Patent Description:
Gas management systems and methods are directed at removing undesirous gasses from semi-closed spaces such as toilets, kitchens, eating halls (e.g., restaurants), laboratories and other private and publicly used spaces. Such removal of gas may be desirous so as to remove bad/unpleasant/hazardous gasses/odors that may accumulate in semi-closed spaces and pose a disturbance to a user's comfort, health, safety, etc..

Some prior art publications have addressed this need disclosing various approaches. For example:
Patent publication <CIT> discloses a toilet modular system comprising an automatic toilet ventilator which vacuums objectionable odor from a toilet bowl and exhausts it to the sewer discharge pipeline and further comprising a gas backflow prevention mechanism that uses a "ball trap" construction.

<CIT> discloses a water tank spilling tube structure with a gas exhaustion function comprising a sucking pump, wherein the sucking pump is controlled by the throttle which is switched on/off by a floating ball.

<CIT> discloses a device serves for the control of at least one gas stream passing through at least one pipe and utilizes a liquid supply that passes with an outflow end and an incoming flow flowing into the liquid supply, wherein said device may be used for the event of fire extinguishing of ventilation channels and others applications, such as the ventilation of toilet bowl.

<CIT> discloses an odor removing system for a toilet consisting a blower having its inlet connected to a toilet bowl and an outlet connected to a discharge sewer pipeline, wherein the blower is driven by a rotary water motor which is actuated by water entering the initially empty toilet tank.

<CIT> discloses an odor removing system for a toilet configured to remove bad odors and diverting them to the sewage pipeline, wherein an external siphon/water lock line, located outside the toilet tank is further configured to restrict the return flow of diverted gas from the sewer pipeline.

<CIT> discloses a toilet ventilating system for use with a toilet bowl incorporating a sewer line connection and including an upstanding vent conduit leading from a bowl rim outlet to an elevated cross over in the water storage tank and then dropping downwardly to form an exhaust conduit connected with the sewer pipeline and further comprising a fluid barrier trap valve having a tight seal float component.

Current gas management systems and methods usually remove gas to other closed spaces or to the open-air, causing discomfort or even hazard to other persons in the vicinity of the semi-closed space.

Currently available gas management systems and methods to be installed in currently available hosting systems, such as toilet cisterns, kitchens, laboratory fume removers, etc., require pre-design and inclusion that, in turn, require substantial and sometimes expensive retrofitting or reconfiguration which affects the operation and efficiency of the hosting systems. Such available systems do not address the issues of maintainability with which hard or sediment heavy water conduction systems are faced with (such as a result of limescale).

Furthermore, currently available gas management systems and methods focus on removal of gas regardless of its actual nature and without its analysis.

Thus, there is a need in the art to provide a smart gas management system and method for safe removal of undesirous gas through readily available discharge means, wherein said system is installable at reasonable cost without affecting operation or efficiency of hosting system.

There is a further need to provide gas management system and method comprising autonomous block prevention means configured to mitigate the tendency of conduit systems to gradually/abruptly develop blockages for various reasons.

The present invention discloses a cost effective efficient and smart gas management system and method for safe removal of undesirous gas through readily available discharge means.

The present invention further discloses a gas management system and method comprising a reliable and autonomous block prevention means configured to mitigate the tendency of conduit systems to gradually/abruptly develop blockages from various reasons.

The following embodiments and aspects thereof are described and illustrated in conjunction with systems, devices and methods which are meant to be exemplary and illustrative and not limiting in scope. In various embodiments, one or more of the above-described problems have been reduced or eliminated, while other embodiments are directed to other advantages or improvements.

According to one aspect, there is provided a semi-closed compartment gas management system according to claim <NUM>.

According to some embodiments, the gas flow created by the impeller is induced by drawing air through a conduit inlet being in communication with a toilet bowl, the fluid barrier receptacle is configured to be located within a toilet tank and comprising an inlet aperture configured to enable flow of water from the water tank into the fluid barrier receptacle, the fluid barrier receptacle further comprising a float component configured to be vertically adjustable in accordance with the water level within the toilet tank, wherein the float component is configured to operate as an autonomous block prevention means by comprising a protrusion having a clearance gap fit with the fluid inlet aperture, wherein the gas drawn by the impeller is configured to be discharged into a sewer pipeline as a discharge means, wherein the fluid barrier receptable is configured to block odors originated in the sewer pipeline from spreading to the toilet bowl, and wherein said protrusion is configured to alternately fit (i.e. alternate between positions such as in/out or partially in/out) with the inlet aperture in accordance with the water level in the toilet tank.

According to the invention, the protrusion is a rod having ridges and grooves.

According to some embodiments, the conduit is configured to connect to an over-flow pipe forming a part of a toilet bowl flushing device.

According to some embodiments, the impeller is configured to be acoustically isolated.

According to some embodiments, the semi-closed compartment gas management system is configured by modular commercially available components.

According to some embodiments, the semi-closed compartment gas management system is configured to be compactly fitted and installed within commercially available toilet bowl flushing systems.

According to some embodiments, the fluid barrier receptacle is configured to be filled with fluid entering through the inlet aperture.

According to some embodiments, the fluid barrier receptacle is configured to be filled with fluid sourced from a pre-contained reservoir entering through the inlet aperture.

According to some embodiments, the float component is configured as a fluid reservoir of toilet tank water contained in said float component prior or during flushing and designated to enter the float component through the inlet aperture upon termination of gas removal action.

According to some embodiments, the semi-closed compartment gas management system further comprising means for sampling the drawn gas in the conduit and at least one sensor, wherein the sample is designated to be exposed to the sensor.

According to some embodiments, the at least one sensor is configured to collect data regarding the sampled drawn gas.

According to some embodiments, the semi-closed compartment gas management system further comprising a controller configured to diagnose collected data by analyzing the at least one sensor output data.

According to some embodiments, the semi-closed compartment gas management system is configured to transmit the gathered data to a designated device or data center for further analysis or display.

According to some embodiments, transmittal of the gathered data is conducted on an immediate real-time basis.

According to some embodiments, the semi-closed compartment is a fume hood and wherein the system is configured to draw air from inner cavity of the exhaust hood and dispose it into a discharge pipe.

According to some embodiments, the alternating operation of the block prevention means is configured to prevent or remove scale deposits from the inlet aperture.

According to some embodiments, the power source is a rechargeable power reservoir that may be configured to be charged by a water flow created when a toilet tank is filled and/or be charged wirelessly.

According to some embodiments, the fluid barrier receptable is configured to be filled with <NUM>-<NUM> of water and/or configured to be in a U-shaped conduit and/or has a compact siphon configuration.

According to some embodiments, the inlet aperture is configured to allow entrance of fluid filling the water barrier receptable and wherein upon operation the impeller is configured to draw water in the water barrier receptacle and dispose of it into the sewer pipeline.

According to some embodiments, the semi-closed compartment gas management system is operatable by a remote control.

According to some embodiments, the semi-closed compartment gas management system is operatable by a wireless control means (such as cellular, Bluetooth or Wi-Fi application).

According to a second aspect, there is provided a method for using a semi-closed compartment gas management system according to claim <NUM>.

According to some embodiments, the fluid inlet aperture further comprising a float component vertically adjustable in accordance with the water level within a toilet tank and configured to operate as an autonomous block prevention means by using a protrusion having a clearance gap fit with the fluid inlet aperture.

Some embodiments of the invention are described herein with reference to the accompanying figures. The description, together with the figures, makes apparent to a person having ordinary skill in the art how some embodiments may be practiced. The figures are for the purpose of illustrative description and no attempt is made to show structural details of an embodiment in more detail than is necessary for a fundamental understanding of the invention.

In other instances, well-known methods, procedures, and components, modules, units and/or circuits have not been described in detail so as not to obscure the invention. Some features or elements described with respect to one embodiment may be combined with features or elements described with respect to other embodiments. For the sake of clarity, discussion of same or similar features or elements may not be repeated.

Although embodiments of the invention are not limited in this regard, discussions utilizing terms such as, for example, "controlling" "processing," "computing," "calculating," "determining," "establishing", "analyzing", "checking", "setting", "receiving", or the like, may refer to operation(s) and/or process(es) of a controller, a computer, a computing platform, a computing system, a cloud computing system or other electronic computing device, that manipulates and/or transforms data represented as physical (e.g., electronic) quantities within the computer's registers and/or memories into other data similarly represented as physical quantities within the computer's registers and/or memories or other information non-transitory storage medium that may store instructions to perform operations and/or processes.

Unless explicitly stated, the method embodiments described herein are not constrained to a particular order or sequence. Additionally, some of the described method embodiments or elements thereof can occur or be performed simultaneously, at the same point in time, or concurrently.

The term "Controller", as used herein, refers to any type of computing platform or component that may be provisioned with a Central Processing Unit (CPU) or microprocessors, and may be provisioned with several input/output (I/O) ports, for example, a general-purpose computer such as a personal computer, laptop, tablet, mobile cellular phone, controller chip, SoC or a cloud computing system.

The current invention discloses a semi-closed compartment gas management system configured to create an airflow and disposed it in order to remove gas from a semi-closed compartment and prevent it from spreading.

According to some embodiments, the semi-closed compartment gas management system is configured to form a part of a toilet sanitary hardware, and be stored within a toilet tank.

According to some embodiments, the semi-closed compartment is configured to form a part of a fume exhaust/hood, wherein the system is configured to draw air from inner cavity of said exhaust/hood and dispose it into a discharge means. According to some embodiments, said fume exhaust/hood may be part of a kitchen, restaurant, laboratory, etc..

According to some embodiments, the gas management system may be configured by modular commercially available components. For example, an impeller configured to create an air stream may be a commercially available blower/fan (for example, a 12V blower), the various conduits forming a part of the gas management system may be available stock parts.

According to some embodiments, utilizing commercially available components to construct the semi-closed compartment gas management system may benefit the system serviceability by enabling the use of widely available spare parts and allowing supply of low-priced components.

According to some embodiments, the impeller may be configured to be acoustically isolated such that the operation of the semi-closed compartment gas management system will not cause any disturbance to the user.

According to some embodiments, the semi-closed compartment gas management system may be configured to compactly be fitted and installed within a commercially available toilet tank, fume exhaust/hood, etc..

According to some embodiments, the semi-closed compartment gas management system may further comprise means for sampling the drawn gas within the conduit and at least one sensor configured to analyze said sample. According to some embodiments, the sensor may be configured to collect data regarding the sampled drawn gas. For example, the semi-closed compartment gas management system installed within a toilet bowl may be configured to analyze the bio-medical condition of a user by sampling gas generated by said user digestion system or diagnose the characteristics of unpleasant gas odors during and after a user uses the toilet bowl. By way of another example, the semi-closed compartment gas management system coupled with a laboratory fume hood may be configured to perform real time analysis of laboratory work products and identify hazardous material situations. According to some embodiments, the semi-closed compartment gas management system may comprise a controller configured to diagnose collected data by analyzing the sensor output data. According to some embodiments, the gathered data may be transmitted to a designated device or data center for further analysis or display. According to some embodiments, said transmittal of the gathered data may be conducted on an immediate real-time basis in order to provide a fast detection system.

According to some embodiments, the semi-closed compartment gas management system is configured to be driven by a power source and create a gas flow. For example, the impeller may be powered by a wall socket electrical connection, by a power reserve such a battery or by a mechanical dynamo creating electricity using the water flow created when a toilet tank is filled. According to some embodiments, the semi-closed compartment gas management system may be configured be driven by a power reserve that can be wirelessly charge, for example, by utilizing inductive charging.

According to some embodiments, the semi-closed compartment gas management system may be operable by a remote control or by any wireless control means such as a cellular RF, Bluetooth or Wi-Fi application, etc..

Reference is now made to <FIG> which schematically illustrate a semi-closed compartment gas management system <NUM>. As shown, an impeller <NUM> is configured to be driven by a power source and create a gas flow. For example, impeller <NUM> may be a blower configured to create an air stream. According to some embodiments, impeller <NUM> may be powered by a wall socket electrical connection/ by a power reserve such a battery/ by a mechanical mechanism converting water stream to electricity/ by inductive charging, etc..

According to some embodiments, impeller <NUM> is configured to create a gas flow passing through conduit inlet <NUM>, along conduit <NUM> to be discharged through conduit outlet <NUM> to a discharge means such as a sewer pipeline, wherein conduit inlet <NUM> may be configured to be in communication with a semi-closed compartment. (not shown). According to some embodiments, a semi-closed compartment may be any receptacle/chamber having an inner volume that is not completely sealed to its outer environment. For example, a semi-closed compartment may be a restroom, a kitchen, a restaurant, a laboratory, an exhaust hood, a toilet bawl, etc..

According to some embodiments, conduit inlet <NUM> may further be configured to connect to an adaptor <NUM> having a connector <NUM> configured to be connected to the semi-closed compartment. According to some embodiments, a resilient tube <NUM> may be configured to connect inlet <NUM> with adaptor <NUM>.

According to some embodiments, a fluid barrier receptacle <NUM> may be configured with a fluid inlet aperture <NUM> and designated to be installed at any point along conduit <NUM>. According to some embodiments, fluid barrier receptacle <NUM> may have a siphon configuration, for example, fluid barrier receptacle <NUM> may be a siphon shaped as an inverted "U" shaped conduit (shown on <FIG> & <FIG> disclosed hereinafter), configured to be surrounded by a receptacle <NUM>.

According to some embodiments, receptacle <NUM> may be configured to contain some amount of fluid by preserving a constant amount of water even when the water level within the toilet tanks <NUM> is low. This configuration provides a barrier against unpleasant odors by allowing fluid to enter the fluid inlet aperture <NUM> even when the toilet tank <NUM> is not full or empty.

According to some embodiments, receptacle <NUM> may be filled with a pre-contained fluid reservoir. This configuration provides a barrier against unpleasant odors by allowing fluid to enter the fluid inlet aperture <NUM> even when the toilet tank <NUM> is empty for long period of time, or alternatively, when the semi-closed compartment gas management system <NUM> is configured to be installed in a hosting system that lacks a water tank.

According to some embodiments, fluid barrier receptacle <NUM> may further comprise a float section <NUM> configured to vertically move along conduit <NUM>. According to some embodiments, the float section <NUM> is restricted to move along a designated path, for example, float section <NUM> may be restricted to vertically move along tracks <NUM>.

According to some embodiments, the fluid barrier receptacle <NUM> is configured to block gas originating from the discharge means from spreading to the semi-closed compartment while the impeller <NUM> is not operating, by providing a receptacle full of fluid, thus preventing gasses from passing and spreading.

According to some embodiments, receptacle <NUM> which covers fluid barrier receptacle <NUM> is configured to provide protective shield to fluid barrier receptacle <NUM> such that various objects present within the toilet tank <NUM> are unable to penetrate/block the fluid inlet aperture <NUM>. For example, toilet tanks sometimes include a loosen pneumatic cable that plays a part in the flushing mechanism, receptacle <NUM> which covers fluid barrier receptacle <NUM> may provide a barrier between said pneumatic cable and the fluid inlet aperture <NUM> such that the fluid inlet aperture <NUM> will not be clogged by said pneumatic cable, thus enhancing the system's reliability.

According to some embodiments, fluid barrier receptacle <NUM> is configured to be filled with <NUM>-<NUM> of water. According to some embodiments, the water level minimal height depends on the diameter of conduit <NUM> and maximal height depends on impeller <NUM> power to exert fluid upon operation of the semi-closed compartment gas management system <NUM> and removal of water from the barrier receptacle <NUM>.

According to some embodiments, said ability of the semi-closed compartment gas management system <NUM> to operate by implementing various fluid barrier receptacles <NUM> having various diameters configured to be filled with various amounts of fluid, leads to high versatility of said system. As a consequence, the semi-closed compartment gas management system <NUM> may be configured to work with various impellers <NUM> having various outputs.

For example, a fluid barrier receptacle <NUM> having a diameter of <NUM> millimeter is configured to filled with a relatively large amount of fluid, and thus be configured to form a part of a system having relatively strong gas drawing output, or, alternatively, be configured to connect to a relatively large diameter conduits of a system, and vice versa.

According to some embodiments, said high versatility of the semi-closed compartment gas management system <NUM> may be beneficial in installing it in various hosting systems such as fume exhaust/hood a kitchen, restaurant, laboratory, etc..

According to the invention, float <NUM> is equipped with block prevention means configured to be autonomously utilized upon a vertical movement of float <NUM> to prevent or remove any blockage such as scale deposits from the inlet aperture <NUM>.

According to some embodiments, impeller <NUM> may be anchored to its position by a resilient connector <NUM>. For example, impeller <NUM> may be anchored to a toilet tank <NUM> by a resilient connector <NUM> that may be made out of rubber, polymer, etc..

According to some embodiments, connector <NUM> may be configured to be acoustically isolated such that the operation of impeller <NUM>/the semi-closed compartment gas management system <NUM> will not cause any disturbance to the user.

According to some embodiments, connector <NUM> may be configured to reduce vibrations caused by the operation of impeller <NUM> such that the operation of the semi-closed compartment gas management system <NUM> will not cause any disturbance to the user.

According to the invention, float <NUM> is equipped with block prevention means configured to be autonomously utilized upon a vertical movement of float <NUM>. According to the invention, float <NUM> is configured to prevent or remove deposits (such as scale deposits, etc.) from the inlet aperture <NUM> by utilizing its block prevention means equipped with protrusion <NUM> which is designated to alternatively enter/out to/from fluid inlet aperture <NUM>. The protrusion <NUM> is a rod having ridges and grooves such as a screw, etc., wherein said ridges are adapted to remove scale deposits by scrubbing the inner diameter of inlet aperture <NUM> while float <NUM> moves vertically.

Reference is now made to <FIG> which schematically illustrates a semi-closed compartment gas management system <NUM> illustrated in <FIG> and <FIG> and further configured to be installed within toilet tank <NUM>. As shown, an impeller <NUM> is configured to be driven by a power source and create a gas flow by drawing air through a conduit inlet <NUM> being in communication with a toilet flushing device <NUM> and, in turn, from the semi-closed compartment created by a toilet bowl (not shown). According to some embodiments, conduit <NUM> comprises a conduit outlet <NUM> configured to discharge gas to a sewer pipeline in order to remove bad odors from the toilet bowl and prevent it from spreading within the toilet chamber.

As previously disclosed, and according to some embodiments, a fluid barrier receptacle <NUM> may be configured with a fluid inlet aperture <NUM> and wherein fluid barrier receptacle <NUM> is designated to be installed at any point along conduit <NUM>. Fluid barrier receptacle <NUM> may further comprise a float section <NUM> configured to vertically move along conduit <NUM> in accordance with the water level in toilet tank <NUM>. According to some embodiments, the float section <NUM> is restricted to vertically move along tracks <NUM>. According to some embodiments, the fluid barrier receptacle <NUM> is configured to block gas originating from sewer pipeline from spreading to the semi-closed compartment.

According to some embodiments and as disclosed above, while the impeller <NUM> is not in operation, fluid barrier receptacle <NUM> provides a fluid barrier preventing gasses from passing and spreading to the semi closed compartment. According to some embodiments, receptacle <NUM> may be configured to store some amount of fluid designated to flow from the toilet tank <NUM> through the fluid inlet aperture <NUM> and fill fluid barrier receptacle <NUM>, thus blocking gases from the sewer pipeline to flow into the toilet bowl.

According to some embodiments, while the impeller <NUM> is operating, water entering fluid barrier receptacle <NUM> through the inlet aperture <NUM> are discharged to the sewer pipeline through conduit outlet <NUM>.

According to some embodiments, float <NUM> may be equipped with block prevention means (comprising protrusion <NUM> shown in <FIG>) configured to be autonomously utilized upon a vertical movement of float <NUM>. For example, float <NUM> may be configured to prevent or remove scale deposits from the inlet aperture <NUM> by utilizing its block prevention means that such as protrusion <NUM> designated to alternatively enter/out to/from fluid inlet aperture <NUM>.

The toilet tank <NUM> may comprise an opening <NUM> configured to provide access to its inner components for the purpose of service, maintenance, upgrades, etc. According to some embodiments, the semi-closed compartment gas management system <NUM> may be configured to be narrower from opening <NUM> such that it may be inserted and removed without a need of complicated disassembly of the toilet tank <NUM>. This modular design provides a versatile system, ready to be installed in various commercially available toilet tanks.

Reference is now made to <FIG> & <FIG> which schematically illustrate another embodiment of a semi-closed compartment gas management system <NUM> configured to be installed within toilet tank <NUM>. As shown, an impeller <NUM> is configured to be driven by a power source and create a gas flow by drawing air through a conduit inlet <NUM> being in communication with a toilet flushing device <NUM>, and, in turn, from the semi-closed compartment created by a toilet bowl (not shown), to be discharged into a sewer pipeline through outlet conduit <NUM>.

According to some embodiments, the fluid barrier receptacle <NUM> is configured to be located within a toilet tank <NUM>, wherein the fluid barrier receptacle <NUM> may comprise an inlet aperture <NUM> configured to enable flow of water from the toilet tank <NUM> and into the fluid barrier receptacle <NUM>.

According to some embodiments, while the impeller <NUM> is not in operation, the fluid barrier receptacle <NUM> is configured to block gas originating from the sewer pipeline from spreading to the semi-closed compartment, by providing a fluid barrier preventing gasses from passing and spreading to the toilet bowl. According to some embodiments, receptacle <NUM> may be a vertical U-shaped section of conduit <NUM> and may store a relatively small amount of water designated to flow from the toilet tank <NUM> through the fluid inlet aperture <NUM> and fill it, thus blocking gases from the sewer pipeline from spreading into the toilet bowl.

According to some embodiments, fluid barrier receptacle <NUM> is configured to be filled with <NUM>-<NUM> of water. According to some embodiments, the water level minimal height depends on diameter of conduit <NUM> and maximal height depends on impeller <NUM> power to exert fluid upon operation of the semi-closed compartment gas management system <NUM> and removal of water from the barrier receptacle <NUM>.

According to some embodiments, while the impeller <NUM> is operating, water entering the U-shaped section of conduit <NUM> through the inlet aperture <NUM> are discharged to the sewer pipeline through conduit outlet <NUM>.

According to some embodiments, fluid barrier receptacle <NUM> may be a vertical U-shaped turn of conduit <NUM>, such that the vertical U-shaped section is configured to be alternatively filled with water and wherein fluid barrier receptacle <NUM> further comprising a float component <NUM> configured to be located above the U-shaped turn of conduit <NUM> and designated to be vertically adjustable in accordance with the water level within the toilet tank <NUM>. According to some embodiments, the float component <NUM> is configured to operate as an autonomous block prevention means by comprising a protrusion <NUM> having a clearance gap fit with the inlet aperture <NUM>.

According to some embodiments, float component <NUM> and protrusion <NUM> are configured to vertically move along tracks <NUM>, hence alternately fit with the inlet aperture <NUM> in accordance to the water level in toilet tank <NUM>. According to some embodiments, the alternating operation of the float component <NUM> and protrusion <NUM> is configured to prevent or remove scale deposits from inlet aperture <NUM>.

According to some embodiments, when the impeller <NUM> is off and does not create a gas flow, the fluid barrier receptable <NUM>, meaning, the vertical U-shaped turn of conduit <NUM>, is full with fluid and configured to block odors originated in the sewer pipeline from spreading to the toilet bowl.

According to some embodiments, conduit inlet <NUM> may further be configured to connect to an adaptor <NUM> having a connector <NUM> configured to be connected to toilet flushing device <NUM>, wherein the gas drawn by the impeller <NUM> is configured to be drawn through an over-flow pipe (not shown) forming a part of toilet flushing device <NUM>, and, in turn, from the semi-closed compartment created by a toilet bowl (not shown) to be discharged into a sewer pipeline through outlet conduit <NUM>. According to some embodiments, this allows the semi-closed compartment gas management system <NUM> to remove bad odors from the toilet bowl and prevent it from spreading within the toilet chamber.

According to some embodiments, said protrusion <NUM> is configured to alternately fit with the inlet aperture <NUM> in accordance with the water level in the toilet tank <NUM>, thus, alternatively prevent or remove any blockage such as scale deposits from the inlet aperture <NUM>.

According to some embodiments, impeller <NUM> may be anchored to its position by a resilient connector <NUM>. For example, impeller <NUM> may be anchored to a toilet tank <NUM> of by a resilient connector <NUM> that may be made out of rubber, polymer, etc..

Reference is now made to <FIG> which schematically illustrate multiple views of another embodiment of a semi-closed compartment gas management system <NUM> configured to be installed within toilet tank <NUM>. As shown, an impeller <NUM> is configured to be driven by a power source and create a gas flow by drawing air through a conduit inlet <NUM> being in communication with a toilet flushing device <NUM>, and, in turn, from the semi-closed compartment created by a toilet bowl (not shown).

According to some embodiments, receptacle <NUM> may be filled with a pre-contained fluid reservoir. This configuration provides a barrier against unpleasant odors by allowing fluid to enter the fluid inlet aperture <NUM> even when the toilet tank <NUM> empty for a long period of time is empty for long period of time, or, alternatively, when the semi-closed compartment gas management system <NUM> is configured to be installed in a hosting system that lacks a water tank.

As previously disclosed, and according to some embodiments, a fluid barrier receptacle <NUM> may be configured with a fluid inlet aperture <NUM> (shown in <FIG> & <FIG>) and designated to be installed at any point along conduit <NUM>. fluid barrier receptacle <NUM> may further comprise a float section <NUM> configured to vertically move along conduit <NUM>. According to some embodiments, float section <NUM> is restricted to vertically move along tracks <NUM>. According to some embodiments, the fluid barrier receptacle <NUM> is configured to block gas originating from sewer pipeline from spreading to the semi-closed compartment.

According to some embodiments, while the impeller <NUM> is not operating, fluid barrier receptacle <NUM> provides a fluid barrier preventing gasses from passing and spreading by storing a relatively small amount of water designated to flow from the toilet tank <NUM> through the fluid inlet aperture and fill it, thus blocking gases from the sewer pipeline to flow into the toilet bowl.

According to some embodiments, float <NUM> may be further equipped with block prevention means configured to be utilized upon a vertical movement of float <NUM> to prevent or remove any blockage such as scale deposits from the inlet aperture.

According to some embodiments, a float <NUM>, may be configured to be connected to flushing device <NUM> and provide levering mechanism controlling the water level within toilet tank <NUM>. According to some embodiments, float <NUM> may be configured to be installed upon a flushing device and provide a malfunction protection in case of unregulated water level within the toilet tank <NUM>.

According to some embodiments, a float <NUM> may be configured to be mounted upon a generic float mechanism associated with a generic flushing device in order to enable installation of the semi-closed compartment gas management system <NUM> within a commercially available toilet tank.

According to some embodiments, float <NUM> may be configured to manipulate the flushing mechanism in case of water within the toilet tank <NUM> rising above a certain pre-designated level (for example, <NUM> liters, <NUM> liters, etc.) that may cause a spillage. In that case, the lever connected to float <NUM> may be configured to lift a valve (not shown) which in turn may allow rising water to be evacuated to the discharge means.

According to some embodiments, the lever connected to float <NUM> may be configured to lift said valve by lifting designated protrusion/s <NUM>, thus allow rising water to be evacuated to the discharge means.

According to some embodiments, float <NUM> may have a compact shape/size due to the presence of the semi-closed compartment gas management system <NUM> within the limited space of the toilet tank <NUM>. For example, float <NUM> may form a U-shape having two lobes configured to spread around the gas management system <NUM> such that the lobes are located outwardly and laterally to conduit <NUM>. According to some embodiments, float <NUM> may be in any shape or form that exhibit a compact design designated to save room within toilet tank <NUM>.

According to some embodiments, impeller <NUM> may be anchored to its position by a resilient connector <NUM>. For example, impeller <NUM> may be anchored to a toilet tank of by a resilient connector <NUM> that may be made out of rubber, polymer, etc..

Reference is now made to <FIG> which schematically illustrates yet another embodiment of a semi-closed compartment gas management system <NUM> configured to be installed within toilet tank <NUM>. As shown, a flushing device <NUM> represents a known design that does not enable the semi-closed compartment gas management system <NUM> to connect to its upper side. Instead, connector <NUM> and adaptor <NUM> are configured to be connected to the lower side of flushing device <NUM>.

According to some embodiments, an impeller <NUM> is configured to be driven by a power source and create a gas flow by drawing air through a conduit inlet <NUM> being in communication with the lower side of toilet flushing device <NUM>, and, in turn, from the semi-closed compartment created by a toilet bowl (not shown) to be discharged into a sewer pipeline through outlet conduit <NUM>. According to some embodiments, this allows the semi-closed compartment gas management system <NUM> to remove bad odors from the toilet bowl and prevent it from spreading within a toilet chamber.

According to some embodiments, receptacle <NUM> may be filled with a pre-contained fluid reservoir. This configuration provides a barrier against unpleasant odors by allowing fluid to enter the fluid inlet aperture <NUM> even when the toilet tank <NUM> empty a long period of time.

Reference is now made to <FIG> which schematically illustrates a semi-closed compartment gas management system <NUM> configured to be installed within a commercially available toilet assembly <NUM>. As shown, semi-closed compartment gas management system <NUM> is configured to be installed within toilet tank <NUM>, and, upon operation, draw gas from the toilet bawl <NUM> and into sewage pipeline <NUM>.

According to some embodiments, upon operation of the semi-closed compartment gas management system <NUM>, the direction of the arrows indicates the direction of gas flowing from bawl <NUM> and into sewage pipeline <NUM> such that a constant sub-pressure is created within toilet bowl <NUM> and prevents gases/unpleasant odors from spreading.

Reference is now made to <FIG> & <FIG>, which schematically illustrates a semi-closed compartment gas management system <NUM> as examples of the invention. As shown, the semi-closed compartment gas management system <NUM> may be configured to connect to a pipe C that provides fluids to a semi-closed compartment. For example, a semi-closed compartment gas management system <NUM> may be configured to be attached to a water pipe providing water flow to a toilet cistern.

According to some examples, an impeller <NUM> is configured to be driven by a power source and create a gas flow. For example, impeller <NUM> may be a blower configured to create an air stream. According to some examples, impeller <NUM> may be powered by a wall socket electrical connection/ by a power reserve such a battery/ by a mechanical mechanism converting water stream to electricity/ by inductive charging, or any other known powering technology.

According to some examples, impeller <NUM> may be configured to create a gas flow passing through a conduit comprising different sections. For example, impeller <NUM> may be configured to create a gas flow passing through a conduit inlet <NUM>, along conduit section <NUM> and discharged through conduit outlet <NUM> to a discharge means such as a sewer pipeline.

According to some examples, conduit inlet <NUM> may be configured to be in an indirect communication with the semi-closed compartment (not shown) through pipe C.

According to some examples, a semi-closed compartment may be any receptacle/chamber having an inner volume that is not completely sealed to its outer environment. For example, a semi-closed compartment may be a restroom, a kitchen, a restaurant, a laboratory, an exhaust hood, a toilet bawl, etc..

According to some examples, a fluid barrier receptacle <NUM> may be configured with a fluid inlet aperture <NUM> and designated to form a part of/be installed at any point along conduit <NUM>. According to some examples, fluid barrier receptacle <NUM> may have a siphon configuration, for example, fluid barrier receptacle <NUM> may be a siphon shaped as an inverted "U" shaped conduit.

According to some examples, an adaptor <NUM> having a connector <NUM> may be configured to be directly connected to the semi-closed compartment through pipe C. According to some examples, trap valve <NUM> is adapted to connect to adaptor <NUM> from one side, and to the conduit inlet <NUM> from another side. According to some examples, conduit inlet <NUM> may be connected through conduit section <NUM> to cup <NUM> designated to provide a cover to trap valve <NUM>.

According to some examples, when water is flowing down pipe C, the water pressure displaces some amount of water into connector <NUM> and then to adaptor <NUM>, filling the inner volume of trap valve <NUM>. According to some examples, trap valve <NUM> may be a receptacle having wider dimensions in comparison with the perimeters of conduit inlet <NUM>/adaptor <NUM> configured to connect to its ends.

According to some examples, trap valve <NUM> may further comprise a support <NUM> configured to provide a rest to float <NUM> which, upon water rising within trap valve <NUM>, is designated to float and block the entrance to conduit <NUM>. According to some examples, float <NUM> may be a floating ball adapted in its diameter to provide a seal against fluids while floating upon rising water level within the valve device and encounter a narrower portion of trap valve <NUM>.

According to some examples, support <NUM> may be configured with air passageway/s <NUM> designated to allow the air filling pipe C (when water is not running through it) to flow through adaptor <NUM>, into the inner volume of trap valve <NUM>, through conduit <NUM>, through fluid barrier receptacle <NUM> and out through conduit outlet <NUM>.

According to some examples, casing <NUM> is configured to contain some amount of fluid by preserving a constant amount of fluid within the inner volume of the semi-closed compartment gas management system <NUM>. This configuration provides a barrier against unpleasant odors by allowing fluid to enter the fluid inlet aperture <NUM> and fill the fluid barrier receptacle <NUM> when the impeller <NUM> is not operating.

According to some examples, trap valve <NUM> further comprising fluid passageway/s <NUM> configured to allow a certain amount of water to flow and fill casing <NUM> and provide a reservoir that may enter the fluid inlet aperture <NUM> and fill the fluid barrier receptacle <NUM> when the impeller <NUM> is not operating.

According to some examples, casing <NUM> may be filled with a pre-contained fluid reservoir. This configuration provides a barrier against unpleasant odors by allowing fluid to enter the fluid inlet aperture <NUM> even when pipe C is, from any reason, not providing fluid to casing <NUM> or alternatively, when the semi-closed compartment gas management system <NUM> is configured to be installed in a hosting system that lacks a water supply.

According to some examples, fluid inlet aperture <NUM> may have a relatively large diameter, hence, reducing the probability of blockage. For example, fluid inlet aperture <NUM> may have a diameter of at least <NUM> which is wide enough to prevent scale deposits from building up and blocking fluid inlet aperture <NUM>. This relatively large diameter may also prevent other contaminants from blocking fluid inlet aperture <NUM>.

According to some examples, the inner volume of the semi-closed compartment gas management system <NUM> is configured to be separated by partition <NUM>, thus creating inner volumes D and E surrounded by casing <NUM>. According to some examples, partition <NUM> may further comprise opening <NUM> configured to be alternatively sealed with a lid (not shown). According to some examples, opening <NUM> may allow the insertion of a designated prob/rod configured to penetrate into aperture <NUM> in order to remove any blockage such as scale deposits, etc. According to some examples, the rod may be equipped with ridges and grooves (for example, screw, etc.), wherein said ridges are adapted to remove scale deposits by scrubbing the inner diameter of aperture <NUM>.

According to some examples, opening <NUM> may be accessible by removing impeller <NUM> that may be accessible through a removable upper lid <NUM> forming a part of casing <NUM>.

According to some examples, the fluid barrier receptacle <NUM> is configured to block gas originating from the discharge means from spreading to the semi-closed compartment while the impeller <NUM> is not operating, by providing a receptacle full of fluid, thus preventing gasses from passing and spreading.

According to some examples, fluid barrier receptacle <NUM> is configured to be filled with <NUM>-<NUM> of water. According to some examples, the water level minimal height depends on the diameter of conduit <NUM> and maximal height depends on the impeller <NUM> power to exert fluid upon operation of the semi-closed compartment gas management system <NUM> that causes the removal of water from the barrier receptacle <NUM>.

According to some examples, said ability of the semi-closed compartment gas management system <NUM> to operate by implementing various fluid barrier receptacles <NUM> having various diameters configured to be filled with various amounts of fluid, leads to high versatility of said system. As a consequence, the semi-closed compartment gas management system <NUM> may be configured to work with various impellers <NUM> having various outputs.

According to some examples, impeller <NUM> may be anchored to its position by a resilient connector <NUM>. For example, impeller <NUM> may be anchored to the wall of casing <NUM> by a resilient connector <NUM> that may be made out of rubber, polymer, etc..

According to some examples, connector <NUM> may be configured to be acoustically isolated such that the operation of impeller <NUM>/the semi-closed compartment gas management system <NUM> will not cause any disturbance to the user.

According to some examples, connector <NUM> may be configured to reduce vibrations caused by the operation of impeller <NUM> such that the operation of the semi-closed compartment gas management system <NUM> will not cause any disturbance to the user.

According to some examples, the semi-closed compartment gas management system <NUM> is configured to be attached to pipe C using fasteners <NUM>. For example, the semi-closed compartment gas management system <NUM> may be configured to be attached to pipe C using metal/polymer cable ties, magnetic attachment means, adhesive means, Scotch (Velcro) fasteners or any other known attachment technique. According to some examples, the semi-closed compartment gas management system <NUM> may be configured to be attached to pipe C on any available face. For example, the semi-closed compartment gas management system <NUM> may be configured to be attached to pipe C on either side, front of rear sides, or on any upward, downward or inclined face of pipe C.

According to some examples, a designated aperture may be drilled to form a passageway between pipe C and connector <NUM>. According to some examples, a tight fit between pipe C's aperture and connector <NUM> may be achieved by any sort of insulating technique (such as washers, silicon, foam, wool, etc.).

According to some examples, the semi-closed compartment gas management system <NUM> may further comprise means for sampling the drawn gas from pipe C and at least one sensor configured to analyze said sample. According to some examples, the sensor may be configured to collect data regarding the sampled drawn gas. For example, the semi-closed compartment gas management system <NUM> installed on pipe C providing water flow to a toilet bowl, may be configured with diagnosis passageway/s <NUM> allowing gas to flow from the semi close compartment and reach a sensor (not shown) configured to analyze the bio-medical condition of a user by sampling gas generated by said user digestion system or diagnose the characteristics of various gas odors during and after a user uses the toilet bowl. By way of another example, the semi-closed compartment gas management system <NUM> coupled with a laboratory fume hood may be configured to perform real time analysis of laboratory work products and identify hazardous material situations.

According to some embodiments, the semi-closed compartment gas management system <NUM> may comprise a controller configured to diagnose collected data by analyzing the sensor output data. According to some embodiments, the gathered data may be transmitted to a designated device or data center for further analysis or display. According to some embodiments, said transmittal of the gathered data may be conducted on an immediate real-time basis in order to provide a fast detection system.

Claim 1:
A semi-closed compartment gas management system (<NUM>), comprising:
(i) a power source,
(ii) an impeller (<NUM>) configured to be driven by the power source and create a gas flow,
(iii) a conduit having a gas inlet (<NUM>) in communication with a semi-closed compartment and an outlet (<NUM>) in contact with a discharge means,
(iv) a fluid barrier receptacle (<NUM>) comprises a fluid inlet supine aperture (<NUM>) and configured to be connected to the conduit between its gas inlet (<NUM>) and outlet (<NUM>) and further comprises a float component (<NUM>),
wherein the gas flow created by the impeller (<NUM>) is designated to flow from the semi-closed compartment (<NUM>) and through the conduit and wherein the fluid barrier receptacle (<NUM>) is configured to block gas originating from the discharge means from spreading to the semi-closed compartment (<NUM>) while the impeller (<NUM>) is not operating and,
wherein the float component (<NUM>) is vertically adjustable and configured to operate autonomously in order to prevent block by utilizing a protrusion (<NUM>) characterized as a rod having ridges and grooves and having a clearance gap fit with the fluid inlet aperture (<NUM>), and
wherein the alternating operation of the float component (<NUM>) that comprises the protrusion (<NUM>) entering and exiting the inlet aperture (<NUM>) is configured to prevent or remove scale deposits from the inlet aperture (<NUM>).