JP7803362B2 - Flush toilet with matte and stain-resistant surface - Google Patents

Description

The present invention relates to a flush toilet with a matte surface and a stain-resistant surface.

The appearance of sanitary ware is generally glossy, with a texture that evokes a sense of luxury and cleanliness. However, matte sanitary ware, which is the opposite of glossy ware, is highly rated in the market. This is because a matte finish enhances the appearance (design) of the product and allows it to harmonize with the texture of walls and fixtures in the same space, thereby expanding the range of design variations.

In flush toilets, a type of sanitary ceramic product, the exterior has a matte surface, but the bowl-shaped area that receives waste is coated with a stain-resistant glaze layer (Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2012-046364 (Patent Document 1)). As a result, a boundary is created between the matte glaze surface and the stain-resistant glaze surface. Proposals have been made to prevent this boundary from detracting from the appearance and design of the toilet (Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2023-034495 (Patent Document 3)).

JP 2012-046364 A Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2022-062798 Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2023-034495

The inventors have now discovered that when forming a matte surface and anti-fouling glaze layer in a flush toilet, the boundary position can be set with a focus on functionality as well as appearance, thereby adding value to the toilet. Specifically, a toilet with a good appearance and low staining resistance has been realized. The present invention is based on this discovery.

The object of the present invention is therefore to provide a flush toilet with a matte surface and a stain-resistant surface, which has a good appearance and is difficult to soil.

The flush toilet according to the present invention comprises:
A flush toilet bowl with a ceramic base and a glaze layer on the surface,
The flush toilet is
a bowl-shaped waste receiving surface for receiving waste;
a rim extending upwardly at the upper edge of the waste receiving surface;
the glaze layer comprises an antifouling glaze layer and a matte glaze layer, the antifouling glaze layer and the matte glaze layer being in contact with each other to form a boundary,
The antifouling glaze layer is provided at least on the dirt receiving surface and the rim portion,
In a flush toilet, the matte glaze layer is provided on at least the rim portion,
When a user sits on the flush toilet, the direction in front of the user is defined as the front, and the direction behind the user is defined as the rear.
The antifouling glaze layer and the matte glaze layer in the rim portion are formed so that the distance from the upper end of the rim portion at the most forward position to the boundary between them is greater than the distance from the upper end of the rim portion at the most rearward position to the boundary between them.

Furthermore, a flush toilet according to one aspect of the present invention comprises:
A flush toilet bowl with a ceramic base and a glaze layer on the surface,
The flush toilet is
a bowl-shaped waste receiving surface for receiving waste;
a rim extending upwardly at the upper edge of the waste receiving surface;
the glaze layer comprises an antifouling glaze layer and a matte glaze layer, the antifouling glaze layer and the matte glaze layer being in contact with each other to form a boundary,
The antifouling glaze layer is provided at least on the dirt receiving surface and the rim portion,
In a flush toilet, the matte glaze layer is provided on at least the rim portion,
When a user sits on the flush toilet, the direction in front of the user is defined as the front, and the direction behind the user is defined as the rear, and the height is determined based on the flat surface of the location where the flush toilet is installed.
The antifouling glaze layer and the matte glaze layer in the rim portion are formed so that the boundary between them at the most forward position is lower than the boundary between them at the most rearward position.

Furthermore, a flush toilet according to another aspect of the present invention comprises:
A flush toilet bowl with a ceramic base and a glaze layer on the surface,
The flush toilet is
a bowl-shaped waste receiving surface for receiving waste;
a rim extending upwardly at the upper edge of the waste receiving surface;
the glaze layer comprises an antifouling glaze layer and a matte glaze layer, the antifouling glaze layer and the matte glaze layer being in contact with each other to form a boundary,
The antifouling glaze layer is provided at least on the dirt receiving surface and the rim portion,
In a flush toilet, the matte glaze layer is provided on at least the rim portion,
When a user sits on the flush toilet, the direction in front of the user is defined as the front, and the direction behind the user is defined as the rear.
At least at the front end of the rim portion, the upper edge of the rim portion is provided with an overhang portion that protrudes toward the inside of the bowl portion, and the frontmost position of the boundary is located closer to the center of the inside of the bowl portion than the rearmost position.

FIG. 1 is a schematic cross-sectional view of a flush toilet 1 according to the present invention. The flush toilet 1 comprises a bowl portion 2, which has a bowl-shaped waste receiving surface 3 for receiving waste, and a rim portion 4 extending upward from the upper edge of the waste receiving surface. 1 is a diagram illustrating how a flush toilet 1 according to the present invention is manufactured by joining a lower portion 5 of the bowl portion and an upper portion 6 of the bowl portion including the rim portion at the pre-fired body stage. FIG. 1 is a conceptual diagram of a flush toilet bowl provided with an anti-fouling glaze layer and a matte glaze layer according to the present invention, in which a matte glaze layer is applied to the surface indicated by dashed line 11, and an anti-fouling glaze layer indicated by dotted line 12 is applied to the waste receiving surface 12. FIG. 2 is a diagram illustrating the boundary position between the stain-resistant glaze layer and the matte glaze layer in the present invention. This figure shows that a matte glaze layer shown by dashed line 11 is provided on the rim portion 4, with line 13 as the boundary, and an anti-fouling glaze layer shown by dotted line 12 is provided on the dirt receiving surface 12 side. 1 is an enlarged view of the most forward position 15. FIG. FIG. 1 is an enlarged view of the rearmost position 14. 10 is a diagram illustrating the positional relationship between a rearmost position 14 and a frontmost position 15 of a line 13. FIG.

Basic Configuration of a Toilet A schematic cross-sectional view of a flush toilet 1 according to the present invention is shown in Figure 1. Flush toilet 1 comprises a bowl portion 2, which has a bowl-shaped waste receiving surface 3 for receiving waste, and a rim portion 4 extending upward from the upper edge of this waste receiving surface. Flush toilet 1 is generally manufactured by joining a lower portion 5 of the bowl portion and an upper portion 6 of the bowl portion including the rim portion, as shown in Figure 2, at the pre-fired body stage.

In this specification, when a user sits on a flush toilet, the direction in front of the user is referred to as the front (direction A in Figure 1), and the direction behind the user is referred to as the rear (direction B in Figure 1). Furthermore, when referring to height in this invention, height is defined based on the plane of the location where the flush toilet is installed.

A flush toilet according to the present invention has a glaze layer applied to the surface of the ceramic base, which is divided into an anti-fouling glaze layer and a matte glaze layer. These two glaze layers may be applied partially overlapping, or may be applied in separate areas with different glazes applied, but the two are provided adjacent to each other to form a boundary. Figure 2 shows the flush toilet according to the present invention, with the anti-fouling glaze layer and matte glaze layer being based on the matte glaze layer being applied to the area that will form the exterior of the toilet, and the anti-fouling glaze layer being applied to the waste receiving surface 3 of the bowl 2 that may come into contact with waste. Figure 3 is a conceptual diagram of a flush toilet with an anti-fouling glaze layer and a matte glaze layer in this way, with the matte glaze layer applied to the surface indicated by dashed line 11, and the anti-fouling glaze layer indicated by dotted line 12 being applied to the waste receiving surface 2.

In this invention, a stain-resistant glaze layer is applied to at least both the waste receiving surface and the rim, and a matte glaze layer is applied to at least the rim, with the stain-resistant glaze layer and the matte glaze layer adjoining to form a boundary. A flush toilet according to the present invention is characterized by the setting of the boundary between the stain-resistant glaze layer and the matte glaze layer. In other words, in a flush toilet according to the present invention, the distance from the top of the rim at its most forward position to the boundary between the stain-resistant glaze layer and the matte glaze layer on the rim is greater than the distance from the top of the rim at its most rearward position to the boundary between the two.

Figure 4 is a diagram explaining the boundary position between the stain-resistant glaze layer and the matte glaze layer in the present invention. Figure 4 is a partial cross-sectional view of the bowl portion of a flush toilet according to the present invention, showing that the rim portion 4 is formed to extend upward at the upper edge of the waste-receiving surface 3. Line 13 on the inner surface of the bowl portion of this rim portion 4 is the boundary. On this boundary line 13, the boundary position at the rearmost position of the flush toilet 1 is indicated as 14, and the frontmost position of the flush toilet 1 is indicated as 15. Figure 5 shows that on the rim portion 4, with line 13 as the boundary, a matte glaze layer, indicated by dashed line 11, is provided, and a stain-resistant glaze layer, indicated by dotted line 12, is provided on the waste-receiving surface 12 side.

Figure 6 is an enlarged view of the vicinity of the forward-most position 15. Figure 7 is an enlarged view of the vicinity of the rearward-most position 14. In Figure 6, the point where the curvature changes from the flat upper surface area of the rim portion 4 toward the interior of the bowl portion is designated as 5. In Figure 7, the point where the curvature changes from the flat upper surface area of the rim portion 4 toward the interior of the bowl portion is designated as 6. In this invention, point 5 is referred to as the forward-most upper end of the rim portion, and point 6 is referred to as the rearward-most upper end of the rim portion. A flush toilet according to this invention is characterized in that the distance from this forward-most upper end 5 to boundary 15 is greater than the distance from the rearward-most upper end 6 to boundary 14; in other words, the anti-fouling glaze layer and matte glaze layer are formed on the rim portion so that this distance is longer.

The surface of the matte glaze layer has more irregularities and higher surface resistance than the surface of the stain-resistant glaze layer. Therefore, when a person urinates while sitting in the front of the rim portion 4, the matte glaze layer forms a longer surface, effectively preventing urine from running up and making the toilet less likely to get dirty. Furthermore, the rear portion has a higher proportion of stain-resistant glaze than the front, which helps prevent dirt from adhering to the rear portion.

According to the first aspect of the present invention, the antifouling glaze layer and the matte glaze layer on the rim are formed so that the boundary 15 between them at the most forward position is lower than the boundary position 14 between them at the most rearward position. This configuration effectively prevents urine from running up when urinating while sitting, thereby preventing soiling. Furthermore, since the proportion of antifouling glaze is higher in the rear than in the front, adhesion of dirt to the rear can be prevented.

According to one aspect of the present invention, the boundary includes a portion where its height is approximately constant. In Figure 4, in the rear region, the boundary 13 does not change height. By providing a boundary between the stain-resistant glaze layer and the matte glaze layer in this way, it is possible to reduce the sense of incongruity caused by the different appearance of the two glaze layer surfaces in areas that are easily visible to the user.

According to one aspect of the present invention, the height of the boundary changes in a relatively forward region. In Figure 4, boundary 13 changes in height in a relatively forward direction. By providing a boundary between the stain-resistant glaze layer and the matte glaze layer in this way, when a user stands in front of the flush toilet with the valve seat open, the front is less visible to the user than the rear, thereby reducing the sense of incongruity caused by the different appearance of the two glaze layer surfaces.

According to one aspect of the present invention, the area of the stain-resistant glaze layer on the inner surface of the bowl's rim 4 is larger than the area of the matte glaze layer. By creating a boundary between the stain-resistant glaze layer and the matte glaze layer in this way, it is possible to improve the appearance while suppressing the adhesion of dirt to the stain-resistant glaze layer.

Second Aspect According to the second aspect of the present invention, at least at the forward end of the rim portion, the upper edge of the rim portion is provided with an overhang portion that protrudes toward the inside of the bowl portion, and the forward-most position of the boundary is located closer to the center of the inside of the bowl portion than the rearward-most position.

Figure 8 illustrates this embodiment. In Figure 8, line 16 is drawn connecting the forward-most and rear-most positions at the boundary between the bowl-shaped waste receiving surface 3 that receives waste and the rim portion 4. A perpendicular line 17 is drawn through the center of this line 16. The forward-most position 15 is closer to this perpendicular line 17 than the rear-most position 14 on line 13. More specifically, perpendicular lines 18a and 18b are drawn at the forward-most and rear-most positions, respectively, at the boundary between the waste receiving surface 3 and the rim portion 4, and perpendicular lines 19a and 19b are drawn passing through the rear-most position 14 and the forward-most position 15 on line 13. This means that the distance between perpendicular lines 18b and 19b is greater than the distance between perpendicular lines 18a and 19a. This configuration, like the first embodiment, effectively prevents urine from running up, resulting in less soiling.

Preferred embodiments of the flush toilet according to the second aspect of the present invention include those of the first aspect in which the boundary includes a portion whose height is approximately constant, those in which the boundary changes height in a relatively forward region, and those in which the area of the stain-resistant glaze layer on the inner surface of the bowl portion of the rim is larger than the area of the matte glaze layer.

Combination of the First and Second Aspects The present invention also encompasses a combination of the first and second aspects described above. That is, the scope of the present invention also includes flush toilets in which the boundary between the anti-fouling glaze layer and the matte glaze layer on the rim is formed so that the boundary between them at its forward-most position is lower than the boundary between them at its rearmost position, and in which at least the front end of the rim has an overhanging portion on the upper edge thereof that protrudes toward the inside of the bowl, and in which the rearmost position of the boundary is located closer to the center of the inside of the bowl than the forward-most position.

Matte Glaze Layer and Antifouling Glaze Layer In the present invention, examples of the matte glaze layer include those described in JP-A-6-211541, JP-A-2-229736, and JP-A-2012-046364.
In the present invention, examples of the antifouling glaze layer include those described in WO99/061392.

Claims (4)

A flush toilet bowl with a ceramic base and a glaze layer on the surface,
The flush toilet is
a bowl-shaped waste receiving surface for receiving waste;
a rim extending upwardly at the upper edge of the waste receiving surface;
the glaze layer comprises an antifouling glaze layer and a matte glaze layer, the antifouling glaze layer and the matte glaze layer being in contact with each other to form a boundary,
The antifouling glaze layer is provided at least on the dirt receiving surface and the rim portion,
In a flush toilet, the matte glaze layer is provided on at least the rim portion,
When a user sits on the flush toilet, the direction in front of the user is defined as the front, and the direction behind the user is defined as the rear, and the height is determined based on the plane of the location where the flush toilet is installed.
A flush toilet characterized in that the antifouling glaze layer and the matte glaze layer on the rim portion are formed so that the boundary between them at their forward-most position is lower than the boundary between them at their rearmost position. The flush toilet according to claim 1 , wherein the boundary includes a portion whose height is approximately constant. 2. The flush toilet of claim 1 , wherein the height of the boundary varies in the front region. 2. The flush toilet according to claim 1 , wherein the area of the stain-resistant glaze layer on the inner surface of the rim portion on the inside of the bowl is larger than the area of the matte glaze layer on the inner surface of the rim portion on the inside of the bowl.