Aspirating apparatus particularly for toilets
The object of this invention is an aspirating apparatus particularly for toilets (10). This apparatus comprises an aspirator (11), operationally in the inlet connected to the outlet pipe (12) from the flush box (13) of a toilet bowl (14) and in the outlet to the outside of the bathroom or the toilet housing the toilet bowl (14). In one of the embodiments this aspirator (11) is operationally connected in the outlet to the part of the outfall sewer conduit (16) of the toilet bowl (14) placed downstream the siphon (17) of same bowl (14). In this embodiment the apparatus (10) comprises furthermore flow interception means (18) placed between this part of the outfall sewer conduit (16) of the toilet bowl (14) and the outlet pipe (12) from the flush box (13).
The present invention refers to an aspirating apparatus particularly for toilets.
It is known that nowadays the time spent on body hygienics takes an unnegligible fraction of the daytime. The places dedicated the daily toilet, such as the toilets, assume a still growing importance regarding comfort and practicability. In this point of view it is most important that the toilet never presents the typical bad smells produced by the toilet users. One of the most used ways to make a toilet nice and acceptable is to have the room ventilated. A very diffused ventilation means is the centrifugal, aspirator typically placed over the toilet bowl. However such aspirator is much in use, in this position it is not free from inconveniences. In fact, owing to the particular position, the time necessary to aspirate the air quantity useful for a quick air change is elevated. The organic smells deriving from a toilet bowl, for example, need to be aspirated quickly to avoid inhalation by the user, whereas the time necessary for the user to stay inside the toilet is less than the time necessary for the air change. Furthermore, the disposition of the aspirator over the toilet bowl is so that the aspirated flow forms an air column from the toilet bowl area where the user is sitting right up to the aspirator mouth; in this air column with its bad smells the toilet user is emerged. Even, in these last years in the field of the resident building there is a tendency, motivated by lack of useful space and by cost restraining, to realize houses groups having blind bathrooms or toilets. In this kind of toilets the air change obviously results fundamental. The aspirator outlet has to be connected to a chimney vent flue which has to be planned during the construction of the building and thus representing realization costs as well as restraints for the houses groups layout.
A second example of aspirating apparatus for toilets is constituted by traditional aspirating means connected by means of a piping, being rigid in the first section and elastic in the end section, to the posterior part of an ring duct obtained in the seat of a toilet bowl. Said duct along its development is provided with a plurality of openings flowing out on the lower part of the seat in the direction of the bowl cavity. The apparatus is activated by a microswitch placed near to the seat which according to the horizontal/vertical seat position attivates or deactivates the aspirating means. The main inconvenience recognized in this solution consists in the fact that the aspirating action is exercised in a position rather distant from the deposition area for urine and faeces which are the origin of the bad smells. A second inconvenience is recognized in the very laborious cleaning of the openings. A third inconvenience is recognized in the fact that the apparatus is deactivated when the toilet bowl is used for urine deposition as the seat is in vertical position.
A third example of aspirating apparatus is disclosed in JP-A-2003096874. It comprises a deodorizing pipe connecting the back wall of a bowl for water closet to a drain pipe for human waste in order to transfer the smells from the bowl to the drain pipe, a deodorizing fan installed along this deodorizing pipe between said drain pipe and said bowl in order to aspirate smells from said bowl and send it to the drain pipe, a check valve located along the deodorizing pipe upstream the deodorizing fan in order to allow the transfer of the smells only from the bowl to the drain pipe. The main drawback of this solution consists in that the deodorizing pipe leads to the back wall of the bowl where the faeces go down towards the deposition area so that the opening of the deodorizing pipe tends to obstruction. This drawback is made worse by the fact that the washing water doesn't wash the inner surface deodorizing pipe.
A fourth example of aspirating apparatus is disclosed in BE-A-1008428. It comprises a deodorizing pipe connecting a bowl for water closet to a chimney pipe in order to transfer the smells from the bowl outside and a deodorizing fan installed along this deodorizing pipe in order to aspirate smells from said bowl and send it to the chimney pipe. In particular, the deodorizing pipe defines in the bowl a circular duct equipped with a plurality of aspirating openings all around the bowl turning towards the cavity of the bowl and 40 cm distant from the surface of the water inside said cavity. A first drawback of this solution consists in that the aspirating openings are far from the deposit area of the urine and the faeces so that the aspirating action isn't particularly efficacious. A second drawback consists in that the aspirating openings on the back wall of the bowl where the faeces go down towards the deposition area tend to obstruction. This drawback is made worse by the fact that the washing water doesn't wash the inner surface deodorizing pipe.
The aim of the present invention is to provide an aspirating apparatus particularly for toilets which solves the problems evidenced in the prior art types.
Within the scope of the above-mentioned aim, one important object of the present invention is to provide an aspirating apparatus for toilets which limits the inhalation of bad smells by the toilet user.
A further important object of the present invention is to provide an aspirating apparatus particularly for toilets which allows to reduce the realization costs concerning aspirating plants for toilets in the houses groups.
An additional object of the present invention is to provide an aspirating apparatus particularly for toilets which allows to optimize, during the projecting stage of the houses groups, the layout of said groups as far as toilet aspirating systems are concerned.
One of the last objects of the present invention is to provide an aspirating apparatus for toilets which can be produced using known systems and technologies.
This aim, as well as these and other objects appearing in the following, are achieved by an aspirating apparatus particularly for toilets according to enclosed main claim.
Further features and advantages of this invention will result apparent from the description of the preferred embodiments, illustrated as indication but not as limitation, in the attached drawings, where:
With particular reference to the mentioned
According to an embodiment not illustrated in the execution of
Where the aspirator 11 is located under the flush box 12 the apparatus will be provided with a check-valve on the duct connecting the the bowl 14, 114, 214 and 314 to the aspirator 11 in order to avoid the that washing water rises till the aspirator 11.
The working of the present invention is as follows:
The user approaches the toilet 14 and the aspirator 11 is attivated by the signal coming from the presence sensor 23. To the starting of aspirator 11 corresponds an opening signal for the motor-driven valve for bidirectional flow blocking 20. The float check-valve 19 allows passing of the air from outlet pipe 12 of flush box 13 of toilet bowl 14 to the aspirator 11: the airstream lifts the float ball and open the passage; without the airstream the float ball remains in its closing position in its proper seat avoiding the passage in opposite direction of the bad smells remaining trapped in the part between the motor-driven valve for bidirectional flow blocking 20 and the float check-valve 19. The motor-driven valve 20 isolates completely apparatus 10 from the sewer network downstream the toilet bowl siphon 17 during the non-operation step. When a certain time has passed from flush actioning the aspirator will stop working and the motor-driven valve 20 will be closed.
In an other version of said apparatus 10 (not evidenced in the figures) said one-way float valve 19 can be replaced by a motor-driven three-way valve of known type. Said motor-driven three-way valve can assume two different conditions: a first condition defined “0” with the aspirator 11 isolated from the outlet pipe 12 but operationnally connected with a place outside toilet 14, and a second condition (of aspiration) defined “1” with said aspirator 11 connected only with said outlet pipe 12. The reason for using this three-way valve is to reduce the residual humid air inside the aspirator during the non-operation steps; in fact during ventilator inactivity, if the float check-valve 19 is present, the previously aspirated air will remain blocked inside the circuit between the motor-driven valve 20 and the valve 19. The humidity of such blocked air will dammage the aspirator 11 as well as the other circuit components. With the motor-driven three-way valve, after the aspiration from the toilet bowl (three-way valve in position “1”) commutating the three-way valve in position “0”, the aspirator will recall, for a certain piece of time, air from outside the plant replacing it with the humidity saturated air; then the aspirator 11 will switch off, the motor-driven valve for bidirectional flow blocking 20 will close and the three-way valve must be left in position “0”; when the aspiration from the toilet bowl is starting the three-way valve is commutated in position “1”. A basic embodiment of the invention, shown in the drawing of
In practice it has been observed that the described apparatus according to the invention solves the problems evidenced in the known aspirating apparatus for toilets; specially with the present invention it is provided an aspirating apparatus particularly for toilets which permits to aspirate from an area of the toilet bowl very next to the origin of the bad smells.
Furthermore, with the present invention it is provided an aspirating apparatus particularly for toilets permitting to discharge the bad smells in the existing sewer network, avoiding therefore the need of chimney vent flues and allowing evident projection and building advantages.
The invention conceived in this way is susceptible of numerous modifications and variants, all of them entering into the ambits of the present invention concept; furthermore all details might be substituted by other technically equivalent elements.
In practise, the materials used, on the condition that they are compatible with this specific use, as well as the dimensions might be whichever possible within the limits of the needs and the state of the art.
Claims
1. (canceled)
2. Aspirating apparatus, according to claim 15, wherein said aspirating ducts are formed by one or more ducts departing from a back wall of said bowl where said one or more ducts are connected by means of pipings to said aspirating means; and said one or more ducts extending along the side walls of said bowl until approximately at the outfall area of said bowl, as a final portion of said one or more ducts is provided with a plurality of aspirating openings communicating with said cavity and turning towards said outfall area where urines and faeces deposit.
3. Aspirating apparatus, according to claim 15, wherein an antibackflow valve is placed downstream of said aspirator.
4. Aspirating apparatus, according to claim 15, wherein said aspirator is operationally connected in the outlet to a part of an outfall sewer conduit of said toilet bowl placed downstream a siphon of said toilet bowl, further comprising flow interception means disposed between said part of the outfall sewer conduit of said toilet bowl and the outlet pipe of the flush box.
5. Aspirating apparatus, according to claim 4, wherein said flow interception means comprises a float check-valve placed upstream of said aspirator.
6. Aspirating apparatus, according to one claim 5, further comprising a flow gauge placed downstream, or upstream, of said aspirator; said flow gauge being operationally connected to the aspirator.
7. Aspirating apparatus, according to claim 6, wherein said float check-valve comprises a vibrator, associated with said flow gauge, to release the float ball when the float ball is blocked in a proper seat.
8. Aspirating apparatus, according to claim 4, wherein said flow interceptions means comprises a motor-drive three-way valve placed upstream of said aspirator.
9. Aspirating apparatus, according to claim 4, characterized in that said flow interception means comprises a motor-driven valve for bidirectional flow blocking placed downstream of said aspirator.
10. Aspirating apparatus, according to claim 15, further comprising a flow display placed downstream, or upstream, of said aspirator; said flow display being operationally connected to said aspirator.
11. Aspirating apparatus, according to claim 15, further comprising a presence sensor for an user located next to said toilet bowl.
12. Aspirating apparatus, according to claim 11, wherein said presence sensor is composed of a photocell operationally connected to a time switch and to said aspirator.
13. Aspirating apparatus, according to claim 4, wherein said flow interception means comprises an antibackflow valve placed downstream of said aspirator.
14. Aspirating apparatus, according to claim 15, wherein in that said aspirating means are connected by means of a piping to an exhalation valve of said bowl.
15. Aspirating apparatus particularly for toilets comprising aspirating means comprising an aspirator with an inlet and an outlet, the inlet being operationally connected to formed aspirating ducts provided in walls of a toilet bowl of the aspirating apparatus for use in bathrooms and toilets, the aspirating ducts leading into a cavity inside defined by said walls near to a deposition area of urine and faeces in said cavity in order to allow aspiration of the smells emitted by said urine and faeces next to the deposition area, the outlet of the aspirator being operationally connectable to a different placed than a room housing said toilet bowl the inlet of the aspirator being operationally connected to an outlet pipe of a flush box of the aspirating apparatus, whereby said outlet pipe leads in a ring duct for washing water distribution in said cavity of said bowl, said aspirating ducts being provided in front wall and side walls of said bowl and being connected to ends of a back portion of said ring duct, said aspirating ducts along a curved portion of said bowl being equipped with a plurality of aspiring openings communicating with said cavity and turning towards an outfall area of said bowl where urine and faeces deposit.
Type: Application
Filed: Apr 23, 2004
Publication Date: Sep 28, 2006
Inventor: Ruggero Mattiello (Padova)
Application Number: 10/553,835
International Classification: E03D 9/04 (20060101);