Conditioning device for deodorising and/or odourising air

[57] ABSTRACT

This invention concerns a conditioning pack for deodorising and/or odourising air. The pack comprises a substance, for example activated carbon, through which air can pass and which alters the odour of the air on passing through it, and a battery for driving an air displacement means within or through the substance. The pack can be used for conditioning air from sanitaryware articles and can be disposeable.

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3,887,948

CONDITIONING DEVICE FOR DEODORISING AND/OR ODOURISING AIR

This invention relates to a conditioning pack for deodorising and/or odourising air.

The present invention provides a conditioning pack for deodorising and/or odourising air comprising a substance through which air can pass and adapted to alter the odour of air passing through, and a battery adapted to drive an air displacement means within or outside the pack for displacing air through the substance.

The conditioning pack provided by the invention may be used wherever it is desired to condition air by deodorising and/or odourising it. The invention is especially suitable for use in the deodorising of foul air from toilets, bedpans, commodes, and other articles of sanitaryware.

The battery may be mounted on the outside of a container containing the substance so that the battery is renewable separately from the pack. Alternatively the battery may be totally enclosed within the container so that when the battery needs replacing, the pack comprising the battery and the deodorising and/or odourising substance has to be discarded. The amount of such substance can be such that its usefulness is substantially exhausted at the same time as the battery. The battery may be a dry cell battery, for example a manganese alkaline cell. If desired, more than one battery an be supplied, whether the pack is of the throwaway tipe or of the battery-replacement type.

The air displacement means, e.g. a fan, may be mounted within the pack. Alternatively, the air displacement means may be mounted outside the pack, for example in a toilet seat which is in communication with the pack, or in a pipe leading to the pack to a source of foul air, e.g. a toilet, bedpan or the like. When the air displacement means is in the pack, wires can lead from the battery and air displacement means to a switch. Similarly, when the air displacement means is not in the pack, wires can lead from the battery to the air displacement means and a switch. The switch may be mounted beneath or in the underside of a toilet seat. The switch may be a pressure switch and can comprise two contacts mounted in a flexible material and separated by a void flexing of the material permitting electrical contact to be made. The contacts may be supported beam fashion across the void. The wires from the switch may end in terminals of the male/female press fit clip on type.

The pack may be in two parts, namely a head part containing an aperture through which air to be deodorising and/or odourised may enter the pack, and a body part containing the substance adapted to alter the odour of the air. The head part may be fittable on one end of the body part by means of a bayonet connection, screw connection or by being slid on that end. The head part may be attached to one end of a tube, the other end of which leads to the sourse of foul air.

The switch may be a pressure switch and can comprise two contacts mounted in flexible material and separated by a void flexing of the material permitting electrical contact to be made. The contacts may be supported beam fashion across the void.

For example in one embodiment, the other end of the pipe (i.e. the end not attached to the head part) may lead to the exterior of ducts in a toilet seat, said ducts being positioned to be in communication with the inte rior of a toilet bowl when the seat is lowered on the bowl. The underside of the seat may have a seal around it of a size and shape adapted to fit sealingly on a toilet bowl. The seal may be made of foamed or unfoamed plastics material, for example a suitable polyurethane plastics material. The ducts may pass through the seal and may be formed during the manufacture of the seal. The open ends of the ducts can be such that they face towards the rear of the toilet bowl when the seat is lowered. The seal may be moulded with a switch and wires present therein.

In another embodiment, the said other end of the pipe can have an inlet of a shape to be in communication with the interior of a sanitaryware article. The shape may be such as to fit over the top of, and into, a bedpan or toilet bowl. When the sanitary ware article is a toilet bowl, a seat (which may be a flush fitting seat) may make a seal with the top of the while permitting air to be extracted from the bowl. If desired, the seat may have a sealing ring around its underside, which may be attached to or moulded integrally with the toilet seat. The sealing ring may be of foamed polyurethane and may have a switch moulded integrally in it.

When the sanitaryware article is a bedpan, it may be manufactured of stainless steel, a ceramic material or a plastics material. The inlet end of the pipe, which will fit into the bedpan, may comprise a pair of diverging arms, each having a goose-neck like formation and optionally leading via a collector to the rest of the pipe. Such a formation for the inlet end of a pipe can fit under the lip which is usual on bedpans.

In a further embodiment, the inlet end of the pipe may end in a hollow resilient plug to be inserted in an air-removal hole in the article of sanitaryware, which may be a toilet, bedpan, or commode. The air-removal hole of the sanitaryware article may be closed by a grommet or solid plug when the pipe is not connected thereto.

The body part of the pack provided by the invention may comprise a perforated annular container for the substance to alter the dour of the air, air being able to enter down the centre and pass outwardly in a generally radial direction through the substance. Conveniently the substance to alter the odour of the air may be a substance which removes a foul odour by absorption and/or adsorption. For example activated carbon may be used. A substance which evolves a pleasant odour (e.g. a perfume) may be present in addition, or instead of the activated carbon.

Conveniently, the perforated container has a large outer surface through which the treated air may pass into the atmosphere. For example, the outer surface may ba a grid of metal or plastics material.

In yet another embodiment, the pack may be of a predetermined size and shape to fit within a cavity of a toilet ventilation apparatus and having matching terminals or connections to marry up with the terminals or connections of the pack. For example, the cavity may be provided in a toilet seat, and an air displacing means and a switch may form part of an electrical circuit to be completed by the battery.

The invention further provides a toilet bowl ventilation device in combination with the pack according to the invention, as well as a toilet seat in combination with the pack according to the invention.

3,887,948

The invention is illustrated by reference to the accompanying drawings, in which

FIG. 1 shows an axial section through one embodiment of a replaceable pack in accordance with the invention;

FIG. 2 shows diagrammatically an end elevation of another embodiment of a pack in accordance with the invention, generally of rectangular form; and

FIG. 3 shows generally a fragmentary sectional front elevation of one end of the embodiment of FIG. 2, and taken along III—III,

FIG. 4 is an axial section through another embodiment of a pack according to the invention;

FIG. S shows a pack according to the invention in use in purifying air from a toilet bowl; and

FIG. 6 shows a pack according to the invention in use in purifying air from a bedpan.

In FIG. 1 reference numeral 10 indicates a cartridge filter pack comprising a container 12 of annular construction with inner and outer metal grid walls 14, 16, and an end 18 through which no air can pass. The container 12 contains a battery 20, and the remainder of the container is full of activated carbon 22. Leads 24, 24.1 from the battery 20 end in terminals 26, 26.1 of the press-fit stud type. A plastics head portion 28 fits over the container 12 and is moulded integrally with a pipe 30 which leads to ducts in a toilet seat. A fan (not shown) is mounted in the pipe 30.

Leads 32, 32.1 from an electrical circuit including the fan and a switch under the toilet seat end in terminals 34, 34.1 which can be pressed into the terminals 26, 26.1. When the electrical circuit is completed by a person’s weight pressing on the toilet seat, air is sucked from the toilet along the pipe 30 and redially out through the activated carbon 22, becoming purified in the process.

When the battery 20 has been exhausted, the head portion 28 is removed and the used cartridge filter pack 10 discarded and replaced by a new one.

Referring now to FIGS. 2 and 3 of the drawings, there is shown another pack 40 of generally rectangular form. It comprises a foraminous container 42 within which there is provided filter material 44 which may be activated carbon, and a battery 46 having terminal connections 48 and 48.1. The pack 40 may be of metal gauze or of a moulded synthetic plastic material.

In FIG. 4, a pack shown generally at 50 comprises a cylindrical container having an outer perforated wall 52 and inner perforated wall 54. End 56 of the container is non-perforate. The container is in two parts, namely a head part 58 and a body part 60. The walls of the head part are solid. The body part 60 contains activated carbon 62 and a perfume substance and a battery 64. Leads 66, 66.1 from the battery 64 end in terminals 68, 68.1.

The head part 58 contains a fan 70 and switch 72. The head part 58 screws on the body part 60 and, when screwed on the terminals 68, 68.1 from the battery 64 contact terminals 74, 74.1 connected to wires completing the electrical circuit containing the fan 70 and the switch 72.

The head part 58 has a central sleeve 7i&gt; which is slideable into a pipe 78 leading to the interior of an article of sanitaryware.

In this embodiment, the switch 72 is operated when air is to be removed from the article of sanitaryware.

In FIG. 5, the underside of a toilet seat 80 has a moulded seal 82 attached thereto. Inlets 84, 84.1 lead to duct 86 which itself leads to pipe 88 connected to a pack 90 according to the invention. A switch 92 has leads 94 to a battery 96 and fan 98 within the pack. The pack 90 easily can be removed from the pipe 88.

In FIG. 6, a pack 100 as illustrated in FIG. 4 has a sleeve 102 over which pipe 104 fits. The pipe 104 leads to a collector 106 from which swan-neck shaped pipes 108, 108.1 lead into a bedpan 110, fitting under the lip 112 of the bedpan. To use the pack, the switch 114 must be operated. The pack is easily separatable to provided a head part 116 and a disposeable body part 118, as was illustrated in FIG. 4.

The invention enables foul air to be purified in an inexpensive manner without elaborate ducting. The pack, or a worn out part thereof can be discarded when it has been used, and replaced easily. If a toilet ventilation apparatus operates inefficiently, a housewife or cleaner need not have to decide whether it is the battery or the filter which is at fault. She merely has to replace the whole pack. The pipe may be easily removeable from the sanitaryware article.