Efficient flush toilet

Abstract

A toilet flushing assembly includes at least a spiral trapway and a drive mechanism. The spiral trapway includes an upstream portion coupled to a toilet bowl, a curved portion, and a downstream portion coupled to a waste outlet. The drive mechanism is coupled to the spiral trapway and configured to rotate the spiral trapway from a first orientation to a second orientation. The first orientation evacuates contents from the toilet bowl and the second orientation advances the contents from the spiral trapway to the waste outlet.

1 . A toilet flushing assembly comprising:
 a spiral trapway having an upstream portion coupled to a toilet bowl, a curved portion, and a downstream portion coupled to a waste outlet; and   a drive mechanism coupled to the spiral trapway and configured to rotate the spiral trapway from a first orientation to a second orientation, wherein the first orientation evacuates contents from the toilet bowl and the second orientation advances the contents from the spiral trapway to the waste outlet.   
     
     
         2 . The toilet flushing assembly of  claim 1 , wherein the drive mechanism includes a lever operable between a first position and a second position, wherein the first orientation corresponds to the first position and the second orientation corresponds to the second position. 
     
     
         3 . The toilet flushing assembly of  claim 1 , wherein the drive mechanism includes a gear configured to rotate the spiral trapway between the first orientation and the second orientation. 
     
     
         4 . The toilet flushing assembly of  claim 3 , wherein the drive mechanism includes a pedal to rotate the gear. 
     
     
         5 . The toilet flushing assembly of  claim 3 , wherein the drive mechanism includes a motor or a solenoid to rotate the gear. 
     
     
         6 . The toilet flushing assembly of  claim 1 , wherein the drive mechanism is configured to rotate the spiral trapway from the second orientation to the first orientation in order to create a water seal in the spiral trapway. 
     
     
         7 . The toilet flushing assembly of  claim 1 , further comprising:
 a tank; and   a valve configured to open a flow of water from the tank to the toilet bowl.   
     
     
         8 . The toilet flushing assembly of  claim 7 , wherein the drive mechanism is configured to open the valve after rotating the spiral trapway from the first orientation to the second orientation. 
     
     
         9 . The toilet flushing assembly of  claim 7 , wherein the drive mechanism is configured to open the valve after rotating the spiral trapway from the second orientation to the first orientation. 
     
     
         10 . The toilet flushing assembly of  claim 1 , further comprising:
 a springback device coupled to the spiral trapway and configured to apply a force to rotate the spiral trapway from the second orientation to the first orientation.   
     
     
         11 . The toilet flushing assembly of  claim 1 , wherein the drive mechanism includes a manual lever. 
     
     
         12 . The toilet flushing assembly of  claim 1 , wherein the drive mechanism rotates the spiral trapway in response to a flush input. 
     
     
         13 . The toilet flushing assembly of  claim 12 , wherein the flush input includes a flush lever, a remote control, a touchscreen, a button, a capacitive switch, or a sensor. 
     
     
         14 . The toilet flushing assembly of  claim 1 , wherein the spiral trapway causes a siphon break of a water seal. 
     
     
         15 . The toilet flushing assembly of  claim 1 , wherein the spiral trapway includes a plurality of water seals. 
     
     
         16 . A toilet comprising:
 a toilet bowl;   a tank connected to the toilet bowl via a water channel;   a spiral trapway having an upstream portion coupled to the toilet bowl, a curved portion, and a downstream portion coupled to a waste outlet; and   a drive mechanism coupled to the spiral trapway and configured to rotate the spiral trapway from a first orientation to a second orientation and opens the water channel to the toilet bowl, wherein the first orientation evacuates contents from the toilet bowl and the second orientation advances the contents from the spiral trapway to the waste outlet.   
     
     
         17 . The toilet of  claim 16 , wherein the drive mechanism includes a lever operable between a first position and a second position, wherein the first orientation corresponds to the first position and the second orientation corresponds to the second position. 
     
     
         18 . The toilet of  claim 17 , further comprising:
 a valve for the water channel between the tank and the toilet bowl, wherein the second position of the lever, or movement from the first position to the second position, causes the lever to open the water channel.   
     
     
         19 . The toilet of  claim 17 , wherein the drive mechanism is configured to rotate the spiral trapway from the second orientation to the first orientation in order to create a water seal in the spiral trapway. 
     
     
         20 . A method for flushing a toilet bowl with a spiral trapway, the method comprising:
 rotating a spiral trapway from a first orientation to a second orientation, wherein the first orientation evacuates contents from the toilet bowl and the second orientation advances the contents from the spiral trapway to a waste outlet; and   rotating the spiral trapway from the second orientation to the first orientation to create a water seal in the spiral trapway for a subsequent flush.   
     
     
         21 - 148 . (canceled)