US20070174955A1

US20070174955A1 - Cylindrical portable restroom

Info

Publication number: US20070174955A1
Application number: US11/344,743
Authority: US
Inventors: David Harris; William Kelley; Reginald Adams
Original assignee: Individual
Current assignee: Individual
Priority date: 2006-02-01
Filing date: 2006-02-01
Publication date: 2007-08-02
Also published as: WO2007090186A3; WO2007090186A2

Abstract

A portable restroom facility is disclosed. The portable restroom facility includes a floor, a sidewall and a roof. The floor has a circular perimeter edge. The sidewall is curved and has a curved outer surface. A bottom edge of the sidewall is attached to the circular perimeter edge of the floor. A roof is attached to an upper edge of the sidewall. The roof has a perimeter rim having a radially extending flange and a downwardly extending flange and wherein the radially extending flange is positioned adjacent the upper edge of the sidewall and the downwardly extending flange overlaps a portion of the sidewall. Further, the portable restroom has an advertising sheet material having indicia indicative of a product or service being offered for sale to the sidewall of the portable restroom facility. Moreover, a feature is formed in a portion of the roof having indicia indicative of the product or service being offered for sale.

Description

TECHNICAL FIELD

The present invention relates to portable restroom facilities and in particular to portable restrooms having a cylindrical side wall.

BACKGROUND

Portable restrooms have been in use for many years. Typically, these restrooms include an enclosure consisting of a floor, sidewalls, a roof and a door. Further, a waste tank is generally disposed within the interior of the enclosure. In some portable restrooms a urinal is provided and attached to an interior wall of the restroom at a standard distance above the ground. Generally, conventional portable restrooms are placed on skids elevated above the ground to facilitate their portability.
Such portable restrooms are essential at public events such as sports events and fairs and other outdoor events where large numbers of people congregate. Of course, these portable restrooms are used in many other environments such as construction sites. In any event, the majority of venues where portable restrooms are located are highly visible to the public. Therefore, it would be advantageous to use the portable restroom as a medium to advertise goods and services.

SUMMARY

In an aspect of the present invention, a portable restroom facility is provided. The portable restroom facility includes a floor, a sidewall and a roof. The floor has a circular perimeter edge. The sidewall is curved and has a curved outer surface. A bottom edge of the sidewall is attached to the circular perimeter edge of the floor. A roof is attached to an upper edge of the sidewall. The roof has a perimeter rim having a radially extending flange and a downwardly extending flange and wherein the radially extending flange is positioned adjacent the upper edge of the sidewall and the downwardly extending flange overlaps a portion of the sidewall.
In another aspect of the present invention, the portable restroom facility includes a sheet of advertising material affixed to the sidewall of the portable restroom.
In yet another aspect of the present invention, the portable restroom facility includes a pair of skids affixed to the floor of the portable restroom.
In yet another aspect of the present invention, the portable restroom facility includes a plurality of handles affixed to the skids of the portable restroom.
In yet another aspect of the present invention, the portable restroom facility includes a waste tank disposed on the floor in an interior of the portable restroom.
In yet another aspect of the present invention, the portable restroom facility includes a roof attached to the sidewall by removable fasteners.
In yet another aspect of the present invention, the portable restroom facility includes a urinal attached to the sidewall.
In yet another aspect of the present invention, the portable restroom facility includes a roof that is substantially spherical in shape.
In yet another aspect of the present invention, the portable restroom facility includes a roof that is substantially circular in shape and has a substantially flat central portion.
In yet another aspect of the present invention, the portable restroom facility includes a roof that has a central portion that is substantially football shaped.
In still another aspect of the present invention, the portable restroom facility includes a method for using a portable restroom facility to advertise a product or service. The portable restroom has a floor, a curved sidewall attached at a bottom end to the floor, and a roof attached to a top end of the curved sidewall. The method includes: attaching an advertising sheet material having indicia indicative of a product or service being offered for sale to the sidewall of the portable restroom facility; forming a feature in a portion of the roof having indicia indicative of the product or service being offered for sale; and securing the roof to an upper edge of the sidewall, wherein the roof has a perimeter rim having a radially extending flange and a downwardly extending flange and wherein the radially extending flange is positioned adjacent an upper edge of the sidewall and the downwardly extending flange overlaps a portion of the sidewall.
These and other aspects and advantages of the present invention will become apparent upon reading the following detailed description of the invention in combination with the accompanying drawings.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 a is a perspective view of a portable restroom, in accordance with an embodiment of the present invention;
FIG. 1 b is a cross-sectional view through a portion of the roof and sidewall of the portable restroom, in accordance with an embodiment of the present invention;
FIG. 2 is a perspective view of a portable restroom having an alternative roof design, in accordance with an embodiment of the present invention;
FIG. 3 is a perspective view of a portable restroom having an yet another alternative roof design, in accordance with an embodiment of the present invention; and
FIG. 4 is a perspective view of a portable restroom having yet another alternative roof design, in accordance with an embodiment of the present invention.

DESCRIPTION

Referring now to FIGS. 1 a and 1 b, a perspective view and cross-sectional view of a portable restroom 10 is illustrated, in accordance with an embodiment of the present invention. Portable restroom 10 is configured for use outdoors and at public events such as sporting events, county fairs, and construction sites. Moreover, as will be disclosed in further detail below, portable restroom 10 is configured to display advertisement indicia for advertising goods and services. Further, the overall appearance of portable restroom 10 may be easily transformed to create a particular profile that corresponds with the advertisement indicia present on the sides of the restroom.
Portable restroom 10 includes a floor 12, a sidewall 14, a door 16 and a roof 18 to form an enclosure. Further, restroom 10 has a pair of skids 20 and 22 attached to floor 12. Skids 20 and 22 facilitate movement of the portable restroom over the supporting surface or ground by allowing the restroom 10 to slide. In an embodiment of the present invention, skids 20 and 22 further include handles 24 disposed on a top surface 26 of skids 20 and 22. Skids 20 and 22 may be fastened to floor 12 by fasteners such as screws, rivets or the like. Alternatively, the present invention contemplates integrally molding skids 20 and 22 into floor 12, such that floor 12 and skids 20 and 22 are all one piece. Floor 12 includes a roughened surface 30 to prevent users of the restroom 10 from slipping.
Sidewall 14 is substantially cylindrical and may be formed in one piece extending from a first door jamb portion 32 to a second door jamb portion 34. However, the present invention contemplates that sidewall 14 may be formed in several portions or separate pieces and joined to form a substantially cylindrical sidewall. For example, in an embodiment of the present invention sidewall 14 is formed of three curved sidewalls. Sidewalls 14 are made of a polymer sheet that is cut and formed into a particular shape, i.e. curved, using a thermoforming process.
Door 16 is pivotably connected to door jamb 34 along a first longitudinal edge 40. More specifically, a plurality of hinges 42 pivotably secure door 16 to door jamb 34. Door 16 further includes a second longitudinal edge 44 that is configured to close against door jamb 32. A handle 46 is provided in door 16 to enable an operator to open and close door 16.
A roof 18 is configured to connect to sidewalls 14. More specifically, roof 18 includes a central portion 48 that is bounded by a perimeter rim 50. Rim 50 is substantially circular and is configured to receive an upper edge of sidewalls 14. To this end, rim 50 includes a radially extending flange 52 and a downwardly extending flange 54. Radially extending flange 52 is configured to rest or seal against the upper edge of sidewalls 14. Downwardly extending flange 54 overlaps a predefined surface area of sidewall 14. Roof 18 is secured to sidewalls 14 by fastening flange 54 of rim 50 to an upper edge of sidewall 14. Flange 54 is fastened to sidewall 14 using a fastening means such as screws, bolts, rivets or the like to facilitate quick and easy installation and removal. In yet another embodiment of the present invention roof 18 may be configured to form an interference fit with sidewalls 14 to secure the roof to the sidewalls. In FIG. 1 a, roof 18 has a domed or spherical shape, however, the present invention contemplates that the central portion 48 of roof 18 may be configured into other shapes, such as, square, rectangular, shaped like a pyramid, cylindrical, flat, and any other shape.
In the interior of portable restroom 10, there is provided a waste tank 70, vent pipe 72, urinal 74 and toilet paper holder 76. Of course, the present invention contemplates additional items and features mounted within the interior of portable restroom 10, for example, a washbasin (not shown) and baby diaper changing table (not shown) may be mounted with restroom 10. Waste tank 70 is a large tank having an internal storage space for collecting waste material. A toilet seat (not shown) and toilet seat cover (not shown) is fixedly attached to tank 70 or may be integrally formed into tank 70. Waste tank 70 as shown is configured to extend upwards from floor 12 a predefined height to allow a user to be seated comfortably on the toilet seat attached to tank 70. In an embodiment of restroom 10 tank 70 covers substantially half of the floor area of floor 12.
Vent pipe 72 extends from an opening in the top of the tank 70 through the interior space of restroom 10 and through an opening in roof 18. Vent pipe 72 is a hollow pipe that allows waste gas to escape from tank 70 and expelled into the atmosphere. Urinal 74 is mounted on sidewall 14 at predefined distance above floor 12 to allow it to be used comfortably by male guests. Urinal 74 is also in fluid communication with tank 70 allowing waste fluid to flow from urinal 74 into waste tank 70. Toilet paper holder 76 is mounted to sidewall 14 and is configured to hold a single roll or multiple rolls of toilet paper.
Referring now to FIG. 2, a perspective view of a portable restroom 10′ having an alternative design of roof 18′ is illustrated, in accordance with an embodiment of the present invention. As in the previous embodiment, roof 18′ is connected to sidewalls 14 by fasteners, such as, screws, bolts or rivets or the like. Roof 18′ has a central portion 48′, a perimeter rim 50′ and radially and downwardly extending flanges 52′ and 54′. Central portion 48′ is substantially flat in the present embodiment. However, central portion 48′ may have a slightly domed surface to allow water to run off roof 18′. Rim 50′ is configured in substantially the same manner as rim 50 described in the previous embodiment. Flanges 52′ and 54′, as shown in FIG. 2, connects roof 18′ to sidewalls 14.
Referring now to FIG. 3, a perspective view of a portable restroom 10″ having yet another alternative design of roof 18″ is illustrated, in accordance with an embodiment of the present invention. As in the previous embodiments, roof 18″ is connected to sidewalls 14 by fasteners, such as, screws, bolts or rivets or the like to facilitate quick and easy installation and removal. Roof 18″ includes a central portion 48″ and a perimeter rim 50″ having radially and downwardly extending flanges 52″ and 54″. In the present embodiment, central portion 48″ is substantially domed shaped. In an embodiment of the present invention, central portion 48″ is substantially hemispherical. Perimeter rim 50″ is configured as in the previous embodiments and mates with sidewalls 14.
Referring now to FIG. 4, a perspective view of a portable restroom 10′″ having yet another alternate design for roof 18′″ is illustrated, in accordance with an embodiment of the present invention. As in the previous embodiment, roof 18′″ is connected to sidewalls 14 by fasteners, such as, screws, bolts or rivets or the like to facilitate quick and easy installation and removal. Roof 18′″ includes a central portion 48′″ which protrudes from a surface 80 of roof 18′″. Central portion 48′″ is formed in the shape of half of a football. Roof 18′″ further includes a perimeter rim 50′″ having radially and downwardly extending flanges 52′″ and 54′″. As in the previous embodiments, rim 50′″ is configured to close or seal against sidewalls 14.
The present invention further contemplates a method for advertising goods and services using the embodiments of the portable restroom, as described above. The method includes attaching advertising indicia, for example, in the form of decals or thin sheets of plastic and/or paper having text and graphics disposed thereon to the sidewalls of the portable restroom. The advertising sheets 70, as shown in FIGS. 2-4, may be multiple sheets or one-piece sheets that wrap around the cylindrical sidewalls 14. Further, the method of the present invention also includes replacing the roof of the restroom with a roof that has a particular shape that coincides with an advertising scheme as presented on advertising sheets 70. For example, if the advertising sheets are advertising a particular pop or soda product and manufacturer the roof of the portable restroom could take on the shape of the top of a pop or soda can. Similarly, if the advertising scheme, as presented on sheets 70, is directed to advertising a particular sports team, such as a football team, then the roof would be replaced with a roof that has a portion of the roof that resembles a football, such as the roof shown in FIG. 4. Of course, the present invention contemplates other roof designs that would be used to complement other advertising schemes and objectives. Additionally, the present invention contemplates mounting or integrally forming other structures on the roof or other parts of the restroom to further complement the intended advertising scheme.
The foregoing disclosure is the best mode devised by the inventors for practicing this invention. It is apparent, however, that methods incorporating modifications and variations will be obvious to one skilled in the art of portable restrooms thereof. Inasmuch as the foregoing disclosure is intended to enable one skilled in the pertinent art to practice the instant invention, it should not be construed to be limited thereby but should be construed to include such aforementioned obvious variations and be limited only by the spirit and scope of the following claims.

Claims

1. A portable restroom facility comprising:

a floor having a circular perimeter edge;

a curved sidewall having a curved outer surface, wherein a bottom edge of the sidewall is attached to the circular perimeter edge of the floor; and

a roof attached to an upper edge of the sidewall, wherein the roof has a perimeter rim having a radially extending flange and a downwardly extending flange and wherein the radially extending flange is positioned adjacent the upper edge of the sidewall and the downwardly extending flange overlaps a portion of the sidewall.

2. The portable restroom facility of claim 1, further comprising a sheet of advertising material affixed to the sidewall of the portable restroom.

3. The portable restroom facility of claim 1, further comprising a pair of skids affixed to the floor of the portable restroom.

4. The portable restroom facility of claim 3, wherein the skids further comprise a plurality of handles affixed to the skids of the portable restroom.

5. The portable restroom facility of claim 1, further comprising a waste tank disposed on the floor in an interior of the portable restroom of the sheet of advertising material affixed to the sidewall.

6. The portable restroom facility of claim 1, wherein the roof is attached to the sidewall by removable fasteners.

7. The portable restroom facility of claim 1, further comprising a urinal attached to the sidewall.

8. The portable restroom facility of claim 1, wherein the roof is substantially spherical in shape.

9. The portable restroom facility of claim 1, wherein the roof is substantially circular in shape and has a substantially flat central portion.

10. The portable restroom facility of claim 1, wherein the roof has a central portion that is substantially football shaped.

11. A method for using a portable restroom facility to advertise a product or service, the portable restroom having a floor, a curved sidewall attached at a bottom end to the floor, and a roof attached to a top end of the curved sidewall, the method comprising:

attaching an advertising sheet material having indicia indicative of a product or service being offered for sale to the sidewall of the portable restroom facility;

forming a feature in a portion of the roof having indicia indicative of the product or service being offered for sale; and

securing the roof to an upper edge of the sidewall, wherein the roof has a perimeter rim having a radially extending flange and a downwardly extending flange and wherein the radially extending flange is positioned adjacent an upper edge of the sidewall and the downwardly extending flange overlaps a portion of the sidewall.

12. The method of claim 11, wherein forming a feature in the roof further comprises forming a substantially spherical shape in the central portion of the roof.

13. The method of claim 11, wherein forming a feature in the roof further comprises forming a flat central portion in the roof.

14. The method of claim 11, wherein forming a feature in the roof further comprises forming a substantially football shaped portion in the roof.