Abstract:
A device for preventing overflow of a toilet, the device comprising a pump, a moisture sensor and a circuit for receiving a signal from the moisture sensor and activating the pump. The pump is associated with the toilet and attached to an inlet pipe to receive liquid from the toilet bowl of the toilet. The pump is further attached to an outlet pipe for discharging liquid from the toilet bowl. The fluids removed from the toilet can be discharged into an expandable receptacle, a drain line or the discharge line in the base of the toilet. The moisture sensor senses an overflow condition in the toilet.

Description:
CROSS REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS  
       [0001]     This non-provisional application is converted from provisional U.S. application No. 60/758,090, filed Jan. 10, 2006, for the invention of Kevin J. Morris, entitled “TOILET OVERFLOW SENSOR AND PUMP APPARATUS,” and derives and claims priority from that application. 
     
    
     STATEMENT REGARDING FEDERALLY SPONSORED RESEARCH OR DEVELOPMENT  
       [0002]     Not Applicable.  
       BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION  
       [0003]     The invention relates to toilets, and more specifically, to a system for sensing the fill level of a toilet bowl and for pumping liquid from the toilet bowl to prevent spillage from an overflow condition.  
         [0004]     Most residences today have indoor plumbing, which delivers liquid directly to sinks, bathtubs, and toilets for use by the occupants of the residence as needed. While indoor plumbing is a significant advance and indeed a requirement in most urban areas, there are also some drawbacks associated with indoor plumbing. One such drawback is that toilets will, from time to time, become clogged when the waste outlet line leading from the toilet bowl becomes obstructed with waste matter, toilet paper, or the like. Because conventional toilets are not equipped with any means for sensing and reacting to a clogged condition, those toilets will often overflow, resulting in spillage or a flooding condition in the lavatory area. Such spillage or flooding can cause significant property damage, as well as create an unsanitary condition, and is a burden to clean up.  
         [0005]     Others in the past have proposed systems for detecting potential clogged conditions in toilets and for preventing an overflow from occurring by interrupting the supply of water to the toilet bowl. One such device is disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 3,987,502 to Hartmann. The Hartmann &#39;502 patent discloses an electrical sensing probe  50  that is placed inside of the toilet bowl. An overflow chamber is provided which extends about the entire rim of the bowl. The probe extends into the overflow chamber, and when liquid flows into the chamber, the liquid bridges the gap between the probe and the conductive side wall of the bowl, to initiate a signal to stop the flow of liquid to the toilet bowl.  
         [0006]     Another such overflow prevention system is disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 4,041,557 to Ringler. The Ringler &#39;557 patent discloses an insulated electrode placed in a horizontal pipe  15  that delivers liquid to a toilet bowl. So long as liquid remains in the pipe, a circuit is closed between the electrode  47  and ground, which disables the toilet to prevent further flushings.  
         [0007]     Yet another device for preventing toilet overflows is disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 4,195,374 to Morris et al., and includes an insulated electrical probe  37  housed inside a liquid flushing line  18 .  
         [0008]     U.S. Pat. No. 4,258,444 to Orszullok discloses an overflow system for detecting an overflow condition in a bathtub, and includes a capacitive sensor that is operative to detect the liquid level within the bathtub and to generate a control signal as the liquid level approaches the top of the tub. While such a device is arguably suitable for bathtub applications, this system is not suitable for use in toilet applications where the liquid level varies during the normal use of the toilet, for example during a standard toilet flush. Placement in such close proximity to the sidewall of a toilet will cause the capacitive sensor to detect that the liquid level has risen to the level of the sensor, thereby triggering a signal to stop the flow of liquid to the toilet bowl. Thus, if used in a toilet application, the capacitive sensor would detect a false positive every time the toilet is flushed.  
         [0009]     Accordingly, it will be apparent that there continues to be a need for a reliable, efficient system for detecting a clogged toilet condition and for preventing spillage or flooding from occurring due to an actual overflow condition. 
     
    
     BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS  
       [0010]      FIG. 1  is a section view of a toilet having a toilet overflow prevention device according to a first embodiment of the present invention;  
         [0011]      FIG. 2  is a section view of a toilet having a toilet overflow prevention device according to a second embodiment of the present invention;  
         [0012]      FIG. 3  is a section view of a toilet having a toilet overflow prevention device according to a third embodiment of the present invention; and  
         [0013]      FIG. 4  is a block diagram of an electronic circuit of the system of the present invention according to an embodiment of the invention.  
     
    
     DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT  
       [0014]     While this invention is susceptible of embodiment in many different forms, there is shown in the drawings and will herein be described in detail preferred embodiments of the invention with the understanding that the present disclosure is to be considered as an exemplification of the principles of the invention and is not intended to limit the broad aspect of the invention to the embodiments illustrated.  
         [0015]     In a first embodiment, the present invention comprises a system including a sensor to detect a clogged condition of a toilet and in response thereto simultaneously turn off the water supply, sound an alarm and begin pumping liquid from the toilet bowl.  
         [0016]     In the embodiment of  FIG. 1 , the system  10  is mounted on a toilet bowl  12  containing a quantity of liquid A. The system  10  comprises a pump housing  14  in which is mounted a pump  15  and control circuitry for operating the invention. Attached to the suction side of the pump housing  14  is an inlet pipe  16 . The inlet pipe  16  is attached to the toilet boil  12  by having a U-shaped configuration that is placed over the toilet rim  18 . A retaining tab  20  extends under the rim  18  and secures the inlet pipe  16  and pump housing  14  to the toilet  12 . The inlet pipe  16  defines an opening  22  adjacent an end  24  thereof to allow the pump  15  to draw liquid from the toilet bowl  12 .  
         [0017]     An outlet pipe  26  exits the pump housing  14  and attaches to an expandable receptacle or bladder  28  for retaining the liquid pumped from the toilet bowl  12 .  
         [0018]     A liquid sensor  30  is attached to the circuitry within the pump housing  14  and mounted on an end of the inlet pipe  16 . The liquid sensor  30  is a capacitive switch that senses the liquid level within the toilet bowl  12 . The sensor  30  may, alternatively, be a contact switch, a float switch, or any other such switch that is capable of sensing the liquid level within the toilet bowl  12 .  
         [0019]     The system  10  further comprises a water supply valve  32  that is electrically operated to turn off the water supply when a clogged condition is detected.  
         [0020]     Referring to  FIG. 4 , the circuitry attached to the switch preferably comprises a holding relay circuit  34  that is electrically connected to a liquid sensing circuit  36 , which notifies the holding relay circuit  34  when liquid is detected against the liquid sensor  30 . The holding relay circuit  34  is further attached to a pump  15  that begins pumping when the holding relay circuit  34  supplies power to the pump  15  in response to the liquid sensor  30 . An alarm  40  is also optionally sounded to alert people to the clogged condition. Furthermore, the water supply valve  32  is controlled by the holding relay circuit  34  to turn on and off the water supply to the toilet. A reset switch  42  resets the holding relay circuit  34  after the clogged condition has been removed.  
         [0021]     The system  10  operates in the following manner. When the toilet is flushed, the toilet bowl  12  begins operating in a normal manner. If the toilet bowl  12  becomes clogged, causing an overflow condition, the liquid sensor  30  will eventually contact liquid disposed within the toilet bowl  12 . The liquid sensing circuit  36  will notify the holding relay circuit  34 , which will then activate the pump  15 , the alarm  40  and the water supply valve  32  to turnoff the water. The pump  15  will pump the liquid from the toilet bowl  12  to the receptacle  28 . After the clogged condition has been removed, the reset switch  42  will be operated, which will operate the water supply valve  32  to an open position, returning the toilet to its normal operating condition.  
         [0022]     In a second embodiment of the invention ( FIG. 2 ), like reference numerals are used to identify like elements from the first embodiment and will not be re-described. The second embodiment operates as the first embodiment, with the exception that the receptacle  28  is replaced by a discharge line  44  attached to the outlet line  26 . The discharge line  44  attaches directly to a sewage stack  46  upon which the toilet is located. An alternative to the attachment directly to a sewage stack  46  is attachment directly to a chimney stack or other available discharge facility.  
         [0023]     In a third embodiment of the invention ( FIG. 3 ), the elements of the system are integrated within the toilet, and liquid discharges to the sewage stack  46  through the toilet. The moisture sensor  30  is placed on an inside lip  48  of the rim  18  of the toilet bowl  12 .  
         [0024]     The components of the present disclosure may be constructed of a variety of materials, including but not limited to various metals, plastics, ceramics, wood, or any other suitable material that will provide sufficient structural integrity for the each component to perform its desired function as stated herein. Each dimension of the disclosure, and thereby all of its components, may be of varying sizes. Of course, one of ordinary skill in the art will recognize that structural members may be added to strategic positions on or in the disclosure to allow the use of a variety of materials.  
         [0025]     While the above description contains many specifics, these should not be construed as limitations on the scope of the invention, but rather as an exemplification of preferred embodiments thereof. Many other variations are possible. For example, the pump housing  14  and the pump  15  may be positioned on the floor next to the expandable receptacle or bladder  28 . Of course, the pump  15  and the expandable receptacle  28  need not be placed on the floor, but may be placed in many other locations such as, for example, astride the toilet, under the toilet tank, behind a wall, or under the floor. Further, the pump  15  and the expandable receptacle  28  may be placed together in a single housing. In any event, any one or more of the components of the device, such as the pump  15  and the expandable receptacle  28  may be enclosed in a decorative housing. Also, the expandable receptacle  28  may be detachable or it may be disposable for the sake of convenience and cleanliness. This may require the use of a one-way valve or other such mechanism in association with the expandable receptacle  28  that would be readily understood by one of ordinary skill in the art to minimize any spillage of waste material during removal of the expandable receptacle  28  from the device  10 . The expandable receptacle  28  may be of a construction that is rolled up and will unfurl upon filling with discharge from the pump  15 . Of course, the receptacle  28  need not be expandable, but may be sized to accommodate sufficient discharge from the pump  15  as necessary for an overflow condition.  
         [0026]     The detailed description above illustrates the disclosure by way of example and not by way of limitation. This description clearly enables one skilled in the art to make and use the disclosure, and describes several embodiments, adaptations, variations, alternatives and uses of the disclosure, including what I presently believe is the best mode of carrying out the disclosure. As various changes could be made in the above constructions without significantly departing from the spirit of the invention, it is intended that all matter contained in the above description or shown in the accompanying drawings shall be interpreted as illustrative and not in a limiting sense. Hence, the scope of protection is only limited by the scope of the accompanying claims.