Half a croissant, on a plate, with a sign in front of it saying '50c'
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Toilet Donut

Unpowered deodorizer
  (+7)
(+7)
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There have been many ideas about the desirability of sucking up the noxious fumes emitted from the toilet bowl before they're released into the room. It is a good idea to attack the problem whilst it is still contained within a small area. The drawback is that these devices all require external power sources and venting.

The Toilet Donut consists of a inner tube like device similar to those provided to people with severe hernias etc. The difference is that this one is filled with foamed rubber, hence self-inflating, and consists of two one-way air valves (one in, one out) each fitted with a charcoal filter. When the user sits upon the Donut (which can be either a portable version placed on top of the seat or actually incorporated into the seat design) they experience a comfy, sighing, settling-in, cushiony sort of feeling. Nice.

The compression of the Toilet Donut expels a gust of charcoal filtered, possibly florally scented, air into the room while the user, umm, uses. The user then stands up, unsealing their bottom from the toilet seat which would normally release into the bathroom the gaseous horrors hitherto trapped within the airspace between the water's surface and the toilet seat. But, fear not, the Toilet Donut now expands - sucking shut the discharge valve and opening the inlet valve on the inner side of the ring thusly creating negative pressure. A goodly percentage of the foul fumes are now contained within the Toilet Donut after passing through the first charcoal filter going in and are destined to go through the second filter on the outward journey when the next user visits.

I can see the late night television commercials now. Order within the next 10 minutes and we'll throw in a spare replacement pack of our proprietary designed charcoal filters for only another $2.99.

AusCan531, Oct 11 2013

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       [+] I like where this is headed. The puff of charcoal dust into the room, however, has to go. Puffing a scented spray into the bowl sounds better than "why the hell is everything in the lavatory covered in black dust?"
awesomest, Oct 11 2013
  

       Toilet donut needs to be an idea that is more fully realized, although perhaps not in the exact way described.
rcarty, Oct 11 2013
  

       the words should not appear in conjunction.
FlyingToaster, Oct 11 2013
  

       This forum suffers from an unhealthy and recurrent obsession with matters lavatorial.
MaxwellBuchanan, Oct 11 2013
  

       Porquoi? The toilet represents everything from social taboo, to historical rivisionism. It is one of the most important and ubiquitous inventions of all timeography. It has saved countless lives through improved hygiene, and has eliminated social inequality through making obsolete a class that deals with human dung. The system of toilets was the earliest form of internet that allowed uploads, although the content was not regularly viewed; only some time later when computers were introduced did that become popular. In conclusion, there is nothing at all wrong with discussing toilets at length.
rcarty, Oct 11 2013
  

       //The toilet represents everything from social taboo, to historical rivisionism.//   

       Well, the ball point pen represents everything from precision engineering to polymer chemistry. What of it?   

       And, incidentally, the flush toilet actually caused a tremendous increase in the incidence of diseases such as cholera. From a public health point of view, the toilet was a complete disaster. Prior to its introduction, waste had been taken away and spread on fields, or composted in various ways. The toilet was a convenient and affordable way for people to dump their excrement into the rivers from which they took their drinking water.
MaxwellBuchanan, Oct 11 2013
  

       simple. clever. solves a problem. [+]
Voice, Oct 11 2013
  

       Elaborate. Complex. Fails to solve a trivial problem. [+]
MaxwellBuchanan, Oct 11 2013
  

       Thanks for the bun [awesomest], but the charcoal is encapsulated within a cartridge (stock up now!) so there is no puff of black dust into the room. As for scented sprays designed to mask pong-ey odors rather than physically remove them, they're Widely Known To Exist and often worse than the problem they're purportedly solving.   

       [MB]'s pure diet combined with the vastness of his mansion probably means he doesn't suffer from the original problem like the rest of us, but I would like to point out that collecting toilet waste in pipes instead of buckets (or open drains) doesn't negate the final disposal point being fields or composting facilities. Just because inhabitants of the Sceptered Isles choose to use the Thames it shouldn't reflect poorly on the notion of toilets and sewage lines.   

       I would encourage [rcarty] to write a treatise on a topic which he is obviously full of lyrical wonder.
AusCan531, Oct 11 2013
  

       Movie house, Baseball stadium and other places where you want a count of how many butts are in seats. A similar seat cushion ( need not be shape like a donut) could provide power to pulse a signal that this seat is filled.   

       she "So how many are watching the opera tonight?"   

       he "561 or 78% of our capacity"   

       she "Better keep running the ads."
popbottle, Oct 14 2013
  
      
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