Water reservoir

Abstract

 A water reservoir, in particular for a flush tank for a toilet, which water reservoir comprises an internal reservoir wherein a first floater mechanism is applied for regulating the supply of main water towards the internal reservoir, and a second floater mechanism is applied for regulating of the supply of non-main water, in particular rain water, which first and second floater mechanism are each time provided with a floater member for setting a stationary water level in the internal reservoir, and wherein the first floater mechanism is provided with a first filing tube running into the internal reservoir at a height higher than the stationary water level and the second floater mechanism is provided with a second floater tube, the second filing tube of the second floating mechanism runs into the internal reservoir beneath the set stationary water level.

Description

[0001] The invention relates to a water reservoir, in particular a flush tank for a toilet, which water reservoir comprises an internal reservoir wherein a first floater mechanism is applied for regulating the supply of main water towards the internal reservoir, and wherein a second floater mechanism is applied for regulating of the supply of non-main water, in particular rain water, which first and second floater mechanism are each time provided with a floater member for setting a stationary water level in the internal reservoir, and wherein the first floater mechanism is provided with a first filing tube running into the internal reservoir at a height higher than the stationary water level and wherein the second floater mechanism is provided with a second filing tube.

[0002] A water reservoir with two floater mechanism is known as a flush tank from the UK patent application 2 325 253. The known water reservoir is applied on a toilet or connected therewith in order on the one hand to regulate the supply of main water and on the other hand to regulate the supply of non-main for water flushing the toilet.

[0003] In order to limit the use of main water for chasing the toilet, rain water or another non-main water, such as waste water, is also supplied to the flush tank. In the framework that it is desired to save main water, non-main water is also used for other purposes, such as for cleaning. In order to enable the supply and storage of non-main water, the latter is stored in the internal reservoir. The use of non-main water requires that it has to be available, because if it is not available, for example in the summertime, it is required to switch to main water. This causes a mixture of main water and non-main water. With the water reservoir known from the UK patent application the supply of main water is regulated by the second floater mechanism, which is controlled by the supply of non-main water in a container, which is connected with a floater. If there is not enough non-main water in the container, main water is supplied.

[0004] A drawback of the known water reservoir is however that there is a danger of contamination because non-main water supplied to the internal reservoir can come in contact with the exit of the first floater valve.

[0005] The object of the invention is to realise a water reservoir whereby the danger of contamination of the main water by non-main water in the internal reservoir is substantially reduced.

[0006] To this purpose a water reservoir according to the invention is characterised in that the second filing tube of the second floating mechanism runs into the reservoir beneath the set stationary water level. Because the first filing tube of the first floater mechanism, which supplies the main water-water runs into the reservoir above the stationary water level, the non-main water present in the internal reservoir will not come into contact with the output of the first filing tube which substantially excludes contamination of the supplied main water by non-main water. By thereupon having the second filing tube running into the internal reservoir underneath the set stationary water level, care is taken that non-main water is supplied directly under the stationary water level in the internal reservoir, which again reduces the danger of contamination.

[0007] It has to be observed that it is known from the PCT patent application WO 03/050633 to have a filing tube running into the internal reservoir underneath the set stationary water level. The floater mechanism known from the latter patent application is not used to solve a problem of contamination, but to take care that the stationary water level remains constant at a predetermined height. Faced with a problem of contamination by non-main water, the person skilled in the art will not find a solution in the PCT patent application WO 03/050633, because this application does not solve this problem. Starting from the UK patent application 2 325 253 the person skilled in the art will not change the floater mechanism known from this application by a floater mechanism known from the PCT patent application WO 03/050633, because the control mechanism for controlling the supply of main water will no longer work, as it requires that the non-main water exits above the set stationary water level.

[0008] A first preferred embodiment of a water reservoir according to the invention is characterised in that the second filing tube runs into the internal reservoir on at least 5 cm underneath the set stationary level. In such a manner the second filing tube is sufficiently deeply submerged under the stationary water level and the noise produced by the incoming water is moreover reduced.

[0009] A second preferred embodiment of a water reservoir according to the invention is characterised in that the floater members of the first and second floater mechanism are set on a same height in the internal reservoir. By setting the floater members on a same height, care is taken that by both floater mechanisms each time the same stationary water level is reached and that the second floater mechanism has not at a higher level than the first one, through which contamination is again avoided.

[0010] A third preferred embodiment of a water reservoir according to the invention is characterised in that the first and second floater mechanism are mounted on opposite sides flanges of the water reservoir. According to this both water supplies can be clearly separated from each other.

[0011] The invention will now be described in more details by way of the drawings which show an embodiment of a flush tank according to the invention.

[0012] In the drawings:

Figure 1 shows a total view of a toilet provided with a flush tank;

Figure 2 shows a schematic view of the internal reservoir of the flush tank;

Figure 3 shows the first floater mechanism;

Figure 4 shows a detail of the first floater mechanism; and

Figure 5 shows the second floater mechanism.

[0013] In the drawings a same reference sign has been allotted to a same or analogous element. The description is for clarty purpose limited to a flush tank. It will however be clear that the invention is not limited to a flush tank and can be applied to each type of water reservoir wherein as well main water as non-main water are supplied and stored.

[0014] Figure 1 shows a toilet 1 whereby on the toilet bowl a flush tank 2 is mounted. The flush tank is on the one hand connected with a first supply conduct 4, which supplies main water, and on the other hand with a second supply conduct 5, which supplies non-main water, also called class 1 water. This non-main water is preferably rain water which is stored in a storage tank. Of course the non-main water can also originate from a source which does not supply drinkable water or by recycled water.

[0015] As shown in figure 2 the first supply conduct 4 can be connected with a first floater mechanism 6 and the second supply conduct 5 can be connected with a second floater mechanism 7 which both are applied in the internal reservoir of the flush tank 2. The connection with the supply conducts is for example realised by means of a coupling mechanism 14 which is provided with a screw thread and a bolt. The inside of the flush tank forms the internal reservoir wherein the supplied water is temporarily stored before it is flushed into the toilet bowl. The first and second floating mechanism are preferably mounted on opposite flanges of the flushing tank in order to have them clearly distinguished from each other and thus reduce errors upon mounting them.

[0016] As illustrated in the figures 3 and 4 the first floating mechanism 6, respectively the second floating mechanism 7, comprise a first 8-1, respectively a second 8-2, floater valve. At the latter there are each time connected a rod 10-1, 10-2 on which a floater member 9-1, 9-2 is mounted. The floater member is adjustable in height by means of an adjustment rod 12-1, 12-2. The floater members each comprise a guiding member 11-1, 11-2 through which a first 13, respectively a second 15 filing tube passes for providing a supplementary guiding to those floater members 9-1, respectively 9-2. An input of the floater mechanism is connectable with the water supply.

[0017] The first 8-1 and second 8-2 floater mechanism are provided for adjusting the supply of main water, respectively non-main water. The floater member 9-1, 9-2 is adjusted in height by means of the adjustment rod 12-1, 12-2 in order to set a stationary water level in the internal reservoir (indicated by the line 16 in figure 2).

[0018] The first floater mechanism 6 is provided with a first filling tube 15 which is connected with the output of the first floater valve from the first floater mechanism. The first filing tube 15 runs into the internal reservoir of the flush tank at a height higher than the stationary water level 16. Preferably the first filing tube runs into the reservoir at least 2 cm above the stationary water level. The second floater mechanism 7 is provided with a second filing tube 13 which runs into the internal reservoir underneath the set stationary water level 16, preferably at least 5 cm thereunder. As illustrated in figure 4 the first filing tube 15 is formed by a substantially half circle shaped channel which extends as from the output of the first floater valve in a direction inside the internal reservoir. The second filling tube is formed by a tube which extends from the second floater valve in the direction inside the internal reservoir.

[0019] When main water is supplied to the internal reservoir via the first floater mechanism 6, this flows out of the first filling tube 15 and fills the internal reservoir until the stationary water level 16 is reached and the floater member 9-1 closes the first floater valve. Because the output of the first filing tube extends above the stationary water level, this output is not in direct contact with the stationary water in the internal reservoir. Moreover the fact that the first filing tube extends above the stationary water level will cause that the output main water will make some noise, which is easily recognisable by the user and indicates the user that main water is used.

[0020] When non-main water is supplied into the reservoir via the second floater mechanism 7, then the non-main water flows out of the second filing tube 13 in order to fill the internal reservoir until the stationary water level 16 is reached and the floater member 9-2 closes the floater valve of the second floater mechanism 8-2. Because the output of the second filing tube extends under the stationary water level, the non-main water enters the reservoir at a lower level and mixes faster with the main water still present.

[0021] When now the internal reservoir is filled with non-main water, the latter cannot reach the output of the first filling tube 15 because it extends above the stationary water level and thus the further water can hardly contaminate the main water.

Claims

1. A water reservoir, in particular for a flush tank for a toilet, which water reservoir comprises an internal reservoir wherein a first floater mechanism is applied for regulating the supply of main water towards the internal reservoir, and whereby a second floater mechanism is applied for regulating of the supply of non-main water, in particular rain water, which first and second floater mechanism are each time provided with a floater member for setting a stationary water level in the internal reservoir, and wherein the first floater mechanism is provided with a first filing tube running into the internal reservoir at a height higher than the stationary water level and the second floater mechanism is provided with a second filing tube, characterised in that the second filing tube of the second floating mechanism runs into the internal reservoir beneath the set stationary water level.

2. The water reservoir according to claim 1, characterised in that the second filing tube runs into the internal reservoir on at least 5 cm underneath the set stationary level.

3. The water reservoir according to claim 1 or 2, characterised in that the floater members of the first and second floater mechanism are set on a same height in the internal reservoir.

4. The water reservoir according to claim 1, 2 or 3, characterised in that the first and second floater mechanism are mounted on opposite sides flanges of the water reservoir.

5. The water reservoir according to one of the claims 1 to 4, characterised in that the second filing tube is formed by a tube which extends as from an exit of the second floater mechanism and is directed from inside the internal reservoir.

Drawing