Toilet bowl venting system

Abstract

A damp-proof venting device comprising a proximity sensor switch, fan blower, two solenoid valves and a control unit, powered by an external power supply, vents toilet bowl malodour directly into the toilet's sewerage drain, bypassing the toilet's primary water trap via an independent pressure-driven air passage sealed by a secondary independent water trap. Said control unit regulates the operation of venting unit's air blower and two solenoid valves, thus ensuring directionality of displaced air during the venting stage as well as sealing the venting passage after use under all possible circumstances, all in synchronicity with the toilet's engagement by user. A slight variation of said device allows for retrofitting onto geometry and space-accommodating market-available toilet models.

1 ) A ventilating toilet device attached to a prepared toilet commode that includes a tank and a bowl, said toilet assembly material of construction can be of ceramic, plastic, metal or any other solid material acceptable for attachment of said ventilating device according to the relevant buildings and sanitary codes and standards;
 said prepared toilet commode provides sufficient space and geometry to accept the invention's ventilating device and its associated parts on the horizontal surface lying between toilet seat and flush water tank behind it;   aforementioned prepared commode is a typical toilet commode, albeit with two vertical thru-holes on the horizontal surface between the back of toilet seat and the flush water tank on either side of the commode's flush water supply duct, that match said venting device's dedicated pipe locations at said device's bottom face;   said vertical thru-holes may be part of the toilet commode's manufacturing stages or said thru-holes may be, if technically possible and without negatively affecting commode's integrity and performance, be drilled into a suitable commode;   said container is fastened shut via screws penetrating from the case's bottom surface that connect with the cover via adjacent screw sockets to prevent tampering with said unit's contents;   said ventilating unit's air inlet port protrudes from the front of the device and is deployed underneath the rear end of the toilet seat at a level above the bowl's overflow line;   attachment means for said ventilation device casing onto toilet commode is achieved via the toilet's seat fastening anchor bolts passing through said venting unit's two fastening slots flanking said venting unit's air inlet port. Furthermore, the vent unit's mains water inlet and air outlet pipes run vertically downwards through the commode's adjacent vertical thru-holes to connect (and securely fit) with their respective piping emanating from the venting device's bottom face;   access to said device's components entails the dismantling of the connected plumbing accordingly.   
     
     
         2 ) The device according to  claim 1  made of matching top and bottom waterproof container covers, resulting in a damp proof container once closed;
 said venting unit container, when closed, has three openings of differing dimensions: 
 the smallest to accommodate an electric power supply wire (present at one side of the casing, near the bottom) another for a mains water supply pipe and a third (and largest) for a vented air exit pipe; 
 said device's water and vented air pipes are positioned at opposite lateral ends of the container, at a distance prescribed by limitations imposed by the available space within the container, whose shape and size is dictated by ergonomic and aesthetic design parameters related to the toilet commode; 
 all openings seal around their respective conduits to prevent water/humidity entering said container. 
 
     
     
         3 ) The device according to  claim 2  with an ancillary pipe communicating the venting device's vented air exit pipe, passing through commode's matching thru-hole at the exit point at the lower side past said thru-hole, with a secondary water trap of appropriate seal height dictated by relevant dwelling's buildings and sanitary codes;
 said secondary water trap securely bypasses said toilet's primary water trap and communicates in a unidirectional manner the venting device's vented air outlet pipe that runs vertically down through the commode's thru-hole to a connection point with the toilet's drain pipe downstream of toilet's primary water trap, irrespective of said primary water trap's type; 
 in the case of a prepared toilet commode, said secondary water trap is manufactured as part of said commode using suitable material and space-saving methods. 
 
     
     
         4 ) The device according to  claim 3  wherein communication between said secondary water trap and toilet drain outlet, downstream of toilet's primary water trap, is achieved via an appropriately-sized hole present in said toilet drain pipe;
 Said hole may be drilled using a suitable method that is compatible with said drain pipe material and is fastened appropriately to ensure no leakage of sewerage gas or contamination into the toilet room space. 
 
     
     
         5 ) The device according to  claim 4  wherein said toilet ventilating device houses a low voltage fan air blower;
 said ventilation unit's fan blower provides for at least two pressure head and flow rate requirements: one to evacuate said secondary water trap's seal and the other for proper, yet comfortable, ventilation of toilet bowl malodorous gasses, as dictated by local relevant dwelling's buildings and sanitary codes. 
 
     
     
         6 ) The device according to  claim 5  whereby mains water feeds the venting device via a water inlet pipe passing through one of the commode's thru-holes and vertically upward through said venting device case's bottom. Said mains water replenishes the secondary water trap's seal upon culmination of fan blower's ventilation;
 said mains water flow is controlled by a normally-closed solenoid valve. 
 
     
     
         7 ) The device according to  claim 6  whereby mains electricity via an appropriate power supply) or a battery supply provides low voltage power sufficient for the safe operation of the ventilating unit's electric components. 
     
     
         8 ) The device according to  claim 7  further comprising a normally-closed solenoid air valve, contained within the ventilation unit's casing;
 said normally-closed solenoid air valve lies between said fan unit outlet and said secondary water trap, ensuring unidirectional air flow from said fan unit towards said secondary water trap. 
 
     
     
         9 ) The device according to  claim 8  with a proximity sensor switch located on the front outside surface of said ventilation unit to sense, and hence signal the venting device's control unit, the presence of a seated toilet user;
 position of said proximity sensor switch is such that its field of view registers the presence of a seated toilet user and is not obstructed by the toilet seat cover and/or toilet seat in both the raised and lowered positions; 
 proximity sensor switch must be suitable to register the presence and departure of a human; 
 said proximity sensor switch's sensing range covers the distance between said sensor's tip and the front tip of the toilet bowl rim. 
 
     
     
         10 ) The device according to  claim 9  with a control unit housed within said unit's container that orchestrates the electromechanical components' operations so as to achieve the ventilation unit's venting cycle;
 said venting cycle is comprised of: 1) control unit confirming the presence of a seated toilet user based on proof-positive signal/s from proximity sensor switch, 2) opening of normally-closed air solenoid valve in tandem with momentary operation of fan unit at high pressure to evacuate secondary water trap seal downstream to sewerage and hence communicate device's exiting vented air with sewerage drain pipe, 3) air solenoid valve remains open while fan unit operates at low pressure for toilet bowl malodorous air continuous ventilation, 4) control box confirming proximity sensor switch's signal that user has dismounted the toilet seat, 5) a timer commences, maintaining venting for a set period of time, 6) air solenoid valve closes and fan unit turn off in tandem, 7) water solenoid valve opens to allow mains water to flow into and through vented air exit pipe so as to replenish the ejected secondary water trap's seal for a pre-set period of time to ensure complete sealing, 8) water solenoid valve closes to end the venting cycle. 
 
     
     
         11 ) The device according to  claim 10  whose secondary water trap's water seal is replenished at the end of said unit's venting procedure via a normally-closed water solenoid valve enclosed within said ventilation unit. Said solenoid water valve is connected to mains water supply;
 said water valve is controlled by said venting unit's control unit such that the necessary amount of water is replenished to satisfy the necessary depth of said trap's water seal by controlling the duration of said water valve's; 
 said water valve's outlet communicates with blower fan's outlet pipe within the ventilation unit's casing downstream of the ventilating fan unit at point lower in elevation than said blower fan's outlet point. 
 
     
     
         12 ) The device according to  claim 11  retrofitted onto a non-prepared toilet by attaching the venting unit case onto any available surface on the toilet;
 said venting device has its mains water inlet pipe and vented air exit pipes both laterally extending from opposite side faces of the device's casing via threaded pipe ends; 
 said protruding threaded pipe ends extend via holes present on the sides of said case so as to allow for unobstructed opening and closing of the top part of said unit's casing. All openings seal around their respective conduits to prevent water/humidity entering said container; 
 said protruding pipes extend laterally just enough to connect with flexible pipe attachments outside the venting device's container, thus communicating with their respective connections (mains water pipe and secondary water trap) via piping circumnavigating the commode's torso lying between the toilet bowl and flush tank, to reach the lower end of the horizontal surface between the toilet bowl and flush tank, to reach the same connection locations as in the case of the prepared toilet commode detailed in the claims above. 
 
     
     
         13 ) The device according to  claim 11  or  12  with a control unit that compares two or more proximity sensor's readings separated by a brief time interval to differentiate between the time period the sensor's field of view is momentarily obstructed upon raising/lowering of toilet seat/cover and that of a user mounting the toilet. For greater accuracy, further timed proximity sensor sweeps can be programmed into the control unit, reducing the chance of unwanted activation of venting system's venting cycle. 
     
     
         14 ) The device according to  claim 11 ,  12  or  13  whose venting system is installed for wall-mounted toilets, whereby said venting unit is placed within the wall cavity behind toilet seat, having its proximity sensors protruding from the surface of the enclosed wall cavity. 
     
     
         15 ) The device according to  claim 11 ,  12 ,  13  or  14  whereby the invention is integrated into an “intelligent” electromechanical toilet seat system, or “smart” toilet, whereby said system will provide a signal for user's presence;
 said venting unit is integrated within the “intelligent” toilet/“smart” toilet casing for ergonomic and aesthetic purposes.