AU689259B2

AU689259B2 - Waste receptacle

Info

Publication number: AU689259B2
Application number: AU24400/95A
Authority: AU
Inventors: Werner Ludwig Nossol
Original assignee: MERLIN SERVICES Pty Ltd
Current assignee: Form-It Services Pty Ltd; William J Jeffries Holding Pty Ltd
Priority date: 1994-05-16
Filing date: 1995-05-16
Publication date: 1998-03-26
Anticipated expiration: 2015-05-16
Also published as: AU2440095A

Description

WASTE RECEPTACLE TECHNICAL FIELD

The present invention relates to a waste receptacle able to be flushed with liquid such as water. In particular, although not exclusively, the invention relates to a bowl for a chemical toilet which maximizes the effectiveness of a limited amount of flushing liquid. However, it will be appreciated that the invention is not restricted to a toilet and has application to any receptacle in contact with waste which requires the cleansing action of a flush. Thus, urinals and bidets are also included within the scope of the present invention. BACKGROUND ART

In portable chemical toilets, it is common practice to use moulded plastic bowls due to their lightweight nature and low material cost. One common form of moulded plastic bowl comprises a first moulded bowl-shaped portion having an outwardly extending flange around the upper edge thereof and a second bowl portion comprised of a planar seat supporting means having a rounded hole therein and a downwardly depending flange extending from the edge of the hole. The top surface of the outwardly extending flange and the undersurface of the planar seat supporting means are bonded together to form the assembled toilet bowl. In the assembled state of the toilet bowl, the downwardly depending flange is spaced inwardly from the side wall of the bowl-shaped portion to thereby define a cavity underneath the seat supporting means.

There are a number of problems associated with conventional moulded plastic toilet bowls of the type as that described above. The feature of the cavity underneath the seat supporting means does not easily facilitate cleaning as it is difficult to access and it is not possible to see any waste matter which may be located in the cavity. Furthermore, due to the nature of the moulding process, the underside of the seat supporting means and the downwardly depending flange will have a rough surface increasing the likelihood of waste matter adhering thereto.

A further disadvantage of the above described bowl stems from the fact that the bowl is constructed from two moulded pieces which must then be joined, usually by gluing. Thus, there are two pieces which must be separately moulded and then joined by an additional assembly step. There is also a time delay in the assembly process while waiting for the glue to set.

It is therefore an object of the present invention to provide a waste receptacle which overcomes or substantially ameliorates the above-mentioned disadvantages. DISCLOSURE OF INVENTION

Accordingly, there is provided a waste receptacle suitable for flushing with liquid, said receptacle including a peripheral side wall which has a channel provided therein for directing the flow of liquid around the side wall of the receptacle.

Preferably, the channel will be recessed into the side wall such that liquid flows around the channel and gradually dissipates out of the channel and down the side walls of the receptacle. Preferably, the receptacle will be in the form of a bowl such as a toilet bowl. However, it is to be appreciated that the invention is not restricted to a toilet bowl and may be applied to a urinal or bidet or similar receptacle where a flushing action is desirable for cleansing the receptacle. A flushing means is preferably provided for discharging liquid in one or both directions along the channel. In a preferred form of the invention, the liquid is directed in one direction only in order that a swirling action is set up for flushing the bowl. Preferably, the discharge occurs from the rear of the bowl. In an alternative embodiment, liquid may be discharged from the rear of the receptacle in both directions along the channel, meeting at the front of the receptacle. It is preferred that the liquid will be ejected into the channel with force and an ejection nozzle may therefore be provided for this purpose.

The channel may extend a part way along the periphery of the receptacle. In a preferred embodiment of the invention, the channel extends along the entire periphery of the receptacle. The channel may be continuous i.e. in the form of a circumferential groove.

The degree of curvature of the channel may change as it traverses along the periphery of the receptacle. In a preferred embodiment, where water is discharged in one direction only along the channel, it is a feature that the channel increases in curvature along the channel in the direction of flow. Thus, as the liquid loses momentum as it flows along the channel, the increase in curvature helps to maintain the rate of flow. Preferably, where the channel returns to the point of discharge, a step is provided to reduce the interruption which is caused by liquid flowing around the channel and meeting with freshly discharged liquid. In another embodiment of the invention, the channel could be inclined downwardly in the direction of flow such that the liquid travels in a downward spiral.

It is a preferred feature of the invention that the shape of the channel will facilitate cleaning i.e. a curved or rounded shape is preferred. The channel may therefore take the form of a semi-circular groove which is substantially exposed to the interior of the receptacle. As discussed above, the channel may utilize the effects of gravity by providing a progressively downward spiral in the direction of flow. Alternatively, the lower edge of the channel may be inclined downwardly from the rear of the receptacle towards the front. Preferably, in this arrangement, the upper edge of the channel remains at the same level such that the channel increases in height from the rear of the receptacle towards the front of the receptacle.

Suitably, the channel is located adjacent the upper edge of the receptacle where it will be most effective in cleaning the receptacle. It is preferred that the invention will also include a surround extending around the upper periphery of the receptacle. This surround may serve as the seat itself i.e. the toilet seat, or alternatively the surround may serve as a seat supporting means with appropriate attachments for a seat and lid assembly to be mounted thereon. Preferably, the surround and the receptacle including the channel are integrally formed. In a preferred embodiment, the surround and receptacle are moulded from plastic. The surround may be in the form of a planar flange. Preferably, the surround juts over the channel.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF DRAWINGS

In order that the invention may be more fully understood, one embodiment will now be described by way of example with reference to the figures in which:

Fig. 1 is an underview of the waste receptacle in accordance with the preferred embodiment of the present invention;

Fig. 2 is a top view of the waste receptacle of Fig. 1; Fig. 3 is a schematic view of the waste receptacle in accordance with the present invention, illustrating the nature of the flushing action around the channel; and

Fig. 4 is a cross-sectional view along A-A of Fig. 2, illustrating the orientation of the channel within the waste receptacle. BEST MODE FOR CARRYING OUT INVENTION

Figs. 1 and 2 illustrate an integrally moulded plastic waste receptacle 10 comprised of a first bowl-shaped portion 12 and a second substantially planar seat supporting portion 14. The bowl-shaped portion 12 generally conforms to the shape of a conventional toilet bowl having a large oval upper opening 16 and a smaller lower opening 18.

As most clearly illustrated in Fig. 2, a channel 60 is integrally formed in the bowl-shaped portion 12 adjacent the upper opening 16 thereof. As shown in Fig. 3, a flushing means in the form of a nozzle 62 is provided which forcefully discharges water in one direction around the channel 60. The nozzle 62 is in the form of a tubular elbow having a diameter of about ^SA". The nozzle 62 is fixed in position with hot melt glue. As water is discharged into the channel 60 it follows the curvature of the channel, gradually loosing momentum as it traverses the channel. As the water loses momentum, it gradually spills out of the channel 60 and down the side of the bowl-shaped portion 12 to cleanse the bowl-shaped portion 12 with an effective swilling action. It can be seen from Figs. 2 and 3 that the curvature of the channel 60 gradually increases from the point of discharge in the direction of flow along the channel 60. This assists in maintaining the momentum of the water as it flows along the channel 60. At the point where the channel 60 returns to the point of discharge 65, the channel wall is spaced inwardly by a distance which is at least the width of the mouth of the nozzle 62. This will ensure that water returning for a repeat circuit around the channel will cause minimal interruption to the flow of water being discharged from the nozzle 62.

As most clearly illustrated in Fig. 1, two lugs 20 are integrally moulded with and extend from the underside of the bowl-shaped portion 12. The lugs 20 are located adjacent the forward end of the lower opening 18 on opposite sides thereof. The lugs 20 have apertures 22 extending therethrough to enable a stainless steel flap 24 (shown in Fig. 2) to be pivotally mounted thereto.

A latch member 26 is also integrally moulded to the forward end of the underside of the bowl-shaped portion 12. The latch member 26, more clearly shown in Fig. 4, is in the form of a web having a ramped edge 28 and a locking edge 30.

The seat supporting portion 14 extends outwardly from the upper opening 16 of the bowl-shaped portion 12 to form a surround 35 around the front of the bowl-shaped portion 12 and an extended portion 37 at the rear of the bowl-shaped portion 12. The entire outer periphery of the seat supporting means 14 is skirted by a downwardly depending flange 40.

The rear of the extended portion 37 is provided with a centrally rebated portion 42 which thereby defines opposed flanges 44. The flanges 44 have apertures extending therethrough which may be formed at the time of moulding or may be drilled later. The waste receptacle 10 is pivotally mounted to a housing (not shown) by means of a flexible fibreglass rod (not shown) received within the opposed apertures 46. The housing includes a waste storage tank and thus, the pivotal mounting of the waste receptacle provides for improved access to the interior of the waste storage tank. The use of a flexible fibreglass rod, also enables a small degree of forward and rearward movement of the waste receptacle 10 within the housing. The locking edge 30 of the latch member 26 is adapted to engage with a rigid catch (not shown) provided on the housing to secure waste receptacle 10 into an operating position within the housing. The waste receptacle 10 may be released from the operating position by applying a small force to urge the waste receptacle 10 rearwardly against the action of the flexible hinge to thereby disengaged the latch member 26 from the catch. The whole waste receptacle 10 may then be pivoted about the hinge to provide access to the interior of the housing.

The underside of the extended portion 37 is also provided with two spaced bosses 50 which provide strengthening portions in the extended portion 37 to which a seat and lid assembly (not shown) may be secured by plastic nut and bolt assemblies 52. As more clearly shown in Fig. 2, the bosses 50 have apertures 54 extending therethrough which may be formed at the time of moulding or may be drilled afterwards.

Fig. 4 most clearly illustrates the location of the channel 60 in an upper region of the bowl-shaped portion 12. It can also be seen that the channel 60 is in the shape of a rounded or curved groove exposed to the interior of the bowl- shaped portion 12 to facilitate cleaning and inspection of the channel 60. Furthermore, the lowermost edge 66 of the channel 60 to is inclined downwardly from the point of discharge 65 at the rear of the waste receptacle 10 to the front of the waste receptacle 10 to utilize the effect of gravity on water flowing towards the front of the receptacle. The upper edge 68 of the channel 60 remains level and thus, the subsequent decrease in the width of the channel from the front of the waste receptacle 10 in the direction of flow towards the rear of the waste receptacle 10 also serves to maintain the rate of flow along the channel 60. It can be seen that the receptacle 10 allows for a very effective flushing action, making maximum usage of a limited amount of water. This is particularly beneficial in portable chemical toilets since a small flush will reduce the frequency that the waste storage tank needs to be emptied.

Claims

CLAIMS:

1. A waste receptacle suitable for flushing with liquid, said receptacle including a peripheral side wall which has a channel provided therein for directing the flow of liquid around the side wall of the receptacle.

2. The waste receptacle as claimed in claim 1 wherein a flushing means is provided for discharging liquid in one or both directions along the channel.

3. The waste receptacle as claimed in claim 2 wherein the flushing means discharges liquid in one direction only along the channel.

4. The waste receptacle as claimed in claim 3 wherein the channel increases in curvature along the channel in the direction of flow.

5. The waste receptacle as claimed in claim 3 or claim 4 wherein the channel extends along the entire periphery of the receptacle, the point at which the channel meets the point of discharge being inwardly spaced from the point of discharge to minimize interruption of flow.

6. The waste receptacle as claimed in any one of the preceding claims wherein the point of discharge is at the rear of the receptacle.

7. The waste receptacle as claimed in any one of the preceding claims wherein the lower edge of the channel is inclined downwardly from the rear to the front of the receptacle.

8. The waste receptacle as claimed in any one of the preceding claims wherein the channel is disposed adjacent the upper edge of the receptacle.

9. The waste receptacle as claimed in any one of the preceding claims wherein the channel comprises a rounded groove substantially exposed to the interior of the receptacle.

10. The waste receptacle as claimed in any one of the preceding claims further including a seat supporting means extending around the upper periphery of the receptacle wherein the surround, the receptacle and the channel are integrally formed.