Portable Toilet Apparatus
An apparatus for permitting portable installation and use of a toilet is disclosed. The apparatus is lightweight and transportable in an accompanying duffel bag. The apparatus provides privacy and protection from the elements as well as the presence of toilet facilities for receiving human waste in remote areas where permanent toilet facilities are lacking, such as beaches, parks, and the wilderness.
The present application is a continuation-in-part of, and entitled to the earlier filing date and priority of, co-pending U.S. patent application Ser. No. 11/351,615 which is assigned to the same assignee as the current application entitled “BEACH JON,” which was filed on Feb. 11, 2006, the disclosure of which is incorporated by reference.
FIELD OF INVENTIONThis invention relates to portable toilet facilities, and more specifically, to portable toilet facilities that are manipulable by an individual user such that the facilities may be erected and broken down by the individual user.
BACKGROUNDIt is a natural human condition to expel waste, or, in colloquial terms, “use the restroom.” It is also usual human condition to travel from one's home, and, by extension, away from convenient restroom facilities. For instance, when one visits a campground, park, or beach, there may not be readily-accessible restroom facilities on such a site. When one finds space to set up his or her chair or towel at a crowded beach, that space may be a significant distance from the nearest restroom facility such that a walk thereto is tiring and otherwise inconvenient. Also, when one ventures into the wilderness or a national park, for example, while fishing a river or an oceanfront, there will often be no restroom facilities provided other than at the park entrance or ranger station. The fisherman will inevitably face the difficult decision of leaving the fishing spot and returning to the distant facilities to relieve himself or of polluting the environment by going to the bathroom in the wilderness area.
Therefore, having a proximate restroom facility is a desirable condition for campers, park visitors, outdoorsmen, and beachgoers. Certain attempts in the prior art have been made to address this need.
U.S. Pat. No. 7,200,878 to Payne discloses a collapsible portable toilet with a chair frame including a built-in foldable seat with a hole, a disposable absorbent fragrant flexible refuse bag extending through the hole in the seat and draped around the seat, the refuse bag attached to an underside of the seat, a roof support frame and a bag removably attached to a top of the roof with curtain material draped around the roof for privacy. The chair frame contemplated by the '878 presents a risk that the toilet apparatus might collapse during use, which could result in undesirable unsanitary conditions for the user.
U.S. Pat. No. 7,185,375 to Movsas discloses a collapsible portable toilet apparatus with a privacy screen. The '375 patent contemplates a folding chair with a platform and an opening therein containing a removable receptacle. Telescoping poles attached to the back of the chair and a collapsible planar frame attached to the top of the poles provide support for a foldable canopy and privacy screen. The folding chair in the '375 patent requires an additional step in setting up and collapsing the portable toilet device.
U.S. Pat. No. 7,103,926 to Rasberry shows a portable latrine with an annular seat with an opening formed therein and a lip formed with a perimeter of the opening that extends downwardly and orthogonally from a seat top surface. A biodegradable sack has an elastic open top end for fitting beneath the seat opening.
U.S. Pat. No. 7,020,909 to Ciotic discloses a portable self-contained vented commode with a frame, a pivoting toilet seat, and an aligned removable collection container capable of being dumped post receipt of human waste, which container is disposed beneath the toilet seat. A flexible hose with a DC powered fan thereon is attached to the frame for collection of vapors from the container and the disposal thereof, by creating a positive pressure to expel the vapors to a distant location relative to the frame, through a vent. The '909 patent presents an undesirable level of complexity in incorporating the use of electric or battery power.
U.S. Pat. No. 6,694,538 to Jones shows a portable toilet enclosure assembly with a base assembly including a support base, wheels upon which the support base is mounted; a height adjustable pole assembly being mounted upon the support base; and a curtain rod and curtain support assembly attached thereto. Notably, the '538 patent is not self-contained, rather, it attaches to and encloses an existing toilet.
Accordingly, there remains a need for an easily portable toilet capable of being erected and disassembled with relative ease, providing a space where a user may relieve him or herself in comfort and privacy, while at the same time avoiding the complexities of configuration, manufacturing and assembly to provide an easy-to-use and inexpensive device.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTIONIn view of the foregoing disadvantages inherent in the prior art, the general purpose of the present invention is to provide a portable toilet configured to include all the advantages of the prior art, and to overcome the drawbacks of the prior art.
An object of the present invention is to provide a portable toilet that can be used in outdoor locations, such as a beach. The portable toilet of the present invention is lightweight and easy to assemble and disassemble, is low in cost and is effective in solving the problem of having a readily available toilet.
Another objective of the present invention is to provide a set of frames which can be assembled to become a temporary toilet. After assembly, a cloth cover is then used to cover the assembled frame. This will not only maintain personal privacy, but also provide a private environment and shield the user from wind, rain, and other external elements.
Still another objective of the present invention is to provide a portable toilet which, when not in use, can be easily disassembled and stored in a bag or trunk of a vehicle.
Another objective of the present invention is to provide a means of collecting human waste and ready disposal of such waste. The basin portion of the invention bowl is designed includes a removable waste bag that collects waste and allows the user to quickly and cleanly dispose of such collected waste.
According to the present invention, the foregoing and other objectives and advantages are attained by the portable toilet of the present invention comprising a base which includes tubular members connected to form a square. A bowl having a seat, a lid, and a disposable bag is also part of the portable toilet. The seat is situated upon a circular bucket, which bucket supports the seat and receives the disposable bag. The lid is attached to a side of the seat that is opposite the door of the present invention. The lid attaches such that it operates swingably to permit open and closed positions over the seat and bucket.
Other features and advantages of the present invention will become apparent from the following description of the invention which refers to the accompanying drawings.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGSThe advantages and features of the present invention will become better understood with reference to the following detailed description and claims taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings, wherein like elements are identified with like symbols, and in which:
Like reference numerals refer to like parts throughout the description of several views of the drawings.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTIONFor a thorough understanding of the present disclosure, refer to the following detailed description, including the appended claims, in connection with the above-described drawings. Although the present disclosure is described in connection with exemplary embodiments, the disclosure is not intended to be limited to the specific forms set forth herein. It is understood that various omissions and substitutions of equivalents are contemplated as circumstances may suggest or render expedient, but these are intended to cover the application or implementation without departing from the spirit or scope of the claims of the present disclosure. Also, it is to be understood that the phraseology and terminology used herein is for the purpose of description and should not be regarded as limiting.
The terms “first,” “second,” and the like, herein do not denote any order, quantity, or importance, but rather are used to distinguish one element from another, and the terms “a” and “an” herein do not denote a limitation of quantity, but rather denote the presence of at least one of the referenced item.
In accordance with the present invention, a portable toilet is provided. The portable toilet includes a frame comprising a square-shaped base, a plurality of vertical poles affixed at their first end to each corner of said base, a roof portion that is attached at each corner thereof to the second end of each of the vertical poles. The invention further comprises an openable door that attaches to and hinges upon one of the vertical posts, and a breathable and opaque fabric covering attached to the vertical poles and roof portion. The portable toilet also comprises a bucket disposed inside the area bounded by the base and vertical poles, said bucket capable of receiving human waste. The bucket includes a seat and a lid that cover the open top of the bucket. The internal area bounded by the base and vertical poles also includes an attachable arm on one of the poles that may be used to store a roll of toilet paper.
In a preferred embodiment of the present invention, the components used to form the frame comprise polyvinyl chloride (PVC) plumbing pipe and plumbing fittings. In another embodiment, the frame components comprise acrylonitrile butadiene styrene (ABS) plumbing pipe and plumbing fittings. The plumbing fittings may attach to and secure the pipe pieces in the desired configuration via compression by a fitting onto a pipe piece, or by compression by a pipe piece onto a fitting.
In one embodiment of the present disclosure, a flag pole holder may be attached to one of the vertical poles such that the user may insert a pole to which a flag is mounted.
The present invention is collapsible and the component parts thereof easily fit into and are transportable in an included duffel bag.
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On another vertical pole 60
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The foregoing descriptions of specific embodiments of the present disclosure have been presented for purposes of illustration and description. They are not intended to be exhaustive or to limit the disclosure to the precise forms disclosed, and obviously many modifications and variations are possible in light of the above teaching. The embodiments were chosen and described in order to best explain the principles of the disclosure and its practical application, to thereby enable others skilled in the art to best utilize the disclosure and various embodiments with various modifications as are suited to the particular use contemplated. It is understood that various omission and substitutions of equivalents are contemplated as circumstance may suggest or render expedient, but such are intended to cover the application or implementation without departing from the spirit or scope of the claims of the present disclosure.
Claims
1. A portable toilet apparatus comprising:
- a collapsible frame including a lower portion comprising four tubular sections that connect with each other to form a square base of the frame; a plurality of tubular sections that individually engage with a plurality of T-joints attached to the tubular sections of the lower portion of the frame, and which plurality of tubular sections extend upwardly therefrom; and an upper portion comprising four tubular sections that connect with each other to form the top of the frame and that individually engage with the tubular sections that extend upwardly from the lower portion;
- a openable door comprising a first and second tubular section, each of whose first end attaches to one of the frame's tubular sections extending upwardly from the base of the frame of the apparatus; each of which extends horizontally from the frame's tubular section to which each attaches; a tubular section that is attached to the second end of each of the horizontally-extending tubular sections; a hinge mechanism that connects the frame's tubular section to the tubular sections extending horizontally and that allows the tubular sections comprising the door to swing selectably away from the collapsible frame; and a handle
- a roof portion comprising an opaque cover that is disposed on top of the frame's upper portion; a medial support comprising an angled tubular section that attach to the midsection of apposite tubular sections of the upper portion and that engage the underside of the opaque cover;
- sheets of opaque material that removably attach to the collapsible frame; and
- a basin for collecting human waste.
2. The openable door of claim 1, wherein the hinge mechanism comprises two T-joints, each of which are disposed on a tubular section of the frame and each of which receives one end of the door's first and second tubular section, the T-joints being so disposed upon the tubular section of the frame so as to permit rotational movement of the T-joints about the tubular section.
3. The handle of the door of claim 1, wherein said handle comprises an L-shaped pivoting member and two non-pivoting members,
- said non-pivoting members having aligned holes capable of receiving one end of the pivoting member, said pivoting member including a hole on said end that is received by said non-pivoting member, said hole of said pivoting member capable of receiving a cotter pin to secure said pivoting member's reception by the non-pivoting members.
4. The first and second tubular sections of the door of claim 1, said tubular sections including a hook affixed thereto,
- said hooks being affixed at opposite respective of each tubular section, said hooks each capable of receiving and securing one end of a length of chain.
5. The sheets of opaque material of claim 1, one of said sheets including a vented section that permits the passage of air and gaseous matter therethough.
6. The basin of claim 1, wherein said basin comprises a bucket, a disposable bag, a seat and a lid wherein
- the disposable bag is removable inserted into the interior of the bucket to collect waste,
- the seat is mounted on the opening of the bucket with a bracket, and
- the lid is mounted onto the seat such that the mount is a hinge that permits the lid to open and close over the seat.
7. The basin of claim 6, wherein said basin includes a ground mounting means that permits the user to secure the basin to the ground on which the user positions the basin.
8. The basin of claim 6, wherein said ground mounting means comprise a plurality of L-shaped brackets attached to the base of the side wall of the basin that is adjacent to ground and a plurality of stakes, wherein
- said brackets are capable of receiving said stakes and said stakes are disposed through said brackets into the ground on which the basin is placed.
9. The sheets of claim 5, wherein said sheets include a series of fasteners disposed upon along at least one edge of each sheet wherein the user may wrap the edge with fasteners around the apparatus's tubular sections and close the fasteners such that the sheet is secured to at least a portion of the apparatus's frame.
10. The sheets of claim 5, wherein said fasteners comprise snap buttons.
11. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the apparatus includes a toilet paper holder disposed on the interior of the frame.
12. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the apparatus includes a flag-holder disposed upon the exterior of the frame of the apparatus.
13. The apparatus of claim 1, further comprising a bag that is capable of storing and transporting the component parts of the apparatus's frame, roof, and door.
14. The apparatus of claim 1, further comprising a plurality flanged stakes that may be driven into the ground adjacent to the base of the apparatus of the frame, wherein
- said flange of said stakes applies pressure on the base of the frame to secure the frame on the ground on which it the frame is positioned.
Type: Application
Filed: May 23, 2007
Publication Date: Oct 25, 2007
Inventor: Bobby Land (Nashville, NC)
Application Number: 11/752,362
International Classification: A47K 11/04 (20060101);