Plumbing fixture auxiliary port

Abstract

A plumbing fixture system includes a plumbing fixture bowl and a plumbing fixture tank coupled to the plumbing fixture bowl. The plumbing fixture tank is configured to house liquid. The plumbing fixture tank is configured to provide at least a portion of the liquid to the plumbing fixture bowl to flush the plumbing fixture bowl. The plumbing fixture system further includes a fill valve assembly disposed in the plumbing fixture tank. The fill valve assembly includes an auxiliary port. The auxiliary port is configured to modify a level of the liquid in the plumbing fixture tank.

What is claimed is: 
     
         1 . A plumbing fixture system comprising:
 a plumbing fixture bowl;   a plumbing fixture tank coupled to the plumbing fixture bowl, wherein the plumbing fixture tank is configured to house liquid, and wherein the plumbing fixture tank is configured to provide at least a portion of the liquid to the plumbing fixture bowl to flush the plumbing fixture bowl; and   a fill valve assembly disposed in the plumbing fixture tank, wherein the fill valve assembly comprises an auxiliary port, wherein the auxiliary port is configured to modify a level of the liquid in the plumbing fixture tank.   
     
     
         2 . The plumbing fixture system of  claim 1 , wherein:
 the fill valve assembly further comprises a fill valve outlet that is configured to provide a first liquid flow; and   the auxiliary port is configured to provide a second liquid flow that is greater than the first liquid flow.   
     
     
         3 . The plumbing fixture system of  claim 2 , wherein the first liquid flow is about 3 to about 11 liters per minute and the second liquid flow is about 7 to about 22 liters per minute. 
     
     
         4 . The plumbing fixture system of  claim 2 , wherein the first liquid flow passes through a baffle system and vacuum breaker before exiting the fill valve outlet, and wherein the second liquid flow exits the auxiliary port without passing through the baffle system and without passing through the vacuum breaker. 
     
     
         5 . The plumbing fixture system of  claim 1 , wherein the auxiliary port is fluidly coupled to a hydraulic cylinder to cause the hydraulic cylinder to open a flush valve to cause a flushing operation. 
     
     
         6 . The plumbing fixture system of  claim 1 , wherein the auxiliary port is fluidly coupled to a spray nozzle to cause a siphonic operation of a siphonic flush valve disposed in the plumbing fixture tank. 
     
     
         7 . The plumbing fixture system of  claim 1 , wherein the auxiliary port is fluidly coupled to an expandable bladder to cause a siphonic operation of a siphonic flush valve disposed in the plumbing fixture tank. 
     
     
         8 . The plumbing fixture system of  claim 1 , wherein the auxiliary port is fluidly coupled to a reservoir to fill the reservoir, and wherein the reservoir is to be actuated to cause a siphonic operation of a siphonic flush valve disposed in the plumbing fixture tank. 
     
     
         9 . The plumbing fixture system of  claim 1 , wherein the auxiliary port is fluidly coupled to a hydraulic piston disposed in the plumbing fixture tank, wherein actuation, via the auxiliary port, of the hydraulic piston causes a siphonic operation of a siphonic flush valve disposed in the plumbing fixture tank. 
     
     
         10 . The plumbing fixture system of  claim 1  further comprising a metering valve configured to provide flow through the auxiliary port for a predetermined amount of time. 
     
     
         11 . The plumbing fixture system of  claim 1 , wherein the auxiliary port is configured to modify the level of the liquid in the plumbing fixture tank by increasing the level of the liquid in the plumbing fixture tank to cause a siphonic actuation of a siphonic flush valve disposed in the plumbing fixture tank to cause a flushing operation. 
     
     
         12 . The plumbing fixture system of  claim 1  further comprising an accumulator configured to receive first liquid flow from the fill valve assembly to compress a gas within the accumulator. 
     
     
         13 . The plumbing fixture system of  claim 12 , wherein:
 a first conduit of a first diameter provides the first liquid flow from the fill valve assembly to the accumulator;   a second conduit of a second diameter that is greater than the first diameter provides second liquid flow from the accumulator;   the first diameter is about 0.375 inches or less; and   the second diameter is about 0.5 inches or greater.   
     
     
         14 . The plumbing fixture system of  claim 12 , wherein:
 the accumulator forms a first interior volume that houses the gas;   the accumulator forms a second interior volume that is configured to receive the first liquid flow to compress the gas in the first interior volume; and   the first interior volume is separated from the second interior volume by one or more of a piston, diaphragm, or bladder.   
     
     
         15 . The plumbing fixture system of  claim 12 , wherein:
 the fill valve assembly provides a first flow rate of the first liquid flow to the accumulator;   the accumulator is configured to provide a second flow rate of a second liquid flow that is greater than the first flow rate; and   the second flow rate from the accumulator is more constant than the first flow rate to the accumulator.   
     
     
         16 . The plumbing fixture system of  claim 12  further comprising:
 a siphon flush valve assembly disposed in the plumbing fixture tank; and 
 a solenoid valve configured to provide second liquid flow from the accumulator to the siphon flush valve assembly to initiate a siphon flow. 
 
     
     
         17 . A flush valve assembly of a plumbing fixture system, the flush valve assembly comprising:
 a shaft that houses one or more components;   an inlet configured to provide liquid to the shaft;   a fill valve outlet, wherein at least a first portion of the liquid is to flow through the one or more components to exit via the fill valve outlet at a first flow rate; and   an auxiliary port, wherein at least a second portion of the liquid is to exit the auxiliary port to modify a liquid level in a plumbing fixture tank, and wherein the at least a second portion of the liquid is configured to exit the auxiliary port at a second flow rate that is greater than the first flow rate without passing through the one or more components.   
     
     
         18 . The flush valve assembly of  claim 17 , wherein the auxiliary port is configured to fluidly couple to one or more of a hydraulic cylinder, a spray nozzle, an expandable bladder, a reservoir, a hydraulic piston, or an accumulator. 
     
     
         19 . A control system comprising:
 a user interface configured to receive user input associated with flushing a plumbing fixture; and   a controller configured to:
 receive the user input; and 
 responsive to the user input, actuate a device to cause first liquid flow through an auxiliary port disposed in a plumbing fixture tank to modify a level of liquid in the plumbing fixture tank, wherein a fill valve assembly is disposed in the plumbing fixture tank, and wherein the fill valve assembly comprises the auxiliary port. 
   
     
     
         20 . The control system of  claim 19 , wherein the device is a metering valve that is configured to stop the first liquid flow through the auxiliary port a predetermined amount of time after causing the first liquid flow based on the metering valve.