FIELD

The present invention relates generally to portable restroom, and more particularly to portable restrooms with intelligent touchless features, data gathering and communication capabilities.

BACKGROUND

Portable restrooms are normally serviced by the company that rents them out to event organizers. The rental contract includes an agreed-upon schedule for service of the units, which may be as seldom as once per month or as often as once per day. The frequency of service is based on the estimated number of per day uses of the restrooms at that particular site. Servicing of the restroom includes vacuuming out the waste, putting a charge of clean water and deodorizer back into the tank(s), replenishing consumables such as toilet paper and hand sanitizer, washing down the interior of the restroom, and inspecting the unit for any damage or malfunction.

It can be very difficult to correctly estimate the number of uses a given restroom might see during an event. Just the physical placement of a restroom in relation to any neighboring restrooms can make a big difference in the number of uses it sees. One restroom may get used 50 times per day, while another restroom at the same event may only get used 5 times per day, but the rental contract states that they all get serviced with the same frequency. This often causes some restrooms to get dirty or full sooner than others. A dirty or full portable restroom creates an extremely unsanitary condition for the user, and an undesirable image towards both the rental company and portable restrooms in general.

Other problems with conventional portable restrooms include odor, heat and visibility of the waste in the tank. For example, the majority of conventional portable restrooms in the U.S. employ what is called a “straight drop” tank, in which the user essentially sits over a large opening in the tank. This allows the user to see all of the waste that has accumulated in the toilet and for odors to travel directly to the user. This is one of the worst aspects of using a standard portable restroom.

Thus, there is a need for improved portable restrooms that address one or more of the above-mentioned drawbacks.

SUMMARY

The present invention provides an improved restroom that addresses some or all of the deficiencies noted above. In one aspect, the invention is a portable restroom that helps to prevent the occurrence of a dirty portable restroom, greatly increases the comfort of the user, promotes good hygiene, and provides critical data gathering capabilities for the portable restroom service operator.

Incorporating electrical power and wireless communication into the restroom allows the individual restroom to notify the service provider of the need for service or of an emergency situation.

An automatic flushing feature, as well as the touchless flushing feature, helps to keep the restroom clean and reduce the number of surfaces that the user needs to touch while using the restroom.

An automatic light provides welcome lighting in darker locations.

An electric fan increases ventilation and reduces odor and temperature in the restroom.

Automated data gathering allows the service provider to measure the number of uses each restroom sees and can therefore adjust the frequency of service or number and location of restrooms placed at future events.

The disclosure includes an improved portable restroom with electrical power and communications features. The restroom includes an automatic flushing feature, as well as a touchless flush request sensor. An automatic light provides welcome lighting in darker locations. An electric fan increases ventilation and reduces odor and temperature in the restroom. Sensors monitor various levels and usage. A controller monitors the sensed data and wirelessly alerts a service provider that the restroom needs service. A flushing bowl is placed in the large tank opening to hide the waste within the tank. The flushing bowl includes a relatively small opening in a forward portion of the inner bowl surface for waste to pass through. A spray nozzle for directing water over the interior of the bowl is provided to minimize the chance that waste sticks to the inner bowl.

The disclosure also includes a portable restroom comprising a plurality of walls, a door in a door frame joined with the walls, and a roof disposed atop the walls and door frame. A base provided to the plurality of walls and door frame defines a floor of the portable restroom. The plurality of walls, the door in the door frame, the roof and the base together define an enclosed interior space. The base defines a waste tank, a control electronics compartment and a fresh water tank therein. A commode is disposed above the waste tank. A power source is disposed within the control electronics compartment. A microprocessor is disposed within the control electronics compartment and coupled to the power source. A memory is coupled to the microprocessor. A waste level sensor is disposed in the waste tank and coupled to the microprocessor. A fresh water level sensor is disposed in the fresh water tank and coupled to the microprocessor. A door sensor is positioned to sense whether the door is open or closed and is coupled to the microprocessor. A door lock sensor is positioned to sense whether the door is locked or unlocked, and is coupled to the microprocessor. A light is disposed within the enclosed interior space and coupled to the microprocessor. An electric pump is coupled to the microprocessor and operably coupled to the fresh water tank and to the commode.

The disclosure also includes a method of operating a portable restroom. The method can include monitoring a door sensor to determine whether a door of the portable restroom is open, monitoring a door lock sensor to determine whether the door of the portable restroom is locked within a set window of time beginning with a door opening event, turning on a light in the portable restroom automatically when the door is opened, turning an exhaust fan on automatically when the door is opened, turning on an electric pump automatically to create a continuous flow of water through a bowl of a commode upon determining that the door has been opened and then locked within the set window of time, and adjusting a speed setting of the electric pump to temporally increase a flow rate of the water through a bowl of a commode upon a user actuating a touchless flush request sensor.

The above summary is not intended to limit the scope of the invention, or describe each embodiment, aspect, implementation, feature or advantage of the invention. The detailed technology and preferred embodiments for the subject invention are described in the following paragraphs accompanying the appended drawings for people skilled in this field to well appreciate the features of the claimed invention. It is understood that the features mentioned hereinbefore and those to be commented on hereinafter may be used not only in the specified combinations, but also in other combinations or in isolation, without departing from the scope of the present invention.

