IMPROVEMENTS IN OR RELATING TO TOILETS

Abstract: The present invention relates to an improved odour extraction apparatus, for a toilet (10), and related method. It is a common requirement to remove unpleasant odoriferous gases which arise during use of a toilet. Previously proposed solutions have the disadvantage of being either inefficient or liable to collect water during the flushing process. The present invention provides an odour extraction apparatus for use with a toilet bowl (12), the apparatus comprising: a chamber (18) adapted for communication with a toilet bowl (12), and also adapted for communication with evacuating means (20), such that, in use, the evacuation means (20) acts to remove odours from the toilet bowl (12) via the chamber (18), the volume of gas which can be contained within the chamber (18) being greater than the volume of gas which can be contained within the toilet bowl (12).

Description: TMPROVEMENTS IN OR RELATING TO TOILETS The present invention concerns improvements in or relating to toilets. In particular, the present invention relates to a toilet having an odour extractor. It is a common requirement to remove unpleasant odoriferous gases which arise during use of a toilet. Proposed solutions include using a modified toilet bowl or seat having an aperture or bore in communication with a duct and an extractor fan to provide improved ventilation of the toilet bowl. The prior art has the disadvantage of being eitner inefficient or liable to collect water during the flushing process . It is an object of the present invention to obviate or mitigate one or more problems in the prior art. In the present invention, the general solution to the problem of reducing odours in toilets is to locate a chamber which may have a comparatively large volume between the extractor and the toilet to increase the efficiency of air extraction from the toilet. According to a first aspect of the present invention there is provided odour extraction apparatus for use with a toilet bowl, the apparatus comprising: a chamber adapted for communication with a toilet bowl, and also adapted for communication with evacuating means, such that, in use, the evacuation means acts to remove odours from the toilet bowl via the chamber. The chamber may be dimensioned to provide improved ventilation of the toilet bowl . Preferably, the volume of gas which can be contained within the chamber is greater than the volume of gas which can be contained within the toilet bowl. According to a second aspect of the present invention there is provided a toilet, the toilet comprising: a toilet bowl having at least one gas outlet disposed therein; a chamber in communication with the at least one gas outlet; and evacuation means communicable with the chamber; such that, in use, the evacuation means acts to remove odours from the toilet bowl via the chamber. Preferably, the volume of gas which can be contained within the chamber is greater than the volume of gas which can be contained within the toilet bowl . The chamber may be dimensioned to provide improved ventilation of the toilet bowl. The toilet bowl may carry a seat, the seat and/or bowl being adapted to provide a substantially air tight seal between the seat and the bowl when the seat is down and a person is seated. Conveniently, an air tight seal is provided by the seat and the bowl having complementary profiles. Preferably, the at least one gas outlet is disposed towards a rear portion of the toilet bowl. Preferably, there are two gas outlets. Preferably, the chamber is attached to a cistern. Preferably, the evacuation means is an extractor fan. The extractor fan may vent odour directly to an outside region via an external wall. Alternatively, the extractor fan may vent odour to a vent pipe, where the vent pipe may be coupled to a plurality of toilets including such extractor fans. According to a third aspect of the present invention there is provided a method of removing odours from a toilet, the method comprising the steps of: providing a toilet bowl having at least one gas outlet; providing a chamber in communication with the at least one outlet; providing an extraction means in communication with the chamber; and extracting gas from inside the toilet bowl sequentially through the gas outlet, the chamber, and the extraction means . These and other aspects of the present invention will become apparent from the following specific description, given by way of example, with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which: Eig 1 is a side view of a toilet according to one embodiment of the present invention; Fig 2 is a plan view of the toilet of Fig 1; Fig 3 is cross-sectional view of the toilet of Fig. 1 including a toilet bowl and seat; Fig 4 is a side view of the toilet of Fig 1 illustrating air flow when an extractor fan forming part of the toilet is in use; Fig 5 is a perspective view of a vent chamber of the toilet of Fig 1; Fig 6 is a side view of a modified vent chamber having an alternative coupling arrangement; Fig 7 is a side view of a coupling for use when the toilet is fitted in a room with no external wall; Fig 8 is a side view of a toilet installed in a room having no external wall; and Fig 9 is a side view of an alternative coupling arrangement between a fan and a vent outlet. Referring to the drawings, a toilet generally designated 10 according to an embodiment of the present invention comprises a toilet bowl 12, a cistern 14, a seat 16, a vent chamber 18 and evacuation means in the form of an extractor fan 20. In this embodiment, the extractor fan 20 is located in an outside wall 22. A manually operable switch 24 is used to actuate the extractor fan 20. The extractor fan 20 has a timer (not shown) which de-activates the extractor fan 20 after a predetermined amount of time has elapsed. In addition to a main waste output 30, the toilet bowl 12 also has two laterally spaced bores (gas outlet vents) 32 disposed in and located towards a rear of the toilet bowl 12. In this embodiment, each gas outlet 32 is approximately 50mm in diameter. The gas outlets 32 are located on opposite sides of a rear facing portion of the toilet bowl 12, approximately 100mm beneath the rim of the bowl 12. Positioning of the outlets 32 on the rear portion of the toilet bowl 12 has been found to be of particular advantage . The chamber 18 (best shown by Fig 5) is a single rectangular unit moulded, for example, from plastics material. In this embodiment, the thickness of the chamber sidewalls 40 is approximately 4mm. A front sidewall 40a of the chamber 18 has two pipes 42 protruding therefrom and angled downwards from the front sidewall 40a as shown in Figs 1 and 5. The rear sidewall 40b is adapted to be mounted on the external wall 22 and to receive the extractor fan 20. The dimensions of the chamber 18 are dictated by the power and diameter of the extractor fan 20, but for efficient operation, the volume of the chamber 18 should preferably be greater than the volume of the toilet bowl 12. A Marley Extrusion Limited extractor fan unit (Model No. MPK 700P, 230V AC, 50Hz, 25 ) is used in this embodiment. The outer casing of the fan 20 is approximately 150mm wide and 150mm high. To provide adequate vent chamber volume for this type of fan, the chamber 18 is 200mm high, 245mm wide, and 340mm long. Each pipe 42 has a recessed "0"-ring on an inner surface of the pipe 42 and is dimensioned to provide an air-tight sliding fit over the corresponding gas outlet 32. The top sidewall 40c has four approximately 10mm long threaded rods 44 protruding therefrom for engagement with the cistern 14. The toilet bowl 12 has an angled rim 50 which slopes down from an inside edge of the bowl 12 to an outside edge of the bowl 12, as shown in Fig 3. An elastomeric strip 52 is disposed peripherally on an underside of the seat 16. The strip 52 has a complementary profile (angled from the inside edge down to the outside edge) to the angled rim 50 to provide a seal therebetween at least when a person is sitting on the seat 16. This seal helps to contain odours and ensures that air flow comes from the front area of the toilet 10. When a person is seated on the seat 16 and the extractor fan 20 is in use, the extractor fan 20 causes air to flow from the front of the toilet 10, between the person's thighs, into the toilet bowl 12, through the gas outlets 32, into the vent chamber 18, and through the extractor fan 20, to the outside. Fig 6 shows a chamber 18 which has modified pipes 42a. The modified pipes 42a have a flanged end 60 for use with modified gas outlets 32a having a corresponding flanged end 62. The coupling is formed by bolting or clamping together the flanged ends 60,62. In certain applications e.g. if the toilet 10 is located in an internal room (a room with no external wall to the outside) then a covering (or cowl) 60 is placed over the extractor fan 20 and a 100mm diameter flexible hose 62 is used to couple the extractor fan 20 to an internal vent pipe 64 (Fig 8) associated with the main waste output 30 by means of a T-junction 66. The internal vent pipe 64 may receive the output of a plurality of such toilets 10. Typically, the internal vent pipe 64 extends along or up a building in which the toilet 10 is located and provides a centralised vent to an outside region. This may be the case, for example, in commercial premises such as hotels or offices. Where a toilet 10 is located above another toilet, for example, on a different floor level, then an angled junction 68 rather than a T-junction 66 can be used. Otherwise, waste from the upper toilet 10 may flow down the internal vent pipe 64 and into the hose 64 of the lower toilet 10. Various modifications may be made to the above described embodiments within the scope of the present invention. For example, the extractor fan 20 may be actuated by operation of a light switch used to illuminate the room in which the toilet 10 is located. The extractor fan 20 may alternatively be operated by a switch on the toilet seat and/or bowl so that when the seat is lowered the extractor fan is actuated; or when a person sits on the seat, the pressure on the toilet seat may actuate the extractor fan. Alternatively, the extractor fan may be operated by opening the door of the room in which the toilet 10 is located. The vent(s) 32 may be located in the toilet seat 16, rather than in the bowl 12, and preferably a rear portion thereof. An extractor fan 20 may be used which has a different physical size and/or power to that described. Similarly, the size of the vent chamber 18 may differ from that described.

Claims: CLAIMS 1. An odour extraction apparatus for use with a toilet bowl, the apparatus comprising: a chamber adapted for communication with a toilet bowl, and also adapted for communication with evacuating means, such that, in use the evacuation means acts to remove odours from the toilet bowl via the chamber. 2. An odour extraction apparatus as claimed in claim 1, wherein the chamber is dimensioned to provide ventilation of the toilet bowl . 3. An odour extraction apparatus as claimed in either of claims 1 or 2, wherein the volume of gas which can be contained within the chamber is greater than the volume of gas which can be contained within the toilet bowl . 4. A toilet comprising: a toilet bowl having at least one gas outlet disposed therein; a chamber in communication with the at least one gas outlet; and evacuation means communicable with the chamber; wherein, in use, the evacuation means acts to remove odours from the toilet bowl via the chamber. 5. A toilet as claimed in claim 4, wherein the chamber is dimensioned to provide ventilation of the toilet bowl. 6. A toilet as claimed in either of claims 4 or 5, wherein the volume of gas which can be contained within the chamber is greater than the volume of gas which can be contained within the toilet bowl. 7. A toilet as claimed in any of claims 4 to 6, wherein the toilet bowl carries a seat, the seat and/or bowl being adapted to provide a substantially air tight seal between the seat and the bowl when the seat is down contacting the bowl and a person is seated thereupon . 8. A toilet as claimed in claim 7, wherein the seal is provided by the seat and the bowl having complementary profiles . 9. A toilet as claimed in any of claims 4 to 8, wherein the at least one gas outlet is disposed towards a rear portion of the toilet bowl . 10. A toilet as claimed in any of claims 4 to 9, wherein there are provided two gas outlets. 11. A toilet as claimed in any of claims 4 to 10, wherein the chamber is attached to a cistern. 12. A toilet as claimed in any of claims 4 to 11, wherein the evacuation means is an extractor fan. 13. A toilet as claimed in claim 12, wherein the extractor fan vents odour directly to an outside region via an external wall. 14. A toilet as claimed in claim 12, wherein, in use, the extractor fan vents odour to a vent pipe, the vent pipe being coupled to a plurality of toilets each including such an extractor fan. 15. A toilet as claim in any of claims 4 to 14, wherein the/each gas outlet communicates with the chamber via a pipe, the/each pipe being inclined upwardly towards the chamber. 16. A method of removing odours from a toilet, the method comprising the steps of: providing a toilet bowl having at least one gas outlet; providing a chamber in communication with the at least one outlet; providing an extraction means in communication with the chamber; and extracting gas from inside the toilet bowl sequentially through the gas outlet, the chamber, and the extraction means . 17. An odour extraction apparatus as hereinbefore described with reference to Figs. 1 to 9. 18. A toilet as hereinbefore described with reference to Figs. 1 to 9. 19. A method of removing odours from a toilet as hereinbefore described with reference to Figs. 1 to 9.

Inventors: AITCHISON DONALD ALEXANDER, AITCHISON, DONALD, ALEXANDER
Applicants: AITCHISON DONALD ALEXANDER, AITCHISON, DONALD, ALEXANDER
Application year: 1999
Main classification: E03D9
IPC codes: E03D9