FROM ENCLOSED SPACES

The present invention concerns a means for removal of malodorous gas or air from enclosed spaces in domestic premises. More particularly the invention relates to an arrangement provided in toilets.

Neutralization of odours from lavatory rooms is carried out in the following ways:

a. by deodorant compositions in different forms installed in lavatory area; b. devices for vaporizing substances or dispensing system for chemically active agents; or c. ventilation of the total air in the area by fan or vacuum pump which sucks the air outside the room.

It is known that, locations where a proper ventilation of a toilet room is difficult or even impossible because of initial planning of the premises, no large enough window leading into the open, could be provided to install a blower which sucks air from that room. However, experience has shown that such conventional arrangements are insufficient to fully remove bad odour from a toilet having no large window to the open, the reason being that the known arrangements do transport air from the respective enclosed space, but do not go to the source of the nuisance. Other arrangements which are connected directly to the toilet bowl, are provided with a pipe adapted to discharge the odours out of the toilet room. These arrangements could only be installed where the toilet room has an outside wall.

The disadvantages of the above mentioned systems are as follows:

a. There is no direct treatment of the odour's sources.

The polluted air is mixed with deodorizing or vaporizing chemicals; and b. The ventilation of the air in the lavatory area is the only circulation of air within the total space without specific treatment of polluted air.

Moreover, in most cases the ventilation causes mixing of the polluted air with the fresh air and most of the smell remains in the room.

It is the object of the invention to provide means which transport the malodorous gases from the immediate vicinity where they come into existence, i.e., from the space within the toilet bowl or in other words from around the seat occupied by a user of the toilet.

It is a further object of the present invention to provide an independent device which could be installed on any existing toilet bowl.

According to the invention, therefore, there is provided an apparatus composed of a combination of mechanical, electrical and chemical systems by which polluted air is sucked from the lavatory seat and purified by chemical absoφtion within the apparatus, and released in the toilet room.

Accordingly the purified air is released from the apparatus without the need to provide the system with pipes to carry the bad odour out to the open.

The invention will now be described in detail with reference to examples of practical embodiments, shown in the annexed drawings.

Figs. 1 and 2 are front and side views of a toilet bowl and seat.

Fig. 3 is a top view of a bowl and seat.

Fig. 4 illustrates schematically the apparatus according to the invention.

Turning first to Fig. 1, a conventional bowl 1 having an outlet 2 leading to the sewers is provided with a seat 3, generally made of plastics. The underneath side of seat 3 is provided with sealing means 4. Apparatus 5 is connected to the rear part of the bowl 1. Apparatus 5 (Fig. 4) comprises a housing 11 provided with inlet 12 which is connected to the bowl. An electrically activated fan 13 is mounted adjacent to said inlet. At least one active carbon filter 14 is provided at the outlet of housing 11. Batteries 15 would provide the electric power for the activation of fan 13.

The arrangement as a whole is electrically operated. It is however advantageous if the blower is automatically activated, to this end a microswitch 16 may be installed underneath seat 3; thus when pressure is applied thereon the blower is activated.

In this way malodorous gas and air mixture is conducted directly from the bowl, at the instant of its coming into existence, to the open, i.e., prior to contaminating the air in the toilet room. The air is sucked completely due to the sealing 4. The sucked odours are released through filters 14 which releases purified air. It is of course within the scope of the invention to provide any other means which would automatically activate said arrangement.