Mechanically sealable rapid opening stagger-flush residential toilet

Abstract

A frustum-shaped toilet bowl ( 26 ) includes a reversibly rotable saucer-shaped seal ( 46 ), or saucer. The saucer can automatically be rotated upward hermetically to compress closed against a sealing ring ( 48 ) that surrounds the outside of the bowl near its bottom outlet ( 32 ). The saucer is normally closed to prevent sewer gases from entering a bathroom from an adjoining drain line ( 36 ). The closed saucer can retain human waste or test balls in the bowl or, when opened, permits them to free-fall of their own weight into the drain line. The bowl has opposing water outlets ( 42 ) which are connected to flushometer valve ( 34 ), which is connected to a source of pressurized water. Depressing a button ( 74 ) automatically provides a wet spot in the bowl to prevent falling feces from sticking to the bowl. Depressing the button a second time opens the saucer and causes additional water to stagger flush solids while they are moving in the pipe. A two-stage staggered flush propels solids further than releasing the wet spot water and the additional water into the pipe together. A urine flush uses about 250 ml (0.25) gallons and a feces flush about 4.0 liters (1.0 gallon) of water. A 2.00 to 3.00-liter (0.50- to 0.75-gallon) flush carries 100 test balls about 18.2 meters (60 feet) in the drain line.

1 . A method for employing a two-stage staggered flush to improve overall performance of a toilet and to enhance the ability of the toilet to propel solids in an adjoining drain line with less water, comprising:
 (a) providing a toilet with a bowl,   (b) connecting said toilet to a source of pressurized water,   (c) providing said toilet with a bottom outlet that is roughly centered above an adjoining drain line,   (d) connecting said source of pressurized water to an input of an automated flushometer valve,   (e) providing said bowl with a plurality of water outlets for rinsing said bowl,   (f) connecting an output of said automated flushometer valve to said water outlets,   (g) providing a pivotable saucer-shaped seal adjacent to a bottom part of said bowl,   (h) providing a compressible sealing ring on the outside of said bowl above said bottom outlet,   (i) rotating said saucer upward to a fully closed position to compress against said sealing ring so that said bowl is hermetically sealed,   (j) opening said flushometer valve for a predetermined time so that said pressurized water accumulates as a first quantity of water, or wet spot, in said bowl,   (k) introducing solids into said first quantity of water in said bowl,   (l) rotating said saucer downward from said sealing ring to an open position so that said solids free fall from said bowl into and move in said adjoining drain line, and   (m) opening said flushometer valve for a second predetermined time, while said saucer is rotated downward to said open position, so an additional quantity of said pressurized water flows from said bowl into said adjoining drain line while said solids are still moving in the drain line,   whereby permitting said additional quantity of water to fall into said drain while said solids are still moving in said drain will propel said solids further in said drain, with the same amount of water, or the same distance with less water, than occurs when said first and said additional quantities of water free fall into the drain line together, thereby saving water.   
     
     
         2 . The method of  claim 1 , wherein said saucer, said sealing ring, and said flushometer valve are arranged to cause said toilet to use a total of between about 2.0 and 3.0 liters (0.53 and 0.78 gallon), as said two-stage staggered full-flush, whereby said toilet will be able to expel 100 test balls from said toilet bowl and carry them at least about 12.2 meters (40 feet) in said adjoining drain line. 
     
     
         3 . The method of  claim 1 , further including flushing a pool of urine from a toilet bowl without using water, comprising:
 (a) providing rotational means for rotating said saucer against said sealing ring to seal off said bowl,   (b) accumulating a pool of urine in said sealed bowl, and   (c) actuating said automated rotational means for rotating said saucer open so that said pool of urine free falls into said adjoining sewer pipe, whereby said pool of urine falls from said bowl without using water, thereby saving water.   
     
     
         4 . The method of  claim 3 , further including actuating said flushometer valve to open for a predetermined time, about 0.1 seconds, to cause said pressurized water turbulently to rinse, said coat of urine from said inside of said bowl so that said coat of urine and said water fall into said adjoining pipe, whereby said rinse needs less water, thereby saving water. 
     
     
         5 . The method of  claim 4 , wherein said saucer, said sealing ring, and said flushometer valve are arranged to cause said toilet to use a total of from 200 to 300 ml (0.05 to 0.08 gallon) of water for said reduced flush. 
     
     
         6 . The method of  claim 1 , further including providing rotational means arranged to snap said saucer open in less than half a second so that said water, urine, solids, or 100 test balls will free fall of their own weight from said bowl into said adjoining drain line, thereby saving water. 
     
     
         7 . The method of  claim 1 , further including orienting at least a pair of said water outlets so that said water outlets jet rinse said bowl below and between said outlets from opposite directions with said pressurized water, whereby said water outlets can rinse said bowl with less water, thereby saving water. 
     
     
         8 . The method of  claim 1 , further including inclining a front part of said bowl forward 30 to 50 degrees from the vertical, and inclining a rear part of said bowl rearward 5 to 50 degrees, so that said tissue and feces are less prone to adhere to said bowl, whereby said tissue and said feces are more readily rinsed from said bowl, and thereby saving water. 
     
     
         9 . The method of  claim 1 , further including forming said sealing ring, which surrounds an outside part of said bowl, of at least one corrosion-resistant material, whereby said sealing ring is more likely to resist corrosion by said urine and said feces, and thereby more likely to protect the health and welfare of those in the vicinity of said toilet from potentially toxic and or explosive sewer gases. 
     
     
         10 . The method of  claim 9 , wherein said corrosion-resistant material of said sealing ring is a fluoro-elastomer which is less likely to corrode, and thereby is more likely to prevent leakage from said bowl or upward passage of sewer gases into said bowl, thereby protecting said sealing ring and nearby people. 
     
     
         11 . The method of  claim 1 , further including, forming at least a part of said saucer of poly-tetra-fluoro-ethylene, whereby said poly-tetra-fluoro-ethylene protects said saucer from corrosion and permits said saucer to compress hermetically against said sealing ring to prevent water, urine or feces from prematurely leaving said bowl, and prevents sewer gases from entering a bathroom, thereby protecting said toilet and people near it. 
     
     
         12 . A toilet bowl that helps prevent feces from adhering to said bowl comprising:
 (a) a bowl having a front and a rear part,   (b) an inside of said front part inclining 30 to 50 degrees forward from the vertical, and   (c) an inside of said rear part inclining 5 to 15 degrees rearward from the vertical, whereby said inclining of said front and rear parts is prone to prevent said feces from adhering to said bowl, and thereby said feces is easier to dislodge from said bowl with less water, and thereby saving water.   
     
     
         13 . The bowl of  claim 12 , further including,
 (a) at least one pair of adjacent or overlapping water outlets that open on to an upper part of said bowl,   (b) said water outlets being connected to a source of pressurized water,   (c) means for causing said pressurized water to jet from said water outlets, and   (d) said water outlets being located and oriented to permit said pressurized water to rinse said bowl between and below said water outlets and with particular turbulence toward said front and said rear of the bowl, where said feces are more prone to adhere, whereby said toilet can dislodge said feces from said bowl with less water, and thereby save water.   
     
     
         14 . The bowl of  claim 12 , further including providing an aperture in an upper part of said bowl to prevent bowl contents from rising above the level of said aperture, plus a sufficient unobstructed vertical distance between said aperture and said water outlets so that, in the event of a drop in pressure in said water outlets said unobstructed vertical distance can prevent said feces from being sucked from said bowl into said water outlets, whereby said aperture and said unobstructed distance prevents contamination of upstream water, and thereby protect people who drink said water. 
     
     
         15 . The bowl of  claim 14 , further including providing an anti-splash ledge for preventing said pressurized rinse water, which rinses said bowl with particular turbulence towards said front of said bowl, from splashing out of the bowl through said aperture. 
     
     
         16 . A method for expelling human waste, water, urine, and or test balls from a toilet bowl with less water, comprising:
 (a) providing said toilet bowl with a bottom outlet,   (c) connecting said toilet bowl to a waste passageway   (d) connecting said waste passageway to an adjoining drain line,   (e) connecting a sealing ring to an outside of said bowl above said bottom outlet,   (e) connecting a reversibly rotable saucer-shaped seal beneath said bottom outlet,   (f) rotating said saucer-shaped seal upward hermetically to compress against said sealing ring,   (g) introducing water, human waste, and or a quantity of 100 test balls into said bowl so that said water, human waste, or test balls remain in said bowl above said saucer-shaped seal, and   (h) rotating said saucer downward from said sealing ring, whereby said human waste, said water, or said test balls in said bowl free fall from said bowl via said bottom outlet and said waste passageway into said adjoining drain line without using additional water, thereby saving water.   
     
     
         17 . The method of  claim 16 , further including inclining the inside of said front part of said bowl forward 30 to 50 degrees from the vertical and inclining the inside of said rear part of said bowl rearward from 5 to 15 degrees from the vertical, whereby said human waste is less prone to adhere to said bowl, thereby saving rinse water. 
     
     
         18 . The method of  claim 16 , further including,
 (a) providing said bowl with at least one pair of adjacent or over-lapping opposing water outlets,   (b) connecting said water outlets to an output of a flushometer valve,   (c) connecting an input of said flushometer valve to a source of pressurized water,   (d) rotating said saucer-shaped seal upward hermetically to compress against said sealing ring,   (e) opening said flushometer valve to create a wet spot in said bowl above said saucer,   (f) permitting feces to fall into said wet spot, and   (g) opening said saucer so that said wet spot and said feces free fall from said bowl, under no force other that of gravity,   whereby said feces and said wet spot can exit said bowl without using additional water, thereby saving water.   
     
     
         19 . The method of  claim 18 , further including expelling a pool of urine from said bowl without any water, comprising:
 (a) closing said bottom outlet with said saucer-shaped seal,   (b) accumulating a pool of urine in said bowl above said closed bottom outlet, and   (c) opening said saucer, whereby said toilet permits said pool of urine to free fall from said bowl, without using water, thereby saving water.   
     
     
         20 . The method of  claim 19 , further including rinsing and flushing a layer of urine, which remains stuck to said bowl after said pool of urine leaves said bowl, from said bowl with less water, comprising:
 opening said flushometer valve to cause said pressurized water to issue from said opposing water outlets turbulently to jet rinse said layer of urine stuck to said inclined inside of said bowl and to permit said jet-rinsed urine to exit said bowl through said bottom outlet, whereby said toilet uses less water, thereby saving water.   
     
     
         21 . A toilet that provides a two-stage staggered flush that expels solids from a bowl into an adjoining drain line and propels said solids further in said drain line, or the same distance with less water, comprising
 (a) a toilet having a bowl   (b) said bowl having a bottom outlet,   (c) a waste passageway connecting said bottom outlet to an adjoining drain line that can contain dangerous gases,   (d) said bowl having a plurality of water outlets that are connected to a source of pressurized water,   (e) a circular sealing ring being connected to an outside surface of said bowl above said bottom outlet,   (f) a saucer-shaped seal being pivotable to a closed position to seal or to an open position to open said bottom outlet of said bowl,   (g) means for rotating said saucer-shaped seal upward to compress hermetically against said circular sealing ring so that water, pooled urine, and solids in said bowl remain in said bowl and said gases remain in said adjoining drain line,   (h) means for introducing a first quantity of said pressurized water into said bowl to cushion solids falling into the bowl,   (i) means for rotating said valve downward from said sealing ring with sufficient rapidity that said solids and said first quantity of water free fall from said bowl via said waste passageway into said adjoining drain line, as a first stage of a two-stage staggered flush, so that said first quantity of water and said solids continue to move in said adjoining drain line, and   (j) means for introducing an additional quantity of said water into said adjoining drain line while said solids are still moving in said drain line, as the second stage of said two-stage staggered flush, so that said additional quantity of water additionally propels said solids,   whereby permitting said additional quantity of water to fall into said drain while said solids are still moving in said drain propels said solids further in said drain, with the same amount of water, or the same distance with less water, than occurs when said first and said additional quantities of water free fall into the drain line together, thereby saving water.   
     
     
         22 . The toilet of  claim 1 , further including a coil spring arranged to snap said saucer-shaped seal open with sufficient rapidity that said solids and said first quantity of water in said bowl free fall into said adjoining drain line, thereby actuating said first stage of said two-stage staggered flush for better expelling said solids from the bowl and better propelling them in the drain line. 
     
     
         23 . The toilet of  claim 21 , further including providing means for hermetically closing said valve against said sealing ring so that urine can pool in said bowl above said closed valve, and means for opening said valve within about one tenth of a second so that said pool of urine free falls of its own weight from the bowl into said adjoining drain line where it can gravitationally flow downhill towards a far end of said drain line, whereby said toilet is arranged so that said pool of urine gravitationally leaves said bowl and gravitationally flows in said drain line without using any water, thereby saving water. 
     
     
         24 . The toilet of  claim 23 , further including automated means for rinsing and flushing a layer of said urine, which remains stuck to said bowl after said pool of urine has left said bowl, with less water, comprising:
 automated means for turbulently jet-rinsing said inside of said bowl free of said layer of urine which remains stuck to said bowl with a predetermined quantity of water while said valve is open, whereby said predetermined quantity of water rinses said bowl free of said layer of urine with less water, and thereby saving water.   
     
     
         25 . The bowl of  claim 21 , wherein said bowl has a frustum-like shape so that said bowl has front and rear parts, said front part inclining forward 30 to 50 degrees from the vertical, and said rear part inclining rearward 5 to 15 degrees from the vertical, whereby feces are less prone to adhere to an inside of said bowl or are more readily rinsed when adherent, thereby saving water.