FLUSH TOILET
A toilet includes an inlet structure, a bowl structure, and an outlet structure. The inlet structure is configured to receive water. The bowl structure has a toilet bowl including a rim and a sump, a split fluidly connected to the inlet structure and including a first passage and a second passage, a shelf located below the rim of the toilet bowl and fluidly connected to the first passage, a side channel fluidly connected to the second passage, and a diverter that redirects the water from the side channel to the sump of the toilet bowl. The outlet structure is fluidly connected to the sump and is configured to discharge water from the sump into a drain.
This application This application is a continuation application under 37 C.F.R. § 1.53(b) and 35 U.S.C. § 120 of U.S. patent application Ser. No. 16/582,616 filed Sep. 25, 2019, which claims the benefit of and priority to U.S. Provisional Application No. 62/738,428, filed Sep. 28, 2018, the entire disclosure of each of which is hereby incorporated by reference herein.
BACKGROUNDThe present application relates generally to the field of toilets. More specifically, this application relates to toilets having a flush structure that improves the overall flush efficiency of the toilet.
There is a constant desire and need within the field of toilets (and other water using devices) to become ever more efficient and use less water, such as during each flush cycle, much like the ever increasing desire to improve fuel efficiency of internal combustion engines. Also similar to slight improvements in fuel efficiency in engines, even a slight improvement in flush efficiency for toilets can have a monumental impact on water conservation (i.e., reduction of water consumption) given the number of toilets and flush cycles used daily (not just in the U.S., but on a global scale). Thus, there is constant pressure to find new ways to improve flush efficiency, even if only a slight improvement is recognized. Despite this constant pressure to increase flush efficiency and decrease water consumption, such improvements are easier said than done.
Further, providing a proper flush in which all of the contents (e.g., solid waste, liquid waste, etc.) in the toilet bowl are removed from the toilet bowl during a single flush cycle is a competing interest to increasing flush efficiency and decreasing water usage. Current toilets aimed at using one gallon of water per flush provide poor overall flush performance (e.g., leaving contents in the toilet bowl following the first flush), which results in customer dissatisfaction and often additional flushes to completely remove the contents from the toilet bowl, therefore, defeating the gains in efficiency by requiring multiple flushes to achieve proper flushing.
SUMMARYAt least one exemplary embodiment of the application relates to a toilet having an inlet structure, a bowl structure, and an outlet structure. The inlet structure is configured to receive water. The bowl structure has a toilet bowl including a rim and a sump, a split fluidly connected to the inlet structure and including a first passage and a second passage, a shelf located below the rim of the toilet bowl and fluidly connected to the first passage, a side channel fluidly connected to the second passage, and a diverter that redirects the water from the side channel to the sump of the toilet bowl. The outlet structure is fluidly connected to the sump and is configured to discharge water from the sump into a drain.
Another exemplary embodiment of the application relates to a toilet including an inlet structure, a bowl structure, and an outlet structure. The inlet structure includes an inlet for receiving water, a horizontal section, and an elbow fluidly connecting the inlet to the horizontal section. The elbow includes a breaking radius and has a circular cross sectional shape. The bowl structure includes a toilet bowl having a rim and a sump, a split located downstream of the horizontal section and having a first passage and a second passage, a shelf located below the rim and fluidly connected to the first passage, a side channel fluidly connected to the second passage, and a diverter that redirects the water from the side channel to an inlet opening into the sump.
The outlet structure includes a trapway that is fluidly connected to the sump and has an outlet.
Another exemplary embodiment of the application relates to a toilet including a toilet bowl and a shelf. The toilet bowl includes a rim. The shelf is located below the rim and is spaced apart from the rim. Together, the rim and the shelf form an inset channel that extends along at least a portion of the perimeter of the toilet bowl. A height of the inset channel, between the rim and the shelf, decreases continuously in a flow direction.
Referring generally to the FIGURES, disclosed herein are toilets having a flush structure that improves the overall flush efficiency of the toilet. That is, the flush structure allows the toilet to properly flush the contents in the bowl using less water. For example, the toilets are configured to flush the contents in the bowl using a single flush containing one gallon or less of water per flush (1.0 gpf). In this way, the toilets of this application can completely remove the contents from the bowl using a single flush cycle of reduced volume, such as using 1.0 gpf or less of water.
The illustrated flush structure includes an inlet structure 2, a bowl structure 4, and an outlet structure 6. The inlet structure 2 receives water from a source, such as a tank, and delivers water to the bowl structure 4. The bowl structure 4 is configured to direct the water received from the inlet structure 2 into the bowl to wash the contents in the bowl to an outlet of the toilet 1 as well as clean the inside (e.g., internal) surfaces of the bowl. The outlet structure 6 is configured to direct the water and the contents in the bowl from the toilet 1, such as to a drainpipe or other sewer line.
The illustrated inlet structure 2 delivers flush water into the bowl structure 4 and includes an inlet 17 (shown in
The bowl structure 4 includes a split 20 (shown in
The bowl structure 4 including the shelf 16 is configured to maximize coverage of the internal or inside surfaces of the bowl with water during a flush cycle while using as little water as possible during each flush cycle. According to one example, the toilet 1 is configured to divert approximately 15-30% of the total flush water (e.g., 0.15-0.30 gallons for a 1 gal. flush) to the first passage 22 (e.g., the upper passage). Sending less than 15% of the total flush water through an enclosed rim channel (for other toilets) or an upper passage (e.g., for the toilets of this application) can lead to less than desirable (e.g., intermittent) coverage of the inside surfaces of the bowl, whereas sending too much (e.g., 50% or more) water through the rim or upper passage can lead to poor overall flush performance.
As shown in
The diverter 13 (e.g., diverter plate) shown in
Returning to
The geometry and arrangement of inlet structure, the bowl structure, and the outlet structure are provided for illustrative purposes only. It will be appreciated that various alternatives and combinations are possible without departing from the inventive concepts disclosed herein. For example, in some exemplary embodiments, the geometry of the shelf and/or rim may be modified to further improve flushing efficiency.
As shown in
The shelf 216 is configured to direct flush water in a single direction (e.g., clockwise or counterclockwise depending on the direction in which water is received within the shelf 216) around the shelf 216 and the perimeter of the waste receiving surface 246, resulting in a swirl or vortex flow pattern (i.e. a swirl flush). In various exemplary embodiments, the shelf 216 has a compound radius, which may be the same or similar to that described for the toilet 1 of
The rim structure 202 is configured to improve water coverage along a perimeter of the toilet bowl during a flush, without increasing the amount of water provided to the inset channel 248 via the shelf inlet 224.
As utilized herein, the terms “approximately,” “about,” “substantially”, and similar terms are intended to have a broad meaning in harmony with the common and accepted usage by those of ordinary skill in the art to which the subject matter of this disclosure pertains. It should be understood by those of skill in the art who review this disclosure that these terms are intended to allow a description of certain features described and claimed without restricting the scope of these features to the precise numerical ranges provided. Accordingly, these terms should be interpreted as indicating that insubstantial or inconsequential modifications or alterations of the subject matter described and claimed are considered to be within the scope of the disclosure as recited in the appended claims.
It should be noted that the term “exemplary” and variations thereof, as used herein to describe various embodiments, are intended to indicate that such embodiments are possible examples, representations, and/or illustrations of possible embodiments (and such terms are not intended to connote that such embodiments are necessarily extraordinary or superlative examples).
The term “coupled,” as used herein, means the joining of two members directly or indirectly to one another. Such joining may be stationary (e.g., permanent or fixed) or moveable (e.g., removable or releasable). Such joining may be achieved with the two members coupled directly to each other, with the two members coupled to each other using a separate intervening member and any additional intermediate members coupled with one another, or with the two members coupled to each other using an intervening member that is integrally formed as a single unitary body with one of the two members. Such members may be coupled mechanically, electrically, and/or fluidly.
The term “or,” as used herein, is used in its inclusive sense (and not in its exclusive sense) so that when used to connect a list of elements, the term “or” means one, some, or all of the elements in the list. Conjunctive language such as the phrase “at least one of X, Y, and Z,” unless specifically stated otherwise, is understood to convey that an element may be either X, Y, Z; X and Y; X and Z; Y and Z; or X, Y, and Z (i.e., any combination of X, Y, and Z). Thus, such conjunctive language is not generally intended to imply that certain embodiments require at least one of X, at least one of Y, and at least one of Z to each be present, unless otherwise indicated.
References herein to the positions of elements (e.g., “top,” “bottom,” “above,” “below,” etc.) are merely used to describe the orientation of various elements in the FIGURES. It should be noted that the orientation of various elements may differ according to other exemplary embodiments, and that such variations are intended to be encompassed by the present disclosure.
Although the figures and description may illustrate a specific order of method steps, the order of such steps may differ from what is depicted and described, unless specified differently above. Also, two or more steps may be performed concurrently or with partial concurrence, unless specified differently above. Such variation may depend, for example, on the software and hardware systems chosen and on designer choice. All such variations are within the scope of the disclosure. Likewise, software implementations of the described methods could be accomplished with standard programming techniques with rule-based logic and other logic to accomplish the various connection steps, processing steps, comparison steps, and decision steps.
It is important to note that the construction and arrangement of the toilets and the components/elements, as shown in the various exemplary embodiments, are illustrative only. Additionally, any element disclosed in one embodiment may be incorporated or utilized with any other embodiment disclosed herein. For example, each inlet structure or component thereof, each bowl structure or component thereof, and/or each outlet structure or component thereof described herein may be incorporated into any other embodiment of this application. Although only one example of an element from one embodiment that can be incorporated or utilized in another embodiment has been described above, it should be appreciated that other elements of the various embodiments may be incorporated or utilized with any of the other embodiments disclosed herein.
Claims
1. A toilet bowl comprising:
- a rim; and
- a shelf coupled to at least one water passage;
- wherein together the rim and the shelf form an inset channel that extends along a perimeter of the toilet bowl in a flow direction and a height of the inset channel, between the rim and the shelf, decreases in the flow direction.
2. The toilet bowl of claim 1, wherein the inset channel is open to a waste receiving surface of the toilet bowl.
3. The toilet bowl of claim 1, wherein the height of the inset channel is configured to reduce fluid losses in the flow direction.
4. The toilet bowl of claim 1, wherein the height of the inset channel allows water to move a longer distance through the inset channel.
5. The toilet bowl of claim 1, wherein the height of the inset channel corresponds to a reduction in an amount of water sustain a vortex or swirl along the perimeter of the toilet bowl.
6. The toilet bowl of claim 1, wherein the height of the inset channel at a beginning of the inset channel and the beginning of the inset channel is followed by a sharp curve along the perimeter of the toilet bowl in an area near a front of the toilet bowl.
7. The toilet bowl of claim 1, wherein the inset channel includes a first portion that extends between the shelf and a forward region through a central axis through the toilet bowl.
8. The toilet bowl of claim 7, wherein the inset channel includes a second portion that extends between the forward region and a downstream end of the inset channel.
9. The toilet bowl of claim 8, wherein the height of the first portion is approximately constant along a length of the first portion.
10. The toilet bowl of claim 8, wherein the height of the second portion decreases continuously along a length of the second portion.
11. The toilet bowl of claim 1, wherein the inset channel includes a compound radius.
12. The toilet bowl of claim 11, wherein the compound radius includes an outer radius at least two times in curvature of an inner radius.
13. A toilet bowl comprising:
- a rim; and
- a fluvial terrace coupled to at least one water passage;
- wherein together the rim and the fluvial terrace form an inset channel that extends along a perimeter of the toilet bowl in a flow direction and a height of the inset channel, between the rim and the fluvial terrace, decreases in the flow direction.
14. A toilet, comprising:
- a toilet bowl comprising a rim; and
- a shelf located below the rim and spaced apart from the rim, the rim and the shelf forming an inset channel that extends along at least a portion of a perimeter of the toilet bowl, wherein a height of the inset channel, between the rim and the shelf, decreases continuously in a flow direction.
15. The toilet of claim 14, wherein the inset channel is open to a waste receiving surface of the toilet bowl.
16. The toilet of claim 14, wherein the height of the inset channel is configured to reduce fluid losses in the flow direction.
17. The toilet of claim 1, wherein the height of the inset channel at a beginning of the inset channel and the beginning of the inset channel is followed by a sharp curve along the perimeter of the toilet bowl in an area near a front of the toilet bowl.
18. The toilet of claim 1, wherein the inset channel includes a first portion that extends between the shelf and a forward region through a central axis through the toilet bowl and a second portion that extends between the forward region and a downstream end of the inset channel.
19. The toilet of claim 18, wherein the height of the first portion is approximately constant along a length of the first portion and the height of the second portion decreases continuously along a length of the second portion.
20. The toilet of claim 14, wherein the inset channel includes a compound radius including an outer radius and an inner radius.
Type: Application
Filed: Mar 19, 2024
Publication Date: Jul 4, 2024
Inventors: Tony L. Lambert (Sheboygan, WI), Daniel N. Halloran (Fredonia, WI), Andrew L. Smith (Sheboygan, WI)
Application Number: 18/609,959