US20040098799A1

US20040098799A1 - Combined toilet & urinal

Info

Publication number: US20040098799A1
Application number: US10/302,974
Authority: US
Inventors: Ernest Abney
Original assignee: Individual
Current assignee: Individual
Priority date: 2002-11-25
Filing date: 2002-11-25
Publication date: 2004-05-27

Abstract

A combined toilet and urinal has a flush tank and a toilet having a toilet bowl mounted to the flush tank and having a water input from the flush tank and a siphon outlet. The waterless urinal has a urinal bowl having a drain therein. The toilet bowl and urinal bowl are formed in one dual bowl toilet body. A drain tube connects the urinal drain to the toilet siphon outlet of the toilet bowl for draining urine from the waterless urinal and a floatable drain cover is positioned in the waterless urinal bowl to cover the drain opening in the absence of liquid in the bowl and uncovers the urinal drain opening when liquid in the urinal bowl floats the drain cover. The drain cover can be a floatable ball, such as a hollow plastic sphere, while the urinal ball is shaped to direct the free-floating bowl over the drain whenever there is no liquid in the urinal bowl. The urinal bowl has a bottom portion shaped to guide the floatable drain cover over the drain opening.

Description

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

Water conserving toilets are well known in the prior art. One known type of water conserving toilet is a “dual-flush” toilet in which a toilet provides independently flushable urinal and main bowls for the disposal of liquid and solid wastes. The flushing apparatus associated with the urinal bowl, which is typically smaller than the main bowl, uses less water than that of the main bowl and thus saves water as compared to a one-bowl toilet that is flushed with the same volume of water, regardless of whether solid or liquid waste are being disposed of. Known dual-flush toilets tend to be more complex, particularly with respect to the apparatus for flushing the urinal bowl. In contrast to this type of prior art dual bowl toilet, the present invention uses separate bowls for liquid and solid waste but utilizes a waterless urinal for additional saving in water used.

In U.S. Pat. No. 6,061,844 to Barton, a water conserving toilet has independently flushable main and urinal bowls with a common water storage tank for storing water for the flushable bowls. In U.S. Pat. No. 5,050,248 to Olivero, a combination toilet and urinal includes a one piece urinal as part of the flush tank. The urinal is fitted with a separate flush valve using a portion of the water from the water closet. In U.S. Pat. No. 4,197,598 to Lemmon a siphoning water closet incorporates a toilet bowl having a first flushable reservoir for liquid waste and a second flushable reservoir for solid waste. The reservoirs are separately flushable to reduce the water usage. In U.S. Pat. No. 3,947,900 to Duke, a combination commode construction has a water closet and separate control means on the water closet for individually flushing each of separate commodes and separate flushing means including means to control the amount of water used in the flushing of each commode. In U.S. Pat. No. 826,335 to Howe, a water closet bowl has a cuspidor mounted therein. In the Gosieniecki, U.S. Pat. No. 681,541, a water closet bowl has a receptacle located exterior of the bowl but connected to the interior of the bowl for use as a cuspidor. In the Burger, U.S. Pat. No. 1,519,112, a double compartment toilet bowl and water closet is provided for, each compartment provided with a separate seat enclosure lid. Design Pat. No. Des 283,834 to Grudzinskas shows a two-bowl toilet and urinal.

In contrast to these prior patents, the present invention is directed towards a combined toilet and waterless urinal in which the drain from the waterless urinal is fed into the toilet siphon outlet and which contains a floatable drain cover to avoid the breaking of the siphon in the toilet and simultaneously blocks fumes from the drain.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

A combined toilet and urinal has a flush tank and a toilet having a toilet bowl mounted to the flush tank and having a water input from the flush tank and a siphon outlet. The waterless urinal has a urinal bowl having a drain therein. The toilet bowl and urinal bowl are formed in one dual bowl toilet body. A drain tube connects the urinal drain to the toilet siphon outlet of the toilet bowl for draining urine from the waterless urinal and a floatable drain cover is positioned in the waterless urinal bowl to cover the drain opening in the absence of liquid in the bowl and uncovers the urinal drain opening when liquid in the urinal bowl floats the drain cover. The drain cover can be a floatable ball, such as a hollow plastic sphere, while the urinal bowl is shaped to direct the free-floating ball over the drain whenever there is no liquid in the urinal bowl. The urinal bowl has a bottom portion shaped to guide the floatable drain cover over the drain opening.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

Other objects, features, and advantages of the present invention will be apparent from the written description and the drawings in which: [0005]
FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a combined toilet and urinal; [0006]
FIG. 2 is a sectional view of the combined toilet and urinal of FIG. 1 showing the drain from the urinal; and [0007]
FIG. 3 is a sectional view of the toilet and urinal of FIGS. 1 and 2 having the drain from the urinal covered.[0008]

DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT

Referring to FIGS. 1 through 3 of the drawings, a dual bowl toilet and [0009] urinal 10 includes a flush tank 11 having a cover 12 and attached to a dual bowl toilet and urinal body 13. The body 13 has a base 14 and has a toilet bowl 15 mounted adjacent a urinal bowl 16. The toilet bowl 15 is connected to the flush tank 11 in a conventional manner to allow the flush handle 17 to actuate the flapper valve to flush the toilet through a conventional siphon toilet drain. A ballcock mechanism then controls the filling of the bowl 15. The urinal bowl 16 has a floatable drain cover 18 free-floating therein which may be a hollow plastic sphere or ball. The urinal bowl 16 has a curved bottom shape 20 which directs the free-floating ball 18 over the drain 21 opening 22, as shown in FIG. 3, to cover the drain 21 opening 22 when there is no liquid in the urinal bowl 16. Once the waterless urinal bowl 16 receives liquid urine 19, the ball 18 floats in the liquid 19 to open the drain 21 opening 22 to allow the liquid to drain therefrom. A tube 23 connects the drain 21 into a side opening 24 into the siphon drain of the toilet 15 to allow a liquid to drain from the waterless urinal bowl 16 into the drain of the toilet. The tube 23 is curved to extend below the side opening 24 to form a trap and retain liquid therein. The floating drain cover 18 prevents the siphon from the conventional siphon toilet from being broken by air entering into the siphon from the urinal drain during flushing of the conventional toilet 15 and simultaneously blocks fumes from the drain tube 23 from escaping outside the drain 21 through the opening 22. The urinal bowl 16 may also have a handle 25 which can direct water into the urinal bowl 16 when cleaning the bowl.
It should be clear at this time that a dual bowl toilet and urinal has been provided in which a waterless urinal is combined with a standard flushable toilet in order to conserve water in the operation of a toilet and which simplifies the operation of the waterless urinal by covering the urinal drain. However, the present invention should not be considered as limited to the forms shown which are to be considered illustrative rather than restrictive. [0010]

Claims

I claim:

1. A combined toilet and urinal comprising:

a flush tank;

a toilet having a toilet bowl mounted to said flush tank and having a water input from said flush tank and a syphon outlet;

a waterless urinal having a urinal bowl having a drain therein having a drain opening, said waterless urinal being mounted adjacent said toilet;

a drain tube connecting said urinal drain to said toilet syphon outlet of said toilet for draining urine from said waterless urinal; and

a floatable drain cover positioned in said waterless urinal bowl to cover said drain opening in the absence of liquid therein, said floatable drain cover uncovering said drain opening when liquid in said urinal bowl floats said drain cover to open said drain opening.

2. The combined toilet and urinal in accordance with claim 1 in which said floatable drain cover is a floatable ball.

3. The combined toilet and urinal in accordance with claim 2 in which said floatable drain cover is a floatable hollow plastic sphere.

4. The combined toilet and urinal in accordance with claim 1 in which said water urinal is mounted adjacent and to one side of said toilet.

5. The combined toilet and urinal in accordance with claim 4 in which said toilet bowl and urinal bowl are formed in one dual bowl toilet body.

6. The combined toilet and urinal in accordance with claim 1 in which said waterless urinal bowl has a bottom portion shaped to guide said floatable drain cover over said drain opening.

7. The combined toilet and urinal in accordance with claim 1 in which said drain tube connecting said urinal drain to said toilet syphon outlet of said toilet bowl is a tube located on the outside of said dual bowl toilet and urinal body.

8. The combined toilet and urinal in accordance with claim 1 in which said drain tube connecting said urinal drain to said toilet syphon outlet of said toilet bowl forms a liquid trap therein.