CA1039902A - Portable toilet - Google Patents

Abstract

Abstract of the Disclosure A self-contained portable sanitation unit formed in two vertically stacked sections. The top section includes a seat and cover, a bowl having an outlet port at its bottom walls defining with the bowl a flush water chamber surrounding the bowl, and pump flush apparatus for discharging flush water into the bowl. The lower section functions as a holding tank and is sealed from the environment by a manually actuated slide valve assembly. The sec-tions are releasably secured together by a clasp mechanism located between the sections and the clasp handle is located at the front of the unit, thereby minimizing space requirements on opposite sides of the unit.

Description

039~2 This application is a division of application Serial NoO ~0,213, ~iled November 20, 1975.
The present invention relates to a portable toilet of the type disclosed in ~nited States Patent NoO 3,570~018, issued March 16, 1971 to Sargent, et al., and is particularly directed to im- .
provements in toilet~ of this characterO
With the advent of the poxtable toilet disclosed in the afore-said patent, a substantial advance was made over prior art portable ~.
tailets as then known, particularly with respect to those used in the travel and recreational fields. Because space often is at a ;:
premium where these ~nits are stored or used, effQrts have been mada to m~ke the toilets as small and compact as possible within ~`
limits permitted without impairing the functions and operations thereof. The dimensions have been dictated by minimum capacity requirements for the flush water chamber and the holding tank; the vertical dimensions re~uired to accommodate the flat slide valve `;: :
assembly associated with the holding t:ank for closing and opening ~
the latter, and the.lateral dimensions required, not only for the .~.
`t~ilet but with respect to the location where the toilet ma~ be .~
, 20 mounted, so that the seat section, as well as the holding tank .
section~ can easily be secured in place or removed for servicin~, or the like~ Further~ the demands to conserve space have been made .-concurrently with other demands to reduce C03t5 and to assure opti-mum operating conditions, such as to elLminate unwanted spla~h.ing or "spitting" at the flush nozzles, sometimes associated with .
bellows-type hand. pump generally used with these toilets ~or flush ~-purposes, and to eliminate servicing and cleaning pro~lems some-time~ arising in connec~ion with the slide valve assemblyO

The pre~ent invention has overcome inadequacies of the prior art an~ h~s provided a portable toilet characterized by its com-L~ :

.:
39~32 ~ .
~ ctness, low cost~ ease of servicing, and convenience and ... ~
efficienty of operation According to one form of the present invention, a portable toilet is provided comprising a portable lower holding tank section --.
and a portable upper seat section removably supported thereon. The seat section has top, side and bottom walls with an outlet port in its bottom wall and defines a bowl extending between the top and bottom walls and opening at the bottom to said outlet port~ The holding tank section has a top wall and side and bottom wal.ls that . ~

10 form a closed receptacle with an inlet port in its top wall in ~ ~ :
registry with the outlet port. A flat slide valve assembly is ; mounted on the hoLding tank section and defines the inlet portO The slide valve assembly includes a flat blade supported within the con-fines of the holding tank for movement in a plane perpendiculax to the axis of the inlet port for closing the inlet port and sealing the interior of the tank section from the environ~ent. The inlet .- ~
port of the holding tank section is defined by an elastomeric seal .:. -which serves to provide a sealing relationship with the outlet port ~: -1~ o the upper seat section9 a sealing relationship with the ~lat blade - :
when the flat blade is in its closed position9 and a sealing relation-~ship with the top wall of the hold1ng tank sectionG The.valve body -~of the valve assembly is secured within the holding tank section and provides guide surfaces for movement of the flat blade between its .
open and d osed positions~ For the purpose of moving the flat :;
blade~ a shaft is connected to the blade and extends through the front wall of the holding tank section~ By virtue of this con-struction and arrangement a valve assembly i9 provided which allows the vertical dimensions of the portable toilet to be maintained at a minimum while still making optimum utilization of the water storage capacity of the upper seat section and the waste storage 103990Z ~ ~
capacity of the holding tank section. . :~
. Another feature of the present invention that facilitates use of the improved slide valve assem~ly includes the construction ..
and arrangement wherein the shaft of the slide valve assembly is provided with a protective bellows so that the shaft is not ex-~: posed to the conten~s of the holding tank. Still anothe~r feature .
of the slide valve assembly is the construction and arrangement of the flat blade and the arrangement wherein the front edge of the blade will move most effectively against the elastomeric annular. .:
seal when moved to a closed p~ition and will avoid trapping solid .-particles between the forward edge of the blade and the seal or valve body. -Still another feature of the present invention which con~
tributès to most effective utilization of space in the area.where the portable toilet may be supported is the arrangement of.hold- ~ .
down brackets for support.ing the holding tank section on a sup-porting surface. In the preferred.embodiment of the invention.a pair of holddown brackets are provided which are adapted to be .~ attached.to a supporting surface on opposite sides of the holding i 20 tank section. Each bracket is shaped to extend upward from the ,;~
,; ~
.: point of attachment and to terminate at the upper end in an inward~
: ly turned hook that fits over the top wall of the holding tank .:;
sectionO The top wall of the holding tank section has at its side edges rece~sed portions for receiving the ends of the hooks. The recessed portions extend to the rear of the holding tank section 50 that the holding tank section can be moved forward without : ~-obstruction from the hooks when the hoo~s are aligned in a selected location in the recessed portions. The top wall of the holding tank section has sockets o~fset from the aforesaid recessed portions .:
into which the hooks normally can b~ seated to restrict move~ent ,, . , . ~ . .. , ,. . .. ~ ., .

0399~2 of the holding tank section. Howe~er~ when it is desired to re-move the holding tank section, this can be accomplished merely by deflecting the holddown brackets into proper alignment with the recessed portions and the holding tank section can then be removed ~ ~ `
from its supported position merely by pulling the holding tank for-wardO Thus~ the need for lateral space for releasing the brackets is substantially eliminated.
Still another feature of the pres nt invention which con-tributes economy of space is the clasp mechanism which secures the ; 10 holding tank section and the upper seat section together. The clasp mechanism includes a pair of straps positioned on opposite cides of the outlet and inlet ports which are secured to the bottom wall of the upper seat section for limited movement by a handle which extends to the front side of the portable toiletO The lower holding tank section llas a pair of ele~ated screws located in the paths of movement of the straps, and each strap has a 910t with an associated enlarged opening of a size sufficient to receive one of the heads of the retention screws~ The straps have inclined -- portions adjacent to the slots so that movement of the straps by ; 20 the handle to a closed position after the screw heads have been ". . ,~
inserted into the enlarged openings will cau~e vertical movement of the sections relative to one another to be urged then together.
Thus~ the handle of the clasp mechanism, the handle of the valve aRsembly and the holddown brackets for securing the portable toile~
on a supporting surface can all be actuated from a frontal position so that relatively little space is required on oppo~ite sides of the portable toilet in the area where it may be mounted, Thus, economy of space is realized not only from the reduced vertical diménsion~ of the portable toilet9 but also with respect to the , ~, , , . " ~ ~ , ~` ~ 39~ 2 ~:

vehicle or other structure in which the portable toilet is mounted -becausP only very limited space is required on opposite sides of ~ ~ i the portable toilet for operating and servicing the same Still another feature of the present invention which con-tributes to its minimum size and low cost is the construct-ion and arrangement of the pump flush apparatus and the upper portion of the bowl where the flush water is discharged by the pump flush `~
apparatusO To eliminate the need for a flush ring at the upper edge of the bowl and to avoid undesirable spitting or splashing .
which ~ometimes may occur when using conventional bellows-type .
hand pumps for discharging a measured volume of wate~ in~o the ~. .
bowl, a unique arrangement of a ramp is provided around the upper ~
periphery of the bowl in conjunction with a unique arrangement :
of the discharge nozzle from the pump flush apparatus~ In this arrangement the flush water is initially directed toward the rear of the toilet~ Further~ a flush-dampening reservoir means is in- ~ .
corporated in the pump flush apparatus so as to aid in providing a . ..,: -. .
-~ more uniform flow of flush water into the bowl which will minimize , : ~
, . . . - .
: . "spittiDg" or the like~ :

Thus, it is an obj eGt of the present invention to provide ^.~
:- . :
, an improved portable toilet which ha~ various features which ~
. . .
contribute to the production of a relatively low cost poLtable toilet which is efficient in operation and convenient for servicing ~
and which i9 characterized by the economy of space that i~ rea- .
lized in connection with its construction and in the spaco o the supporting structure where the toilet may be mounted.
Other objects of this invention will appear in the following description and appended claims, reference being had to the accompanying drawings orming a part of this speci~ication .. . . . .
_ 5 _ ;
' ' ' '' ' '' ," , , . . ; . ; 1 " , .,,., , ~ ... . . .
.. . . . ..

:. `` 1~3~9(;~2 herein like reference characters designate corresponding parts in the several views~
FIGURE 1 is a front elevational view of a portable toilet embodying one form of the present invention9 a portion being broken away to illustrate details of the supporting bracket for securing the holding tank section to a supporting sur~ace;
FIGURE 2 is a top plan view o~ the portable toilet with ~.
portions of the top cover and seat broken away to illustrate de- ; . -tails of the toilet bowl; ::
:.~ - . .. ..
.~ 10 FIGURE 3 is a bottom plan view of the upper seat section; ~:
FIGURE ~ is an enlarged fragmentary section taken on the lines 4-4, illustrating the details of the clasp mechanism for securing the upper and lower sections together;
. FIGURE 5 is a top plan view of the lower holding tank .~ section;
:~ FIGURE 6 is a fragmentary section taken through the upper seat section on a line illustrating details ~f the pump flush . a~semblS~!; ' ' ' ' '~ FIGURE ~ is an enlarged exploded view taken on the lines 7-7 of FIG. 5,showing details of the flat slide valve assembly;
FIGURE 8 is a sectional view taken on the lines a-8 of FIG4 7, showing the flat blade and the arrangement for mounting it on the front side wall of the lower holding tank section;
FIGURE 9 is an enlarged sectional view taken on the lines 9-9 of FIG9 8;
FIGURE 10 is an enlar~ed fragmentary section taken on the line~ 10-10 of FIG. 8;
FIGURE 11 is an enlarged bottom plan view of the valve body of the-flat slide valve assembly;

'-- 02 FIGURE 12 is an enlarged fragmentary section taken on the lines 12-12 of FIG. 11, showing the position of the outlet port of the upper seat section in sealing arrangement with the sealing ring of the flat slide valve assembly; and FIGURE 13 is an enlarged fragmentary section taken on the lines 13-13 of FIG. 11. ~
Before explaining the present invention in detail~ it is -`
to be understood that the invention is not limited in its appli-cation to the details of construction and arrangement of parts illustrated in the accompanying drawingsJ since the invention i9 . ., capable of other embodLments and of being practised or carried out . .
in various ways. Also, it is to be understood that the phrasealogy ;~-or terminology employed herein is for the purpose of description and not of limitation.

, .
Referring now to the dxawings, the invention will be de- ;

scribéd in greater detail. The portable toilet 10 comprises the ,^: ,.
lower holding tank section 12 and the upper seat section 14 re- ~
..: : .
movably supported thereon. The upper seat section 14 is molded of a suitable plastic material so as to have a top wall 16~ slde walls 18 and a bottom wall 20 with an opening 22 in the bottom wall providing an outlet port. The upper seat section also defines a bowl 24 extending between the top and bottom walls 16 and 20, ` -which op~ns at the bottom to said outlet port 22. A flush water compartment ~6 is provided in the space surrounding the bowl 24 within the side walls 18 and the top and bottom walls 16 and 20.
A fill opening spout 28 is provided in the rear side wall 18 for filling flush water into the flush water compartment 26, and a clo~re cap 30 is pxovided for closing the spout 28. A handle 32 is also rnolded in t~e Lear side wall 18 for carrying the upper - r - ::
.

, " ., , I , . . , ', . , . ..................... . . ,;
.... ....

~" ~0399C12 seat section 14.
The upper seat section 14 also contains pump-flush apparatus-34 which includes the passageway 369 a discharge nozzle 38, a flushing plunger or bellows pump 40, a flush-dampening reservoir means 42, and the plurality of check valve 4~ that are found in the passageway 36. The bellows pump 40 functions the same as the corresponding part disclosed in that aforesaid ~nited State~ :
Patent No. 3,570,018, to which reference is made for a more detailed.
description. In the conventional manner9 depressing the bellow~
40 will serve to discharge water from the flush water chamber 26 through the flush dampening reservoir means 42 and out the nozzle 38 to the inclined spiral ledge 46 in the bowl 24. The flush-dampening reservoir means 42 has a pocket or chamber 48 in which -an air cushion is provided to cushion the pressure of the water that is discharged by action of the bellows pump 40 to provide a more uniform pressure and elimination of air bubbles in the stream of water that is discharged from the nozzle 38, thereby , tending to eliminate the spitting action that sometimes occurs in connection with pump apparatus of the type using a bellows pump 400 When using pumps of this character it i5 not uncommon `^

~or bubbles of air to exist in the water circuit and these bubbles . become pressuriæed during the pumping so as to cause a spLitting action o~ the water as it leaves the nozzle 38. To overcome this undesirable characteristic the chamber 48 will serve to trap such bubbles, and the air that is then trapped in the chamber ~8 will act as an air cushion to cause a more uniform discharge o~ the water throug~ the nozzle 38~ The flush-dampening re~
servoir means 42 can easily be installed within the upper seat ~ection 14 by passing it through the spout 28 aftes which the ' ' '' ' . ' . . ' .
.. ; . . : :

~3991~2 flush-dampening reservoir means can be secured in place by the nut 49 which i5 threadedl~ connected to the nozzle 38 and when screwed in place the discharge end will clamp onto the inclined `~
su~face of the top walL 16 as shown best in FIGS4 2 and 6a The nozzle 38 also has a shield portion 50 which projects from the ::
upper edge of the nozzle outlet for positively directing the water into the bowl and onto the spiral ledge 46. The noæzle is mounted so as to direct the stream of water toward the rear of the toilet bowl ~4 in a direction ~o minimize spla~hing of ~ny water from the bowl to the surrounding area.
Also forming a part of the upper seat section 14 is the toilet seat 52 and the cover 54~ It will be noted that the toilet :~ seat 52 extends over the spiralledge 46~ Positioned above the ~:~
toilet seat 52 is the cover 5~ both of which are supported on common hinge posts, not shown, located adjacent to the rear edge . of the top wall 16. , One of the features of the presenk invention is the c}asp mechanism 56 for releasably securing the upper seat sec~ion and the lower holding tank section ~ogether~ A portion o~ this 20 mechanism is mounted on the bottom wall 20 of the upper seat .`::
section 14 and the remainder of the clasp mechanism is secured to .
the top wall of the holding tank section 129 as will pre~en~ly .
be described. With respect to the upper seat section 14, the .. :: -clasp mechanism in~ludes a handle 58 which is located in the cavity 60 defined by the front side walls of the upper seat section 14 and the holding tank section 12~ as can be seen best in FIGD 4D The handle 58 i8 connected to a pair of straps 62 which are secured to the bottom wall 20 for limited movement b~ the plurality of screws 64. As can b~ seen in FIG~ 3, the screws 64 extend through _ g _ ., , :: ., l ....................... ,. , :, , . . .:
, . , ~ ~0399~Z
- the slots 66 with the heads being held in spaced relationship to the bottom wall 20 by means of a plurality of spacers 689 ~ -FIG. 4, so that the straps 62 can move lengthwise the length of :: the slots 660 The straps 62 also have an additional pair of slots 70 which have enlarged openings 72 at one end and inclined sur-faces 74 adjacent thereto for a purpose that will be described hereinafter~ .:
The lower holding tank section 12 has a top wall 76, side walls 78 a~d a bottom wall 80 ~orming a closed receptacle with 10 an inlet port 82 in its top wall in registry with the outlet port 22 of the upper seat section 14~ A flat slide valve assembly 84 .~ is mounted on the holding tank section 12 and defines the inlet ~:
port 82. The slide valve as3em~1y includes the flat blade 86 which is supported within the confines of the holding tank sectio~
for movement in a horizontal plane perpendicular to the axis of the inlet part 82 for closing ths inlet port and seaLing the interior of the holding tank section 12 from the environmentD
The rear side wall 78 includes the handle 88 for carrying . the holding tank section 12 and it also includes a spout ~O which ~ 20 may be used far evacuating the holding tank and which normally is closed by the closure cap 920 Referring now to FIGSo 4 and 5, it can be seen that the top wall 76 of the lower holding tank section 12 includes a pair ;of ~crews 94 which have their heads spaced from the upper surface o~ the top wall 76 by the spacers 96 D When it is desired to clasp the upper seat section 14 firmly to the lower seat section .
129 this can readily be accomplished merely by placing the UppeL
seat section 14 onto the lower seat section 12 so that the openings 72 of the straps 62.fit ovex the heads of the screws 94 after - 10 ~ ,~

' ', ' ~ "' ; ,1 ` 1~3399~Z
Which the handle 58 can be moved inwardly causing the heads 94 to slide up the inclined surfaces 74 to the position shown in :
FIGo 49 thereby urging the two sections together~ When it is de-sired to disconnect the two sections, this can readily be accom~
plished merely by lowering the handle 58 from the position shown in FIGo 4 and pulling it to the left until the heads of the screws 94 are in alignment with the openings 72) after which the upper seat section 14 can be removed from the lower holding tank section :

Another of the features of the present invention is the con-struction and arrangement of the flat slide valve assembly 84. The flat slide valve assembly 84 includes the elastomeric annular seal 98~ the upper annular seal cover lQ0~ the annular valve body 102~ .
the ~lat blade 86~ the shaft 104 that is connected at one end to ~ .
~,. ~ , ..
~: the ~lat blade 86, the valve handle 105 connected to the other end of the shaft 104, and the protective bellows 10~ whlch protects the shaft 104 ~rom tha contents of ~he holding tank 9ection 120 .
, 1 . ~
The various details of these components o the fla~ slide valve ; ~

assembly 84 will be described with particular reference to FIGSo '~ :

- ~0 ~-13, inclusive. . . ..

As can be seen best in FIGo 7, the elastomeric annula~ seal . .
98 has a lower lip 108 around its inner periphery which is adapted to be engaged by the upper surface of the flat blade 86 when the latter is in it~ closed position under the inlet port 82 de~ined by the annular seal 98. In its unstressed position ~he lower lip 108 will be in the position shown in FIG. 7, but when the flat blade 86 is moved to its closed position~ shown in FIG~ 12, the lip ;.
108 will be deflected upward as there shown, to provide a tight seal be~ween the blade and the lip 108~ .

.

.. . . . . .

39~
The annular seal 98 also has an upper lip 110 around its inner periphery which is adapted to be engaged by the downwardly .
directed annular flange 112 that fo~ns the lower end of the bowl 24 and defines the outlet por~ 22 from the upper seat section 14 As can be seen best in FIG. 12, when the upper seat section 14 is pressed into place on the lower holdin~ tank section 12, the upper . lip 110 will be stretched into sealing engagement with the outer .. ~ surface of the annular flange 112 to provide a sealing relationship between the upper seat section 14 and the lower holding tank sectLon 12 at the outlet port 22 and the inlet port 82. This arrangement also allow~ relatively flexible manufacturing tolerances in the upper and lower sections 14 and 12~ because the extent of pene-tration of the annular flange 112 can vary while still providing a satisfactory sealed relationshipO
The annular seal 98 also has a groove around its outer peri-phery at 114 so as to have overlapping edges 116 and 118 with re-spect to the top wall 76 of the holdirlg tank section.12. The fasten-ing screws 119 which extend through the cover 100 serve to clamp the cove~ 100 against ~he edge 118 to provide a tight seal at this joint, Similarly, the edge 116 is firmly clamped against the top . ., wall 76 by the s~ne screws 119 which are threadedly connected to the bosses 121 of the valve body 102 and hold the valve body 102 irmly to the underside o~ the top wall 76r Seal rings 123 fit ; . around the bosses 121 to assure leak ~roof joints. Similar seal rings 125 are provided under screws 94 to provide.leak proof joints . where the screws 94 connect to the valve body 102 at the posts 12 These posks serve as support structures whi& may, if desi~ed, en-gage portionR of the bottom wall o~ the holdin~ tank section 120 For installation purposes~ the valve body 102 comprises two annular segrnents 120 and 122 to permit the valve bod~ to be inserted ' , . ' . . , ', , . ... , , , . ':

03~g6~Z
into the holding tank section 12 during initial assembly. The -.
. .
arcuate segment 120 includes vertically spaced guide surfaces for supporting ~he upper and lower surfaces of the flat blade 86J The upper guide surfaces include the surfaces 124 and 126, and the lower guide surfaces comprise the surfaces 128 and 130. Similarly, the ..
valve body segment 122 includes the upper guide surfaces 132 and 134~ and the lower guide surfaces 136 and 138. Thus~ it can be séen that ~he flat blade 86 can move between open and closed positions on the guide surfaces provided in the valve body 102~ When the 10 flat blade moves under the elastomeric annular seal 98 it will en- : :
gag~ the depending lip 108 to provide an efective sealing closureO
; It is to be observed that there are no abutments against which the inner end or edge 140 of the blade 86 must engage~ This serves. :;
to eliminate any problems that might ot.herwise arise where solid .
matter may be engaged by the edge 140 and trapped against an abutt- ~.
'' ~. :..
ing sur~ace of the valve body. The edqe 1~0 is also constructed so -as to be substantially stra.ight with a concave portion at 142. It . . .~-~
. . .1.. . :
is found that this arrangement cause~ a progressively smooth sliding ..

action of the lip 108 on the blade9 as shown in FIGo 10~ Where the . ~
. : .
20 blade 86 has a conventional straight or convex leading end~ it is .~
,. . .
found that the :lip 108 tends to slide on the edge in an uneven non-progres~ive manner, so ~hat a point is reached at which a long arc .. .
length of the lip 108 must abruptly slide up over the edge of the ; blade~ which o~ten results in the lip 108 rolling under~ thus assum-ing a configuration which cannot seal against the blade 86~ -. .
. .~ ,.:
In view of the fact that the shaft 104 is usually within the con~ines of the holding tank section 129 and the stem must slide out through the front wall 78 during opening of ~he valve assembly 84~ a bellows 106 has been secured at one end by a spring clip 144 and the bellows has been secured to the front side wall 78 of the ' ' '' ' ,, .. , . . , . . . , ;

)3996~2 holding tank section 12 by the male retainer element 146 which is threadedly connected to the female retainer 148 to secure the bellows 106 in the manner shown in FIGo 9o This arrangement assures ~hat the portion of the shaft that slides through the retainer element 6 will remain clean and uncoxroded to assure easy movement and a~sence of leakage at this fitting..
It will be observed that the top surface of the flat blade 86 includes a small conical projection 150 which will function when the flat blade 86 is in its closed position ~ snap under the lower edge 152 of the body segment 120 to prevent the blade ~6 from inadvertently moving to an open position, such as might occur if the portable toilet 10 were used, or example, in a recreational vehicle wherein vibration from the vehicle might be transmitted to toilet 10.
When it is desired to secure the.portable toilet 10 to a supported structure) a pair of holddown brackets 154 may be employed~
As shown best in FIGS. 1 and 5~ each bracket is shaped to extend upward from the point o~ attachment at 156 upward to terminate at the upper end in an inwardly turned hook 158 that fits over the top wall 76 of the holding tank section 120 The top wall 76 has at its .
side edges recessed portions 160 for receiving the ends o~ the hooks 158, and the portions 160 extend to the rear of the holding tank section 1~ so that the latter can be moved forward from its sup-ported area without obstruction from the hooks 158 when the hooks ..
are aligned with the reces~ed portions 1600 To prevent inadvertent "
movement o~ the holding tank section 12, sockets 162, which are of~set from the recessed portions 160, are provided, and the re~
silient properties of the brackets 154 are suah that they will normally be in the positions shown in FIGSo 1 and 5 preventing re~
lease of the holding tank section 12 for movement. in a forward .~
- 14 - :

399~Z
directionO When it is desired to release the, holding tank section 12 from the brackets 154, this can be accomplished by an individual merely by making use of the finger holes 164 to urge the brackets outwardly to proper alignm,ent. with the recessed portions 160 and :-.' the holding tank section 12 can then be moved forward. ,:
i . ..
From the foregoing description it will be apparent that the `.' handle 105 for the flat slide valve assembly 84 and the handle 58 for actuating the clamp mechanism 56 are both located on the fxont '~
.1 .
side of the portable toilet 10 for convenient acutation~ Similarly~ ' ..

the brackets 54 can be operated for releasing the portable toilet from the front of the toilet'and very little room on either side is ., .~ re~uired for this purpose. Thus, the portable toilet 10 ~an be sup~
'' ' '., :, , ported in an area having relatively small width so as to conserve ., !~'. .
space in the recreational vehicle or the like. Furthermore9 all of ,'~

!~ the dimensions in the toilet, by virtue of the construction and ..
arrangement of the flat slide valve assembly 84 and the upper regions of the bowl 24 and the arrangement of the pump flush.apparatus 34 ' axe such a~ to provide maximum capacity while maintaining the vert- ,.' iaal dimensions at a minimum~ ,.' ., . ~.
,. . .... .

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. . .
. .

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Claims (5)

THE EMBODIMENTS OF THE INVENTION IN WHICH AN EXCLUSIVE PROPERTY
OR PRIVILEGE IS CLAIMED ARE DEFINED AS FOLLOWS:

1. A portable toilet comprising a portable lower holding tank section and a portable upper seat section removably supported thereon, said seat section having top, side and bottom walls with an outlet port in its bottom wall and defining a bowl extending be-tween said top and bottom walls and opening at the bottom to said outlet port, said holding tank section having a top wall and side and bottom walls forming a closed receptacle with an inlet port in its top wall in registry with said outlet port, and a valve assembly mounted on said holding tank section and defining said inlet port said valve assembly including a valve element supported for movement for closing said inlet port and sealing the interior of said tank section from the environment, and a clasp mechanism releasably se-curing said sections together, the front side walls of said sections defining a cavity extending rearwardly toward the registered ports, said clasp mechanism including a handle located in said cavity and movable between open and closed positions and members positioned respectively on opposite sides of said inlet and outlet ports imme-diately adjacent thereto for selectively releasing or securing said sections together in response to movement of said handle.

2. A portable toilet comprising a portable lower holding tank section and a portable upper seat section removably supported thereon, said seat section having top, side and bottom walls with an outlet port in its bottom wall and defining a bowl extending be-tween said top and bottom walls and opening at the bottom to said outlet port, said holding tank section having a top wall and side and bottom walls forming a closed receptacle with an inlet port in its top wall in registry with said outlet port, and a valve assembly mounted on said holding tank section and defining said inlet port, said valve assembly including a valve element supported for movement for closing said inlet port and sealing the interior of said tank section from the environment, a clasp mechanism releasably securing said sections together, the front side walls of said sections de-fining a cavity extending rearwardly toward the registered ports, said clasp mechanism including a handle located in said cavity and movable between open and closed positions for releasing and securing said mechanism for selectively releasing or securing said sections together, said clasp mechanism including a pair of straps positioned respectively on opposite sides of said outlet and inlet ports and secured to one of said sections for limited movement by said handle, the other of said sections having elevated retention screws located in the paths of movement of said straps, each strap having a slot and an associated enlarged opening of a size sufficient to receive one of the heads of said retention screws, said straps having in-clined portions adjacent to said slots so that movement of said straps by said handle to said closed position after said heads have been positioned in said enlarged openings will urge said sections together.

3. The portable toilet that is defined in claim 2, wherein said inlet port has an elastomeric annular seal around its inner periphery and said outletport has a downwardly directed annular flange fitting into said annular seal, the flange being urged into the seal by the action of said clasping mechanism.

4. The portable toilet that is defined in claim 1, where-in said valve assembly includes a shaft extending through the front side wall of said holding tank section, said shaft being secured at its inner end to said valve element for movement of the element be-tween open and closed positions with respect to said port, and a valve handle mounted on the other end of said shaft so that front access can be gained to both the valve assembly and the clasp mech-anism.

5. A portable toilet comprising a portable lower holding tank section and a portable upper seat section removably suppor-ted thereon, said seat section having top, side and bottom walls with an outlet port in its bottom wall and defining a bowl exten-ding between said top and bottom walls and opening at the bottom to said outlet port, said holding tank section having a top wall and side and bottom walls forming a closed receptacle with an in-let port in its top wall in registry with said outlet port, and a valve assembly mounted on said holding tank section and defining said inlet port, said valve assembly including a valve element supported for movement for closing said inlet port and sealing the interior of said tank section from the environment, and a clasp mechanism releasably securing said sections together, the front side walls of said sections defining a cavity extending rearwardly toward the registered ports, said clasp mechanism in-cluding a handle located in said cavity and movable between open and closed positions and members positioned adjacent to said in-let and outlet ports for selectively releasing or securing said sections together in response to movement of said handle.