Gravity-fed toilet with quiet siphonic flush

Abstract

A toilet includes a bowl, a trapway, and a passage. The trapway is fluidly connected to the bowl at a trapway inlet and extends downstream from the bowl. The trapway includes an up-leg and a down-leg extending downstream from the up-leg. The passage is fluidly connected to the trapway downstream from the trapway inlet. The passage is configured to allow ambient air from outside the toilet to pass therethrough toward the trapway.

What is claimed is: 
     
         1 . A toilet comprising:
 a bowl;   a tank as a water source for flushing the bowl;   a trapway configured to form a siphon downstream of the bowl, the trapway including a trapway inlet connected at a lower end of the bowl and extending downstream from the bowl;   a bypass passage connecting the trapway and the tank; and   a water lock configured to prevent waste gas from passing to the tank.   
     
     
         2 . The toilet of  claim 1 , further comprising:
 an inlet channel, wherein the bypass passage is adjacent to the inlet channel.   
     
     
         3 . The toilet of  claim 1 , wherein water rests in the water lock between flushes. 
     
     
         4 . The toilet of  claim 1 , wherein the passage exposes the trapway to ambient pressure to at least partially break the siphon in the trapway. 
     
     
         5 . The toilet of  claim 1 , further comprising:
 a pedestal including the bowl.   
     
     
         6 . The toilet of  claim 5 , wherein the tank is remote from the pedestal. 
     
     
         7 . The toilet of  claim 1 , wherein the tank is configured to be installed and concealed within a wall. 
     
     
         8 . The toilet of  claim 1 , wherein the bypass passage is connected to an upper surface of the trapway. 
     
     
         9 . The toilet of  claim 8 , wherein the bypass passage is connected downstream of an upper peak of the upper surface of the trapway. 
     
     
         10 . A water and air passage network for a toilet, the water and air passage network comprising:
 a trapway including a trapway inlet connected at a lower end of a bowl and extending downstream from the bowl;   a bypass passage connecting the trapway and a tank; and   a water lock configured to prevent waste gas from passing to the tank.   
     
     
         11 . The water and air passage network of  claim 10 , further comprising:
 an inlet channel, wherein the bypass passage is adjacent to the inlet channel.   
     
     
         12 . The water and air passage network of  claim 10 , wherein water rests in the water lock between flushes. 
     
     
         13 . The water and air passage network of  claim 10 , wherein the passage exposes the trapway to ambient pressure to at least partially break a siphon in the trapway. 
     
     
         14 . The water and air passage network of  claim 10 , further comprising:
 a pedestal including the bowl, wherein the tank is remote from the pedestal.   
     
     
         15 . The water and air passage network of  claim 10 , wherein the tank is configured to be installed and concealed within a wall. 
     
     
         16 . The water and air passage network of  claim 10 , wherein the bypass passage is connected to an upper surface of the trapway. 
     
     
         17 . The water and air passage network of  claim 16 , wherein the bypass passage is connected downstream of an upper peak of the upper surface of the trapway. 
     
     
         18 . A method for a flush sequence of a toilet, the method comprising:
 starting the flush sequence of the toilet;   generating a siphon in a trapway of the toilet;   exposing the trapway to air through a bypass passage connected to a tank; and   preventing waste gas from passing to the tank.   
     
     
         19 . The method of  claim 18 , further comprising:
 breaking the siphon in the trapway through the air exposed through the bypass passage.   
     
     
         20 . The method of  claim 18 , wherein the tank is concealed within a wall.