AU2010213152B2

AU2010213152B2 - Odor seal for a urinal

Info

Publication number: AU2010213152B2
Application number: AU2010213152A
Authority: AU
Inventors: Arthur Schmed
Original assignee: Urimat Schweiz AG
Current assignee: Urimat Schweiz AG
Priority date: 2009-02-12
Filing date: 2010-02-11
Publication date: 2013-07-04
Anticipated expiration: 2030-02-11
Also published as: DE202009018443U1; AU2010213152A1; SI2396477T1; KR20110124238A; PL2396477T3; EP2594698A2; PT2396477E; PL2594698T3; EP2396477B1; ES2624829T3; ES2424288T3; HUE034705T2; DE102009008573A1; EP2594698A3; WO2010091862A1; EP2396477A1; KR101575925B1; DK2594698T3; EP2594698B1; DK2396477T3

Abstract

The invention relates to an odor seal for a urinal, comprising an inlet surface (1) which has at least one drain opening (4) and comprising a cover (6) which is placed onto the inlet surface (1) and covers the drain opening (4) and which encloses a space in which a cleaning block is inserted, characterized in that the cover (6) has openings (15, 16) that are distributed over the circumference thereof. The cover (6) can be arranged on the inlet surface in different positions such that the openings distributed over the circumference in different locations, can be directed toward a specific direction.

Description

Odour seal for a urinal Description 5 This present invention concerns an odour seal for a urinal. A reference herein to a patent document or other matter which is given as prior art is not to be taken as an admission that that document or matter was known or 10 that the information it contains was part of the common general knowledge as at the priority date of any of the claims. The purpose of odour seals for urinals, in particular for waterless urinals, is so to seal the outlet into the waste water pipe that the egress of odours from the waste 15 water pipe will be prevented. Moreover, such odour seals should ensure that the urine is completely conveyed to the outlet so that no residues will remain in the region of the odour seal. In addition, usually deodorising blocks are placed on the inflow surface of the odour seal, while said blocks dissolve affected by the urine and consequently unfold a cleansing and disinfecting effect. 20 The Applicant is aware of an existing odour seal for a urinal, for example, from CH 694 274 A5. This odour seal comprises a pot, that in its upper region in the centre of an annular inflow surface has an opening that is enclosed by a closing cap. The closing lid is pressed via a shaft from below against the edge of the 25 annular inflow surface. This enclosed state is maintained by a magnet that is situated at the lower end of the shaft, and by a further magnet that is placed in the in the bottom of the pot, by virtue of the two magnets having the same polarity repelling one another. When an adequate quantity of urine and/or flushing water accumulates on the closing lid, it is pressed downwards, so that the liquid can be 30 discharged. Another type of an odour seal for a urinal is disclosed in EP 1 076 739 B1. In the case of this odour seal instead of the closing cap according to CH 694 274 A5 a floating body is used, that according to the level of the liquid floats at the top in the pot and fits against the opening of the annular inflow surface. The Applicant is also aware of other odour seals of the hose valve type. 5 EP 1 972 727 Al describes an outflow insert that is inserted into the outflow of a urinal. This outflow insert has a very simple construction with a discharge pipe that has a cover on its upper end, below which hygiene capsules are inserted. On its lower end the cover has small lateral slots, through which the liquid can 10 penetrate. GB 2 449 364 A describes an insert for the outlet of a urinal. This insert comprises a cover, below which a scented, dissolvable material is placed. On its bottom edge the cover has slots, which, when it is placed on the corresponding 15 lower part, form openings to let the liquid pass through. On the lower part there is a flap-like opening with a flexible flap seal, that opens under the pressure of the liquid and in the closed state forms an odour seal. EP 1 785 077 Al describes a waterless sanitary installation, in particular a 20 waterless urinal, in the form of an insert, that is inserted into the outflow pipe. In the upper region there is a cover, below which a receptacle is situated, into which a disinfecting active substance, for example, is filled. This receptacle has very small openings, through which the liquid can pass when the water level rises in the receiving space. 25 Odour seals, as they are indicated above, can get very easily clogged by litter thrown into the urinal, for example in the form of cigarette butts and consequently become permeable. To avoid the ingress of such foreign matters into the odour seal, often wire meshes are placed into the urinal to cover the discharge area. 30 In the case of conventional odour seals there are no means provided to hold the deodoriser block in such a position in the urinal, that it would act most effectively. This is particularly applicable to waterless urinals, in which the deodoriser block is dissolved only by the action of the urine.

3 It is therefore desirable to construct an odour seal for a urinal, that a protection against the ingress of foreign matters into the outflow is ensured by simple means and, moreover, it would be possible to hold a deodoriser block in the urinal in a 5 defined, effective position. The present invention provides an odour seal for a urinal, having an inlet surface with at least one drainage opening, and having a covering shroud which is positioned on the inlet surface, covers the drainage opening and encloses a 10 space into which a cleaning block is introduced, wherein the covering shroud has openings distributed around its circumference, characterized in that the covering shroud is divided up into different sectors with a different number of openings in the respective sectors. 15 The present invention provides wherever it can be expected that a urinal will be used only a small number of times, the covering shroud can be oriented in the direction of the urinal user such that a sector of the covering shroud with a large number of openings allows urine through to the interior of the covering shroud and, wherever it can be expected that the urinal will be used a lot, the covering 20 shroud can be oriented in the direction of the urinal user such that a sector with only a small number of openings allows only a small amount of liquid through to the cleaning block. It is to be understood that references herein to a cover lid are to be taken as 25 references to the covering shroud, references to a sieve are to be taken as references to a screen, and references to a deodoriser block are to be taken as reference to a cleaning block. As it will be described below, such a cover lid makes it further possible to adapt 30 the odour seal to suit the relevant conditions of application, as well as the place of deployment and the expected frequency of usage of the urinal. The cover lid has openings through which the urine can pass in adequate quantities. These openings are distributed on the circumference of the cover lid in 4 such a manner, that various regions or sectors have different numbers of openings, so that the cover lid, depending on the place of deployment, can be placed on the discharge opening with different orientations. So that the deodorising block would be exposed to an adequate quantity of the liquid to 5 enable to deploy its action, on the bottom edge of the cover lid sufficiently large passing-through openings may be present. These passing-through openings on the bottom edge can be also distributed in various regions of the edge. To ensure that, as mentioned above, an adequate quantity of urine penetrates 10 into the interior of the cover lid in any of its position, so that to moisten the deodoriser block, the cover lid should have openings which are preferably evenly distributed over the circumference. Such openings are distributed on the circumference preferably on the same circumferential line, i. e. height line, so that the cover lid has the same effect in any position above all due to these openings. 15 This means that a cover lid or an odour seal with such openings can be installed in a urinal with any orientation. The upper region of the cover lid is preferred for such first openings. Viewed in the circumferential direction the cover lid can be divided at least into 20 two sectors and have further openings, which then are so distributed over the circumference that each of these two sectors or sector regions has a different number of openings. At the same time one of these sectors may comprise only the first openings which are evenly distributed in any case over the entire circumference of the cover lid. 25 The openings are preferably spaced apart from the lower periphery of the cover lid/covering shroud. The sectors should preferably have the same size. This means, that in the case 30 of two sectors each sector occupies a circumferential region of 1800, and when the cover lid is divided into three sectors each section extends over 1200.

4a According to the invention, when viewed in the circumferential direction the cover lid can have at least one region or sector that has no openings. Such an action is always necessary when, viewed in the circumferential direction, the cover lid is 5 divided into more than two sectors. The size of such an opening-free sector section of the cover lid should be, viewed in the circumferential direction, 30* to 450*. 10 Such a cover lid, which is divided into different sectors with different number of openings in the respective sectors, can be orientated differently on the inflow surface, so that one of the sectors of the cover lid is aligned in a specific position relative the urinal and consequently the user of the urinal. 15 This is because depending on where they are installed, urinals are namely used with different frequencies. The result of this is that where they are not often used only small quantities of the deodoriser block are dissolved, whereas where they are frequently used the deodoriser block is subjected to a very rapid consumption. The use of such urinals is, for example, 10 uses/week up to 100 20 uses/hour. So that the deodoriser block would reach a certain service life to enable its cleaning and disinfecting effect, wherever only a small number of use is expected the cover lid is so orientated towards the user of the urinal that a sector of the cover lid with many holes lets urine pass to the interior of the cover lid. This will ensure that adequate liquid reaches the deodorising block. In another case, 5 where very frequent use of the urinal is expected, the cover lid is so orientated that a sector with few holes lets only a little liquid pass to the deodoriser block. The cover lid is preferably divided into three sectors, each with a different number 5 of holes, so that it can be adjusted to suit a small, average or frequent use of the odour seal and/or of the urinal by correspondingly orientating the pot during its installation into the urinal. For the purpose of correct installation these sectors are well visibly designated, for example by using Roman numerals 1, 11, 111 or the letters A, B, C. 10 In the case of several sectors, in particular in the case of three or more sectors, into which the cover lid is divided, the individual sectors have different number of sectors[sic], within the scope of the invention it also applies if one of the sectors does not have any opening. 15 The openings, distributed in different numbers on the various sectors of the cover lid, should be those openings which are at a distance from the bottom edge of the cover lid. 20 When the cover lid has both first and second openings, as this has been explained above, one set of openings, the first openings for example, should be evenly distributed over the circumference of the cover lid, to ensure by these openings that in every position of the cover lid adequate liquid will reach the deodoriser block. The further openings are then distributed in different numbers 25 to the respective sectors. The cover lid also makes it possible to keep a sieve, placed on the inflow surface, centrally over the outflow socket. Such a sieve merges into an inflow surface and holds, inter alia, a deodoriser block at a certain distance above the inflow surface 30 and the outflow, so that the urine can be discharged without any problem. Such a sieve represents an additional barrier to retain dirt particles and hair. To simply recognise whether a deodoriser block, situated below the cover lid, had been used up or not, according to an independent idea of the invention the sieve, 6 on which the deodoriser block rests, is so coloured, that its colour is markedly different from the colour of the cover lid. When the deodoriser block is used up, the sieve becomes visible through the opening in the cover lid, so that the wear of the deodoriser block can be recognised by visual inspection. A transparent or 5 opaque transparent construction of the cover is also possible. A fluorescent colour, red or yellow for example, would be an obvious colour for the sieve. A similar effect can also be achieved when at least that area of the inflow surface which is situated below the cover lid, has a colour that is different from that of the 10 cover lid, so that the colour of the inflow surface can be clearly recognised through the openings in the cover lid when there is no deodoriser block or such a deodoriser block had been mostly used up. Preferably the entire odour seal is essentially constructed rotationally 15 symmetrically about an axis of rotation. For this purpose the cover lid can be rotationally symmetrical about an axis that is perpendicular to the inflow surface. A dome shape of the cover lid is also possible, that provides adequate space even for parallelepiped-shaped deodoriser blocks, yet ensures a reliable outflow 20 of the liquid on its outside. Due to the rounded shape of the cover lid the urine stream always impacts tangentially on the cover lid, so that a too strong splashing is avoided. As it has been mentioned above, the cover lid is so constructed, that on the 25 bottom edge a specifically dimensioned annular gap and consequently passing through openings are produced, that the urine can flow out yet garbage, like cigarette butts, are retained. This will also ensure that the siphon trap is not stopped. 30 Such a cover lid, that is described herein, makes it also possible to use it as a locking element of the inflow surface and of a pot situated below it or of other parts of the odour seal. For this purpose the cover lid and/or the inflow surface or a pot situated below it are provided with locking parts which join with one another.

7 For this purpose locking parts can be provided on the cover lid which hold detachably the cover lid on the inflow surface. In conjunction with the above mentioned locking parts the bottom edge of the 5 cover lid can be simply constructively held by the locking parts at a distance from the inflow surface in such a manner, that it will result in the annular gap or passing-through openings. The cover lid, the inflow surface as well as the sieve can be manufactured from 10 polypropylene. Further aims, features as well as advantageous possible applications of the invention become obvious from the following description of an embodiment based on the drawing. In this conjunction all features, described and pictorially 15 illustrated, are, in their meaningful combination, subject matter of the invention, even independently from the patent claims and their references. The drawings show in: 20 Fig.1 - a perspective view of the odour seal according to the invention with cover lid, inflow surface and sealing ring according to a first embodiment, Fig.2 - a view according to Fig. 1, however with a different arrangement of the openings in the cover lid, 25 Fig.3 - a perspective, schematic illustration of the odour seal according to the invention, longitudinally sectioned, Fig.4 - a schematic lateral view of a cover lid as it is illustrated, for example, in 30 Fig.2, Fig.5 - a top view on the cover lid of Fig.4 from the direction of arrow V{not shown} in Fig.4 to show the division of the cover lid into three sectors, 8 Fig.6 - a schematic lateral view of a further cover lid, comparable with that of Fig.4, and Fig.7 - a top view on the cover lid of Fig.6 from the direction of arrow VII of Fig.6 5 to show the division of the cover lid into three sectors and the distribution of the openings. In Figs.1 to 3 only the upper part, that is inserted into the outflow of the urinal, of an odour seal for a urinal is shown. 10 This upper part comprises an inflow surface 1 that has a circular external contour. As this can be recognised from Fig.3, on the edge 2 of this inflow surface 1 a continuous seal 3 is mounted, with which the odour seal is sealingly inserted into the discharge of a urinal. 15 The inflow surface 1 extends slightly funnel-shaped towards the centre, in which the discharge socket 4 is situated. To ensure a discharge of even small quantities of liquid, that accumulate in the chamber, the inflow surface 1 should have an incline of at least 2*, so that the liquid would flow off. Thus no odours can develop 20 by residual urine. Indicated by a dot-dash line 5, a cover lid 6 is placed on the inflow surface 1 centrally with the discharge socket 4. 25 Only indicated in the figures, below the inflow surface 1 there is a pot-shaped or tubular part 7, in which the further parts of the odour seal are situated, for example a valve or seal arrangement, like it had been mentioned in the introduction based on the state-of-the-art. This valve or seal arrangement is, however, not essential for subject matter of the invention described here. 30 The inflow surface 1 has a diameter that is greater than the outside diameter of the pot-shaped or tubular part 7. On the outer edge 2 of the inflow surface 1, that in this manner projects past the part 7, a downward protruding flat part 8 is present, that extends around the inflow surface 1 and forms a kind of flange. The 9 seal 3 is attached to this flat part or this flange 8. This seal 3 has a C-shaped cross-section, so that it embraces the upper edge and the bottom edge of the flange 8. The odour seal is inserted into the urinal with this seal 3. 5 In the lower region of the cover lid 6 there is a sieve 9, that can be seen in the sectioned illustration of Fig.3. A deodoriser block 10, having a cylindrical shape and thus filling out almost the entire interior of the cover lid 6, is placed on this sieve 9. 10 At its lower end the cover lid 6 has a plurality of locking parts 11, recognisable in Figs.3 and 4, evenly distributed on the circumference. In the embodiment shown altogether four such locking parts 11 are present. These locking parts extend through corresponding cut-outs in the inflow surface 1 and with their hook-shaped ends 12 engage from below areas of the pot-shaped or tubular part 7. By virtue of 15 this all parts are held together by these locking parts 11 and consequently by the cover lid 6. By virtue of this construction a simple assembly of the corresponding parts is possible. So that to position the bottom edge of the cover lid 6 as well as the sieve 9 at a 20 certain distance above the inflow surface 1, on the inflow surface 1 tubular spacer rings 13 are moulded, the edge of the cover lid 6 resting on them. Due to this sector-shaped passing-through openings 14 are formed which permit the outflow of larger quantities of urine to the outflow socket 4. 25 As it can be seen in Fig.3, the tubular spacer rings simultaneously also serve as support for the sieve 9. As Figs.1, 2, 4 and 5 show a plurality of openings are distributed over the circumference of the cover lid 6, which can be sub-divided into first openings 15 30 and further openings 16. As it can be seen from the top view of Fig.5, the first openings 15 lie at the same height on a circumferential line, and furthermore the six openings 15 are equidistantly arranged. In the embodiment according to Fig.1 a further row of first 10 openings 15 is present, which lie on a further, somewhat lower situated, circumferential line. As Fig.5 shows, in conjunction with Fig.4, the further openings 16 are distributed 5 on two to three sectors A, B and C, while three of the further openings 16 are allocated to sector B, one of the further openings 16 is allocated to sector C, whereas sector A does not comprise any of the further openings 16. Each of the sectors A, B and C extend 120* over a circumferential section of the 10 cover lid. The lines 17 in Fig.5, which mark the sectors A, B and C, can be recognisable on the cover lid 6, just as the sector designations A, B and C, or other sector designations, like for example, 1, 11111, to facilitate during the installation of the 15 odour seal the correct orientation necessary for the application. During the installation of the odour seal in a urinal it is so rotated in its totality, or only the cover lid 6, that only a particular sector A, B or C, and consequently one particular group of openings 15 and 16, faces the user of the urinal. Thus, 20 depending on the frequency of the urinal's usage, the deodoriser block 10 can be kept moist in a defined manner to achieve an effective and prolonged cleaning and disinfecting effect with one deodoriser block 10. The division of the sectors regarding their size and shape as well as the 25 distribution of the openings 16 and 17[sic] on the sectors are not limited to the examples shown in Figs.1 to 5. This distribution can be adapted to suit the respective application. Figs.6 and 7 show a further embodiment of a cover lid 6 that can be compared 30 with that described above based on Figs.1 to 5. In turn this cover lid 6 is divided into three sectors A, B, C, each of which extends over a sector of the cover lid 6 at 1200 viewed in the circumferential direction. In this embodiment each sector A, B, C has different number of openings 16, while sector A is characterised in that it has none of these openings. Sector B has two openings 16, while sector C has 11 one opening 16. The openings in Fig.7 are designated by the reference numeral 16, since they are comparable with the openings of the embodiment of Figs.1 to 5, which are present in the individual sectors A, B, C in different quantities. The sectors A, B, C are so divided that each of them comprises 120* of a 5 circumferential section of the cover lid 6. Provided components in the various figures are designated by the same reference numeral, the explanations of one embodiment can be transferred to components of the other embodiment. 10 The cover lid 6 of the embodiments illustrated has a dome-like shape or a portion of a rotational ellipsoid with line 5 being the axis of rotation. In the lower region the outside of the cover lid slopes relative to the vertical by approx. 200 to obtain the required internal space for the deodoriser block 10. 15 The sieve 9, on which the deodoriser block 10 rests, is executed with an fluorescent colour or with a colour that is clearly different from the colour of the outside of the cover lid 6. When the deodoriser block 10 is used up, or is almost used up, by virtue of its colour the sieve 9 becomes visible through the openings 20 15, 16, a sign that a new deodoriser block 10 is required. In this case, depending on the construction of the odour seal, the entire odour seal can be replaced to insert a new odour seal into the urinal with a deodoriser block enclosed in the cover lid 6. If the cover lid 6 can be removed, the cover lid 6 could be removed on the spot and a new deodoriser block placed on the sieve 9 below the cover lid 6. 25 For reasons of hygiene the first case is preferred. The use of the deodoriser block 10 can thus be recognised without the need to open the cover lid 6. In addition to saving time, this is also advantageous from the point of view of hygiene. It is also possible to manufacture the entire cover lid 6 30 from a transparent and translucent material.

12 List of reference numerals 1 Inflow surface 2 Edge 3 Seal 4 Outflow socket/Outflow opening 5 Dot-dash line 6 Cover lid 7 Pot-shaped or tubular part 8 Surface portion 9 Sieve 10 Deodoriser block 11 Locking parts 12 Hook-shaped ends 13 Tubular spacer ring 14 Passing-through openings 15 First openings 16 Further openings 17 Lines

Claims

1. An odour seal for a urinal, having an inlet surface with at least one drainage opening, and having a covering shroud which is positioned on the inlet 5 surface, covers the drainage opening and encloses a space into which a cleaning block is introduced, wherein the covering shroud has openings distributed around its circumference, characterized in that the covering shroud is divided up into different sectors with a different number of openings in the respective sectors. 10

2. An odour seal according to Claim 1, wherein wherever it can be expected that a urinal will be used only a small number of times, the covering shroud can be oriented in the direction of the urinal user such that a sector of the covering shroud with a large number of openings allows urine through to the interior of the covering shroud and, wherever it can be expected that the urinal will be used a 15 lot, the covering shroud can be oriented in the direction of the urinal user such that a sector with only a small number of openings allows only a small amount of liquid through to the cleaning block.

3. An odour seal according to Claim 1 or 2, wherein first openings are located 20 on the same circumferential line.

4. An odour seal according to any one of Claims 1 to 3, wherein the covering shroud, as seen in the circumferential direction, is subdivided into at least two sectors. 25

5. An odour seal according to any one of Claims 1 to 4, wherein a. the covering shroud, as seen in the circumferential direction, has at least one region which is free of openings, and/or wherein b. the covering shroud, as seen in the circumferential direction, has at least 30 one region which is free of openings and a sector portion of the covering shroud, as seen in the circumferential direction, takes up from 30* to 450. 14

6. An odour seal according to any one of Claims 1 to 5, wherein the covering shroud has further openings, which are distributed about the circumference such that each sector has a different number of openings. 5

7. An odour seal according to any one of Claims 1 to 6, wherein the openings are spaced apart from the lower periphery of the covering shroud.

8. An odour seal according to any one of Claims 1 to 7, wherein a. first openings are distributed uniformly over the circumference of the 10 covering shroud, or wherein b. first openings are distributed uniformly over the circumference of the covering shroud and the covering shroud has a sector in which only the first openings are arranged. 15

9. An odour seal according to any one of Claims 1 to 8, wherein a screen is positioned on the inlet surface, beneath the covering shroud.

10. An odour seal according to Claim 9, wherein the screen is positioned beneath the covering shroud, and/or the openings are positioned in the covering 20 shroud, such that at least parts of the screen are visible through the openings.

11. An odour seal according to Claim 9 or 10, wherein the screen is coloured such that its colour is clearly distinguishable from the colour of the covering shroud. 25

12. An odour seal according to any one of Claims 1 to 11, wherein a. the covering shroud has a dome-like shape, or wherein b. the covering shroud has a dome-like shape and the covering shroud is rotationally symmetrical, or wherein 30 c. the covering shroud has a dome-like shape and the covering shroud is rotationally symmetrical about an axis which stands vertically on the inlet surface. 1lb

13. An odour seal according to any one of Claims 1 to 12, wherein the covering shroud has locking parts which retain the covering shroud in a releasable manner on the inlet surface and/or on further parts beneath the inlet surface. 5

14. An odour seal according to any one of Claims 1 to 13, wherein a. through-openings are formed in the region of the lower periphery of the covering shroud, or wherein b through-openings are formed in the region of the lower periphery of the 10 covering shroud and the through-openings are formed between the lower periphery of the covering shroud and the inlet surface.

15. An odour seal according to Claim 14 when dependent through claim 9 wherein, in part b of claim 14, the locking parts keep the lower periphery of the 15 covering shroud at such a spacing apart from the inlet surface that the through openings are formed as a result.

16. An odour seal according to any one of. Claims 4 to 15, wherein the respective sectors of the covering shroud are all of the same magnitude. 20

17. An odour seal substantially as herein described with reference to the accompanying drawings.