Concealed, wall-hung toilet flushing mechanism

Abstract

The invention relates to a toilet flushing device comprising: a tank (16) having two opposing walls (30, 32) and a frame for holding said tank behind a partition (18); a flushing pipe adapted to extend between said tank and a toilet bowl; a control assembly for controlling the emptying of said tank (16) so that it flows into said flushing pipe. The device further comprises a receptacle (14) opening into said flushing pipe, while said water tank (16) is mounted inside said receptacle (14); and said control assembly includes a drive shaft (36) rotationally linked to one (30) of said two walls and extending through said partition (18), in order to control the tilting of said tank (16) inside said receptacle (14), said drive shaft being free in translation through said one (30) of said two walls.Figure to be published with the abbreviation: Fig. 3.

Description

Title of the invention: Built-in suspended flushing device

[0001] The present invention relates to a built-in suspended flushing device.

[0002] Known built-in wall-hung flushing devices comprise a metal frame installed at the rear of a partition and a water tank suspended from the frame. At the front of the partition, a toilet bowl is installed projecting and is connected to the water tank by means of a flush pipe which passes through the partition in line with the toilet bowl.

[0003] The water tank is supplied behind the partition by a water inlet opening out in line with the tank, and which water inlet is controlled by means of a valve actuated by a float adapted to extend inside the tank.

[0004] Also, wall-hung flushing devices usually include a dual flush control assembly to be able to deliver two different quantities of water into the bowl.

[0005] The control assembly is mounted through the partition extending between the toilet bowl and the tank. Generally, an inspection hatch covers an opening made in the partition in line with the tank. The inspection hatch also supports two adjacent push buttons, which control a two-stage tubular device immersed in said tank. One of the two push buttons allows a valve seat located in the bottom of the tank to be raised so as to be able to deliver the entire quantity of water from the tank through the flush pipe. The other push button allows another valve seat installed at a height on a tubular element to be able to deliver a portion of the water from the tank.

[0006] Such flushing devices are installed at the rear of the partition while it is being constructed, so that it can be easily accessed. After the frame has been sealed at the rear of the partition and the water tank has been suspended from the frame, while the flush pipe is connected to said water tank and to the bowl through the partition, the construction of the latter is continued, for example up to the ceiling wall. The water tank is then trapped behind the partition and can then only be accessed through the opening, blocked by the inspection hatch.

[0007] In addition, the partition is usually covered with tiles, the thickness of which varies from one pattern to another.

[0008] Such a flushing device is of great aesthetic interest. On the other hand, it is more complex to install and its maintenance is more delicate.

[0009] In certain circumstances, troubleshooting the device requires opening the partition.

[0010] Also, a problem which arises and which the present invention aims to solve is to provide a built-in suspended flushing device which is simpler to install and which is more reliable.

[0011] In order to solve this problem, a built-in suspended toilet flushing device is proposed comprising: a water tank having two opposite walls and a frame for holding said water tank suspended at the rear of a partition; a flushing pipe adapted to extend through said partition between said water tank and a toilet bowl located at the front of said partition; a control assembly adapted to be mounted through said partition to be able to control the emptying of all or part of the water from said tank so that it flows inside said flushing pipe; the flushing device further comprises a receptacle opening into said flushing pipe, while said water tank is mounted tilting inside said receptacle;and said control assembly comprises a drive shaft rotatably connected to one of said two walls of said water tank and extending through said partition, to be able to control the tilting of said tank inside said receptacle, said drive shaft being free in translation through said one of said two walls to be able to adjust the axial position of said drive shaft as a function of the thickness of said partition.;

[0012] Thus, a feature of the invention lies in the implementation of a tilting water tank requiring no seal in a built-in suspended flushing device. Indeed, the water tank is open, and when it is tilted, water escapes abundantly through its opening. The water then pours into the receptacle and then escapes through the flush pipe to reach the bowl.

[0013] In addition, the control assembly comprises a drive shaft which is rotatably connected to one of the two walls of the water tank, but which is free to translate therethrough.

[0014] Thanks to this characteristic, whatever the thickness of the partition, the drive shaft can be axially adjusted so that its control end extends sufficiently in front of the partition to receive a control handle.

[0015] It will be observed that the thickness of the partitions is generally standard, but that on the other hand the covering, and in particular the tiling, presents different thicknesses depending on the patterns.

[0016] Furthermore, according to a particularly advantageous characteristic of the invention, the flushing device further comprises a spacer extending between said two opposite walls of said water tank. In this way, the two opposite walls of the tank remain at a constant distance from each other. The two walls are thus maintained, both during the operations of filling the water tank and during the operations of emptying it. In other words, the water tank is stiffened.

[0017] It will be observed that it can be molded in one piece from a polymer material. And therefore, the walls can be relatively thin.

[0018] Preferably, said spacer is U-shaped to straddle said drive shaft. In this way, the drive shaft, which extends at least partially projecting into the water tank, forms, with the spacer, a more rigid assembly. As will be explained below, the drive shaft is integral with the tank and also with the spacer, and the assembly is rotated when the tank is emptied.

[0019] According to a particularly advantageous, but in no way limiting, implementation characteristic of the invention, said drive shaft has a first oblong section portion opposite a second oblong section portion, the two oblong section portions being separated from each other by a stop disc. Thus, the first oblong section of the drive shaft engages, in rotation, in the wall of the water tank, while the second oblong section portion can receive a handle in which it also engages. As will be explained in more detail below, the stop disc is adapted to cooperate with a fixing frame both to limit the rotation of the drive shaft between two extremes according to a given amplitude, and also to maintain said drive shaft in translation.

[0020] Furthermore, said drive shaft advantageously has a threaded portion between said stop disc and said first oblong section part to receive a threaded ring. In this way, the stop disc is held in contact against the aforementioned frame by tightening the threaded ring. Preferably, a bearing is inserted between the threaded ring and the frame opposite the stop disc. In this way, the drive shaft is free to rotate relative to the frame. On the other hand, it is linked in translation with the frame.

[0021] Furthermore, said one of said two walls has, in a particularly advantageous manner, an oblong orifice for receiving in engagement said first oblong section part of said drive shaft. In this way, the rotation control of the drive shaft causes the water tank to tilt.

[0022] Also, according to another characteristic of implementation of the invention, said oblong orifice has an annular rim extending in projection from said one of said two walls and having an oblong section identical to said oblong orifice. Thus, thanks to the rim, a more rigid connection is obtained between the drive shaft and the water tank wall.

[0023] According to a particularly advantageous embodiment of the invention, the flushing device further comprises a geared motor for driving said drive shaft in rotation. The geared motor can be installed on the aforementioned frame, or even inside the water tank.

[0024] How the geared motor can be controlled will be explained in more detail in the remainder of the description.

[0025] Other features and advantages of the invention will emerge from reading the description given below of particular embodiments of the invention, given for informational but non-limiting purposes, with reference to the appended drawings in which:

[0026] [Fig-1] is a schematic front view of a flushing device according to the invention;

[0027] [Fig.2] is a schematic axial sectional view of the object of [Fig.l] according to the plane II-II;

[0028] [Fig.3] is a schematic perspective detail view of the object of [Fig.2];

[0029] [Fig.4] is a schematic perspective view of elements of the object of [Fig.l]; And,

[0030] [Fig.5] is a schematic exploded perspective view of a flush toilet according to the invention according to an alternative embodiment;

[0031] [Fig.l] shows a frame 10 erected on a ground wall 12. The frame 10 supports, at a height relative to the ground wall 12, a receptacle 14 inside which a tank 16 is installed. The receptacle 14 is for example installed at a height greater than one meter from the ground wall 12.

[0032] The frame 10, the receptacle 14 and the tank 16 are located at the rear of a partition 18 which is illustrated in [Fig. 2]. Also, a toilet bowl 20 is installed at the front of the partition 18 and it is connected to the receptacle 14 by a flushing pipe 22. The flushing pipe 22 passes through the partition 18 in line with the toilet bowl 20.

[0033] Furthermore, an evacuation conduit 24, connected to the bowl 20, also passes through the partition 18 below the flush conduit 22, and is connected, for example, to the wastewater sanitation network.

[0034] In [Fig.2] it will be observed that the receptacle 14 has a front wall 21 opposite a rear wall 23, and a bottom wall 25 opening into the flushing duct 22.

[0035] As for the reservoir 16, housed inside the receptacle 14, it has a bottom 26 extending opposite the bottom wall 25 of the receptacle and opposite, an opening 28 free. Also, it has two walls opposite each other, a front wall 30 opposite the front wall 21 of the receptacle 14 and a rear wall 32 opposite the rear wall 23.

[0036] The rear wall 32 has a rear journal 34 extending in a projecting manner opposite the front wall 30 and in the vicinity of the opening 28. Conversely, the front wall 30 has an annular rim 35 extending coaxially with the rear journal 34 and projecting opposite the rear wall 32. The annular rim extends around an oblong orifice 37 made in the front wall 30.

[0037] The rear journal 34 is then mounted for rotation in a rear bearing 38 secured to a rear support surface 40 formed in the rear wall 23 of the receptacle 14.

[0038] Conversely, the annular rim 35 is rotatably mounted in a front bearing 42 secured to a front support surface 44 formed in the front wall 21 of the receptacle 14.

[0039] Furthermore, and in accordance with the invention, a drive shaft 36 is installed through the annular rim 35 and the oblong orifice 37 which it extends.

[0040] Furthermore, and as will be explained in more detail in the remainder of the description, the drive shaft 36 is rotationally connected to a handle 46 extending in front of the partition 18.

[0041] We will refer again to [Fig.l], in which we find the reservoir 16 in its equilibrium position. The reservoir 16 is substantially semi-cylindrical and it has a radius R and two parallel edges 47, 49 substantially diametrically opposed.

[0042] Also, the rear journal 34 and the annular rim 35 are located substantially above the center of the reservoir 16 so that at equilibrium, the bottom 26 remains in a lowest position, while the opening 28 is in a high position.

[0043] In this equilibrium position, the reservoir 16 is adapted to be filled with water by means of a pressurized water inlet 48 which is extended by a spout 50 extending in line with the opening 28 of the reservoir 16. At the base of the spout 50, a valve 52 is controlled by a pivoting rod 54 equipped at the end with a float 56 extending inside the reservoir 16.

[0044] Thus, when the reservoir 16 is empty, the rod, under the effect of its weight and that of the float, is tilted towards the bottom 26 of the reservoir 16 and it causes the valve 52 to pivot, which allows the flow of water through the spout 50. On the other hand, while the water rises inside the reservoir 16, the float then causes the rod 54 to pivot in the opposite direction and causes the valve 52 to pivot into a position for closing off the water supply to the spout 52. The flow of water is thus cut off when the reservoir 16 is full.

[0045] Thanks to the handle 46 which we find on this [Fig.l], we drive in rotation in clockwise, the tank 16 of a desired amplitude and identified for example by a graduation. From then on, the water from the tank 16 flows over one of the parallel edges 49, and spreads inside the receptacle 14 to then flow through the flushing pipe 22 and reach the bowl 20.

[0046] As soon as the handle 46 is released, the reservoir 16 tilts counterclockwise to return to its equilibrium position. In the absence of water, the rod 54 is tilted and causes the spout 50 to be released by the valve 52 so that the reservoir 16 fills again.

[0047] We will refer again to [Fig. 2]. Thus, substantially to the right of the receptacle 14, the partition 18 has an opening 58, which receives a frame 60 partially embedded in the partition 18 and the edges of which come to bear against the front face of the latter.

[0048] The frame 60 then receives a lining plate 62 which masks the opening 58 and which the drive shaft 36 then passes through. The latter in turn receives the handle 46 which then extends opposite the lining plate 62.

[0049] Thus, the problem that the present invention aims to solve is in particular to be able to easily install the control assembly of the water tank, while avoiding the different thicknesses of the partition 18.

[0050] Indeed, the partition 18 generally comprises a plasterboard whose thickness may be standard but which is covered, if necessary, by tiling. The thickness of this tiling may vary from one type to another. And consequently, the frame 60 is adjusted at a more or less distant distance from the water tank 32 and the receptacle 14.

[0051] Consequently, in order not to have to adapt the length of the control shaft 36, it is mounted to move in translation through the receptacle 14, but also through the water tank 32 as will be explained in more detail below with regard to [Fig. 3],

[0052] In [Fig. 3], in vertical axial section, we find the drive shaft 36, which has a first part 64 which extends through the front wall 30 of the water tank 16, and a second opposite part 66 which extends in projection from the lining plate 62. The two parts are separated from each other by a stop disc 68. And a thread 70 is provided between the stop disc 68 and the first part 64.

[0053] Also, the first part 64, the second part 66 and the stop disc 68 are molded in a single piece of plastic material.

[0054] The drive shaft 36 and its mode of cooperation with the reservoir 16 will be described in more detail with reference to [Fig. 4].

[0055] Thus, we find the first part 64 of the drive shaft 36. It is of a generally cylindrical shape of revolution, presenting two first opposite flats 72, 74 giving it an oblong section.

[0056] The first part 64 then passes through the oblong orifice 37 and the annular rim 35 of the front wall 30. The section of the oblong orifice 37 and of the annular rim 35 which extends it, is substantially equal, with functional clearance ready, to the section of the first part 64 of the drive shaft 36.

[0057] In this way, the drive shaft 36 is linked in rotation to the front wall 30 of the reservoir 16. On the other hand, it is free in translation relative to this wall 30.

[0058] We also find in this [Fig.4], the thread 70 of the first part 64, which is located outside the reservoir 16. We also find the stop disc 68 and opposite with respect to the first part 64, the second part 66.

[0059] Also, the second part 66 is also of general cylindrical shape of revolution with two second opposite flats 76, 78. The section of the second part 66 is thus also oblong.

[0060] Furthermore, it will be observed that the stop disk 68 also has two diametrically opposed arcuate slots 80, 82.

[0061] Thus, in [Fig. 3], we find the stop disc 68 applied against a central upright of the frame 60. The upright has two diametrically opposed indexing fingers 84, 86 respectively engaging in the two arcuate slots 80, 82. This limits the rotation of the stop disc 68 and consequently of the drive shaft 36, between two extremes, at an angle of 90° for example.

[0062] Furthermore, opposite the stop disc 68 with respect to the central upright of the frame 60, a ball bearing 88 is applied against the stop disc 68, while a threaded ring 90 tightened on the thread 70 makes it possible to hold the ball bearing 88 against the stop disc 68 and to axially secure the drive shaft 36 to the central upright of the frame 60.

[0063] Also, we find the handle 46 in which the second part 66 of the drive shaft 36 is engaged. The second part 66 extends throughout the thickness of the handle 46, and it is linked in rotation to this handle.

[0064] In this way, whatever the distance of the frame 60 from the reservoir 16 and the receptacle 14, the drive shaft 16 can be adjusted in translation through the oblong orifice 37 and the annular rim 35 of the front wall 30. There is therefore no need to provide drive shafts 36 of different lengths or to have to cut it to the correct length.

[0065] As indicated above, the distance which extends between the frame 60 and the reservoir 16 depends essentially on the thickness of the wall illustrated in [Fig.2], which thickness generally depends on the thickness of the tiling which covers it.

[0066] Furthermore, a U-shaped spacer 92 is installed between the two opposite walls 30, 32 of the water tank 16.

[0067] The spacer 92 makes it possible on the one hand to stiffen the water tank 16.

[0068] Also, it is mounted in engagement on the first part 64 of the drive shaft 36 and thus contributes to maintaining it more rigidly to the front wall 30 of the reservoir 16.

[0069] In this way, the handle 46 is completely integral, in rotation, with the water tank 16 by means of the drive shaft 36.

[0070] According to an alternative embodiment, illustrated in [Fig.5], the elements are found as described above. The elements having the same function have the same reference assigned a prime sign: “'”.

[0071] Thus, we find the reservoir 16' having a front wall 30' opposite a rear wall 32'. The front wall 30' has an oblong orifice 37' extended by an annular rim 35'.

[0072] In addition, the oblong orifice 37' and the annular rim 35' are adapted to receive a drive shaft 36'. The latter has a first portion 64' opposite a second portion 66'. The first portion 64' engages in rotation in the oblong orifice 37' and the annular rim 35'. On the other hand, the first portion 64' is free in translation in the oblong orifice 37' and the annular rim 35'.

[0073] We also find the frame 60', which has an opening 94 adapted to freely receive the second part 66' of the drive shaft 36'. Thus, the second part 66' extends projecting from the frame 60'.

[0074] And, the second part 66' is adapted to engage in a geared motor 96 which is mounted in a fixed position against the frame 60'.

[0075] The frame 60' and the geared motor 96 are adapted to be covered with the trim plate 62'. And the latter has touch control members 46' to be able to control the geared motor 96 and therefore the tilting of the tank 16'.

[0076] According to this embodiment variant, the axial position of the drive shaft 36' with respect to the tank 16' can be adjusted as a function of the distance between the frame 60' and the tank 16'. There is no need to provide drive shafts 36' of different lengths or to have to cut it to the correct length.

Claims

Claims

1. Built-in suspended toilet flushing device comprising: - a water tank (16) having two opposite walls (30, 32) and a frame for holding said water tank suspended at the rear of a partition (18); - a flushing pipe (22) adapted to extend through said partition (18) between said water tank and a toilet bowl located at the front of said partition; - a control assembly adapted to be mounted through said partition (18) to be able to control the emptying of all or part of the water from said tank (16) so that it flows inside said flushing pipe (22); characterized in that it further comprises a receptacle (14) opening into said flushing pipe (22), while said water tank (16) is mounted tilting inside said receptacle (14);and in that said control assembly comprises a drive shaft (36) rotatably connected to one (30) of said two walls of said water tank (16) and extending through said partition (18), in order to be able to control the tilting of said tank (16) inside said receptacle (14), said drive shaft being free in translation through said one (30) of said two walls in order to be able to adjust the axial position of said drive shaft (36) as a function of the thickness of said partition (18).;

2. A suspended flushing device according to claim 1, characterized in that it further comprises a spacer extending between said two opposite walls of said water tank.

3. Suspended flushing device according to claim 2, characterized in that said spacer (92) is U-shaped to straddle said drive shaft (36).

4. Suspended flushing device according to any one of claims 1 to 3, characterized in that said drive shaft (36) has a first part (64) of oblong section opposite a second part (66) of oblong section, the two parts of oblong section being separated from each other by a stop disc (68).

5. A suspended flushing device according to claim 4, characterized in that said drive shaft (36) has a threaded portion (70) between said stop disc (68) and said first part (66) of

6.

7.

8. oblong section to receive a threaded ring (90). Suspended flushing device according to claim 4 or 5, characterized in that said one (30) of said two walls has an oblong orifice (37) for receiving in engagement said first part (64) of oblong section of said drive shaft (36). Suspended flushing device according to claim 6, characterized in that said oblong orifice (37) has an annular rim (35) extending projecting from said one (30) of said two walls and having an oblong section identical to said oblong orifice (37). Suspended flushing device according to any one of claims 1 to 7, characterized in that it further comprises a geared motor (96) for driving said drive shaft (36) in rotation.

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