EP2224067B1

EP2224067B1 - Device for eliminating odours in flush type sanitary fittings

Info

Publication number: EP2224067B1
Application number: EP20090007525
Authority: EP
Inventors: Ezio Perotto
Original assignee: Individual
Current assignee: Individual
Priority date: 2009-02-17
Filing date: 2009-06-08
Publication date: 2013-09-11
Anticipated expiration: 2029-06-08
Also published as: DK2224067T3; EP2224067A1; ITTO20090021U1

Description

The present innovation refers to the field of devices for eliminating odours in sanitary fittings, and in detail refers to a device for eliminating odours in flush type sanitary fittings.
It is known that one of the problems of the toilets, both public and private, is the management of bad smells after the usage of sanitary fittings such as toilet bowls or bidets. Particularly for those toilets where there are openings of little size, perhaps high placed and in a position difficult to reach, the air change becomes difficult, thus aggravating the presence of stagnant odor in the toilet itself.
There are also toilets totally without outwards windows or equivalent openings (the so-called blind rooms), that typically need suction systems for foul air by means of a fan.
These systems usually comprise a suction means that is typically a tangential or wing fan, mounted on a structure at least partially built in the superior part of a wall or on the ceiling of the toilet; the fan is activated by an electric motor, usually by means of a direct transmission with shaft, so that it has a function of air suction from the toilet outwards.
A pipe for air exsegmention is connected to the fan, and it is usually embedded into a wall of the building within the toilet is placed, so that the aspirated air can be brought to a flue or outside the building.
These systems present the disadvantage of necessarily providing for considerable finishings in the creation of said pipes for air exsegmention and they are not efficient from the point of view of the in loco reduction of the odours.
Actually, in details, these systems present the disadvantage of exsegmenting the air in a position far away from the sanitary fittings, that is far away from the source of odours itself and, particularly for the bulky and high rooms, the reaching of the odours up to the system implies the saturation of large part of the internal volume of the toilet.
Furthermore, as the toilet is not an environment hermetically insulated from others, part of the air aspirated is recalled owing to the modest lowering of pressure in the room, for example from adjacent rooms and not directly from the sanitary fitting. To improve the efficiency of these systems, high voltage or big size fans can be used but they have strong limits of use regarding the dimensions, the noise produced (critical, above all for civil environments, during the night) and the electrical absorption.
There are also systems for the direct suction of odours from sanitary fittings as shown by patent GB2327095A , by Panfan International Limited, that describes an apparatus for the removal of odours from rooms from sanitary fittings, provided with a fan connected to an outlet pipe for the water from the flushing tank, for aspirating the odours directly from the sanitary fitting by sending thus the aspirated air outside the building.
However, the document GB2327095A presents some disadvantages; first of all, actually, the fan, that the document describes as built in a wall, does not solve the need of realizing considerable finishings for the installation and this is a factor even more important if the apparatus is installed after the creation of the building wall. Secondly, when the fan is deactivated, there is also the risk that part of the odours of the exterior of the building ascends along the pipe (for example owing to an air convective phenomenon - as when the internal room is very hot and high and the exterior of the building is cold: owing to the thermal convection the air would reenter the pipe toward the sanitary fitting). Finally, it is necessary to have an easy access to the exterior of the building or to an air outlet pipe, so that the apparatus described in the document efficiently works.
Actually, supposing that there are blind rooms and that they do not communicate with any perimeter wall of a building, the path from the fan to the exterior would be necessary long and tortuous. The load losses within the outlet pipe would necessarily need the use of fans with a voltage higher than the one needed if the pipe were short, causing for a same result, an increment of the energy consumption and of the noise produced.
Finally, there are buildings of particular historical or artistic value wherein, even if the toilet communicates with a perimeter wall, nothing can be installed toward the exterior of the building itself. Consequently, in this case, an external outlet pipe or an outlet pipe on the roof would be needed, with huge economic expenses for the installation.
From the document DE 10354540 is known a device for eliminating odours comprising ventilation means connected to a flushing duct of a water bowl connecting said water bowl to a flushing tank, and wherein said ventilation means are placed outside said flushing tank.
From documents DE202 17721 and US2008/0022444 is known a device for eliminating odours having a ventilation means placed into the flushing tank and being connected to an outlet duct connected to the sewage.
The above documents fail to disclose a device for eliminating odours that is effective in eliminating odours that could come from the sewage also when the ventilation means are turned off .
The purpose of the present innovation is to describe a device for eliminating odours for flush type sanitary fittings that is free from the above described drawbacks.
According to the present innovation a device for eliminating odours for flush type sanitary fittings is realized as claimed in the first claim.
The innovation will be described referring to the attached drawings, that show a non-limiting embodiment, wherein:

figure 1 shows a sectional view of part of a toilet with sanitary fitting and the device according to the present invention connected to it;
figure 2 shoes a detail of figure 1, also showing the interior of the device according to the present invention in sectional view; and
figure 3 shows a detail of a tank for the storage of flush water of the sanitary fitting showed in figure 1.

According to figure 1, the number 1 indicates a device for eliminating odours in flush type sanitary fittings in its complex. The device 10 comprises at least an inlet pipe 20, a suction box 30 and an outlet pipe 40.
A sanitary fitting 1, in figure 1 a toilet bowl, is fixed to a floor 100 of a building and possesses a drain 2 provided with siphon 3 after which it is present a black water outlet pipe 4 connected to the sewerage system of the building.
The sanitary fitting 1 is connected to a first end of a water outlet pipe 5, that is connected at a second end to a tank 6 for the storage of flush water positioned at a height higher than the one of the sanitary fitting 1.
In details the inlet pipe 20 of the device 10 is connected to the water outlet pipe 5. Preferably, if said water outlet pipe 5 possesses a vertical segment under said tank 6 and an oblique segment of union with the sanitary fitting 1, the inlet pipe 20 is connected below the vertical segment, so that it is not directly invested by the falling water and is nearer to the sanitary fitting 1 as well.
The outlet pipe 40 departs from the suction box 30 being also connected to the black waters outlet pipe 4.
The tank 6, that is of a known type, is typically provided with a lever 7 or analogous mechanism for operating the water flushing, that provides for raising a cap 8 positioned at the bottom of the tank itself by acting on a hoisting cylinder 9.
As shown in figure 2, the device 10 comprises, within the suction box 30:

a fan 31, for the suction of air and water from the inlet pipe 20; the fan 31 is impermeable and water flows proof; and
a siphon 32, having a first and a second end of which the first is connected to the fan 31 and wherein the second is in the outlet pipe 40.

In details the fan 31 is supplied with electrical power, that can originate either from the mains power supply 34 (120 - 220 - 240 Vac, depending on the country wherein the device is installed) or from a low voltage direct current supply or from a battery. Clearly, if the civil mains power supply is used, it can be necessary to use a potential divider for supplying the fan. The fan 31 is also connected to the siphon 32.
When the sanitary fitting 1 is not in use, the fan 31 is deactivated, it does not rotate, and therefore the air is not aspirated by the interior 1a of the sanitary fitting 1. Within the siphon 32, a quantity of water 33 is present, deriving from the tank 6 at the time of the last flushing made.
In this way it is not possible that eventual odours ascend from the sewerage system to the outlet pipe 40 and thus come to the sanitary fitting 1, because the water 33 acts as a block against themselves.
When a user of the sanitary fitting 1 starts to use it, for example by sitting on it or by coming near it, a sensor of presence 35 is activated. This sensor of presence 35 is electrically connected to the fan 31 by means of a cable 34b and in the easiest conditions, acts as switch of the supply 34, activating thus the fan 31 that begins to aspirate air by pushing therefore away the water 33 from the siphon 32.
The sensor of presence 35, schematically shown in figure 2 as a switch positioned under a support axis 1' of the sanitary fitting 1, can be for example but not limiting to it a sensor of pressure positioned under a seat board of the sanitary fitting or an infrared sensor. In this last case the sensor can be positioned also in remote position with respect to the sanitary fitting 1, provided that it frames the area above the sanitary fitting itself.
In this way and for all the duration of use of the sanitary fitting 1, eventual bad smells are removed directly in loco and aspirated in a path that departing from the sanitary fitting 1, through the water outlet pipe 5, passes through the inlet pipe 20, the fan 31, the siphon 32, for being finally canalized toward the outlet pipe 40.
The odours cannot ascend from the black waters outlet pipe 4 because of the presence of the siphon 32 of the sanitary fitting 1, and thus they are necessarily retained at the base of it.
Likewise, the odours cannot be aspirated from any other part, because the water outlet pipe 5 is closed.
When the user gets up from the sanitary fitting 1 or goes away from it, the sensor of presence 35 deactivates, blocking the functioning of the fan 31.
Then activating the lever 7, the cap 8 is lifted up from the lower edge of the tank 6; the water contained in it descending along the water outlet pipe 5 partly passes through the inlet pipe 20, through the fan 31, thus cleaning the siphon 32 and finally discharging itself in the black waters outlet pipe 4 being passed within the outlet pipe 40. Therefore, the filter constituted by the water 33 within the siphon 32 is restored each time the flushing of the sanitary fitting 1 is activated.
As shown in figure 3, a tank 6' can be provided with an overflow outlet pipe 9', that permits the outlet of excessive water in case of failure or blocking of the traditional float for limiting the water level present in the most part of the tanks 6 of known type.
In figure 3, again, the overflow outlet pipe 9' is positioned coaxially to the cap 8 and fixed to it so that it is lifted up together, when the outlet lever 7 is activated.
In order to ensure the best possible functioning of the device according to the present innovation, it is necessary that the overflow outlet pipe 9' can be closed during all the time the sensor 35 is activated, so that to ensure that the air and the bad smells suction does not come also from the water outlet pipe 5 but only from the sanitary fitting 1.
In this case, a second preferred form of embodiment of the device according to the present innovation comprises also a second float 50, positioned within the tank 6' so that:

in conditions of normal filling of the tank 6', the second float 50 acts on a cap 60 so that to close the overflow outlet pipe 9';
in condition of excessive filling of the tank 6' the second float allows the cap 60 to open for permitting in any case the discharge of the excessive water, thus preventing the overflow of the tank 6'.

This effect can be obtained for example by realizing the cap 60 in floating material and by mounting the second float 50 and the cap 60 on a tilting mechanism.
The advantages of the device for eliminating odours for flush type sanitary fittings according to the present innovation are known considering the above description. In particular, it permits the easy elimination of odours by aspirating the air directly from the interior of the sanitary fitting, not permitting or anyhow minimizing their dispersion within the toilet.
Furthermore, the device according to the present innovation permits to convey the air aspirated from the sanitary fitting directly within the sewerage system and, therefore, does not need considerable finishings for the connection for example to a flue or an equivalent pipe for the discharge of vapours and air nor protrusions on the exterior of the building, thus permitting the installation also in buildings of particular historical value.
Furthermore, the device according to the present innovation permits the suction of air only from the sanitary fitting 1, even if the tank for the water storage 6 is provided with an overflow outlet pipe that, in this case, is appropriately closed with a cap.
Finally, the typical odours of the sewerage system cannot pass through the device according to the present innovation, because the siphon 32, together with the siphon of the sanitary fitting 1, prevents the backflow.
It is finally clear that changes and variants can be made to the device here described without departing from the protective scope of the present innovation.
For example, the relative position of siphon and fan can be inverted with respect to what has been up to here described, without changing the efficacy of functioning of the present device.
It is also clear that, even if in the form of embodiment here described the sanitary fitting 1 is supplied by a tank 6, said tank can be substituted by a water supply pipe under pressure, openable and reclosable for example by means of a cock; in this case the first form of embodiment of the device here described can be applied without substantial changes.

Claims

Device (10) for eliminating odours in flush type sanitary fittings (20), said sanitary fittings (20) being connected to a flush water supply device (6) by means of a supply pipe (5); the device (10) comprising at least a water and/or air inlet pipe (20) connectable to said supply pipe (5), an outlet pipe (40) and a suction box (30) comprising a motorized ventilation means (31); said suction box (30) being connected to said inlet pipe (20) and to said outlet pipe (40) respectively; the device (10) is characterized by the presence of a siphon (32), in use of the device (10) said siphon (32) being partially filled with water (33) after the flushing of said sanitary fitting (1); said siphon (32) being connected to said ventilation means (31) within said suction box (30) and to said outlet pipe (40); said outlet pipe (40) being connectable to a sewerage system.
Device according to claim 1, wherein said inlet pipe (20) is suitable to be directly connected - air and watertight - to said supply pipe (5) connected to said sanitary fittings (20) and to said water supply device (6).
Device according to claim 2, wherein said inlet pipe (20) is connected to said supply pipe (5) in correspondence to a oblique segment.
Device according to claim 1, wherein said ventilation means (31) is an electrically supplied fan.
Device according to claim 4, wherein said fan is activated along with an action of usage of said sanitary fitting (1) by a sensor of presence (35).
Device according to claim 5, wherein said sensor of presence (35) is a sensor of pressure positioned under a seat board of said sanitary fitting (1) or an infrared sensor.
Device according to claim 1, wherein said water supply device is a tank (6)(6') comprising a drain cap (8) operable by a lever (7).
Device according to claim 7, also comprising a movable closing cap (60) of an overflow outlet pipe (9') of said tank (6'); said overflow outlet pipe (9') communicating and being able to let out the excessive water within the supply pipe (5); said closing cap (60) possessing a first open position and a second closed position and wherein said first open position is present at least when said overflow is reached.
Device according to claims 5 and 8, wherein during said activation of said fan, said closing cap (60) is in said second closed position.