Sitting and squatting water closet and seat with cistern below

Abstract

A water closet (WC) or toilet bowl usable in either in the: 1) sitting, 2) front facing squatting, or 3) rear facing squatting postures. The WC consists of an elongated receptacle (10) similar in ratio of length to width to an eastern squatting-type WC, with shrouds (11) at each end to contain urine spray and footrests on each side, at a slightly lower level than the receptacle, but at such a height above the floor that mounting the footrests is not uncomfortably precarious. The volume below the receptacle and footrests is used for a cistern, fed from a normal pressurised water supply, so that the flush water source is near the siphon jet entrance at the front part of the S-bend. A hinged seat, of suitable thickness / height so that when folded down and resting on the receptacle, forms a suitably high ring-shaped sitting surface.

Description

FIELD OF THE INVENTION[0001]This invention relates to water closets (WC), also known as toilet bowls.BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION[0002]The modern western WC requires the user to sit on it during use. However, in many other societies, for example Asian countries, squatting while defecating or urinating is a common practice. Studies have shown that adopting the squatting posture during elimination of bodily wastes has health benefits. However, persons with disorders of the knees or the back, for example in elderly persons, may be unable to adopt a squatting posture. For such persons, they are constrained to using the sitting-type western WC. Therefore, the ideal WC is one that can cater to both sitting and squatting.[0003]A similar invention is disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 4,012,797. However, its construction consists of a large platform which appears more part of the bathroom than part of the WC. Thus its installation will be more difficult compared to that of the western WC. The same c...

AI Technical Summary

Benefits of technology

[0012]3. (as a collorary to object 2 above) allow either the stools to drop onto the substantially dry part of the interior of the WC pan (for ease of stool observation and / or stool sample collection or in the case of diarrhoea, to avoid splashing) or allow the stools to drop into the water present in the wet part of the WC pan (to quickly seal off foul odours from the stools);

[0014]5. have foot rests that are elevated above floor level (to minimise the risk of slipping into the WC pan while walking about in the toilet) but at a resonable height (so that mounting the WC for squatting is safe and comfortable);

[0015]6. have a raised rim demarcating the foot rests and the WC pan to further reduce the risk of slipping into the WC pan during use;

[0016]7. have a water level not too far below the anus when used in either the sitting or squatting posture so that splashing is minimised or even eliminated;

[0017]8. be convenient to install with no need to hack a hole in the toilet floor or build up a raised floor to accept the WC;

[0018]9. utilise the volume below the WC pan in front of the S-bend for a cistern to contain the flush water so that the water need not take a long and convoluted path to pass though the siphon jet and enter the S-bend;

Problems solved by technology

However, persons with disorders of the knees or the back, for example in elderly persons, may be unable to adopt a squatting posture.

Thus its installation will be more difficult compared to that of the western WC.

Hence it cannot store flush water at a high elevational head.

Thus the combination of 1) the flush valve being adjacent to the siphon jet, 2) the close proximity of the water source to the jet and 3) the high pressure of the water source leads to extremely rapid initiation of siphon action, which reduces the water used in flushing.

In such designs, two disadvantages arise: 1) the odour of the stools are not isolated by their being submerged in water; and 2) the stools leave stains on the surface of the bowl, which flushing may not successfully remove.

Hence, climbing onto the foot rests is an uncomfortable and precarious act.

However, such WCs cannot be used in the sitting posture because the height of the WC pan is too low.

In both types, any shifting of the feet while taking up the squatting posture has the risk of slipping and falling off the foot rests onto the floor or into the toilet bowl.

This is also not ideal as a person walking about in the toilet, especially in poor lighting, risks slipping and falling into the WC pan.

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