GB2331111A

GB2331111A - Toilet seat lifting mechanism

Info

Publication number: GB2331111A
Application number: GB9819043A
Authority: GB
Inventors: Enda Keaveney
Original assignee: Individual
Current assignee: Individual
Priority date: 1997-11-06
Filing date: 1998-09-01
Publication date: 1999-05-12
Also published as: GB9723375D0; GB9819043D0

Abstract

A toilet seat lift mechanism (10) where a means is supplied to delay the rising of the seat from its lowered position when the load is removed. The seat (14) is lifted by the action of spring (28). Once the seat has been lowered from its upright position it will remain there due to either a latch (formed by 25 and 26) which is released when a load is applied or suction cups (85 in figure 5). The lifting motion of the seat may be controlled by a damper (30).

Description

IMPROVEMENTS IN OR RELATING TO TOILETS DESCRIPTION Technical Field This invention relates to toilets and in particular to toilet seats.

Background Art It is not unknown for some ill-mannered men using public toilets (e.g. in pubs, restaurants, hospitals, theatres, cinemas and the like) to fail to lift the toilet seat when urinating. The resultant situation is that the seat thereby becomes wet with urine and needs to be cleaned - usually by the next user who wishes to sit on the seat.

Summary of the Invention With a view to avoiding this situation, the present invention provides a toilet seat lift mechanism comprising: first means to hold a toilet seat in a seat lowered position on or adjacent the rim of the toilet bowl, and second means to urge the toilet seat towards a seatraised position and to provide automatic movement of the toilet seat to the seat-raised position when the load thereon is removed (e.g. as when a person seated thereon rises).

Preferably, in one embodiment, the first means is characterised by a suction pad to induce a vacuum effect therein when it is compressed between the seat and the said adjacent rim of the bowl when the seat is in its lower position, and by air bleed means to relieve the vacuum effect progressively when load on the lowered seat is removed (e.g. as when a person seated thereon rises).

Preferably the toilet seat lift mechanism comprises motion attenuation means to provide for controlled movement of the toilet seat to the seat-raised position. The motion attenuation means may comprise a spring (serving as said means to urge the element towards said seat-raised position) and a damper. Preferably the damper comprises an oil-filled housing with a vane therein rotatable by means responsive to arcuate motion of the said upwardly moving toilet seat. Said means may be an exterior element (e.g. a gear wheel). The said housing may be snap-fitted into an aperture therefor in a side wall of a housing for the said mechanism.

Alternatively, in another possible embodiment of the present invention the toilet seat lift mechanism may comprise an element for attachment to a toilet seat such as to be movable therewith, and a latch device to hold the element in a seat-lowered position, said latch device being disengageable by load on the element (e.g. due to a person sitting on the seat).

The latch device preferably comprises a recessed member and an engagement member to project into the recess, the two members being relatively movable along a path that extends to each side of the recessed member. Thus, for example, the engagement member can move along said path as the seat is lowered manually and until, when the seat is at a substantially horizontal position, the two members are engaged with one another, and then, when the seat is lowered slightly further - as when a person sits on the seat - the two members become disengaged and the engagement member is able to move further along said path - to permit the seat to rise automatically - as when the person rises from off the seat.

Brief Description of the Drawinqs By way of example two embodiments of this invention will now be described with reference to the accompanying drawings of which: Figure 1 is a schematic, partly-sectioned, side view of a toilet seat lift mechanism according to a first embodiment of this invention in a toilet seat lowered condition, Figure 2 is a similar view to Fig 1 showing the mechanism when the seat is in a further lowered condition resulting from a load being applied thereon (as by a person sitting on the seat), Figure 3 is a similar view to Figs 1 and 2 showing the condition of the mechanism in various stages of the seat being raised automatically (when a person rises from off the seat) Figure 4 is a similar view to Figs 1 to 3 showing the condition of the mechanism in various stages of the seat being manually lowered, Figure 5 is a schematic exploded perspective view of a toilet seat lift mechanism according to a second embodiment of this invention in a toilet seat lowered condition, Figure 6 illustrates a detail of a component illustrated in Fig 5, Figure 7 illustrates a detail of another component illustrated in Fig 5.

Figure 8 is a partly exploded, schematic perspective view of the underside of the seat shown in Fig 5, Figure 9 is an enlarged cross-sectional view of a detail shown in Fig 8, and Figure 10 is an exploded view of parts shown in Fig 9.

Detailed Description of Examnle(s) of the Invention The toilet seat lift mechanism 10 illustrated in Figs 1-4 comprises a box-like housing 11 and an element 12 for attachment to a toilet seat 13 (shown in Fig 1) such as to be movable with seat 13 about a pivot pin 17. The element 12 comprises a generally planar plate-like member 14 that provides a lid for the housing 11, the member 14 having two side cheeks 16 depending from its side edges. These side cheeks 16 are of generally arcuate form with each outer face having its arcuate edge provided with a row of gear teeth 15.

A guide member 18 is located between one side cheek 16 and a neighbouring side wall 19 of the box-like housing 11.

This guide member 18 is pivotably mounted at 20 to its adjoining housing side wall 19 and is constrained for arcuate motion about pivot 20 by a slide member 21 engaged in an arcuate slot 22 in side wall 19.

The guide member's inwardly directed surface - that faces the neighbouring side cheek 16 - is formed to define a bifurcated or 11Y11-shaped path 24 with the bifurcation resulting from the intervention, as an island formation in path 24, of a recessed member 25 located remote from pivot 20. The recessed member 25 is engageable by a V-shaped engagement member 26 that is formed as a lateral projection from neighbouring side cheek 16 and that can travel along the path 24 to be guided by the path's side walls.

The two members 24,25 act in use as a latch device which operates by enabling the V-shaped engagement member 26 to project into the V-shaped recess in the recessed member 25 when the engagement member 26 travels along path 24 to a position corresponding to a lowered position of the seatattached element 12 (see Fig 1). Thus, as the seat 13 is lowered manually, the engagement member 26 moves along the path 24 to below and then around the recessed member 25 until, when the seat is at a substantially horizontal position, the V-shaped engagement member 26 enters into the V-shaped recess of the recessed member 25 under the action of spring 28. The two members 25,26 thus become engaged with one another. Thereafter, when the seat 13 is lowered slightly further in the direction of the arrow in Fig 2 as when a person sits on the seat - the two members 25,26 become disengaged (the relative position shown in Fig 2).

In consequence, when the person rises off the seat, the engagement member 26 is able to move further along the bifurcated path 24 (in its portion above recessed member 25), to permit the seat 13 to rise automatically under the action of spring 28 (see Fig 3). As the lid 14 of element 12 rises in the direction of the arrows of Fig 3, i.e. is rotated clockwise as viewed in the drawings, the side cheeks 16 rise with it and the seat 13 approaches its vertical position in which the toilet bowl is fully uncovered.

The toilet seat lift mechanism illustrated in Figs 1-4 is provided with motion attenuation means to provide for controlled slow movement of the element 12 to the seatraised position. The motion attenuation means comprises both spring 28 and a motion damper 30. The damper 30 comprises an oil-filled cylindrical housing 32 that is snap-fitted into an aperture in each side wall 19, the housing 32 having a vane therein rotatable by an exterior gear wheel 35 engaged by the arcuate gear track 15 on adjacent side cheek 16.

It will be appreciated that the latch device provided by co-operable members 25,26 acts in use to hold the element 12 (and the seat 13 attached thereto) in a seat-lowered position, said latch device being disengageable by downward load on the element 12 (see Fig 4) - due to a person sitting on the seat - such that, when the downward load is removed - as when the seated person rises - the element 12 (and seat 13 attached thereto) can rise automatically to a seat-raised position under the action of spring 28, the upwards motion being damped by the damper 30.

In the alternative embodiment of Figs 5-9, the toilet seat 50 is provided with a pair of lugs 52,54 that are apertured, lug 52 having a circular-section aperture 56 and lug 54 having a D-section aperture 58. A central housing 60 is located between lugs 52 and 54, the housing 60 having a pair of lateral ears 62 that have square-section holes 64 therethrough. The latter overlie the conventional fixing holes that are provided in the rear lip of the toilet bowl and enable the housing 60 to be secured to the toilet bowl by conventional square-headed bolts 66 and associated wing nuts 68.

The housing 60 is centrally apertured to house a pair of coiled springs 65 that encompass a cylindrical rod 55 that extends wholly through lug 52 and partially into the inwards end of lug 54. Housing 60 is provided with a rearwardly projecting lip 61 (Fig 6) that in use provides an end stop to upwards pivotal motion to, for example, approximately 80 . This motion limiting feature, which is particularly useful where there is neither a low-level cistern nor a rear panel associated with the toilet, may be omitted where such a cistern or panel is provided.

A uni-directional damper mechanism 70 has an output spindle 72 having a cylindrical portion 74 and, at its free end, a D-section portion 75 that fits matingly into the D-section aperture 58 in the outwards end of lug 54. As shown in Fig 7, the housing 71 for the damper mechanism 70 has an oilfilled blind bore 72 in which a vaned element 73 of cylindrical or c-shaped cross-section is mounted via roller bearings 76. The vanes of element 73 are curved and directed inwardly of element 73 towards the spindle 72 and via the oil, provide damping to spindle rotation in one direction - corresponding to upwards pivotal motion of seat 50 - and substantially undamped spindle rotation in the opposite direction - corresponding to downwards pivotal motion of seat 50.

A cover 80 for the toilet seat 50 has a pair of ears 82 and 84 that bestride the lugs 52 and 54, the ears 82 and 84 being each provided with circular apertures for pivotable fitting respectively on the rod 55 and on another short extension rod 57 projecting laterally outwards from the damper mechanism's housing 71 co-axially with (and oppositely directed to) the spindle 72.

It will be apparent that lugs 52,54 with rod 55 and spindle 72 provide a pivotal mechanism for the seat 50 with respect to the housing 60 secured to the toilet bowl, and that the ears 82,84 with rod 55 and spindle 72 provide a similar pivotal mechanism for the cover 80.

The underside of seat 50 is provided adjacent its front end with one or two releasable suction devices 85 for suction attachment to the rim of the toilet bowl in a substantially predetermined time-release manner. The or each device 85 comprises a cylindrical wall 86 depending from the underside of seat 50 and spaced from a coaxial recess 87 formed in the underside of seat 50. The wall 86 and recess 87 are integral with the main body of the seat 50. The cylindrical wall 86 slidably accommodates a generally cup-shaped housing 88 that has an elevated, partconical base wall 89 provided with a central aperture 91.

A suction cap or cup 90, comprising a flexible bell-like element 92 depending from an elongate stem 94, has its stem 94 extending through the aperture 91 such that the flexible bell-like element 92 nests within the part-conical base wall 89 of housing 88. The latter is urged against the top surface of the flexible bell-like element 92 by a lowforce, coiled compression spring 93 acting between the underside of seat 50 and the base wall 89 of generally cupshaped housing 88. The tubular stem 94 of the suction cap or cup 90 engages the outer body 96 of an adjustable airbleed device 95 of the needle-valve type in which an externally screw-threaded needle 97 engages with clearance an internal screw-thread in the body 96 and has its leading tip or needle end co-operable with a narrow tapered bore 98. Adjustment of the degree of insertion of needle 97 into bore 98 regulates the air flow through the device 95 into the flexible bell-like element 92 of suction cap or cup 90.

Once regulated or set to the desired air flow rate, the suction device's tubular stem 94 (with the air-bleed device 95 therein) is inserted with a tight fit into a bung 99 that is itself a tight-fit in the recess 87 molded into the underside of seat 50. These tight-fitting engagements may be assisted by providing barbs on the external surfaces of body 96 and of tubular stem 94. The bung 99 is externally stepped and is provided with an inclined air passage 100 to allow air communication - via the restricted orifice means provided by the air-bleed device 95 - between the exterior of the suction device 85 (i.e. the space between the seat 50 and the rim 101 of the toilet bowl) and the interior of the flexible bell-like element 92.

In use, when the seat 50 is lowered, the one-way clutchlike action of damper mechanism 70 provides very little resistance to such motion and the seat 50 can pivot downwards, somewhat increasing the tension in the coiled springs 65, but otherwise much as a conventional freelypivoted seat. When the user sits on the lowered seat 50, his/her weight urges the suction cap or cup 90 of the or each suction device 85 into forceful engagement of the rim 101 of the toilet bowl such that the flexible wall of belllike element 92 is flattened and/or spreads outwards to decrease the volume of the chamber 102 between flexible element 92 and the rim 101 of the toilet bowl.

This condition continues to apply until, when the user rises from off the seat; the inherent resilience of belllike element 92 coupled with the action of springs 65 tends to pull the seat 50 upwards against the suction effect of the cap or cup 90. However the seat 50 remains in its lowered condition until the air pressure difference between the interior and exterior of the chamber 102 is equalised or at least reduced to a level at which the suction resistance to the force of springs 65 is overcome.

Thereafter, once the engagement between the or each suction device 85 and the toilet bowl rim is released, the toilet seat 50 will start to rise by pivoting upwards.

This rising motion of seat 50 is damped by the one-way damping mechanism 70 so that the seat 50 rises slowly (i.e. without suddeness) until it comes gently to rest in an approximately vertical attitude defined (a) by the engagement of the rear edge of seat 50 with the lip 61 projecting rearwardly of housing 60, or (b) by the engagement of the forward end of seat 50 with the low-level cistern (now shown) providing flush water for the toilet, or (c) by the engagement of the forward end of seat 50 with a front panel or like wall behind which is located the cistern providing flush water for the toilet.

This attenuated rising motion of the seat avoids - or at least minimises - risk of injury to users of the toilet were the motion to be sudden and undamped due to the springs 65 alone.

It will be appreciated that the generally cup-shaped housing 88 - which, conveniently, is a rigid plastics material molding acts in use as a protector for the flexible bell-like element 92 of the suction cap or cup 90.

Furthermore, since housing 88 extends downwarly and radially outwardly beyond the perimeter of bell-like element 92, it (rather than the bell-like element 92) makes the initial contact with the rim 101 of the toilet bowl when the seat 50 is lowered. This operating condition is aided by the action of the coil spring 93 that lightly urges the cup-shaped housing 88 downwardly away from the underside of the seat 50.

It will also be appreciated that the variable flow rate needle-valve device 95 may be replaced by a fixed rate device selected or manufactured) to provide the flow rate desired. Alternatively, and for some circumstances, it may be appropriate to dispense with the variable and the fixed device 95, and simply provide a hole of predetermined size through the wall of flexible element 92 to provide a comparable predetermined restricted orfice means. Other modifications and embodiments of the invention, which will be readily apparent to those skilled in this art, are to be deemed within the ambit and scope of the invention, and the particular embodiment(s) hereinbefore described may be varied in construction and detail, e.g. interchanging (where appropriate or desired) different features of each, without departing from the scope of the patent monopoly hereby sought.

Claims

CLAIMS 1. A toilet seat lift mechanism comprising: first means to hold a toilet seat in a seat lowered position on or adjacent the rim of the toilet bowl, and second means to urge the toilet seat towards a seatraised position and to provide automatic movement of the toilet seat to the seat-raised position when the load thereon is removed.
2. A toilet seat lift mechanism according to Claim 1, wherein the first means is characterised by a suction pad to induce a vacuum effect therein when it is compressed between the seat and the said adjacent rim of the bowl when the seat is in its lower position1 and by air bleed means to relieve the vacuum effect progressively when load on the lowered seat is removed.
3. A toilet seat lift mechanism according to Claim 1 or Claim 2, wherein said mechanis comprises motion attenuation means to provide for controlled movement of the toilet seat to the seat-raised position.
4. A toilet seat lift mechanism according to Claim 3, wherein the motion attenuation means comprises a spring serving as said means to urge the element towards said seat-raised position - and a damper.
5. A toilet seat lift mechanism according to Claim 4, wherein the damper comprises an oil-filled housing with a vane therein rotatable by means responsive to arcuate motion of the said upwardly moving toilet seat.
6. A toilet seat lift mechanism according to Claim 5, wherein said means responsive to arcuate motion comprises an exterior element (e.g. a gear wheel).
7. A toilet seat lift mechanism according to Claim 5 or Claim 6, wherein said means responsive to arcuate motion comprises a gear wheel.
8. A toilet seat lift mechanism according to any one of Claims 5 to 7, wherein the said housing is snap-fitted into an aperture therefor in a side wall of a housing for the said mechanism.
9. A toilet seat mechanism according to Claim 1, comprising an element for attachment to a toilet seat such as to be movable therewith, and a latch device to hold the element in a seat-lowered position, said latch device being disengageable by load on the element.
10. A toilet seat mechanism according to Claim 9, wherein the latch device comprises a recessed member and an engagement member to project into the recess, the two members being relatively movable along a path that extends to each side of the recessed member.
11. A toilet seat mechanism according to Claim 10, wherein the engagement member is arranged to move along said path as the seat is lowered manually and until, when the seat is at a substantially horizontal position, the two members are engaged with one another, and then, when the seat is lowered slightly further - as when a person sits on the seat - the two members become disengaged and the engagement member is able to move further along said path - to permit the seat to rise automatically - as when the person rises from off the seat.
12. A toilet seat mechanism substantially as herein described with reference to Figs 1 to 4 or to Figs 5 to 10 of the accompanying drawings.