U.S. patent application number 10/361672 was filed with the patent office on 2003-09-11 for vacuum urinal assembly.
Invention is credited to Nilsson, Ake.
Application Number | 20030167561 10/361672 |
Document ID | / |
Family ID | 8563375 |
Filed Date | 2003-09-11 |
United States Patent
Application |
20030167561 |
Kind Code |
A1 |
Nilsson, Ake |
September 11, 2003 |
Vacuum urinal assembly
Abstract
A vacuum urinal assembly includes a shell portion, operational
means, and vacuum discharge means. In order to achieve a
streamlined arrangement, the shell portion is formed as a
substantially unitary body, whereby the operational means comprise
a level sensor means and a vacuum-operated discharge valve in fluid
communication with a pipe system. The shell portion is arranged to
support the operational means within the shell portion.
Inventors: |
Nilsson, Ake; (Sverige,
FI) |
Correspondence
Address: |
MARSHALL, GERSTEIN & BORUN
6300 SEARS TOWER
233 SOUTH WACKER
CHICAGO
IL
60606-6357
US
|
Family ID: |
8563375 |
Appl. No.: |
10/361672 |
Filed: |
February 10, 2003 |
Current U.S.
Class: |
4/301 |
Current CPC
Class: |
E03D 13/00 20130101;
E03F 1/006 20130101; E03D 5/105 20130101 |
Class at
Publication: |
4/301 |
International
Class: |
E03D 013/00 |
Foreign Application Data
Date |
Code |
Application Number |
Feb 28, 2002 |
FI |
20020392 |
Claims
What is claimed is:
1. A vacuum urinal assembly for use with a pipe system in fluid
communication with a vacuum source, the vacuum urinal assembly
comprising: a shell portion comprising a substantially unitary
body; operational means including a level sensor and a
vacuum-operated discharge valve adapted for fluid communication
with the pipe system, and vacuum discharge means, wherein the shell
portion supports the operational means within the shell
portion.
2. The vacuum urinal assembly of claim 1, in which the shell
portion comprises a bowl portion with a discharge opening.
3. The vacuum urinal assembly of claim 2, in which the discharge
opening is in fluid communication with a sensor chamber provided
with the level sensor, and in which the sensor chamber is in fluid
communication with the vacuum operated discharge valve.
4. The vacuum urinal assembly of claim 1, in which the operational
means further comprises a rinse water means supported within the
shell portion.
5. The vacuum urinal assembly of claim 4, in which a back plate is
fastened to a back side of the shell portion, and in which the
operational means are mounted on the back plate.
6. The vacuum urinal assembly of claim 1, in which the
vacuum-operated discharge valve fluidly communicates with the pipe
system through a first vacuum supply valve.
7. The vacuum urinal assembly claim 6, in which a suction line
extends between the pipe system and the first vacuum supply valve
and a valve line extends between the first vacuum supply valve and
the vacuum-operated discharge valve to establish fluid
communication between the pipe system and the vacuum-operated
discharge valve.
8. The vacuum urinal assembly of claim 1, in which the pipe system
fluidly communication with the vacuum source through vacuum sewer
piping.
9. The vacuum urinal assembly of claim 8, in which the vacuum sewer
piping comprises a retention tank.
10. The vacuum urinal assembly of claim 8, in which the rinse water
means is vacuum-operated, and in that the rinse water means is
connected to the vacuum source by a second vacuum supply valve and
a vacuum line.
11. The vacuum urinal assembly of claim 1, in which a control unit
is operably coupled to the assembly and includes an activator
means.
12. The vacuum urinal assembly of claim 1, in which a back plate is
fastened to a back side of the shell portion, and in which the
operational means are mounted on the back plate.
Description
FIELD OF THE INVENTION
[0001] The present invention generally relates to vacuum collection
devices and, more particularly, to a vacuum-operated urinal.
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
[0002] Previously, urinal devices typically have a complex
structure including a multipartite shell and with a number of
operational components on the back side of a wall supporting the
urinal shell. Some previous devices use a separate box or enclosure
beside the urinal shell for the operational means. Previous urinals
may also include a water trap within the urinal shell.
Consequently, known urinal arrangements require a relatively large
amount of space and the assembly and mounting of such urinals is
laborious and time consuming, whereby also any maintenance or
corresponding measures are made overly difficult.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
[0003] An object of the present invention is to avoid the
disadvantages of previous urinal arrangements and to achieve a
streamlined urinal assembly providing a reliable function.
[0004] To achieve this, an arrangement for a urinal is provided
wherein a set of operational means can be enclosed and supported
within a substantially unitary shell portion of the urinal. The
shell includes a bowl portion defining a discharge opening, whereby
the operational means comprise a level sensor means and a vacuum
operated discharge valve means in fluid communication with a pipe
system. In this manner, the urinal can be mounted and supported on
a wall, whereby the urinal basically only requires an outside
vacuum sewer discharge connection, connectable to the pipe system,
and a power supply connection.
[0005] The discharge opening is preferably arranged in fluid
communication with a sensor chamber provided with the level sensor
means, whereby the sensor chamber is in fluid communication with
the vacuum operated discharge valve means.
[0006] An advantageous embodiment of the urinal arrangement further
comprises a rinse water means supported within the shell
portion.
[0007] The operational means are advantageously mounted on a back
plate fastenable to the shell portion.
[0008] The vacuum-operated discharge valve means is advantageously
operated by vacuum derivable from the pipe system through a first
vacuum supply valve means.
[0009] Vacuum is provided to the pipe system by way of a vacuum
generation means and vacuum sewer piping.
[0010] In order to facilitate operation of the urinal arrangement,
the operational means are connected to a control unit provided with
an activator means.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
[0011] In the following, the present invention is described in more
detail, by way of example only, with reference to the attached
schematic drawings, in which:
[0012] FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a vacuum urinal assembly in
accordance with the teachings of the present invention;
[0013] FIG. 2 is a perspective view of a first embodiment of a set
of operational means;
[0014] FIG. 3 is a perspective view of a second embodiment of a set
of operational means; and
[0015] FIG. 4 is a schematic block diagram of a vacuum urinal
connected to vacuum collection apparatus.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION
[0016] The present invention relates to a vacuum urinal assembly,
the operation of which is discussed in connection with FIG. 4.
[0017] In the figures the shell portion of the urinal is generally
indicated by reference numeral 1. The shell portion 1, which
according to the invention comprises a substantially unitary body,
e.g., of a ceramic or steel material, is mounted against a wall or
the like (not shown) in a conventional manner.
[0018] The operational means 3 are mounted on a back plate 2, which
is fastened to the back side 4 of the shell portion 1 by fastening
means, such as screws 5 or the like, whereby the operational means
3 are enclosed within the outer boundaries formed by the shell
portion 1 and the back plate 2. The shell portion comprises a
urinal bowl portion 11 with a discharge opening 12 approximately at
the bottom of the bowl portion 11. The back plate could of course
be fastened to the same wall portion as the shell portion.
[0019] In the embodiment shown in FIG. 2, the operational means 3
comprise a sensor chamber 31, a level sensor 32 for monitoring the
flush operation through the sensor chamber 31, a vacuum-operated
discharge valve 33 and a pipe system 34, which is arranged to be
connected to a vacuum sewer piping 90 (FIG. 4) by a discharge
connection (not shown) at the location of the urinal.
[0020] The operational means 3 further comprise a first vacuum
supply valve 35 that is in fluid communication with the pipe system
34 through a suction line 36 that taps into the pipe system 34 and
respectively with the vacuum-operated discharge valve 33 through a
valve line 37. Partial vacuum is created in the pipe system 34 by
an intermittently operated vacuum generating means 100 (FIG. 4).
The partial vacuum is used to operate the vacuum operated discharge
valve 33 by way of said first vacuum supply valve 35 and the
suction and valve lines 36, 37.
[0021] The second embodiment of the operational means 3 shown in
FIG. 3 corresponds to the one disclosed in connection with FIG. 2
and further comprises a rinse water means 38 provided with a rinse
water supply line 39. The rinse water means 38 provides rinse water
to the urinal bowl portion 11 during a flush sequence. The rinse
water means 38 is preferably operated by vacuum by way of a second
vacuum supply valve 40, to which control vacuum is provided through
vacuum line 41 (FIG. 4) from the vacuum generation means 100.
[0022] The operation of the urinal arrangement is discussed mainly
with reference to FIG. 4. When the urinal has been used and
disposable waste has been received in the urinal bowl portion 11,
an activator means, for example a flush button 6, is activated by a
user in order to commence the flush sequence, whereby a signal is
sent via a control unit 7 to the vacuum generation means 100, e.g.
an ejector means. This flush signal activates the intermittently
operated vacuum generation means 100 creating a given partial
vacuum (e.g., from about -18 kPa up to about -35 kPa) in the vacuum
sewer piping 90, optionally including a retention tank 91, and the
pipe system 34. The partial vacuum level is controlled by a vacuum
switch 71 connected to the control unit 7. The operation of the
vacuum generation means 100 is shut off when the desired vacuum
level has been reached. Reference numeral 8 indicates a power
supply connection for the control unit 7.
[0023] When the given partial vacuum level has been reached the
control unit 7 activates the rinse water means 38 (if provided), by
way of the second vacuum supply valve 40 connected by the vacuum
line 41 to the vacuum generation means 100. The rinse water means
38 delivers a given rinse water amount (e.g., approximately 0.2 to
0.3 liters) to the shell 1, so that the urinal bowl portion 11 is
flushed. At the same time, the control unit 7 activates the first
vacuum supply valve 35 so that partial vacuum is directed from the
pipe system 34 through the suction line 36, the first vacuum supply
valve 35, and the valve line 37 to the vacuum operated discharge
valve 33. This opens the discharge valve 33, whereby the disposable
waste is discharged from the urinal bowl portion 11 through the
discharge opening 12 and further through the sensor chamber 31 and
the discharge valve 33 into the pipe system 34 which leads to the
vacuum sewer piping 90 and the retention tank 91.
[0024] After the flush sequence has been carried out, the control
unit 7, provided with a time control, will close the partial vacuum
connection through the first vacuum supply valve 35 in order to
close the discharge valve 33.
[0025] Alternatively, the flush sequence may be activated by the
level sensor means 32 provided in the sensor chamber 31. The level
sensor means is preferably made responsive to a given amount of
disposable waste (e.g., approximately 0.15 to 0.20 liters of fluid)
collecting in the urinal bowl portion 11 and the discharge opening
12. The level sensor means 32 is connected to the control unit 7
and is arranged to provide a signal to the control unit 7 in a
similar manner as the flush button 6 described above for commencing
the flush sequence.
[0026] The foregoing detailed description has been given for
clearness of understanding only, and no unnecessary limitations
should be understood therefrom, as modifications would be obvious
to those skilled in the art.
* * * * *