Device for sealing an odor-proof drain pipe of a waterless urinal

Abstract

Device for odor-tight sealing of a drain pipe (2) of a waterless urinal (1) with an upper inlet housing (4) and a lower outlet housing (9) adjoining it, wherein the inlet housing (4) includes a funnel-shaped collar (5) and a collecting chamber (6) adjoining it downwards, which communicates via a passage cross-section with an outlet chamber (12) of the outlet housing (9) located below it and to which a cover hood (14) is assigned, spaced from its upper edge, which is supported on the upper region of the inlet housing (4) by several support legs (16) projecting from its edge region, and wherein the outlet chamber (12) communicating with the collecting chamber (6) of the inlet housing (4) has a lower boundary in the form of at least one inclined surface (21) which slopes down towards an associated outlet opening (22) provided in a lateral chamber wall,which is associated with a sealing membrane (23) made of rubber-elastic material attached to the outside of the chamber wall, characterized in that spacers (26, 28) are provided for the top of the cover (14), by which the top of the cover (14) is distanced from the collar (5) of the inlet housing (4) in an inverted position of the cover (14).

Description

[0001] The invention relates to a device for sealing an odor-tight drain line of a waterless urinal, comprising an upper inlet housing and a lower outlet housing adjoining it, wherein the inlet housing includes a funnel-shaped collar and a collection chamber adjoining it downwards, which communicates via a passage cross-section with an outlet chamber of the outlet housing located below it, and to which a cover hood is assigned, spaced from an upper edge, which is supported on the upper region of the inlet housing by several support legs projecting from its edge region, and wherein the outlet chamber communicating with the collection chamber of the inlet housing has a lower boundary in the form of at least one inclined surface, which slopes towards an associated outlet opening provided in a lateral chamber wall.which is assigned to a sealing membrane made of rubber-elastic material attached to the outside of the chamber wall.

[0002] Arrangements of this type are known, for example, from EP 2 472 014 B1. These known arrangements have generally proven reliable. However, practical experience has shown that the cover can be dislodged from its mounting and turned upside down, either by a strong, unfavorable jet of liquid or by deliberate handling. As a result, the liquid entering the funnel-shaped collar can no longer drain away, or can only drain away very poorly, leading to malfunctions and is therefore undesirable. The known arrangements thus prove to be insufficiently reliable in this respect.

[0003] Based on this, the object of the present invention is therefore to improve an arrangement of the type mentioned above, avoiding the above disadvantages, by means of simple and cost-effective measures, so that a reliable drainage of the liquid entering the funnel-shaped collar is ensured regardless of the position of the cover.

[0004] This problem is solved according to the invention by providing spacers assigned to the top of the cover, by which the top of the cover is distanced from the collar of the inlet housing in an inverted position of the cover.

[0005] The spacers provided according to the invention for the upper side of the cover ensure that the cover, even when inverted or upside down in the funnel-shaped collar, cannot obstruct the drain opening. Instead, it remains sufficiently distanced from the upper side of the collar to allow the liquid entering the collar to drain freely. Therefore, the aforementioned disadvantages are reliably avoided by the measures according to the invention, thus achieving a high degree of fault tolerance and reliability.

[0006] Advantageous designs and appropriate further developments of the overarching measures are specified in the subclaims.

[0007] The spacers can thus be simply designed as lugs projecting radially inwards from the surrounding wall of the inlet housing's collecting chamber. This results in a very practical and easily manufactured design, which is particularly suitable for devices of the type mentioned above, in which the inlet housing's collecting chamber is bounded by a downwardly curved base with a central through-hole, and the outlet housing is designed as an adjoining tubular sleeve.

[0008] Another advantageous embodiment consists of the spacers being designed simply as rib-shaped struts provided on the top of the cover. This design can advantageously also be retrofitted to existing arrangements by simply replacing the cover. This design is particularly suitable for devices of the type mentioned above in which the inlet housing has no bottom, so that its interior transitions directly into the interior of the closing outlet housing, which may have a smaller cross-section on the outlet side compared to the connection to the inlet housing, for example according to DE 10 2014 014 653 A1.

[0009] Another useful measure is to equip the support legs of the cover with an outwardly projecting locking claw at their lower end, which can be engaged in an internal groove provided in the area of ​​the perimeter wall of the collection chamber. The locking claws ensure a reliable hold for the cover, making it difficult to turn over from the outset.

[0010] Further advantageous measures are specified in the dependent claims and can be further explained in the following description of preferred examples with reference to the drawing.

[0011] The drawing described below shows: Fig. 1 a vertical section through a waterless urinal with a device according to the invention, Fig. 2 an enlarged cross-sectional view of the device according to the invention, Fig. 3 a section of the upper edge area of ​​the inlet housing with an inverted cover supported on lugs of the inlet housing and Fig. 4 A top view of a cover with ribs on the top.

[0012] The Fig. Figure 1 shows a ceramic basin of a waterless urinal 1, from whose collection chamber a drain line 2 extends, which may be connected to a sewer system. The drain line 2 does not have a siphon formed by a U-shaped pipe section with a water column forming an odor barrier. To nevertheless prevent the rising of unpleasant sewer odors, a closure device 3 according to the invention is used, inserted into an enlarged, basin-side inlet area of ​​the drain line 2, which allows liquids to drain out but prevents flow in the opposite direction.

[0013] The drain line 2, including the inlet-side extension, is in Fig. 2 indicated by broken lines. The locking device 3 inserted into the entrance-side extension has, as Fig. Figure 2 further shows an upper inlet housing 4 with a funnel-shaped collar 5 and a collecting chamber 6 adjoining it downwards, which here has a downwardly convex bottom 7 with a central through-hole 8. A bottomless design would also be conceivable. The closure device 3 also has an outlet housing 9 adjoining the upper inlet housing 4, preferably connected to it by a plug connection, the cross-section of which can be circular or, conversely, flattened. However, other cross-sectional shapes would also be conceivable.

[0014] The sealing device 3 is centered relative to the drain line 2 or its inlet-side extension and sealed at its edges. For this purpose, the funnel-shaped collar 5 of the inlet housing 4, with its upper funnel edge advantageously designed like a sealing lip, rests against the circumference of the extension. Additional sealing lips may be provided, as shown by the sealing lip 10. In addition, the illustrated example includes a flange 11, advantageously curved downwards, projecting radially from the lower tubular end of the inlet housing 4 and bearing against the circumference of the drain-side extension.

[0015] The tubular outlet housing 9 contains an outlet chamber 12, which, in a design without a bottom 7, is supplied directly or, as in the illustrated example, via the through-opening 8 of the bottom 7 with the liquid entering the collecting chamber 6 of the inlet housing 4 from the funnel-shaped collar 5, as shown in Fig. 2 is indicated by a dashed arrow 13. The collection chamber 6 of the inlet housing 4 is covered by a cover 14 spaced from its upper edge, which ensures good distribution of the liquid over the entire circumference of the funnel-shaped collar. As in the example shown, a fragrant, hygienic material 15 can be inserted into the cover 14. This material is solid and gradually degrades and releases its components due to the heat of the liquid striking the cover 14.

[0016] The cover 14 is provided with several, preferably three, support legs 16 distributed around its circumference, projecting downwards from its edge and engaging the collecting chamber 6 close to its circumference. The support legs 16 are advantageously designed as spring-loaded arms, each having an outwardly projecting locking claw 17 at its lower end, preferably with a chamfered lead-in surface, which can be engaged in an internal groove 18 provided in the area of ​​the circumferential wall of the collecting chamber 6. The internal groove 18 is advantageously positioned in the area of ​​the bottom end of the circumferential wall of the collecting chamber 6, so that the lower ends of the support legs 16 can come into contact with the bottom, thus providing reliable support.

[0017] To prevent foreign bodies that enter the funnel-shaped collar 5 from penetrating the collection chamber 6 and to retain them within the funnel-shaped collar 5, the lower edge of the cover 14, in the area between the support legs 16, is advantageously provided with a rake-like rim contour 19 extending down to the upper edge of the collection chamber 6. This rim contour has spaced-apart rake teeth 20 that retain foreign bodies. The liquid can flow freely between the rake teeth 20. The rim contour 19 can be wavy, resulting in downwardly rounded rake teeth 20, thus preventing injuries, etc., when handling the cover 14. In the illustrated example, the rim contour 19 is formed by semicircular gaps between the teeth 20, which are cut straight at the bottom and thus have lower edges parallel to the upper edge of the collection chamber 6, which promotes the desired raking effect.

[0018] In the area of ​​the surrounding wall of the collection chamber 6 of the inlet housing 4, as Fig. 2 further reveals radially inwardly projecting lugs 26. These form spacers by which the cover 14 is supported when it is, as in Fig. 3 indicates that it remains in an inverted position in the funnel-shaped collar 5, which can sometimes occur, either due to a strong jet of liquid hitting the cover 14 at an unfavorable angle or due to deliberate handling. The lugs 26, which act as spacers, are, as is best seen from Fig. 3 is recognizable, dimensioned in such a way that they keep an open drainage cross-section 27 between their downward-facing, curved upper surface and the opposite side of the funnel-shaped collar 5.

[0019] Another version is in Fig. 4. The cover 14 is provided on its upper side with several rib-shaped struts 28 to form spacer elements. This design can be used additionally or alternatively to the design according to Fig. 3. Advantageously, several, preferably three, evenly distributed lugs 26 or ribs 28 are provided on the circumference of the collecting chamber 6 of the inlet housing 4 or on the top of the cover 14.

[0020] The outlet chamber 12 of the outlet housing 9 is closed at the bottom, the upper surface of which forms at least one inclined surface 21 that bounds the outlet chamber 12 downwards. In the example shown, the lower housing closure is roof-shaped, resulting in two inclined surfaces 21 sloping towards each other. A capsule containing fragrant hygiene material 15 can also be inserted into the space formed below the walls forming the inclined surfaces 21, as in the cavity of the cover 14.

[0021] Each inclined surface 21 slopes down to a corresponding lateral outlet opening 22 provided in the area of ​​the circumferential housing wall of the outlet pipe 9. This outlet opening can be closed by means of a one-way valve that opens under the pressure of an internally applied liquid and seals in the opposite direction, thus preventing sewer odors from rising above the closure device 3. To form such a one-way valve, each outlet opening 22 is associated with a flag-like sealing membrane 23 that covers it. The membrane is attached to the outside of the outlet housing 9 at its upper end and bears against the edge of the corresponding outlet opening 22 at its circumferential edge. This edge has a suitable surface with a fineness that promotes good adhesion. The sealing membrane 23 consists of a flexible, rubber-elastic material such as latex or the like.A clamping ring 24, which completely or partially surrounds the outlet pipe 9, can be provided to hold the sealing membrane 23.

[0022] The sealing membrane 23 is pivoted away from the outlet pipe 9 by a liquid present from the inside, allowing the liquid to flow out through the now exposed outlet opening 22, as shown in Fig. 2 is indicated on the right. When the internal pressure drops, the sealing membrane 23 pivots back due to its elastic recovery properties, with its edge coming into contact with the edge of the associated outlet opening 22 and sealing it. As a result of the wetting of the sealing membrane 23 by the previously flowing fluid, good adhesion is achieved, thus creating a reliable seal. As long as there is no fluid inside, the sealing membrane 23 seals against the outside of the outlet pipe 9, as shown in Fig.2 is indicated on the left. To ensure a good seal even when no liquid is present for an extended period, special surface qualities are provided, at least in the marginal area of ​​each outlet opening 22. A particularly fine, polished surface is advantageous from the bottom up to approximately the lower edge of the outlet opening 22, while a normal fineness, such as that obtained by EDM, is suitable further up.

[0023] The rubber-elastic material underlying the sealing membrane 23 is attacked by harsh, hydrocarbon-containing liquids, which can lead to uncontrolled expansion and rippling, resulting in a loss of the seal. To counteract this, the sealing membrane 23 is provided, at least in its central area, with a stiffening element 25, which can be designed as a plate bent according to the radius of the outlet pipe 9 and which expediently has a rearward grip. Summary

[0024] In a device for sealing a drain pipe (2) of a waterless urinal (1) in an odor-tight manner, the device comprises an upper inlet housing (4) and a lower outlet housing (9) adjoining the inlet housing, wherein the inlet housing (4) includes a funnel-shaped collar (5) and a collecting chamber (6) adjoining the collar downwards, which communicates via a passage cross-section with an outlet chamber (12) of the outlet housing (9) located below it, and to which a cover (14) is assigned, spaced from its upper edge, which is supported by several, preferably three, support legs (16) projecting from its edge region at the upper edge of the inlet housing (4), and wherein the outlet chamber (12) communicating with the collecting chamber (6) has a lower boundary in the form of at least one inclined surface (21) which slopes down to an associated outlet opening (22) provided in the side wall of the chamber,The fact that a sealing membrane (23) made of rubber-elastic material is attached to the outside of the chamber wall ensures proper drainage of the liquid even when the lower edge of the cover (14) in the area between the support legs (16) is provided with a rake-like edge contour (19) extending down to the upper edge of the collection chamber (6) ensures proper drainage of the liquid even when the lower edge of the cover (14) is provided with a rake-like edge contour (19) extending down to the upper edge of the collection chamber (6). QUOTES INCLUDED IN THE DESCRIPTION

[0000] This list of documents cited by the applicant was automatically generated and is included solely for the reader's convenience. The list is not part of the German patent or utility model application. The DPMA accepts no liability for any errors or omissions. Cited patent literature

[0000] EP 2 472 014 B1

[0002] DE 10 2014 014 653 A1

[0008]

Claims

[1] Device for sealing an odor-tight drain pipe (2) of a waterless urinal (1) with an upper inlet housing (4) and a lower outlet housing (9) adjoining it, wherein the inlet housing (4) includes a funnel-shaped collar (5) and a collection chamber (6) adjoining it downwards, which communicates via a passage cross-section with an outlet chamber (12) of the outlet housing (9) located below it and to which a cover (14) is assigned, spaced from its upper edge, which is supported on the upper part of the inlet housing (4) by several support legs (16) projecting from its edge region, and wherein the outlet chamber (12) communicating with the collection chamber (6) of the inlet housing (4) has a lower boundary in the form of at least one inclined surface (21) which slopes down towards an associated outlet opening (22) provided in a lateral chamber wall,which is associated with a sealing membrane (23) made of rubber-elastic material attached to the outside of the chamber wall, . characterized by , that spacers (26, 28) associated with the top of the cover (14) are provided, by which the top of the cover (14) is spaced away from the collar (5) of the inlet housing (4) in an inverted position of the cover (14). [2] Device according to claim 1, characterized by , that the spacers are designed as lugs (26) projecting radially inwards from the surrounding wall of the collecting chamber (6) of the inlet housing (4). [3] Device according to any one of the preceding claims, characterized by , that the spacers are designed as rib-shaped struts (28) provided on the top of the cover (14). [4] Device according to any one of the preceding claims, characterized bythat the spacers each comprise three lugs (26) distributed around the circumference of the collection chamber (6) and / or ribs (28) distributed over the top of the cover (14). [5] Device according to any one of the preceding claims, characterized by , that the support legs (16) each have an outwardly projecting locking claw (17) at their lower end, which can be locked into an internal groove (18) provided in the area of ​​the circumferential edge of the collecting chamber (6) of the inlet housing (4). [6] Device according to any one of the preceding claims, characterized by , that the support legs (16) of the cover (14) are designed as spring legs. [7] Device according to claim 5 or 6, characterized by , that the inner groove (18) is placed in the area of ​​the bottom end of the perimeter wall of the collection chamber (6) which is provided with a floor (7). [8] Device according to any one of the preceding claims, characterized by, that the lower edge of the cover (14) in the area between the support legs (16) is provided with a rake-like edge contour (19) extending down to the upper edge of the collection chamber (6). [9] Device according to any one of the preceding claims, characterized by , that the outer surface of the outlet housing (9) associated with each sealing membrane (23) has at least in the area of ​​each outlet opening (22) a lower polished area extending to the height of the lower edge of the outlet opening (22) and an eroded area above it.

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