U.S. patent application number 11/030524 was filed with the patent office on 2006-07-06 for sanitary device for urinal and toilet flush system.
This patent application is currently assigned to Advanced Modern Technologies Corporation. Invention is credited to Jackson Lu, Jorge Maercovich.
Application Number | 20060143810 11/030524 |
Document ID | / |
Family ID | 36638678 |
Filed Date | 2006-07-06 |
United States Patent
Application |
20060143810 |
Kind Code |
A1 |
Maercovich; Jorge ; et
al. |
July 6, 2006 |
Sanitary device for urinal and toilet flush system
Abstract
A flush system for toilet, urinal or the like includes a valve
body having a water inlet, a water outlet, and a water chamber, a
valve seat, an actuation device, and a sanitary device. The
sanitary device includes a container body mounted on the valve body
for replaceably receiving a sanitary agent therein. The container
body has a lower sanitary opening communicating the container body
with the water outlet of the valve body. When the valve seat is in
a flushing position, a portion of the flush water is guided to flow
into the container body through the sanitary opening for mixing
with the sanitary agent so as to form a cleansing solution. After
the valve seat is returned to an idle position, the cleansing
solution is released by gravity for flowing towards the water
outlet through the sanitary opening to sanitize the toilet, urinal
or the like.
Inventors: |
Maercovich; Jorge; (Tarzana,
CA) ; Lu; Jackson; (Rowland Heights, CA) |
Correspondence
Address: |
RAYMOND Y. CHAN
108 N. YNEZ AVE., SUITE 128
MONTEREY PARK
CA
91754
US
|
Assignee: |
Advanced Modern Technologies
Corporation
|
Family ID: |
36638678 |
Appl. No.: |
11/030524 |
Filed: |
January 5, 2005 |
Current U.S.
Class: |
4/226.1 |
Current CPC
Class: |
E03D 2009/024 20130101;
E03D 9/031 20130101; E03D 3/02 20130101 |
Class at
Publication: |
004/226.1 |
International
Class: |
E03D 9/02 20060101
E03D009/02; E03D 1/00 20060101 E03D001/00 |
Claims
1. A flush system for a toilet, urinal or the like, comprising: a
valve body having a water inlet, a water outlet, and a water
chamber communicating between said water inlet and said water
outlet; a valve seat supported in said valve body to move between a
normal idle position and a flushing position, wherein at said idle
position, said valve seat is sealed at said water chamber for
retaining a water pressure within said water chamber so as to block
a flush water flowing from said water inlet to said water outlet,
and at said flushing position, said valve seat is moved to relief
said water pressure for allowing said flush water flowing out
through said water outlet so as to complete a flushing operation;
an actuation device supported by said valve body to operatively
move said valve seat to said flushing position; and a sanitary
device comprising a container body mounted on said valve body,
wherein said container body has an upper sanitary chamber for
receiving a sanitary agent therein and a lower sanitary opening
communicating said container body with said water outlet of said
valve body, wherein at said flushing position, a portion of said
flush water is guided to flow into said container body through said
sanitary opening for mixing with said sanitary agent so as to form
a cleansing solution, and after said valve seat is returned back to
said idle position, said cleansing solution within said container
body is released by gravity for flowing towards said water outlet
through said sanitary opening after said flushing operation is
completed.
2. The flush system, as recited in claim 1, wherein said sanitary
device further comprises a water divider extended through said
sanitary opening towards said water outlet of said valve body for
guiding said flush water to flow into said container body when said
flush water passes through said water outlet.
3. The flush system, as recited in claim 2, wherein said water
divider is transversely extended within said sanitary opening to
divide said sanitary opening into an upper water collecting inlet
for guiding said flush water into said container body and a lower
water discharge outlet for releasing said cleansing solution to
said water outlet.
4. The flush system, as recited in claim 1, wherein said sanitary
device further has an air check valve provided on said container
body for releasing air within said container body to an exterior of
said container body when said flush water is filled in said
container body.
5. The flush system, as recited in claim 2, wherein said sanitary
device further has an air check valve provided on said container
body for releasing air within said container body to an exterior of
said container body when said flush water is filled in said
container body.
6. The flush system, as recited in claim 3, wherein said sanitary
device further has an air check valve provided on said container
body for releasing air within said container body to an exterior of
said container body when said flush water is filled in said
container body.
7. The flush system, as recited in claim 1, wherein said sanitary
device is supported between said actuation device and said valve
body, wherein said actuation device is a manual actuation unit
comprising a movable flush lever transversely extended to said
container body to move said valve seat at said flushing
position.
8. The flush system, as recited in claim 2, wherein said sanitary
device is supported between said actuation device and said valve
body, wherein said actuation device is a manual actuation unit
comprising a movable flush lever transversely extended to said
container body to move said valve seat at said flushing
position.
9. The flush system, as recited in claim 6, wherein said sanitary
device is supported between said actuation device and said valve
body, wherein said actuation device is a manual actuation unit
comprising a movable flush lever transversely extended to said
container body to move said valve seat at said flushing
position.
10. The flush system, as recited in claim 7, wherein said sanitary
device further comprises a driving actuator movably supported
within sanitary opening to alignedly couple with said flush lever
such that said driving actuator is driven by said flush lever to
move said valve seat at said flushing position.
11. The flush system, as recited in claim 8, wherein said sanitary
device further comprises a driving actuator movably supported
within sanitary opening to alignedly couple with said flush lever
such that said driving actuator is driven by said flush lever to
move said valve seat at said flushing position.
12. The flush system, as recited in claim 9, wherein said sanitary
device further comprises a driving actuator movably supported
within sanitary opening to alignedly couple with said flush lever
such that said driving actuator is driven by said flush lever to
move said valve seat at said flushing position.
13. The flush system, as recited in claim 1, wherein said actuation
device is an automatic actuation unit comprising a sensor operated
powering device comprising a sensor for sensing a presence of a
user and an actuation arm to move said valve seat between said
flushing position back and said idle position.
14. The flush system, as recited in claim 2, wherein said actuation
device is an automatic actuation unit comprising a sensor operated
powering device comprising a sensor for sensing a presence of a
user and an actuation arm to move said valve seat between said
flushing position back and said idle position.
15. The flush system, as recited in claim 6, wherein said actuation
device is an automatic actuation unit comprising a sensor operated
powering device comprising a sensor for sensing a presence of a
user and an actuation arm to move said valve seat between said
flushing position back and said idle position.
16. A sanitary device for a flush system of a toilet, urinal or the
like comprising a valve body having a water inlet, a water outlet,
and a water chamber communicating between said water inlet and said
water outlet, a valve seat provided in said valve body to move
between a normal idle position that said valve seat is sealed at
said water chamber for retaining a water pressure within said water
chamber so as to block flush water flowing from said water inlet to
said water outlet and a flushing position that said valve seat is
moved to relieve said water pressure for allowing said flush water
flowing towards said toilet through said water outlet so as to
complete a flushing operation, and an actuation device supported by
said valve body to operatively move said valve seat to said
flushing position, wherein said sanitary device comprises: a
container body, which is adapted for mounting on said valve body,
having an upper sanitary chamber for receiving a sanitary agent
therein and a lower sanitary opening adapted for communicating said
container body with said water outlet of said valve body, wherein
at said flushing position, a portion of said flush water is guided
to flow into said container body through said sanitary opening for
mixing with said sanitary agent to form a cleansing solution, and
after said valve seat is returned back to said idle position, said
cleansing solution within said container body is released by
gravity for flowing towards said water outlet through said sanitary
opening after said flushing operation is completed.
17. The sanitary device, as recited in claim 16, further comprising
a water divider extended through said sanitary opening towards said
water outlet of said valve body for guiding said flush water to
flow into said container body when said flush water passes through
said water outlet.
18. The sanitary device, as recited in claim 17, wherein said water
divider is transversely extended within said sanitary opening to
divide said sanitary opening into an upper water collecting inlet
for guiding said flush water into said container body and a lower
water discharge outlet for releasing said cleansing solution to
said water outlet.
19. The sanitary device, as recited in claim 16, further comprising
an air check valve provided on said container body for releasing
air within said container body to an exterior of said container
body when said flush water is filled in said container body.
20. The sanitary device, as recited in claim 18, further comprising
an air check valve provided on said container body for releasing
air within said container body to an exterior of said container
body when said flush water is filled in said container body.
21. The sanitary device, as recited in claim 19, further comprising
a detachable cover, having said air check valve formed thereon,
detachably mounted on said container body to sealedly enclose said
container body for replacing said sanitary agent therein when said
detachable cover is detached from said container body.
22. The sanitary device, as recited in claim 20, further comprising
a detachable cover, having said air check valve formed thereon,
detachably mounted on said container body to sealedly enclose said
container body for replacing said sanitary agent therein when said
detachable cover is detached from said container body.
23. The sanitary device, as recited in claim 16, further comprising
a driving actuator movably supported within sanitary opening for
alignedly coupling with a flush lever of said actuation device such
that said driving actuator is driven by said flush lever to move
said valve seat at said flushing position.
24. The sanitary device, as recited in claim 18, further comprising
a driving actuator movably supported within sanitary opening for
alignedly coupling with a flush lever of said actuation device such
that said driving actuator is driven by said flush lever to move
said valve seat at said flushing position.
25. The sanitary device, as recited in claim 20, further comprising
a driving actuator movably supported within sanitary opening for
alignedly coupling with a flush lever of said actuation device such
that said driving actuator is driven by said flush lever to move
said valve seat at said flushing position.
26. The sanitary device, as recited in claim 18, further comprising
a holder which has a plurality of diffusing meshes and is supported
in said container body for holding said sanitary agent therewith
such that at least a portion of said sanitary agent is dissolved
with said flush water through said diffusing meshes to form said
cleansing solution in said container body.
27. The sanitary device, as recited in claim 20, further comprising
a holder having a plurality of diffusing meshes supported in said
container body for holding said sanitary agent therewith such that
at least a portion of said sanitary agent is dissolved with said
flush water through said diffusing meshes to form said cleansing
solution in said container body.
28. The sanitary device, as recited in claim 25, further comprising
a holder having a plurality of diffusing meshes supported in said
container body for holding said sanitary agent therewith such that
at least a portion of said sanitary agent is dissolved with said
flush water through said diffusing meshes to form said cleansing
solution in said container body.
29. A method of feeding sanitary agent during flushing operation of
a flush system of a toilet, urinal or the like, comprising the
steps of: (a) guiding a portion of flush water to flow into a
container body containing a sanitary agent during flushing
operation of the flush system; (b) dissolving some of said sanitary
agent with said portion of flush water to mix and form a cleansing
solution; and (c) releasing said cleansing solution by gravity for
flowing towards a water outlet of said flush system after said
flushing operation is completed.
30. The method, as recited in claim 29, further comprising a step
of releasing air within said container body to an exterior of said
container body when said portion of flush water is filled in said
container body.
Description
BACKGROUND OF THE PRESENT INVENTION
[0001] 1. Field of Invention
[0002] The present invention relates to toilet hygiene, and more
particularly to a sanitary device for urinal/toilet flush system
that provides sanitary agent during flushing for sanitizing a
urinal or toilet.
[0003] 2. Description of Related Arts
[0004] Referring to FIG. 1 of the drawings, a conventional toilet
or urinal flush system comprises a valve body A1 having a water
inlet All and a water outlet A12, a diaphragm A2 having a water
channel A21 communicating the water inlet A11 with the water outlet
A12, a relief valve A3 disposed at the diaphragm A2 for blocking a
water flow from the water inlet A11 to the water outlet A12 through
the water channel A21, and a flush actuator A4 arranged to move the
relief valve A3 to a position where the water is allowed to flow to
the water outlet A12 for flushing.
[0005] A major hygiene problem for public restrooms is that some
users are less willing to flush after using the toilet. Therefore,
the manual toilet flush system has undergone substantial
development during the last few decades. For example, at an attempt
to improve toilet hygiene and user's convenience, U.S. Pat. Nos.
5,169,118 and 5,244,179 both disclose a battery-operated solenoid
operated automatic flush valve. When the infrared sensor detects
the presence of a user of the urinal or toilet, the flush valve is
automatically driven to open by a latching solenoid to actuate the
flushing operation.
[0006] Although such automatic flush system generally resolves the
abovementioned toilet hygiene problem, some other problems remain
unsolved. In fact, although the flushing operation is automatically
actuated every time after each user has used the toilet, the
hygiene condition of the toilet still may not be maintained in a
satisfactory condition. Obviously, in order to overcome infectious
diseases that are caused by germs and bacteria or can be
transmitted through body fluids or feces, some sort of sanitary
agent is preferably used to mix with the flushing water.
Conventional measure is to put a piece of dissolvable sanitary
agent in a water tank of the toilet so that a certain amount of the
sanitary agent is dissolved and mixed with the water stored for
flushing. A major problem with this is that the user has to replace
the sanitary agent frequently. For some public restrooms, the
toilets have no flushing water tank or the flushing water tank may
be hidden in a finely decorated storage compartment that is
difficult to reach by the users.
SUMMARY OF THE PRESENT INVENTION
[0007] A main object of the present invention is to provide a
sanitary device for a urinal or toilet flush system, which is
adapted to automatically and controllably feed sanitary agent to
mix with flush water during each flushing operation for sanitizing
a urinal or toilet.
[0008] Another object of the present invention is to provide a
sanitary device which is adapted to incorporate with a urinal or
toilet flush system, wherein the sanitary device is constructed to
allow convenient refilling of the sanitary agent.
[0009] Another object of the present invention is to provide a
sanitary device which premixes the sanitary agent with a
predetermined amount of flush water in a container body, in which
the flush water mixing with the sanitary agent is arranged to be
driven by gravity to flow out from the container body to reach the
toilet. In other words, no extra energy consumption is involved
according to the present invention.
[0010] Another object of the present invention is to provide a
sanitary device which does not include complicated mechanical
structure and design so as to minimize the manufacturing cost and
the ultimate selling price of the present invention.
[0011] Another object of the present invention is to provide a
toilet flush system for a toilet or a urinal, which comprises a
sanitary device to automatically and controllably feed sanitary
agent to mix with flush water during each flushing operation to
ensure maximum hygiene condition.
[0012] Accordingly, in order to accomplish the above objects, the
present invention provides a flush system, comprising:
[0013] a valve body having a water inlet, a water outlet, and a
water chamber communicating between the water inlet and the water
outlet;
[0014] a valve seat supported in the valve body to move between a
normal idle position and a flushing position, wherein at the idle
position, the valve seat is sealed at the water chamber for
retaining a water pressure within the water chamber so as to block
flush water flowing from the water inlet to the water outlet, and
at the flushing position, the valve seat is moved to relieve the
water pressure for allowing the flush water flowing towards the
toilet through the water outlet so as to complete a flushing
operation;
[0015] an actuation device supported by the valve body to
operatively move the valve seat at the flushing position; and
[0016] a sanitary device comprising a container body, which is
mounted on the valve body, having an upper container body for
receiving a sanitary agent therein and a lower sanitary opening
communicating the container body with the water outlet of the valve
body, wherein at the flushing position, a portion of the flush
water is guided to flow into the container body through the
sanitary opening for mixing with the sanitary agent so as to form a
cleansing solution, and after the valve seat is returned back to
the idle position, the cleansing solution within the container body
is released by gravity for flowing towards the water outlet through
the sanitary opening so as to sanitize the toilet after the
flushing operation is completed.
[0017] These and other objectives, features, and advantages of the
present invention will become apparent from the following detailed
description, the accompanying drawings, and the appended
claims.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
[0018] FIG. 1 is a conventional toilet or a urinal flush
system.
[0019] FIG. 2 is a section side view of the flush system
incorporating with the sanitary device according to the above
preferred embodiment of the present invention.
[0020] FIG. 3A and FIG. 3B are schematic diagrams of the sanitary
device according to the above preferred embodiment of the present
invention, illustrating that the container body is filled and
discharging the flush water respectively.
[0021] FIG. 4 is a first alternative mode of the flush system
incorporating with the sanitary device according to the above
preferred embodiment of the present invention, illustrating that
the actuation device is integrally connected with the driving
actuator.
[0022] FIG. 5 is an alternative mode of the flush system
incorporating with the sanitary device according to the above
preferred embodiment of the present invention, illustrating that
the flush system is operated by a sensor operated powering
device.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT
[0023] Referring to FIG. 2 of the drawings, a sanitary device 40
for a flush system according to a preferred embodiment of the
present invention is illustrated, in which the sanitary device 40
is adapted to a flush system or incorporated into a conventional
manually operated flushing system of a toilet or a urinal.
[0024] The flush system comprises a valve body 10, a valve seat 20,
an actuation device 30, and the sanitary device 40.
[0025] The valve body 10 has a water inlet 11, a water outlet 12,
and a water chamber 13 communicating between the water inlet 11 and
the water outlet 12.
[0026] The valve seat 20, having a flush channel 22, is supported
in the valve body 10 to move between a normal idle position and a
flushing position, wherein at the idle position, the valve seat 20
is sealed at the water chamber 13 for retaining a water pressure
within the water chamber 13 so as to block flush water flowing from
the water inlet 11 to the water outlet 12. When the valve seat 20
is at the flushing position, the valve seat 20 is moved to relieve
the water pressure for allowing the flush water flowing towards the
toilet bowel through the water outlet 12 so as to complete a
flushing operation.
[0027] Specifically, the valve seat 20 comprises a diaphragm 21
which has a bleed hole 211 formed therein and is sealedly disposed
in the valve body 10 in a movable manner to define the water
chamber 13 above the diaphragm 21 to communicate between the water
inlet 11 and the water outlet 12. In other words, once the flush
water within the water chamber 13 is released to reduce the water
pressure therein, the diaphragm 21 is forced to bend upwardly so
that the flush water is capable of passing from the water inlet 11
to the water outlet 12 through the flush channel 22 to complete a
flushing cycle of the flush system.
[0028] The actuation device 30 is supported by the valve body 10 to
operatively move the valve seat 20 between the idle position and
the flushing position so as to controllably release water from the
water inlet 11 through actuation of the actuation device 30.
[0029] The sanitary device 40 comprises a container body 41 mounted
on the valve body 10. The container body 41 has an upper sanitary
chamber 411 for refillably receiving a predetermined amount of
sanitary agent 47 therein and a lower sanitary opening 412
communicating the container body 41 with the water outlet 12 of the
valve body 10. At the flushing position, a portion of the flush
water is guided to flow into the container body 41 through the
sanitary opening 412 for mixing with the sanitary agent 47 so as to
form a cleansing solution, and after the valve seat 20 is returned
back to the idle position, the cleansing solution within the
container body 41 is released by gravity for flowing towards the
water outlet 12 through the sanitary opening 412 so as to sanitize
the toilet after the flushing operation is completed.
[0030] According to the preferred embodiment, the sanitary device
40 is supported between the actuation device 30 and the valve body
10, wherein the actuation device 30 is a manual actuation unit
embodying as a movable flush lever transversely extended to the
container body 41 to move the valve seat 20 at the flushing
position.
[0031] Referring to 2?, FIG. 3A and FIG. 3B of the drawings, the
sanitary device 40 further comprises a water divider 42 extended
through the sanitary opening 412 towards the water outlet 12 of the
valve body 10 for guiding the flush water to flow into the
container body 41 when the flush water passes through the water
outlet 12.
[0032] Specifically, the water divider 42, which is preferably
embodied as a guiding panel having a guiding surface 421 formed
thereon, is transversely extended at the sanitary opening 412
towards the water outlet 12 to divide the sanitary opening 412 into
an upper water collecting inlet 4121 and a lower water discharge
outlet 4122, wherein a predetermined amount of the flush water
flowing through the flush channel 22 is arranged to be blocked by
the guiding surface 421 and directed to flow into the container
body 41 through the water collecting inlet 4121 to fill up the
sanitary chamber 411 through the upper water collecting inlet
4121.
[0033] As an apparent alternative, the container body 41 may have a
sanitary opening 412 formed as the upper water collecting inlet
4121, and a water discharge outlet 4122 formed at a position below
the water collecting inlet 4121 in such a manner that the flush
water is guided to flow into the container body 41 through the
water collecting inlet 4121 (the sanitary opening 412) and then
flow out of the container body 41 through the water discharge
outlet 4122.
[0034] When the predetermined amount of the flush water flows to
fill up the sanitary chamber 411, it mixes with the sanitary agent
47 to become the cleansing solution having sanitary ability for
killing micro-organisms such as germs and bacteria and/or
possessing additional hygiene related features.
[0035] Referring to FIG. 2 of the drawings, the sanitary device 40
further comprises a driving actuator 44 movably supported within
sanitary opening 412 to alignedly couple with the flush lever
(actuation device 30) such that the driving actuator 44 is driven
by the flush lever to move the valve seat 20 at the flushing
position.
[0036] The driving actuator 44, which is preferably embodied as an
elongated member operatively disposed in the container body 41, has
one lever end 441 communicated with the actuation device 30 and
another actuation end 442 extended to drive the valve seat 20.
Specifically, the valve seat 20 further comprises a sealing
platform 23 arranged for sealedly supporting on the diaphragm 21 to
normally close the flush channel 22, and a valve controlling shaft
24 downwardly extended from the sealing platform 23 for
communicating with the actuation end 442 of the driving actuator 44
within the flush channel 22.
[0037] As shown in FIG. 3A of the drawings, by actuating the
actuation device 30, the driving actuator 44 is sidewardly driven
at the lever end 441 to push the valve controlling shaft 24 at the
actuation end 442 so as to drive the sealing platform 23 at a
position offset with respect to the diaphragm 21(flushing position)
such that the flush water within the water chamber 13 is allowed to
flow out through the water outlet 12 and release the water pressure
within the water chamber 13 because the amount of flush water
flowing out through the water outlet 12 is much larger than the
water flowing in through the bleed hole 211 of the diaphragm 21.
Thus, when the water pressure within the water chamber 13 reduces,
the diaphragm 21 is pushed upwardly for allowing the flush water
passing to the water outlet 12, so as to start the flushing cycle
of the flush system. Accordingly, part of the flush water is then
guided and directed by the water divider 42 to flow into the
container body 41 through the water collecting inlet 4121.
[0038] When the actuation device 30 returns to the idle position,
the lever end 441 of the driving actuator 44 is then pulled in an
opposite direction (preferably by a resilient element 443 mounted
at the water divider 42) such that the actuation end 442 ceases to
push the valve controlling shaft 24 for restoring it into its
original position. Then after, once the valve controlling shaft 24
returns back to its original position, the sealing platform 23 is
forced to sealedly sit on the diaphragm 21 due to the water
pressure so as to sealedly close the flush channel 22. The
diaphragm 21 then drops down by refilling the flush water back into
the water chamber 13 so as to increase the water pressure therein
for sealedly closing the water outlet 12 to stop the water passing
thereto. Note that, since the sealing platform 23 is normally
sealed on the diaphragm 21, no water is normally allowed to flow
through the flush channel 22 to the water outlet 12 until the
flushing cycle is restarted, i.e. the actuation device 30 is
actuated again.
[0039] However, when the flush water is sealed by the diaphragm 21,
so that flow of flush water in the water outlet 12 ceases, the
flush water which has already flowed into the container body 41 and
mixed with the sanitary agent 47 (the cleansing solution) is then
driven by gravitational force to develop a higher pressure as
compared to that of the water outlet 12 so as to flow out of the
container body 41 to the water outlet 12 mainly through the water
discharge outlet 4112. As a result, the cleansing solution is
discharged and flows into the toilet bowel through the water outlet
12 so that the toilet bowel can be sanitized by the cleansing
solution.
[0040] It is appreciated that the sanitary device 40 of the present
invention utilizes inherent pressure differential between the
container body 41 and the water outlet 12 for directing and guiding
the flow of the flush water towards the container body. After
sanitizing of the flush water, the cleansing solution is driven
naturally by gravity flowing back to the valve body 10. In other
words, no extra electrical pumping power is needed for operating
the present invention with the flush system.
[0041] It is important to realize that the sanitary opening 412
must be formed at a lower portion of the container body 41 so that
the cleansing solution retained above the sanitary opening 412,
when subject to gravitational force, is capable of naturally
developing into a higher pressure so as to flow out from the
container body 41 mainly through the water discharge outlet
4122.
[0042] According to the preferred embodiment, the sanitary agent 47
can be a conventional water soluble sanitary agent 47 which has the
ability to overcome micro-organisms such as germs and bacteria
which are typically found in a toilet. Moreover, the sanitary agent
47 may also be utilized to impart artificial smell so as to reduce
bad odor which is usually present in a restroom. This is especially
important for public restrooms in that the sanitary agent 47 may be
utilized both to ensure better restroom hygiene and a more pleasant
restroom smell.
[0043] Moreover, the sanitary device further comprises a holder 45
having a plurality of diffusing meshes 451 supported within the
container body 41 for holding the sanitary agent 47 therewith such
that at least a portion of the sanitary agent 47 is dissolved with
the flush water through the diffusing meshes 451 to form the
cleansing solution within the container body 41.
[0044] Referring to FIG. 3A and FIG. 3B of the drawings, the
sanitary device 40 further has an air check valve 46 provided on
the container body 41 for releasing air within the container body
41 to an exterior thereof when the flush water is filled in the
container body 41 for mixing with the sanitary agent 47. In other
words, the air check valve 46 serves to allow air inside the
sanitary chamber 411 escaping there from for allowing the flush
water to enter.
[0045] In order to facilitate the sanitary agent 47 to be
replaceable, the container body 41 further comprises a detachable
cover 413, having the air check valve 46 formed thereon, detachably
mounted on the container body 41 for replacing or refilling the
sanitary agent 47 therein when the detachable cover 413 is detached
from the container body 41. In other words, a user is able to
replace or refill the sanitary agent by detaching the detachable
cover 413.
[0046] As a first alternative of the present invention, as shown in
FIG. 4 of the drawings, the actuation device 30' is integrally
connected with the lever end 441 of the driving actuator 44' such
that by actuating the actuation device 30', the actuation end 442'
of the driving actuator 44' is driven to push the valve controlling
shaft 24 so as to move the valve seat to the flushing position.
After the flushing operation, the driving actuator 44' is pulled
back by the actuation device 30' (without the help of the resilient
element 443) so as to allow the valve seat 20 returning to the idle
position.
[0047] Referring to FIG. 5 of the drawings, an alternative mode of
the present invention is illustrated. The alternative mode is
similar to that of the preferred embodiment except that the
actuation device 30 is embodied as an automatic actuation unit
comprising a sensor operated powering device 50'' which comprises a
sensor 51'' for sensing a presence of a user and an actuation arm
52'' driven by a motor 53'' to move the valve seat 20 between the
flushing position and the idle position.
[0048] Thus, it is to be appreciated that when the sensor 51''
detects that a user has used the toilet, the actuation arm 52'' is
actuated by the motor 53'' to move the valve seat 20 from the idle
position to the flushing position so as to start the flushing
process. Once the flushing process has started, the flush water
would flow into the sanitary chamber 411 of the container body 41
to mix with the sanitary agent to become cleansing, which is then
driven by gravity to flow out from the water discharge outlet 4122
to the water outlet 12 of the valve body 10.
[0049] It is worth noting that the sensor 51'' in this alternative
mode can be embodied as a regular infrared sensor which is utilized
to detect the presence of a human body in front of that sensor
51''. If a human body is detected, a subsequent absence of that
human body would mean he/she has finished using the toilet. Then,
the actuation arm 52'' is actuated to move valve seat 20 for
starting flushing cycle.
[0050] Furthermore, it is also worth pointing out that the sanitary
device 40 of the present invention may be adapted for fitting into
either the manually operated flushing system, or the sensor
operated powering device 50''. In other words, a user may be able
to, according to his/her specific circumstances, incorporate the
sanitary device 40 to his/her domestic or public flush
system(s).
[0051] To achieve this, the user simply needs to disassemble the
manually operated flushing system and utilizes a sealing cap 31''
for stopping water coming out from the removed actuation device 30.
Moreover, the automatic actuation unit may further provide a
sealing cap 31'' covering an opening at the sidewall of the
container body 41 such that the user is able to selectively switch
off the sensor operated powering device 50'', disassemble the
sealing cap 31'' and install a manual actuation device 30 for
manual operation of the flush system, as shown in FIG. 5 of the
drawings.
[0052] From the forgoing descriptions, it can be shown that the
above-mentioned objects have been substantially achieved. The
present invention provides an effective and efficient solution for
regularly sanitizing a toilet or a urinal so as to ensure better
toilet hygiene for individuals' health.
[0053] One skilled in the art will understand that the embodiment
of the present invention as shown in the drawings and described
above is exemplary only and not intended to be limiting.
[0054] It will thus be seen that the objects of the present
invention have been fully and effectively accomplished. Its
embodiments have been shown and described for the purposes of
illustrating the functional and structural principles of the
present invention and is subject to change without departure from
such principles. Therefore, this invention includes all
modifications encompassed within the spirit and scope of the
following claims.
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