Flush toilet

Claim 2

A flush toilet comprising: a bowl having an inner wall with an upper rim and a bottom drain port, said drain port having a lower margin, said wall tapering generally inwardly and downwardly so as to form an upwardly facing concavity; a closure comprising a pan beneath the drain port at the outside of the bowl, said pan having a bottom and an upwardly extending peripheral wall with an upper margin, said pan being pivotally mounted relative to the bowl by pivot means which is located sidewardly relative to the lower margin of the drain port so that said pan is swingable to an upper substantially horizontal closed position beneath the drain port where its upper margin stands above the lower margin of the drain port whereby sufficient water in the pan will form a gas seal at the drain port, and is also swingable to a tilted open position wherein the pan is removed from the drain port to permit drainage therethrough and part of it is disposed below the elevation of said drain port in the path of a substantial portion of the water flowing out of the drain port whereby to be rinsed by said water, said pan being shaped so that substantially all water drains from it while in said open position; linkage means pivotally mounted relative to the bowl and connected to the pan to swing the pan to its said positions; and flushing means comprising a water inlet conduit connectible to a supply of water under pressure a flushing valve and a vacuum breaker connected in said inlet conduit, and nozzle means receiving water passed by the said valve and vacuum breaker discharging said water into the bowl to flush the same, said linkage means also being connected to said valve to open said valve for at least some of the time the pan is away from its closed position, said linkage means comprising a pivoted rigid member mounted relative to the bowl and having a swingable portion, a lever plate fixed to the pan, said lever plate having a slot receiving the swingable portion the slot and the member being so disposed and arranged that the pan can tilt downwardly over a portion of the arcuate movement of the swingable portion, but is held in its closed position at another arcuate position of the member.

Claim 3

A flush toilet according to claim 1 in which the member is springloaded toward the said closed position.

Claim 4

A flush toilet according to claim 2 in which a handle is attached to the member to rotate the rigid member, and in which said handle is also attached to the valve.

Claim 5

A flush toilet according to claim 1 in which said member is a bail having two pivoted swingable members connected by a bight, said bight fitting in said slot, and said bail being rigid, and in which said bight and said slot are so disposed and arranged relative to one another, and to the centers of rotation of the pan and of the bail, that in said closed position the bail and the lever plate act as a toggle to hold the pan in its closed position until the bail is swung to another angular position.

Claim 6

A flush toilet according to claim 1 in which said member and said slot are disposed and arranged relative to one another, and to the centers of rotation of the pan and of the member, that in said closed position the member and lever plate act as a toggle to hold the pan in its closed position until the member is swung to another angular position.

Claim 7

A flush toilet according to claim 5 in which said nozzle means comprises a nozzle chamber and a nozzle orifice at the downstream end of the nozzle chamber, and in which air purging means is disposed between said nozzle chamber and the valve, said air purging means comprising a weir in the water inlet conduit rising from the bottom thereof and leaving a flow space above the weir over which air and water can flow to the nozzle chamber.

Claim 8

A flush toilet according to claim 6 in which said valve and said vacuum breaker comprises a unitary construction, said valve including a body having an inlet, an outlet, a peripheral seal around the outlet, a rotatable ball having an external sealing surface and a flow passage, said ball being rotatably mounted in said valve body whereby to close said outlet or to connect it to said inlet through the passage as determined by the rotational position of the ball, a vertical tube above and in fluid connection with said outlet and formed as part of said body, a seat on said tube, a poppet having a seal, said poppet being slidably supported in said tube so as normally to close the same by applying the seal to the seat, but to be movable to open the same by sufficient fluid pressure exerted in said tube, a vent port in the wall of the water inlet conduit, said poppet closing the said vent port when moved to open the tube, and opening the vent port when closing the tube.

Claim 9

A flush toilet according to claim 7 in which the ball is linked to linkage means to be rotated thereby.

Claim 10

A flush toilet according to claim 6 in which said weir forms an upwardly extending passageway having such dimensions as to limit the rate of water flow therethrough, whereby after the valve is closed, water remaining in the water inlet conduit upstream from the weir can flow at a lesser rate through said passageway to provide water for the said gas seal after the pan is closed.

Claim 11

A flush toilet according to claim 9 in which said member is a bail having two pivoted swingable members connected by a bight, said bight fitting in said slot, and said bail being rigid, and in which said bight and said slot are so disposed and arranged relative to one another, and to the centers of rotation of the pan and of the bail, that in said closed position the bail and the lever plate act as a toggle to hold the pan in its closed position until the bail is swung to another angular position.

Claim 12

A flush toilet according to claim 10 in which a relatively small bleed hole discharges from the nozzle chamber at an elevation above the nozzle orifice.

Claim 13

A flush toilet according to claim 10 in which the water inlet conduit includes an enlarged portion upstream from the weir to provide said water for the bowl after the drain port is closed.

Claim 14

A flush toilet comprising: a bowl having an inner wall with an upper rim and a bottom drain port, said drain port having a lower margin, said wall tapering generally inwardly and downwardly so as to form an upwardly facing concavity; a closure comprising a pan beneath the drain port at the outside of the bowl, said pan having a bottom and an upwardly extending peripheral wall with an upper margin, said pan being pivotally mounted relative to the bowl by pivot means which is located sidewardly relative to the lower margin of the drain port so that said pan is swingable to an upper substantially horizontal closed position beneath the drain port where its upper margin stands above the lower margin of the drain port whereby sufficient water in the pan will form a gas seal at the drain port, and is also swingable to a tilted open position wherein the pan is removed from the drain port to permit drainage therethrough and part of it is disposed below the elevation of said drain port in the path of a substantial portion of the water flowing out of the drain port whereby to be rinsed by said water, said pan being shaped so that substantially all water drains from it while in said open position; linkage means pivotally mounted relative to the bowl and connected to the pan to swing the pan to its said positions; and flushing means comprising a water inlet conduit connectible to a supply of water under pressure a flushing valve and a vacuum breaker connected in said inlet conduit, and nozzle means receiving water passed by the said valve and vacuum breaker discharging said water into the bowl to flush the same, said linkage means also being connected to said valve to open said valve for at least some of the time the pan is away from its closed position, said nozzle means comprising a nozzle chamber and a nozzle orifice at the downstream end of the nozzle chamber, and in which air purging means is disposed between said nozzle chamber and the valve, said air purging means comprising a weir in the water inlet conduit rising from the bottom thereof and leaving a flow space above the weir over which air and water can flow to the nozzle chamber.

Claim 15

A flush toilet comprising: a bowl having an inner wall with an upper rim and a bottom drain port, said drain port having a lower margin, said wall tapering generally inwardly and downwardly so as to form an upwardly facing concavity; a closure comprising a pan beneath the drain port at the outside of the bowl, said pan having a bottom and an upwardly extending peripheral wall with an upper margin, said pan being pivotally mounted relative to the bowl by pivot means which is located sidewardly relative to the lower margin of the drain port so that said pan is swingable to an upper substantially horizontal closed position beneath the drain port where its upper margin stands above the lower margin of the drain port whereby sufficient water in the pan will form a gas seal at the drain port, and is also swingable to a tilted open position wherein the pan is removed from the drain port to permit drainage therethrough and part of it is disposed below the elevation of said drain port in the path of a substantial portion of the water flowing out of the drain port whereby to be rinsed by said water, said pan being shaped so that substantially all water drains from it while in said open position; linkage means pivotally mounted relative to the bowl and connected to the pan to swing the pan to its said positions; and flushing means comprising a water inlet conduit connectible to a supply of water under pressure a flushing valve and a vacuum breaker connected in said inlet conduit, and nozzle means receiving water passed by the said valve and vacuum breaker discharging said water into the bowl to flush the same, said linkage means also being connected to said valve to open said valve for at least some of the time the pan is away from its closed position, said nozzle means comprising a nozzle chamber and a nozzle orifice at the downstream end of the nozzle chamber, and in which air purging means is disposed between said nozzle chamber and the valve, said air purging means comprising a weir in the water inlet conduit rising from the bottom thereof and leaving a flow space above the weir over which air and water can flow to the nozzle chamber.

Claim 16

A flush toilet according to claim 13 in which said wier forms an upwardly extending passageway having such dimensions as to limit the rate of water flow therethrough, whereby after the valve is closed, water remaining in the water inlet conduit upstream from the weir can flow at a lesser rate through said passageway to provide water for the said gas seal after the pan is closed.

Claim 17

A flush toilet according to claim 14 in which the water inlet conduit includes an enlarged portion upstream from the weir to provide water for said gas seal.

Claim 18

A flush toilet according to claim 14 in which said nozzle means discharges water tangentially to the bowl.

Claim 19

A flush toilet according to claim 16 in which the bowl includes a peripheral ledge around the said rim, which ledge decreases in width as it extends away from said nozzle means.

Claim 20

A flush toilet according to claim 14 in which a relatively small bleed hole discharges from the nozzle chamber at an elevation above the nozzle orifice.

Claim 21

A flush toilet according to claim 14 in which said nozzle means discharged water tangentially to the bowl.

Claim 22

A flush toilet according to claim 19 in which the bowl includes a peripheral ledge around the said rim, which ledge decreases in width as it extends away from said nozzle means.

Claim 23

A flush toilet comprising: a bowl having an inner wall with an upper rim and a bottom drain port, said drain port having a lower margin, said wall tapering generally inwardly and downwardly so as to form an upwardly facing concavity; a closure comprising a pan beneath the drain port at the outside of the bowl, said pan having a bottom and an upwardly extending peripheral wall with an upper margin, said pan being pivotally mounted relative to the bowl by pivot means which is located sidewardly relative to the lower margin of the drain port so that said pan is swingable to an upper substantially horizontal closed position beneath the drain port where its upper margin stands above the lower margin of the drain port whereby sufficient water in the pan will form a gas seal at the drain port, and is also swingable to a tilted open position wherein the pan is removed from the drain port to permit drainage therethrough and part of it is disposed below the elevation of said drain port in the path of a substantial portion of the water flowing out of the drain port whereby to be rinsed by said water, said pan being shaped so that substantially all water drains from it while in said open position; linkage means pivotally mounted relative to the bowl and connected to the pan to swing the pan to its said positions; and flushing means comprising a water inlet conduit connectible to a supply of water under pressure a flushing valve and a vacuum breaker connected in said inlet conduit, and nozzle means receiving water passed by the said valve and vacuum breaker discharging said water into the bowl to flush the same, said linkage means also being connected to said valve to open said valve for at least some of the time the pan is away from its closed position; a seat pivotally mounted relative to the bowl; a lid pivotally mounted to the seat; hinge means pivotally mounting the lid to the seat, said hinge means having a hinge axis, and being laterally separable by sufficient force without fracture whereby the lid is removable from the seat, said hinge means comprising a stud on the seat, and a stiffly flexible flange on the lid with an opening therein, said flange being adapted to bend and to snap the opening over the stud to form the hinge, said sufficient force removing the flange from the stud.

Claim 24

A flush toilet comprising: a bowl having an inner wall with an upper rim and a bottom drain port, said drain port having a lower margin, said wall tapering generally inwardly and downwardly so as to form an upwardly facing concavity; a closure comprising a pan beneath the drain port at the outside of the bowl, said pan having a bottom and an upwardly extending peripheral wall with an upper margin, said pan being pivotally mounted relative to the bowl by pivot means which is located sidewardly relative to the lower margin of the drain port so that said pan is swingable to an upper substantially horizontal closed position beneath the drain port where its upper margin stands above the lower margin of the drain port whereby sufficient water in the pan will form a gas seal at the drain port, and is also swingable to a tilted open position wherein the pan is removed from the drain port to permit drainage therethrough and part of it is disposed below the elevation of said drain port in the path of a substantial portion of the water flowing out of the drain port whereby to be rinsed by said water, said pan being shaped so that substantially all water drains from it while in said open position; linkage means pivotally mounted relative to the bowl and connected to the pan to swing the pan to its said positions; and flushing means comprising a water inlet conduit connectible to a supply of water under pressure a flushing valve and a vacuum breaker connected in said inlet conduit, and nozzle means receiving water passed by the said valve and vacuum breaker discharging said water into the bowl to flush the same, said linkage means also being connected to said valve to open said valve for at least some of the time the pan is away from its closed position; a seat pivotally mounted relative to the bowl; a lid pivotally mounted to the seat; hinge means pivotally mounting the lid to the seat, said hinge means having a hinge axis, and being laterally separable by sufficient force without fracture whereby the lid is removable from the seat, said hinge means comprising a stud on the seat, and a stiffly flexible flange on the lid with an opening therein, said flange being adapted to bend and to snap the opening over the stud to form the hinge, said sufficient force removing the flange from the stud.

Claim 25

A flush toilet according to claim 21 in which one of said stud and opening has a tapered surface to assist the said separation.