Toilet water flushing button cover box
11808022 · 2023-11-07
Inventors
Cpc classification
International classification
Abstract
A Cover Box toilet accessory that contributes to preventive medicine, improves global health, reduces the spread of diseases, and fights the environmental pollution caused by the emission of infectious and polluting bioaerosols during toilet flushing. The Cover Box is designed to fit over the Water Flushing Button of a conventional toilet and includes a Fixed Base and a Sliding Top with transparent or translucent parts. The Fixed Base includes Fitting Guides and a tension spring. By obstructing the direct access to the Water Flushing Button, this Cover Box forces the user to close the toilet lid before flushing, since the movement of the Sliding Top to reveal the button also indirectly closes the toilet lid, reducing the emission of bioaerosols that can spread diseases and cause environmental pollution. The system has a high global impact and can be used in various settings, having a significant impact on public health.
Claims
1. A toilet water flushing button cover box system comprising: a) a toilet comprising: a lid at least one water flushing button; and a cistern; and b) a toilet water flushing button cover box comprising: a fixed base; a sliding top; and means for returning the sliding top to an initial position when released; wherein said fixed base comprises a placement base for adhering the cover box to the cistern; wherein when said cover box is installed surrounding the at least one water flushing button; wherein when the sliding top is moved to allow access to the at least one water flushing button, said lid is forced to close; wherein said means for returning the sliding top to the initial position when released comprise a tension spring attached to said fixed base by a support and to said sliding top by a stopper; wherein said at least one water flushing button can be seen through said sliding top; and wherein said fixed base comprises fitting guides and said sliding top comprises sliding fittings for guiding a sliding movement of the sliding top towards the lid of said toilet, so that when the sliding top is moved to allow access to the at least one water flushing button, said lid is forced to close.
2. The toilet water flushing button cover box system of claim 1, to which a mechanical timer is added to delay the water flush for an amount of time which is sufficient for the lid to be fully closed before flushing.
Description
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
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DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION
(15) The invention consists of a Cover Box accessory for a conventional and generic toilet with a top Water Flushing Button, either single flush or dual flush. This Cover Box is formed by two main parts: a Fixed Base and a Sliding Top. The Fixed Base would ideally be made of acrylic material. The Fixed Base is placed from the front to the back of the toilet lid, leaving the Water Flushing Button of the water discharge valve of the cistern inside to allow easy access to the traditional Water Flushing Button simply by sliding the Sliding Top to release its access. In addition, this Fixed Base is adjustable to different sizes and models of toilets, and different Cover Box sizes can be provided to cover all types of variations.
(16) The ideal height of the Cover Box is between 1 to 2 centimeters. The Fixed Base has two lateral Fitting Guides that allow the horizontal sliding of the Sliding Top in the direction of the toilet lid or lid and seat, with the objective of closing it by the impact of opening the Sliding Top to press the Water Flushing Button. For this to happen smoothly, the toilet seat and lid hinges must be “Soft Close” hinges. Adjusting/manufacturing the hinges of the covers and seats for an extremely fast dropping of 2 to 3 seconds is preferred. The Sliding Top should have a transparent part and may also have an opaque part.
(17) The tension spring is located at the bottom of the Fixed Base and is designed to make the Sliding Top return to its original position. As mentioned, other mechanisms such as elastic bands can be used instead of a spring. The objective of this system is to force the person to open the acrylic lid to activate the Water Flushing Button, which indirectly closes the toilet lid or lid and seat.
(18) By sliding the Sliding Top, the toilet lid is indirectly closed, mechanically implementing the habit of closing the lid or sit and lid before pressing the Water Flushing Button. This system can be used in combination with the same lid and seat presented in the sequential timer system of Patent Application 1.
(19) The Cover Box of the Water Flushing Button with combined movement to close the lid or lid and seat of the present invention significantly improves hygiene in toilet environments by preventing the emission of bioaerosols during flushing. It is easy to install and can be easily adapted to existing toilets. The application of this system can achieve a global impact (social, economic, sanitary), contributing to preventive medicine and significantly improving the level of public health worldwide. It is capable of preventing the spread of diseases of low, medium, and high complexity (in many cases lethal), in addition to contributing to the fight against a building's environmental pollution (within the household, intra-hospital, etc.).
(20) To further enhance the effectiveness of the system, a timer can be added so that the flush is delayed for a few seconds to allow the lid to finish closing before the flush is executed. An example of implementing this timer would be to apply the Water Flushing Button described in Patent Application 1, which is hereby incorporated by reference, and includes a mechanical timer that delays the flush for a certain amount of time. Other timer systems can also be applied without departing from the spirit and scope of the present invention, which a person of ordinary skill in the art could deduce from the teachings of this specification.
(21) The system technically achieves: a) Completely eliminating the transmission and contagion of thousands of diseases through the fecal-oral and urine-oral routes (directly or indirectly) derived from the infectious microscopic bioaerosol column (formed by fecal particles and pathogen germs) from toilets (invisible to the naked eye), to avoid the spread and transmission of diseases. b) Preventing in many cases deaths in all the inhabitants of the world, regardless of place, country, sex, age and purchasing power. c) Avoiding the huge suffering of contracting some of the diseases detailed below. d) Decreasing the death rate worldwide, and also a great economic benefit for public health: the governments of each country will spend less on hospital care.
Diseases Transmitted Via the Fecal-Oral and Urine-Oral Routes
(22) Following is a list of mild, severe and fatal infectious diseases transmitted by the fecal-oral and urine-oral routes, through the pathogenic germs that generate them (viruses, bacteria, protozoa, etc.). It is important to highlight that this list of 47 diseases is not exhaustive and definitive. In reality, there are even more, generated by thousands of existing strains, so the number of diseases to avoid is measured in the hundreds or thousands. By way of example, in a single flushing of water, feces can contain up to 200 Rotavirus cells, 20 billion Shigella Bacteria and 100,000 parasite eggs.
(23) 1. Hookworm Disease Infectious agent that produces it: nematode/worm/parasite. Hookworm disease caused by Necator americanus. Ancylostoma duodenale. Ancylostoma brasiliense. Ancylostoma ceylanicum. Symptoms: anemia, abdominal pain, cough, bloody diarrhea, fatigue, fever, rash, excessive weight loss, lung problems, gastrointestinal problems, heart failure, etc. Severity level: mild, severe and fatal.
(24) 2. Balantidiasis Infectious agent that produces it: protozoon. Balantidium coli. Symptoms: diarrhea with blood and pus, nausea and vomiting, excessive weight loss, severe dehydration, high fever, headache, etc. Severity level: mild, severe and fatal.
(25) 3. Botulism Infectious agent that produces it: bacteria. Clostridium botulinum Symptoms: abdominal pain, constipation, vomiting, fatigue, blurred or double vision, difficulty speaking, swallowing and breathing, muscle paralysis, loss of reflexes, etc. Severity level: mild, severe and fatal.
(26) 4. Mononucleosis Infectious agent that produces it: virus. Cytomegalovirus. Symptoms: fever, fatigue, sore throat, muscle aches, etc. Severity level: mild, severe and fatal.
(27) 5. Cholera Infectious agent that produces it: bacteria. Vibrio cholerae. Symptoms: intense diarrhea, severe dehydration, vomiting, muscle cramps, hypovolemic shock, blood pressure alteration, etc. Severity level: mild, severe and fatal.
(28) 6. Ebola Infectious agent that produces it: virus. Ebola virus. Symptoms: pain in the abdomen, headache, throat, joints, muscles and chest. Dehydration, fever, diarrhea, vomiting blood, coughing up blood, etc. Severity level: mild, severe and fatal.
(29) 7. Strongyloidiasis Infectious agent that produces it: ascarid. Strongyloides stercoralis. Symptoms: cough, rash, diarrhea, vomiting, etc. Severity level: mild, severe and fatal.
(30) 8. Bacillary and Amoebic Dysentery Infectious agent that produces it: bacteria. Shigella for Bacillary Dysentery, and Amoeba called Entamoeba histolytica for Amebic Dysentery. Symptoms: bloody diarrhea, abdominal pain, colic, fever, dehydration, cramps, excessive weight loss, etc. Severity level: mild, severe and fatal.
(31) 9. Enteritis Caused by Rotavirus Infectious agent that produces it: virus. Rotavirus. Symptoms: abdominal pain, cramps, colic, excessive weight loss, watery diarrhea, vomiting, dehydration, high fever, etc. Severity level: mild, severe and fatal.
(32) 10. Enteritis caused by Adenovirus Infectious agent that produces it: virus. Adenovirus. Symptoms: diarrhea, abdominal pain, blood in the urine, bladder pain, high fever, etc. Severity level: mild, severe and fatal.
(33) 11. Enteritis Caused by Campylobacter Infectious agent that produces it: virus. Campylobacter. Symptoms: diarrhea, abdominal pain, blood in the urine, bladder pain, high fever, etc. Severity level: mild, severe and fatal.
(34) 12. Enteritis Caused by Yersinia Enterocolitica Infectious agent that produces it: bacteria. Yersinia. Symptoms: diarrhea, abdominal pain, blood in the urine, bladder pain, high fever, etc. Severity level: mild, severe and fatal.
(35) 13. Enterocolitis Caused by Clostridium Difficile Infectious agent that produces it: bacteria. Clostridium difficile. Symptoms: diarrhea, abdominal pain, blood in the urine, bladder pain, high fever, etc. Severity level: mild, severe and fatal.
(36) 14. Enterocolitis Caused by Enterovirus Infectious agent that produces it: virus. Enterovirus. Symptoms: diarrhea, abdominal pain, blood in the urine, bladder pain, high fever, etc. Severity level: mild, severe and fatal.
(37) 15. Norwalk Gastroenteritis Infectious agent that produces it: virus. Norwalk. Symptoms: diarrhea, abdominal pain, blood in the urine, bladder pain, high fever, etc. Severity level: mild, severe and fatal.
(38) 16. Acute Viral Gastroenteritis Infectious agent that produces it: virus. Norovirus. Symptoms: diarrhea, abdominal pain, blood in the urine, bladder pain, high fever, etc. Severity level: mild, severe and fatal.
(39) 17. Acute Bacterial Gastroenteritis Infectious agent that produces it: bacteria. Helicobacter pylori (high degree of lethality). Symptoms: diarrhea, abdominal pain, blood in the urine, bladder pain, high fever, etc. Severity level: mild, severe and fatal.
(40) 18. Giardiasis Infectious agent that produces it: protozoan parasite. Giardia. Symptoms: chronic diarrhea, impaired mental and physical development, lactose intolerance, etc. Severity level: mild, severe and fatal.
(41) 19. Hantavirus Infectious agent that produces it: virus. Hantaviridae. Symptoms: high and hemorrhagic fever, headache, muscle aches, cough, lung problems, etc. Severity level: mild, severe and fatal.
(42) 20. Hepatitis A Infectious agent that produces it: Highly contagious liver infection caused by the Hepatitis A virus. Symptoms: Symptoms include fatigue, nausea, abdominal pain, loss of appetite, and low-grade fever. Joint pain, headache, inflammation of the liver. Severity level: mild, severe and fatal.
(43) 21. Hepatitis B Infectious agent that produces it: Serious liver infection caused by the Hepatitis B virus. Symptoms: Symptoms include fatigue, nausea, abdominal pain, loss of appetite, and low-grade fever. Joint pain, headache, inflammation of the liver. Cirrhosis, liver cancer. Severity level: mild, severe and fatal.
(44) 22. Hepatitis E Infectious agent that produces it: Liver disease caused by the Hepatitis E virus. Symptoms: Symptoms include jaundice, lack of appetite, and nausea. Severity level: mild, severe and fatal.
(45) 23. Enterohemorrhagic Escherichia coli Infectious agent that produces it: bacteria. E. coli Symptoms: Cramps, abdominal pain, diarrhea, severe bleeding, intestinal infections, etc. Severity level: mild, severe and fatal.
(46) 24. Enteroinvasive Escherichia coli Infectious agent that produces it: bacteria. Escherichia coli Symptoms: Cramps, abdominal pain, diarrhea, severe bleeding, intestinal infections, etc. Severity level: mild, severe and fatal.
(47) 25. Enteropathogenic Escherichia coli Infectious agent that produces it: bacteria. Escherichia coli Symptoms: Cramps, abdominal pain, diarrhea, severe bleeding, intestinal infections, etc. Severity level: mild, severe and fatal.
(48) 26. Escherichia coli Enterotoxins Infectious agent that produces it: bacteria. Escherichia coli Symptoms: Cramps, abdominal pain, diarrhea, severe bleeding, intestinal infections, etc. Severity level: mild, severe and fatal.
(49) 27. Enteroaggregative Escherichia coli Infectious agent that produces it: bacteria. Escherichia coli Symptoms: Cramps, abdominal pain, diarrhea, severe bleeding, intestinal infections, etc. Severity level: mild, severe and fatal.
(50) 28. Escherichia coli Diffuse Adhesion Infectious agent that produces it: bacteria. Escherichia coli Symptoms: Cramps, abdominal pain, diarrhea, severe bleeding, intestinal infections, etc. Severity level: mild, severe and fatal.
(51) 29. Cryptosporidiosis Infectious agent that produces it: parasite. Cryptosporidium. Symptoms: diarrhea, abdominal pain, blood in the urine, bladder pain, high fever, etc. Severity level: mild, severe and fatal.
(52) 30. Isospora Infectious agent that produces it: parasite. Isospora Belli. Symptoms: diarrhea, abdominal pain, fever, dehydration, etc. Severity level: mild, severe and fatal.
(53) 31. Bacillus cereus Infectious agent that produces it: bacteria. Bacillus Cereus. Symptoms: emetic syndrome or diarrheal syndrome. Fever, dehydration, abdominal pain, headache, bloody stools, abdominal cramps, poisoning, etc. Severity level: mild, severe and fatal.
(54) 32. Clostridium perfringens Infectious agent that produces it: bacteria with eight lethal toxins. Clostridium. Symptoms: watery diarrhea, nausea, colic, abdominal pain, headache, poisoning, etc. Severity level: mild, severe and fatal.
(55) 33. Staphylococcus Infectious agent that produces it: bacteria. Bacilli. Symptoms: skin infections, boils, blood infections, bone infections, lung infections, poisoning, etc. Severity level: mild, severe and fatal.
(56) 34. Klebsiella Infectious agent that produces it: bacteria. pneumoniae. Symptoms: urinary and biliary tract infections, osteomyelitis, meningitis, septicemia, pneumonia, fever, tachycardia, etc. Severity level: mild, severe and fatal.
(57) 35. Malaria Infectious agent that produces it: parasite. Plasmodium. Symptoms: abdominal pain, muscle pain. Fatigue, fever, tremors, diarrhea, vomiting, headache, tachycardia, confusion, etc. Severity level: mild, severe and fatal.
(58) 36. Epidemic Pleurodynia or Bornholm Disease Infectious agent that produces it: virus. Enterovirus. Symptoms: intense pleural and chest pain. Abdominal pain, fever, myocarditis, etc. Severity level: mild, severe and fatal.
(59) 37. Salmonellosis Infectious agent that produces it: bacteria. Salmonella. Symptoms: diarrhea, fever, abdominal pain, muscle pain and headache, dehydration, bloody diarrhea, excessive weight loss, fatigue, chills, etc. Severity level: mild, severe and fatal.
(60) 38. Poliomielitis Infectious agent that produces it: virus. poliovirus. Symptoms: atrophy, fatigue, fever, dizziness, muscle loss, slow growth, headaches, nausea, vomiting. Severity level: mild, severe and fatal.
(61) 39. Rubella Infectious agent that produces it: virus. Rubella. Symptoms: fever, nasal congestion, headache, body aches, enlarged neck lymph nodes, body rashes, cardiac disorders, diabetes, thyroid dysfunction, etc. Severity level: mild and severe.
(62) 40. Typhoid Fever Infectious agent that produces it: bacteria. Salmonella typhi. Symptoms: abdominal pain, muscle aches, headaches, diarrhea, vomiting, fever, fatigue, chills, extreme weight loss, etc. Severity level: mild, severe and fatal.
(63) 41. Shigellosis Infectious agent that produces it: bacteria. Shigella. It has 3 strains. Symptoms: bloody diarrhea, abdominal pain, headache, intestinal fever. Severity level: mild, severe and fatal.
(64) 42. Trachoma Infectious agent that produces it: bacteria. Chlamydia trachomatis. Symptoms: blindness (main infectious disease globally). Other symptoms: conjunctivitis, eye irritations. Severity level: mild and severe.
(65) 43. Trichuriasis Infectious agent that produces it: parasite. Trichuris trichiura. Symptoms: abdominal pain, anemia, malnutrition, bloody diarrhea, rectal prolapse, etc. Severity level: mild, severe and fatal.
(66) 44. Tuberculosis Infectious agent that produces it: bacteria. Koch's bacillus. Symptoms: chest pain, headache, coughing up blood, fatigue, fever, loss of appetite, breathing difficulties, swollen lymph nodes, weight loss, etc. Severity level: mild, severe and fatal.
(67) 45. Vibrio parahaemolyticus Gastroenteritis Infectious agent that produces it: bacteria. Vibrio parahaemolyticus. Symptoms: diarrhea, abdominal and headache pain, nausea, vomiting, fever etc. Severity level: mild, severe and fatal.
(68) 46. Intestinal or extraintestinal yersiniosis Infectious agent that produces it: bacteria. Yersinia. Symptoms: severe diarrhea, fever, cramps, intestinal pain, etc. Severity level: mild, severe and fatal.
(69) 47. COVID-19 Infectious agent that produces it: infectious disease caused by the SARS-CoV-2 virus. Symptoms: headache, shortness of breath, chills, muscle aches, pneumonia, fever, cough, tiredness, loss of taste or smell. Severity level: mild, severe and fatal.
Superbugs
(70) The World Health Organization (WHO) has published a list of superbugs for which new antibiotics are urgently needed. The list includes the 12 most dangerous and deadly families of bacteria worldwide, 7 of which will be mentioned below as they can be transmitted via the fecal-oral route, and 2 via the fecal-oral and urine-oral route. Said published list is a new tool to guarantee that research and development, such as the work carried out in this patent where we developed a preventive product for disease transmission and a complement to medication, responds to urgent global public health needs.
(71) The WHO divides them into three categories based on the urgency in which new antibiotics, drugs, etc. are needed: critical, high or medium priority.
(72) The critical priority group includes multi-resistant bacteria that can cause serious and often fatal infections, such as bloodstream infections and pneumonia.
(73) The second and third levels of the list (the high and medium priority categories) contain other bacteria that exhibit increasing drug resistance and cause common diseases and food poisoning such as Salmonella, etc.
(74) Predictions suggest that by the year 2050 superbugs can cause 10 million deaths per year worldwide and many of these diseases are of great concern and impact for the United States, for instance.
(75) Priority 1: CRITICAL
(76) Acinetobacter baumannii, carbapenem-resistant: Can be transmitted via fecal-oral or urine-oral route. Pseudomonas aeruginosa, carbapenem-resistant: Can be transmitted via fecal-oral or urine-oral route. Enterobacteriaceae, carbapenem-resistant, ESBL producers: Can be transmitted by the fecal-oral route.
Priority 2: HIGH Enterococcus faecium, vancomycin-resistant: Can be transmitted via fecal-oral route. Staphylococcus aureus, methicillin-resistant (MRSA), with intermediate sensitivity and resistance to vancomycin: Can be transmitted via fecal-oral route. Helicobacter pylori, clarithromycin-resistant: An infectious agent mentioned earlier in the List of Diseases. Can be transmitted via fecal-oral route. Campylobacter spp., fluoroquinolone-resistant: A disease mentioned earlier in the List of Diseases. Can be transmitted via fecal-oral route. Salmonellae, fluoroquinolone-resistant: A disease mentioned earlier in the List of Diseases. Can be transmitted via fecal-oral route.
Priority 3: MEDIUM Shigella, fluoroquinolones-resistant: A disease already mentioned above in the List of Diseases. It can be transmitted by the fecal-oral route.
(77) In addition, outside the WHO list, there is a strain of superbug called CRE that belongs to the group of Enterobacteriaceae, carbapenems-resistant and is lethal in 50% of cases. It is of great concern to public health because current drugs (between 26 and 28 antibiotics used) do not provide the required result. This strain was classified as a “Nightmare Bacteria” by the Director of the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), Tom Frieden. The CRE superbug can be transmitted through fecal-oral and urine-oral routes. The West Virginia Public Health Office indicated that infected patients often have the bacteria on their skin or hands and spread it through urine, feces, or wounds.
(78) Some general aspects of the present invention have been summarized so far in the first part of this detailed description and in the previous sections of this disclosure. Hereinafter, a detailed description of the invention as illustrated in the drawings will be provided. While some aspects of the invention will be described in connection with these drawings, it is to be understood that the disclosed embodiments are merely illustrative of the invention, which may be embodied in various forms. The specific materials, methods, structures, and functional details disclosed herein are not to be interpreted as limiting. Instead, the intended function of this disclosure is to exemplify some of the ways—including the presently preferred ways—in which the invention, as defined by the claims, can be enabled for a Person of Ordinary Skill in the Art. Therefore, the intent of the present disclosure is to cover all variations encompassed within the spirit and scope of the invention as defined by the appended claims, and any reasonable equivalents thereof.
(79) With reference to the drawings in more detail,
(80) In
(81) In
(82) In
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(87) The importance of having the Cover Box in the toilet lies in the need to necessarily close the lid 17 or lid 17 and seat 18 to activate the flush, preventing the dispersion of microorganisms that occur when the lid is open and the flush is activated. In this way, the Cover Box allows for greater hygiene and safety in the use of the toilet.
(88) Finally, in
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(90) The description as set forth is not intended to be exhaustive or to limit the invention to the precise form disclosed. Many modifications and variations are possible in light of the teachings above without departing from the spirit and scope of the forthcoming claims.