WO1994023631B1

WO1994023631B1 - Body waste container automatic cleaning and re-use preparation apparatus

Info

Publication number: WO1994023631B1
Application number: PCT/US1994/003350
Authority: WO
Filing date: 1994-03-29
Publication date: 1994-12-08

Abstract

An apparatus for disposing of body waste in a children's toilet is comprised of a container (100) and an associated housing structure which are adapted to be seated on a conventional toilet. Waste in container (100) is dumped into the toilet via a cable (154) and pulley (64, 66, 68) mechanism on the intake stroke of a hand pump (170). A water intake hose (172) is manually lowered into the toilet water via a hose control handle (162) prior to the operation of the pump. While the container (100) is in a vertical dumping position, the exhaust stroke of pump (170) forces water siphoned from the toilet through a jet outlet (180) to clean the interior of the container (100). The container (100) automatically returns to its rest, or horizontal, position due to the action of a return spring (28).

Claims

AMENDED CLAIMS[received by the International Bureau on 18 October 1994 (18.10.94); original claims 1 -12 replaced by amended claims 1-14 (6 pages)]

1. A body waste container apparatus adapted to be automatically cleaned by sitting the apparatus on top of a fixed commode inta ing clean water out from the fixed commode, dumping the body waste and using the intaken clean water to clean the apparatus, and depositing water in apparatus for re-use preparation; which comprises: a container with an appendage for displacing the container from a rest position to a displaced position to dump body waste, and back to the rest position for deposit of water for re-use preparation; a pump having an intake hose with valve and an exhaust hose with valve to intake clean water from the fixed commode and exhaust clean water into the container in the displaced position to clean apparatus of waste and in the rest position to deposit clean water for re-use preparation; a spring-powered mobile hose holder gripping the intake hose to displace the free end of the hose between an interior position within said apparatus and a position in the water in the commode; an intake hose control that controls the position of said spring-powered hose holder; a power drive for transferring said spring power to said appendage to displace said container from said rest position to said displaced position; a body waste container control to stabilize container in said displaced position; a linkage actuating means in contact with said container control and intake hose control; said power drive being actuated by said spring-powered mobile hose holder.

2. Apparatus of claim 1 in which said container is concave with a bowl-type base at the front, with curving inclining linear bottom extending from concave bowl base towards rear of apparatus, so as to allow room for waste to escape when container is tilted from said rest position to said displaced position during cleaning cycles.

3. Apparatus of claim 1, said pump comprising a handle for operation leverage, with notches to push and pull said linkage actuating means forward to release said spring-powered hose holder and backwards to release said container control, and an axle for rotation of said handle thereon to cause the pump to intake water from the fixed commode and to discharge water through said exhaust hose.

4. Apparatus of claim 3 wherein said container control has a latch release switch which is released when said pump handle is approximately 3/4 of the way through its exhaust stroke, said notches operable to release said container to return to its rest position so that water remaining in said pump can go into said container to prepare container for re-use.

5. Apparatus of claim 1, wherein the intake hose control comprises a spring-loaded hose release switch operable by the linkage actuating means to displace the free end of the hose into the water in the fixed commode and operated by said spring loading to move said hose to its interior position.

6. Apparatus of claim 1 in which said power drive has a cable track and comprises a cable connected to a cable hook on said container at one end of said cable and a track pin that slides through said cable track on the other end to displace the free end of said intake hose to its interior position.

7. Apparatus of claim 6 wherein said intake hose control comprises a spring arm that is manually maneuvered from approximately 90-190° by operation of said linkage actuating means.

8. Apparatus of claim 6 wherein said cable track is on an incline, the cable having a pin flange which slides through cable track beneath the surface of the cable track as it reaches the end of the cable track, said pump having a handle operable to engage said pin flange, the cable pin flange being released from the hose control handle to render said power drive operative after the intake stroke of the pump.

9. Apparatus of claim 8 wherein said cable pin flange has a return spring to return said container to its rest position.

10. Apparatus of claim 1 wherein said pump has a handle operating said intake hose control so that the container cannot be returned to rest position until said container control is released, said handle having a pump actuated release position to make contact with said intake hose control to restrict movement of said container via a drive train assembly.

11. A portable toilet having a container and an associated housing structure for use in association with a flush toilet having a waste-receiving bowl connected to a drain, a supply of toilet water, and means to introduce the toilet water into the bowl to flush the same into said drain, said portable toilet including a pump having a pump chamber, a pump handle, and an outlet, means operable upon displacement of said handle in one direction to introduce water into said pump chamber, said pump handle displaceable in the opposite direction to evacuate water from the chamber through said outlet, means to support said container for movement between a rest position in which said container receives body waste and a displaced position in which said container is free to discharge the received body waste into said bowl, and means to displace said container from said rest position to said displaced position upon displacement of said handle in said one direction, said pump outlet including a jet directed toward the interior of the container in its displaced position so that upon actuation of said pump handle in said opposite direction, the toilet water in the pump chamber is ejected through said jet into the interior of the container to facilitate the discharge of the body waste from the container into the toilet bowl.

12. A portable toilet having a container and an associated housing structure for use in association with a flush toilet having a waste-receiving bowl connected to a drain, a supply of toilet water, and means to introduce the toilet water into the bowl to flush the same into said drain, said portable toilet including a pump having a pump handle, a pump chamber, a extensible inlet hose, and an outlet, said pump handle being displaceable in one direction to draw toilet water into said pump chamber through said inlet hose and displaceable in the opposite direction to evacuate water from the chamber through said outlet. means to extend the free end of said extensible inlet hose into said toilet water upon displacement of said pump handle in said one direction 26

so as to introduce toilet water into said pump chamber during said displacement of said handle in said one direction, and to withdraw the free end of said hose from said toilet water after filling of said pump chamber, means to support said container for movement between a rest position in which said container receives body waste and a displaced position in which said container is free to discharge the received body waste into said bowl, and means to displace said container from said rest position to said displaced position after withdrawal of said free hose end from said toilet water, said pump outlet including a jet directed toward the interior of the container in its displaced position so that upon actuation of said pump handle in said opposite direction, the toilet water in the pump chamber is evacuated and ejected through said jet into the interior of the container to facilitate the discharge of the received body waste from the container into the toilet bowl.

13. A portable toilet according to claim 12 including return mechanism to return said container to said rest position prior to complete evacuation of said pump chamber, so that the final displacement of said pump handle in the opposite direction introduces toilet water from said chamber into said container in its rest position.

14. A portable toilet according to claim 13 wherein said return mechanism normally biases the container toward said loading position, and including latch means operable to overcome the bias of said return mechanism during displacement of said container from said rest position to said displaced position to latch said container in the displaced position, and means operable during displacement of said pump handle in said opposite direction to release said latch means and allow said container to return to said rest position under the bias of said return mechanism.