GB2374351A

GB2374351A - Toilet bowl ventilation system

Info

Publication number: GB2374351A
Application number: GB0206972A
Authority: GB
Inventors: Thomas Mckirdy
Original assignee: Individual
Current assignee: Individual
Priority date: 2001-03-23
Filing date: 2002-03-25
Publication date: 2002-10-16
Also published as: GB0107347D0; GB0206972D0

Abstract

A vented toilet assembly comprises a ring seat 6 hingably connected to a toilet bowl, which has an in-built venting system. The in-built venting system comprises the toilet seat itself, which is hollow, and also a vent 9 which communicates with an attached hose or tubing 10 leading to an air extraction means 11. The air extraction means is typically a vacuum pump. In a preferred embodiment, the internal vent 9 located within the hollow toilet seat 6 lines up with corresponding aperture 12 on hinge pipe 13 when the seat is in a first down position and permits ventilation of contaminated air from the vicinity of the vented toilet assembly.

Description

1 Vented Toilet Seat 2 3 The present invention relates to a toilet seat adapted to 4 provide improved ventilation for removing contaminated 5 air and maintaining environmental hygiene.

6 7 Flush toilets have greatly improved hygiene and living 8 conditions since their introduction in the 1800's. Prior 9 to this time, the disposal of human waste was a problem, 10 particularly within crowded towns and cities and diseases 11 such as cholera were widespread. When introduced, the 12 modern flush toilet greatly increased the comfort and 13 safety of the human population.

14 15 Modern flush toilets typically comprise a toilet bowl, 16 ring seat and lid. The toilet bowl is filled with a 17 volume of water and is used to collect excrement. The 18 collected excrement is removed by flushing with water, 19 which is stored in an associated tank, the waste 20 typically being removed into a disposal unit, which may 21 be located outdoors.

22

1 However it will be appreciated that toilets are generally 2 located within enclosed spaces such as small bathrooms or 3 designated lavatory areas. As these rooms tend to be 4 very small, the most common problem with modern flush 5 toilets occurs from air pollution from odours and smells 6 within these rooms.

7 8 Where the bathroom has one or more windows, these can be 9 opened to eliminate smells. Indeed the opening of 10 windows within a bathroom is desirable as it prevents 11 condensation. However, many houses or flats are designed 12 such that the bathroom does not have a window. In these 13 circumstances conventional venting systems such as fans, 14 can have some success in eliminating smells and odours.

15 However these ventilation systems are not always entirely 16 effective, as they are distant to the toilet bowl, and 17 therefore may not completely remove smells or remove 18 smells quickly enough.

19 20 It is therefore an object of the present invention to 21 provide means for eliminating air contamination and 22 maintaining environmental hygiene within a bathroom or 23 lavatory environment.

24 25 Specifically, it is an object of the present invention to 26 provide a toilet having integral venting means to provide 27 ventilation, thereby eliminating odours and smells.

28 29 It is a further object of the present invention to 30 provide a toilet wherein the toilet seat has venting 31 means to provide ventilation of the toilet itself.

32

1 According to the present invention there is provided a 2 vented toilet assembly for removing noxious smells 3 comprising a toilet bowl, ring seat and air extraction 4 means, wherein the ring seat has one or more vents 5 connected to the air extraction means for removal of 6 potentially contaminated air from the vicinity of the 7 toilet bowl.

8 9 Preferably the toilet seat is hollow.

10 11 Preferably the air extraction means is a vacuum pump.

12 13 The air extraction means may be located within the room 14 in which the vented toilet assembly is located or 15 alternatively may be located outwith the room.

16 17 Optionally the toilet seat is made from a plastics 18 material. Alternatively the toilet seat is made from a

19 wood material.

20 21 Preferably the toilet seat sits flush to the toilet bowl.

22 23 Preferably the toilet seat assembly also comprises a lid.

24 25 Preferably the toilet seat is connected to the toilet 26 bowl via mechanical means. Typically the mechanical 27 means are screw fixings.

28 29 In a preferred embodiment the toilet assembly further 30 comprises a hinge pipe having a aperture, wherein at 31 least one of the one or more vent openings on the toilet 32 seat are aligned with the hinge pipe aperture when the 33 ring seat is in a down position.

1 2 Preferably the vented toilet means also comprises tubing 3 means which connects the one or more vents with the 4 extraction means.

5 6 Preferably the tubing means is connectable to the hinge 7 pipe.

8 9 Preferably the noxious smells can be vented outside the 10 room or building in which the toilet is located.

11 12 An example embodiment of the present invention will now 13 be illustrated with reference to the following Figures in

14 which : 15 16 Figure 1 illustrates a common flush toilet as known in 17 the art; 18 19 Figure 2 is a sectional view of the vented toilet 20 assembly of the present invention; and 21 22 Figure 3 is a further sectional view of the vented toilet 23 assembly shown in Figure 2.

24 25 Referring firstly to Figure 1, a conventional flush 26 toilet comprises a toilet bowl 1 which has a volume of 27 water within and which is used to collect excrement, 28 toilet seat 2 which fits flushly with the toilet bowl and 29 lid 3, which is placed over the toilet bowl 1 when the 30 toilet is not in use. Both the toilet lid 3 and toilet 31 seat 2 are hinged at 15 and can therefore be moved 32 between a raised and lowered position (in Figure 1 the 33 seat 2 is in a lowered position). The toilet further

1 comprises a tank 4, which is attached to a water supply 2 and handle 5. When the handle 5 is depressed the water 3 16 within the toilet bowl 1 is flushed together with the 4 waste from the bowl 1 into an outdoor disposal unit (not 5 shown). Water from the tank 4 then runs into the rim of 6 the bowl 1 to refill, the tank being subsequently 4 7 refilled.

8 9 Figure 2 illustrates a toilet seat of the present 10 invention, generally depicted at 6. The seat 6 is 11 typically produced from a plastic material, although any 12 other suitable material may be used (for example, wooden 13 toilet seats are often popular for aesthetic purposes).

14 The seat 6 is hinged at 7 to enable movement from an 15 upright to lowered position.

16 17 The seat 6 has an in-built venting system. The toilet 18 seat 6 itself is hollow and also light enough to be 19 raised when required. The venting system comprises a 20 vent 9 which communicates with an attached hose or tubing 21 10 which leads to an air extraction means 11. The air 22 extraction means is typically a vacuum pump.

23 24 In the preferred embodiment shown in Figure 3 the 25 internal vent 9 which is located within the hollow toilet 26 seat 6 lines up with a corresponding aperture 12 on hinge 27 pipe 13 when the seat is in the down position and hence 28 permits ventilation. However the internal vent 9 may be 29 located at any position on the ring seat or may simply be 30 positioned near the back of the ring seat 6 as shown in 31 Figures 2 and 3. Additionally the ring seat may have 32 more than one vent. Where the toilet seat has more than 33 one vent, these vents may communicate with each other.

1 The toilet seat 6 can be fitted to the toilet bowl in a 2 conventional manner, most typically via screw fittings 3 14.

4 5 The hinge pipe 13 is connected to a flexible hose or 6 tubing 10 which connects in turn the internal vent 9 to 7 the vacuum pump 11. The vacuum pump 11 may be located 8 within the room in which the toilet is located or may be 9 located external to the room. This latter embodiment may 10 be preferred as it will allow odours and smells to be 11 extracted outdoors. Preferably odours and smells will be 12 vented outside the room in which the toilet is located, 13 and most preferably outside the building. The vacuum pump 14 11 of the venting system may be programmed to activate 15 automatically at particular times.

16 17 Further modifications and improvements may be 18 incorporated without departing from the scope of the 19 invention herein intended.

Claims

1 CLAIMS 2

3 1. A vented toilet assembly for removing noxious

4 smells, comprising a toilet bowl, ring seat and air

5 extraction means, wherein the ring seat has one or

6 more vents connected to the air extraction means for

7 removal of contaminated air from the vicinity of the

8 toilet bowl.

9 10

2. A vented toilet assembly as claimed in Claim 1, 11 wherein the toilet seat is hollow.

12 13

3. A vented toilet assembly as claimed in Claims 1 to 14 2, wherein the air extraction means is a vacuum 15 pump.

16 17

4. A vented toilet assembly as claimed in any one of 18 the preceding Claims, wherein the air extraction 19 means is located within the room in which the vented 20 toilet assembly is located.

21 22

5. A vented toilet assembly as claimed in any one of 23 the preceding Claims, wherein the air extraction 24 means is located outwith the room in which the 25 vented toilet assembly is located.

26 27

6. A vented toilet assembly as claimed in any one of 28 the preceding Claims, wherein the toilet seat is 29 manufactured from a plastic material.

30 31

7. A vented toilet assembly as claimed in any one of 32 Claims 1 to 5, wherein the toilet seat is 33 manufactured from a wood material.

1

2

8. A vented toilet assembly as claimed in any one of

3 the preceding Claims, wherein the toilet seat sits

4 flush to the toilet bowl.

5

6

9. A vented toilet assembly as claimed in any one of

7 the preceding Claims, comprising a lid.

8

9

10. A vented toilet assembly as claimed in any one of 10 the preceding Claims, wherein the toilet seat is 11 connected to the toilet bowl via mechanical means.

12 13

11. A vented toilet assembly as claimed in Claim 10,

14 wherein the mechanical means are screw fixings.

15 16

12. A vented toilet assembly as claimed in any one of 17 the preceding Claims, comprising a hinge pipe or 18 tubular having an aperture, wherein at least one of 19 the one or more vents in the toilet seat are aligned 20 with the hinge pipe aperture when the ring seat in a 21 lowered position on the toilet bowl.

22 23

13. A vented toilet assembly as claimed in any one of 24 Claims 1 to 12, comprising tubing means which 25 connect the one or more vents to the extraction 26 means.

27 28

14. A vented toilet assembly as claimed in Claim 13, 29 wherein the tubing means is connectable to the hinge 30 pipe or tubular.

31 32

15. A vented toilet assembly as claimed in any one of 33 Claims 1 to 14, wherein contaminated air can be

1 extracted outwith the room in which the vented 2 toilet assembly is situated.