 14, 16, 18, the top support 110 is engaged to the foundation by engaging the corners 301, 302 of the panels 12, 14 to the slots 112, 114, respectively at the front of the top support 110. At the back, slots 124, 126 of the side panels 12, 14, interlock the slots 116, 118, respectively of the top support 110. As a result, the side panels 12, 14, 16, 18 are interlocking, forming a simple and yet strong foundation, which is further interlocked with the top support 110. Because of the interlocking by the top support 110, the lateral integrity of the four side panels 12, 14, 16, 18 is achieved.

In FIG. 3 (b), after the top support 110 is locked onto the foundation, the tabs 31, 32 on each inner side of the top support 110 can be folded down and inserted into the pre-formed slot 33, 34 on each side of the side panel.

In FIGS. 3 (c) and (d), the pre-cut tabs 36, 37 are preferably formed on the top support 110 at the front and back. The tabs 36, 37 can be inserted through the handles 38, 39, respectively, on the liner 100 and then folded down, thus stabilizing the liner 100 onto the top support 110. The pre-cut tabs 36, 37 may be avoided in some embodiment to simplify the design and manufacturing.

In FIGS. 3 (e) and (f), the liner 100 has perforation in the middle, so that three sides of a middle section 104 can be separated and pulled up from the liner's edge prior to use. Now the bag 102 underneath the liner is exposed, allowing human waste to be deposited. The folded middle section 104 need not be removed since it can be used as a lid to close the liner 100 after use, as shown in FIG. 3 (g). The liner 100 may have an adhesive strip 106 on its edges, which can be used to fold and seal off the liner 100 for disposal, as shown in FIGS. 3 (i) and (j). To remove the liner 100, it is lifted from the cavity of the foundation and then folded and sealed using the exposed adhesive strip 106. It should be noted that other methods of sealing or closing the liner, e.g. Velcro, draw string, elastic band, could also be used, as can be appreciated by those skilled in the art. It should also be noted that the bag 102 may have chemical agents or re-agents already in place for treating the human waste on contact (FIG. 4 (d)). Alternately, the bag 102 itself may be constructed of moisture absorbing material.

FIGS. 4 (a)-(d) illustrate the liner 100 construction in more detail. It should be noted that the liner may be avoided in a different embodiment. FIG. 4 (a) shows the lifting of three sides of the middle section 104 of the liner 100. FIG. 4 (b) illustrates the liner 100 with a handle on each end. In the middle section 104, cut-out lines are provided on three sides, and a fold line 107 is provided on the one remaining. Opposite to the fold line 107, an additional cut-out line 108 is formed, so that it allows the user's finger to easily begin the removal of the middle section 104. FIGS. 4 (c) and (d) illustrate that chemical agents 40 may be deposited into the bag 102 for on-contact treatment of the human waste. The liner 100 preferably has wax coating to shield against moisture. The bag 102 may be implemented with bio-degradable material. Also, the cardboard panels 12, 14, 16, 18 preferably may also have wax coating to shield against moisture, since the portable and disposable toilet may be deployed outdoors in some less-than-ideal conditions.

FIGS. 5 (a)-(d) illustrate the exemplary cardboard blank with cut-out and fold lines in place. It should be noted that the dimensions are for illustrations purposes and those skilled in the art can readily create their own specification based on the teaching of the present invention. Also, other light-weight material, instead of cardboard, may be used to produce the blank. The invention is not limited to just cardboard material. FIG. 5 (a) shows the front and back said panels 16, 18. FIG. 5 (b) shows the top support 110 with inside tabs 31, 32. FIG. 5 (c) shows the side panels 12, 14 with pre-cut slots 33, 34, which is used to engage the inside tabs 31, 32. FIG. 5 (d) shows the liner 100 construction, where the cut-out line 108 is also indicated.

FIGS. 6-12 illustrate another embodiment of the portable and disposable toilet in accordance with the present invention. It should be noted that those features in the drawings that are similar to the other embodiment are indicated by appending a letter “a” to the reference numeral. Also, those features that are the same as the other embodiment are not reproduced in FIGS. 6-12 and should be referred to the drawings associated with the other embodiment. The alternate embodiment, as shown in FIG. 6, is different from the other embodiment by not providing the pre-cut slots 33, 34 on the side panels 12a, 14a. As shown in FIG. 7, the tabs 31a, 32a have adhesive pads on them so that they can be affixed to the inside of the side panels 12a, 14a. As a result, the side panels 12a, 14a do not have the cut-out 33, 34 as illustrated in FIG. 2.

FIG. 7 shows the cardboard blank 20a, where the foundation 12a, 14a, 16, 18, and top support 110a can be constructed on the same cardboard blank 20. Note that in this embodiment, the top support 110a has adhesive tabs 31a, 32a, applied to one side for securing the top support 110a to the side panels 12a, 14a, when the tabs 31a, 32a, of the top support 110a are folded down after placement onto the foundation.

As in the other embodiment, FIGS. 8 (a) and (b) show the formation of the foundation 12a, 14a, 16, 18, and the top support 110a, which has an adhesive tab 31a, 32a for securing itself to the foundation's inside side panels 12a, 14a.

FIGS. 8 (c)-(j) show the assembly of the liner 100 to the top support 110a, much in the same way as in the other embodiment. FIG. 8 (d) shows the optional tabs 36, 37 on the top support 110a being anchored through the handles of the liner 100. FIG. 8 (e)-(h) show the pull-back of the middle section 104 of the liner 100, and exposing the adhesive tapes 106 of the middle section 104 around the edges of the liner 100. FIGS. 8 (i)-(j) show the removal of the liner 100 from the foundation and seal off of the liner 100 using the exposed adhesive tapes 106. FIGS. 9 (a)-(d) show the liner 100 in more detail, which has the same middle section 104 as in the aforementioned embodiment.

FIGS. 10 (a)-(d) illustrate the exemplary cardboard blank with dimensions. As can be appreciated, those skilled in the art can readily create their own specification based on the teaching of the present invention. FIG. 10 (a) illustrates the front and back panels 16, 18. FIG. 10 (b) illustrates the top support 110a, with the adhesive tabs 31a, 32a. FIG. 10 (c) shows the side panels 12a, 14a, and FIG. 10 (d) shows the top liner 100.

As previously mentioned, while the portable toilet in accordance with the present invention is shown in cardboard construction, it would be apparent to those skilled in the art that the portable toilet can readily manufactured using other materials, bio-degradable or not.

Claims

1. A portable and disposable toilet for temporary use, comprising:

a foundation, said foundation having a pair of front and rear panels (16, 18) interlocking with a pair of side panels (12, 14), said front panel engaging to front end of said pair of side panels and said rear panel engaging to rear end of said pair of side panels, each of said side panels having a corner at front end and a slot (124, 126) formed at the rear end, each of said pair of side panels having a receptacle (33, 34) at its mid section;

a top support (110) on top of said foundation, said top support having front, middle and rear sections, said front section being folded down at a predetermined fold line from said middle section, said front section having a pair of slots (112, 114) interlocking said side panels (12, 14), said rear section being folded down at a predetermined fold line from said middle section, said rear section having a pair slots interlocking said side panels, said middle section having a pair of fold-down tabs (31, 32), forming an opening of a predetermined dimension when said pair of tabs are folded downward to engage said receptacles (33, 34) on said side panels, said top supporting defining a sitting area around the edges of said opening;

a liner (100) having a collection bag (102) attached thereto, said liner being shaped to substantially cover said sitting area around the edges of said opening of said top support (110) when said liner is placed on top of said top support with said collection bag being placed through said opening of said top support, said liner having a foldable middle section (104) adapted to fold up to expose the top opening of said collection bag, said liner having a covered adhesive strip which can be uncovered to seal off said liner and its collection bag after use.

2. The portable and disposable toilet of claim 1, wherein said collection bag is made of moisture absorbing material and said foundation and top support are made of single-layer corrugated board.

3. The portable and disposable toilet of claim 1, wherein said liner with said collection bag further comprises chemical re-agent deposited therein.

4. The portable and disposable toilet of claim 1,

wherein said front section of said top support (110) has a pre-cut protruding tab (36), which is formed when said front section is folded, and said rear section of said top support has a pre-cut protruding tab (37), which is formed when said rear section is folded, and

wherein said liner (100) has a handle (38, 39) at each of front and rear ends adapted to interlock each of said protruding tabs (36, 37) after said liner is placed on top of said top support.

5. The portable and disposable toilet of claim 1, wherein said fold-down tabs (31, 32) further have attachment means for affixing themselves to said side panels (33, 34).

6. The portable and disposable toilet of claim 3, wherein said foundation is formed by:

a front panel (18), said front panel having a left (136) slot and a right slot (135) positioned at a predetermined width from each other, said left and right slots being formed from an upper edge of said front panel to a mid-height of said front panel;

a rear panel (16), said rear panel having a left (134) slot and a right slot (133) positioned at said predetermined width from each other, said left and right slots being formed from an upper edge of said rear panel to said mid-height of said rear panel;

a left side panel (12), said left side panel having a front slot (122) and a rear slot (129) positioned at a predetermined width from each other, said front and rear slots being formed from a lower edge of said left side panel to a mid-height of said left side panel;

a right side panel (14), said right side panel having a front slot (120) and a rear slot (128) positioned at said predetermined width from each other, said front and rear slots being formed from a lower edge of said right side panel to said mid-height of said right side panel.

7. The portable and disposable toilet of claim 4, wherein said foundation is formed by:

a front panel (18), said front panel having a left (136) slot and a right slot (135) positioned at a predetermined width from each other, said left and right slots being formed from an upper edge of said front panel to a mid-height of said front panel;

a rear panel (16), said rear panel having a left (134) slot and a right slot (133) positioned at said predetermined width from each other, said left and right slots being formed from an upper edge of said rear panel to said mid-height of said rear panel;

a left side panel (12), said left side panel having a front slot (122) and a rear slot (129) positioned at a predetermined width from each other, said front and rear slots being formed from a lower edge of said left side panel to a mid-height of said left side panel;

a right side panel (14), said right side panel having a front slot (120) and a rear slot (128) positioned at said predetermined width from each other, said front and rear slots being formed from a lower edge of said right side panel to said mid-height of said right side panel.

8. A light-weight blank (20), adapted to forming a portable and disposable toilet for temporary use, said blank having cut-out lines and fold lines, defining:

a pair of front and rear panels (16, 18), each of said front and rear panels having a pair of vertical slots (133, 134, 135, 136) at predetermined locations on said front and rear panels, each of said vertical slots being formed from said panel's upper edge downward to said panel's mid-height;

a pair of side panels (33, 34), each of said side panels having a pair of vertical slots (120, 122, 128, 129) formed at predetermined locations on said side panels, each of said vertical slots being formed from said panel's lower edge upward to said panel's mid-height, each of said slots of said side panels being adapted to interlock with a corresponding slot on said front and rear panels, forming a four-sided foundation, each of said side panels also having a slot (124, 126) toward the rear, said slot being formed from said panel's upper edge downward to a height above said panel's mid-height;

a top support (110) adapted to be placed on top of said foundation, said top support having a front fold line and a rear fold line, defining front, middle and rear sections, said front section having a pair of slots (112, 114) adapted to interlock upper corners of said side panels when said front section is folded at said front fold line, said rear section having a pair slots (116, 118) adapted to interlock said slots (124, 126) on said side panels when said rear section is folded at said rear fold line, said pair of slots (116, 118) being formed, said middle section having a pair of fold-down tabs (31, 32) adapted to form an opening of a predetermined dimension when said pair of tabs are folded down to engage said side panels (14, 16), said top supporting defining a sitting area around the edges of said opening.

9. The material blank of claim 8, wherein each of said side panels (12, 14) further has a horizontal opening (33, 34) formed near its upper edge, which is adapted to engage said fold-down tabs (31, 32) when the tabs are folded down.

10. The material blank of claim 9, said top support further has a pair of tabs (36, 37) formed at its rear and front section, adjoining said rear and front fold lines, respectively, each of said tabs being formed when said front and rear sections are folded down to engage said foundation.

11. A material blank of claim 10, further comprising:

a liner (100), adapted to engage said top support, said liner having a foldable section (104) at its center and a sitting area surrounding said opening, said liner having a front (38) and rear (39) handle, adapted to engage said tabs (37, 36) when said liner is applied to said top support, said foldable section being adapted to expose an opening at its center when it is folded up.

12. A disposable liner for a portable and disposable toilet, comprising:

a flat piece of liner with wax coating, said liner having a center opening section, defined by predetermined fold lines and tear lines;

a collection bag with its opening attached to the rim around the center opening section, said bag having chemical re-agents deposited therein;

an adhesive strip around the top side of the liner;

a pair of handles formed on two ends of the liner, adapted to be seal off said liner using said adhesive strip after use.

13. The liner of claim 12, said collection bag (102) having its opening aligned to said center opening of said liner.

14. The liner of claim 12, wherein said collection bag is made of moisture absorbing materials.

15. The liner of claim 14, said collection bag further has a chemical re-agent deposited therein.

16. The portable and disposable toilet of claim 6, wherein:

said left side panel (12) further has a slot (124) near its rear end, said slot being formed from an upper edge of said left side panel to a predetermined distance below said upper edge;

said right side panel (14) further has a slot (126) near its rear end, said slot being formed from an upper edge of said right side panel to said predetermined distance below said upper edge.

17. The portable and disposable toilet of claim 7, wherein:

said left side panel (12) further has a slot (124) near its rear end, said slot being formed from an upper edge of said left side panel to a predetermined distance below said upper edge;

said right side panel (14) further has a slot (126) near its rear end, said slot being formed from an upper edge of said right side panel to said predetermined distance below said upper edge.

18. The portable and disposable toilet of claim 2, wherein said liner with said collection bag further comprises chemical re-agent deposited therein.

19. The portable and disposable toilet of claim 18,

wherein said front section of said top support (110) has a pre-cut protruding tab (36), which is formed when said front section is folded, and said rear section of said top support has a pre-cut protruding tab (37), which is formed when said rear section is folded, and

wherein said liner (100) has a handle (38, 39) at each of front and rear ends adapted to interlock each of said protruding tabs (36, 37) after said liner is placed on top of said top support.

20. The portable and disposable toilet of claim 19, wherein said foundation is formed by:

a front panel (18), said front panel having a left (136) slot and a right slot (135) positioned at a predetermined width from each other, said left and right slots being formed from an upper edge of said front panel to a mid-height of said front panel;

a rear panel (16), said rear panel having a left (134) slot and a right slot (133) positioned at said predetermined width from each other, said left and right slots being formed from an upper edge of said rear panel to said mid-height of said rear panel;

a left side panel (12), said left side panel having a front slot (122) and a rear slot (129) positioned at a predetermined width from each other, said front and rear slots being formed from a lower edge of said left side panel to a mid-height of said left side panel;

a right side panel (14), said right side panel having a front slot (120) and a rear slot (128) positioned at said predetermined width from each other, said front and rear slots being formed from a lower edge of said right side panel to said mid-height of said right side panel.