SPACE SAVING BATHROOM COMPONENTS
Water and space saving bathroom components especially useful for a comfort station. Included are a novel toilet having a cistern with a sink in combination with the toilet, a novel waterless urinal and a hand sanitizer dispensing station. The sink is an integrally formed sink into the top of the cistern and has a drain formed into the sink for draining effluent from the sink into the toilet cistern. A faucet is installed in the surface of the sink to provide a clean water source for hand washing and the like that generates grey water after washing. The waterless urinal can be plumbed and mounted to a comfort station wall or on a mobile stand, while the hand sanitizer dispensing station may be adapted for multiple dispensers. The dispensers may be mounted at different heights to accommodate adults, children and disabled persons in wheelchairs.
This application claims the benefit under 35 U.S.C. 119(e) of U.S. Provisional Application No. 62/620,234 filed on Jan. 22, 2018.
STATEMENT REGARDING FEDERALLY SPONSORED RESEARCH OR DEVELOPMENTNot Applicable
THE NAMES OF THE PARTIES TO A JOINT RESEARCH AGREEMENTNot Applicable
INCORPORATION-BY-REFERENCE OF MATERIAL SUBMITTED ON A COMPACT DISC OR AS A TEXT FILE VIA THE OFFICE ELECTRONIC FILING SYSTEM (EFS WEB)Not Applicable
STATEMENT REGARDING PRIOR DISCLOSURES BY THE INVENTOR OR A JOINT INVENTORNot Applicable
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the InventionThe present invention relates to space saving bathroom components, including a combination sink and toilet, waterless urinal and hand sanitizer dispenser stand, and particularly relates to these bathroom components adapted for use in a portable comfort station and other related mobile and portable personal relief and sanitizing applications.
2. Description of the Prior ArtConventional space saving bathroom components have been made in the past to accommodate small indoor bathrooms and outdoor comfort stations. In a quest to provide nice sanitary facilities, such space saving components, including toilet and sink combinations, have been promoted in the past to solve the problem of placing a toilet, a urinal and a sink in limited spaces. Prior attempts have included various aspects of toilet and sink combinations, although none have achieved the purpose of the present invention.
U.S. Pat. No. 6,425,148 issued to Jung-Hua Chen on Jul. 30, 2002 discloses a water-saving device for a toilet comprising a tank, a tank lid mounted on the top of the tank, and a sink formed on the tank that communicates with a chamber in the tank. However, a multitude of plumbing arrangements are needed for the practice of the Chen invention, as well as the implementation of a water saving feature would be desirable to minimize those issues.
Next, we look at U.S. Pat. No. 5,228,152 issued to Florence D. Fraley on Jul. 20, 1993, which discloses a water-saving toilet with a sink mounted to a fixture base above a toilet tank. A drain opening in the bottom of the sink leads directly into the toilet tank, and a domestic water supply shut-off valve in the tank diverts water from the tank and directs it through a water diverting line leading to a spout adjacent the sink. Again, this configuration gives rise to a multitude of problems that the present invention overcomes.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTIONThe present invention provides a complete complement of space saving bathroom components, including, among others, a compact toilet with an incorporated sink in the cistern, thereby eliminating the need for a separate sink within a limited space.
Disclosed is a water and space saving bathroom component especially useful for a comfort station. Included is a novel toilet having a cistern with a sink in combination with the toilet. The sink is an integrally formed sink into the top of the cistern and has a drain formed into the sink for draining effluent from the sink into the toilet cistern. A faucet is installed in the surface of the sink to provide a clean water source for hand washing and the like that generates grey water after washing.
Of special advantage to the construction industry is that there is only at least one water line connected to the faucet from a water source selected from the group consisting of an independent water tank, a garden hose, a main water source, and combinations thereof, thereby alleviating many plumbing connections and making it especially amenable for portability compared to prior art combination toilet/sinks. A potentially portable and removable waste capture and disposal system is in liquid and solid communication with the toilet for easy emptying.
One novel feature is that the grey water is collected from any hand or face washing operations and is re-used to flush the waste from the toilet into the waste capture and disposal system for proper disposal.
The water and space saving toilet may have a dual level flush mechanism for controlling the flushing operation, including both a low flow volume flush level option for liquid waste and a higher volume flush for solid waste disposal. The toilet may be self-contained with a separate waste capture and disposal system selected from the group consisting of a holding tank, a septic system, a sewer system and combinations thereof.
In order to control fluid levels from running the faucet for long periods of time, an optional water level overflow control may be included of a drain mechanism for dispersing overflow water back into the toilet bowl or an automatic shut-off valve may be employed.
Another aspect of the present invention includes a no-flush waterless urinal with a liquid disposal line for draining liquid waste. A liquid disposal line properly stores and/or disposes of collected urine. This novel urinal design can either be a wall mount unit for installation of the no-flush waterless urinal on a wall of a comfort station, and wherein the urine drains into a waste capture and disposal system in communication with a toilet contained in the comfort station. Alternatively, the no-flush waterless urinal can be mounted on a mobile independent standalone unit with a sealable waste holding tank mounted below the no-flush waterless urinal for capturing the urine. Wheels can be mounted on the bottom of the mobile independent standalone unit for portability. Preferably, the no-flush waterless urinal is made of a weatherproof thermoplastic material.
Yet another aspect of the present invention discloses a novel hand sanitizer dispenser of a standalone unit having multiple vertical sides having at least two hand sanitizer dispensers mounted thereon on their face. The bottom of the standalone unit is preferably weighted for stability, and the standalone unit with the hand sanitizer dispensers mounted thereon is convenient for indoor and outdoor applications.
For ease of maintenance by janitorial crew, the waterless hand sanitizer dispenser unit further comprises a front concealment panel to cover and secure similarly sized refill containers of the hand sanitizer material for easy retrieval and maintenance. The present invention may include a four sided vertical standalone unit with hand sanitizer dispensers mounted at least for an adult and for a child or disabled wheelchair bound user, it may include a six or eight sided standalone unit to accommodate a like number of dispensers.
For ease of shipping, the standalone unit can be made of an easy-to-ship flat sheeted material construction with hand sanitizer dispensers that can be mounted on the stand after erection, such that the flat sheeted material can be shipped flat, and the dispensers mounted after assembly. In addition, weights in the bottom of the stand may be used to stabilize the stand in windy conditions or while being used.
A more complete and full understanding of the aspects and nature of the present invention will become apparent upon considering the following detailed description, when taken in connection with the accompanying drawings, wherein:
Therefore, in accordance with the present invention, a number of water saving, space saving compact bathroom components, including a toilet and sink combination, a waterless urinal and a hand sanitizer dispensing station, are disclosed. Such bathroom components may preferably be installed in a standalone portable comfort station, in standalone applications, or they may even be utilized in permanent residential or commercial buildings.
A preferred aspect of the plumbing for these aspects, including the compact toilet and sink combination, is disclosed in my earlier patent, U.S. Pat. No. 6,721,967, which is incorporated herein in its entirety into this patent application to provide full disclosure of a preferred working device. My '967 patent disclosure relates to a P-Trap and tank, which when employed with the present compact toilet and sink, provides a usable configuration for use in portable buildings, recreation vehicles, tiny houses, and the like.
In this regard, and for these small space applications, the space saving feature of this invention is important because the “real estate” within the bathroom can now be used to install additional equipment that might not have been able to be included due to space constraints. Now this space can be used for installing other conveniences such as electricity for an automatic hand dryer for a paperless hand wash environment, overhead heat/AC units, and lighting, among other desirable features. Lavatory shelter portability for emergencies is increased for some applications because the present invention makes it possible to offer fresh water flushing toilets and fresh water hand wash sanitation within a folding bathroom shelter. The present invention could even be placed in a shower stall, thereby allowing for a common space to both shower and to use the toilet and the face sink. Maintenance is also minimized because antifreeze protection is simplified for both the sink and the toilet.
Of special interest to the remodeling and/or building construction industry would be a mobile, compact, complete bathroom stall consisting of a face sink and a toilet that can be custom manufactured to fit pre-assembled through a conventional 34″ door opening. For instance, a construction worker in a high rise condo complex that did not yet have bathroom facilities would be able to use a pallet jack to wheel one of our compact bathroom stalls into such a condo during construction in progress. The unit is compact and sized such that it could fit into an elevator, brought up to the condo unit in construction, and pallet jacked into the condo that was not yet completed. The convenience of such a compact, self-contained bathroom stall would be available to the workers, where traditionally, there would not have been a convenient facility to relieve themselves. Collected waste would be taken out and properly disposed of.
In certain aspects of the present invention, both a cistern and a sink can be placed in any part of a room or in an adjacent room and can be plumbed to the toilet in either a comfort station, a portable shelter or even in a standard bathroom. In that event, the water flow could be regulated with automatic shutoffs in combination with an overflow line to prevent water overflow or spillage. The sink can be placed in a separate room and may include an eye wash station. There could even be more than one sink, such as actually on the toilet, or it could even be located in another room. Perhaps, even the sink could be in an adjacent laundry room so that the grey water could be used for flushing the toilet. In other words, the sink could be put anywhere, and the waste water could be used to flush.
Specifically, the grey water generated by hand or face washing in the sink is collected and subsequently used to flush the toilet. For example, one would relieve oneself in the toilet, without flushing yet, followed by washing your hands in the sink with fresh water, whereby the newly hand wash generated grey water is collected, and then that grey water is used to flush the toilet. Consequently, water is saved because the hand wash water is used to flush the toilet.
In addition, there is a considerable savings of water that increases user convenience levels by offering either a ready waterless hand sanitizer dispenser, or a fresh water hand wash as well as real toilet flushing. In essence, since sink grey water is used a second time for the flushing of the toilet black water, a reduction of water required for these functions is realized. Moreover, a cleanliness claim can be made because soap in the cistern sink water effluent will clean the toilet as it is flushed. For the present invention, in various aspects, a single water line is needed for operation. This also means that numerous water sources can be used, including, but not limited to, garden hoses, water tanks, or even conventional hard plumbing. Waste disposal can be accomplished in many ways by the use of, for example, a holding tank, septic system, or a sewer system.
The present combination sink and toilet may be manufactured through any suitable means, including, but not limited to, rotocasting, thermoforming, sand casting, blow molding, porcelain manufacturing and the like. The materials used may be any suitable material, but may include ceramics, plastics, metal and the like. The combination sink and toilet may be manufactured on either an S-trap or P-trap type toilet bowl. An S-trap might be especially advantageous for applications where a ground level application is not required. The P-trap configuration might be especially advantageous where ground level is a requirement.
Water control for the sink may utilize a faucet with an automatic shut-off system to prevent over-filling of the grey water into the cistern. This is especially useful for instances when the supply of water is limited, as when a water tank is the supply of fresh water. Of course, the user would have a faucet handle to stop the water flow to the cistern when it might be necessary. This is especially true if the sink/toilet combination is connected to a live water system where a shut-off would be most advantageous.
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One of the true advantages and novelty of this invention is that once someone uses the toilet, they then wash their hands in the sink and the grey waste water generated from the hand washing operation is used to flush the toilet. This means that only one water line is necessary to operate both the sink and the toilet because the water inlet brings fresh water to the faucet which is turned on during the hand washing operation. Once the cistern collects and contains the hand washing water, then flushing can take place by only using a single water line to the toilet and sink combination. The fact that there is only a single water line alleviates costs associated with installation, materials, maintenance and labor as opposed to other installations with multiple water lines.
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The foregoing description of a preferred aspect of the invention has been presented for purposes of illustration and description. It is not intended to be exhaustive or to limit the invention to the precise form disclosed. Obvious modifications or variations are possible in light of the above teachings with regards to the specific aspects. The aspect was chosen and described in order to best illustrate the principles of the invention and its practical applications to thereby enable one of ordinary skill in the art to best utilize the invention in various aspects and with various modifications as are suited to the particular use contemplated.
Claims
1. A water and space saving bathroom component, comprising: wherein the grey water is collected from the washing operation to be re-used to flush the waste from the toilet into the waste capture and disposal system for proper disposal.
- a toilet having a cistern;
- a sink in combination with the toilet wherein the sink is an integrally formed sink into the top of the cistern;
- a drain formed into the sink for draining effluent from the sink into the toilet cistern;
- a faucet installed in the surface of the sink to provide a clean water source for hand washing and the like that generates grey water after washing;
- at least one water line connected to the faucet from a water source selected from the group consisting of an independent water tank, a garden hose, a main water source, and combinations thereof; and
- a waste capture and disposal system is in liquid and solid communication with the toilet, and
2. The water and space saving bathroom component of claim 1, further comprising a dual level flush mechanism that controls the flushing operation, and wherein a low flow volume flush level for liquid waste and a higher volume flush for solid waste disposal is included.
3. The water and space saving bathroom component of claim 1, wherein the waste capture and disposal system is selected from the group consisting of a holding tank, a septic system, a sewer system and combinations thereof.
4. The water and space saving bathroom component of claim 1, further comprising a water level overflow control of a drain mechanism back into the toilet bowl or an automatic shut-off valve.
5. A water and space saving bathroom component, comprising: wherein said liquid disposal line properly stores and/or disposes of collected urine.
- a no-flush waterless urinal;
- a liquid disposal line for draining liquid waste; and
6. The water and space saving bathroom component of claim 5, further comprising a wall mount unit for installation of the no-flush waterless urinal on a wall of a comfort station, and wherein the urine drains into a waste capture and disposal system in communication with a toilet contained in the comfort station.
7. The water and space saving bathroom component of claim 5, further comprising a mobile independent standalone unit to which the no-flush waterless urinal is mounted.
8. The water and space saving bathroom component of claim 7, further comprising a sealable waste holding tank mounted below the no-flush waterless urinal for capturing the urine.
9. The water and space saving bathroom component of claim 8, further comprising wheels on the bottom of the no-flush waterless urinal mounted on the mobile independent standalone unit for portability.
10. The water and space saving bathroom component of claim 5, wherein said no-flush waterless urinal is made of a weatherproof thermoplastic material.
11. A waterless hand sanitizer dispenser unit, comprising: wherein said standalone unit with the hand sanitizer dispensers mounted thereon is convenient for indoor and outdoor applications.
- a standalone unit having multiple vertical sides having at least two hand sanitizer dispensers mounted thereon on their face;
- a weighted bottom of the standalone unit for stability; and
12. The waterless hand sanitizer dispenser unit of claim 11, further comprising a front concealment panel to cover and secure similarly sized refill containers of the hand sanitizer material.
13. The waterless hand sanitizer dispenser unit of claim 11, further comprising a four sided vertical standalone unit with hand sanitizer dispensers mounted at least for an adult and for a child or disabled wheelchair bound user.
14. The waterless hand sanitizer dispenser unit of claim 11, wherein the standalone unit is made of an easy-to-ship flat sheeted material construction with hand sanitizer dispensers that can be mounted on the stand after erection, such that the flat sheeted material can be shipped flat, and the dispensers mounted after assembly.
15. The waterless hand sanitizer dispenser unit of claim 11, further comprising weights in the bottom of the stand to stabilize the stand in windy conditions.
Type: Application
Filed: Mar 16, 2021
Publication Date: Dec 9, 2021
Inventor: Earl Jacob Braxton (Utica, MI)
Application Number: 17/203,389