Patent Publication Number: US-7584970-B2

Title: Water-closet compound gasket

Description:
CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATION 
   The present patent application is a divisional/continuation-in-part of my now-abandoned U.S. patent application Ser. No. 10/251,363 filed on Sep. 18, 2002. It is requested that my parent application Ser. No. 10/251,363 filed on Sep. 18, 2002 now abaodoned, be incorporated by reference into and as a part of this present Continuation-in-Part application. 

   FIELD OF THE INVENTION 
   A water-closet (“w.c.”, “toilet” or “loo”) comprises a bowl made of glassed porcelain or the like having a pan formed therein for collecting feces, urine and like human exudates. The top of the pan is connected to the end of a water pipe for flushing the pan and carrying away the substances deposited therein. A drain pipe leads off from the bottom of the pan and through a syphon or hydraulic trap down to an outlet opening at the bottom of the bowl such that, when the water-closet is installed, the outlet opening faces down into the inlet hole of a sewage drain-pipe in the floor of the bathroom. 
   The present invention concerns a gasket for sealing the connection between the drain-pipe of the water-closet and the sewage drain-pipe in the floor for pre-venting water and the bodily wastes from leaking out and soiling the floor, thereby assisting in bathroom upkeep and hygiene. Of course, the gasket may find other applications in similar sanitary fixtures, such as bidets and urinals, having drainage means passing through the floor or like building surface. 
   BRIEF REVIEW OF THE PRIOR ART 
   To install a water-closet on the bathroom floor is not a difficult task. The bowl is placed directly on the floor to which it is anchored by a set of bolts, such that the drain-pipe is located right on top of the sewer pipe inlet at floor level. Sealing is carried out to prevent soiling of the floor around the water-closet by means of a rubber gasket the top end of which is affixed to the drain duct and its bottom end rests resiliently against the floor. 
   This bottom end of a conventional gasket may include three concentric rings the free circumferential edges of which bear against the floor to prevent passage of fluid and wastes outwards. 
   The conventional sealing means are prone to irregularities on the floor surface, which one generally tries to overcome by adding some sealer material to make up for the unevenness of the floor. However, the material eventually loses its sealing properties with time as the material ages and because of micromovements which happen in the course of normal use of the water-closet, among other reasons. 
   U.S. Pat. No. 2,976,543 discloses a water-closet gasket having an upper disk for sealing the water-closet&#39;s drain-hole against the floor and a tubular seal featuring external resilient circumferential rings sealing against the wall of the sewer pipe on the bathroom floor. This gasket only prevents soiled liquid that is being flushed down the drain connection from spilling out onto the floor but does not prevent liquid on the floor from seeping under the closet stand, such as when the floor is washed. 
   Commonly assigned U.S. Pat. No. 6,644,670 discloses an outer gasket section for sealing the water-closet stand against the surface of the bathroom floor. The embodiment of  FIG. 9  integrates the aforementioned oblong outer gasket section with an annular inner sealing section for simultaneously sealing the supporting edge of the water-closet stand against the floor and the connection of the drain outlet to the sewer line. The inner sealing section is a vent-type socket including a cylindrical, corrugated wall. Integrated hinged longitudinal and traverse web members connect the inner and outer sections to each other. 
   SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 
   An object of the invention is to provide a gasket for sealing the outlet of water-closet so as to assure a leak-free connection, independently of the surface condition of the floor, to avoid sewage odours and leakage of liquids from the drain duct. 
   Another object is to provide a gasket which makes sanitary fixtures easy, quicker and cheaper to install, adaptable furthermore to different sewer piping sizes. 
   An further object of the invention is to provide a compound gasket for improving the bearing and securement of the fixture of the floor and including the sealer gasket of the water-closet drain for assuring good sealing of the bearing, blocking water coming from washing down the bathroom floor from leaking into the compartment formed under the stand of the bowl and stopping dirt from getting inside and into the gap between the fixture and the floor. 
   To attain these and other objects and advantages which may become apparent in the course of this description, the gasket for sealing the water-closet drain includes a tube the top of which is affixed to the drain-pipe of the water-closet. The tube includes a lower span fitting into the sewage pipe and provided with rings or like sealing means on the outer surface thereof for forming a fluid-tight seal against the inner surface of the sewage-pipe. According to the invention, the drainage gasket is integrated into a common one-piece compound gasket which includes an oval gasket portion through which the base of the water-closet stand rests on the floor. 
   In a preferred embodiment, the gasket is a single piece of moulded plastics material, such as polyvinyl, rubber or the like, integrating gasket sealing rings consisting of several rings longitudinally separated along the part of the single piece forming the tube of the gasket. In alternative embodiments, tubular bellows may be used, for instance, in place of the rings. As an accesory, the one-piece gasket may further include the conventional concentric rings as well as inner sealer means about the top end of the gasket tube for fitting onto and forming a tight seal about the hole of the drain-pipe of the water-closet. 

   
     BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
       FIG. 1  is a schematic perspective view of the drain piping of a water-closet which is shown transparented for purposes of illustration wherein the present invention finds application. 
       FIG. 2  is a perspective view of a one-piece compound gasket for a water-closet including the drainage sealer gasket part according to a preferred embodiment of the present invention. 
       FIG. 3  is a front-back elevation view of the gasket of  FIG. 2 . 
       FIG. 4  is a cross-section view of the gasket of  FIG. 2 . 
       FIG. 5  is a schematic perspective underside view of the water-closet stand of  FIG. 1  showing the installation of the gasket of  FIGS. 2 to 4 . 
       FIGS. 6-12  are cross-sections analogous to that of  FIG. 4  illustrating different drainage sealer gaskets parts according to respective alternative embodiments of the present invention. 
       FIG. 13  is a cross-section view of an inner sealer gasket part according to a further embodiment of the invention. 
   

   PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS OF THE INVENTION 
   A field of application of the gasket of the present invention for sealing the drain-outlet of water-closets  21  is disclosed, notwithstanding persons skilled in the art may adapt it to other uses. As illustrated in  FIG. 1 , the water-closet  21  comprises a bowl  23  of ceramic glass in the form of a pan  25  having an inside for receiving human wastes or exudates. A duct  27  allows water to be flushed into the pan  25  for evacuating the latter through a drain-duct  29 . This drain-duct  29  conventionally includes a syphon  31  for trapping water in the pan  25  and sealing malodours in a sewage pipe  37  from emanating from the pan  25  to the bathroom. 
   Refering specifically to the application of the present invention, the sewage-pipe  37  has a hole at floor level  33  over which the water-closet  25  is installed such that it may be engaged by the outlet hole  33  of the W.C. drain-duct  29 , using a compound gasket described in the following exemplary embodiments to prevent soiled fluid from leaking through the connection and soiling the surface of the floor  35 . 
     FIGS. 2 ,  3  and  4  illustrate in detail a preferred embodiment of a full gasket for water-closets  21 , comprising a gasket outer portion  39  having an ovaloid or ring-like shape like the perimeter of the base of the stand  41  ( FIG. 5 ), on which the bowl  23  rests or bears on the floor  35  ( FIG. 1 ), an inner generally tubular portion  43  forming the drainage sealer gasket part and a pair of spokes  45  bridging both gasket portions  39  and  43  to form a single piece of moulded plastics material, such as polyvinyl, rubber or like material providing slightly resilient properties, with the aggregation of anti-microbic agents. The external gasket  39  is moulded with a small step  47  on its upper face so as to fit into the base of the stand  41 . The spokes  45  are pierced by a pair of orifices  49  through which bolts for securing the bowl  23  to the floor  35  may be passed. Said inner tubular portion  43  has its entire outer periphery spaced apart radially inwardly from said outer gasket portion  39 , said outer and inner gasket portion defining an annular space between them, and said spoke means each spaced apart from the other and each extending across said annular space with part of said annular space being on both sides of each of said spoke means. 
   The water-closet drainage sealer gasket  43  comprises a tube  51  of the same slightly resilient moulded plastics material which joins the drain  33  hole at the bottom of the water-closet  21  to the sewage-pipe  37 . Specifically, the upper end of the tube  51  is affixed to the drain-duct  29  whereas at its bottom end, the tube  51  extends into a span  53  which plugs into the sewage-pipe  37 , thereby providing the necessary connection in the water-closet  21  installation. 
   To improve and assure the sealability of this connection, sealer rings made of the same moulded plastics material, e.g. four longitudinally-spaced flat rings  55 , are integrated onto the outer wall surface of the bottom tubular span  53 . The seal-tight connection is achieved by the resilient pressure of the rings  55  against the inner wall surface of the pipe  37 . 
   Carrying out the sanitary connection is easy to learn and do. The upper end  51  of the tube is fitted onto the end of the hole  33  at the end of the water-closet pipe  29 . The outer gasket part  39  is fitted onto the perimeter of the base of the stand  41  before bringing the bowl  23  to rest on the floor  35  and effortlessly shoving the tubular ringed span  53  down sufficiently inside the pipe  37 . Thereby securing bolts are installed through the orificies  49  in the spokes  45 .  FIG. 5  illustrates the final installation of the water-closet bowl  23  with the gasket. 
   Considering  FIGS. 2 ,  3  and  4  again, the top end of the tube  51  may be connected in different ways to the drain duct  29 . For instance, the top end of the tube  51  may terminate in the shape of a cup  58  to sealingly adapt to toilets of different sizes and shapes. The present invention also suggests doing it by plugging the hole  33  of the duct  29  inside the upper end of the tube  51 , the inner wall surface of which has concave form in your superiors corners  58  what you allow to place any type of toilet adapting to this internal wall. 
     FIG. 6  illustrates a variant to the main seal-rings, consisting in forming the bottom span  53  as a bellows  59 . The bellows  59  have the same purpose of the sealer means  53  of the preceding embodiment in that, when they are forced into the pipe  37 , the exert an expansion pressure against the inner wall surface of the sewage pipe  37 . In the same way, the additional sealer means may be formed by a bellows  61  in the upper end of the tube arranged to exert resilient pressure about the hold  33  of the drain duct  29 . 
     FIGS. 7 and 8  illustrate other alternative embodiment which have are foreseen although believed to be not as preferable as the preceding embodiments, consisting in different combinations of the seal-rings  55  y  57  of  FIG. 5  alternated with the bellows  59  and  61  of  FIG. 7 . 
   The cross-sections shown in  FIGS. 9 and 10  illustrate further alternative embodiments of the drain gasket portion for the compound gasket of the invention wherein an upstanding ring  63  concentric relative to the tube  51  is integrated into the one-piece compound gasket of the invention. The upstanding ring  63  has at the bottom thereof a free circumferential edge  65  which bears on the floor  35 , as in some conventional gaskets. The cross-sections shown in  FIGS. 11 and 12  are respectively similar to the embodiments of  FIGS. 9 and 10  except that three concentric rings  63 A,  63 B and  63 C are integrated into the one-piece gasket to seal against the floor surface  35 . 
     FIG. 13  is a cross-section of a further embodiment of a drain sealer gasket part  49  which, as in the other embodiments, may be integrated into a single piece with the stand gasket part  39 . The upper portion of the gasket  49  depicted in  FIG. 13  is an integrated disk  67  featuring a generally flat face  69  except for an upstanding ring-shaped ridge  71  designed to fit around the outer edge  33  of the bowl drain-duct  29 . Installation is simplified in this case since there is no need to first fit the gasket  43  about the drain outlet pipe  29 . 
   The lower portion of the gasket  43  has three flat rings  55 . The gasket  43  is installed and works essentially in the same way as the other embodiments, sealing the drain connection once the bowl  23  is placed thereon and secured to the floor  35 . 
   Of course, changes, variations and aggregations may be made to the multiple embodiment describe above, without departing from the scope nor the spirit of the invention. The same has been described by way of preferred embodiments specifically for water-closets, however those skilled in the art may suit it to other applications without departing from the purview of the invention as set forth in the appended claims. For example, the inner gasket  43  may be independent or devoid of the outer gasket  39  or the four rings  57  or the bellows  61  near the upper end of the tube  51  be increased, reduced or omitted for practical reasons, if any, among other variations.