AU2004290609B2 - Portable bathroom - Google Patents

Description

WO 2005/049382 PCT/AU2004/000685 PORTABLE BATHROOM Area of the Invention This invention relates to the area of portable equipment of a temporary nature for use where other services which would normally be expected to be in situ have become disrupted. In particular the invention relates to the provision of supplementary plumbing facilities during building renovations and the like. Background to the Invention While the concept of the invention has applications in many areas, for convenience sake, it will be discussed herein with reference to its use in relation to the provision of facilities to replace those which have become disrupted during building renovations or are absent pending permanent building of such facilities. More specifically the invention will be discussed herein in terms of the provision of bathroom facilities where the word bathroom can be taken to include any range of such facilities from a toilet only up to a fully equipped bathroom. Building renovations in particular can be very disruptive to the occupants of a house, or to others who use premises which are being renovated. In particular it is common for kitchen and bathroom facilities to become either difficult to use or non existent.

WO 2005/049382 PCT/AU2004/000685 2 While camping type equipment can generally be used to provide temporary cooking facilities, the provision of adequate toilet and bathroom facilities can present a more significant problem. Portable toilets are well known as are camping showers. The former are considered by many people to be both distasteful and unhygienic as there is no immediate means of disposing of the resulting waste. Outdoor showers and the like are also unappealing and, if a household includes young children, are most unlikely to be considered a viable option as a replacement for bathroom located shower and washing facilities. Outline of the Invention It is an object of this invention to provide a means whereby facilities such as those customarily available in conventional toilets and bathroom facilities can be provided on a temporary basis. It is a further object of the invention that these temporary facilities fairly closely simulate the facility which they replace. The invention is a portable bathroom system for use in association with a building, said building having existent plumbing and electrical facilities, with the bathroom being adapted to utilise these facilities, the system includes a trailer upon which a housing is mounted said housing including a bathroom and an associated plant area. It is preferred that the bathroom include at least a toilet.

WO 2005/049382 PCT/AU2004/000685 3 It is preferred that the bathroom and plant area be separate from and adjacent to each other. It is preferred that the portable bathroom system be located adjacent the building, the system including an electricity supply obtained from direct connection to that of the building, and toilet facilities the outlet of which cooperates with the existing sewerage facilities of a building and washing means for which the water supply and drainage facilities of the building are utilised. It is further preferred that the bathroom include a shower having a base which base comprises the floor of the bathroom. It is preferred that the portable bathroom be trailer based. It is further preferred that the washing means include a wash basin. It is also preferred that the water for the shower and basin be sourced from the water supply to the building. It may also be preferred that the hot water supply be sourced from that associated with the building however it is envisaged that a water heater could be provided as part of the system. It is also preferred that the toilet used in the invention be of a standard type but be one which is fitted with a maceration device such that effluent from the device can pass through a hose device to the waste drainage system of the building.

WO 2005/049382 PCT/AU2004/000685 4 in order that the invention may be more readily understood we shall describe by way of non limiting example a particular embodiment of the invention. Brief Description of the Drawing Figures Fig. 1 shows a plan view of an embodiment of the portable bathroom of the invention; Fig. 2 shows a side view of the portable bathroom; Fig. 3 shows a cross section through a forward part of the portable bathroom and plant room; Fig. 4 shows a unitary floor component for the bathroom; Fig. 5 shows a plan view of an embodiment of the invention designed for wheelchair access; Description of an Embodiment of the Invention In one embodiment of the invention as shown in plan view in Figure 1 a trailerable bathroom system 10 acts as a temporary substitute for bathroom facilities, which would normally be available in a house, during renovation of the house. The bathroom system 10 is a housing 20 mounted on a trailer 30 having wheels 31. This housing includes a bathroorn component 40 and a plant room component 50 and is sufficiently high for people to stand in it and, in one embodiment, is approximately dimensioned 1.8m x 1.8m although any desired size could be used.

WO 2005/049382 PCT/AU2004/000685 5 The trailer 30 can be wheeled into a position which is convenient to a house but which is preferably closely adjacent water, power and drainage facilities. Once it is in position it can be semi-permanently parked in that position. In this embodiment of the invention the housing 20 is accessed through a door 22 via steps 21 to the ground. The housing includes a bathroom 40 and an effectively separate plant room 50 which occupies a relatively small part of the total volume of the housing 20 and which is located adjacent the front 32 of the trailer. This plant room 50 is separated from the bathroom 40 by a wall 42 upon which the maceration pump 52 for the toilet 53 is mounted and through which all wastes pass out of the bathroom 40 through the maceration pump outlet 55 to a waste hose 58. The plant room is available to store items such as waste hose 58 connected to the outlet 55 which hose can be taken out such that a terminal end of the hose can be placed into the house sewage system. A water heater 57 also could be located in the plant room or elsewhere as desired. Also located in the plant room is a power board 56 to which power from the building is connected to the bathroom, and water supply from the building to the bathroom is also effected through the plant room. Direct access to the outside of the plant room is provided through door 59. The bathroom 40 preferably includes a shower 43 on a base 45 which in this embodiment of the invention, while draining through outlet 46, comprises the bathroom WO 2005/049382 PCT/AU2004/000685 6 floor. The bathroom is also provided with heating and lighting in its roof, and a basin 49 for washing. One of the significant features of the invention is the ability to plumb a conventional toilet mounted in the temporary bathroom into an existing sewage system. By this means, and with the provision of electricity and water to the bathroom, a temporary bathroom is provided which has all the features of a conventional in house bathroom. The features and fixtures of the interior of the bathroom can be any which are preferred by a user and the precise layout and constitution of the bathroom are not limiting in the invention. It is in fact envisaged that the concept of the invention could have other applications in the provision of temporary substitute rooms for different purposes. A further embodiment of the invention is shown in Figure 5 and is an embodiment 60 which can be accessed by disabled people in wheelchairs. In this embodiment of the invention maximum use is nade of the width of the bathroom system and for this reason the plant room 50 is along the leading edge 32 of the trailer. Entry to the bathroom is through door 62 which opens onto a landing 63 which is accessed by a ramp 64. Virtually any combination of bathroom features can be provided within the scope of the invention and while we have described herein in detail one particular embodiment of the WO 2005/049382 PCT/AU2004/000685 7 invention it is to be understood that variations and modifications in the materials used and the features described can still lie within the scope of the invention.

Claims (11)

1. A portable bathroom system for use in association with a building, said building having existent plumbing and electrical facilities, with the bathroom being adapted to utilise these facilities, the system includes mobile means upon which a housing is mounted said housing including the bathroom and an associated plant area, said bathroom having a toilet which cooperates with existing sewerage facilities of the building and has a mascerating pump which is used to evacuate the toilet and pass its contents through a waste hose directly to the building sewage system.

2. A portable bathroom system as claimed in claim 1 wherein the portable bathroom system is located adjacentthe building, the system including an electricity supply obtained from direct connection to that of the building.

3. A portable bathroom as claimed in claim 2 wherein washing means are provided in the bathroom and the water supply and drainage facilities of the building are utilised for said washing means.

4. A portable bathroom system as claimed in claim 3 wherein the washing means includes a shower in the bathroom. 9

5. A portable bathroom system as claimed in claim 3 or claim 4 wherein the washing means includes a basin in the bathroom.

6. A portable bathroom system as claimed in any one of claims 1 to57 wherein water and electricity supply to the portable bathroom system is sourced from the water and electricity supply to the building.

7. A portable bathroom system as claimed in any one of claims I to 6 wherein a hot water supply to the system is sourced from a water heater provided as part of the system.

8. A portable bathroom system as claimed in any one of claims I to 7 wherein the shower has a base which comprises the floor of the bathroom.

9. A portable bathroom system as claimed in any one of claims 1 to 9 wherein a hot water system and waste hose and power board are housed in the plant room adjacent the bathroom.

10. A portable bathroom system as claimed in any one of claims 1 to 9 in which the mobile means on which the housing is mounted is a trailer.

11. A portable bathroom system substantially as herein described with reference to the accompanying drawings.