Baths – closets – sinks – and spittoons – Flush closet – Manual selection of the amount of flush
Reexamination Certificate
2001-05-30
2003-07-01
Huson, Gregory L. (Department: 3751)
Baths, closets, sinks, and spittoons
Flush closet
Manual selection of the amount of flush
C004S361000, C004S381000, C004S407000
Reexamination Certificate
active
06584622
ABSTRACT:
FIELD OF THE INVENTION
The present invention relates to a method and apparatus for flushing water toilets that can be flushed with one or more selectable, adjustable amount(-s) of water. More particularly, the present invention relates to flushing devices of the kind allowing fitting during production of new toilets as well as retrofitting in existing water toilets in the form of a complete cartridge, replacing the existing flushing float/valve device, the latter commonly being of the type allowing only one flushing water amount, i.e. a substantially complete draining of the flushing reservoir.
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
Most known flushing devices for water toilets have been based on a method of flushing utilising either manual or level-controlled flushing, i.e. the flushing valve was either kept open manually and was closed upon releasing the operating device, or was actuated manually and was closed upon reaching a predetermined water level in the flushing reservoir.
Ever since flushable water toilets were introduced, there has been a constant development towards managing the flushing function with ever-smaller amounts of water. Initially, the motive was to save water and reduce the volume of the flushing reservoir. An increasing environmental awareness has accentuated the need for such developments, and more recently with the added motive of decreasing the emissions to wastewater purification plants.
It has been known for some time to equip flushable water toilets with devices for flushing them with at least two selectable water amounts, a smaller one, here called “economy flushing”, which may be used in connection with urination only, and a full-sized one, here called “full flushing”, for other needs. One example of this is described in the Swedish Patent No 131,217.
A large number of the known designs of this type are only suitable when used in connection with the initial manufacture of water toilets. This, for example, applies to the device described in Swedish Patent No 366,085, which shows a flushable water toilet having a new type of flushing valve with modified flow conditions, and to Swedish Patent No 501,336, describing a novel valve device where the same control handle allows selection of economy flushing by pushing the handle down and full flushing by lifting it upwards.
A commonly used design for such economy flushing devices, where the same type of float-action discharge valve is used as is the case for normal flushing toilets, is based upon an additional weight with an associated float, which is connected to the discharge valve during economy flushing, thereby closing it earlier, but which is disconnected from the discharge valve during full flushing, so that the valve operates in the normal manner. Swedish Patent No 367,226 discloses a device for achieving this function. In this case, two concentric handles are used, the lower/outer one for economy flushing and the upper/inner one for full flushing. The additional weight for the economy flushing is located in the lower handle itself, which furthermore has the disadvantage of making economy flushing heavy to execute, for example for children and persons having reduced hand power capacity, e.g. rheumatics. The normal reflex is to lift the upper handle as usual which, together with the above-mentioned additional weight of the handle, will result in full flushing being performed more often than necessary, instead of economy flushing.
Swedish Published Application No 7706418-6 describes a design having a weight and float of the above type, which is said to allow mounting in conventional flushing devices.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,651,359, British Patent No. 2,300,006 and French Patent No. 2,712,320 also describe various level controlled flushing devices with one or more adjustable fluid levels in the flushing reservoir in which the hitching-up of the discharge valve is released and the flushing valve thus closes. The same applies to Swedish Patent No 508,084, assigned to the assignee of the present application.
It is also known on the one hand to flush by means of pushing a button instead of pulling it, and on the other to operate/select two different amounts of flushing water by pushing at two different locations, i.e. on one end or the other of a toggle switch or on two separate buttons located substantially adjacent to each other.
By the cited art for closing the discharge valve of the flushing reservoir at different remaining levels in the reservoir, corresponding to different amounts of water being discharged, i.e. a smaller one for economy flushing and a larger one, usually entailing a complete discharge of the contents of the flushing reservoir, for a full flushing, closing of said discharge valve of the flushing reservoir is based on the water level in the actual flushing reservoir being sensed by a float. This means, when retrofitting an economy-flushing valve function exhibiting two different flushing water amounts, that the retrofitted device must allow adaptation of its mechanical float position to different levels in the flushing reservoir in order to e.g. discharge half of the water volume. See, for example, Swedish Patent No 508,084, assigned to the assignee of the present application. As is known, modern designs have resulted in numerous different shapes of flushing reservoirs being present on the market, causing a flushing device of this kind allowing retrofitting to become relatively complicated, and thereby costly, to produce. This is the case because it must allow for mechanical adaptation regarding its fixation in reservoirs of varying heights, as well as float level adaptation for closing the discharge valve at a water level, in reservoirs of different geometric shapes, which correspond to an appropriate amount of water having been discharged for an economy flushing.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,392,260 describes a device for the flushing of water toilets, having two pre-set, adjustable amounts of flushing water. The discharged amount is determined by an electrical timer device, exhibiting a predetermined, adjustable period of time between that point in time when an operating device for flushing is actuated, and the point in time when the discharge valve of the flushing reservoir, which was opened by the operating device, is closed again. This flushing device thus operates like an electrical, adjustable timer, by which two triggering delay time periods for the closing of the discharge or flushing valve of the reservoir (for economy and full flushing, respectively) can be individually pre-set.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,819,330 describes a similar flushing device, in which the timer device for determining how long time the flushing valve will be open consists of a mechanical timer device, like the works of a watch or an egg timer, having a short running time.
These last two patents thus indicate a different method of flushing, that is to base the closing of the flushing valve on a period of time, by means of a timer device, instead of on a sensed remaining water level in the flushing reservoir.
Even if these timer devices have functioned to some satisfaction, they still have certain disadvantages. Fitting electrical equipment into water toilets, where the environment is very wet and corrosive requires, in order to achieve a long service life, high reliability and personal safety, extensive encapsulation, protective grounding, etc., which will increase the product cost substantially. Fitting mechanical devices like the works of a clock into this wet and corrosive environment requires, except for the electrical insulation, about the same encapsulation in order to achieve reliability during a long period of time. This will likewise increase the cost and complexity of the product.
Several of the known economy flushing devices also have the drawback of requiring careful adaptation to the replenished water level of the reservoir, in order to provide with certainty the intended function/water amount when operated, especially for economy flushing. As the water level will often change with time, for various wear, corrosion and pollut
Huson Gregory L.
Le Huyen
Ninotech HB
LandOfFree
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