US3320907A

US3320907A - Disposal unit and method

Info

Publication number: US3320907A
Application number: US396543A
Authority: US
Inventors: Leon L Duncan
Original assignee: Individual
Current assignee: Individual
Priority date: 1964-09-15
Filing date: 1964-09-15
Publication date: 1967-05-23
Anticipated expiration: 1984-05-23

Description

May 23, 1967 L. L. DUNCAN DISPOSAL UNIT AND METHOD 6 Sheets-Sheet 1 Filed Sept. 15, 1964 4 NVENTOR LEON DUNCAN wary, war/ ORNEYS L. L. DUNCAN May 23, 1967 DISPOSAL UNIT AND METHOD 6 Sheets-Sheet 2 Filed Sept. 15, 1964 NVENTOR LEON DUNCAN BY 777 ATTORNEYS 6 Sheets-Sheet 5 I... L. DUNCAN May 23, 1967 DISPOSAL UNIT AND METHOD Filed Sept. 15, 1964 May 23, 1967 l... 1.. DUNCAN DISPOSAL UNIT AND METHOD 6 Sheets-Sheet 4 Filed Sept. 15, 1964 INVENTOR LEON DUNCAN May 23, 1967 L. L. DUNCAN DISPOSAL UNIT AND METHOD 6 Sheets-Sheet Filed Sept. 15, 1964 INVENTOR LEON DUNCAN BY H aw /$142M TTORNEYS May 23,

Filed Sept. 15, 1964 6 Sheets-$heet 6 A.C. 76\ l a c i 6 LQ DOOR CLOSE v LIMITSWITCH 84- ao {7a is? THERMO- DOOR OPEN mew TEMP TIME LIMIT SWITCH LIMIT SWITCH CONTROL SWITCH T52 r35 r87 {2 SAFETY WATER. FAN DOOR MOTOR SWITCH SOLENGID 79 (75 TIME DELAY GAS swrrcu SOLENOlD F :1. MU.

c. 76,W 0A 0- 1 {B9 r81 r092 THERMO- DOOR OPEN DOOR. CLOSE TIME LIMIIT M SWITCH LIMIT SWITCH LIMIT swrrcn SWITCH :52 i {J l r2 HIGH TEMP. WATER. FAN DOOR MOTOR CONTROL SOLENOID L m l Lg l r79 TIME DELAY r87 86 76 SW'TCH SAFETY RELAY TIME FLAME SWITCH DELAY seuson.

GAS SOLENOID 7/ INVENTOR A LEO/V DUNCAN ATTORNEYS United States Patent aszaaev DISPOSAL UNIT AND NIETHOD Leon L. Duncan, Rainbow Drive, Washington, Mo. 630% Filed Sept. 15, 1964, Ser. No. 356,543 20 Claims. (Cl. 110-9) This invention relates to a toilet unit for the disposal of human excrement. More specifically, it relates to a novel combination of elements for the incineration of waste material by combustion wherein a minimal amount of liquid is provided for cleansing the toilet bowl with the combustion chamber so constructed that solid waste material is received on a grate above the bottom of the chamber with the liquid used for flushing purposes and liquid excreta being collected on the bottom. By such means the bottom of the combustion chamber is protected against excessive temperature by the liquid layer while the intervening solid waste material is disposed of by burning.

Toilet facilities of a conventional type which employ water to flush waste materials have many advantages and are usually effective and economical. Moreover, there are no undue safety problems. However, conventional facilities have the disadvantage that generally a considerable amount of water is required to flush the waste material and that more or less extensive sewerage facilities are required. In those instances where there is a lack of water suitable for flushing, or where water is scarce or the use of such water in the required amounts is uneconomical, and in places where sewerage facilities are not reasonably available, or are undesirable, an incinerating type of toilet is advantageous. Such toilet also has distinct advantages in moving vehicles such as airplanes, trains, and buses. However, known incinerating toilets are burdened with many disadvantages which adversely affect their popularity. A major disadvantage lies in the safety problems which arise due to the presence of a combustible fuel and the high temperature required to burn the waste materials completely, and because of the electrical equipment and connections in the unit. Thus expensive apparatus is frequently required or the unit is less safe than it should be. Another disadvantage is that when flush water is used with an incinerating toilet, it has been found generally necessary either to evaporate the water initially or to agitate and mix the solid waste material with the water prior to the combustion operaion. On the other hand, if flush water is not used, in time the toilet bowl may give off foul odors unless the unit receives much more frequent and thorough cleaning than necessary with conventional toilets. Or, alternatively, expensive paper receptacles or the like are necessary.

Despite the foregoing disadvantages, there is a great need in the world community for an incinerating type toilet which would utilize minimal amounts of water and compare favorably with the conventional water closet in safety, convenience and economies. The elimination of expensive sewerage facilities permits the expansion of uprban communities into areas otherwise 'unsuitable. It

'is estimated that if entire cities might be" converted to total waste disposal units as contemplated in this invention, the savings in water consumption would be between 25 and 95 percent.

It is considered that that a successful unit should have the following advantages:

(1) The unit must be safe to use under all conditions.

(2) The gases discharged from the exhaust of the unit should be inoffensive and not pollute the surrounding air.

(3) The units disposal of excreta must be effective and complete.

(4) The unit should be efficient so that the necessary time lapse between uses is minimal.

(5 The unit should be inexpensive:

(a) to buy; (b) to operate; and (c) to maintain.

(6) The unit should be compact and occupy a minimal amount of space.

(7)The unit must be dependable over a relatively long length of time with materials that hold up.

(8) What cleaning is necessary should be simple to accomplish and infrequently required; and

(9) Undue odors should not emanate from the unit.

Unfortunately, known solutions for some of the foregoing requirements are often not compatible with others. For example, while the problem of pollution and offensive gaseous discharge may be solved by chemical treatment or filtration, this adds to the expense of the unit and also tends to enlarge the unit. unduly. Reduction of the time lapse between uses may be solved by providing that the combustion is at a place remote from the unit whereby excrement is conveyed to the combustion chamber. While there are certain advantages to this arrangement, compactness of the unit is necessarily sacrificed. Also, generally the unit will be more expansive. Still further, the cleaning of the conveying unit provides problems which have not been fully solved.

It will be appreciated that the requirements set forth under items (2), (3,) and (4) above may be met by provision for a complete high temperature combustion of the excreta. But where a complete high temperature combustion takes place, there are other problems which arise to limit the structural materials which may be used, add to the expense, lessen the safety factor, and impose a requirement for further insulation-particularly for the compact type of unit. These detriments have, however, been minimized by the unique method and construction disclosed herein whereby the interior of the combustion chamber is protected by cleaning liquid and liquid excreta from the intense heat applied to the solid excreta and whereby the exterior of the combustion chamber is cooled by the induced circulation of air around the chamber.

It is thus an object of this invention to provide a safe compact waste disposal unit which is inexpensive to manufacture, operate and maintain, and which effects the complete and speedy combustion of human excreta without the undue discharge of offensive odors in the vicinity of the unit or from the combustion exhaust and wherein the cleaning of the unit after after each use is effective and simple.

Other objects and advantages of the invention will be appreciated by one skilled in the art from the following description read in conjunction with the drawings, of which:

FIGURE 1 is a side elevational view of the unit partially broken away to show the interior;

FIGURE 2 is a front elevational view of the unit also broken away in part;

FIGURE 3 is a plan view of the unit with the after portion broken away;

FIGURE 4 is a sectional front elevational view showing the firebox and air passages of the unit;

FIGURE 5 is a side elevational view of the part shown in FIGURE 4;

FIGURE 6 is a plan view of the part: of the unit shown in FIGURES 4 and 5;

FIGURE 7 is a perspective view of the part of the unit shown in FIGURES 4, 5, and 6 illustrating the circulation of air within the unit;

FIGURE 8 is a view similar to FIGURE 4 showing a modified torch assembly wherein a pilot light is used;

FIGURE 9 is a side elevational view of the assembly shown in FIGURE 8;

FIGURE 10 is a sectional view of the modified torch assembly;

h FIGURE 11 is a wiring diagram for the unit having a gas pilot light for ignition; and

FIGURE 12 is a wiring diagram for the unit using an electric spark plug for ignition.

Referring now to FIGURES 1-3, it will be noted that the unit 16 has a size and shape which. corresponds to the conventional water closet with a toilet cover 11 and toilet seat 12 which are hingea-bly carried by the unit over a toilet bowl 14. In FIGURES l3 certain parts are obviously omitted for reason of clarity. For example, in FIGURE 3 the toilet cover and seat are not shown. In FIGURES l and 3, the torch assembly is omitted. The toilet bowl 14 is opened in its lower portion and overlies a removable firebox 15. The toilet bowl 14 is composed of a highly polished stainless steel or other material resistant to the adhesion of excreta. A pair of fire doors 16 are disposed on top of the firebox 15 and adapted to be slid opened and closed whereby the interior of the firebox 15 is placed in communication with the opening at the bottom of the toilet bowl 14 when the doors 16 are opened.

A cabinet 17 is carried on the afterpart of the unit 10. The cabinet 17, as may be seen best in FIGURE 3, has a regular cleansing liquid or water connection 20 leading therein from a water source under pressure, and an electric water solenoid 21 which controls the flow of water and constitutes a shut-off valve for a water hose 22 leading to a water inlet 24 in the after portion of toilet bowl 14.

A gas inlet connection 25 also leads into the cabinet 17 to a gas pressure regulator 26 which reduces the gas to the desired pressure and supplies gas to a line 27 leading to the gas torch 30. Disposed in the line 27 between the torch 30 and the gas pressure regulator 26 are an electric gas solenoid 31 and a shut-off cock including an orifice 32. A transformer 34 is also carried in the cabinet 17.

The doors 16 are linked to the electric motor 35 by a bar 36 which is moved forward and backward by lever 38. Each door 16 has connected to its top a pair of studs 40 which engage

linkage elements

41 and 42. Both upper linkage elements 41 and the lower linkage units 42 connect to vertically disposed rods 44 through further studs 45. The vertical rods 44 pivot about a horizontal rod 46 which is rigidly secured to the unit 10 by bolts 47. The forward end of the bar 36 is also pivotally connected to the vertical rods 44 by a horizontal shaft 59. A pair of L-bars 51 which underlie the doors 16 extend horizontally beyond the firebox 15 on each side and act both to support and guide the doors 16 when they are opened and closed by the

linkage elements

41 and 42. With reference to FIGURE 1, it will thus be noted that when the lever 38 turns in a counterclockwise direction, the vertical rods 44 also turn in a counterclockwise direction and the

linkage elements

41 and 42 cause the doors 16 to open, whereas when the lever 38 turns in a clockwise direction the doors 16 are closed by the

linkage elements

41 and 42.

The unit 10 carries in its after lower portion air movement means comprising a fan element designated generally by reference numeral 52. As may be seen best in FIGURE 6, the fan element 52 comprises a fan motor 54, an intake fan 55 and exhaust fan 56. It will be understood that

fans

55 and 56 may be combined as a single fan which carries out the dual function. The exhaust fan discharges air through a crimped exhaust connection 57.

As may be seen in FIGURE 4, the firebox 15 includes an outer box-shaped shell 60 and an inner shell 61 which has substantially the shape of an inverted truncated pyramid. Disposed between the outer shell 60 and the inner shell 61 is a space 62 which may be insulation or an air space. The firebox 15 is so carried within the unit 10 that there is space provided for the passage of air under the firebox 15 and On all vertically disposed sides thereof. A grate 64 removably carried by inner shell 61 is disposed horizontally across the interior of the firebox 15 and is spaced above the bottom of the interior shell 61. A deflector plate 65 is disposed under the torch 30 and extends between the bottom of the inner shell 61 and the side thereof adjacent to the torch 30. The deflector plate 65 is also connected to the grate 64. A curved baffie member 66 is connected to the deflector plate 65 so as to curve around the lower end of the torch 30 in a manner as shown in FIGURES 4 and 6.

The outer casing spaced around the firebox 15 is designated by reference numeral 67 and includes, in the upper right-hand portion, as seen in FIGURE 4, an oblique plate 70. The torch 31) extends through an opening in the oblique plate 7 ti downwardly at an angle to inside the curved baffie member66. The torch 15 includes an electric sparker 71 for the purpose of igniting the gas and air mixture which discharge from a carburetor section 72. The sparker 71 normally extends to just inside the torch tip opening. In practical application, a diameter of inch has been found sufficient for a gas outlet at this point.

Referring particularly to FIGURE 5, it will be noted that a pipeline 74 connects the outlet of the air intake fan with the torch 30. Also leading into the pipeline 74 is the gas line 27. Accordingly, a mixture of gas and air are led into the torch from the pipe 74. A removable flame sensor 75 is disposed under and somewhat to one side of the lower portion of the torch 30.

Having reference now to FIGURE 12, it will be noted that there is a panel switch 76 which, as may be seen in FIGURES l-3, is located in the upper portion of the cabinet 17. it is so placed that when the cover 11 is in an upward position and leaning in the direction of the cabinet 17, the panel switch 76 is closed in the position as shown in FIGURE 12. While in such position, the fan 52 continues to run, the door motor 35 maintains the doors 16 in an opened position and both the water solenoid 21 and the gas solenoid 75 are closed. However, when the cover 11 is closed, the switch 76 is resiliently moved to the left (by means not shown) from point of reference of FIGURE 12. The high temperature control switch 78 which is located in the line immediately after the door limit switch 81 is normally in a closed position and stays such as long as the temperature within the firebox is less than 800 F. However, the high temperature control switch 78 is connected to a high temperature control probe 77 located in the upper portion of the firebox and when the temperature in that portion of the firebox rises to 800 F., the circuit is broken by opening of the high temperature control switch 78. Once tripped, the switch 78 remains open until reset by the closing of the door limit switch til). The fan 52 has three connections in parallel, any of which will cause it to run. Thus it will be noted that there is a connection through the panel switch 76, a connection through the thermal switch 84, and a connection through the time delay switch 79 to the fan 52. The time delay switch 79 will, when the panel switch 76 opens to the left re main in a closed position for a predetermined length of timesay, three minutes. Also, when the panel switch 76 is in its outward or left position, having reference to FIGURE 12, with the cover 11 down, the electric current passes through the door close switch 81 to the door motor 35 causing the doors 16 to close until the limit switch is opened, at which time the door motor 35 is deactuated. When the switch 81 opens for the door motor it simultaneously closes to actuate the relay time delay 86 to introduce and ignite gas in the firebox 15. In addition, as the panel switch 76 goes to its outward position, immediately the time limit switch 82 is actuated to open the water solenoid 21 for approximately one second, which permits somewhat less than four ounces of water or other cleansing liquid to be introduced under pressure from the water outlet 24 to clean the bowl 14. If desired, the time limit switch 82 may be connected to the door open switch 80 to ensure that the introduction of water takes place while doors 16 are open. The water immediately drains into the interior of the firebox 15 and when the doors 16 are closed and the relay time delay switch 86 is actuated, the electric sparker 71 ignites gas emitted from the torch 30. The flame sensor 76 closes the circuit and after a predetermined length of timeusually approximately 90 seconds-the relay time delay switch 86 opens thereby causing the sparker to discontinue and the flame from the torch 30 in the firebox continues until the gas solenoid 75 is deactivated. A safety switch 87 is placed on the line to the gas solenoid 75. The safety switch 87 is controlled by one or several probes within the unit to cause the solenoid to open and therefore shut off the gas at what might be considered a dangerous temperature,

say, 220 F.

Air from the intake fan 55 is forced into the torch 30 under pressure and an intense hot flame is emitted from the lower end of the torch 30. This flame is deflected by the curved baffle member 66 towards the deflector plate 65. In the bottom of the firebox 15 will be the flush water plus any liquid excreta. This layer of liquid, however, will be largely protected from the direct blast of the flame which is concentrated under the grate and tends to rise or exhaust from the unit. While some evaporation will occur in the liquid in the bottom, the initial eflects of the flame are most pronounced on the solid excreta which is consumed and absorbs a great deal of the heat of the flame. The excreta with moisture content being essentially endothermic in its reaction, accordingly tends to repress a rise in temperature within the firebox. When the solid excreta is consumed, when the temperature within the firebox tends to rise, but the attainment of high temperatures is restrained by the evaporation of the liquid which quickly follows. More- .over, as long as the liquid covers the bottom of the firebox, this portion of the firebox is protected from the effects of high temperature. Following evaporation of the liquid, the temperature rises, and soon that portion of the firebox containing the probe 77 reaches 800 F.,

at which point the high temperature control switch 78 is set to open and with electric current cut off from the gas solenoid 75, gas is no longer introduced into the firebox 15 through the torch 30. The thermal switch 84 keeps fan 52 in operation until the exhaust temperature has cooled to, say, 110 F. at which time the fan 52 ceases to operate and the unit is ready for a further disposal cycle.

A unique feature of the unit is that air is circulated on all sides of the firebox when the same is in operation. Thus, referring to FIGURES 4 and 7, it is to be .seen that air is received through the channels through doors 16 as indicated by the arrow designated 90. The air discharging from the channels through doors 16 is turned downwardly by oblique plate 70 and mixes with the hot exhaust from the interior of the firebox 15. This mixture next proceeds horizontally under and on each side of the firebox 15 as indicated by the arrows 91 in FIGURES 4 and 6. The air is then drawn from the vicinity of the firebox 15 through air duct 92 to the exhaust fan and thence out of the crimped exhaust connection 57. Air supplied to the interior of the firebox 15 is drawn from the interior of unit 10, and thus as long as fan 52 is running, air is drawn into the unit downwardly through bowl 14. The air intake for the intake fan 56 is located adjacent to the motor 54 so that air entering into the fan tends to keep the motor shaft cool. The air is conveyed from the inlet fan 55 through the pipeline 74 into the gas torch 30 with the gas entering into the pipeline 74 through the gas line 27 as shown in FIGURE 5. Complete mixing takes place in the carburetor section 72 following which the mixture is preheated by the gases of combustion leaving the interior of the firebox, and, as noted before, the flame enters the firebox 15 wherein it is guided by the curved baffle member 66 and the deflector plate 65 to produce an intense heat under and in the vicinity of the solid excreta on the grate 64.

The components of the unit 10 are of types well known to be dependable over a comparatively long life span. A major item of wear is the firebox 15 which will, after several years of fairly heavy usage, accumulate a deposit in the interior which adversely affects its performance. For this reason, the firebox 15 is removable, so that it can easily be taken from the unit and a new element placed in its stead. The old element can then be reconditioned by known techniques and serve a further useful life. It is believed that with minimum maintenance, the unit as disclosed herein will have a serviceable life comparable to the average conventional water closet.

FIGURES 811 disclose a modified torch 94 which employs a gas pilot light 95. The same reference numerals have been used for similar components where applicable. The pilot light 95 is fed by a gas line 96 which includes a pilot air adjustment valve 97 to regulate the air intake. A thermocouple tube 100 extends adjacent to the pilot light 95. The gas line 96 is connected into the gas line 27 after the shutoff cock 32, the actual connection not being shown inasmuch as this is a matter of choice obvious to one skilled in the art. Also, as is well known in the burner art, the thermocouple tube 100 is cross-connected to a gas shutoff valve whereby the supply of gas to the pilot light 95 will normally be closed in the event that the pilot light goes out. The pilot light 95- burns in an air chamber 101 which has on its upper end a screened vent 102 and on its lower end a nipple 104 leading into the mixing chamber 105 of the torch 94. Gas and air are led through pipeline 74 into the gas and air chamber 106 which is disposed around the air chamber 101. When the unit 10 is not in use, fumes from the gas pilot light 95 escape through the screened vent 102. However, when the unit is in use, moving air in chamber 105 produced by the intake fan 55 draws the flame emitted from the gas pilot light 95 through the nipple 104 by a venturi effect and the fumes are thus exhausted from the unit as previously described. When the burning action is to take effect and the gas solenoid is opened to admit gas into the pipeline 74, the mixture is ignited as it is expelled from the lower end of the torch 94 by the flame from the gas pilot light 95.

The wiring diagram as shown in FIGURE 11 for the gas pilot light ignition is essentially the same as shown in FIGURE 12 for the sparker ignition except that the sparker 71, the transformer 34, the relay time delay switch 86 and the flame sensor 75 have been eliminated.

In essence, the same sequence of events will occur. When the cover 11 is opened, and panel switch 76 pressed to the rear, doors 16 open and the fan 52 is actuated to pull air from the bowl down in the unit and exhaust same while at the same time cooling the unit and eliminating from the area any unpleasant odors which may be caused by the excreta. When sanitary measures have been completed, and the cover 11 is closed, the fan continues to run for a period because of the time delay switch 79 and at the same time the water solenoid 21 is allowed to open for one second in order to flush the bowl with approxi mately four ounces of water. Electrical current through the door close limit switch 81 causes the motor to actuate and close the doors 16 and when the doors are closed, the door close limit switch 81 terminates the electrical connection to the door motor 35 thereby causing it to stop and electrical current is introduced to the gas solenoid 75 so that gas enters the firebox 15 for the combustion as previously indicated. When combustion of solid excreta and evaporation of the liquid excreta and cleaning water are completed, the temperature Within the interior of the firebox rises so that probe 77 indicates a temperature of 800 F. thus tripping the high temperature control switch 78. It will be noted that the high temperature control switch also has a connection to the door open limit switch and it will be understood that the high temperature control switch 73, once tripped, will not be reset until the door open limit switch is actuated by opening of the doors 16. In the meanwhile, the fan 52 continues to run until the temperature of the exhaust is sufficiently low to open the thermal switch 84 at which time the unit ceases to operate until again used.

It will be appreciated that the wiring diagrams 11 and 12 are for illustration purposes only and that there are a number of suitable circuits as would occur to one skilled in the art. Furthermore, for certain applications it may be considered desirable to employ a pneumatic system whereby the various elements are actuated by known pneumatic equivalents.

The unit as disclosed herein may be used more or less continuously. In the event of the interruption of the combustion by the re-use of the unit immediately following earlier use, it will be appreciated that the fan will expel foul odors from the vicinity of the unit and that the disposal from each of the uses will eventually be eliminated by combustion. In the event, however, it is desired that the unit not be re-used until the earlier disposal is complete and the firebox 15 has been cooled, this can be easily accomplished by placing a thermostatic control to the line leading to the door open limit switch 80 whereby the door motor will not be actuated to open the door 16 until the fan 52 has stopped and the firebox 15 is sufliciently cool. Such a thermocouple may of course be short-circuited by a switch response to substantially the Weight on the toilet seat 12 or by a switch provided for such purpose out of the reach of children.

The products exhausted from the unit 10 comprise mainly water vapor, carbon dioxide, and nitrogen. By known techniques, the exhaust may be used for heating purposes and the water may be condensed for further use.

The foregoing detailed description has been given for clearness of understanding only, and no unnecessary limitations should be understood therefrom, for modifications will be obvious to those skilled in the art.

Having thus described my invention, what I claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent of the United States is:

1. A unit for disposal of excrement which comprises a bowl, liquid cleansing means selectively rinsing said bowl with a predetermined amount of liquid, a combustion chamber underlying said bowl, closure means for said combustion chamber disposed between the lower part of said bowl and said combustion chamber, said closure means selectively opened to permit passage of said liquid and excrement, a grate in said combustion chamber disposed above the bottom thereof to receive solid excrement with said liquid and liquid excrement being received on said bottom, heat producing means directing flame towards the bottom of said combustion chamber and thence through said grate to effect the combustion of said excrement and the evaporation of said liquid, temperature sensing means associated with said combustion chamber adapted to close off said heat producing means when the temperature of the products of combustion from said grate rises to a predetermined level, and outlet means from said combustion chamber for the evacuation of the products of combustion and evaporation from said combustion chamber.

2. A unit for the disposal of excrement which comprises a bowl, liquid cleansing means selectively rinsing '8 and excrement, a grate in said combustion chamber disposed above the bottom thereof to receive solid excrement with said liquid and liquid excrement being received on the bottom of said combustion chamber under said grate, a gas torch received in the upper par-t of said combustion chamber, said torch directing flame towards the bottom of said combustion chamber and thence through said grate to effect the combustion of said excrement and the evaporation of said liquid, temperature sensing means associated wit-h said combustion chamber adapted to close ofi said gas torch when the temperature of the products of combustion from said grate rises to a predetermined level, and an outlet means from said combustion chamber evacuating the products of combustion and evaporation from said combustion chamber.

3. A unit in accordance with claim 2, wherein deflection means is included within said combustion chamber whereby said flame is deflected to under said grate whereby heat from said flame will rise under said solid excrement.

4. A unit for disposal of excrement which comprises a bowl, a combustion chamber, closure means for said combustion chamber disposed between the lower part of said bowl and said combustion chamber, air channels within said closure means extending therethrough, air passageways surrounding the sides of said combustion chamber, and fan means inducing the flow of air through said air channels and said passageways, said air flow removing heat radiating from said combustion chamber.

:5. A unit in accordance with claim 4 wherein the products of combustion from said combustion chamber are mixed with said air flow in said air passageways.

6. A unit in accordance with claim 5 wherein a predetermined quantity of cleaning liquid is introduced into said bowl to discharge therefrom into the bottom of said combustion chamber.

7. A method for preventing overheating of structural materials within the combustion chamber of a unit for the disposal of waste materials of substantially endothermic nature comprising the introduction of -a predetermined quantity of non-inflammable liquid to cover the bottom of said combustion chamber, placing said waste material on a grate above said liquid, continuously introducing with air a burning fuel into said chamber at a suificiently high temperature to consume said waste material and evaporate said liquid, the temperature in said chamber being repressed by said consumption and said evaporation until said liquid and said material is changed to a gaseous state, and then terminating the introduction of further fuel into said combustion chamber by means responsive to a predetermined temperature within said unit which is above that necessary to effect the consumption of substantially all of said waste matter and under that detrimental to the structural material of said unit.

8. A method in accordance with claim 7 wherein said predetermined temperature is substantially 800 F.

9. A method in accordance with claim 7 wherein said non-inflammable liquid includes water, and said material at substantially endothermic nature comprises solid excreta.

10. A unit for the disposal of human excrement which comprises a toilet bowl, said toilet bowl being opened in its bottom, conduit means carrying water under pressure to said bowl, a discharge outlet from'said conduit means into said bowl, said outlet adapted to discharge water substantially horizontally and tangentially with respect to the interior surface of said bowl, valve means incorporated in said conduit means adapted to admit a predetermined quantity of water into said bowl, a combustion chamber underlying said bowl, a movable door selectively covering the top of said combustion chamber, the interior of said combustion chamber flaring outwardly from the bottom thereof, a grate in said combustion chamber disposed above the bottom thereof and adapted to receive solid excrement and permit the passage of said water and liquid excrement to the bottom of said combustion chamher, a gas torch received in the upper portion of said combustion chamber adapted to concentrate flame from said torch under said grate, a gas conduit leading to said torch, a cutoff valve in said conduit, air ducts surrounding said combustion chamber, air movement means adapted to introduce air into said combustion chamber and exhaust same through said ducts, and temperature sensing means associated with said combutsion chamber adapted to close said shutoff valve when the temperature in said combustion chamber is a predetermined level.

11. A unit in accordance with claim .10 wherein said bowl is composed of stainless steel.

12. A unit in accordance with claim 410 wherein said discharge outlet discharges water into said bowl in opposite directions.

13. A unit in accordance with claim 10 wherein said air movement means comprises a fan, said fan introducing air into said combustion chamber and also conveying a mixture of cool air and exhaust from said combustion chamber.

14. A unit in accordance with claim 13 wherein said fan is a rotary fan.

15. A unit in accordance with claim 10 including a hingeable cover over said bowl, actuation means responsive to closing said cover, said actuation means opening said valve means closing said door and opening said shutoff valve when said cover is closed.

16. A unit in accordance with claim 15 including ignition means, said ignition means igniting gas admitted to said combustion chamber from said torch when said cover is closed.

17. A unit in accordance with claim 16 wherein said ignition means comprises a pilot flame.

.18. A unit in accordance with claim 16 wherein said ignition means comprises an electric sparker.

19. A unit in accordance with claim 10 wherein said predetermined amount of temperature is substantially 800 F.

20. A unit in accordance with claim 10 wherein the interior of said combustion chamber is substantially in the shape of an inverted truncated pyramid.

References Cited by the Examiner UNITED STATES PATENTS 2,768,386 10/1956 Graef et al. 9 X 2,882,534 4/1959 Jauch et a1 1109 X 2,903,709 9/1959 Blankenship et a1. 1l09 X 2,995,097 8/ 1961 Kruckenberg et a1 1 10-9 3,103,017 9/1963 'La Mere 1=10-9 X 3,133,291 5/1964 Anderson et al 1109 X 3,139,626 7/1964 Blankenship 110-9 X JAMES W. WESTHAVER, Primary Examiner.

Claims

1. A UNIT FOR DISPOSAL OF EXCREMENT WHICH COMPRISES A BOWL, LIQUID CLEANSING MEANS SELECTIVELY RINSING SAID BOWL WITH A PREDETERMINED AMOUNT OF LIQUID, A COMBUSTION CHAMBER UNDERLYING SAID BOWL, CLOSURE MEANS FOR SAID COMBUSTION CHAMBER DISPOSED BETWEEN THE LOWER PART OF SAID BOWL AND SAID COMBUSTION CHAMBER, SAID CLOSURE MEANS SELECTIVELY OPENED TO PERMIT PASSAGE OF SAID LIQUID AND EXCREMENT, A GRATE IN SAID COMBUSTION CHAMBER DISPOSED ABOVE THE BOTTOM THEREOF TO RECEIVE SOLID EXCREMENT WITH SAID LIQUID AND LIQUID EXCREMENT BEING RECEIVED ON SAID BOTTOM, HEAT PRODUCING MEANS DIRECTING FLAME TOWARDS THE BOTTOM OF SAID COMBUSTION CHAMBER AND THENCE THROUGH SAID GRATE TO EFFECT THE COMBUSTION OF SAID EXCREMENT AND THE EVAPORATION OF SAID LIQUID, TEMPERATURE SENSING MEANS ASSOCIATED WITH SAID COMBUSTION CHAMBER ADAPTED TO CLOSE OFF SAID HEAT PRODUCING MEANS WHEN THE