VENTING ATTACHMENT FOR USE WITH A TOILET
A venting attachment for a toilet comprises a main body shaped similar to a toilet seat. The main body has a bottom, an inner wall and outer wall, which together define a channel, a frontal portion at a front end and frangible break line formations. The inner wall has a plurality of apertures defined therein in fluid communication with the channel. The outer wall has at least one vacuum port which is in fluid communication with the channel. The break line formations enable the frontal portion to be severed from a major rear portion of the main body. The attachment with or without the frontal portion can be mounted on the underside of the toilet seat. The frontal portion can be severed from the major rear portion when the toilet seat is open at its front end.
This relates to systems for ventilating bathrooms and, in particular, to toilet seat attachments for use with such systems.
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTIONIt is well-known known that the use of a toilet will often cause a bathroom to become malodorous. Being subjected to such malodours is unpleasant for those persons who subsequently use the bathroom. Several methods have accordingly been devised to remove or mask malodorous air in a bathroom. A common solution is to use bathroom fans mounted in the ceiling or wall of a bathroom to remove the malodorous air. A bathroom fan, however, is only partially effective in removing the malodorous air. Because the malodorous air is not being eliminated at the source, in a conventional configuration, the bathroom fan must cycle a substantial portion of the air in the bathroom before the malodorous air will be completely removed. Another common solution is to use air fresheners, however, this is an incomplete solution, as it only masks the malodorous air. Further, some people are allergic or sensitive to the perfumes contained in air fresheners.
In recognition of these problems, a number of patents have described toilet ventilation systems having a suctioning device disposed in or around the toilet seat. By providing a ventilation system at the source, such systems can prevent malodorous air from diffusing into the room.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,617,687 issued Oct. 21, 1986 to Wadsworth describes such a toilet ventilation system. The described system has a conduit with a first end and a second end and an exhaust fan. The exhaust fan is in communication with the second end at a location remote from the toilet bowl. The first end is in communication with the toilet bowl. The exhaust fan withdraws gases from the interior of the toilet bowl and exhausts gases at the location remote from the toilet bowl. The system is configured such that a switch activates and deactivates the exhaust fan during the normal use of the toilet. The conduit is described as a passageway formed within the toilet seat.
Other patents describe attachments for use with a toilet ventilation system which are mounted on a toilet between the toilet seat and the toilet bowl. An attachment can provide a more efficient alternative to replacing an entire toilet seat.
Such an attachment is disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 4,402,091 issued Sep. 6, 1983 to Ellis et al. The attachment is hingedly connected to the water closet adjacent to the tank so that the device is pivotable with respect to both the toilet seat and toilet bowl. The attachment comprises a generally circular hollow ring body with an upper surface configured to form a seal with the bottom of the toilet seat and a bottom surface configured to form a seal with the top of the toilet bowl. A downwardly extending lip portion extends inside the ring of the bowl and has a plurality of tubular evacuation apertures which are in open communication with a vacuum source.
There is a need for an improved toilet seat attachment which is configurable for use with a domestic toilet or an industrial toilet, as well as, toilets of various shapes and sizes.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTIONAccording to one aspect of the present disclosure, there is disclosed a venting attachment for a toilet having a toilet bowl and a toilet seat. The attachment comprises a main body extending around a relatively large opening. The main body is shaped similar to the toilet seat, has front and rear ends, a channel and a plurality of apertures defined therein, at least one vacuum port, a frontal portion, and frangible break means. The channel substantially extends along at least two opposite sides of the body. The apertures are in fluid communication with the channel and the large opening. The at least one vacuum port is in fluid communication with the channel. The frontal portion extends across the front end. The frangible break means is formed in the main body at opposite ends of the frontal portion for severing the frontal portion from a major rear portion of the main body. In use, the attachment can be mounted on the underside of the toilet seat such that the attachment is positioned between the toilet seat and the toilet bowl. If the toilet seat is open at its front end, the frontal portion of the attachment can be severed and discarded so that the major rear portion can be used for venting air from the toilet.
According to another aspect of the invention, there is disclosed a venting attachment for use with a toilet having a toilet seat. The attachment comprises a main body shaped similar to the toilet seat. The main body has a bottom inner wall and opposite outer wall which together define a channel, a frontal portion and frangible break line formations. The inner wall has a plurality of apertures defined therein and the apertures are in fluid communication with the channel. The outer wall has at least one vacuum port which is in fluid communication with the channel. The frontal portion is formed at a front end of the main body. The frangible break line formations define opposite ends of the frontal portion and enable the frontal portion to be severed from a major rear portion of the main body. In use, the frontal portion is severed from the major rear portion and not used for venting of the toilet seat when the toilet seat is open at its front end and the attachment with or without the frontal portion can be mounted on the underside of the toilet seat with the open top side of the channel oriented towards an underside of the toilet seat.
According to another aspect of the invention, there is disclosed a venting attachment for a toilet having a toilet bowl and a toilet seat. The attachment comprises a vent forming body defining and extending around an opening similar in size to an opening formed by said toilet seat. The body includes two similar, curved elongate side sections and a base section joining rear ends of the side sections together. The body forms a venting passageway that extends along the side sections in the lengthwise direction thereof. A plurality of apertures are distributed along inner sides of the side sections and are in communication with the passageway. There are also provided port means for evacuating air from the passageway, the port means being in fluid communication with the passageway, and an expansion notch formed in the base section. During installation of the venting attachment, the expansion notch allows outward separation of the side sections from a first position to a more outward position whereby the attachment can be attached to and fit toilet seats of different sizes and shapes.
According to yet another aspect of the invention, there is disclosed a venting attachment for a toilet having a toilet bowl and a toilet seat pivotably attached to the bowl. The attachment comprises a main body and an electronic circuit. The main body forms a relatively large opening and is shaped similar to the toilet seat. The main body includes two elongate side sections and a base section joining the sections, a venting passageway that extends along the side sections, a plurality of apertures that are distributed along inner sides of the side sections that face the opening, the apertures being in communication with the passageway, and port means for evacuating air from the passageway. The electronic circuit is mounted in the main body and includes a proximity sensor for sensing a person sitting on the toilet seat and generating an electrical signal indicative thereof and a transmitter for transmitting the signal to a receiver of a control circuit for an air evacuation apparatus to which the port means can be operatively connected. The main body has at least one battery receiving chamber for holding at least one battery for powering the electronic circuit.
Other advantages, features and characteristics of the disclosed venting attachment, as well as methods of operation and functions of the related elements of the attachment, will become more apparent upon consideration of the following detailed description with reference to the accompanying drawings, which are briefly described herein below.
So that those having ordinary skill in the art to which the present disclosure pertains will more readily understand how to make and use the subject invention, exemplary embodiments thereof will be described in detail herein below with reference to the drawings, wherein:
An exemplary embodiment of the present disclosure will be discussed with reference to
An open channel 22 extends the periphery of the attachment 20. As best shown in
A pair of transverse walls 24 interrupt the open channel 22 in the exemplary version of the attachment. A pair of transverse grooves 28 in the attachment 20 define a frontal portion 26 thereof. As shown in
As will be appreciated by persons of ordinary skill in the art, the cross section of the attachment 20 is reduced at the transverse grooves 28 thereby compromising the structural integrity of the attachment 20 along the transverse grooves 28. As such, when the attachment 20 is sufficiently stressed near the transverse grooves 28, attachment 20 will break at the transverse grooves 28. By breaking the attachment 20 at both of the transverse grooves 28, the frontal portion 26 can be severed from the attachment 20. Such severability of the frontal portion 26 provides for an attachment that is configurable for use with either domestic toilets or industrial toilets.
An expansion notch 30 is also defined in the attachment 20 at a location substantially opposite to the frontal portion 26.
As will be appreciated by persons of ordinary skill in the art, with the frontal portion 26 severed, the thin strip of plastic at the tip of the expansion notch 30 will yield to allow for the expansion and contraction of the body of the attachment 20. Such expandability and contractibility of the body of the attachment 20 provides for an attachment that is configurable for use with toilets of various shapes and sizes.
A battery receiving chamber 40 is shown in
A schematic of the electronic circuit 100 of the exemplary version of the attachment 20 is shown in
If the processor 110 determines the necessary criteria has been satisfied, an electric signal is provided to the transmitter 108, which transmits an electromagnetic signal to be received by the receiver 200 of the venting system. The signal from the receiver is routed to a microprocessor 202 and if the signal satisfies criteria of “start” command, the microprocessor turns a semiconductor switch into ON state activating a motor 204 of the air evacuation apparatus. In this way, the proximity sensor 106 acts as an “on” switch for the air evacuation apparatus.
The electronic circuit may be constructed from standard components. For example, in the exemplary embodiment of the attachment 20, the voltage regulator is a Texas-Instruments™ Step-Up Regulator, Part No. TPS61097-33 and the processor is an Atmel™ 8-Bit AVR™ Microcontroller, Part No. ATTINY13A. The transmitter 140, which employs OOK (on-off keyed) modulation, can be a SAW (Abracon™ PNASR303-825E) stabilized base Colpitts oscillator. The transmitted signal can be received by a MICREL™ Sweep-Mode Receiver, Part No. MICRF008.
The microprocessor 202 is responsible for recognizing and verifying commands from the receiver 200, controlling the motor 204, and providing additional functionality i.e. operation time lag after “stop” command. The power voltage level for both the receiver 200 and the motor processor 202 is regulated by a second voltage regulator 205 which in an exemplary version of the circuit is part no. LM78I05A/S0. Input to this regulator is direct current (DC) which in the exemplary embodiment is on the level of 12 VDC. This regulator can be connected to a standard DC wall outlet adapter that provides DC current. This system is particularly suited for use with an air filter when a fan driven by the motor 204 draws air through the filter (not shown).
The sensor can be any which is suitable for detecting the presence of a user of the toilet such as, for example, an infrared sensor. Although only one sensor is described as being used in the electric circuit, it should be appreciated that multiple sensors, which act as additional inputs, can be connected to the processor. Such a configuration could be employed, for example, to increase the accuracy of detection or to provide redundancy.
Turning now to
The functions of the frontal portion 26 and the expansion notch 30 are illustrated in
It should be understood that while the material for the attachment has been described as being frangible, the material properties and groove and notch dimensions must be selected such that the attachment is frangible at the grooves but yieldable at the notch, such selection involving a routine exercise of skill for persons of skill in the art.
Turning now to
Prior to use, the toilet seat 72 will be placed in the down position such that the attachment 20 is positioned between the toilet seat 72 and the toilet bowl 74. The user will then sit on the toilet seat 70 with his or her body substantially covering the opening to the toilet bowl 74. Accordingly, it will be appreciated that, in use, the toilet bowl will be substantially enclosed.
From this position, the sensor 106 will detect the presence of a user on the toilet seat 72 and send an electric signal to the processor 110. In turn, the processor 110 will send an electric signal to the transmitter 108 which will transmit an electromagnetic signal (which, in the exemplary embodiment, is a UHF signal). This signal will be received by the receiver 200 which will activate the switch 202 to provide power to the motor circuit 204, thereby turning on air evacuation apparatus 84.
Accordingly, the air evacuation apparatus 84 will suction the malodorous air into the apertures 34, through the channel 22, out the ports 36 and through the nipples 38 to the venting system 80. The malodorous air can thereafter be handled by the venting system 80 by conventional methods such as, for example, venting the air to an external location or passing the air through a carbon filter.
The advantage of providing a severable frontal portion and an expansion notch is that the present venting attachment is configurable for use with a range of toilets. The expansion notch permits the body to expand or contract when the frontal portion is severed such that the attachment is mountable to toilet seats of various shapes and sizes. This results in cost savings in the manufacture and distribution of the attachments and improved convenience for the consumer as a range of toilets can be supported with a relatively low number of different attachments.
While the present invention has been illustrated and described as embodied in various exemplary embodiments, e.g., embodiments having particular utility for venting systems, it is to be understood that the present invention is not limited to the details shown herein, since it will be understood that various omissions, modifications, substitutions and changes in the forms and details of the disclosed venting attachment and its operation may be made by those skilled in the art without departing in any way from the spirit and scope of the present invention.
Claims
1. A venting attachment for a toilet having a toilet bowl and a toilet seat, the attachment comprising:
- a main body extending around a relatively large opening, said main body being shaped similar to the toilet seat, having front and rear ends, and having: a channel defined therein, the channel substantially extending along at least two opposite sides of the body; a plurality of apertures defined therein, the apertures in fluid communication with the channel and said large opening; at least one vacuum port in fluid communication with the channel; a frontal portion extending across said front end; and frangible break means formed in said main body at opposite ends of said frontal portion for severing said frontal portion from a major rear portion of the main body,
- wherein, in use, the attachment can be mounted on the underside of the toilet seat such that the attachment is positioned between the toilet seat and the toilet bowl and, if the toilet seat is open at its front end, the frontal portion of the attachment can be severed and discarded so that the major rear portion can be used for venting air from the toilet.
2. The venting attachment of claim 1, wherein said break means comprises a pair of grooves located at opposite ends of the frontal portion, said grooves extending transversely relative to the channel.
3. The venting attachment of claim 1 wherein said main body has at least one expansion notch defined in a rear end section thereof.
4. The venting attachment of claim 3, wherein the at least one expansion notch permits deflection of opposite side sections of the main body when the frontal portion is severed from the main body.
5. The venting attachment of claim 1, wherein the main body further has at least one nipple in fluid communication with the at least one vacuum port, the at least one nipple being adapted for connection with an inlet of a vacuum system for withdrawing air from the toilet bowl via said venting attachment.
6. The attachment of claim 1, wherein the main body further has a pair of transverse walls which interrupt the channel, the transverse walls positioned proximate to the frontal portion such that the transverse walls remain with the major rear portion when the frontal portion is severed.
7. A venting attachment for use with a toilet having a toilet seat, the attachment comprising a main body shaped similar to the toilet seat, the main body having:
- a bottom, an inner wall, and an opposite outer wall which together define a channel, the inner wall having a plurality of apertures defined therein, the apertures in fluid communication with the channel, the outer wall having at least one vacuum port which is in fluid communication with the channel;
- a frontal portion formed at a front end of the main body; and
- frangible break line formations defining opposite ends of said frontal portion and enabling said frontal portion to be severed from a major rear portion of the main body
- wherein, in use, said frontal portion is severed from the major rear portion and not used for venting of the toilet seat when said toilet seat is open at its front end and the attachment with or without the frontal portion can be mounted on the underside of the toilet seat with the open top side of the channel oriented towards an underside of the toilet seat.
8. The venting attachment of claim 7, wherein said break line formations comprise a pair of transversely extending grooves.
9. The venting attachment of claim 7 including an expansion notch formed in the main body in a rear side thereof located opposite said frontal portion.
10. The attachment of claim 9, wherein the expansion notch provides for the deflection of opposite side sections of the main body when the frontal portion is severed from the main body.
11. The attachment of claim 8, wherein the main body further has at least one nipple in fluid communication with the at least one vacuum port, the at least one nipple being adapted for connection with an inlet of a vacuum system for withdrawing air from a bowl of the toilet and being located at a rear end of said main body.
12. The attachment of claim 8, wherein the main body further has a pair of transverse walls which interrupt the channel, the transverse walls positioned proximate to the frontal portion such that the transverse walls remain with a remaining rear portion of the attachment when the frontal portion is severed.
13. A venting attachment for a toilet having a toilet bowl and a toilet seat, the attachment comprising;
- a vent forming body defining and extending around an opening similar in size to an opening formed by said toilet seat, said body including:
- two similar, curved elongate side sections and a base section joining rear ends of said side sections together, said body forming a venting passageway that extends along said side sections in the lengthwise direction thereof,
- a plurality of apertures that are distributed along inner sides of said side sections and are in communication with said passageway,
- port means for evacuating air from said passageway, said port means being in fluid communication with said passageway, and
- an expansion notch formed in said base section,
- wherein during installation of said venting attachment, said expansion notch allows outward separation of said side sections from a first position to a more outward position whereby said attachment can be attached to and fit toilet seats of different sizes and shapes.
14. A venting attachment according to claim 13 wherein said elongate side sections and said base section are integrally connected to one another and said notch is located midway along the length of said base section.
15. A venting attachment according to claim 14, wherein said port means includes two vacuum ports located on opposite sides of said notch and said venting passageway includes two vent passage sections each having a closed end at its respective side of said notch and each in communication with a respective one of said vacuum ports.
16. A venting attachment according to claim 14, wherein said body includes a separable frontal portion extending between and joining said elongate side sections and, during installation of said venting attachment, said frontal portion is separated from the remaining portion of the attachment if outward separation of said side sections from their first position is required for installation.
17. A venting attachment for a toilet having a toilet bowl and a toilet seat pivotably attached to the bowl, the attachment being adapted for attachment to the toilet seat and comprising
- a main body forming a relatively large opening and shaped similar to the toilet seat, said main body including two elongate side sections and a base section joining said sections, a venting passageway that extends along said side sections, a plurality of apertures that are distributed along inner sides of said side sections that face said opening, said apertures being in communication with said passageway, and port means for evacuating air from said passageway, and
- an electronic circuit mounted in said main body, said circuit including a proximity sensor for sensing a person sitting on said toilet seat and generating an electrical signal indicative thereof and a transmitter for transmitting said signal to a receiver of a control circuit for an air evacuation apparatus to which said port means can be operatively connected,
- wherein said main body has at least one battery receiving chamber for holding at least one battery for powering said electronic circuit.
18. A venting attachment, according to claim 17, wherein said electronic circuit including a circuit board on which said at least one battery can be mounted and a cavity in which said circuit board is mounted is formed in one of said side sections.
19. A venting attachment according to claim 17, wherein said main body includes a frontal portion which connects front ends of said two side sections and frangible break lines at opposite ends of said frontal portion for severing said frontal portion from said side sections when required for installation of the attachment on said toilet seat.
20. A venting attachment according to claim 18, wherein said port means includes two vacuum ports formed in an outer wall of said base section and two nipples each operatively connected to a respective one of said vacuum ports and located on opposite sides of a central expansion notch formed in said base section.
Type: Application
Filed: Mar 8, 2011
Publication Date: Sep 13, 2012
Inventors: Leonard Ineson (Mississauga), Norman Ineson (Barrie)
Application Number: 13/042,525
International Classification: E03D 9/04 (20060101);