WO2009044419A1

WO2009044419A1 - Anti -odor chemical toilet

Info

Publication number: WO2009044419A1
Application number: PCT/IT2007/000700
Authority: WO
Inventors: Romano Dainelli
Original assignee: Armal S.R.L.
Priority date: 2007-10-04
Filing date: 2007-10-04
Publication date: 2009-04-09

Abstract

In a chemical toilet comprising a substantially booth- shaped structure housing a tank (5) for collecting the dejections and a conditioning liquid, a substantial part of the structure is made of intrinsically scented thermoplastic material. The booth- shaped structure preferably comprises a base (1), a plurality of fixed side walls (2) and a door (3) which rise from the base (1), and a cover (4), the substantial part made of scented material comprising at least the fixed side walls (2).

Description

TITLE

ANTI-ODOR CHEMICAL TOILET

DESCRIPTION

Technical Field of the invention The present invention concerns the field of portable chemical toilets, of the type suitable for temporary installations, for example in building or industrial yards, or for use during other outdoor events of various type such as sport, folklore or political events. In particular, the invention refers to an improved chemical toilet. Background art

As known, a conventional chemical toilet consists of a plastic or aluminum booth housing a collection tank for the dejections having an opening provided with a ring- shaped seat on which the user sits. The tank also contain a dejection conditioning liquid, to prevent fermentation, thus hindering development of unpleasant odors. Said liquid, alongside the dejections accumulated therein, is periodically replaced with fresh liquid. Over time, chemical toilets have acquired an evergrowing acknowledgement thanks to their portability and possibility of use in absence of water and electrical supply. However, still there are some misconceptions hindering further expansion of their use. From this point of view, odor is a serious psychological barrier discouraging many potential users. As a matter of fact, the conditioning liquid cannot entirely prevent the development of unpleasant odors especially when said liquid approaches the exhaustion of its chemical activity. The stagnation conditions of said liquid and the fact that it is not possible to ensure forced ventilation and a consequent air change, are factors jeopardizing complete solution to the problem. Attempts have been made to provide the toiled with extra de-odorizing devices (battery- fed spray systems for instance) . However, such attempts obtained poor results, or proved utterly unsuccessful, given the fact that these toilets must have a structure reduced to the basics, taking into account the temporariness of their installation, and the fact that they are basically meant to operate without auxiliary services. Furthermore, the fact that said toilets are transferred from one venue to another implies that their structure must be as light as possible. Lastly, said structure must be simple thus avoiding complicated cleaning operations and reducing the maintenance operations . Regarding cleaning operations, the attempts to control unpleasant odors often entail an excessive use of detergents. This implies that the problem of the bad odor, above and beyond creating a psychological barrier against the universal use of the toilet, also has a negative ecological impact, especially taking into account that the waste cleaning water finds its way into the environment. Additionally, massive use of detergents also leads to extra costs.

Summary of the invention Now, a new surprisingly efficient solution to unpleasant odor problems in chemical toilets has been found. This solution also successfully tackles problems regarding environmental impact and costs, without complicating the elementary structure typical of traditional chemical toilets in any way whatsoever.

The essential features of the anti-odor chemical toilet according to the present invention are defined by the first of the appended claims .

In practice, a substantial part of the structure of the chemical toilet according to the invention is made of intrinsically scented plastic material, i.e. a material capable of releasing a pleasant and long- lasting scent, at least for a few months, due to the addition of suitable additives during the preparation stage. Preferably, the "scented" parts of the structure are colored or bear graphic signs which conceptually refer to the scent released. This means immediately capturing and directing the attention of the user to the toilet's anti-odor properties and thus on its special comfort compared to traditional toilets, hence encouraging its use.

Due to the scent-releasing property, the unpleasant odors that the conditioning liquid was unable to neutralize, or possible nasty exhalations released by the same liquid, are effectively covered. Not only does this imply more comfort, but also means positive impact on use of detergents, given that periodical cleaning operations can be carried out by using water alone, thus leading to environmental benefits and practically reduction of maintenance costs. All this without structural complications and practically negligible extra production costs . Brief description of the drawings

The characteristics and advantages of the chemical toilet according to the present invention will be apparent from the following description of an embodiment thereof, given as exemplifying and non- limiting, with reference to the attached drawings, in which: figure 1 is a schematic perspective view of a chemical toilet according to the invention; and figure 2 is an exploded perspective view of the toilet of figure 1.

Description of the preferred embodiment With reference to above figures, a chemical toilet according to the invention has a structural configuration which is fully compliant with the prior art. In particular, the chemical toilet shall basically consist of a booth with: a quadrilateral base 1 intended to lie against the ground, defining, on its top, a floor surface Ia,- four side panels 2, 3, vertically rising along consecutive sides of the base 1; and an upper cover 4. More specifically, three consecutive side panels, indicated at 2, form the fixed walls of the booth while a fourth one, indicated at 3 , is in practice a door with the related support framework.

The side panels 2, 3, with aeration slits 10 on the upper portion (except for the door 3) are assembled with the base 1 and cover 4 via traditional mounting techniques, well known to those skilled in the art. Likewise, a tank 5 rises from the floor of the base 1 (figure 2) , the tank 5 being made of a moulding of suitable plastic material and comprising two parts, a body 5a and a cover 5b sealingly connected together in any known manner. A drainage hole

(not-visible) is formed in the side of the body 5a, intercepted by a movable hatch 6.

An oval opening 7 is formed in a substantially central position on the upper cover 5b of the tank 5. On the edge of the oval opening 7, a conventional annular seat 8 rests, along with the related lid 9, both liftable around a rear articulation hinge.

According to the invention, a substantial part of the structure of the booth is made of a thermoplastic material with intrinsically scent-releasing properties, i.e. capable of releasing a certain fragrance in a persistent manner. The scent-releasing part may- advantageousIy comprise at least the three fixed side walls 2, preferably also at least one among the door 3, the base 1 and the cover 4, and still more preferably also the tank 5.

Such thermoplastic material, for example and preferably high density polyethylene (HD-PE) , is processed through injection moulding operations of known type, through which the items substantially result in the finished state (except for possible trimming operations) directly upon extraction from the related moulds. The material is injected into the moulds in molten state and, according to the invention, previously added with scent- releasing substances. The melting is obtained by heating the raw material provided as powder or, more often, as granules .

The scent-releasing substances can be intrinsically present in the granules, or mixed therewith before heating. In both cases, the additive will be such to maintain its scent-releasing capacity even after staying at the high temperatures (in the range of 300° C) required during the melting and moulding steps. A scent-releasing additive of this type (in itself and per se known and commonly available on the market) , can be mixed with the PE granules with the dosing established by the specifications of the manufacturer (ColorMatrix Corporation www.colormatrix.com, for instance), as a function of the scent-releasing intensity which one desires to obtain.

The scents released shall be typically those drawn from the vegetable world, and hence fruits, herbs, flowers and plants in general. Preferably, in addition to the scents released, the plastic has a coloring which conceptually refers to the type of scent released. For instance, such colors could be red for strawberries, bright green for green apples, pink for roses, dark green for pine essence, cream for vanilla etc. Moreover, at least one of the external faces of the panels 2, 3, will advantageously bear graphic signs or images which in turn permanently attract the user's attention to the kind of fragrance released. In the example, as visible in figure 1, an image of a strawberry (indicated at 11) is affixed on a side wall 2, to indicate, along with the red background color (obviously not perceivable from the figure) , the specific aromatic properties of the toilet. Both the color and the graphics can be obtained through production techniques already in themselves and per se known in the field of plastic material processing, though never previously used for chemical toilets. Among these techniques, particularly suitable for this specific use, there is a special production method which allows attaching a pre-painted film on the manufactured items during the moulding step. Said method provides for a first ionization step, wherein the film (a few microns thick) , is electrostatically charged uniformly by means of suitable equipment.

Due to the electrostatic charge, the colored and/or designed film is capable of adhering to the mould, and to be maintained adhered thereto during the step of high pressure injection of the plastic material. Once positioned inside the mould cavity, an injection is carried out in a standard manner with the high temperature, fluid-state plastic material which fills the cavity of the mould incorporating the film. The perfect electrostatic adhesion prevents the plastic liquid from getting between the film and the surface of the mould, thus avoiding the possibility that the former is wrinkled or partially covered by the molten plastic material. The coloring and/or designs affixed with this system, in addition to having an outstanding aesthetic quality, also have maximum resistance to mechanical and environmental stress impacts and atmospheric agents - thus maintaining the appearance of the toilet substantially unchanged throughout the life of the product.

It is clear from the above that the chemical toilet according to the invention provides a particularly effective solution to the problems mentioned in the introductive part. The fragrance released by the plastic material is capable of effectively covering all the unpleasant odors coming from the dejection conditioning liquid, thus overcoming the negative perception usually held against this kind of toilets, hence, further enhancing their use and diffusion. All this without requiring the installation of additional components, and then maintaining the product simple and economical, the key qualities of this kind of structure. Furthermore, washing and cleaning operations are simplified given that the natural scent of the material limits the use of detergents, or even makes their use unnecessary, avoiding the dispersal of such detergents in the environment and thus achieving extremely positive ecological and cost effects. The user immediately perceives the greater comfort of the toilet thanks to the association of the external appearance with its odor prevention capacities, this association serving therefore as an important element of attraction. Furthermore, the combination of the above- described aspects (a polyethylene toilet which releases a scent, color, graphics) , realizes an indelible system of identification and personalization of the toilet, so that specific and exclusive supplying can be made in terms of scent and/or graphics/color both for certain customers buying or renting the toilets, and for special events. In practice it is possible to identify the manufacturer and/or the customer with the aim of offering the latter an operative and promotional tool currently unknown in the chemical toilet industry.

Variations and modifications can be brought to the anti-odor chemical toilet according to the present invention, without departing from the protective scope of the invention itself .

Claims

1. A chemical toilet comprising a substantially booth- shaped structure housing at least one tank (5) for collecting the dejections and for containing a conditioning liquid, characterized in that a substantial part of said structure is made of intrinsically-scented thermoplastic material.

2. The toilet according to claim 1, wherein said booth- shaped structure comprises a base (1) , a plurality of fixed side walls (2) and a door (3) which rise from said base (1) , and a cover (4) , said substantial part made of scented material comprising at least said fixed side walls (2) .

3. The toilet according to claim 3, wherein said substantial part made of scented material also comprises at least one among said door (3) , said base (1) and said cover (4) .

4. The toilet according to claim 3, wherein said substantial part made of scented material also comprises at least said tank (5) .

5. The toilet according to any of the previous claims, wherein said scented material is high density polyethylene processed through injection moulding and added with scent-releasing substances before being brought into plastic state.

6. The toilet according to any of the previous claims, wherein said substantial part made of scented material has a coloring which conceptually refers to the type of scent released.

7. The toilet according to claim 6, wherein said substantial part made of scented material, bears one or more graphic signs which conceptually refer to the type of scent released.

8. The toilet according to claim 7, wherein said scented material is high density polyethylene processed through injection moulding and added with scent-releasing substances before being brought to plastic state, said graphic signs and/or said coloring being formed on a predesigned and/or pre-painted film which is ionized and made to adhere to the mould by means of electrostatic charge before the injection step.