Patent ID: 7996929

Claim:
A toilet system comprising: a toilet with a bowl and a base, the base defining a hopper for receiving waste from the bowl; a pump assembly operative for pumping flush water to the bowl and for pumping waste from the hopper; a source of flush water; a first conduit connecting the pump assembly and the bowl; a second conduit connecting the pump assembly and the hopper; and a third conduit connecting the pump assembly and the source of flush water; wherein the pump assembly is operative in a first mode to open a fluid path extending through the pump assembly between the first conduit and the third conduit and further operative in a second mode to close the fluid path; wherein the pump assembly further includes a mode selector having a first portion and a second portion, the first portion moveable between a first position and a second position such that in the first position the fluid path is open and in the second position the fluid path is closed, the second portion operative for maintaining a valve associated with one of the first and third conduits in a open condition when the fluid path is closed so as to avoid a vacuum in the pump assembly.