Abstract:
An adapter and base plate that may be retrofitted to existing industry standard toilets to provide a capability to vent foul odors from bodily waste deposited into the toilet bowl. The toilet includes a bowl having flush holes disposed around a rim of the bowl for discharging water into the bowl, a water tank for containing a volume of water sufficient to cause the toilet to flush when the volume of water is discharged into the bowl, a flush and refill mechanism for flushing and then refilling the toilet, the flush mechanism controlling a flush valve that covers a drain at the bottom of the water tank. The adapter is fitted between the water tank and bowl with a first opening receiving the flush valve and a second opening connected to an exhaust fan by plumbing. The base plate may be translucent to allow LED lighting mounted to adapter to be cast about the bowl.

Description:
CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS 
     This application claims priority from U.S. Provisional Patent Application No. 62/148,729 filed on Apr. 16, 2015. The entire disclosure of the prior application is considered to be part of the disclosure of the accompanying application and is hereby incorporated by reference. 
    
    
     BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 
     1. Field of the Invention 
     This invention relates to an accessory for lavatories that provide for the ventilation a toilet bowl by means of a fan which draws offensive odors from the toilet bowl and exhausted the odors to the outside of the home or building in which the accessory is installed. 
     2. Description of the Related Art 
     Flush toilets use water to dispose of human waste through a drain pipe into a sewer system. Exhausting malodorous air from a toilet is typically done using a ceiling-mounted fan. However, this is inefficient as the malodorous air must be drawn upwardly from the toilet to the fan on the ceiling. In recognition of this problem, a number of ventilated toilets have been developed for evacuating malodorous air in a more efficient manner. Generally, there are three types of ventilated toilets. A first type of ventilated toilet uses a filter or air scrubber to deodorize the malodorous air. The main disadvantages of this first type of ventilated toilet is that the filter or scrubber must be regularly replaced and that the deodorization effect may be ineffectual. A second type of ventilated toilet draws the malodorous air into the drain pipe and sewer. However, this can lead to back pressure especially in a septic system. Furthermore, if air is forced through the drain pipe and into the sewer, there would be no p-trap; as a consequence, there is no way to ensure that there is no back-drafting of sewage water. A third type of ventilated toilet uses a ventilation conduit as an interface between the water tank and the toilet bowl to exhaust the malodorous air from the toilet. The present invention is an improvement on this third type of ventilated toilets. 
     U.S. Pat. No. 4,494,255 to Drummond discloses a suction housing that is interposed between the water tank and toilet in a load-bearing relation. The suction housing is of cuboid shape having top, bottom and side walls respectively. The walls are sealingly secured together at the edges defining there between a closed chamber within. The rear wall supports an air duct that is in fluid communications with a fan that operates to draw air from the suction housing to the outside. The upper wall is provided with a tapered opening centrally thereof and bottom wall is provided with another opening of about the same size and in registry therewith. A frustoconically shaped duct has its larger diameter end sealingly secured at the perimeter to the annular edge of the top opening. The duct extends through the closed chamber and the bottom opening and slightly beyond resulting in a clearance between the exterior of the duct and the lower opening thereby providing for an annular intake port. When the fan is actuated offensive odors are drawn from the clearance into the suction housing through the air duct positioned in the rear wall and from there to the outside. However, the Drummond suction housing, being flat, does not allow for water that has entered the suction housing to drain as a result water pools within the suction housing. A problem that is further compounded if the toilet is not set exactly upright. Standing water allows bacteria and mold to develop creating the constant presence of unwanted odors from such sources and failing building codes in most if not all jurisdictions. Moreover, with the suction housing being as large as the base of the water tank, there is considerable volume of air to draw from requiring a larger fan. Finally, the air duct positioned at the rear wall of the suction housing is at a fixed position which is problematic if a wall stud is present behind the toilet as additional plumbing will be required to route the exhaust away from the wall stud. 
     U.S. Pat. No. 4,989,276 to Martens discloses a vent adapter that is installed in a water tank with certain structural modification to its interior. The first structural modification is that the water tank has a floor upon which water stored in the tank rests and a second floor below the first which is in contact with the toilet and attaches to the toilet in the same manner as industry standard water tanks. The second structural modification is the presence of a venting channel that allows for the movement of air from the enclosure between the two floors at the base of the water tank to an exhaust port at the top of the water tank. The enclosure between the two floors and the venting channel is sealed to prevent the entry of water that is stored in the water tank. The vent adapter is positioned between the two floors and is in registry communications with the flush valve above the first floor and the lower water discharge opening within second floor. The vent adapter confines to a great degree the passage of water during flushing operations to the space defined by the vent adapter while apertures about the circumference of the vent adapter allow for the movement of air between the vent adapter and the enclosure between the two floors. When water is not being flushed from the water tank into the toilet bowl a fan in fluid communications with the exhaust port at the top of the water tank draws air from the venting channel, in turn the venting channel draws air from the enclosure between the two floors, in turn the enclosure draws air from the apertures about the circumference of the vent adapter, in turn the vent adapter draws air from the water discharge portals about the rim of the bowl. However, the Martens disclosure requires, at time of retrofit, the replacement of the industry standard water tank with a water tank containing the certain structural modifications as described above adding a significant amount of cost to retrofitting of an existing toilet. In addition, any water escaping through the apertures about the circumference of the vent adapter and into the enclosure between the two floors remains within the enclosure as there are no means to encourage the water back through the apertures and into the vent adapter. This problem is further compounded if the toilet is not set exactly upright. Standing water allows bacteria and mold to develop creating the constant presence of unwanted odors from such sources and failing building codes in most if not all jurisdictions. Another problem is that the exhaust port positioned at the rear wall of the water tank is at a fixed position which is problematic if a wall stud is present behind the toilet as additional plumbing will be required to route the exhaust away from the wall stud. 
     U.S. patent publication 2009/0126089 to Smith discloses a tubular vent collar placed between the water tank and the bowl portions of a toilet that is secured by elongated bolts that attach the toilet tank to the toilet base. The vent collar is comprised of three separate components: an external housing tubular in shape with upper and lower openings of a smaller diameter than of the housing itself and a ventilation port on its circumference; a tubular baffle that fits through the housing&#39;s upper opening and meets the housing&#39;s lower opening thereby sealing the housing&#39;s upper and lower opening the baffle containing a plurality of openings about its circumference and allowing for the passage of water from the water tank to the bowl during flushing operations; and an adapter that sealingly threads into housing&#39;s ventilation port to provide a means for a remote fan to be in fluid communication with the ventilation port. As the baffle is of a smaller diameter than the housing there exists a gap between the baffle&#39;s exterior diameter and the housing&#39;s interior diameter. When water is not being flushed the fan may draw air from the water discharge ports about the rim of the bowl through the plurality of openings about the baffle&#39;s circumference and out through the housing&#39;s ventilation port to a discharge point directed to by the fan. Unlike the Martens disclosure the Smith disclosure may utilize the existing water tank when retrofitting a toilet however the shafts of the elongated bolts are exposed giving an unfinished look when the retrofit is complete and extra care will need to be taken when mounting the water tank to ensure that it is level as over tightening of one mounting bolt will cause the water tank to lean. The vent collar, being comprised of multiple components increases the cost of and the amount of time required to install the vent collar. Most troubling is that the gap between the base of the water tank and the top of the bowl created by the vent collar is difficult to clean leaving dust, residue from cleaners, and perhaps urine from males with an unsteady urine stream to collect creating the constant presence of unwanted odors from such sources and failing building codes in most if not all jurisdictions. 
     U.S. Pat. No. 7,424,752 to Antoniou discloses a gas removal device positioned between the toilet&#39;s water tank and bowl with gaskets forming appropriate seals between the gas removal device&#39;s lower surface and the bowl and the gas removal device&#39;s upper surface and the water tank. Like the Smith disclosure the existing water tank may be used when retrofitting the toilet with the Antoniou disclosure thereby requiring elongated bolts be used to fasten the water tank to the bowl with the gas removal device in between. The gas removal device defines an enclosed space within a shape that is generally elliptical with a longitudinal axis of symmetry when observed from above or below and rectangular when observed from the front, left, right, or rear sides. At the rear of the gas removal device is a tubular conduit that interfaces gas removal device with the building&#39;s soil stack and inline fan positioned to draw air from gas removal device though the fan, a one-way valve, and into the soil stack. At the opposing end of the gas removal device is an aperture allowing a conduit, such as the lower opening of a flush valve, from the water tank to pass into bowl with the aperture being of a larger diameter than the conduit and the resulting gap being used to draw air from the bowl when the fan is activated. When in operation for the purpose of removing foul air the fan is activated thereby opening one-way valve to the soil stack and drawing air. There are a number of problems with the Antoniou disclosure. First is that the gas removal device, being positioned between the tank and the bowl, creates a gap between the tank and the bowl that is equivalent to the height of the gas removal device and only partially occupied by the gas removal device as the gas removal device indicated in  FIG. 2  does not provide for passage of bolts used to secure the water tank to the toilet bowl. As a result, the shaft of the bolts used to secure the water tank to the toilet bowl is exposed and creates an unsightly look. Second is that cleaning the surfaces within the gap will be difficult if not impossible leaving dust, residue from cleaners, and perhaps urine from males with an unsteady urine stream. A significant problem with the gas removal device the direct path from the gas removal device to the soil stack that is only interrupted by a one-way valve which uses a flexible diaphragm to block the flow of gas from the soil stack back to the gas removal device. Failure of the flexible diaphragm to be constantly closed would result in no foul odors being drawn from the bowl. Failure of the flexible diaphragm to be constantly open would cause foul odors from the soil stack to escape into the air about the toilet; a catastrophic event indeed! Finally, care will have to be taken during installation of the gas removal device as the gas removal device comprises variable length portion  21 ; described as hollow, corrugated, and flexible; is structurally weak and capable of rupture as the water tank is bolted to the toilet bowl or during usage over time. 
     U.S. patent publication 2015/0167283 to McKibbin discloses a ventilation adapter  5  that is inserted between the tank and bowl of the toilet. The ventilation adapter  5 , is a simple double conduit, or tube within a tube, with a side-arm tube as an extension of the outer conduit. The double conduit has closure and rigidity provided by the conduit-end structure between walls of the two conduits at the tank end of the ventilation adapter. The bowl end of the double conduit ventilation adapter is open to both conduits. The space between conduit walls is not of a critical dimension but is approximately 0.25″ in the preferred embodiment of the invention as represented in the figures. The side-arm tube, being of one to two inches in diameter, is in fluid communication with an air-flow pump that will draw air from the space between the conduit walls to an appropriate outside destination. When the air-flow pump is activated foul air rising within the bowl is drawn into the flush apertures the exist about the rim of the bowl, towards the rear of the toilet where the flush hole exists, through the space between the conduit walls of the ventilation adapter, into the side-arm tube, and finally through the air-flow pump where the foul air is them exhausted to an appropriate outside destination. Although the ventilation adapter is a simple device and thereby low cost, its usage creates a gap between the water tank and the bowl. As a result, the shaft of the bolts used to secure the water tank to the toilet bowl is exposed and creates an unsightly look. Second is that cleaning the surfaces within the gap will be difficult if not impossible leaving dust, residue from cleaners, and perhaps urine from males with an unsteady urine stream. In addition, sealing the ventilation adapter is difficult as the conduit-end structure between walls of the two conduits at the tank end of the ventilation adapter is to form a gasket seal with the bottom of the water tank by the bearing action of the water tank without guides to prevent movement by the gasket during installation while the opposite seal between the ventilation adapter and the bowl also exhibits the same problem and is compounded by the fact that only the rim of the outer conduit wall is used in forming a sealing connection with the bowl. Finally, the entire weight of the water tank on the bowl is only supported by the outer conduit wall of the ventilation adapter. Defects in the material comprising the outer conduit wall of the ventilation adapter; deterioration of the outer conduit wall over time or by contact with urine; improper assembly techniques may cause the outer conduit wall to fail thus causing damage to the toilet or harm to a user. 
     U.S. Pat. No. 8,505,123 to Kennendy et al. discloses an adapter disposed between the toilet&#39;s bowl and water tank so that the water tank and bowl remain operatively connected and water from the water tank can be discharged into the bowl to flush out the bowl in the usual manner. The adapter is structurally designed to support the water tank and is wide enough so that the mounting bolts attaching the water tank to the bowl pass through the adapter. The adapter includes a water conduit or passageway defining a drain that is in fluid communication with an upright pipe that extends into the water tank; the drain and upright pipe together forming a flush valve that is integrated into the adapter. During flush operations a flapper above the flush valve opens to allow water held by the water tank to pass through the drain and into the bowl by means of the apertures about the rim of the bowl. The adapter further includes an air exhaust pipe that is in fluid communications at one end with the drain and beyond with the apertures about the rim of the bowl and at the opposing end with a fan such that when the fan is activated air within the drain is drawn through the air exhaust pipe, and out to an appropriate outside destination. To evacuate any foul air within the bowl the fan is activated drawing foul air from within the bowl through the apertures about the rim of the bowl and into the drain where the foul air is prevented from entering the water tank as the flapper is close and must therefore pass through the air exhaust pipe and through the fan and out to an appropriate outside destination. Although the adapter solves some of the problems of prior adapters in that it has the strength to support the water tank with its internal design of lattice like structural support and it is of sufficient width to enclose the elongated blots necessary to mount the water tank to the bowl it is costly to mold and manufacture due to its lattice like structure it does have its problems. The adapter is costly due to the difficulty of manufacturing such a device with an internal lattice structure and that it includes components that already exists within the water tank. The exhaust is positioned at the rear wall of the adapter and is at a fixed position which is problematic if a wall stud is present behind the toilet as additional plumbing will be required to route the exhaust away from the wall stud. Finally, the adapter, while enclosing the elongated blots necessary to mount the water tank to the bowl, does nothing to add to the overall esthetic look of the toilet nor add any additional functionality other than venting to the toilet. 
     The prior an, while all disclosing a means of drawing foul air from the bowl by making dual use of the flush vents about the rim of the bowl in that when water is not being ejected from the flush vents that foul air from within the bowl may be draw into the flush vents following the same path as was taken by the water but in reverse up to the point where the water tank and bowl meet. There the foul air is intercepted and exhausted to some appropriate outside destination. However, the prior art have problems that must be overcome. Gaps between the water tank and the bowl is unsightly and difficult to clean allowing for dust, debris, bodily waste, and other unwanted materials to collect. When retrofitting the toilet with prior art devices components already in use must be discarded and replace with components included in the prior art leading to additional costs. Other prior art devices that fit between the water tank and bowl are designed to be flexible decreasing the structural integrity of the mount between the water tank and bowl. A number of prior an devices make use of internal structural components to ensure the integrity of the mount between the water tank and bowl resulting in increased manufacturing cost. All of the prior art devices required variations in design and manufacturing in order to be adapted to varying diameter of flush valves used by toilets that are being retrofitted. Finally, all of the prior art devices only accomplish the goal of removing foul air from the vicinity of the toilet to an appropriate outside destination and other needs such as lighting are left untouched. 
     BRIEF SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 
     A traditional toilet is comprised of two major components, a bowl and a water tank that is mounted above and to the rear of the bowl and is in fluid communications with the bowl. In a toilet&#39;s normal state water exists both in the bowl and in the water tank with a valve within the water tank, called the flush valve, that prevents the water from within the water tank from moving into the bowl solely by gravitational force. The bowl has within itself two passages for the unidirectional movement of fluids from one point to another. At the rear of the bowl is an opening to the first of passage that is to receive water from the water tank that and direct such water received from the water tank to multiple openings spaced about the rim of the bowl so that the water received from the water tank is deposited into the bowl. At the bottom of the bowl is an opening to the second of passage that is to receive water and bodily waste within the bowl and direct the material received through a water trap and eventually to a waste line. Water within the bowl must overcome the blocking effect of the water trap in order to move through this second passage and into the waste line. When a flushing operation is initiated the flush valve within the water tank is opened so that water from within the water tank flow downwards through the flush valve and into the first passage within the bowl where it is directed to the openings spaced about the rim. The weight of the water directed into the bowl from the water tank through the first passage when added to the water already present in the bowl will overcome the blocking effect of the water trap resulting in much of the water within the bowl moving through the second passage and into the waste line. This disclosure and the disclosures of the prior art make use of the fact that a flushing operation is only initiated after bodily waste has been deposited into the bowl thus allowing the first passage to be used in the reverse direction to draw foul odors from out of the bowl and with an appropriate adapter mounted between the water tank and bowl intercepting the foul odors and transporting such odors to an appropriate outside destination. 
     The apparatus of this disclosure is comprised of two components that are mounted between the water tank and the bowl. The first component, the adapter, is generally elongated in shape and at one end encloses the drain of the flush valve with an appropriate gap such that the gap is in fluid communications with the opening of the first passage where water from the water tank is received during flushing operations while an exhaust port at the opposing end is to be connected via one or more sections of plumbing to an appropriate outside destination the plumbing containing an inline fan. When the fan is activated air is drawn through the first passage within the bowl in reverse of the direction taken by the water during flushing operations so that air above the water within the bowl is drawn into the opening spaced about the rim of the bowl through the first passage and out the flush opening at the rear of the bowl where the adapter resides. As the flush valve is closed the air then passes through the adapter, plumbing, and fan to be deposited at an appropriate outside destination. Design objectives of the adapter include low cost, simplicity of manufacture, of angles to encourage the flow of water away from the inside of the adapter. To meet these design objectives, the adapter is not capable of supporting the water tank due to its simplicity and angles. To provide the proper support for the water tank a simple flat plate of a thickness so that the water tank does not rest on the adapter with an outline that fills in the gap between the water tank and the bowl created by placement of the adapter so that the elongated bolts mounting the water tank to the bowl are hidden and there are no surfaces between the water tank and the bowl where dust, debris, bodily waste, and other unwanted materials may collect. The plate, being solid and of such surface area, provides plenty of support to stabilize the mounting of the water tank to the bowl. The plate may be manufactured from low cost materials such as plastics or conversely from high cost material such as granite or marble, be of any number of colors, or translucent so that lighting positioned at the rear of the plate may be broadcast about the area of the toilet. The two components complement each other so that manufacturing costs may be minimized, retrofits may be simplified, unsightly bolts are hidden, and cleanups are straightforward in addition to drawing foul odors rising from bodily wastes within the bowl to an appropriate outside destination. 
     Further areas of applicability of the present invention will become apparent from the detailed description provided hereinafter. It should be understood that the detailed description and specific examples, while indicating the preferred embodiment of the invention, are intended for purposes of illustration only and are not intended to limit the scope of the invention. 
     Neither this summary nor the following detailed description defines or limits the invention. The invention is defined by the claims. 
    
    
     
       BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF DRAWINGS 
       The present invention will become more fully understood from the detailed description and accompanying drawings, wherein: 
         FIG. 1  is a perspective view of a toilet comprising both the bowl and the water tank with a portion of the front of the water tank being removed to expose key components therein and the bowl being a cross section to expose passages therein that related to the present invention. 
         FIG. 2  is an exploded view of a toilet comprising both the bowl and the water tank with a portion of the front of the water tank being removed to expose key components therein and the adapter and base plate of the present invention. 
         FIG. 3  shows a front elevation view of the toilet with the base plate interposed between the water tank and the bowl. 
         FIG. 4  is a cross-sectional of the adapter of the present invention between the water tank and the bowl, the cross-sectional view being taken through section  48 - 48  in  FIG. 3 . 
         FIG. 5  is a perspective view showing a cross section of the adapter of the present invention. 
         FIG. 6  is a front elevation vie of an embodiment of the adapter of the present invention further comprising a string of light emitting diodes (LEDs). 
         FIG. 7A  is a perspective view showing a first embodiment of the base plate and  FIG. 7B  is a perspective view showing a second embodiment of the base plate. 
         FIG. 8  shows the toilet with the adapter interpose between the water tank and bowl incorporated into the odor extraction system of a toilet closet. 
     
    
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION 
     The following description of the preferred embodiment(s) is merely exemplary in nature and is in no way intended to limit the invention, its application, or uses. 
       FIG. 1  shows an industry standard two-piece toilet  10  that is comprised of water tank  12  that is mounted above and to the rear of bowl  14 . The front left wall of water tank  12 , as viewed in the sight of direction  30 , has been removed to expose key internal components for the purposes of this disclosure; flapper  18  and flush valve  20 . Flapper  18  is shown in its open position above the drain of flush valve  20 . Normally flapper  18  is in its closed position which is resting on top of and sealing the drain of flush valve  20  from water stored in water tank  12 . Bowl  14  is mounted to floor  28  above waste line  16  in a manner that the connection between bowl  14  and waste line  16  is sealed to prevent air or moisture from escaping from the connection. Within bowl  14  there are two passages; intake passage  24  with first opening found at the rear of bowl  14  where water is received from water tank  12  and with multiple second openings in the form of apertures  22  found about the top rim of bowl  14  so that water received from water tank  12  and travelling through intake passage  24  is deposited into basin  32  within bowl  14  as shown by the flow arrows with solid arrowheads; outtake passage  26  with first opening at the base of basin  32 , includes water trap  34 , and second opening at the joinder of bowl  14  and waste line  16  as shown by the flow arrows with clear arrowheads. 
     A flushing operation is initiated when flapper  18  is lifted thereby allowing water within water tank  12  to flow through flush valve  20  into intake passage  24  where the water will travel about the rim of bowl  14 , through apertures  22 , and finally deposited into basin  32 . As water is received by basin  32  from apertures  22  the resistance provided by water trap  34  is eventually overcome allowing water within basin  32  to pass into outtake passage  26 , through water trap  34 , and out to waste line  16 . After basin  32  has been emptied of water, water trap  34  will reassert itself and block the flow of water through outtake passage  26  and basin  32  will begin to collect the water received through apertures  22 . Basin  32  will continue to received water through apertures  22  while water remains in water tank  12  and flapper  18  is opened. When water tank  12  is emptied of water, flapper  18  will drop over drain of flush valve  20  thereby sealing the fluid connection between water tank  12  and bowl  14  permitting water to again be added and stored within water tank  12  while any water remaining in intake passage  24  will continue to flow into basin  32  where the water will collect. 
     When not engaging in a flushing operation water needed for the next flushing operation is stored in water tank  12 , outtake passage  26  is blocked by water trap  34  with any residual water from prior flushing operation in basin  32 , and intake passage  24  is clear of water. The present invention makes use of the fact that when toilet  10  is not engaging in a flushing operation, intake passage  22  is clear of water and apertures  22  are in fluid communications with the air above basin  32 . Thus by creating a low pressure zone of air at intake passage  24  first opening the air above basin  32  will be drawn into apertures  22  towards intake passage  24  first opening in a flow that is reversed from the flow of water during flushing operations. The present invention is able to create a low pressure zone of air at the origin of intake passage  24  in a manner that does not allowing for the pooling of water and may facilitate the growth of mold or bacteria, provides steady and firm support for water tank  12 , is simple to manufacture and install, and makes use of existing toilet  10  components when retrofitting toilet  10 . 
     The purpose of  FIG. 2  is to show the retrofitting of toilet  10  of the present invention. The key components of the present invention shown in  FIG. 2  include upper gasket seal  40 , adapter  42 , base plate  44 , and lower gasket seal  46 .  FIG. 2  is an exploded view of toilet  10  comprising both bowl  14  and water tank  12  with a portion of the front of water tank  12  being removed to expose flapper  18  and flush valve  20 . Flush valve  20  is comprised of two tubular segments in parallel with each other with one tubular segment being longer and of a smaller diameter than the other and both tubular segments connected together so as to be in fluid communications with each other the connection being at the base of the longer tubular segment and the top of the shorter tubular segment the shorter tubular segment being shank  36 . Shank  36  is threaded and passes through the base of water tank  12  and into first opening  45  of intake passage  24  at the rear of bowl  14 . Flush valve  20  is secured to water tank  12  by threading and tightening shank nut  38  about the length of shank  36  that extends beyond the base of water tank  12 . Upper gasket seal  40  seals the joinder of shank nut  38  to adapter  42  while lower gasket seal  46  seals the joinder of adapter  42  to bowl  14 . Base plate  44  encloses adapter  42  about the front, left, and rights sides and provides indents for the passage of elongated blots used to mount water tank  12  to bowl  14 . Base plate  44  width is such that water tank  12  is easily and safely supported while base plate  44  height is such that any weight brought by water tank  12  is not carried by adapter  42 . Adapter  42  is comprised of two openings. The first opening is of such a diameter that shank  36  is able to enter within first opening of adapter  42  with a gap between the outer diameter of shank  36  and inner diameter of adapter  4  first opening. Adapter  42  second opening is in fluid communication with first opening and by means of plumbing in fluid communications with an exhaust fan. The plumbing and exhaust fan are shown in  FIG. 8 . 
       FIG. 3  shows a front elevation view of toilet  10  with base plate  44  interposed between water tank  12  and bowl  14 . As water tank  12  is typically manufactured from a hard but fragile material such as ceramic, base plate  44  may have on its upper surface rubber mounts so that when mounting bolts that connect water tank  12  to bowl  14  are tightened water tank  12  does not crack as the rubber mounts provide some degree of cushion between water tank  12  and base plate  44 . 
       FIG. 4  is a cross-sectional view of adapter  42  in its suspended position between water tank  12  and bowl  14 , the cross-sectional view being taken through section  48 - 48  in  FIG. 3 . Base plate  44  and bolts used to mount water tank  12  to bowl  14  are not shown so that adapter  42  and its interfaces with water tank  12  and bowl  14  may be appreciated. Adapter  42  is not designed to support the weight of water tank  12  nor is adapter  42  design to maintain water tank  12  in a level and upright position. As such adapter  42  does not come into direct contact with water tank  12  and bowl  14  but only indirectly by upper gasket seal  40  and lower gasket seal  46 . Adapter  42  is generally elongated with openings at both of the opposing ends that are in fluid communications with each other: input port  52  and output port  50 . Input port  52  inner diameter is larger than shank  36  outer diameter and input port  52  receives shank  36  with shank  36  being securely mounted to water tank  12  by shank nut  38 . During flushing operations water within water tank  12  passes through shank  36  and into bowl  14  intake passage  24 . Any water that does manage to enter adapter  42  during flushing operations will travel into bowl  14  intake passage  24  by simple gravitational forces as all of adapter  42  exposed internal surfaces slope downward. Upper gasket seal  40  provides a sealing fit between shank nut  38  and adapter  42  while lower gasket seal  46  provides a sealing fit between adapter  42  and bowl  14  however at no time does adapter  42  come into direct contact with water tank  12  or bowl  14 . Water tank  12  and bowl  14  only come into direct contact with base plate  44  that is not shown in this figure but encloses adapter  42  about the front, left, and right sides. When water is not being flushed through shank  36  an exhaust fan connected downstream from output port  50  may draw air present within the gap that exists between the outer diameter of shank  36  and the inner diameter of input port  52 . As input port  52  is in fluid communications with intake passage  24  air will then be drawn through apertures  22  located above and about basin  32  in a direction that is reversed from that taken by water during flushing operations. Foul odor rising from human waste product that has been deposited into basin  32  is attracted by the air that is being drawn into apertures  22  by of the exhaust fan and is itself drawn into apertures  22 . By continued action of the exhaust fan the foul odor passes through intake passage  24  in a manner reversed to that of water during flushing operations, through the gap between adapter  42  and shank  36  to a point as so designated by placement of the exhaust fan. 
       FIG. 5  is a perspective view showing across section of adapter  42 . It is important to note that adapter  42  is symmetrical about its longitudinal axis both internally and externally facilitating the manufacturing of adapter  42  by injection molding processes. As adapter  42  is not designed to support any weight of consequence, as its sole function is being the means by which to draw air from intake passage  24 , it may be manufactured using lightweight and low strength materials and, more importantly, its surfaces may be angled for the purposes of preventing the pooling of water rather than supporting water tank  12  in a level position. Input port  52  has an inner diameter such as when receiving shank  36  a gap will exist between shank  36  outer diameter and input port  52  inner diameter. Internal passage  58  allows for input port  52  to be in fluid communications with output port  50  and is designed with a downward slope so that any water entering input port  52  during flushing operations or otherwise will flow back towards input port  52  and out of adapter  42 . Flange  54  provides sufficient support to retain upper gasket seal  40  so that a sealing fit may be created between adapter  42  and shank nut  38 . Angled surface  56  provides sufficient support to lower gasket seal  46  so that a sealing bit may be created between adapter  42  and bowl  14 . Angled surface  56  encourages the flow of any water present within adapter  42  towards input port  52  and out of adapter  42 . 
       FIG. 6  is a front elevation view of an embodiment of adapter  42  further comprising a string of tri-colored light emitting diodes (LEDs) attached to adapter  42  as LED strip  60 . LED strip  60  is comprised of a plurality of tri-colored LED  62 . Being tri-colored LED strip  60  may be configured to display the entire spectrum of colors as the individual red, green, and blue LEDs within each LED  62  may be set to different intensities. LED strip  60  is commercially available and further may be configured remotely by smartphone applications. With LED strip  60  adapter  42  may function as a night light in the toilet closet casting a soft glow about toilet  10 . LED strip  60  is powered by an electrical source and may be activated by a motion sensor detecting the entry of a human into the water closet or a manual switch. 
       FIG. 7  is a perspective view showing the base plate  44  in two embodiments. In both embodiments base plate  44  lower and upper surfaces are flat with the sides exhibiting curves for an aesthetic appearance; however, the sides of base plate  44  may be manufactured with linear planes. The flat upper and lower surfaces of base plate  44  allows base plate  44  to maintain water tank  12  in a level position and prevent water tank  12  from crushing adapter  42  that is to be positioned within the void encompassed by base plate  44 . A further advantage of the void encompassed by base plate  44  is that adapter  42  is allowed to swivel so that the position of output port  50  varies from one extent to the other. This will simplify plumbing requirements if a wall stud so happens to be present directly behind toilet  10 . The first embodiment shown in  FIG. 7A  shows base plate  44  constructed from a single piece of material such as plastic for cost effectiveness or with granite in order to achieve a luxurious look. Being constructed of a single material this embodiment is extremely simple to manufacture. The second embodiment shown in  FIG. 7B  shows base plate  44  constructed from two materials each within its own layer. Upper layer  66  is of a solid material such as plastic or granite while lower layer  68  is of a translucent material so that light from LED strip  60  may pass through providing a light source to illuminate bowl  14 . In addition, this second embodiment of base plate  44  contains four rubber pads  64  attached to the upper surface. Pads  64  provide a cushion between water tank  12  and base plate  44  so that water tanks made from ceramic do not crack when being mounted to bowl  14 . 
       FIG. 8  shows the toilet with adapter  42  interpose between water tank  12  and bowl  14  being incorporated into the odor extraction system of a toilet closet. Typically, a water closet only contains a single exhaust fan  70  mounted into ceiling  78  and when activated draws air from within the water closet through plumbing  74  to an appropriate outside destination  82 . However, this arrangement envelops the user with foul odors rising from basin  32 . When toilet  10  has been retrofitted with adapter  42  activation of exhaust fan  72  draws foul odor rising from basin  32  into apertures  22 , through intake passage  24 , through adapter  42 , through plumbing  74 , through exhaust fan  72 , to an appropriate outside destination  82 . 
     It will be understood that the present invention provides a system for removal of foul odors from a toilet which is simple to manufacture, durable, easy to install, and effective. 
     The features disclosed in the foregoing description, or the following claims, or the accompanying drawings, expressed in their specific forms or in terms of a means for performing the disclosed function, or a method or process for attaining the disclosed result, as appropriate, may, separately, or in any combination of such features, be utilized for realizing the invention in diverse forms thereof.