Three-piece toilet

Abstract

A three-piece toilet is provided. The toilet includes a housing part, an inner body part, and a rim part, produced by cast molding in advance and produced into the integrated toilet after assembly and firing. The housing which forms an outer surface of the toilet includes a mounting space, a top circular rim, and a lower sewage hole. The inner body part is forming a trapway and a bowl of the toilet and mounted into the mounting space of the housing part. A positioning rim and a circular side of the inner body part are respectively mounted and positioned on the top circular rim and an inner surface of the housing part. The rim part is forming a rim portion and having a rear-side positioning portion and a front-side positioning portion. Thereby manufacturing flexibility and integrated quality after firing are improved.

Description

FIELD OF THE INVENTION

[0001] The preset invention relates to a toilet, especially to a three-piece toilet.BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

[0002] The toilets available on the market now are divided into two groups-exposed pipe type and full skirted type. The exposed pipe toilet includes a projecting portion with respect to a sewage tube inside correspondingly. Such structure has advantages of simple structure, and easy to slip casting, assembly and disassembly. Yet such type is with poor aesthetics and the projecting portion harbors dirt and filth and has difficulty in cleaning. As to the full skirted type, no projecting portion is formed on its outer surface. Thus such type is provided with aesthetic appearance and easy to clean. But it also has certain shortcomings including difficulty in slip casting and difficult assembly, disassembly, and maintenance caused by assembly holes hidden in the toilet.

[0003] The styles, structures, and functions of the toilets available on the market now have become more and more versatile. Take toilet flushing rims as an example. The flushing rims include siphon type, washout type, vortex type, jet type, and double flush type. Combined with the styles, the toilet has various types and each type need specific molds for slip casting. Not only the cost of mold production and development is high, a certain space is also required for storage of the molds. The manufacturing time is unable to be shortened so that manufacturing efficiency is low.

[0004] Refer to U.S. Pat. No. 7,263,758 B2, a system and a method for casting toilets are provided. A concept of a toilet assembly is revealed. First three components are produced by casting and an integrated toilet is produced after assembly and firing processes. The components include a shell which forms an outer surface of the toilet, an engine disposed in the shell to form jets and channels, and a rim assembled over the shell and used for sealing the engine in the shell. It is understandable that each component has different forms such as colors, shapes, or patterns. According to consumers' preference, the above components are customized and assembled to form integrated toilets which are quite popular.

[0005] However, the above design is only suitable for wall-mounted toilets and unable to be applied to floor-mounted toilets or floor outlet toilets because they have significant difference in structural and functional designs, especially in water inlets, water outlets, drainage systems and arrangement. In order to apply the above design to the floor-mounted toilets, the structure needs to be redesigned. Assembly and positioning accuracy and firmness while carrying user's weight also need to be considered. The weight load of the wall-mounted toilet and that of the floor-mounted toilet are respectively supported by the wall and the floor (or ground). Thus the structural design with respect to the assembly and the positioning is also affected. The above assembly with simple structure is not suitable for all types of toilets.SUMMARY

[0006] Therefore, it is primary object of the present invention to provide a three-piece toilet with more flexible and versatile manufacturing process and ensured quality of integration after firing.

[0007] In order to achieve the above object, a three-piece toilet according to the present invention is provided. The three-piece toilet having an outer surface, a trapway, a bowl, and a rim portion is composed of a housing part, an inner body part, and a rim part which are first formed by cast molding, then assembled with one another, and produced into the integrated toilet after firing.

[0008] The housing part which forms most of the outer surface of the toilet includes a mounting space formed in the housing part, a mounting opening above the mounting space, a top circular rim located around the mounting opening, a bottom wall formed under the housing part, and a lower sewage hole arranged at the bottom wall.

[0009] The inner body part is mounted into the mounting space through the mounting opening of the housing part and used to form the trapway and the bowl of the toilet. The inner body part consists of a positioning rim formed around a rear side on a top end of the inner body part for being mounted and positioned on the top circular rim of the housing part, a circular side rim formed around a front side of the top end of the inner body part for abutting against and positioned on an inner surface of the mounting space of the housing part, a rear-side upper positioning wall formed above the positioning rim, and a front-side upper positioning wall connected to the circular side rim. An upper sewage hole is formed on a bottom of the inner body part for mounted in and communicating with the lower sewage hole.

[0010] The rim part which mainly forms the rim portion of the toilet is provided with a rear-side positioning portion and a front-side positioning portion respectively formed on a rear side and a front side on a lower surface of the rim part. The rear-side positioning portion is leaning against and positioned on the rear-side upper positioning wall of the inner body part while the front-side positioning portion is not only leaning against and positioned on the top circular rim of the housing part but also abutting against and positioned on the front-side upper positioning wall of the inner body part.

[0011] Preferably, both a left side and a right side of a bottom of the housing part are provided with a saddle portion formed outside the housing part. An installation hole is arranged at each of the saddle portions.

[0012] Preferably, the housing part of the three-piece toilet is further provided with a wide slot and a narrow slot respectively on a front side and a rear side of the housing part. The wide slot and the narrow slot are communicating with each other and combined to form the mounting space. The wide slot is mainly used for mounting a front part of the inner body part which forms the bowl. The narrow slot is mainly used for mounting a rear part of the inner body part which forms the trapway. A recessed portion is disposed on the top circular rim of the housing part and located at joints between two lateral sides of the wide slot and two lateral sides of the narrow slot. A protruding portion is formed on each of two lateral sides of the positioning rim of the inner body part, located close to the circular side rim on the front side of the inner body part, and able to be mounted and positioned in the recessed portion from top to bottom correspondingly.

[0013] Preferably, the positioning rim is a step-like circular groove composed of a bottom wall surface and a lateral wall surface. The bottom wall surface is attached to and aligned with the top circular rim of the housing part to form the complete outer surface. The lateral wall surface is attached to and abutting against the inner surface of the housing part.

[0014] Preferably, each of two ends of the positioning rim connected with the circular side rim of the inner body part is provided with a locking portion able to be abutting against and positioned on the recessed portion.

[0015] Preferably, the rear-side upper positioning wall is formed by a top edge of a vertical wall and a groove is formed in and surrounded by the vertical wall. The groove is combined with the rim part to form a water input passage.

[0016] Preferably, a flow guide portion is connected to an inner side of the front-side upper positioning wall and combined with the rim part to form a flow guide passage.

[0017] Preferably, a wing portion is connected to each of two lateral sides of the rear-side positioning portion.

[0018] Preferably, an upper slant is formed on each of the two lateral sides of the rear-side positioning portion and located adjacent to the front-side positioning portion. Each of two lateral sides of the rear-side upper positioning wall located adjacent to the front-side upper positioning wall of the inner body part is provided with a lower slant. The upper slants are attached to and positioned on the lower slants correspondingly.

[0019] Preferably, the front-side positioning portion is a step-like circular groove composed of an outer bottom surface, a lateral surface, and an inner bottom surface. The outer bottom surface is attached to and aligned with the top circular rim of the housing part to form the complete outer surface. The lateral surface is attached to and abutting against the inner surface of the housing part. The inner bottom surface is attached to and abutting against the front-side upper positioning wall of the inner body part.

[0020] Preferably, a water inlet is formed in the rear-side positioning portion of the rim part and communicating with the water input passage.

[0021] Compared with techniques available now, the present three-piece toilet has the following advantages. After being assembled and positioned, the assembly of the housing part, the inner body part, and the rim part is produced into the integrated toilet after firing. The toilet can be customized and produced more flexibly according to user's preference. Thereby the toilet is produced with higher flexibility and versatility. The convenience, accuracy, and firmness of the assembly are ensured due to the design of a plurality of positioning parts among the housing part, the inner body part, and the rim part. Therefore, fine and integrated toilet with stable quality is produced after being assembled, positioned and fired completely.BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0022] FIG. 1 is a perspective view of an embodiment of a three-piece toilet according to the present invention;

[0023] FIG. 2 is an exploded view of an embodiment of a three-piece toilet according to the present invention;

[0024] FIG. 3 is an exploded sectional view of an embodiment of a three-piece toilet according to the present invention;

[0025] FIG. 4 is a longitudinal sectional view of an embodiment of a three-piece toilet according to the present invention;

[0026] FIG. 5 is a perspective view of a housing part of an embodiment of a three-piece toilet according to the present invention;

[0027] FIG. 6 is a perspective view of an inner body part of an embodiment of a three-piece toilet according to the present invention;

[0028] FIG. 7 is a perspective view of a rim part of an embodiment of a three-piece toilet according to the present invention;

[0029] FIG. 8 is a partial enlarged view of a part A of the embodiment in FIG. 4 according to the present invention;

[0030] FIG. 9 is a partial enlarged view of a part B of the embodiment in FIG. 4 according to the present invention.DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0031] Please refer to the following embodiments and related figures for further details. The same or similar reference signs represent the same or similar parts, or the parts with the same or similar functions. The following embodiments with reference to the related figures are only an example of the present invention for explanation, not intended to limited the present invention.

[0032] It should be noted that in the description of the present invention, the terms including “length”, “width”, “up”, “down”, “front”, “rear”, “left”, “right”, “vertical”, “horizontal”, “top”, “bottom”, “inside”, and “outside” that indicate the directional or positional relationship are based on the directional or positional relationship shown in the figure, for convenience of description instead of indicating or implying that the device or element must have a particular orientation and constructed and operated in a particular orientation, and should not be considered as limitation to the present invention accordingly.

[0033] The terms “first” and “second” are used for descriptive purposes only and should not be understood to imply or suggest relative importance or the number of technical features implicitly specified. Therefore, features defined as “first” or “second” may explicitly or implicitly include one or more of such features. In the description of the present invention, “a plurality of” means at least two unless explicitly defined and limited.

[0034] In addition, in the description of the present invention, the terms including “mount”, “joint”, “connect”, and “fix” should be interpreted in a broad way unless explicitly defined and limited, which, for example, may mean a fixed connection, a detachable connection, or an integral connection; may be a mechanical connection or an electrical connection; may be a direct connection, an indirect connection by means of an intermediary, internal communication between two elements, or interaction between two elements. For those skilled in the art, the specific meanings of the foregoing terms in the present invention can be interpreted according to a specific situation.

[0035] Refer to FIG. 1 to FIG. 4, a three-piece toilet 1 according to the present invention is provided. In this embodiment, the toilet 1 provided with an outer surface 101, a trapway 102, a bowl 103, and a rim portion 104 is composed of a housing part 10, an inner body part 20, and a rim part 30 which are formed by cast molding first, assembled with one another, and produced into the integrated toilet 1 after firing.

[0036] As shown in FIG. 3 and FIG. 5, the housing part 10 which forms most of the outer surface 101 of the toilet 1 consists of a mounting space 11 formed therein, a mounting opening 12 disposed above the mounting space 11, a top circular rim 13 located around the mounting opening 12, a bottom wall 14 formed under the housing part 10, and a lower sewage hole 15 arranged at the bottom wall 14.

[0037] As shown in FIG. 3, FIG. 4, and FIG. 9, the inner body part 20 is mounted into the mounting space 11 through the mounting opening 12 of the housing part 10 and used to form the trapway 102 and the bowl 103 of the toilet 1. The inner body part 20 consists of a positioning rim 21 formed around a rear side on a top end of the inner body part 20 for being mounted and positioned on the top circular rim 13 of the housing part 10, a circular side rim 22 formed around a front side of the top end of the inner body part 20 for abutting against and positioned on corresponding positions on an inner surface 111 of the mounting space 11 of the housing part 10, a rear-side upper positioning wall 23 formed above the positioning rim 21, a front-side upper positioning wall 24 connected to the circular side rim 22, and a sewage connector 25 formed on a bottom of the inner body part 20 for being mounted and positioned in the lower sewage hole 15. An upper sewage hole 251 is disposed on the sewage connector 25 and communicating with the lower sewage hole 15.

[0038] It should be particularly noted that the “front side” mentioned above is defined as one side of the toilet 1 close to the user while in use and one side of the toilet 1 away from the user is defined as the “rear side”. In the following descriptions, the side or sides relative to the left side and the right side of the user are defined as “lateral side” or “two lateral sides”.

[0039] As shown in FIG. 3 and FIG. 7, the rim part 30 which mainly forms the rim portion 104 of the toilet 1 is provided with a rear-side positioning portion 31 and a front-side positioning portion 32 respectively formed on a rear side and a front side on a lower surface of the rim part 30. The rear-side positioning portion 31 is leaning against and positioned on the rear-side upper positioning wall 23 of the inner body part 20 while the front-side positioning portion 32 is not only leaning against and positioned on the top circular rim 13 of the housing part 10 but also abutting against and positioned on the front-side upper positioning wall 24 of the inner body part 20.

[0040] In this embodiment, refer to FIG. 1 and FIG. 5, both a left side and a right side of a bottom of the housing part 10 is provided with a saddle portion 16 formed outside the housing part 10. An installation hole 161 is arranged at each of the saddle portions 16. It is well-known that before installation of the toilet 1 on the floor, a flange is first installed and fixed and the flange is provided with fasteners such as bolts. The bolt is inserted through the installation hole 161 from the bottom up and then a nut is threaded onto the bolt so that the housing part 10 is installed and fastened on the floor easily.

[0041] In this embodiment, as shown in FIG. 5, the housing part 10 is provided with a wide slot 11a and a narrow slot 11b respectively on a front side and a rear side of the housing part 10. The wide slot 11a and the narrow slot 11b are communicating with each other and combined to form the mounting space 11. The wide slot 11a is mainly used for mounting a front part of the inner body part 20 which forms the bowl 103. The narrow slot 11b is mainly used for mounting a rear part of the inner body part 20 which forms the trapway 102. A recessed portion 131 is disposed on the top circular rim 13 of the housing part 10 and located at joints between two lateral sides of the wide slot 11a and two lateral sides of the narrow slot 11b. As shown in FIG. 2, a protruding portion 211 is formed on each of two lateral sides of the positioning rim 21 of the inner body part 20 close to the circular side rim 22 on the front side of the inner body part 20, and able to be mounted and positioned in the recessed portion 131 from top to bottom correspondingly. By the design of the recessed portions 131 and the protruding portions 211 mentioned above, not only quick and accurate positioning can be achieved, assembly firmness is also increased. Especially sliding in the horizontal direction during manufacturing process ranging from finished assembly to completed firing can be prevented and quality of the following integration of the toilet 1 is ensured.

[0042] As shown in FIG. 3, FIG. 4, and FIG. 8, in this embodiment, the positioning rim 21 of the inner body part 20 is a step-like circular groove formed by a bottom wall surface 212 and a lateral wall surface 213. The bottom wall surface 212 is attached to and aligned with the top circular rim 13 of the housing part 10 to form the complete outer surface 101. As to the lateral wall surface 213, it is attached to and abutting against a corresponding position on the inner surface 111 of the housing part 10. By the above design of the positioning rim 21, the housing part 10 and the inner body part 20 are connected to each other accurately and securely and this is beneficial to the following firing and integration.

[0043] Refer to FIG. 2 and FIG. 6, in this embodiment, each of two ends of the positioning rim 21 connected with the circular side rim 22 of the inner body part 20 is provided with a locking portion 214 able to be abutting against and positioned on a corresponding position of the recessed portion 131 of the housing part 10. The design of the locking portion 214 can also help the housing part 10 and the inner body part 20 connect to each other quickly, accurately, and firmly, especially prevent their sliding and movement in the horizontal direction. These are all beneficial to the following firing and integration.

[0044] As shown in FIG. 4 and FIG. 6, in this embodiment, the rear-side upper positioning wall 23 of the inner body part 20 is formed by a top edge of a vertical wall 240 and a groove 26 is formed in and surrounded by the vertical wall 240. The groove 26 works together with the rim part 30 to form a water input passage 105.

[0045] As shown in FIG. 3 and FIG. 4, in this embodiment, a flow guide portion 27 is connected to an inner side of the front-side upper positioning wall 24 of the inner body part 20 and is combined with the rim part 30 to form a flow guide passage 106.

[0046] Refer to FIG. 2 and FIG. 7, in this embodiment, a wing portion 33 is connected to each of two lateral sides of the rear-side positioning portion 31 of the rim part 30. It is understandable that the ring portion 33 is not only for shielding and aesthetic purposes, but also for installation and fixing of a toilet lid.

[0047] As shown in FIG. 2 and FIG. 3, in this embodiment, an upper slant 311 is formed on each of the two lateral sides of the rear-side positioning portion 31 and located adjacent to the front-side positioning portion 32 of the rim part 30. Each of two lateral sides of the rear-side upper positioning wall 23 located adjacent to the front-side upper positioning wall 24 of the inner body part 20 is provided with a lower slant 231. The upper slants 311 are attached to and positioned on the lower slants 231 correspondingly. By the design of the lower slants 231 and the upper slants 311 abutting against and positioned on each other, the inner body part 20 and the rim part 30 are assembled with each other quickly, accurately, and securely. Especially sliding and movement in the horizontal direction can be prevented and this helps the following firing and integration.

[0048] In this embodiment, refer to FIG. 4 and FIG. 9, the front-side positioning portion 32 of the rim part 30 is a step-like circular groove composed of an outer bottom surface 321, a lateral surface 322, and an inner bottom surface 323. The outer bottom surface 321 is attached to and aligned with the top circular rim 13 of the housing part 10 to form the complete outer surface 101. The lateral surface 322 is attached to and abutting against a corresponding position on the inner surface 111 of the housing part 10. The inner bottom surface 323 is attached to and abutting against the front-side upper positioning wall 24 of the inner body part 20. By the structural design of the outer bottom surface 321, the lateral surface 322, and the inner bottom surface 323 of the rim part 30, not only accuracy and security of assembly and positioning of the front side of the rim part 30 with the housing part 10 and the inner body part 20 are ensured, good water tightness is provided after firing and integration due to multiple corner sealed connection formed by the above design. Thereby leakage of water flow in the flow guide passage 106 from here can be prevented.

[0049] In this embodiment, as shown in FIG. 3 and FIG. 4, a water inlet 34 is arranged at the rear-side positioning portion 31 of the rim part 30 and communicating with the water input passage 105. It is understandable that the water inlet 34 allows water in a tank to flow into the water input passage 105 therethrough. The inner body part 20 further includes a lower flush channel 107 communicating with the water input passage 105. A front nozzle 108 is formed on the other end of the lower flush channel 107 and is aligned with a bottom of the bowl 103 and an inlet of the trapway 102. Thereby the water entering the water input passage 105 is diverted and flowing into the flow guide passage 106 and the lower flush channel 107, both flushing the bowl 103.

[0050] It should be noted that the inner body part 20 and the rim part 30 include, but not limited to, the respective or combined water flow passages mentioned above. The distribution types, and forms of other common water flow passages can also be used in the present three-piece toilet 1.

[0051] According to the above embodiments, the three-piece toilet of the present invention has the following features and advantages.

[0052] First of all, the inner body part 20 can be mounted to and positioned on the housing part 10 quickly, accurately, and firmly so as to obtain good firing and integration. More specifically, both the inner body part 20 and the housing part 10 have a plurality of positioning parts therein including the positioning rim 21 on the rear side of the inner body part 20 and the top circular rim 13 on the rear side of the housing part 10, the protruding portion 211 of the positioning rim 21 on the rear side of the inner body part 20 and the recessed portion 131 of the housing part 10, and the circular side rim 22 around the front side of the inner body part 20 and the inner surface 111 of the housing part 10. The design of the plurality of positioning parts mentioned above not only ensures positioning accuracy, strength, and security, but also prevents horizontal sliding in all directions effectively.

[0053] Moreover, the circular side rim 22 around the front side of the inner body part 20 is positioned on the inner surface 111 of the housing part 10 so that the front side of the toilet 1 is provided with only a joint between the rim part 30 and the housing part 10. Thus aesthetics of the joint and the water tightness mentioned above are ensured.

[0054] Furthermore, the positioning rim 21 on the rear side of the inner body part 20 is directly leaning against the rear side of the housing part 10 so that the sewage connector 25 formed on the bottom of the inner body part 20 and located close to the rear side of the inner body part 20 is getting easier to be aligned with, mounted, and positioned in the lower sewage hole 15 on a rear part of the housing part 10. This helps quick and accurate assembly and positioning of the sewage connector 25 and the lower sewage hole 15, without causing problems such as offset and skew.

[0055] In addition, the rim part 30 can be mounted and positioned over the inner body part 20 and the housing part 10 so as to get good firing and integration effect. To go further, the rim part 30, the inner body part 20 and the housing part 10 are provided with a plurality of positioning parts between each other including the rear-side positioning portion 31 of the rim part 30 and the rear-side upper positioning wall 23 of the inner body part 20, the upper slant 311 on the rear-side positioning portion 31 of the rim part 30 and the lower slant 231 on the rear-side upper positioning wall 23 of the inner body part 20, the front-side positioning portion 32 of the rim part 30 and the top circular rim 13 on the front side of the housing part 10, and the front-side positioning portion 32 of the rim part 30 and the front-side upper positioning wall 24 of the inner body part 20. The use of the plurality of positioning parts mentioned above not only ensures positioning accuracy, strength, and security, but also prevents horizontal sliding in all directions effectively.

[0056] Lastly since the inner body part 20 is hidden in the housing part 10 so that an uneven area that harbors dirt and filth and has difficulty in cleaning is formed on an outer surface of the inner body part 20, especially a projecting portion corresponding to the trapway 102 is mounted in the housing part 10. As to an outer surface of the housing part 10, especially the outer surface corresponding to the narrow slot 11b is designed into a streamlined, flatter and smoother surface. Thus the problems of dirt and filth and difficulty in cleaning are solved effectively and the toilet is easy to be cleaned and maintained.

[0057] Additional advantages and modifications will readily occur to those skilled in the art. Therefore, the invention in its broader aspects is not limited to the specific details, and representative devices shown and described herein. Accordingly, various modifications may be made without departing from the spirit or scope of the general inventive concept as defined by the appended claims and their equivalent.

Examples

Embodiment Construction

[0031]Please refer to the following embodiments and related figures for further details. The same or similar reference signs represent the same or similar parts, or the parts with the same or similar functions. The following embodiments with reference to the related figures are only an example of the present invention for explanation, not intended to limited the present invention.

[0032]It should be noted that in the description of the present invention, the terms including “length”, “width”, “up”, “down”, “front”, “rear”, “left”, “right”, “vertical”, “horizontal”, “top”, “bottom”, “inside”, and “outside” that indicate the directional or positional relationship are based on the directional or positional relationship shown in the figure, for convenience of description instead of indicating or implying that the device or element must have a particular orientation and constructed and operated in a particular orientation, and should not be considered as limitation to the present inventio...

FIELD OF THE INVENTION

[0001] The preset invention relates to a toilet, especially to a three-piece toilet.BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

[0002] The toilets available on the market now are divided into two groups-exposed pipe type and full skirted type. The exposed pipe toilet includes a projecting portion with respect to a sewage tube inside correspondingly. Such structure has advantages of simple structure, and easy to slip casting, assembly and disassembly. Yet such type is with poor aesthetics and the projecting portion harbors dirt and filth and has difficulty in cleaning. As to the full skirted type, no projecting portion is formed on its outer surface. Thus such type is provided with aesthetic appearance and easy to clean. But it also has certain shortcomings including difficulty in slip casting and difficult assembly, disassembly, and maintenance caused by assembly holes hidden in the toilet.

[0003] The styles, structures, and functions of the toilets available on the market now have become more and more versatile. Take toilet flushing rims as an example. The flushing rims include siphon type, washout type, vortex type, jet type, and double flush type. Combined with the styles, the toilet has various types and each type need specific molds for slip casting. Not only the cost of mold production and development is high, a certain space is also required for storage of the molds. The manufacturing time is unable to be shortened so that manufacturing efficiency is low.

[0004] Refer to U.S. Pat. No. 7,263,758 B2, a system and a method for casting toilets are provided. A concept of a toilet assembly is revealed. First three components are produced by casting and an integrated toilet is produced after assembly and firing processes. The components include a shell which forms an outer surface of the toilet, an engine disposed in the shell to form jets and channels, and a rim assembled over the shell and used for sealing the engine in the shell. It is understandable that each component has different forms such as colors, shapes, or patterns. According to consumers' preference, the above components are customized and assembled to form integrated toilets which are quite popular.

[0005] However, the above design is only suitable for wall-mounted toilets and unable to be applied to floor-mounted toilets or floor outlet toilets because they have significant difference in structural and functional designs, especially in water inlets, water outlets, drainage systems and arrangement. In order to apply the above design to the floor-mounted toilets, the structure needs to be redesigned. Assembly and positioning accuracy and firmness while carrying user's weight also need to be considered. The weight load of the wall-mounted toilet and that of the floor-mounted toilet are respectively supported by the wall and the floor (or ground). Thus the structural design with respect to the assembly and the positioning is also affected. The above assembly with simple structure is not suitable for all types of toilets.SUMMARY

[0006] Therefore, it is primary object of the present invention to provide a three-piece toilet with more flexible and versatile manufacturing process and ensured quality of integration after firing.

[0007] In order to achieve the above object, a three-piece toilet according to the present invention is provided. The three-piece toilet having an outer surface, a trapway, a bowl, and a rim portion is composed of a housing part, an inner body part, and a rim part which are first formed by cast molding, then assembled with one another, and produced into the integrated toilet after firing.

[0008] The housing part which forms most of the outer surface of the toilet includes a mounting space formed in the housing part, a mounting opening above the mounting space, a top circular rim located around the mounting opening, a bottom wall formed under the housing part, and a lower sewage hole arranged at the bottom wall.

[0009] The inner body part is mounted into the mounting space through the mounting opening of the housing part and used to form the trapway and the bowl of the toilet. The inner body part consists of a positioning rim formed around a rear side on a top end of the inner body part for being mounted and positioned on the top circular rim of the housing part, a circular side rim formed around a front side of the top end of the inner body part for abutting against and positioned on an inner surface of the mounting space of the housing part, a rear-side upper positioning wall formed above the positioning rim, and a front-side upper positioning wall connected to the circular side rim. An upper sewage hole is formed on a bottom of the inner body part for mounted in and communicating with the lower sewage hole.

[0010] The rim part which mainly forms the rim portion of the toilet is provided with a rear-side positioning portion and a front-side positioning portion respectively formed on a rear side and a front side on a lower surface of the rim part. The rear-side positioning portion is leaning against and positioned on the rear-side upper positioning wall of the inner body part while the front-side positioning portion is not only leaning against and positioned on the top circular rim of the housing part but also abutting against and positioned on the front-side upper positioning wall of the inner body part.

[0011] Preferably, both a left side and a right side of a bottom of the housing part are provided with a saddle portion formed outside the housing part. An installation hole is arranged at each of the saddle portions.

[0012] Preferably, the housing part of the three-piece toilet is further provided with a wide slot and a narrow slot respectively on a front side and a rear side of the housing part. The wide slot and the narrow slot are communicating with each other and combined to form the mounting space. The wide slot is mainly used for mounting a front part of the inner body part which forms the bowl. The narrow slot is mainly used for mounting a rear part of the inner body part which forms the trapway. A recessed portion is disposed on the top circular rim of the housing part and located at joints between two lateral sides of the wide slot and two lateral sides of the narrow slot. A protruding portion is formed on each of two lateral sides of the positioning rim of the inner body part, located close to the circular side rim on the front side of the inner body part, and able to be mounted and positioned in the recessed portion from top to bottom correspondingly.

[0013] Preferably, the positioning rim is a step-like circular groove composed of a bottom wall surface and a lateral wall surface. The bottom wall surface is attached to and aligned with the top circular rim of the housing part to form the complete outer surface. The lateral wall surface is attached to and abutting against the inner surface of the housing part.

[0014] Preferably, each of two ends of the positioning rim connected with the circular side rim of the inner body part is provided with a locking portion able to be abutting against and positioned on the recessed portion.

[0015] Preferably, the rear-side upper positioning wall is formed by a top edge of a vertical wall and a groove is formed in and surrounded by the vertical wall. The groove is combined with the rim part to form a water input passage.

[0016] Preferably, a flow guide portion is connected to an inner side of the front-side upper positioning wall and combined with the rim part to form a flow guide passage.

[0017] Preferably, a wing portion is connected to each of two lateral sides of the rear-side positioning portion.

[0018] Preferably, an upper slant is formed on each of the two lateral sides of the rear-side positioning portion and located adjacent to the front-side positioning portion. Each of two lateral sides of the rear-side upper positioning wall located adjacent to the front-side upper positioning wall of the inner body part is provided with a lower slant. The upper slants are attached to and positioned on the lower slants correspondingly.

[0019] Preferably, the front-side positioning portion is a step-like circular groove composed of an outer bottom surface, a lateral surface, and an inner bottom surface. The outer bottom surface is attached to and aligned with the top circular rim of the housing part to form the complete outer surface. The lateral surface is attached to and abutting against the inner surface of the housing part. The inner bottom surface is attached to and abutting against the front-side upper positioning wall of the inner body part.

[0020] Preferably, a water inlet is formed in the rear-side positioning portion of the rim part and communicating with the water input passage.

[0021] Compared with techniques available now, the present three-piece toilet has the following advantages. After being assembled and positioned, the assembly of the housing part, the inner body part, and the rim part is produced into the integrated toilet after firing. The toilet can be customized and produced more flexibly according to user's preference. Thereby the toilet is produced with higher flexibility and versatility. The convenience, accuracy, and firmness of the assembly are ensured due to the design of a plurality of positioning parts among the housing part, the inner body part, and the rim part. Therefore, fine and integrated toilet with stable quality is produced after being assembled, positioned and fired completely.BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0022] FIG. 1 is a perspective view of an embodiment of a three-piece toilet according to the present invention;

[0023] FIG. 2 is an exploded view of an embodiment of a three-piece toilet according to the present invention;

[0024] FIG. 3 is an exploded sectional view of an embodiment of a three-piece toilet according to the present invention;

[0025] FIG. 4 is a longitudinal sectional view of an embodiment of a three-piece toilet according to the present invention;

[0026] FIG. 5 is a perspective view of a housing part of an embodiment of a three-piece toilet according to the present invention;

[0027] FIG. 6 is a perspective view of an inner body part of an embodiment of a three-piece toilet according to the present invention;

[0028] FIG. 7 is a perspective view of a rim part of an embodiment of a three-piece toilet according to the present invention;

[0029] FIG. 8 is a partial enlarged view of a part A of the embodiment in FIG. 4 according to the present invention;

[0030] FIG. 9 is a partial enlarged view of a part B of the embodiment in FIG. 4 according to the present invention.DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0031] Please refer to the following embodiments and related figures for further details. The same or similar reference signs represent the same or similar parts, or the parts with the same or similar functions. The following embodiments with reference to the related figures are only an example of the present invention for explanation, not intended to limited the present invention.

[0032] It should be noted that in the description of the present invention, the terms including “length”, “width”, “up”, “down”, “front”, “rear”, “left”, “right”, “vertical”, “horizontal”, “top”, “bottom”, “inside”, and “outside” that indicate the directional or positional relationship are based on the directional or positional relationship shown in the figure, for convenience of description instead of indicating or implying that the device or element must have a particular orientation and constructed and operated in a particular orientation, and should not be considered as limitation to the present invention accordingly.

[0033] The terms “first” and “second” are used for descriptive purposes only and should not be understood to imply or suggest relative importance or the number of technical features implicitly specified. Therefore, features defined as “first” or “second” may explicitly or implicitly include one or more of such features. In the description of the present invention, “a plurality of” means at least two unless explicitly defined and limited.

[0034] In addition, in the description of the present invention, the terms including “mount”, “joint”, “connect”, and “fix” should be interpreted in a broad way unless explicitly defined and limited, which, for example, may mean a fixed connection, a detachable connection, or an integral connection; may be a mechanical connection or an electrical connection; may be a direct connection, an indirect connection by means of an intermediary, internal communication between two elements, or interaction between two elements. For those skilled in the art, the specific meanings of the foregoing terms in the present invention can be interpreted according to a specific situation.

[0035] Refer to FIG. 1 to FIG. 4, a three-piece toilet 1 according to the present invention is provided. In this embodiment, the toilet 1 provided with an outer surface 101, a trapway 102, a bowl 103, and a rim portion 104 is composed of a housing part 10, an inner body part 20, and a rim part 30 which are formed by cast molding first, assembled with one another, and produced into the integrated toilet 1 after firing.

[0036] As shown in FIG. 3 and FIG. 5, the housing part 10 which forms most of the outer surface 101 of the toilet 1 consists of a mounting space 11 formed therein, a mounting opening 12 disposed above the mounting space 11, a top circular rim 13 located around the mounting opening 12, a bottom wall 14 formed under the housing part 10, and a lower sewage hole 15 arranged at the bottom wall 14.

[0037] As shown in FIG. 3, FIG. 4, and FIG. 9, the inner body part 20 is mounted into the mounting space 11 through the mounting opening 12 of the housing part 10 and used to form the trapway 102 and the bowl 103 of the toilet 1. The inner body part 20 consists of a positioning rim 21 formed around a rear side on a top end of the inner body part 20 for being mounted and positioned on the top circular rim 13 of the housing part 10, a circular side rim 22 formed around a front side of the top end of the inner body part 20 for abutting against and positioned on corresponding positions on an inner surface 111 of the mounting space 11 of the housing part 10, a rear-side upper positioning wall 23 formed above the positioning rim 21, a front-side upper positioning wall 24 connected to the circular side rim 22, and a sewage connector 25 formed on a bottom of the inner body part 20 for being mounted and positioned in the lower sewage hole 15. An upper sewage hole 251 is disposed on the sewage connector 25 and communicating with the lower sewage hole 15.

[0038] It should be particularly noted that the “front side” mentioned above is defined as one side of the toilet 1 close to the user while in use and one side of the toilet 1 away from the user is defined as the “rear side”. In the following descriptions, the side or sides relative to the left side and the right side of the user are defined as “lateral side” or “two lateral sides”.

[0039] As shown in FIG. 3 and FIG. 7, the rim part 30 which mainly forms the rim portion 104 of the toilet 1 is provided with a rear-side positioning portion 31 and a front-side positioning portion 32 respectively formed on a rear side and a front side on a lower surface of the rim part 30. The rear-side positioning portion 31 is leaning against and positioned on the rear-side upper positioning wall 23 of the inner body part 20 while the front-side positioning portion 32 is not only leaning against and positioned on the top circular rim 13 of the housing part 10 but also abutting against and positioned on the front-side upper positioning wall 24 of the inner body part 20.

[0040] In this embodiment, refer to FIG. 1 and FIG. 5, both a left side and a right side of a bottom of the housing part 10 is provided with a saddle portion 16 formed outside the housing part 10. An installation hole 161 is arranged at each of the saddle portions 16. It is well-known that before installation of the toilet 1 on the floor, a flange is first installed and fixed and the flange is provided with fasteners such as bolts. The bolt is inserted through the installation hole 161 from the bottom up and then a nut is threaded onto the bolt so that the housing part 10 is installed and fastened on the floor easily.

[0041] In this embodiment, as shown in FIG. 5, the housing part 10 is provided with a wide slot 11a and a narrow slot 11b respectively on a front side and a rear side of the housing part 10. The wide slot 11a and the narrow slot 11b are communicating with each other and combined to form the mounting space 11. The wide slot 11a is mainly used for mounting a front part of the inner body part 20 which forms the bowl 103. The narrow slot 11b is mainly used for mounting a rear part of the inner body part 20 which forms the trapway 102. A recessed portion 131 is disposed on the top circular rim 13 of the housing part 10 and located at joints between two lateral sides of the wide slot 11a and two lateral sides of the narrow slot 11b. As shown in FIG. 2, a protruding portion 211 is formed on each of two lateral sides of the positioning rim 21 of the inner body part 20 close to the circular side rim 22 on the front side of the inner body part 20, and able to be mounted and positioned in the recessed portion 131 from top to bottom correspondingly. By the design of the recessed portions 131 and the protruding portions 211 mentioned above, not only quick and accurate positioning can be achieved, assembly firmness is also increased. Especially sliding in the horizontal direction during manufacturing process ranging from finished assembly to completed firing can be prevented and quality of the following integration of the toilet 1 is ensured.

[0042] As shown in FIG. 3, FIG. 4, and FIG. 8, in this embodiment, the positioning rim 21 of the inner body part 20 is a step-like circular groove formed by a bottom wall surface 212 and a lateral wall surface 213. The bottom wall surface 212 is attached to and aligned with the top circular rim 13 of the housing part 10 to form the complete outer surface 101. As to the lateral wall surface 213, it is attached to and abutting against a corresponding position on the inner surface 111 of the housing part 10. By the above design of the positioning rim 21, the housing part 10 and the inner body part 20 are connected to each other accurately and securely and this is beneficial to the following firing and integration.

[0043] Refer to FIG. 2 and FIG. 6, in this embodiment, each of two ends of the positioning rim 21 connected with the circular side rim 22 of the inner body part 20 is provided with a locking portion 214 able to be abutting against and positioned on a corresponding position of the recessed portion 131 of the housing part 10. The design of the locking portion 214 can also help the housing part 10 and the inner body part 20 connect to each other quickly, accurately, and firmly, especially prevent their sliding and movement in the horizontal direction. These are all beneficial to the following firing and integration.

[0044] As shown in FIG. 4 and FIG. 6, in this embodiment, the rear-side upper positioning wall 23 of the inner body part 20 is formed by a top edge of a vertical wall 240 and a groove 26 is formed in and surrounded by the vertical wall 240. The groove 26 works together with the rim part 30 to form a water input passage 105.

[0045] As shown in FIG. 3 and FIG. 4, in this embodiment, a flow guide portion 27 is connected to an inner side of the front-side upper positioning wall 24 of the inner body part 20 and is combined with the rim part 30 to form a flow guide passage 106.

[0046] Refer to FIG. 2 and FIG. 7, in this embodiment, a wing portion 33 is connected to each of two lateral sides of the rear-side positioning portion 31 of the rim part 30. It is understandable that the ring portion 33 is not only for shielding and aesthetic purposes, but also for installation and fixing of a toilet lid.

[0047] As shown in FIG. 2 and FIG. 3, in this embodiment, an upper slant 311 is formed on each of the two lateral sides of the rear-side positioning portion 31 and located adjacent to the front-side positioning portion 32 of the rim part 30. Each of two lateral sides of the rear-side upper positioning wall 23 located adjacent to the front-side upper positioning wall 24 of the inner body part 20 is provided with a lower slant 231. The upper slants 311 are attached to and positioned on the lower slants 231 correspondingly. By the design of the lower slants 231 and the upper slants 311 abutting against and positioned on each other, the inner body part 20 and the rim part 30 are assembled with each other quickly, accurately, and securely. Especially sliding and movement in the horizontal direction can be prevented and this helps the following firing and integration.

[0048] In this embodiment, refer to FIG. 4 and FIG. 9, the front-side positioning portion 32 of the rim part 30 is a step-like circular groove composed of an outer bottom surface 321, a lateral surface 322, and an inner bottom surface 323. The outer bottom surface 321 is attached to and aligned with the top circular rim 13 of the housing part 10 to form the complete outer surface 101. The lateral surface 322 is attached to and abutting against a corresponding position on the inner surface 111 of the housing part 10. The inner bottom surface 323 is attached to and abutting against the front-side upper positioning wall 24 of the inner body part 20. By the structural design of the outer bottom surface 321, the lateral surface 322, and the inner bottom surface 323 of the rim part 30, not only accuracy and security of assembly and positioning of the front side of the rim part 30 with the housing part 10 and the inner body part 20 are ensured, good water tightness is provided after firing and integration due to multiple corner sealed connection formed by the above design. Thereby leakage of water flow in the flow guide passage 106 from here can be prevented.

[0049] In this embodiment, as shown in FIG. 3 and FIG. 4, a water inlet 34 is arranged at the rear-side positioning portion 31 of the rim part 30 and communicating with the water input passage 105. It is understandable that the water inlet 34 allows water in a tank to flow into the water input passage 105 therethrough. The inner body part 20 further includes a lower flush channel 107 communicating with the water input passage 105. A front nozzle 108 is formed on the other end of the lower flush channel 107 and is aligned with a bottom of the bowl 103 and an inlet of the trapway 102. Thereby the water entering the water input passage 105 is diverted and flowing into the flow guide passage 106 and the lower flush channel 107, both flushing the bowl 103.

[0050] It should be noted that the inner body part 20 and the rim part 30 include, but not limited to, the respective or combined water flow passages mentioned above. The distribution types, and forms of other common water flow passages can also be used in the present three-piece toilet 1.

[0051] According to the above embodiments, the three-piece toilet of the present invention has the following features and advantages.

[0052] First of all, the inner body part 20 can be mounted to and positioned on the housing part 10 quickly, accurately, and firmly so as to obtain good firing and integration. More specifically, both the inner body part 20 and the housing part 10 have a plurality of positioning parts therein including the positioning rim 21 on the rear side of the inner body part 20 and the top circular rim 13 on the rear side of the housing part 10, the protruding portion 211 of the positioning rim 21 on the rear side of the inner body part 20 and the recessed portion 131 of the housing part 10, and the circular side rim 22 around the front side of the inner body part 20 and the inner surface 111 of the housing part 10. The design of the plurality of positioning parts mentioned above not only ensures positioning accuracy, strength, and security, but also prevents horizontal sliding in all directions effectively.

[0053] Moreover, the circular side rim 22 around the front side of the inner body part 20 is positioned on the inner surface 111 of the housing part 10 so that the front side of the toilet 1 is provided with only a joint between the rim part 30 and the housing part 10. Thus aesthetics of the joint and the water tightness mentioned above are ensured.

[0054] Furthermore, the positioning rim 21 on the rear side of the inner body part 20 is directly leaning against the rear side of the housing part 10 so that the sewage connector 25 formed on the bottom of the inner body part 20 and located close to the rear side of the inner body part 20 is getting easier to be aligned with, mounted, and positioned in the lower sewage hole 15 on a rear part of the housing part 10. This helps quick and accurate assembly and positioning of the sewage connector 25 and the lower sewage hole 15, without causing problems such as offset and skew.

[0055] In addition, the rim part 30 can be mounted and positioned over the inner body part 20 and the housing part 10 so as to get good firing and integration effect. To go further, the rim part 30, the inner body part 20 and the housing part 10 are provided with a plurality of positioning parts between each other including the rear-side positioning portion 31 of the rim part 30 and the rear-side upper positioning wall 23 of the inner body part 20, the upper slant 311 on the rear-side positioning portion 31 of the rim part 30 and the lower slant 231 on the rear-side upper positioning wall 23 of the inner body part 20, the front-side positioning portion 32 of the rim part 30 and the top circular rim 13 on the front side of the housing part 10, and the front-side positioning portion 32 of the rim part 30 and the front-side upper positioning wall 24 of the inner body part 20. The use of the plurality of positioning parts mentioned above not only ensures positioning accuracy, strength, and security, but also prevents horizontal sliding in all directions effectively.

[0056] Lastly since the inner body part 20 is hidden in the housing part 10 so that an uneven area that harbors dirt and filth and has difficulty in cleaning is formed on an outer surface of the inner body part 20, especially a projecting portion corresponding to the trapway 102 is mounted in the housing part 10. As to an outer surface of the housing part 10, especially the outer surface corresponding to the narrow slot 11b is designed into a streamlined, flatter and smoother surface. Thus the problems of dirt and filth and difficulty in cleaning are solved effectively and the toilet is easy to be cleaned and maintained.

[0057] Additional advantages and modifications will readily occur to those skilled in the art. Therefore, the invention in its broader aspects is not limited to the specific details, and representative devices shown and described herein. Accordingly, various modifications may be made without departing from the spirit or scope of the general inventive concept as defined by the appended claims and their equivalent.

Examples

Embodiment Construction

[0031]Please refer to the following embodiments and related figures for further details. The same or similar reference signs represent the same or similar parts, or the parts with the same or similar functions. The following embodiments with reference to the related figures are only an example of the present invention for explanation, not intended to limited the present invention.

[0032]It should be noted that in the description of the present invention, the terms including “length”, “width”, “up”, “down”, “front”, “rear”, “left”, “right”, “vertical”, “horizontal”, “top”, “bottom”, “inside”, and “outside” that indicate the directional or positional relationship are based on the directional or positional relationship shown in the figure, for convenience of description instead of indicating or implying that the device or element must have a particular orientation and constructed and operated in a particular orientation, and should not be considered as limitation to the present inventio...

Claims

1. A three-piece toilet provided with an outer surface, a trapway, a bowl, and a rim portion comprising a housing part, an inner body part, and a rim part which are formed by cast molding in advance and produced into the integrated toilet after being assembled and fired;wherein the housing part which forms most of the outer surface of the toilet includes a mounting space arranged in the housing part, a mounting opening formed above the mounting space, a top circular rim located around the mounting opening, a bottom wall disposed under the housing part, and a lower sewage hole arranged at the bottom wall;wherein the inner body part is mounted into the mounting space through the mounting opening of the housing part and used to form the trapway and the bowl of the toilet; the inner body part consists of a positioning rim formed around a rear side on a top end of the inner body part for being mounted and positioned on the top circular rim of the housing part, a circular side rim formed around a front side on the top end of the inner body part for abutting against and positioned on an inner surface of the mounting space of the housing part, a rear-side upper positioning wall formed above the positioning rim, a front-side upper positioning wall connected to the circular side rim, and a sewage connector formed on a bottom of the inner body part for being mounted and positioned in the lower sewage hole; an upper sewage hole is disposed on the sewage connector and communicating with the lower sewage hole; andwherein the rim part which forms the rim portion of the toilet is provided with a rear-side positioning portion and a front-side positioning portion respectively formed on a rear side and a front side on a lower surface of the rim part; the rear-side positioning portion is leaning against and positioned on the rear-side upper positioning wall of the inner body part while the front-side positioning portion is not only leaning against and positioned on the top circular rim of the housing part but also abutting against and positioned on the front-side upper positioning wall of the inner body part.

2. The three-piece toilet as claimed in claim 1, wherein both a left side and a right side of a bottom of the housing part are provided with a saddle portion formed outside the housing part; an installation hole is arranged at each of the saddle portions.

3. The three-piece toilet as claimed in claim 1, wherein the housing part is further provided with a wide slot and a narrow slot respectively located at a front side and a rear side of the housing part; the wide slot and the narrow slot are communicating with each other and combined to form the mounting space; the wide slot is used for mounting a front part of the inner body part which forms the bowl; the narrow slot is used for mounting a rear part of the inner body part which forms the trapway; a recessed portion is disposed on the top circular rim and located at joints between two lateral sides of the wide slot and two lateral sides of the narrow slot; a protruding portion is formed on each of two lateral sides of the positioning rim close to the circular side rim on the front side of the inner body part, and able to be mounted and positioned in the recessed portion from top to bottom.

4. The three-piece toilet as claimed in claim 1, wherein the positioning rim is a step-like circular groove composed of a bottom wall surface and a first lateral wall surface; the bottom wall surface is attached to and aligned with the top circular rim to form the complete outer surface; the first lateral wall surface is attached to and abutting against the inner surface of the housing part.

5. The three-piece toilet as claimed in claim 3, wherein each of two ends of the positioning rim connected with the circular side rim is provided with a locking portion able to be abutting against and positioned on the recessed portion.

6. The three-piece toilet as claimed in claim 1, wherein the rear-side upper positioning wall is formed by a top edge of a vertical wall and a groove is formed in and surrounded by the vertical wall; the groove is combined with the rim part to form a water input passage.

7. The three-piece toilet as claimed in claim 1, wherein a flow guide portion is connected to an inner side of the front-side upper positioning wall and is combined with the rim part to form a flow guide passage.

8. The three-piece toilet as claimed in claim 1, wherein a wing portion is connected to each of two lateral sides of the rear-side positioning portion.

9. The three-piece toilet as claimed in claim 1, wherein an upper slant is formed on each of two lateral sides of the rear-side positioning portion and located adjacent to the front-side positioning portion; each of two lateral sides of the rear-side upper positioning wall located adjacent to the front-side upper positioning wall is provided with a lower slant; the upper slants are attached to and positioned on the lower slants correspondingly.

10. The three-piece toilet as claimed in claim 1, wherein the front-side positioning portion of the rim part is a step-like circular groove composed of an outer bottom surface, a second lateral surface, and an inner bottom surface; the outer bottom surface is attached to and aligned with the top circular rim to form the complete outer surface; the second lateral surface is attached to and abutting against the inner surface of the housing part; the inner bottom surface is attached to and abutting against the front-side upper positioning wall.

11. The three-piece toilet as claimed in claim 6, wherein a water inlet is arranged at the rear-side positioning portion and communicating with the water input passage.

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