MEDICAL TOILET
A system and method for discharging waste fluid from a dialysis machine into a toilet. The system may be a medical toilet that includes an air gap, an inlet port, a manifold, and an outlet port. The system may be a medical toilet seat that includes a discharge assembly, nozzle, and air gap. The discharge assembly may be releasably secured to the medical toilet seat. The system may have a discharge assembly pivotally coupled to a flush line of a flush valve. The method may provide fluid flowing through the air gap from a dialysis machine and into a toilet bowl of a toilet.
Latest AS IP HOLDCO, LLC Patents:
- INTERFERENCE MITIGATION IN MULTI-USER MULTI-BEAM WIRELESS COMMUNICATION
- Handover analysis for a moving vehicle
- BASE STATION SYNCHRONIZATION USING UE MODEM
- One or more remote modems connected to antenna circuitry by analog cabling and connected to control circuitry that controls behaviour of the one or more remote modems by digital cabling
- Adaptive channel orchestration
This application claims priority to U.S. Provisional Patent Application No. 62/569,368, filed Oct. 6, 2017, which is hereby incorporated herein by reference in its entirety.
TECHNICAL FIELD OF THE INVENTIONThe present inventions relate generally to systems and methods for a medical toilet.
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTIONMany patients rely on dialysis machines to remove waste and excess water from their blood. The waste and discharge from the dialysis machine requires disposal. This may involve permanently plumbing an air gap into a standpipe. The air gap shares the standpipe, and provides back flow and back siphonage protection. In plumbing, a standpipe is a vertical vented pipe attached to a trap that permits rapid wastewater discharge without disrupting the water seal of nearby traps. Tubing from the dialysis machine is connected to the air gap for flow of the waste and discharge fluid from the dialysis machine into a hospital or other buildings plumbing system. Some people employ portable dialysis machines which also require disposal of the waste or discharge fluid. A need exists for a clean and safe way to dispose of waste from a dialysis procedure. There exists a need for devices, systems, and methods for a medical toilet that is compatible with an air gap for use with a dialysis machine.
BRIEF SUMMARY OF THE INVENTIONAccording to an embodiment, a toilet for discharging medical waste may include a first connection point on the toilet; and a discharge assembly. The discharge assembly may include a portion to receive an air gap; and a second connection point. The discharge assembly is configured to couple to the toilet at the first connection point by coupling the second connection point to the first connection point, and the discharge assembly is configured to allow a discharge fluid to flow through the air gap and to a toilet bowl of the toilet.
According to an embodiment, the toilet may include an air gap, the air gap further comprising a flat surface, wherein the flat surface is oriented to face a wall behind the toilet.
According to an embodiment, the toilet may include one of a toilet seat and a flush line and the first connection point is on at least one of the toilet seat and the flush line.
According to an embodiment, the first connection point may be provided at a predetermined location on the toilet without structural modification to the chinaware of the toilet.
According to an embodiment, one or both of the first connection point and the discharge assembly may be removably coupled to the toilet.
According to an embodiment, the discharge assembly may be configured to pivot between a first position out of alignment with a toilet bowl of the toilet and a second position in alignment with the toilet bowl, wherein in the second position, the discharge assembly is configured to deliver the discharge fluid to the toilet bowl.
According to an embodiment, the discharge assembly may be configured to couple to a dialysis machine via tubing coupled to inputs on the air gap, and wherein the tubing is configured to discharge waste fluid form the dialysis machine, through the air gap, and into a toilet bowl of the toilet.
According to an embodiment, the toilet may include a toilet seat and a toilet lid, the toilet seat and toilet lid coupled to a base of the toilet with a hinge portion housing, and wherein the first connection point is on the hinge portion housing.
According to an embodiment, the toilet seat, the toilet lid, and the hinge portion housing may be configured to replace an existing toilet seat and toilet lid.
According to an embodiment, the discharge assembly may include a housing for receiving the air gap and a seal, the seal configured to seal an area between the air gap and an opening in the housing.
According to an embodiment, the first connection point and the second connection point may be magnets.
According to an embodiment, the first connection point may be coupled to a flush line of the toilet and the second connection point may be configured to pivot with respect to the first connection point.
According to an embodiment, the first connection point further may include a clamping portion configured to couple to a flush line; and a pivoting member secured to the clamping portion; and the second connection point may include an air gap holder; and a pivoting arm configured to couple to the pivoting member at a pivot point.
According to an embodiment, the first connection point may be a first fluid coupling on a flush line and wherein the second connection point may be a second fluid coupling on the discharge assembly, wherein the first fluid coupling and the second fluid coupling are configured to connect such that fluid may flow from the air gap through the flush line and into a bowl of the toilet.
According to an embodiment, a method for discharging waste fluid during a dialysis procedure may include providing a toilet with a discharge assembly; connecting a tube from a dialysis machine to the discharge assembly; and discharging fluid through the tube and into the toilet, wherein the discharge assembly is configured to move between a use position in alignment with a toilet bowl of the toilet and a stored position out of alignment with the toilet bowl. The discharge assembly may include an air gap and an air gap housing for receiving the air gap, wherein the discharge assembly is removably coupled to the toilet. The discharge assembly may be removably coupled to a toilet seat. The discharge assembly pivots between the use position and the stored position.
According to an embodiment, a discharge assembly for discharging a waste fluid into a toilet may include an air gap; a housing configured to receive the air gap; and a connection point configured to releasably secure the housing and the air gap to one of a flush line or a toilet seat.
According to an embodiment, the discharge assembly may be configured to pivot with respect to the toilet.
Additional features, advantages, and embodiments of the invention are set forth or apparent from consideration of the following detailed description and drawings. Moreover, it is to be understood that both the foregoing summary of the invention and the following detailed description are exemplary and intended to provide further explanation without limiting the scope of the invention as claimed.
The accompanying drawings, which are included to provide a further understanding of the invention and are incorporated in and constitute a part of this specification, illustrate preferred embodiments of the invention and together with the detailed description serve to explain the principles of the invention. In the drawings:
According to embodiments of the invention, the medical toilet may allow waste and discharge from a dialysis machine to be safely discharged into the sewer system through a toilet bowl without any additional plumbing installations. The waste and discharge fluid or dialysate, which may be water, from the dialysis machine may flow through tubing on the dialysis machine to an air gap preinstalled and/or removeably installed on the medical toilet. The waste and discharge fluid may enter the toilet bowl of the medical toilet tangentially. The waste and discharge fluid may swirl inside the bowl triggering the flow out of the trapway. The waste and discharge fluid may swirl inside the bowl with a vortex like action and/or like the swirl action inside the bowl of a toilet, such as a Vormax® toilet triggering the flow out of the trapway. The volume of the water and discharge fluid entering the medical toilet may initiate the flushing function of the toilet such that a manual flush of the toilet is not required to dispose of the waste fluid.
Various implementations of the invention are contemplated. One implementation is providing the air gap in an inlet port located in a toilet. The inlet port connects to a manifold which has an outlet port in the bowl of the toilet. Another implementation is providing the air gap in a housing for attachment to a portion of the toilet, such as a toilet seat. Other manners for implementing the air gap into a toilet are considered.
Referring to
Referring to
With continued reference to
Referring to
Referring to
Referring to
During manufacturing, and once molded, the medical toilet 10 is in a “green state” where the ceramic is still malleable. After demolding the toilet, while in the green state, two holes may be punched in the toilet. A first hole, the outlet port 28 (
In an exemplary embodiment, on a 3D printed prototype of the medical toilet 10, fluid flow out of the manifold exhibited no splashing at flow rates up to 6 gallons per minute. Testing was performed to determine the optimal orientation of the air gap with respect to the medical toilet to achieve optimal flow performance. In a preferred embodiment, the flat surface 17 (
Referring to
Referring to
Accordingly, in use, the toilet seat 132 and toilet seat lid 134 may be raised. The discharge assembly may be connected to the medical toilet seat 100 and aligned over the toilet bowl 112. For example, the in use position may extend the discharge assembly 138 above the open portion of the toilet bowl 112 such that waste fluid exiting the air gap 116 may directly enter the water present in the toilet bowl 112. The dialysis machine may be coupled to the inputs of the air gap 116 and discharge fluid may be emptied into the toilet bowl 112. When the discharge assembly 138 is not in use, the discharge assembly 138 may be disconnected from the medical toilet seat and the toilet seat 132 and toilet seat lid 134 may be lowered such that the toilet 110 may be used in a conventional manner.
The discharge assembly 138 may include an air gap 116. The air gap 116 may be connected, in the manner previously described, to a dialysis machine (not shown). As shown and as previously described, the air gap 116 may be oriented such that the flat surface 117 is oriented to face a wall behind the toilet 110. When the discharge fluid from the dialysis machine is to be discharged into the toilet, the discharge assembly 138 may be attached to the medical toilet seat 100, such as with magnets. The housing 140 and connection may retain the discharge assembly 138 in place when fluid is flowing through the system and into the toilet 110. A nozzle (not visible) may be located on a lower surface of the housing 140 to discharge the fluid from the air gap 116 into the toilet bowl 112 of the toilet 110. The nozzle on the lower surface may create a swirl to dilute the discharge fluid as it is disposed into the toilet 110. Although the discharge assembly 138 is depicted at a rear portion of the toilet 110, other positions and locations of the discharge assembly 138 are contemplated.
Referring to
Referring to
The pivoting portion 258 may include a pivoting member 262 and a pivoting arm 264 to which the air gap holder 260 is attached. The pivoting portion 258 may be coupled to the pivoting member 262 at a pivot point or pivot axis, for example, with a pin 263 (
Referring to
As may be appreciated from the foregoing disclosure, the medical toilets 10, 10b, 200, and 300 and medical toilet seat 100 allow for the safe, clean, and efficient disposal of waste and discharge fluids from a dialysis procedure. Fluid may be allowed to flow through the air gap from the dialysis machine and be disposed into a bowl of a toilet. The location, shape, design, and other factors may be selected such that back pressure and splash back are not permitted during use of the medical toilets and/or medical toilet seat.
The medical toilets of the foregoing disclosure may provide a predetermined connection point for a discharge assembly. The predetermined connection point may provide a position to discharge fluid waste into the toilet that is sturdy, reliably positioned, produces less splash of discharge waste fluid into the toilet, and induces flushing of the toilet to evacuate the discharge waste fluid. The connection point may be provided separate from the toilet such that the discharge assembly may be retrofit or coupled to existing toilets. The connection points may be provided separate from the toilet such that there is no modification provided to the toilet itself to achieve the coupling of the discharge assembly to the toilet.
According to embodiments of the invention, a medical toilet which is compatible with portable dialysis machines is provided. The discharge fluids, or dialysate, from the portable dialysis machine may be drained into the toilet safely using a dedicated port built into the medical toilet. According to embodiments of the invention, any existing toilet may be easily converted to a medical toilet during the manufacturing process. After demolding the toilet, in the green state, two holes may be punched on the toilet. A first hole may be punched on a side of the toilet bowl and a second hole may be punched on the back of the rim of the toilet. A manifold may be casted separately and attached to the medical toilet in the green state. The manifold may be dried, glazed, and fired together with the medical toilet. The manifold may be a part of the medical toilet and may be glazed inside and out.
According to embodiments of the invention, the manifold may be designed to accommodate a flow rate of 4 gallons per minute without splashing or fluid backing up within the toilet. The geometry, size, shape, location, and/or internal dimensions of the manifold may affect the flow of the discharge fluid into the toilet. The angle where the manifold meets the toilet bowl on the side may affect the flow of the discharge fluid into the toilet. The aforementioned parameters may by critical to having a smooth flow entering the toilet bowl.
In an embodiment, a toilet includes a toilet body having a toilet bowl and a neck portion, the neck portion having an inlet port and the toilet bowl having an outlet port, a manifold extending between the inlet port and the outlet port, and an air gap located in the inlet port. A fluid flows through the manifold and exits the outlet port without splashing water from the toilet bowl.
In an embodiment, a toilet seat assembly includes a toilet seat having a hinge portion housing with a first connection point and a discharge assembly. The discharge assembly includes a housing, an air gap, and a second connection point. The first connection point is configured to attach to the second connection point, such that the discharge assembly is positioned over an area of a toilet bowl of a toilet. The first connection point is attached to the second connection point, fluid flows through the discharge assembly and into the toilet bowl.
In an embodiment, a method of discharging fluid during a dialysis procedure, the method includes providing a toilet with an inlet port and an outlet port, inserting an air gap into the inlet port, connecting a tube from a dialysis machine to the air gap, and discharging fluid through the tube, the air gap, and the outlet port. Discharging fluid exits the outlet port at an interior surface of a toilet bowl of the toilet with no splashing of the fluid form the toilet bowl.
In an embodiment, a device for connecting an air gap to a toilet. The device may be positioned in a manifold opening in the toilet. The device may be mounted to a toilet seat of the toilet.
Although the foregoing description is directed to the preferred embodiments of the invention, it is noted that other variations and modifications will be apparent to those skilled in the art, and may be made without departing from the spirit or scope of the invention. Moreover, features described in connection with one embodiment of the invention may be used in conjunction with other embodiments, even if not explicitly stated above.
Claims
1. A toilet for discharging medical waste comprising:
- a first connection point on the toilet; and
- a discharge assembly, the discharge assembly comprising: a portion to receive an air gap; and a second connection point,
- wherein the discharge assembly is configured to couple to the toilet at the first connection point by coupling the second connection point to the first connection point, and
- wherein the discharge assembly is configured to allow a discharge fluid to flow through the air gap and to a toilet bowl of the toilet.
2. The toilet of claim 1, further comprising an air gap, the air gap further comprising a flat surface, wherein the flat surface is oriented to face a wall behind the toilet.
3. The toilet of claim 1, further comprising one of a toilet seat and a flush line and the first connection point is on at least one of the toilet seat and the flush line.
4. The toilet of claim 1, wherein the first connection point is provided at a predetermined location on the toilet without structural modification to the chinaware of the toilet.
5. The toilet of claim 1, wherein one or both of the first connection point and the discharge assembly are removably coupled to the toilet.
6. The toilet of claim 1, wherein the discharge assembly is configured to pivot between a first position out of alignment with a toilet bowl of the toilet and a second position in alignment with the toilet bowl, wherein in the second position, the discharge assembly is configured to deliver the discharge fluid to the toilet bowl.
7. The toilet of claim 1, wherein the discharge assembly is configured to couple to a dialysis machine via tubing coupled to inputs on the air gap, and wherein the tubing is configured to discharge waste fluid form the dialysis machine, through the air gap, and into a toilet bowl of the toilet.
8. The toilet of claim 1, further comprising a toilet seat and a toilet lid, the toilet seat and toilet lid coupled to a base of the toilet with a hinge portion housing, and wherein the first connection point is on the hinge portion housing.
9. The toilet of claim 8, wherein the toilet seat, the toilet lid, and the hinge portion housing are configured to replace an existing toilet seat and toilet lid.
10. The toilet of claim 1, the discharge assembly further comprising a housing for receiving the air gap and a seal, the seal configured to seal an area between the air gap and an opening in the housing.
11. The toilet of claim 1, wherein the first connection point and the second connection point are magnets.
12. The toilet of claim 1, wherein the first connection point is coupled to a flush line of the toilet and wherein the second connection point is configured to pivot with respect to the first connection point.
13. The toilet of claim 1, the first connection point further comprising:
- a clamping portion configured to couple to a flush line; and
- a pivoting member secured to the clamping portion; and
- the second connection point further comprising:
- an air gap holder; and
- a pivoting arm configured to couple to the pivoting member at a pivot point.
14. The toilet of claim 1, wherein the first connection point is a first fluid coupling on a flush line and wherein the second connection point is a second fluid coupling on the discharge assembly, wherein the first fluid coupling and the second fluid coupling are configured to connect such that fluid may flow from the air gap through the flush line and into a bowl of the toilet.
15. A method for discharging waste fluid during a dialysis procedure, the method comprising:
- providing a toilet with a discharge assembly;
- connecting a tube from a dialysis machine to the discharge assembly; and
- discharging fluid through the tube and into the toilet,
- wherein the discharge assembly is configured to move between a use position in alignment with a toilet bowl of the toilet and a stored position out of alignment with the toilet bowl.
16. The method of claim 15, the discharge assembly further comprising an air gap and an air gap housing for receiving the air gap, wherein the discharge assembly is removably coupled to the toilet.
17. The method of claim 15, wherein the discharge assembly is removably coupled to a toilet seat.
18. The method of claim 15, wherein the discharge assembly pivots between the use position and the stored position.
19. A discharge assembly for discharging a waste fluid into a toilet, the discharge assembly comprising:
- an air gap;
- a housing configured to receive the air gap; and
- a connection point configured to releasably secure the housing and the air gap to one of a flush line or a toilet seat.
20. The discharge assembly of claim 19, wherein the discharge assembly is configured to pivot with respect to the toilet.
Type: Application
Filed: Oct 5, 2018
Publication Date: Apr 11, 2019
Applicant: AS IP HOLDCO, LLC (Piscataway, NJ)
Inventors: David GROVER (Stockton, NJ), Nitin S. KOLEKAR (Piscataway, NJ), Behnam HEYDARI (Ridgewood, NJ), Douglas LEAVITT (Bethlehem, PA)
Application Number: 16/152,524