Patent Publication Number: US-8117688-B2

Title: Auxiliary tank for a flush toilet

Description:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 
     1. Field of the Invention 
     The present invention relates to a flush toilet. More particularly, the present invention relates to an auxiliary tank which is attached to a main tank of the flush toilet, a floating ball-pulley assembly is provided in such auxiliary tank and is connected with a water refilling mechanism of the main tank, so that the assembly is able to control the supplying water of both tanks 
     2. Description of Related Art 
     A conventional flush toile is shown in  FIG. 6 . After the holding water in a water tank  30  has been discharged for flushing the waste, the water will be refilled into the tank  30  via a water refilling pipe  31  automatically. However, when the water supply is suspended or the water valve has been shut off, the water will not be able to refill into the tank  30  automatically, and if the user forgets to refill the water to the tank  30  by themselves, the toilet will thus not be able to use. In addition, if the user refills the water during the water outage, but the water refilling pipe  31  is still under the mode of supplying water automatically, when the water supply is restored, the water will be overflowed from the tank  30  due to the overfilling. 
     In the light of above, the conventional flush toilet thus contains some improvable defects as below: 
     1. Inconvenience: If the water supply is suspended or the water valve has been shut off, the water can not be refilled into the tank  30  automatically, therefore the use of the toilet is not convenient; and 
     2. Instability: If the user refills the water by themselves during the water outage, and if the water refilling pipe  31  is still under the mode of supplying water, when the water is restored, the water will be overflowed from the tank  30  due to the overfilling. 
     The present invention is intended to improve the above mentioned drawbacks of the conventional flush toilet. The present invention provides improved solutions to the problems of inconvenience and instability of the conventional art which may cause. 
     SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 
     The primary purpose for the present invention is to provide an auxiliary tank for a flush toilet, comprising an auxiliary tank having a floating ball-pulley assembly providing a pulling line which is connected with a floating ball with its one end, and its other end is connected with an extension arm of the water refilling pipe in a main tank, the line is wound from an upper pulley to a lower pulley, then passed through a hollow tube which is installed inside the auxiliary tank. A floating arm which is connected with said extension arm having a flapper cover which is used for covering to a bottom hole of the auxiliary tank. As discussed, the one end of the pulling line is connected with the extension arm of the water refilling pipe, when the water level in the main tank is decreased, the floating arm, which is pivotally connected with the extension arm, will be inclined downwardly, so the flapper cover will be released from covering the hole of the auxiliary tank, and the water stored in the auxiliary tank will then be supplied to the main tank accordingly. In the light of above, the flush of the water in a flush toilet is still able to be operated even at the time of water outage or shutting off the water valve. When the stored water of the auxiliary tank is insufficient, and the water level of the main tank is decreased as well, the floating ball in the auxiliary tank will drop off accordingly to cause the pulling line becoming loose, and that will result in the extension arm to incline downwardly with respect to the water refilling pipe, further to activate the refilling of water into the main tank from the water refilling pipe. 
    
    
     
       BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
         FIG. 1  is a perspective view schematically showing the flush toilet of the present invention; 
         FIG. 2  is a perspective view schematically showing the partially sectional view of the flush toilet of the present invention; 
         FIG. 3  is a perspective view schematically showing the supplying of water from the auxiliary tank to the main tank of the present invention; 
         FIG. 4  is a perspective view schematically showing the refilling of water from the water refilling pipe to the main tank of the present invention; 
         FIG. 5  is a plan view schematically showing the movements of the extension arm and the floating arm of the present invention; and 
         FIG. 6  is a perspective view of the conventional flush toilet. 
     
    
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF PREFERRED EMBODIMENT 
     While this invention is capable of embodiment in many different forms, what is shown in the drawings and described in detail herein is the preferred embodiment of the invention. The preferred embodiment is disclosed with the understanding that the present description is but one example of the principles of the invention and is not intended to limit the broad aspects of the invention to the single embodiment illustrated. 
       FIGS. 1 to 2  are perspective views schematically showing a preferable embodiment of the present invention. 
     The flush toilet comprises: 
     an auxiliary tank  10  having a floating lever  11 , a hollow tube  12  and a bottom hole  13 , wherein the floating lever  11  further includes a lower pulley  110 , an upper pulley  111 , a pulling line  112  and a floating ball  113 ; and the hollow tube  12  further comprises a penetrated hole  120 . The pulling line  112  in the auxiliary tank  10  is connected with a floating ball  113  with its one end, then the line  112  is wound from the lower pulley  110  to the upper pulley  111 , and passed through a penetrated hole  120  of the hollow tube  12 ; and 
     a main tank  20  having a water refilling pipe  21  which comprises an extension arm  210  having a pivotal joint  210 A, and a floating arm  211  is pivotally assembled to such pivotal joint  210 A. In addition, a flapper cover  211 A is installed on said floating arm  211 . The extension arm  210 , which is pivotally connected with the water refilling pipe  21 , is connected with the other end of the pulling line  112  where the line  112  has been passed through the penetrated hole  120  of the hollow tube  12 . In addition, the flapper cover  211 A is covered to the bottom hole  13  of the auxiliary tank  10 . 
     By virtue of the structural description stated above, the present invention fulfills an improvement with regard to the flush toilet thereof. 
     Referring to  FIGS. 3 to 5  are the perspective and plan views schematically showing the supplying of water from the auxiliary tank to the main tank and the refilling of water from the water refilling pipe to the main tank. Wherein, the one end of the pulling line  112  in the auxiliary tank  10  is connected with the floating ball  113 , then the line  112  is wound from the lower pulley  110  to the upper pulley  111 , and passed through the penetrated hole  120  of the hollow tube  12 , finally connected with the extension arm  210  of the water refilling pipe  21  in the main tank  20  with its other end. In addition, the flapper cover  211 A of the floating arm  211  is covered to the bottom hole  13  of the auxiliary tank  10 . Since the one end of the pulling line  112  is connected with the extension arm  210  of the water refilling pipe  21 , when the water level in the main tank  20  is decreased, the extension arm  210  of the water refilling pipe  21  will be hold by the pulling line  112 , but the floating arm  211 , which is pivotally connected with the extension arm  210 , will be downwardly inclined with respect to the pivotal joint  210 A of the extension arm  210 , so the flapper cover  211 A will be released from covering the bottom hole  13  of the auxiliary tank  10 , then the water stored in the auxiliary tank  10  will be able to supply into the main tank  20 . In the light of above, the flush of the toilet is still able to be operated even at the time of water outage or shutting off the water valve. When the stored water of the auxiliary tank  10  is insufficient, and the water level of the main tank  20  is decreased as well, the floating ball  113  in the auxiliary tank  10  will drop off accordingly to cause the pulling line  112  becoming loose, and that will result in the extension arm  210  to incline downwardly with respect to the water refilling pipe  21 , further to activate the refilling of water into the main tank  20  from the water refilling pipe  21 . 
     Referring to  FIGS. 3 to 5  are the perspective and plan views schematically showing the movements of the extension arm and the floating arm of the present invention. Wherein, the one end of the pulling line  112  is connected with the floating ball  113  of the auxiliary tank  10 , and the other end is connected with the extension arm  210  where the line  112  is wound from the lower pulley  110  to the upper pulley  111 , then passed through the penetrated hole  120  of the hollow tube  12  (as shown in  FIG. 2 ). When the water level in the main tank  20  is full, the extension arm  210  and the floating arm  211  are staying in alignment, therefore the flapper cover  211 A of the floating arm  211  is covered to the bottom hole  13  of the auxiliary tank  10 , to prevent from the water in the auxiliary tank  10  to supply into the main tank  20 . On the contrary, when the water level in the main tank  20  is decreased, the extension arm  210  of the water refilling pipe  21  will be hold by the pulling line  112  of the floating lever  11 , but the floating arm  211 , which is pivotally connected with the extension arm  210 , will be downwardly inclined with respect to the pivotal joint  210 A of the extension arm  210 , so the flapper cover  211 A will be released from covering the hole  13  of the auxiliary tank  10 , so that the water stored in the auxiliary tank  10  will be supplied into the main tank  20 . When the stored water of the auxiliary tank  10  is insufficient, and the water level of the main tank  20  is decreased as well, the floating ball  113  in the auxiliary tank  10  will drop off accordingly to cause the pulling line  112  becoming loose, and that will result in the extension arm  210  to incline downwardly with respect to the water refilling pipe  21 , further to activate the refilling of water into the main tank  20  from the water refilling pipe  21 . 
     In the light of the above, the advantages of the present invention include: 
     1. Convenience: When the water level in the main tank  20  is decreased, the floating arm  211 , which is pivotally connected with the extension arm  210 , will be downwardly inclined with respect to the pivotal joint  210 A of the extension arm  210 , so the flapper cover  211 A will be released from covering the hole  13  of the auxiliary tank  10 , so that the water stored in the auxiliary tank  10  will be supplied to the main tank  20 ; in the light of above, the flush of the toilet is still able to be operated even at the time of water outage or shutting off the water valve, so the use of the present invention is convenience; and 
     2. Stability: When the water level in the main tank  20  is decreased, the water stored in the auxiliary tank  10  will be supplied to the main tank  20 , to prevent from the water outage or shutting off the water valve. When the stored water of the auxiliary tank  10  is insufficient, and the water level of the main tank  20  is decreased as well, the refilling of the water into the main tank  20  from the water refilling pipe  21  will be activated, so the use of the present invention is stable. 
     Although numerous characteristics and advantages of the present invention have been described in detail in the foregoing description, together with the structure and function of the invention, this disclosure is only one of the examples, and changes may be made with regard to specific details, particularly to shape, size, and arrangement of parts within the invention to the full extent indicated by the general meaning of the terms in which the appended claims are expressed.