[0001] It is known that in the vehicles, both terrestrial and of the marine and aerial type,
intended for transportation, and also for housing, of persons, it is useful or sometimes
absolutely necessary to install a water-closet to be utilized both with a stationary
and a moving vehicle.
[0002] Apart from the consideration of the room, always very scarce, available in said vehicles,
it is to be kept in mind that the sewage cannot be freely exhausted outside, but must
be collected in tanks which successively are discharged into the suitable places of
collection and digestion.
[0003] It is also known the ever increasing employment of synthetic resins in the realization
of sanitary equipments owing to the known qualities of lightness, unassailbleness,
absence of porosity and so on.
[0004] It is, however, to be pointed out that the sanitary equipment, generally speaking,
and the water-closets in particular, are subjected to loads which may be very high
and to stresses which are variable owing to the operating conditions.
[0005] It is, therefore, very felt the need of improvements in the water-closets, which
would simplify their manufacturing and installation, and in the sa me time would render
them more efficient, thus achieving economical and practical advantages.
[0006] The water-closet according to the invention, completely made preferably of ABS, is
substantially constituted by two basic parts, to which other complementary parts may
be added.
[0007] Yhe two basic parts are a seat with a basin for the momentary collection of the sewage,
provide with an exhaust opening, and a base, provided with a connection between the
basin and the exhaust, receiving at its inside the said basin.
[0008] The complementary parts (complementary since they can be substituted by other parts
of a different type) are a seat-cover , a support for achieving the desired height
for the two basic parts, and a recovery reservoir which can be housed within the said
support.
[0009] For the present invention, characteristic are the means foreseen to strengthen -the
various parts, as well as the distribution of the available room in order to receive
the accessory services and to assemble the various parts with each other and together
with the vehicle.
[0010] The invention will be now described in one of its preferred embodiments with reference
to the en closed indicative drawings, wherein:
Figures 1 and 2 show , according to an isometric view from outside, respectively with
lowered and raised seat-cover, the seat with the collecting tank and the base which
supports the seat and receives the tank itself;
[0011] the Figures 3 and 4 are views similar to the preceding ones, with the true and proper
water-closet installed on a support
[0012] Fig. 5 shows, according to an isometric view, the seat with the tank;
[0013] Fig. 6 shows, according to an isometric view, the inside of the base of the water-closet
of the invention;
[0014] Fig. 7 shows , according to an isometric view, the seat-cover;
[0015] Fig. 8 shows, according to an isometric view, the complementary element acting as
a support or container;
[0016] Fig. 9 shows according to an isometric view, the recovery tank which can be housed
within the support of Fig. 8;
[0017] Figures 10 and 11 show, according to isometric views, two types of small doors which
may be applied on the sides of the base of the Figures 1 and 2;
[0018] Fig. 12 shows the water-closet mounted upon its support seen in elevation from behind;
[0019] Figures 13, 14 and 15 show in a view from above the seat with the tank, the base
and the support, with the corresponding supplementary reservoir, respectively of Figures
5, 6 and 8-9;
[0020] Figures 16 and 17 show two possible lay-outs for mounting the water-closet of the
invention.
[0021] With reference to said drawings and as it appears from the Figures 1 to 4, the water-closet
of the inventions formed of two basic parts, that is of a seat 1, provided with a
collecting basin 3, and a base 2, upon which the seat 1 is applied and which receives
inside it the basin 3. Below the base 2, a supporting element 4 is foreseen which
has the main function of bringing the seat 1 and the base 2 to the height which is
necessary with respect to the resting plane. The seat 1 may be covered by a seat-cover
5 which is suitably ribbed in order to increase its strength and is provided with
side traces or prints 6 in order to facilitate its opening.
[0022] As it is better seen in the Figures 5 and 13, the basin 3, preferably integral with
the seat 1, is provided with an exhaust hole 6 for the sewage, this hole, through
a suitable connecting flange 7, commu nicating with the exhaust true and proper, which
starts from the base 2 of the water-closet, as it will be better seen in the following.
The seat 1 is completed by housings 8 for a tank-cleaning's shower.
[0023] The base 2 (see in particular Figures 6 and 14) which receives on its upper rim the
seat 1, has inside itself, on the back side, a support and/or a strenghtening rib
9 and a coupling 10 for a venting or exhalation pipe and, arranged towards the front,
a wall or rib 11, having a curved outline, whose purpose is to rib and support the
seat 1 and to receive the flexible 12 piping feeding water to the shower 13 which
exits from the housing 8 of the seat. In the rest position of the shower 13, the flexible
piping 12 takes, inside the base 2, the position which is illustrated by dash lines
in the Fig. 14, whereas, when the shower 13 is in the extracted position, the flexible
piping 12 takes the position which is indicated by full lines. In this way one has
the possibility to house the shower in such a way that it will give no trouble during
the non-use periods, and in the same time one gets a suitable protection for the water-feeding
pipe.
[0024] As said, the base 2, preferably near the strengthening rib 9, is provided with a
flange 7 connecting the exhaust pipe of the basin 3 with the true and proper exhaust,
both if this happens through an internal tank and an external tank , as it will be
more clearly explained in the following. Furthermore, the base 2 is provided with
holes 14 permitting the passage of members for fixing said base to a support, for
instance the support 4 .
[0025] In order to gain the access to the fixing members of the base 2 and of the flange
7, on the sides of the base 2 two small doors 15 are foreseen, and respectively 16,
which permit the access to the inside of the base 2 and one at least of which, for
instance the door 16, shown in the Fig. 10, acts also to hold a toilet-paper roll.
These small doors are fixable in any way to the base 2 , preferably hinged at the
sides and, as said, have the purpose to permit the access to the inside of the base
for the mounting and servicing operations.
[0026] The seat 1 and the base 2, in the whole, reach an height from ground which is lesser
than that which is normal and useful. It is, therefore, necessary to provide a support
able to bring to the right height the seat's plane. To this purpose, apart from the
possible utilization of other supports, the in vention foresees a support which presents
particular advantages. This support, generally indicated by 4 in the drawing, open
at the bottom, apart from being superiorly provided with holes 18 corresponding to
the holes 14 of the base 2, and with a hole apted to receive in a sealing way the
exhaust piping from the flange 7, is externally provided, at the periphery of its
base, with holes 19. for the passage of fixing members for the support to the floor.
Furthermore, on its back portion, two vertical channels 17 are foreseen, which are
apted to receive one of them the venting or exhalation pipe 10 and the other one the
piping 12 feeding water to the shower. The support 4 is completed by a tank 20 housed
in its inside, provided in its turn , on the upper portion, with assembling holes
25 intended to unite the base 2, the support 4 and the tank 20 , and provided internally
with amall columns 22 which constitute supporting pillars of the upper wall of the
support 4, and therefore of the lower wall of the base 2 and, in substance, of the
seat 1. These small columns 22 cooperate,that is, to strenghten the whole of the water-closet.
Furthermore, the bottom 21 the back wall of the tank 20 are foreseen with "marks"
23 which, when they are open, permit to connect the tank 20 itself with a reservoir
placed under the platform of the vehicle, after the passage of the sewage through
it , or directly with a culvert, as shown in the Figures 16 and respectively 17. In
every case, a valve 24, operable from inside the vehicle or from the outside of it,
will permit the communication or the intercepting of the exhaust from the water-closet
according to the need.
[0027] From the foregoing description, the characteristics and advantages offered by the
water-closet according to the invention appear to be evident. In effects, the sanitary
apparatus may be made of any apted synthetic resin, with thicknesses reduced to the
minimum and with the most various manufacturing processes , always keeping characteristics
of strength that uptodate have been never reached. Its installation is extremely simple,
since it may be effected by the successive assembling and mounting of the various
parts , and by the exploitation of the small doors 15, 16 for fixing the exhaust of
the collecting tank 3 with the exhaust which is foreseen ahead of the base. Furthermore,
the adoption of an internal reservoir does remarkably increase the capacity of the
sewage's tank and constitutes a stand-by for emergency situations.
[0028] The water-closet according to the invention has been described and illustrated by
way only of a non-limitative example. Within the scope of the technical equivalences,
variants and modifications can be made within the scope of the appended Claims.
1. A water-closet, particularly apted for vehicles, characterized by that it is constituted
by two basic parts and by complementary parts, the basic parts being a seat (1) with
a collecting tank (3) for the sewage and a base (2) with strengthening means (9, 11).
2. A water-closet particularly apted for vehicles, according to Claim 1, characterized
by that the complementary parts are constituted by a support - (4) and a reservoir
(20) received within said support, the base (2) of the Claim 1 being apted to be tied
to the upper wall of the support (4), the last- named member being apted to be tied
from the outside to the floor or resting surface through the holes (19).
3. A water-closet, particularly apted for vehicles, according to Claim 1, characterized
by that the base (2) is intemally provided, on its back side, with a strengthening
rib (9) and with a coupling - (10) for a venting or exhalation piping, and, towards
the front, with a wall or rib (11), having a curved outline, which, apart from the
fact of acting as a support for the seat (1), delimits a space to receive a flexible
(12) intended to feed water to the shower (13), which exits from the housing (8) of
the seat - (1).
4. A water-closet, particularly spted for vehicles, according to Claim 1, characterized
by that the base (2), preferably near the strengthening rib - (9),presents a flange
(7) intended to connect the exhaust piping (6) of the tank (3) with the true and proper
exhaust.
5. A water-closet, particularly apted for vehicles, according to Claim 1, characterized
by that at the sides of the base (2) two small doors (15) and respectively (16) are
foreseen, which permit the access to the inside of the base (2) for the installation
and servicing, at least one of the small doors (16) acting also a toilet-paper-roll
holder.
6. A water-closet, particularly apted for vehicles, according to Claim 2, chacterized
by that the support (4) is open at the bottom, whereas it is superiorly provided with
holes (18) corresponding with the holes (14) of the base and (25) of the tank, and
with a hole apted to receive sealingly the exhaust piping foom the flange (7), on
its back wall two vertical channels (17) being foreseen , which are apted to receive
the venting or exhalation piping (10) and the pipe (12) intended to feed the water
to the shower (13).
7. A water-closet, particularly apted for vehicles, according to Claim 2, characterized
by that the support (4) is completed by a reservoir (20), housed within its inside,
and provided with small columns (22) having a strengthening function, suitable holes,
only marked, permitting to connect the reservoir (20) with another reservoir placed
below the platform of the vehicle, or directly with a culvert, a valve (24) allowing
the communication or the intercepting of the exhaust from the water-closet, according
to the need.