IL143370A - Water saving device - Google Patents

Description

WATER SAVING DEVICE c m iwn pnn The present invention relates to residential water saving. ore particularly, the invention provides a device for capturing cold water from a shower head for reuse in toilet flushing.

Many countries are suffering a water shortage, partly through increased population and higher consumption per head, and in semi-arid countries including Israel also from faulty policy decisions such as subsidizing water for farmers. Urban consumers are being charged ever higher prices for water, and then again for sewage. As a result there is a larger market for devices which prevent wastage or make reuse possible. The higher water prices are bringing economic feasibility to devices which no-one would install in times when water was too cheap to be metered. Examples are the two-volume flush cistern, which became widely accepted even before the water shortage reached crisis proportions, and automatic urinals which flush only when a user departs, which are now used in many hotels and other public buildings.

Devices have been proposed for reuse of used water from the kitchen, bathroom and toilet. Such water requires purification for practically any purpose. Unfiltered used water is not suitable for feeding into a toilet cistern due to solid deposits which will accumulate in the cistern and cause malfunctioning of the mechanism and/or leakage through the discharge valve seal.

Most people take hot showers, the source of the hot water often being a solar collector positioned on the building roof. Hot water for residential consumption is stored in an insulated roof tank positioned adjacent to the solar collectors. A long non-insulated pipe connects the roof tank to the hot water circuit of the flat or house, and when opening a hot water tap all the cold water held in the pipeline is delivered to the user, who diverts the cold water to a drain, before any hot water is received. The length of the pipe, and consequently the volume of cold water received before hot water is available, is larger for the lower flats than for the upper flats of a multi-storey residential building. In the kitchen it is a common experience that the washing of a few dishes is completed with cold water before any hot water whatsoever arrives from the hot water storage tank.

The following example provides a quantitative estimate with regard to showering. Suppose that a family living on the ground floor of a 4-storey building takes 5 showers daily. 12 Liters of cold water are wasted before each shower, and if about 1800 showers are taken in a year, the wastage totals over 21 cubic meters yearly. Aside from costs to the consumer, such wastage takes away water from other essential uses and it is in the interest of governments to prevent wastage in any sector.

Related prior art devices are concerned with recycling of used shower or bath water. Such devices must deal with water that is not clean, and is located at or near floor level. Consequently, the water needs filtering and pumping to a higher level, as seen in US Patent no. 5,206,963 to Weins. The alternative to pumping is for the user to lift a container of used water, as suggested by Small in US Patent no. 5,168,586 for direct use in toilet flushing or garden irrigation. Success in the former activity is doubtful due to low flow rate, and in the later application it is uncertain whether soap water is appreciated by plants.

It is therefore one of the objects of the present invention to obviate the disadvantages of prior art shower water saving devices and to save wastage of initial cold water supplied to a shower from a hot water line.

It is a further object of the present invention to provide a device which can be operated while not requiring pumping or electric power.

The present invention achieves the above objects by providing a water saving device comprising a) a first means for collecting initial cold water flow from a shower head connected to a hot water supply; b) a container for receiving water from the first means, the container including an inlet, an outlet and means for limiting the water level in the container, the inlet being connected to the first means by a first fluid conduit; and c) a second fluid conduit leading from the outlet of the container and attachable to a cistern of a water flushing toilet, the second fluid conduit being associated with a first valve means positionable within the cistern for limiting the amount of water passing from the second fluid conduit to the cistern.

In a preferred embodiment of the present invention there is provided a water saving device wherein the first means for collecting initial cold water flow is movable from a first water-receiving position to a second non-water-receiving position, the arrangement being such that the first means are adapted to assume the first position to receive initial cold water flow from the shower head, to transfer same to the container for storage and transfer to the water cistern when needed, and after the initial cold water flow to assume a second position whereby heated water exiting the shower head is free for shower use.

In a most preferred embodiment of the present invention there is provided a water saving device wherein the container is positionable at a vertically higher level than the cistern, and the first means for collecting initial cold water flow is positionable at a higher vertical level than the container, water flow through both fluid conduits being effected by gravity.

Yet further embodiments of the invention will be described hereinafter.

It will thus be realized that the novel device of the present invention serves to save water which would otherwise be wasted by direct action of the user. Many people have a psychological aversion to taking action which causes wastage in their presence. In contradistinction thereto, most people are little disturbed by seeing water leaking from a faulty cistern discharge valve, as they have not taken any action to cause such leakage. However many people fee! that something should be done to avoid wasting the initial cold water received at a shower head. The present invention caters to this need.

For safety reasons and to meet local regulations, line-voltage electrical appliances, switches and electric sockets are generally not used in bathrooms. Lights and a space heater when installed are usually wired in, and if provided with a switch this is most likely of the cord pull type. Unlike some prior art devices, the device of the present invention has no pump or electric appliance of any sort, thus making it suitable and convenient for installation in the bathroom.

Many house owners are concerned in maintaining an aesthetic appearance in the bathroom. While this is best achieved when the device of the present invention is built in a new house, much can be done to improve appearance also with a retrofit device. For example, the container for receiving water can be faced by a mirror or disguised as a dummy cabinet, while the lower (second fluid) conduit can be adapted in part for use as a towel rail.

An unexpected benefit of the present invention is that the toilet cistern can execute two flush actions, if required, in quick succession. This results from the flush cistern being filled simultaneously from two sources, the normal water line and the container of cold shower water.

The invention will now be described in connection with certain preferred embodiments with reference to the following illustrative figures so that it may be more fully understood.

With specific reference now to the figures in detail, it is stressed that the particulars shown are by way of example and for purposes of illustrative discussion of the preferred embodiments of the present invention only and are presented in the cause of providing what is believed to be the most useful and readily understood description of the principles and conceptual aspects of the invention. In this regard, no attempt is made to show structural details of the invention in more detail than is necessary for a fundamental understanding of the invention, the description taken with the drawings making apparent to those skilled in the art how the several forms of the invention may be embodied in practice.

In the drawings: FIG. 1a is an elevational view of a preferred embodiment of the water saving device according to the invention; FIG. 1b is a plan view of the cistern of the same embodiment; FIG. 2 is an elevational view of a container of a second embodiment; FIG. 3 is an elevational view of a container of a third embodiment; FIG. 4 is a perspective view of a detail of a swinging funnel; FIG. 5 is a perspective view of an embodiment including a heat sensor; and FIG. 6 is a plan view of a cistern adapted for an independent float valve.

There is seen in FIG. 1a a water saving device 10.

A first means for collecting initial cold water flow from a shower head 12 connected to a hot water supply is a funnel 14. The funnel 14 is positioned and rigidly supported so that the shower head 12, which in the present embodiment is movable and receives water through a flexible tube 16, can be positioned directly above the open upper end of the funnel 14. The funnel shown has an elongated extension 18 configured to support the shower head handle 20. When hot water arrives at the shower head 12, the user removes the shower head 12 from the funnel 14 and can then hold the shower handle 20 by hand or suspend the shower head handle 20 on the existing hook-like device 22 made for this purpose, well clear of the funnel 14.

A storage container 24 is attachable to a wall for receiving and storing cold water 26 received from the funnel 14. The container 24 includes an inlet 28, an outlet 30 and means for limiting the water level in the container. In the present embodiment the container 24 has a closed upper face 32 to prevent overflowing. A breather valve 34 is connected to and disposed above the closed upper face. Any overfilling will fill and overflow the funnel 14. The inlet 28 is connected to the funnel 14 by a first fluid conduit 36.

In a further embodiment (not shown) the funnel 14 is supported by an extension of the container 24.

Typically a 30 liter container 24 will be adequate. Assuming that the thickness of a wall-mounted container is limited to 12 cm so as not to substantially encroach on the space occupied by the user, a container measuring 36 cm by 70 cm will store the required quantity of water.

A second fluid conduit 38 leads from the outlet 30 of the container 24 and is attached to a cistern 40, likely to be fitted with a dual-flush mechanism 44, for a water flushing toilet 42. As seen in FIG. 1b, the second fluid conduit 38 is connected to a first valve means positioned within the cistern 40 for limiting the amount of water passing from the second fluid conduit 38 to the cistern 40.

In the present embodiment the second fluid conduit 38 is attached to a second cistern inlet float valve 46 positioned adjacent and parallel to the existing cistern inlet valve 48. The existing float lever is replaced by a forked-end float lever 50 which actuates both valves 46, 48 simultaneously. The existing float body 52 is retained to operate the forked-end float lever 50. Advantageously the container 24 is positioned at a vertically higher level than the cistern 40. Wall mounting is the preferred method shown, although leg supports for standing the container on the floor is an alternative.

The first means, i.e. the funnel 14 for collecting initial cold water flow is positionable at a higher vertical level than the container 24.

Water flow through both fluid conduits 36, 38 is effected by gravity. No pumps, electric or manual, are required.

With regard to the rest of the figures, similar reference numerals have been used to identify similar parts.

Referring now to FIG. 2, there is seen a detail of a further embodiment 54 of the water saving device seen in FIG. 1.

The means for limiting the water level in the container 56 comprises an overflow orifice 58 disposed near the top of the container causing discharge of excess water to drain means, such as already exists in the cubicle 60 or bathtub where showering is done.

The container 56 is open, and provided with a removable cover 62. No breather valve is needed, as air can easily traverse gaps between the removable cover 62 and the open upper edge of the container 56.

FIG. 3 illustrates a detail of an embodiment of the water saving device 64 wherein the means for limiting the water level in the storage container 66 comprises a float valve 68. When the container 66 is nearly full the float valve 68 closes the container inlet 70, whereafter additional water received from the shower head causes overflow at the funnel 14.

Seen in FIG. 4 is a detail of a further embodiment 72, intended for use in combination with a fixed position shower head 74. As the shower head 74 cannot be moved from a water saving position to an in-use position, the receiving funnel 76 is supported on a pivot arm 78 revolvably pinned at 84 to a wall bracket 80, designed to swing between the two positions, and the first conduit 82 receiving water from the funnel 76 is a flexible tube.

Thus the first means, i.e. the funnel 76 for collecting initial cold water flow is movable between a first water-receiving position (shown by broken line) to a second non-water-receiving position, shown on the left of the diagram.

The funnel 76 in its first position receives initial cold water flow from the shower head 74, to transfer same to the container 24 seen in FIG. 1a, for storage and transfer to the water flush cistern 24 seen in FIG. 1a, when needed.

After the initial cold water flow, the user moves the funnel 76 to assume a non-active second position so as not to obstruct the free flow of heated water exiting the fixed position shower head 74 during normal shower use.

Referring now to FIG. 5, there is depicted a detail of a further water saving device 86.

The first means, i.e. the funnel 88, is provided with temperature sensing and indicating means, so that the user will know when to hot water is available for showering. The present embodiment shows a cholesteric liquid crystal thermometer 90 attached to the side of the funnel 88. A thermometer of this type reversibly changes color at a specified temperature, for example at 30° C. The thermometers are commercially available, one of the manufacturers being the Hallcrest company.

On of the advantage of thermometer 90 lies in the fact that those taking showers do so while not wearing spectacles, and most ordinary thermometers are difficult to read in such circumstances.

In the embodiment of which a detail is seen in FIG. 6, a water saving device 92 has a first valve means 94 positioned within the flushing cistern 96 and associated with its own independent float means 98 for controlling same. Such an arrangement is likely to be easier to install where the device 92 is added as a retrofit item.

The first valve means 94 thus is a float valve, which prevents low pressure water entering the cistern 96 if the cistern is full. Due to the low pressure to be resisted, only a small float 98 and a short float lever 100 are needed, which eases the problem of finding free space in a cistern 96 already occupied by a large float lever 102 and float body 104, as well as by a dual-flush mechanism 106.

It will be evident to those skilled in the art that the invention is not limited to the details of the foregoing illustrative embodiments and that the present invention may be embodied in other specific forms without departing from the spirit or essential attributes thereof. The present embodiments are therefore to be considered in all respects as illustrative and not restrictive, the scope of the invention being indicated by the appended claims rather than by the foregoing description, and all changes which come within the meaning and range of equivalency of the claims are therefore intended to be embraced therein.

Claims (7)

WHAT IS CLAIMED IS:

1. A water saving device comprising a) a first means for collecting initial cold water flow from a shower head connected to a hot water supply; b) a container for receiving water from said first means, said container including an inlet, an outlet and means for limiting the water level in said container, said inlet being connected to said first means by a first fluid conduit; and c) a second fluid conduit leading from said outlet of said container and attachable to a cistern of a water flushing toilet, said second fluid conduit being associated with a first valve means positionable within said cistern for limiting the amount of water passing from said second fluid conduit to said cistern.

2. A water saving device according to claim 1 , wherein said means for limiting the water level in said container comprises an overflow orifice causing discharge of excess water to drain means.

3. A water saving device according to claim 1 , wherein said first means for collecting initial cold water flow is movable from a first water-receiving position to a second non-water-receiving position, the arrangement being such that said first means are adapted to assume said first position to receive initial cold water flow from said shower head, to transfer same to said container for storage and transfer to said water cistern when needed, and after said initial cold water flow to assume a second position whereby heated water exiting said shower head is free for shower use.

4. A water saving device according to claim 1 , wherein said first means is provided with temperature sensing and indicating means.

5. A water saving device according to claim 1 , wherein said first valve means positionable within said cistern is associated with a float means controlling same.

6. A water saving device according to claim 2, wherein said means for limiting the water level in said container comprises a float valve.

7. A water saving device according to claim 1 , wherein said container is positionable at a vertically higher level than said cistern, and said first means for collecting initial cold water flow is positionable at a higher vertical level than said container, water flow through both fluid conduits being effected by gravity. For the Applicant WOLFF, BREGMAN AND GOLLER