US3460165A

US3460165A - Mechanical-flush chemical toilet

Info

Publication number: US3460165A
Application number: US586337A
Authority: US
Inventors: Neil L Drobny
Original assignee: US Department of Navy
Current assignee: US Department of Navy
Priority date: 1966-10-07
Filing date: 1966-10-07
Publication date: 1969-08-12
Anticipated expiration: 1986-08-12

Description

Filed Oct. 7, 1966 FIG.

INVENTUR,

NEIL L. DROBNY BZ M1 ATTORNEY United States Patent US. Cl. 4115 7 Claims ABSTRACT OF THE DISCLOSURE A mechanical-flushing chemical toilet having a container of chemical disinfectant and an endless imperforate belt having portions of the belt in the disinfectant and another portion above the disinfectant and below the toilet seat opening with means to rotate the belt.

The invention described herein may be manufactured and used by or for the Government of the United States of America for governmental purposes without the payment of any royalties thereon or therefor.

This invention relates to a mechanical-flush chemical toilet and more particularly to a sanitary, nonsplash, simply constructed mechanical flush-chemical toilet.

In urban areas with modern sewage systems and plumbing, waste disposal units of a permanent nature efiiciently eliminate human waste. However, in locations remote from urban areas or in locations or within vehicles in which a permanent type toilet has not been or cannot be installed, the problem becomes very real. For instance, such problems exist at many advanced military bases. Various toilets have been designed and constructed in an effort to solve some of the problems. One of the more common types is better known as the honey bucket. This is simply a container fitted with a toilet seat usually located in a crude shelter arrangement. Such systems have been found to be unsanitary, not very aesthetic and very uncomfortable in use. To relieve the sanitary problem other toilets have devised water systems similar to that found in the home toilet. However, these toilets necessitate close proximity to a water supply, the necessity of having the supplementary pipes running to and from the toilet, and the customary pumps and filters.

A different approach to toilet construction has been invented which uses a conveyor belt arrangement in a container of chemical solution. This type of arrangement is shown by a patent to J. Wildman, No. 1,509,891, in which waste matter was deposited upon a flexible perforated conveyor chain Which would be rotated into a chemical solution. Such an arrangement alleviated many of the problems in that a water flushing system was not required and the chemical solution tended to improve the sanitary conditions of the toilet. However, disadvantages remained even with such a construction. The use of a perforated conveyor belt resulted in waste matter, paper and the like aggregating in the links of the chain causing an unpleasant odor and also causing an unsanitary condition because of the bacteria present in human waste products. Secondly, deposited waste matter caused splashing as it passed through the chain. This is undesirable since the liquid solution is not water but a caustic chemical which is irritating to the skin. In addition, such toilets have been unduly mechanically complex which make them undesirable in remote locations where maintenance cannot be performed very often and spare parts are unavailable; also, capacity was rather limited and emptying such a unit was extremely difficult.

The present invention solves the above mentioned problems in that it is very sanitary yet simply constructed so that maintenance and cost are kept to a minimum. In addition, the toilet is a non-splash device which is pleasing to use. Since Water flushing does not occur the piping, pumps and filters that are usually required may be eliminated. Capacity is considerable and the ability to discharge the invention is very easy. The above advantages may be achieved by combining a tank having an open top which is adapted to be substantially filled with a chemical solution, placing within the tank a continuous sheet conveyor belt having a slick surface and the providing for supporting and rotating means enabling the belt to have a top inclined portion below the open top of the tank.

An object of the present invention is to provide a very sanitary toilet, having a large capacity and being easy to charge and discharge.

Another object is to provide a toilet which is very simply constructed, requiring little or no maintenance, low cost and yet aesthetically pleasing to use.

A further object of the invention is to provide a toilet which needs very little water and which does away with the usual piping, pumping and filtering apparatus.

Still another object of the present invention is to provide a toilet that will not splash a user thereof.

A still further object is to provide a toilet which because of its characteristics may be used in extremely remote locations under severe climatic conditions.

Other objects, advantages and novel features of the invention will become apparent from the following d tailed description of the invention when considered in conjunction with the accompanying drawing wherein:

FIG. 1 shows a partially exploded, partially cut away perspective view of a preferred embodiment of the invention;

FIG. 2 shows a simplified side section view of the embodiment.

Referring now to the drawing wherein like reference numerals designate like or corresponding parts throughout the several views, there is shown in FIG. 1 a tank 10 which is adapted to be filled with a chemical solution 12 as shown. The tank 10 has an open top 14 which is sufficiently large to accommodate a continuous sheet conveyor belt 16, with supporting and rotating means which includes among other elements two

frame side members

18 and 20; said supporting and rotating means being adapted to be movable into and out of the tank. Connected to the

frame members

18 and 20 may be

rollers

22, 24 and 26 which may be disposed so that the conveyor belt 16 has a top portion inclined relative to a horizontal plane. Mounted to the top of the

frame members

18 and 20 may be a toilet seat 28 and cover 29 adapted to rest upon the top 14 of the tank 10 and provide the main support for the belt and frame members.

By having the top surface of the conveyor belt 16 inclined as shown, human waste material and the like from a user seated upon the toilet seat 28 is received by the conveyor belt and adapted to be moved in a downwardly and forwardly direction (as shown by an arrow on the belt, FIG. 1) until the Waste product moves over the roller 24 and is gently dropped into the solution 12 below the inclined surface. If the waste product is liquid the same process will occur with the liquid waste following the path of least resistance which would be downwardly and forwardly toward the roller 24 and then into the chemical solution 12. The inclined belt surface 16 preferably completely covers the downward projected area of the toilet seat opening 30. This inclined surface then serves two function, 1), it offers the path of least resistance for the waste materials so that they will tend to move downwardly and forwardly before dropping into the chemical solution, and (2) there will be no splashing striking the user from the waste products deposited upon the inclined surface since the surface is above the liquid solution and since the surface covers the area below open- Patented Aug. 12, 1969 ing 30. The skin irritating chemical solution will splash against the bottom of the toilet seat or against the conveyor belt 16 rather than the user. The inability to prevent splash from striking a user was one of the main disadvantages of the prior art. The improvements of the present invention allow the use of a sufliciently strong chemical solution to kill the bacteria present in human waste products. Thus, not only is the toilet pleasant to use but it is also far more sanitary than previous units.

Another disadvantage of the prior art was the accompanying sounds occurring during use. The sounds of waste matter falling to the liquid level are unnecessary and very often embarrassing to the user. The present invention enables the elimination of such unwanted sounds. The top surface of the belt 16 may be placed closely beneath the toilet seat 28; a spacing within the range of two to twelve inches may be provided. An added benefit from positioning the belt beneath the toilet seat 28 is that the user sees only a clean belt beneath the seat and not waste matter from previous users of the toilet, hence the present toilet is extremely aesthetic, another major advantage over previous art.

The tank may be of a generally cylindrical shape and of suflicient capacity to service an intended location. A chemical mixture of two parts sodium bisulfate and one part copper sulfate pentahydrate used in dosages of one pound per ten gallons of the total anticipated accumulation of gross waste has been found to achieve a desired sanitation level. The chemicals are initially mixed with a convenient amount of makeup water, and the resulting solution is used to charge the tank. The net waste accumulation capacity of the toilet is a direct function of the design of the tank. It is noted that although a cylindrically shaped tank is shown, other shapes such as a rectangular tank may perform well enough to be used. Before the toilet is put in operation, the tank must be charged with the chemical soltuion. The amount of makeup water required for this initial charge was 26 gallons for a 39 gallon capacity tank used for experimentation. The net waste accumulation capacity is that quantity of waste which will fill the tank; for the existing tank design used during testing, this amounted to 13 gallons.

The per capita waste production of fecal matter and urine has been studied by various agencies, and quantities reported include 0.6, 1.0, 1.3, and 1.6 quarts per person per day. A mid-figure of 1.0 quart per person per day was assumed. Based on the l-quart-person-per-day assumption and the 13-gallon-net-waSte-accumulation capacity of the toilet, the experimental unit had a capacity of about 52 mandays of usage. When the tank becomes full, the gross waste accumulation to be disposed of will, therefore, be 39 gallons; this corresponds to about 0.75 gallon of efiluent per man per day. The water requirement is similarly calcuated to be 0.50 gallon per man per day.

The bottom end 31 of the tank may be of a conical shape having an apex which is at the bottommost tip of the tank. The drain 32 may be provided so that the tank may be emptied efficiently by employing a gravity discharge. However, when the tank is manifolded and installed to be pumped out, a side drain could be fitted to the tank which would avoid the conical bottom end 31 and drain 32 directly under the toilet. Such a design would allow the tank to have a flat bottom, thus enabling installation on a flat floor without hole cutting being necessary. The advantage of having a cylindrically shaped tank with a conical bottom end is that waste products which are dropped into the tank have no corners, nooks or crannies which may act as a depository and accumulator of waste products. Another one of the main disadvantages of the prior art is the lack of streamlining of the structure to prevent any such accumulation for not only is the accumulation unsanitary, but also unsightly. A mechanical disintegrator having a shaft 34 and a blade 35 may also be used near the bottom of the tank for mixing the 4 waste matter and the chemical solution before it is drained. The disintegrator may be operated by linkage 36 from the same means such as hand crank 37 which causes the conveyor belt 16 to be rotated.

In a preferred embodiment of the invention the belt 16 rotates in triangular form as shown in FIGS. 1 and 2 with a top inclined portion as mentioned hereinabove, thence a downwardly and rearwardly moving portion and then an upwardly extending portion to the first mentioned portion of the belt. The top inclined portion has a forward portion near roller 24 which extends slightly over the forward divided section of the tank 10 so that waste matter dropped on this top portion of the belt will be gently dropped into the solution within this divided section of the tank. The downwardly and rearwardly extending portion of the belt extends below the high end 40 of the partition 38 into the solution located within the rear divided section of the tank. The upwardly extending portion of the belt may then be thoroughly cleaned by the brush 44. It is to be noted that with this structure the majority of the waste material is dropped into the forward section of the tank and that only the slight amount of material remaining on the belt is deposited into the rear section of the tank upon cleaning action of the belt. This maintains a thoroughly clean belt even after many uses of the sanitary toilet.

Still another major advantage is gained by having the tank divided into sections. The waste matter which falls into the forward section is broken up by the disintegrator blade 35 so that the chemical solution can better mix with the waste matter and destroy the bacteria present. The second section, rearward of the partition 38, has a chemical solution charge to clean the belt 16. By keeping the chemical solution divided in the above manner a sufficient amount of solution is available to clean the belt without heavy contamination by the bulk of the waste matter and the like. And a sufficient amount of chemical solution is available in the forward section to work on the bulk waste matter and kill bacteria. Thus a clean belt is guaranteed, a major improvement over the prior art.

To facilitate drainage by both sections at the same time, holes 43 may be drilled through partition 38 near the lower end 39. Thus another major advantage is gained by having an easily dischargeable tank. All of the above advantages make for a very reliable device and a very simply constructed device.

The conveyor belt 16 is a solid sheet continuous belt having a slick surface; any slick surface which is resistant to corrosion by the chemical solution is sufficient; a combination of nylon and urethane was found to be best during experimentation. The advantage of having a solid belt is that splashing from the waste products dropping into the chemical solution will not touch the user since the user will not be exposed. A slick surface is desirable to enable the waste products to be easily removed from the belt thereby always presenting a clean surface of the next user. In addition to having a slick surface, a brush 44 suitable attached at its ends to

frames

18 and 20 and in solution may be provided to be in contact with the belt surface and remove any Waste material and the like which might not have dropped off the belt as it passed over roller 24.

The roller 24 may have a spring 45 biasing rod 47 against roller 24 so as to act in conjunction with

rollers

22 and 26 which are suitably attached to

frames

18 and 20 to keep the belt in a taut condition. Keeping the belt in a taut condition has been found to help in removal of waste products and the like from the belt and also to help keep the belt tightly placed against the rollers to provide better traction for rotating the belt. The

rollers

22, 24 and 26, and accompanying bearings and connections (not shown) as well as the

frames

18 and 20 may, like the other material that is in contact with the chemical solution 12, be of any material, such as polyethylene, polypropylene, polyvinylchloride or Teflon, that is corrosion resistant to the chemical solution. Polyvinylchloride was found to work very well during experimentation. Directly connected to roller 26 may be a rotating means such as the hand crank 37 which fits into slot 41 of tank and which enables a user to flush the toilet by rotating the hand crank so as to rotate the conveyor belt 16. Ratchet 46 suitably connected to the hand crank 37 prevents the rotation of the belt in the wrong direction thus ensuring deposit of the waste matter over roller 24. As mentioned earlier, the same rotation may, by linkage 36, rotate the mechanical disintegrator blades 35 located toward the bottom of the tank. As an alternative or in addition, an electric motor (not shown) may be connected to roller 26 to cause the rotating motion.

As shown by the drawing, it is preferable that the

frames

18 and 20, toilet seat 28, cover 29,

rollers

22, 24 and 26, belt 16, and brush 44 be connected together so a to be a single unit. The ease by which the unit can be removed enables quick and simple maintenance and facilitates the cleaning of the tank 10. The fact that the unit is mostly submerged in the chemical solution 12 adds to the sanitary effect of the toilet by keeping the parts within the chemical solution and not exposed to the air where bacteria growth occurs.

OPERATION The operation of the present invention extremely simple and sanitary. Waste material and the like that is deposited upon the conveyor belt 16 tends, because of'the inclined surface of the belt, to move downwardly toward the roller 24. After the user has finished he will flush the toilet by rotating crank 37, or alternatively, pressing a button to have an electric motor turn the crank, so that the waste material is carried downwardly and forwardly toward the roller 24. Upon passing the roller 24 the waste material will drop off into the tank between partition end 40 and the inner periphery of the tank 10 and sink to the bottom portion of the tank 42. The same flushing rotation will rotate disintegrator shaft 34 which is connected to blades 35 which in turn will mix the waste matter and the chemical solution so as to facilitate drainage. As the belt is rotated past the roller 24 it dips into solution 12 and is cleansed of any waste product that might have adhered to the slick surface. Any material that may still be left on the surface of the belt will be removed by brush 44 as the belt continues to rotate. In practice, it has been found that the waste products will almost entirely fall from the belt as the products pass over roller 24 so that there is very little remaining on the belt to be cleansed by either the chemical solution 12 or the brush 44. In either case the surface appearing beneath the inner periphery 30 of the toilet seat 28 is clean and aesthetically pleasing. There are no crevices or other locations on the belt in which waste material may be stuck and left above the solution in which case an odor would be given off.

Hence the invention presents a simply constructed, low cost, easy maintainable toilet which is aesthetical pleasing and extremely sanitary. In addition, the user need not worry about chemical splashing because of the position of the conveyor belt. The unit is almost completely selfcontained so as to alleviate any need for external piping, pumping, filters or other facilities. In addition, none of the parts are critically effected by extreme or severe climatic conditions.

Obviously many modifications and variations of the present invention are possible in the light of the above teachings. It is therefore to be understood that within the scope of the appended claims the invention may be practiced otherwise than as specifically described.

I claim:

1. A mechanical-flush chemical toilet comprising:

an upright open top tank having front and rear end portions and being adapted to be partially filled with a chemical disinfectant solution, and a toilet seat unit including:

an open-centered toilet seat,

means movably mounting said seat on said open end of the tank,

an endless imperforate conveyor belt disposed in said tank beneath said seat in position essentially to cover a downward projection of said seat opening, and

means carried by said movable mounting means for supporting and rotating said belt,

said supporting means forming said belt into a plurality of leg sections including an upper portion normally disposed throughout at least a major portion of its length above the normal solution level of the tank, said upper section being inclined downwardly and forwardly relative to said seat and being extended forwardly to a point spaced from said front end portion of the tank, the other leg sections of the belt extending rearwardly of said point and being so disposed as to be essentially immersed in the solution of said partially-filled tank,

whereby said toilet can be mechanically flushed by rotating said belt sufliciently to transport material deposited on said upper leg section into said spaced area between said section and said tank,

said movable mounting means permitting said seat and belt to be raised above said normal solution level for cleaning and replacement purposes.

2. The toilet of claim 1 wherein the upwardly and outwardly facing surface of said belt is formed of a slick surfaced material.

3. The toilet of claim 1 further including an upright partition wall dividing said tank into front and rear chamber portions, the upper end of said wall being disposed in proximity to said forward extension point of said upper leg belt section and said wall being essentially impervious to solid material whereby material transferred by said upper section into said spaced area is received and contained within said forward chamber portion of the tank.

4. The toilet of claim 3 wherein said forward chamber portion is provided as its lower end with :a drainage outlet.

5. The toilet of claim 4 further including a rotatable disintegrator disposed in proximity to said drainage outlet.

6. The toilet of claim 1 wherein said leg sections of said belt include a first section provided by said upper section, a downwardly and rearwardly inclined second section and a substantially vertically disposed third section, said partition wall being inclined downwardly and rearwardly from its upper end and said second belt section being disposed rearwardly of said wall.

7. The toilet of claim 6 further including a belt-cleaning means carried in said tank in wiping contact with said third belt section.

References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 1,264,873 4/ 1918 Scarborough 4-115 1,509,891 9/1924 Wildman 4-115 2,414,964 1/ 1947 McPherson. 2,835,215 5/1958 Harm 4-131 X 2,902,698 9/1959 Minnitte 4-1 15 3,110,037 11/1963 Prick et al 4-131 ALFRED R. GUEST, Primary Examiner