SIGNORI, Luigi (Via Garibaldi 10, Valstagna, I-36020, IT)
SIGNORI, Luigi (Via Garibaldi 10, Valstagna, I-36020, IT)
| CLAIMS 1) Built-in flush cistern (2; 102) for toilets, comprising a water supply system (30; 130) that can be connected to the water mains, a flush device suited to convey a water flow towards a toilet and a control device (38) suited to control a flush device, characterized in that said flush cistern (2; 102) also comprises a jet cleaning device (6) with a connection element (26; 126) for connecting said jet cleaning device (6) with the water supply system (30; 130) and a housing (4) sufficiently large to contain said jet cleaning device (6) accessible from the outside and suited to allow said connection element (26; 126) to pass from the jet cleaning device (6) that can be inserted in the housing (4) to the water supply system (30; 130) and in that said housing (4) is integrated in a panel (8) that can be removably applied to the flush cistern (2; 102) and in that said panel (8) is a control plate of said built-in flush cistern (2; 102). 2) Flush cistern according to claim 1), characterized in that said water supply system (30; 130) comprises a water duct (148) in which it is possible to insert a union (150) that can be connected to the jet cleaning device in order to supply water to said jet cleaning device. 3) Flush cistern according to any of the preceding claims, characterized in that said housing (4) is a tubular body applied to the cistern (2) so that its first end (20) projects into the cistern, and that said first end (20) is suited to allow the passage of said connection element (26; 126) from the jet cleaning device (6) that can be inserted into the housing (4) to the water supply system (30; 130), and that the inside of the tubular body (4) can be accessed from the outside through its second end (36). 4) Flush cistern according to any of the preceding claims, characterized in that said jet cleaning device (6) is a flexible pipe (32) provided at one end with a head (34) for the controlled delivery of water and at the other end with a connection element (26; 126) suited to be inserted in the water supply system (30; 130). 5) Control plate to be applied to an opening (3; 103) present in a built-in flush cistern according to any of the claims from 1) to 4), characterized in that it comprises a jet cleaning device (6) with a connection element (26; 126) suited to connect said jet cleaning device (6) with the water supply system (30; 130), and a housing (4) that is sufficiently large to contain said jet cleaning device (6) and is suited to allow said connection element (26; 126) to pass from the jet cleaning device (6) that can be inserted in the housing (4) to the water supply system (30; 130), wherein the inside of said housing (4) can be accessed from the outside. 6) Plate according to claim 5), characterized in that said panel (8) comprises operating devices (1OA, 10B) suited to operate a control device (38) contained in the flush cistern (2; 102). 7) Plate according to any of the claims 5) - 6), characterized in that said housing (4) is a tubular body that passes precisely through an opening (18) present in the panel (8) so that it projects from at least one side of the panel. 8) Plate according to any of the claims 5) - 7), characterized in that it is provided with fixing means (14) suited to fix the panel (8) to the flush cistern (2; 102). 9) Plate according to any of the claims 5) - 8), characterized in that it is carried out in one or more pieces. 10) Plate according to any of the claims 5) - 9), characterized in that it also comprises a union (150) for the insertion of the jet cleaning device (6) in the water supply system (30; 130) of the flush cistern (2; 102). 11) Plate according to any of the claims 5) - 10), characterized in that it is made of metal, a plastic material or a ceramic material. 12) Use of the plate according to any of the claims 5) - 11), in order to provide a flush cistern (2; 102) with a jet cleaning system (6). |
DESCRIPTION The invention concerns a built-in flush cistern for toilet facilities and a panel to be applied to a built-in flush cistern.
As is known, the industry of bathroom fixtures offers a wide range of flush cisterns. These cisterns substantially comprise a water supply system, a flush device suited to convey a water flow from the cistern towards a toilet, and a device suited to control said flush device.
The cisterns available on the market are installed externally, that is, outside the wall, or are built-in cisterns. As far as the latter are concerned, it is possible to access only a panel applied to an opening made in the flush cistern and provided with means for operating the device that controls the flush device. These means are usually buttons.
In addition to the flushing action obtained through the operation of these flush cisterns, a further operation for cleaning the toilet is often needed. For this purpose, brushes are known that are kept in a suitable container positioned near the toilet. From a hygienic point of view, however, it is preferable to be able to clean the toilet with water avoiding any direct contact with it.
Jet cleaning devices are known that are installed on the wall near the toilet and are provided with an individual connection to the water mains. These are devices provided with long flexible pipes whose head makes it possible to deliver a controlled water jet. The user seizes the head of the device hanging from the wall, brings it near the toilet, discharges a given quantity of water and cleans the toilet with the water jet.
However, the systems described above pose some drawbacks: the use of the brushes as described above isn't very hygienic. The known jet cleaning systems require a specific connection to the water mains, which makes it necessary to carry out some additional masonry works. The setting up of toilet facilities with jet cleaning systems is thus rather impractical, as well as non-hygienic, since the user comes into direct contact with the device positioned beside the toilet, which is presumably dirty. The US patents US 6,076,199, US 4,371 ,993 and US 2,707,467 describe containers for jet cleaning devices to be applied to external flush cisterns. The jet cleaning devices described therein, however, serve for washing the body and therefore hot water is also required, the containers are rather bulky and complex in order to be capable of containing also hot water supply systems in addition to cold water supply systems.
The present invention intends to overcome all the drawbacks mentioned above that are usually found in bathrooms of the known type and to make toilets more practical, simpler and more hygienic to clean.
The invention also aims to provide a simple system for equipping with a jet cleaning device already existing toilets provided with a built-in cistern.
In particular, it is a first object of the invention to provide a toilet that besides the traditional flushing operations allows an additional jet cleaning operation to be carried out.
It is also the object of the present invention to propose a jet cleaning system that can be easily installed on new or existing systems and doesn't require masonry works to be carried out.
The objects described above are achieved by a built-in flush cistern according to claim 1.
The accessibility of said housing from the outside makes it possible to extract the jet cleaning device. Advantageously, if the jet cleaning device can be connected to the water supply system included in the flush cistern, it is no more necessary to provide for a separate connection of the jet cleaning device to the water mains.
Advantageously, no masonry work is required. Furthermore, a flush cistern that is already structured so as to be able to house a jet cleaning device eliminates the need, compared to the traditional system, to have a separate container with a brush or even to install a separate container for a jet cleaning device on the wall.
Cleaning with water is more hygienic than cleaning with brushes. Furthermore, the user doesn't come into direct contact with a presumably dirty cleaning device, rather, he/she uses a device that, thanks to the place where it is located, is always clean.
According to the characterizing part of claim 1 , the housing is integrated in a panel that is removably applied to the flush cistern and the panel is a control plate of a built-in flush cistern. In this case, the housing for the jet cleaning - -
device isn't constrained to the cistern itself. If said housing is provided in a panel that can be applied to the cistern, it is possible to apply such a panel also to already existing flush cisterns not provided with such a housing. It is not necessary to change the whole cistern. Preferably, the water supply system comprises a water duct in which a union, preferably a union tee, can be inserted, which can be connected to the jet cleaning device in order to supply water to the latter.
According to the invention, furthermore, a panel can be applied to an opening present in a built-in flush cistern carried out according to the invention, The panel comprises a jet cleaning device and a housing that is sufficiently large to contain said jet cleaning device and is suited to allow the passage of a connection element from the jet cleaning device that can be introduced in the housing to the water supply system. The inside of said housing can be accessed from the outside. According to a construction variant of the invention, the panel already contains also a union for the insertion of the jet cleaning device in the water supply system of the flush cistern. In this way, the user has a complete kit for the installation of a jet cleaning system on a flush cistern.
In the cases where an existing system without jet cleaning device must be provided with a jet cleaning system, it is possible to simply use the panel according to the invention in order to achieve the object with no need to make separate connections to the water mains.
Construction variants of the invention are the subject of the dependent claims.
The objects and advantages described above will be highlighted in greater detail in the descriptions of preferred embodiments of the flush cistern and of the panel of the invention that are supplied as indicative, non-limiting examples with reference to the enclosed drawings.
- Figure 1 shows an external view of a built-in flush cistern with a panel carried out according to the invention; - Figure 2 shows a front view of the flush cistern of Figure 1 installed in an opening provided in a wall, wherein the opening hasn't been closed;
- Figure 3 is a front view of the flush cistern of Figures 1 and 2, wherein the opening in the wall has been closed;
- Figure 4 is a sectional view along line IV-IV of the flush cistern shown in Figure 3; - Figure 5 is a sectional view along line V-V of the panel shown in Figure 1 ;
- Figure 6 shows a detail of a built-in cistern according to the invention without control plate, highlighting the connection of the jet cleaning device to the water supply system. The same parts have the same reference numbers. Parts corresponding to similar parts in different embodiments have reference numbers ending with the same figures preceded by a figure indicating the embodiment to which they refer. In the external view of Figure 1 a flush cistern carried out according to the invention is indicated as a whole by 2. It is a built-in cistern and generally it is almost completely embedded in the wall.
Only part of the cistern 2 projects from the wall, this part being provided with an window-like opening 3 that makes the inside of the cistern 2 accessible from the outside in order to allow maintenance or repair operations to be carried out.
The opening 3 is closed by a panel 8 in the shape of a control plate. These plates can be easily replaced.
In the preferred embodiment of the invention shown herein, the panel 8 already contains a housing 4 for a jet cleaning device 6. The panel 8 can be removably applied to the flush cistern 2.
A built-in flush cistern is thus equipped with a housing for a jet cleaning device in a simple and quick manner, with no need to replace the whole cistern. In this case the housing 4 for the jet cleaning device 6 isn't constrained to the cistern 2. Such a panel 8 can be applied even to already existing flush cisterns without such a housing. It is not necessary to change the whole cistern. The object to avoid masonry works has been achieved.
The panel 8 is a control plate provided with two buttons 10A and 10B suited to operate corresponding control elements 12A and 12B of the flush cistern 2. The control elements 12A and 12B belong to a control device 38 that controls the flush device.
The buttons 10A and 10B are located at the level of the corresponding control elements 12A and 12B inside the flush cistern. Pressing the button 10A or 10B means operating the element 12A or 12B, respectively, which in turn, through the operation of the flush device not illustrated herein, causes a water flow through a pipe 11 in the toilet not illustrated herein. The water flows generated can be different for each button. The flush cistern 2 is thus equipped with a system that makes it possible to deliver two different quantities of water through the flush devices, in order to save water. A specific control element 12A and 12B is provided for each water quantity, said control element causing the delivery of the corresponding quantity of water.
The discharge of water can also be controlled in several different ways. The control device illustrated herein can be controlled manually. It is also possible to install a system that can be controlled by means of a remote control. The system can be mechanic or pneumatic. The panel 8 is also provided with means 14 for fixing it to the flush cistern 2 or to the wall.
In the preferred embodiment of the invention illustrated herein, these fixing means 14 are holes through which it is possible to insert screws that must be screwed into threadings 16 provided in the flush cistern 2. In an alternative embodiment of the invention the threadings can be provided in the wall. However, the possibility of simply glueing the panel to the opening in the flush cistern shouldn't be excluded.
The panel 8 is provided with an opening 18 in which the pipe-shaped housing 4 that accommodates the jet cleaning device indicated by 6 has been inserted. The end 20 of the housing 4 that projects in the direction of installation of the panel 8 in the flush cistern 2 is closed with a disc 22 so that it is level with the internal perimeter. The disc 22 is provided with a hole 24. A connection element 26 with a union 28 is sealingly inserted through said hole 24, said connection element being suited to connect the jet cleaning device 6 to the water supply system 30 of the flush cistern 2 connected to the water mains through a pipe 40. Said end 20 of the pipe 4 that projects in the flush cistern 2 is thus carried out in such a way as to prevent the penetration of the water accumulated in the cistern 2. The jet cleaning device 6 substantially comprises a spiral-shaped flexible pipe 32, the union 28 for the connection to the water supply system and a head 34 that allows the controlled delivery of water. The flexible pipe 32 can be comfortably extended and when extension isn't needed it returns to its spiral configuration that fits perfectly in the housing 4. The jet cleaning device can be operated in several different ways. Its control device for delivering water can be installed in the head 34 of the jet cleaning device 6 or integrated in the control system 38 of the flush cistern 2. The flexible pipe 32 allows the device 6 to be comfortably brought near the toilet in order to clean it. A flexible pipe 32 can also be easily inserted in the housing 4. The head 34 for the controlled delivery of water can be a simple nozzle that can be adjusted in order to vary the pressure of the water delivered. The head 34 can be preferably equipped also with a brush in order to ensure even more effective cleaning, or with a device allowing the water to be sprayed. According to another preferred embodiment of the invention, the jet cleaning device comprises a dispenser for detergents, disinfectants and/or perfuming substances to be delivered together with or separately from the water. The end 36 of the pipe 4 that in the panel 8 installed on the cistern 2 is directed towards the user can be closed with a cover not illustrated herein, if desired.
According to a preferred embodiment of the invention, the cover is constrained to the housing 4 in such a way as not to come off but allow access to the pipe 4. The cover, for example, can be a simple circular panel fixed with a screw to the panel 8 so that it can be easily removed. For the sake of practicality, the tubular body 4 is thus applied to the cistern 2 in such a way that its first end 20 projects into the cistern 2 and that this first end 20 is suited to allow the passage of a connection element 26 from the jet cleaning device 6 that can be inserted in the housing 4 to the water supply system 30 and that the inside of the pipe 4 can be accessed from the outside through its second end 36.
Preferably, most of the pipe 4 is inside the cistern 2. In this way, the housing 4 doesn't represent a hindrance outside the cistern 2 and is hardly visible from the outside. The inside of the pipe 4 must be accessible from the outside in order to allow the jet cleaning device 6 to be extracted. Any flush cistern can be provided with a housing for a jet cleaning device with no need to replace an already existing system completely. Said housing 4 can be carried out in several different ways. In the embodiment illustrated in Figure 1 the housing 4 is a tubular body that passes precisely through an opening 18 present in the panel 8 so that it projects at least from one side of the panel 8. The angle between the axis of the tubular body 4 and the plane of the panel 8 is preferably rectangular. However, it is also possible to insert the tubular body 4 obliquely with respect to the plane of the panel 8. The same applies to housings directly inserted in a wall of the flush cistern. Independently of the specific embodiment described herein, the panel 8 and the corresponding housing 4 can be made in one single piece or in several pieces.
The panel of the invention can obviously be made of various different materials. In particular, the preferred materials are those of which the flush cistern is made, like plastic or ceramic materials, or metals, preferably stainless steel, a material that is typically used for making control plates. These materials are easy to clean and therefore very hygienic.
In the front view shown in Figure 2 the flush cistern 2 that is the subject of the invention is installed into an opening 42 made in a wall 44 covered with tiles. The pipe 40 connects the cistern 2 to the water mains. The pipe 11 , on the other hand, connects the flush cistern 2 to the toilet, not illustrated in the figure.
In the figure the wall 44 has been left open so that the cistern 2 can be seen. It is possible to observe the panel 8 when assembled. It is also possible to distinguish the two buttons 10A and 10B suited to deliver two different quantities of water and the opening 18 in which the housing for the jet cleaning device 6 is inserted. The flexible pipe 32 of the device 6 is shown in the extracted configuration.
The head 34 of the device 6 can be easily brought near the toilet.
Differently from the view proposed in Figure 2, in the front view of Figure 3 the wall 44 is closed. The flush cistern 2 is just outlined with the aid of the broken line. The jet cleaning device 6 is completely inserted in the housing 4 provided in the opening 18 in the panel 8. For the rest, the figures correspond to one another.
Figure 4 shows a cross section of the flush cistern 2 along line IV-IV of Figure 3.
The flush cistern 2 is completely inserted in the wall 44.
The housing 4 projects into the cistern through the panel 8 applied to an opening 3 provided in the front 46 of the cistern itself. The pipe 4 is closed at the end 20 that projects inside the flush cistern 2 with a holed disc 22 for the passage of the connection of the jet cleaning device to the water supply system, neither of which is shown for the sake of clarity.
Figure 5 shows a cross section of the panel 8 along the line V-V of Figure 1 , and doesn't show the jet cleaning device for clarity reasons.
The simple construction of the panel can be observed. The housing 4 projects mainly from one side of the panel 8.
On this side the pipe 4 is closed by a disc 22 provided with a hole 24.
In the embodiment illustrated herein the housing 4 is a pipe. However, other types of housings can be used.
The tubular body can have different shapes and is particularly suitable for the purpose. The circular cross section is particularly preferred: the surface is easy to be kept clean, the pipe is simple and inexpensive to produce. However, also pipes with different cross sections can be used, for example pipes with square cross section.
For built-in cisterns a panel 8 is normally used. It is the visible part of the cistern 2. By replacing a traditional plate with the panel 8 carried out according to the invention, a cistern 2 is obtained which is provided with a housing 4 for a jet cleaning system, with no need to replace the entire cistern.
Furthermore, by connecting a jet cleaning device 6 to the water supply system
30 already contained in the cistern it is possible to eliminate completely the need for a separate connection to the water mains, thus avoiding masonry works.
Figure 6 shows a detail of a flush cistern 102 to illustrate in a simple manner the connection of a jet cleaning device to the water supply system 130 in the flush cistern 102 that at the beginning was not equipped with a jet cleaning system.
It is possible to see the window-shaped opening 103 that allows access to the inside of the cistern 2. The water supply system 130 is visible. Water from the water mains flows in direction X.
The water supply system 130 is provided with a water duct 148. A tee union 150 has been successively inserted in this duct 148.
The deviation element 152 of this union tee 150 is connected by means of a union 128 to a connection element 126 leading to the flexible pipe of the jet cleaning device, which isn't shown in its entirety.
This construction form advantageously allows the connection of the jet cleaning device to the water supply system of an already existing flush cistern, with no need for a separate connection to the water mains, and thus avoiding masonry works. A union tee can be easily inserted in any duct. The deviation element can be easily connected to the jet cleaning device, if necessary using additional unions. Advantageously, the water supply system of new cisterns is already suitable for connection with a jet cleaning device.
Therefore, the above clearly shows that the flush cisterns and the panels to be applied to said cisterns, in all the embodiments described and illustrated herein, actually overcome all the mentioned drawbacks found in toilets of known type.
In particular, it is clear that the invention ensures practical, simple and hygienic cleaning operations.
The invention also achieves the object to provide a system for equipping already existing toilets with a jet cleaning device in a simple manner. In particular, the invention provides a toilet where besides the traditional flushing operation it is also possible to carry out an additional jet cleaning operation.
It is also clear that the cistern and the panel of the invention feature a jet cleaning system that can be easily installed in new or existing systems with no need for masonry works.
If in the construction phase modifications falling within the scope of the following claims are made to the flush cistern or panel of the invention, said modifications must all be considered protected by the present patent. In the cases where the technical characteristics illustrated in the claims are followed by references, these have been added only with the aim to facilitate the comprehension of the claims themselves and therefore said references do not have any limiting effect on the degree of protection to be granted to each element they identify only by way of example.
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