Pressurized Flush Tank Assembly

Abstract

A tank for a pressure-assist toilet flush system includes a base having an outlet configured for discharging water from the tank and a cover connected to the base, such that the cover and the base define a cavity to hold water to be discharged through the outlet. The tank may have a wall having a passage therethrough and extending upward from the bottom of the base and at least partially surrounding the outlet. The tank may also have a tray engaged with the base within the cavity and spaced upward from the bottom of the base. The tank may further have an air inducer assembly including a housing having a chamber and an outlet connected to the tank, a water inlet, and an air inlet, with a tube extending into the chamber and toward the outlet. The tube has a passage extending from the water inlet through the tube.

What is claimed is: 
     
         1 . A tank for a pressure-assist toilet flush system, the tank comprising:
 a base having an outlet configured for discharging water from the tank, the base comprising:
 a pair of first sidewalls extending downward from an upper end of the base along a length of the base; 
 a pair of second sidewalls extending between the first sidewalls and downward from the upper end of the base; 
 a bottom wall connected to the first sidewalls and the second sidewalls, wherein the outlet is defined in the bottom wall; and 
 a wall extending upward from the bottom wall and at least partially surrounding the outlet, wherein the wall has a passage therethrough, the wall being configured such that at least a portion of the water flowing to the outlet while discharging the water from the tank is configured to flow through the passage toward the outlet; and 
   a cover connected to the upper end of the base, such that the cover and the base define a cavity configured to hold water to be discharged through the outlet.   
     
     
         2 . The tank of  claim 1 , wherein the wall extends completely around the outlet. 
     
     
         3 . The tank of  claim 2 , wherein the wall is a cylindrical wall. 
     
     
         4 . The tank of  claim 1 , wherein the wall has a height configured to be higher than a level of water in the tank. 
     
     
         5 . The tank of  claim 1 , wherein the base further comprises a first cross-rib and a second cross-rib extending between the first sidewalls, and the wall is located between the first cross-rib and the second cross-rib. 
     
     
         6 . The tank of  claim 1 , wherein the passage is positioned at a juncture between the wall and the bottom wall of the base. 
     
     
         7 . The tank of  claim 1 , wherein the wall has a second passage positioned on an opposite side of the outlet from the passage. 
     
     
         8 . The tank of  claim 7 , wherein the wall is a cylindrical wall, and the passage and the second passage are positioned on opposite sides of the outlet along the length of the base. 
     
     
         9 . The tank of  claim 1 , wherein the tank is configured to hold a replaceable flush cartridge having a plunger accessible above a top of the cover and configured to selectively seal the outlet to control discharge of the water from the tank. 
     
     
         10 . The tank of  claim 1 , wherein the wall is configured to restrict a volume of water flowing through the outlet while water is discharging through the outlet. 
     
     
         11 . A tank for a pressure-assist toilet flush system, the tank comprising:
 a base having an outlet configured for discharging water from the tank, the base comprising:
 a pair of first sidewalls extending downward from an upper end of the base along a length of the base; 
 a pair of second sidewalls extending between the first sidewalls and downward from the upper end of the base; and 
 a bottom wall connected to the first sidewalls and the second sidewalls, wherein the outlet is defined in the bottom wall; 
   a cover connected to the upper end of the base, such that the cover and the base define a cavity configured to hold water to be discharged through the outlet; and   a tray engaged with the base and positioned within the cavity, the tray having a bottom tray wall spaced upward from the bottom wall of the base.   
     
     
         12 . The tank of  claim 11 , further comprising a second tray engaged with the base and positioned within the cavity, the second tray having a second bottom tray wall spaced upward from the bottom wall of the base. 
     
     
         13 . The tank of  claim 12 , wherein the tray and the second tray are positioned on opposite sides of the outlet. 
     
     
         14 . The tank of  claim 11 , wherein the tray has side walls extending upward from the base to define a tray cavity with an open top. 
     
     
         15 . The tank of  claim 11 , wherein the tray defines a closed volume. 
     
     
         16 . The tank of  claim 11 , wherein the tray has a fitting projection extending outward from a periphery of the tray, such that the fitting projection resists insertion of the tray into the base in an incorrect position. 
     
     
         17 . The tank of  claim 11 , further comprising pegs extending upward from the bottom wall of the base and fixed to the bottom tray wall to engage the tray with the base. 
     
     
         18 . The tank of  claim 11 , wherein the base further comprises a first rib and a second rib connected to the first sidewalls and extending inwardly in opposite directions from the first sidewalls, and the tray has a first slot on a first side and a second slot on a second side opposite the first side, and wherein the first rib is received in the first slot, and the second rib is received in the second slot, wherein the tray is engaged with the base by engagement of the first and second ribs with the first and second slots. 
     
     
         19 . The tank of  claim 18 , wherein the first slot and the second slot are vertical slots extending vertically along the first and second sides of the tray. 
     
     
         20 . The tank of  claim 19 , wherein the first slot is formed by a pair of first vertical ribs extending outward from the first side of the tray, and the second slot is formed by a pair of second vertical ribs extending outward from the second side of the tray. 
     
     
         21 . The tank of  claim 18 , wherein the first slot has a pair of first flared ribs extending at angles outward at a bottom end thereof, and the second slot has a pair of second flared ribs extending at angles outward at a bottom end thereof. 
     
     
         22 . The tank of  claim 11 , wherein the tray has a hole extending through the bottom wall. 
     
     
         23 . An air inducer assembly comprising:
 a housing having one or more walls defining a chamber;   an outlet located downstream from the chamber and configured for connection to an inlet of a flush tank;   a water inlet in communication with the chamber and configured for connection to a water inlet conduit for introducing water into the chamber;   an air inlet in communication with the chamber and configured to be in communication with a source of air;   a tube extending into the chamber and toward the outlet, the tube having a passage therethrough extending from the water inlet through the tube to place the water inlet in communication with the outlet, wherein the tube is configured such that water from the water inlet flows through the passage to the outlet, and the tube is further configured to permit air to be drawn from the air inlet into the outlet by a flow of the water out of a distal end of the tube.   
     
     
         24 . The air inducer assembly of  claim 23 , further comprising a check valve connected to the housing at the air inlet and configured to permit the air to flow through the air inlet and into the passage and to resist air flow out of the air inducer assembly through the air inlet. 
     
     
         25 . The air inducer assembly of  claim 23 , wherein the tube is a cylindrical tube and the passage is a cylindrical passage. 
     
     
         26 . The air inducer assembly of  claim 23 , wherein the water inlet is positioned at a top of the housing, and the outlet is positioned at a bottom of the housing. 
     
     
         27 . The air inducer assembly of  claim 26 , wherein the one or more walls defining the chamber include a top wall, and wherein the tube extends vertically downward from the top wall.