Patent ID: 6895604

Claim:
An exhaust fan for a water closet, the water closet having a bowl, a seat and a lid, with the lid pivotally mounted to the bowl, the exhaust fan comprising: the lid having hinges for pivotally connecting to the bowl, a top surface and a bottom surface which faces the interior of the water bowl, the lid further having a hole formed therein, said hole extending from the top surface through the bottom surface at a central region of the lid, transverse to a plane defined by the lid, said plane extending horizontally when said lid is disposed in a closed position; a filter cartridge having filter media; a housing disposed within said hole in the lid, said housing having a first window for removably receiving said filter cartridge, such that said filter media is disposed for receiving the air being exhausted from within the bowl by a fan unit, said fan unit disposed in fixed relation to said housing for exhausting air from within the bowl, through said hole and exteriorly of the bowl of the water closet, transverse to the plane of the lid; said housing having apertures defining an airflow inlet and an airflow outlet, wherein said airflow inlet and said airflow outlet are axially and centrally aligned with said hole of the lid, such that said fan unit exhausts the air from within the bowl of the water closet when the lid is disposed in the closed position, in which the plane defined by the lid is horizontally disposed; and a control circuit having a position sensor and control logic, said position sensor detecting when the lid is moved from an open, vertical position to the closed position, and said control logic applying electric power to operate said fan unit according to a predetermined sequence when said lid is disposed in the closed position.