Hybrid Toilet with Solid Surface Housing and Stainless Steel P-Trap
Find Innovative SolutionsGenerate Solutions
Solution Overview
Problem
Institutional toilets, particularly those in long-term care facilities, lack aesthetic appeal and have a 'hard' look due to their stainless steel construction, which is not similar to conventional residential toilets.
Innovation Solution
A hybrid toilet design featuring a solid surface material for the housing, bowl, and seat, with a stainless steel P-trap assembly, incorporating a rinse slot and refill reservoir system that directs rinse water and utilizes a blow-out jet for effective flushing, while maintaining a ligature-resistant design.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If institutional toilets are constructed completely of stainless steel with a unitarily formed seat, then ligature resistance and durability are improved, but aesthetic appeal and residential-like appearance deteriorate
Solution Approach 1:
The toilet is divided into multiple components: a housing, a bowl, a seat, and a P-trap assembly. The housing and bowl are formed from solid surface material for aesthetic appeal, while the P-trap assembly is constructed of stainless steel for ligature resistance. This segmentation allows each component to be optimized for its specific function while achieving overall system performance.
Solution Approach 2:
Different materials are applied to different parts of the toilet based on local requirements. The housing, bowl, and seat use solid surface material to provide a residential-like appearance and ease of cleaning in areas where aesthetics matter. The P-trap assembly uses stainless steel in the critical area where ligature resistance is most needed, creating a localized solution that addresses the specific problem without compromising overall aesthetics.
2Shape
If a solid surface material is used for the housing, bowl, and seat, then aesthetic appeal and ease of cleaning are improved, but ligature resistance and durability may deteriorate
Solution Approach 1:
The toilet structure is segmented into aesthetic components (housing, bowl, seat) made from solid surface material and functional components (P-trap assembly) made from stainless steel. This segmentation ensures that ligature resistance is maintained in the P-trap assembly while the solid surface material provides aesthetic appeal and ease of cleaning in visible areas.
Solution Approach 2:
The toilet employs a composite construction approach, combining solid surface material for the housing, bowl, and seat with stainless steel for the P-trap assembly. This composite material strategy allows the system to leverage the aesthetic and cleaning advantages of solid surface material while maintaining the ligature resistance and durability of stainless steel in critical areas.
3Ease of operation
If the seat is hingedly mounted to allow rotation between up and down positions, then ease of operation and cleaning are improved, but ligature resistance deteriorates
Solution Approach 1:
The hinged mounting mechanism that enables seat rotation is completely removed from the design. Instead, the seat is fixedly mounted to the bowl, eliminating the hinge mechanism that could be exploited for ligature purposes. This extraction of the problematic component maintains ease of operation for normal use while ensuring ligature resistance.
Applied Scientific Principles
This section explains which scientific principles are used to turn an abstract innovation direction into a practical engineering solution.
Function Achieved in This Case
The hybrid toilet provides a more aesthetically pleasing appearance similar to residential toilets while maintaining the functionality and ligature resistance of institutional toilets, enhancing user experience and aesthetics.
Implementation Method 1
The blow-out jet provides a jet of water, bypassing the bowl, into the waste conduit at a location downstream of the P-trap located immediately after the bowl outlet. The jet of water initiates a siphon action on the water in the P-trap to begin clearing of the water and waste in the bowl.
Implementation Method 2
In a gravity-assisted toilet, water is supplied to the bowl from a tank located in elevated in position relative to the bowl. Water, under the force of gravity, is provided to the bowl to assist with the evacuation of waste from the bowl, thought the bowl's outlet and a waste conduit coupled to the drain pipe of a waste collection system or sanitary sewer system.
Implementation Method 3
In a vacuum-assist toilet, the evacuation of waste from the bowl through the waste conduit is facilitated by the application of a vacuum to the waste conduit.
Data Source
AI summary
A toilet for connecting a flush valve to a drain pipe of a waste drainage system. The toilet includes a housing, a bowl, a seat and a P-trap assembly. The bowl is enclosed by the housing and includes a waste receptacle defined between an upper opening and a waste outlet of the bowl. The seat is coupled to the bowl and defines a seating surface with a central opening above the bowl. Additionally, the seat cooperates with the bowl to define an open rinse slot that extends about at least a portion of the bowl. The P-trap assembly includes an inlet positioned at and connected to the waste outlet of the bowl.