Baths – closets – sinks – and spittoons – Debris catcher for a flush closet or clean out plug
Reexamination Certificate
1999-08-12
2001-04-10
Fetsuga, Robert M. (Department: 3751)
Baths, closets, sinks, and spittoons
Debris catcher for a flush closet or clean out plug
C220S234000
Reexamination Certificate
active
06212696
ABSTRACT:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
This invention relates generally to plumbing fixtures and, more particularly, to a convenient access to the trap of a toilet bowl for clearing obstructions therein.
The trap or siphon of a toilet bowl often becomes clogged with a variety of materials, such as children's toys, paper, waste, bathroom articles, or the like. While some obstructions may be dislodged using a plumber's snake, other obstructions cannot be removed except by disconnecting the toilet, dismounting the toilet from the floor, removing the obstruction from the trap, and then remounting the toilet. This procedure is inconvenient, expensive, and may require the assistance of a plumber.
Various toilet bowl constructions have been proposed for providing access to the trap of a toilet bowl for removing an obstruction therefrom, such as those disclosed in U.S. Pat. Nos. 4,376,313 and 3,681,791. While such constructions utilize an opening through the exterior toilet bowl wall, they require the use of one or more fasteners and tools to seal a closure member over the opening. The necessary fasteners and tools may become lost and are inconvenient when an obstruction is desired to be quickly removed.
It is therefore desirable to have a toilet bowl construction which provides direct access to the trap. It is further desirable to have a toilet bowl construction in which the access opening is sealed during normal operation. Finally, it is desirable that the sealing member can be inserted or removed from the access opening without the use of any tools or fasteners.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
Accordingly, the improved toilet bowl construction according to the present invention utilizes a toilet bowl having exterior walls which enclose a siphon or trap therein. The siphon includes an upwardly extending channel connected at an upper end thereof to a downwardly extending channel. The channels are separated by a partition within the toilet bowl. The toilet bowl presents a circular opening through a wall thereof and is positioned to communicate with both the upwardly and downwardly extending channels of the siphon. The opening extends through a side, front, or rear wall of the toilet bowl depending upon the particular configuration of the siphon therein.
The improved toilet bowl construction further includes an annular cover member having a lever extending therethrough. The lever is pivotally coupled to the cover member and is movable between a first position and a second position displaced from the first position. A resilient sealing member having an annular configuration substantially similar to the cover member is coupled thereto. The diameter of the sealing member is slightly larger than the diameter of the access opening. The lever bears against a central hub on the sealing member when the lever is placed in the second position. A user movement of the lever to a position bearing against the sealing member causes the diameter of the sealing member to decrease sufficiently so as to allow the sealing member to be inserted into the access opening. Releasing the lever to its first non-bearing position allows the diameter of the sealing member to increase so as to tightly seat within the access opening. A user may remove the sealing member from the access opening by again moving the lever to the position bearing against the sealing member and then extracting the sealing member from the opening.
It is therefore a general object of this invention to provide a toilet bowl construction which provides access to a trap or siphon positioned internally therein.
Another object of this invention is to provide a toilet bowl construction, as aforesaid, which provides access to both upwardly and downwardly flowing channels of the trap.
Still another object of this invention is to provide a toilet bowl construction, as aforesaid, having a sealing member which covers and seals the access opening during normal operation.
Yet another object of this invention is to provide a toilet bowl construction, as aforesaid, in which the sealing member is held within the access opening without the use of fasteners.
A further object of this invention is to provide a toilet bowl construction, as aforesaid, in which the sealing member can be inserted into or removed from the access opening without the use of tools.
Other objects and advantages of this invention will become apparent from the following description taken in connection with the accompanying drawings, wherein is set forth by way of illustration and example, an embodiment of this invention.
REFERENCES:
patent: 918036 (1909-04-01), Gibson
patent: 4303171 (1981-12-01), Schremmer
patent: 4387825 (1983-06-01), Parent
patent: 4942970 (1990-07-01), Jay
patent: 152339 (1899-01-01), None
Fetsuga Robert M.
Ream Dale J.
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