US20080250555A1

US20080250555A1 - Toilet overflow prevention system

Info

Publication number: US20080250555A1
Application number: US11/735,076
Authority: US
Inventors: Edward Gaffey
Original assignee: Individual
Current assignee: Individual
Priority date: 2007-04-13
Filing date: 2007-04-13
Publication date: 2008-10-16

Abstract

A toilet over flow prevention system for installation into a toilet having a tank in fluid communication with a bowl and having a flapper style flush valve and a supplemental water supply. The over flow system includes a flapper solenoid mounted in the tank, for depressing the flapper valve into a closed position, a overflow sensor mounted in the bowl for sensing a over fill condition in the bowl, and a control box communicating with the over flow sensor and the flapper solenoid for operably signalling the flapper solenoid to depress the flapper valve into the closed position in the case of a over fill condition.

Description

FIELD OF THE INVENTION

The present invention relates to toilet overflow devices and particularly relates to the devices providing overflow prevention in traditional toilets.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

Presently there is nothing stopping a traditional toilet from continuing to overflow the toilet bowl should there be a blockage in the drain and/or some other reason why the toilet bowl cannot drain. Therefore, flooding can and will occur should there be a blockage in the drain. Overflowing occurs since the toilet tank will continue to refill provided that the user continues to flush the toilet.
Therefore it is desirable to have a device which will sense an overflow condition and provide for a prevention system which will prevent the toilet bowl from being continually overflowed with water from the toilet tank.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

The toilet overflow prevention system will now be described by way of example only with reference to the following drawings in which:

FIG. 1 is a partial cut away schematic perspective view of a traditional toilet with the toilet overflow prevention system deployed therein.

FIG. 2 is a partial cut away schematic perspective view of the toilet tank filling apparatus together with the toilet overflow prevention system deployed therein, wherein the flapper valve is shown in an open position.

FIG. 3 is a partial cut away schematic perspective view of the filling components of the toilet system together with the toilet overflow prevention system deployed therein showing the flapper valve in the closed position.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT

The toilet overflow prevention system will now be described by way of example, only with reference to FIGS. 1, 2 and 3 of the attached drawings.
The toilet overflow prevention system shown generally as 100 is shown deployed in a traditional toilet shown generally as 102, wherein the toilet having the traditional features, namely a toilet tank 110, a toilet bowl 112, a fill control 114, a drain stand pipe 116, a flapper valve 118, a water supply 120 as well as a supplemental water supply 122.
All of these components are present in a traditional toilet 102, wherein water from water supply 120 is supplied through fill control 114 and fills toilet tank 110 to a certain predetermined level which is controlled by fill control 114. This is usually accomplished through floats and/or other devices which ensure that the water level within toilet tank 110 is filled to a certain level.
In addition to water entering into toilet tank 110 during the filling of toilet tank 110, there is a supplemental water supply 122 which normally diverts a certain portion of the water entering into toilet tank 110 down into drain stand pipe 116, such that a certain small portion of water is communicated down into toilet bowl 112 to ensure that a certain minimum level of water is maintained in toilet bowl 112 after each flush.
Toilet overflow prevention system 100 is shown deployed in a traditional toilet 102 and includes the following major components namely, flapper solenoid 130, having a ram 132 which can impinge upon the top of flapper valve 118. Toilet overflow prevention system 100 further includes a supplemental solenoid 140 in communication with a supplemental shut off valve 142 for opening and closing the flow of supplemental water supply 122 to drain stand pipe 116.
Toilet bowl 112 is further fitted with an overflow sensor 146 which can sense a high water condition within toilet bowl 112. Overflow sensor 145, flapper solenoid 130, supplemental shut off valve 142 and supplemental solenoid 140 are all interconnected and in communication with control wires 148 via a control box 150. Control box 150 is shown plugged into a 120 volt alternating current wall outlet but could also be battery operated.
FIG. 2 shows ram 132 of flapper solenoid 130 in a ram up position 166. Ram 132 can travel in a vertical direction 164 in order to close flapper valve 118. In FIG. 2, flapper valve 118 is shown in an open position 160. FIG. 2 is showing the toilet overflow prevention system 100 in the normal position in which there is not an overflow condition. Supplemental shut off valve 142 is open in this situation and allows flow of water through supplemental water supply down into drain pipe 116 as is normal during normal operation of toilet 102.
Should an overfill condition in the toilet bowl 112 be detected by overflow sensor 146 which is located somewhere within toilet bowl 112, it will send a signal to control box 150 which in turn will send signals to flapper solenoid 130, supplemental solenoid 140 as well as supplemental shut off valve 142, thereby causing flapper solenoid 130 to extend ram 132 into the ram down position 168 which impinges upon the top of flapper valve 118 as shown in FIG. 3 forcibly closing flapper valve 118 into a closed position 162 as shown in FIG. 3. In addition, supplemental solenoid 140 will turn off supplemental shut off valve 142 thereby preventing any further flow of supplemental water through supplemental water supply 122 and thereby prevent any additional water draining into drain stand pipe 116. In other words, all of the potential water sources are cut off and shut down and no further water will flow from toilet tank 110 into toilet bowl 112 thereby preventing any further overflow conditions.
A person skilled in the art will note that toilet overflow prevention system 100 deployed in a conventional toilet 102 will prevent continuation of overflow conditions in toilet bowl 112 when a high water level is detected by overflow sensor 146. This is accomplished by sending control signals to flapper solenoid 130, thereby lowering ram 132 into a ram down position 168 forcibly closing flapper valve 118 as well as sending control signals to supplemental solenoid 140 thereby shutting off supplemental shut off valve 142 which in turn will close off supplemental water supply 122 to drain stand pipe 116.
In addition there is a button 190 shown in FIG. 1 which is a manual override which will allow the user to reset flapper solenoid 130 as well as supplemental solenoid 140 after the high water overflow sensor 146 senses a high water condition. This manual override button 190 can be used any time to override the toilet overflow prevention system by inactivating the solenoids putting the control system back to where toilet 102 will operate as would normally operate without the toilet overflow prevention system in place. Button 190 for example could be set up to inactivate the solenoids when pushed once and to activate the solenoids when pushed twice. Button 190 could be located in a concealed position or under some ornamental device such as a doll or other device which could conceal the location of button 190.
It should be apparent to persons skilled in the arts that various modifications and adaptation of this structure described above are possible without departure from the spirit of the invention the scope of which defined in the appended claim.

Claims

1. A toilet over flow prevention system for installation into a toilet having a tank in fluid communication with a bowl and having a flapper style flush valve and a supplemental water supply, the over flow system comprising:

a) a flapper solenoid mounted in the tank, for depressing the flapper valve into a closed position,

b) a overflow sensor mounted in the bowl for sensing a over fill condition in the bowl,

c) a control box communicating with the over flow sensor and the flapper solenoid for operably signalling the flapper solenoid to depress the flapper valve into the closed position in the case of a over fill condition.

2. The toilet over flow prevention system claimed in claim 1 further including a supplemental solenoid in communication with the control box, the supplemental solenoid for operably shutting off the supplemental water supply in the case of a over fill condition.

3. The toilet over flow prevention system claimed in claim 1 further including a manual override button for manually deactivating flapper solenoid and supplemental solenoid.

4. The toilet over flow prevention system claimed in claim 1 wherein flapper solenoid further including a ram for impinging upon the flapper valve.

5. The toilet over flow prevention system claimed in claim 1 wherein supplemental solenoid further including a supplemental shutoff valve operably connected to the supplemental solenoid for shutting off the supplemental water supply.

6. The toilet over flow prevention system claimed in claim 1 wherein the control box battery operated and connected electrically to the manual override button, flapper solenoid, supplemental solenoid and over flow sensor.

7. The toilet over flow prevention system claimed in claim 1 wherein the control box connected to a 120 volt alternating current wall outlet and connected electrically to the manual override button, flapper solenoid, supplemental solenoid and over flow sensor.

8. The toilet over flow prevention system claimed in claim 1 further including a manual override button for manually activating and deactivating flapper solenoid and supplemental solenoid.