Fresh flush recycling toilet
View Patent ↗A portable toilet system is provided having an enclosed housing and including a tank upon which a toilet seat and bowl is positioned. The tank has two sections divided by a wall. Waste drops into the first section where it is accumulated for collection. The dividing wall does not extend to the top of the tank. The second section is initially filled with fresh water. A pump draws water through a hose or pipe submersed in the second section. That water is flushed into the toilet bowl to rinse waste into the first section. As the water in the second section is depleted, the liquid waste deposited in the first section overflows the dividing wall into the second section of the tank to recycle the liquid waste and extend the period before servicing of the system is necessary.
1. A portable, flushable toilet apparatus, said apparatus comprising:
a housing with a base, four housing walls, and a roof, said base having a bottom with skid plates for portability, at least one of said housing walls comprising a door, a tank atop said base and within said housing walls, said tank having a ceiling, a bottom panel, a rear wall, a front wall, and two opposing side walls, said tank comprising a first section for waste collection and a second section for holding fresh water, said first section separated from said second section by a common wall joined to said bottom panel, without a gap between said common wall and bottom panel, said common wall with a top, said common wall connected to and disposed in a plane normal to said bottom panel, said top of said common wall and said ceiling defining a gap between said top and ceiling, said second section having a refilling hole with a removably affixable cap;
a toilet bowl positioned within said ceiling of said tank, above said first section; and
a flush assembly comprising a flush mechanism connected to said toilet bowl, a supply pipe, a pump with a suction side and an outlet side, and an outlet pipe, with said flush assembly having a fresh water flush capability and a contaminated water flush capability;
said supply pipe connected to said suction side of said pump, and with said outlet pipe connected to said outlet side of said pump, said pump in fluid communication with said second section through said supply pipe and in fluid communication with said flush mechanism through said outlet pipe, said flush mechanism in fluid communication with said first section through said toilet bowl, said first section in fluid communication with said second section through said gap between said top of said common wall and said ceiling;
wherein said flush assembly is configured to send a plurality of fresh water flushes to said toilet bowl with the fresh water contents of said second section, with said first section configured to have capacity to receive a plurality of flushes before the contents of said first section overflows over said top of said common wall into said second section, after which time said flush assembly is configured to flush said toilet bowl from said second section into said toilet bowl with supernatant liquid from said first section mixed with remaining fresh water contents of said second section.
2. The toilet apparatus of claim 1 wherein the pump is a foot-operated pump.
3. The toilet apparatus of claim 1 wherein the pump is a hand-operated pump.
4. The toilet apparatus of claim 1 wherein the pump is an electrically operated pump.
5. The toilet apparatus of claim 1 that further comprises a filter mechanism situated in said common wall, wherein said filter mechanism prevents solid waste from passing from said first section to said second section.
6. The toilet apparatus of claim 1 that further comprises a filter mechanism connected to said supply pipe, opposite the connection between said supply pipe and said pump.
7. A method of operating a portable, flushable toilet apparatus, the method comprising the steps of:
(a) providing a portable, flushable toilet apparatus comprising a toilet and tank component having a tank with a first section and a second section, the sections separated by a common wall joined at the bottom panel of said tank, said common wall with a top, a toilet bowl disposed above said first section, and a refilling hole in said second section, wherein said first and second sections are in fluid communication by way of a gap above said top of said common wall;
(b) filling said second section with a quantity of fresh water such that the fresh water does not overflow said top of said common wall;
(c) pumping a portion of said fresh water from said second section into said toilet bowl;
(d) flushing said toilet bowl with said fresh water;
(e) receiving in said first section waste and fresh water from said toilet bowl by way of gravity;
(f) flushing said toilet bowl with said fresh water from said second section;
(g) receiving in said first section waste and fresh water from said toilet bowl by way of gravity;
(h) providing in said first section capacity for receiving a plurality of flushes of waste plus fresh water from said second section;
(i) providing for overflow of supernatant liquid from said first section into said second section by way of said gap above said top of said common wall;
(j) mixing said supernatant liquid with remaining fresh water of said second section;
(k) pumping a portion of mixed supernatant and fresh water from said second section into said toilet bowl;
(l) flushing said toilet bowl with said mixed supernatant and fresh water;
(m) receiving in said first section waste and said mixed supernatant and fresh water from said toilet bowl by way of gravity; and
(n) servicing said toilet apparatus by inserting a vacuum hose into said tank and removing the contents therefrom.
8. The method of claim 7 further comprising, between steps (i) and (j), the step of filtering said supernatant liquid.
9. The method of claim 7 further comprising, between steps (j) and (k), the step of filtering said mixed supernatant liquid and fresh water.
10. The method of claim 7 wherein a non-potable fluid is used in lieu of fresh water.
11. The method of claim 7 wherein said first section has a greater volume than said second section.
12. The method of claim 7 wherein pumping is performed with a foot-operated pump.
13. The method of claim 7 wherein pumping is performed with a hand-operated pump.
14. The method of claim 7 wherein pumping is performed with an electrically operated pump.
15. The method of claim 7 wherein the portable, flushable toilet apparatus further comprises a portable housing, said housing containing said toilet and tank component.
16. A method of operating a portable, flushable toilet apparatus, the method comprising the steps of:
(a) providing a portable, flushable toilet apparatus, said apparatus comprising:
a housing with a base, four housing walls, and a roof,
said base having a bottom with skid plates for portability,
at least one of said housing walls comprising a door,
a tank atop said base and within said housing walls,
said tank having a ceiling, a bottom panel, a rear wall, a front wall, and two opposing side walls,
said tank comprising a first section for waste collection and a second section for holding fresh water,
said first section separated from said second section by a common wall joined to said bottom panel, without a gap between said common wall and bottom panel, said common wall with a top,
said common wall connected to and disposed in a plane normal to said bottom panel,
said top of said common wall and said ceiling defining a gap between said top and ceiling,
said second section having a refilling hole with a removably affixable cap;
a toilet bowl positioned within said ceiling of said tank, above said first section; and
a flush assembly comprising a flush mechanism connected to said toilet bowl, a supply pipe, a pump with a suction side and an outlet side, and an outlet pipe;
said supply pipe connected to said suction side of said pump,
said outlet pipe connected to said outlet side of said pump,
said pump in fluid communication with said second section through said supply pipe and in fluid communication with said flush mechanism through said outlet pipe,
said flush mechanism in fluid communication with said first section through said toilet bowl,
said first section in fluid communication with said second section through said gap between said top of said common wall and said ceiling;
wherein said flush assembly is configured for multiple flushes of said toilet bowl with fresh water flushes from the contents of said second section until the contents of said first section overflows over said top of said common wall into said second section, then said flush assembly flushes said toilet bowl from said second section into said toilet bowl with supernatant liquid from said first section mixed with remaining fresh water contents of said second section;
(b) filling said second section with a quantity of fresh water such that the fresh water does not overflow said top of said common wall;
(c) pumping a portion of said fresh water from said second section into said toilet bowl;
(d) flushing said toilet bowl with said fresh water;
(e) receiving in said first section waste and fresh water from said toilet bowl by way of gravity;
(f) flushing said toilet bowl with said fresh water from said second section at least a second time;
(g) receiving in said first section waste and fresh water from said toilet bowl by way of gravity for at least a second time;
(h) overflowing said supernatant liquid from said first section into said second section, after multiple fresh water flushes, by way of said gap above said top of said common wall;
(i) mixing said supernatant liquid with remaining fresh water of said second section;
(j) pumping a portion of mixed supernatant and fresh water from said second section into said toilet bowl;
(k) flushing said toilet bowl with said mixed supernatant and fresh water;
(l) receiving in said first section waste and said mixed supernatant and fresh water from said toilet bowl by way of gravity; and
(m) servicing said toilet apparatus by inserting a vacuum hose into said tank and removing the contents therefrom.
17. The method of claim 16 further comprising, between steps (h) and (i), a step of filtering said mixed supernatant liquid and fresh water.
18. The method of claim 16 wherein pumping is performed with a foot-operated pump.