GB1592639A

GB1592639A - Overflow device for water flushing apparatus

Info

Publication number: GB1592639A
Application number: GB2298578A
Authority: GB
Original assignee: Pons A M
Current assignee: Pons A M
Priority date: 1978-05-26
Filing date: 1978-05-26
Publication date: 1981-07-08

Description

(54) AN OVERFLOW DEVICE FOR WATER FLUSHING APPARATUS (71) I, AUGUSTUS MICHAEL PONS, of British Nationality, of 19 Governor's Street, Gibraltar, do hereby declare the invention, for which I pray that a patent may be granted to me, and the method by which it is to performed, to be particularly described in and by the following statement:- This invention relates to water flushing apparatus.

A conventional arrangement of flushing cistern for toilets has a cistern tank which is provided with a downpipe leading to the toilet bowl or other item to be flushed.

Within the cistern tank there is arranged a syphon device which can be operated to initiate a flow of water down the downpipe, the flow of water over the syphon bend then causing the whole of the water content of the cistern tank, down to a predetermined lower level, to be drawn through the syphon device and used for flushing purposes.

Such flushing cisterns are conventionally filled from a pressurised supply of water fed in through some form of control valve, e.g. a ballcock valve, which is operable to stop the entry of water when the level in the cistern has reached a predetermined height. It can happen that the inlet valve becomes inoperable and fails to stop the entry of water when the predetermined level is reached in the cistern, and the cistern tank then overflows and water may continue to pour out unchecked until the next time of use of the flush. For this reason, it is essential to provide an escape route for water, from the cistern tank, which is readily capable of accommodating, with capacity to spare, the incoming water flow, in case of malfunctioning of the inlet valve.

Hitherto, it has been conventional to provide a second outlet opening in the cistern tank, disposed at a level above the normal maximum water level of the cistern tank, and to connect this second opening to a pipe leading to a drain or other outlet. This entails considerable extra plumbing, and in particular requires a second drain outlet, so that extra expense and complication are involved.

It is the object of the present invention to provide an improved arrangement of safety overflow device, for cistern tank and syphon assemblies, which permits the usual second outlet of the cistern tank to be eliminated.

According to the present invention I provide a syphon assembly, of the kind having an up-pipe leading from a piston and cylinder device to the upper end of a downpipe to be connected to the item to be flushed, and a lever connecting the piston to an operating handle, characterised by the provision of a duct defining an overflow passage having a first end opening to the exterior at a position below the normal maximum water level in which the syphon assembly is intended to operate, but above the lower end of the cylinder device, and having a second end opening into the downpipe at a position spaced from the top of the downpipe a distance between one quarter and one half of the length from the top of the downpipe to the bottom of the cylinder, said assembly being free from any duct closing means.

With such an arrangement, if the usual controlling inlet valve of the water supply should fail, for any reason, to limit the maximum depth of water in the cistern tank, e.g. if a ballcock valve becomes stuck or if the ball of the valve falls off, the water which continues to rise in the cistern tank merely rises up the overflow passage and then passes into the downpipe and can escape away indefinitely into the toilet bowl or other item to be flushed.

In a preferred arrangement, the means defining the overflow passage is a pipe disposed externally of the syphon assembly, and such pipe may conveniently incorporate a pipe length secured on a spigot integral with the downpipe of the syphon assembly.

In order that the nature of the invention may be readily ascertained, an embodiment of toilet syphon incorporating the improved overflow device of the present invention is hereinafter particularly described with reference to the accompanying drawing, wherein the first figure is a side elevation of a syphon assembly in position in a cistern tank, parts being shown in section, and the second figure is a section of the downpipe and overflow pipe.

Referring to the drawing, the syphon illustrated is a conventional model available on the market and includes a cylinder I having an open bottom'wend which, when the syphon is positioned in the tank 3, is spaced from the base of the tank and can receive water in the tank. Within the cylinder there is a piston connected to a piston rod 4 having a connector 5 for connecting to any convenient form of operating handle. The piston includes a one-way valve permitting water to pass upwardly, but not downwardly, through the piston. The upper end of the cylinder 1 communicates through an up-pipe 6 with the upper end of a downpipe 7 having at its lower end a conventional screw-threaded union 8 for connection to a pipe leading to the lavatory bowl or other item to be flushed.

The overflow device of the present invention comprises a vertical pipe or duct 9joined to a horizontal portion 10 which opens into the side wall of the downpipe 7 at a position spaced well above the normal maximum water line of the tank, and spaced from the top of the downpipe 7 a distance between one quarter and one half of the length from the top of the downpipe to the bottom of the cylinder. The duct 9 is free from any duct closing means.

The lower end 11 of the pipe 9 is open, and when the entire syphon is mounted in the tank, the open lower end 11 is spaced from the base of the tank to permit water flow.

The operation is as follows: When the usual ballcock valve or other controlling water inlet is operating properly, the water level will never reach the horizontal portion 10 of the overflow pipe, and the entire syphon operates in the usual way.

If the ballcock valve or other controlling water inlet valve becomes faulty in such a manner that if fails to control the maximum level of water entering the tank, so that there is risk of the tank then overflowing, the water rising in the tank also rises in the pipe 9, 10 and, when a high enough excess level is attained, the water simply flows up through the pipe 9 and then through horizontal portion 10 and can escape away through the downpipe 7 to the lavatory bowl or other unit itself having ample provision for escape of excess water.

The diameter of the downpipe 7 would normally be such as to accommodate readily any excess flow of water permitted by the usual inlet valve system, so that there is no risk of the intake of water exceeding the capacity of the downpipe 7 to permit it to flow away.

Because the improved device utilises the existing downpipe 7 as the means for permitting escape of excess water, there is no need to provide a separate overflow outlet from the tank, and much extra plumbing is thereby avoided. The pipe 9, 10 of the invention can readily be fitted as an extra to existing syphon units, or can be incorporated with the syphon unit at the time of manufacture. Such syphon units are commonly manufactured as integral mouldings of plastics material, and it is readily possible to include in such a moulding a horizontal spigot extending laterally from the downpipe 7, at the position of the horizontal portion 10, and to provide an angled pipe 9, 10 which can be simply forced onto the spigot as a push-fit.

No special sealing provisions need be made, as the pipe 9, 10, and its connection to the downpipe 7, merely have to accommodate a simple overflow of water, not under any pressure greater than atmospheric.

WHAT I CLAIM IS: I. A syphon assembly, of the kind having an up-pipe leading from a piston and cylinder device to the upper end of a downpipe to be connected to the item to be flushed, and a lever connecting the piston to an operating handle, characterised by the provision of a duct defining an overflow passage having a first end opening to the exterior at a position below the normal maximum water level in which the syphon assembly is intended to operate, but above the lower end of the cylinder device, and having a second end opening into the downpipe at a position spaced from the top of the downpipe a distance between one quarter and one half of the length from the top of the downpipe to the bottom of the cylinder, said assembly being free from any duct closing means.

2. A syphon assembly, as claimed in claim 1, wherein the means defining the overflow passage is a pipe disposed externally of the syphon assembly.

3. A syphon assembly, as claimed in claim 2, wherein the pipe incorporates a pipe length secured on a spigot integral with the downpipe of the syphon assembly.

4. A syphon assembly, as claimed in claim 1, substantially as described herein with reference to the accompanying drawing.

**WARNING** end of DESC field may overlap start of CLMS **.

Claims

**WARNING** start of CLMS field may overlap end of DESC **.

Referring to the drawing, the syphon illustrated is a conventional model available on the market and includes a cylinder I having an open bottom'wend which, when the syphon is positioned in the tank 3, is spaced from the base of the tank and can receive water in the tank. Within the cylinder there is a piston connected to a piston rod 4 having a connector 5 for connecting to any convenient form of operating handle. The piston includes a one-way valve permitting water to pass upwardly, but not downwardly, through the piston. The upper end of the cylinder 1 communicates through an up-pipe 6 with the upper end of a downpipe 7 having at its lower end a conventional screw-threaded union 8 for connection to a pipe leading to the lavatory bowl or other item to be flushed.

The overflow device of the present invention comprises a vertical pipe or duct 9joined to a horizontal portion 10 which opens into the side wall of the downpipe 7 at a position spaced well above the normal maximum water line of the tank, and spaced from the top of the downpipe 7 a distance between one quarter and one half of the length from the top of the downpipe to the bottom of the cylinder. The duct 9 is free from any duct closing means.

The lower end 11 of the pipe 9 is open, and when the entire syphon is mounted in the tank, the open lower end 11 is spaced from the base of the tank to permit water flow.

The operation is as follows: When the usual ballcock valve or other controlling water inlet is operating properly, the water level will never reach the horizontal portion 10 of the overflow pipe, and the entire syphon operates in the usual way.

If the ballcock valve or other controlling water inlet valve becomes faulty in such a manner that if fails to control the maximum level of water entering the tank, so that there is risk of the tank then overflowing, the water rising in the tank also rises in the pipe 9, 10 and, when a high enough excess level is attained, the water simply flows up through the pipe 9 and then through horizontal portion 10 and can escape away through the downpipe 7 to the lavatory bowl or other unit itself having ample provision for escape of excess water.

The diameter of the downpipe 7 would normally be such as to accommodate readily any excess flow of water permitted by the usual inlet valve system, so that there is no risk of the intake of water exceeding the capacity of the downpipe 7 to permit it to flow away.

Because the improved device utilises the existing downpipe 7 as the means for permitting escape of excess water, there is no need to provide a separate overflow outlet from the tank, and much extra plumbing is thereby avoided. The pipe 9, 10 of the invention can readily be fitted as an extra to existing syphon units, or can be incorporated with the syphon unit at the time of manufacture. Such syphon units are commonly manufactured as integral mouldings of plastics material, and it is readily possible to include in such a moulding a horizontal spigot extending laterally from the downpipe 7, at the position of the horizontal portion 10, and to provide an angled pipe 9, 10 which can be simply forced onto the spigot as a push-fit.

No special sealing provisions need be made, as the pipe 9, 10, and its connection to the downpipe 7, merely have to accommodate a simple overflow of water, not under any pressure greater than atmospheric.

WHAT I CLAIM IS: I. A syphon assembly, of the kind having an up-pipe leading from a piston and cylinder device to the upper end of a downpipe to be connected to the item to be flushed, and a lever connecting the piston to an operating handle, characterised by the provision of a duct defining an overflow passage having a first end opening to the exterior at a position below the normal maximum water level in which the syphon assembly is intended to operate, but above the lower end of the cylinder device, and having a second end opening into the downpipe at a position spaced from the top of the downpipe a distance between one quarter and one half of the length from the top of the downpipe to the bottom of the cylinder, said assembly being free from any duct closing means.
2. A syphon assembly, as claimed in claim 1, wherein the means defining the overflow passage is a pipe disposed externally of the syphon assembly.
3. A syphon assembly, as claimed in claim 2, wherein the pipe incorporates a pipe length secured on a spigot integral with the downpipe of the syphon assembly.
4. A syphon assembly, as claimed in claim 1, substantially as described herein with reference to the accompanying drawing.