Self-Cleaning Toilet Assembly and System

摘要

Toilet assemblies having various embodiments of a cleaning system are described herein which include a toilet assembly and a cleaning system. The toilet assembly has a toilet bowl, a tank, a flush valve, and a rim in fluid communication with the bowl through a rim flow path from an outlet of the flush valve to at least one rim outlet port. The flush valve is configured to operate in a flush actuation mode wherein the flush valve is able to provide flush water flow sufficient for the toilet assembly to initiate a flush siphon or provide a wash down flush and to operate in a cleaning actuation mode wherein the flush valve is only partially opened to allow for introduction of a cleaning agent and flush water mixture to the bowl that is insufficient to initiate a siphon but sufficient for cleaning the bowl. The cleaning system includes a reservoir for a liquid cleaning agent, a housing for the reservoir, a supply conduit for receiving fluid from within the reservoir and delivering it to a flush valve, a flow control device capable of controlling flow of cleaning agent and a control system activatable by an actuator feature to initiate a clean cycle by operating the flow control device to deliver a dose of cleaning agent to one or more rim outlets, and operating the flush valve in cleaning actuation mode to introduce flush water to carry the dose of cleaning agent through the at least one rim outlet port into the toilet bowl at a flow rate insufficient to initiate a siphon but sufficient for cleaning the bowl.

主权项

1. A toilet assembly having a cleaning system, comprising:
(a) a toilet assembly comprising
a toilet bowl defining an interior space,
a toilet tank defining a tank interior,a flush valve, anda rim in fluid communication with the interior of the bowl through a rim flow path extending from an outlet of the flush valve to at least one rim outlet port, wherein the flush valve is configured to deliver fluid to the at least one rim outlet port, and wherein the flush valve is configured to operate in a flush actuation mode wherein the flush valve is able to provide flush water flow sufficient for the toilet assembly to initiate a flush siphon or provide a wash down flush and to operate in a cleaning actuation mode wherein the flush valve is only partially opened to allow for introduction of a cleaning agent and flush water mixture to the bowl that is insufficient to initiate a siphon but sufficient for cleaning the bowl; and (b) a cleaning system comprising
a reservoir for holding a liquid cleaning agent having a body defining an interior space and having an outlet port in fluid communication with the interior space of the reservoir body;a housing configured to receive the reservoir;a supply conduit in fluid communication with the interior of the reservoir and having a first end for receiving fluid from within the reservoir;a flow control device capable of controlling flow through the supply conduit; anda control system activatable by an actuator feature, wherein upon activation of the actuator feature, the control system is adapted to initiate a clean cycle by:
operating the flow control device for a first period of time sufficient to deliver a dose of a liquid cleaning agent from the reservoir to one or more rim outlets, andoperating the flush valve in a cleaning actuation mode to open the flush valve so as to introduce flush water to carry the dose of a liquid cleaning agent through the at least one rim outlet port into the toilet bowl at a flow rate insufficient to initiate a siphon but sufficient for cleaning the bowl.