GB2264330A - Spring hinge with retaining mechanism - Google Patents

Abstract

A retaining mechanism for a toilet seat hinge holds the seat in an upright position when not in use. It comprises a restoring means 16 to urge the seat towards the upright position and a retaining means 11a, 21 adapted to retain the seat 2 at or near the lowered or operating position in such a way that when the seat is released after use the restoring means overcomes the retaining means, allowing the seat to return to the rest position. This can be done for instance by having a ball 21 ride over a ridge 21, as shown, or by incorporating a delay mechanism such as a viscous resistance to the return action. Preferably the seat is lowered by a pedal-operated device. <IMAGE>

Description

HINGE MECHANISM The present invention relates to a mechanism for fitting to a hinge, particularly but not exclusively a toilet seat hinge, so as to hold the hinged part (e.g.

toilet seat) in an upper or upright position, or to restore it to this position, but to allow it to be lowered as required.

It is desirable for reasons of hygiene for toilet seats to be kept in the upright position unless needed for sitting on. Devices such as simple catches have been used for this, but clearly such a device is only effective when the seat is deliberately raised after use by the user.

A hinge mechanism has been proposed (see GB 2 238 803) which allows the user to lift the seat as required by depressing a floor-mounted bar. However, this does not solve the problem mentioned because it is still up to the user to ensure that the seat is raised after or before use.

Clearly it is desirable to provide a hinge mechanism which when used for toilet seats allows the seat to be easily lowered when required but nevertheless holds the seat upright when not in use.

The mechanism could also have applications for other kinds of flap or lid, such as a bin lid, although in such an application the lid would normally be required to be in a lower position when not in use.

According to the invention there is provided a retaining mechanism for a hinge between a base body and a pivoting body, the hinge allowing pivoting of the latter body with respect to the former between a rest position and an operating position, the mechanism comprising: a restoring means adapted to urge the pivoting body towards the rest position; and a retaining means adapted to retain the pivoting body at or near the operating position in such a way that when the pivoting body is released after operation the restoring means overcomes the retaining means, allowing the pivoting body to return to the rest position.

The temporary retention by the retaining means can in one embodiment be afforded by way of a delayedaction mechanism, such as is found in light switches for stairways, which can if desired be adjustable and could for toilet seats be set at around fifteen seconds; after this point if the seat is released it returns to the upright position since there is no longer any obstruction to its travel. The delayedaction mechanism may be incorporated on the hinge itself or may be separate, as mentioned below. The delay may even take the form simply of a slow return of the mechanism to the upright position caused by a oneway resistance, preferably a viscous resistance.

Alternatively, or even additionally, the retaining means may be adapted to retain the pivoting body when stationary at a third, intermediate, position near its operating position with a retaining force which can be overcome by the momentum of the pivoting body when released from its operating position under the action of the restoring means.

Advantageously the mechanism also includes an operating device adapted to move the pivoting body towards the operating position, preferably exactly to the intermediate position in which the body is retained by the retaining means. This operating device may be a pedal connected to the hinge by a cable and having a limit of operation which corresponds to the said intermediate position of the pivoting body. The pedal may incorporate a delayed-action mechanism as described above.

For a toilet seat an operating device of this nature allows the user to lower the seat, which when not in use is held in the upright (rest) position by the spring, by pressing the pedal to bring the seat down to its intermediate position, which might be described as the metastable position; in this intermediate position the front of the seat is within, say, a few centimetres of the bowl, and it stays in this position even if the pedal is released. The user can then sit on the seat, thus bringing it down to its lowermost (operating) position. When the user rises from the seat the spring urges the seat upwards, and by the time it has travelled over the said few centimetres it has enough momentum to pass the retaining means and travel back up to the upright position.

The retaining means in this embodiment is preferably a pin fixed to or passing through the hinge pin and set at an angle such that when the pivoting body is in its intermediate position the pin abuts lightly against a stop, which may consist of a ridge on the base body, for instance on the head of the retaining bolt used to fasten the seat hinge to the WC bowl. The restoring means is advantageously a coil spring surrounding the hinge pin and retained in it at one end; conceivably, though, a gravity-operated device could be envisaged.

An alternative way of connecting the pedal to the pivoting body is via a hydraulic mechanism. In this case the hinge is connected to a hydraulic actuator powered by actuation of the pedal. The delayed-action mechanism can then take the form of a restricted-return valve for the return of the seat to the upright position. The opening of this valve is preferably variable so that the return speed of the seat can be set to a suitable value. In the lowering direction, however, the valve offers no significant resistance.

One advantage of the hydraulic arrangement is that the return means can be incorporated into or associated with the hydraulics, for instance as a spring inside the cylinder. All that is then necessary for installation is connection of the spindle of the hinge to the actuator.

In a third version the retaining means is released by a separate release device operated by the user on completion of use. For application to a toilet seat this release device can advantageously be coupled to or otherwise associated with the cistern flush, so that the action of flushing the toilet automatically causes the seat to lift. The release device can be coupled to an operating device, such as a pedal, in a way similar to that in which the hinge itself may be connected, e.g. by a cable. Such a mechanism is virtually free from wear.

For a better understanding of the invention, an embodiment will now be described, by way of example, with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which: Fig. 1 shows a device in accordance with the invention; Fig. 2 shows a WC basin adapted to receive an operating cable for use with the invention; Fig. 3 shows some of the parts used for making the device shown in Fig. 1; Fig. 4 shows a section of a part of a cistern used in a second embodiment of the invention; Fig. 5 is a front view of the WC basin used in the second embodiment; Fig. 6 shows a third embodiment of the invention, using hydraulics; and Fig. 7 shows a detail of the actuator and spindle in the third embodiment.

Fig. 1 is a front view on a hinge mechanism for a WC seat which in most respects is conventional. A seat 2 and cover 3 pivot on lugs 6, 7 respectively about a hinge bar or shaft 5 with respect to a WC bowl 1. The shaft 5 is supported in the usual manner via blocks 8, 9 screwed to the bowl by bolts 10, 11 similar to those conventionally used.

The hinge device in accordance with the invention consists of a spring 16, a retaining means 20 and an operating cable 26. The spring 16 is constructed as a coil spring whose one end 17 protrudes radially outwards so as to engage in a bore in the bolt 10 and whose other end protrudes inwards so as to engage a slot 15 near one end of the bar 5; the shape of the spring is best seen in Fig. 3. Near the other end of the bar 5 the retainer 20 is in the form of a screw passing through a threaded bore in the bar and protruding an adjustable distance to end in a springloaded ball 21. This ball 21, when properly adjusted, rides over a ridge lia on the top of the bolt 11.

In contrast to the usual arrangement the seat 2 is not loosely pivoted on the bar 5 but rotates with it.

This is achieved by the use of a metal insert 30 which is press-fitted into the lugs 6 of the seat 2; the insert has an internal ridge 31 which fits the groove 15. By this means the seat is raised when the bar 5 is rotated in the appropriate direction.

Further detail of parts of the device is given in Fig. 3.

The rotation of the bar 5 is effected via a cable 26 passing through and being held in an eye 25 mounted on the shaft 5. For most of its length the cable is encased in a sheath 26 which at the hinge end, in this embodiment, abuts the flange on the bowl through which the bolts 10, 11 pass. At the other end, as shown in Fig. 2, the cable, after passing down at the back of the bowl and through the ceramic body of the bowl at the front, is attached to a pedal assembly 35. This assembly consists of a pedal 37 to which the cable wire 27 is attached and a housing 36 against which the sheath 26 abuts. The pedal assembly 35 is constructed in such a way that upon full depression of the pedal 37, i.e. when its surface is level with that of the upper surface of the housing 36, the cable 26 has pulled the shaft round by something short of a right angle.

Operation of the device is as follows. In the absence of external forces the seat 2 is upright, being held in this position by the spring 16. The seat can be lowered against the force of the spring, either by hand or, preferably, by the pedal 35 until the ball 21 of the retainer 20 just passes over the ridge lla. The pedal 35 makes this operation particularly simple since the pedal 37 pulls the seat down to just the correct position as it reaches the point of full depression into its housing 36.

Once the ball 21 passes the ridge lla the pedal can be released since the retaining means formed by cooperation of the ball with the ridge is sufficient to hold the seat in its third position; the seat may be, say, 5-10 from the horizontal. The seat can then be sat on, which depresses the seat fully into its lower, operating position. When the user rises from the seat it springs back under the influence of the spring 16; by the time the ball 21 again comes into abutment with the ridge 11a the seat has sufficient momentum to overcome this obstacle, and so the seat automatically reverts to the upright position. Nevertheless the ridge lla slows the seat down sufficiently for the user not to be inconvenienced by it. Of course, the spring should not be so strong that the cover 3 cannot be closed.

The device shown is adjustable in two respects.

first, the pretension of the spring 16 can be altered by inserting the stationary end into different holes 12 in the head of the bolt 10, as shown in Fig. 3. It is also possible to supply a conversion kit with various strengths of spring to suit different seat weights.

Secondly the retainer 20 can be adjusted to compensate for wear, by virtue of its screw mounting.

Figs. 4 and 5 show an embodiment where release of the seat, in a manner not dissimilar to the first embodiment, is brought about by the user. In this embodiment a pedal 35 is provided to the hinge (not shown). An additional cable is provided, connected at one end to the pedal and in particular to a catch or other release mechanism in the pedal, and connected at the other end to the cistern.

The attachment of the cable 40 in the cistern 42 is shown in Fig. 4. A tube 43 sealed to the cistern body rises from the base of the cistern to above the water level. This tube may be a conventional overflow tube, which measure contributes to the low materials cost of the device. The cable 40 enters the cistern at the bottom of this tube, its sheath being anchored at the point of entry, and the core 41 of the cable extends up through the tube to an abutment 44 fixed to the flush lever axis so that when the arm 45 of the flush mechanism is raised by pressing down of the handle in order to flush the WC the core 41 of the cable is pulled upwards, pulling the spring-loaded catch in the pedal and thus releasing the seat which then rises back to the upright position.

Conceivably the arrangement could be reversed in that the release mechanism in the pedal could be spring-loaded to its release position, operation of the flush lever, rather than actively withdrawing the catch of the release mechanism, merely allowing its withdrawal by the spring loading. For this purpose the core 41 could for instance be attached to the other side of the flush mechanism axis. Further, it is not necessary for the operating member (i.e. the pedal) also to contain the catch retaining the seat in its operating position: a separate retaining means could instead be provided, as in the first embodiment. the release mechanism would then act on this retaining means.

Figs. 6 and 7 show a third embodiment in which actuation takes place hydraulically. A pedal 51 is provided as before and acts to urge hydraulic fluid through a circuit generally denoted 50. At the floormounted end of the circuit a reservoir and compensating cylinder 52 (shown enlarged in Fig. 6) is mounted on the pedal assembly. At the seat end an actuating cylinder 54 is provided, and the two cylinders are connected by outward and return lines 52, 53. Fig. 7 shows how the piston of the actuator 54 is connected by a linkage 56 to the spindle 5 of the seat, this part being protected by a cover 57.

In this embodiment actuation of the pedal causes an overpressure in line 52 which in turn depresses the piston of the actuator 4 and rotation of the spindle via the linkage 56. When the seat is released it automatically returns to the upright position. This may be effected by a spring on the spindle 5, as before, or a spring in one of the cylinders 54, 52.

This has the advantage that minimal alteration has to be made to the existing hinge mechanism when fitting.

Also a hydraulic system is less prone to wear than a cable.

Although not shown, a valve is fitted to the circuit 50 which ensures that the seat presents much more resistance to return movement than to lowering.

Hence the seat is easy to lower but returns only slowly when released from its lowered position. The valve thus constitutes the "retaining means" of the invention.

Clearly various modifications could be made to the example shown, within the scope of the invention. For instance, the ball and ridge could be reversed between pin 20 and bolt 11. The rod 5 does not in principle need a groove if other suitable mountings for the spring and seat can be found. The invention also extends to devices which hold a toilet seat down for a certain time before releasing them automatically. The mechanism of the invention can be made very cheaply and allows easy adaptation of an existing WC seat by replacement as appropriate of the hinge shaft and bolts, with the addition of the spring and retainer and pedal mechanism. The invention therefore also includes methods of converting existing WCs by fitting a hinge mechanism as described.

The invention has particular application to toilet seats but could in principle be applied to any form of seat or lid which is intended to stay upright except when in use, and when released after use has to return in a controlled (i.e. not abrupt) fashion to the upright position.

Claims (13)

Claims

1. A retaining mechanism for a hinge between a base body and a pivoting body, the hinge allowing pivoting of the latter body with respect to the former between a rest position and an operating position, the mechanism comprising: a restoring means adapted to urge the pivoting body towards the rest position; and a retaining means adapted to retain the pivoting body at or near the operating position in such a way that when the pivoting body is released after operation the restoring means overcomes the retaining means, allowing the pivoting body to return to the rest position.

2. A retaining mechanism according to claim 1, in which the retaining means is a delayed-action mechanism which releases the pivoting body after a predetermined time.

3. A retaining mechanism according to claim 1, in which the retaining means is adapted to retain the pivoting body when stationary at a third, intermediate, position near its operating position with a retaining force which can be overcome by the momentum of the pivoting body when released from its operating position under the action of the restoring means.

4. A retaining mechanism according to claim 3, in which the retaining means includes a pin fixed to or passing through the hinge pin and set at an angle such that when the pivoting body is in its intermediate position the pin abuts lightly against a stop.

5. A retaining mechanism according to claim 1, in which the retaining means is constituted by a builtin resistance to the return movement of the pivoting body.

6. A retaining mechanism according to any preceding claim and further including an operating device adapted to move the pivoting body from the rest position towards the operating position.

7. A retaining mechanism according to claim 6, in which the operating device is a pedal connected to the hinge and having a limit of operation which corresponds approximately to the operating position of the pivoting body.

8. A retaining mechanism according to claim 6 or 7, in which the operating device is connected to the pivoting body via a hydraulic mechanism.

9. A retaining mechanism according to claim 8 and including a valve offering resistance to the return movement of the pivoting body.

10. A retaining mechanism according to claim 8 or 9, in which the restoring means is contained in the hydraulic mechanism.

11. A retaining mechanism according to any of claims 1 to 9, in which the restoring means is a coil spring adapted to surround the hinge pin and to be retained in it at one end.

12. A toilet seat including a retaining mechanism as claimed in any preceding claim.

13. A retaining mechanism substantially as described herein with reference to any of the embodiments shown in the accompanying drawings.