Standing secondary and ergonomic toilets

Abstract

A secondary standing toilet includes a back wall, a water dispenser for providing a waterfall feature along the back wall, doors configured to open and close relative to the back wall, and a floor configured to raise and lower. An ergonomic toilet including a base rotatably supported about a drain tube, and a seat supported by the base and vertically adjustable.

1 . A standing toilet comprising:
 a vertically extending back wall;   a water dispenser positioned at an upper end of the back wall to dispense water in a waterfall along a front surface of the back wall;   a drain positioned at a lower end of the back wall;   at least one door supported in front of the back wall, the at least one door configured to move between open and closed positions;   a door drive mechanism configured to move the at least one door between the open and closed positions;   a movable floor supported in front of the back wall, the movable floor configured to move between lowered and raised positions;   a floor drive mechanism configured to move the movable floor between the lowered and raised positions; and   a cleaning device configured to clean the inside surface of the at least one door, the upper surface of the movable floor, and the front surface of the back wall.   
     
     
         2 . The standing toilet of  claim 1 , further comprising a controller configured to control operation of the door drive mechanism, the floor drive mechanism, and the cleaning device. 
     
     
         3 . The standing toilet of  claim 2 , further comprising a door sensor to detect a position of the at least one door, and a floor sensor to detect a position of the floor, the door sensor and the floor sensor in communication with the controller. 
     
     
         4 . The standing toilet of  claim 2 , further comprising a light system in communication with the controller to illuminate different areas when the at least one door is open and when the at least one door is closed. 
     
     
         5 . The standing toilet of  claim 2 , further comprising a user interface in communication with the controller, the controller being configured to move the at least one door to the open position and the floor to the lowered position in response to input to the user interface. 
     
     
         6 . The standing toilet of  claim 5 , wherein the user interface comprises at least one of an infrared sensor, a motion sensor, and a capacitive sensor, such that the controller opens the at least one door and lowers the floor when a user is detected, and the controller closes the at least one door and raises the floor when no user is detected. 
     
     
         7 . The standing toilet of  claim 1 , wherein the at least one door includes a left door pivotable about a first vertical axis, and a right door pivotable about a second vertical axis. 
     
     
         8 . The standing toilet of  claim 7 , wherein the door drive mechanism includes a left door piston actuator operably coupled to the left door, and a right door piston actuator operably coupled to the right door. 
     
     
         9 . The standing toilet of  claim 1 , wherein the movable floor is pivotable about a horizontal axis from the lowered position to the raised position. 
     
     
         10 . The standing toilet of  claim 9 , wherein the floor drive mechanism includes a floor piston actuator operably coupled to the movable floor. 
     
     
         11 . The standing toilet of  claim 1 , wherein the cleaning device includes at least one of a plurality of disinfecting spray nozzles configured to directing disinfecting liquid at the inside surface of the at least one door, the upper surface of the movable floor, and the front surface of the back wall. 
     
     
         12 . The standing toilet of  claim 1 , wherein the cleaning device includes an ozone generator. 
     
     
         13 . The standing toilet of  claim 1 , further comprising a waterfall valve in fluid communication with a source of water and configured to control water flow to the water dispenser and providing the waterfall along the back wall. 
     
     
         14 . The standing toilet of  claim 1 , further comprising a water treatment system in fluid communication with the drain, the water treatment system configured to treat liquid supplied to the drain and provide the treated water to the water dispenser for reuse in the waterfall. 
     
     
         15 . A standing toilet comprising:
 a vertically extending back wall;   a drain positioned at a lower end of the back wall;   at least one door supported in front of the back wall, the at least one door configured to move between open and closed positions;   a door drive mechanism configured to move the at least one door between the open and closed positions;   a controller configured to control operation of the door drive mechanism; and   a user interface configured to provide input from a user to the controller, the controller being in an active mode or a stand-by mode based upon input from the user interface, the door being in the open position in the active mode, and the door being in the closed position in the stand-by mode.   
     
     
         16 . The standing toilet of  claim 15 , further comprising a cleaning device configured to clean the inside surface of the at least one door and the front surface of the back wall, wherein the controller activates the cleaning device when changing from the active mode to the stand-by mode. 
     
     
         17 . The standing toilet of  claim 16 , wherein the cleaning device includes at least one of a plurality of disinfecting spray nozzles configured to directing disinfecting liquid at the inside surface of the at least one door, the upper surface of the movable floor, and the front surface of the back wall. 
     
     
         18 . The standing toilet of  claim 16 , wherein the cleaning device includes an ozone generator. 
     
     
         19 . The standing toilet of  claim 15 , wherein the at least one door includes a left door pivotable about a first vertical axis, and a right door pivotable about a second vertical axis. 
     
     
         20 . The standing toilet of  claim 19 , wherein the door drive mechanism includes a left door piston actuator operably coupled to the left door, and a right door piston actuator operably coupled to the right door. 
     
     
         21 . The standing toilet of  claim 15 , further comprising:
 a movable floor supported in front of the back wall, the movable floor configured to move between lowered and raised positions; and   a floor drive mechanism configured to move the movable floor between the lowered and raised positions,   wherein the floor is in the lowered position in the active mode, and the floor is in the raised position in the stand-by mode.   
     
     
         22 . The standing toilet of  claim 21 , wherein the movable floor is pivotable about a horizontal axis from the lowered position to the raised position. 
     
     
         23 . The standing toilet of  claim 22 , wherein the floor drive mechanism includes a floor piston actuator operably coupled to the movable floor. 
     
     
         24 . The standing toilet of  claim 15 , wherein the user interface comprises at least one of an infrared sensor, a motion sensor, and a capacitive sensor, such that the controller opens the at least one door and lowers the floor when a user is detected, and the controller closes the at least one door and raises the floor when no user is detected. 
     
     
         25 . The standing toilet of  claim 15 , further comprising a water dispenser positioned at an upper end of the back wall to dispense water in a waterfall along a front surface of the back wall. 
     
     
         26 . The standing toilet of  claim 25 , further comprising a waterfall valve in fluid communication with a source of water and configured to control water flow to the water dispenser and providing the waterfall along the back wall. 
     
     
         27 . The standing toilet of  claim 25 , further comprising a water treatment system in fluid communication with the drain, the water treatment system configured to treat liquid supplied to the drain and provide the treated water to the water dispenser for reuse in the waterfall. 
     
     
         28 . A method of operating a standing toilet comprising the steps of:
 detecting a user within a detection zone;   opening a door to expose a back wall;   lowering a floor proximate a drain below the back wall;   dispensing water down a front surface of the back wall to create a waterfall;   no longer detecting the user within the detection zone;   raising the floor;   closing the door to cover the back wall; and   activating a cleaning device to clean the inside surface of the door, an upper surface of the floor, and the front surface of the back wall.   
     
     
         29 . An ergonomic toilet comprising:
 a base including a bowl;   a waste outlet in fluid communication with the bowl and in fluid communication with a drain, the waste outlet defining a vertical axis;   a bowl rotation mechanism supporting the base for rotation about the vertical axis;   a seat supported by the bowl; and   a seat height mechanism operably coupled to the base for adjusting the height of the seat.   
     
     
         30 . The ergonomic toilet of  claim 29 , further comprising a controller in communication with the seat height mechanism, and a user interface in communication with the controller wherein user input to the user interface causes the controller to activate the seat height mechanism for adjusting the height of the seat. 
     
     
         31 . The ergonomic toilet of  claim 30 , wherein the controller includes a memory, wherein preset seat heights may be input by a user through the user interface and stored within the memory. 
     
     
         32 . The ergonomic toilet of  claim 29 , wherein the base includes an upper portion supporting the bowl, and a lower portion in a telescoping relationship with the upper portion. 
     
     
         33 . The ergonomic toilet of  claim 32 , wherein the seat height mechanism includes at least one piston actuator configured to move the upper portion of the base relative to the lower portion of the base. 
     
     
         34 . The ergonomic toilet of  claim 29 , wherein the bowl rotation mechanism includes a bearing to guide the base in rotation about the vertical axis. 
     
     
         35 . The ergonomic toilet of  claim 29 , wherein the waste outlet is in a telescoping relationship with the drain. 
     
     
         36 . The ergonomic toilet of  claim 35 , further comprising a seal intermediate the waste outlet and the drain to arrest gas odor. 
     
     
         37 . The ergonomic toilet of  claim 29 , further comprising an upright extending upwardly from the bowl, a first seat cover supported for pivoting movement in a clockwise direction about first horizontal axis, and a second seat cover supported for pivoting movement in a counterclockwise direction about a second horizontal axis, the first seat cover and the second seat cover cooperating to cover an upper opening to the bowl in a closed position, and the first seat cover and the second seat cover exposing the upper opening in the bowl when in an open position. 
     
     
         38 . An ergonomic toilet comprising:
 a bowl supported above a drain;   a seat supported by the bowl; and   wherein the angular position of the seat may be adjusted by rotating the bowl about a vertical axis, and the height of the seat may be adjusted by vertically moving the bowl relative to the drain.