Toilet Coupling Bracket with External Fasteners
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Solution Overview
Problem
Conventional methods for coupling a toilet tank to a bowl often result in leaks and corrosion due to fasteners passing through clearance holes in the tank, and offer limited adjustability for leveling.
Innovation Solution
An attachment assembly with a mounting bracket having multiple spaced-apart mounting locations, a valve for fluid connection, and external fasteners that secure the bracket to the bowl without directly engaging the tank, allowing for easy adjustment and reducing exposure to water.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If fasteners pass through clearance holes in the tank to secure the tank to the bowl, then the tank can be securely attached to the bowl, but the fasteners are exposed to water causing corrosion and leaks
Solution Approach 1:
A mounting bracket is introduced as an intermediary component between the tank and bowl. The bracket attaches to the bowl and provides mounting locations for fasteners, eliminating the need for fasteners to pass through the tank wall. This mediator structure separates the attachment function from the tank body, protecting fasteners from water exposure while maintaining secure attachment.
2Reliability
If conventional attachment methods are used, then the tank can be secured to the bowl, but adjustability for leveling is limited
Solution Approach 1:
The attachment system is segmented into distinct functional components: a mounting bracket with multiple mounting locations, adjustable fasteners, and a valve assembly. This segmentation allows each component to be optimized independently, with the bracket providing structural attachment and the fasteners providing adjustable positioning for leveling.
Solution Approach 2:
The fasteners are designed to be adjustable rather than fixed, allowing dynamic positioning to accommodate leveling requirements. The mounting bracket provides multiple mounting locations that can be adjusted to achieve proper alignment and leveling of the tank relative to the bowl.
3Ease of manufacture
If fasteners directly engage the tank through clearance holes, then attachment is achieved, but water exposure causes corrosion
Solution Approach 1:
The mounting bracket serves as a mediator that eliminates direct fastener engagement with the tank. The bracket attaches to the bowl and provides mounting locations for fasteners, creating a separation between the fasteners and the tank environment. This prevents water exposure to fasteners while maintaining attachment functionality.
Data Source
AI summary
A toilet that includes a tank having a bottom and an outlet; a bowl having an inlet and three holes; a valve fluidly connecting the outlet and the inlet, the valve comprising a threaded valve body extending through the outlet; a rigid mounting bracket located adjacent to the bottom and comprising an aperture, which receives the valve body, and three openings spaced apart around the aperture in a triangular arrangement; a valve nut threaded to the valve body to clamp the mounting bracket between the valve nut and the bottom; a flexible gasket for sealing the valve body and the inlet, wherein the gasket contacts the valve body and the valve nut; and three fasteners, each fastener engaging one of the three openings and one of the three holes, wherein each fastener is located external to the tank and does not pass through the bottom of the tank.