US20120017361A1

US20120017361A1 - Sanitary Toilet Seat

Info

Publication number: US20120017361A1
Application number: US12/843,100
Authority: US
Inventors: Steve Lankenau
Original assignee: Individual
Current assignee: Individual
Priority date: 2010-07-26
Filing date: 2010-07-26
Publication date: 2012-01-26

Abstract

A sanitary toilet seat in varying shapes for use with varying shapes of toilet bowls having an upper rim and a pair of flanges extending upwardly from the upper rim at a rear area of the toilet includes a cardboard base having a seat portion and a connection portion. A plurality of water resistant feet extend from a lower side of the seat portion for contacting the upper rim. A plurality of impermeable, flushable, biodegradable sheets are stacked atop one another to form a pile with upper and lower ends, the pile upper end being wider than the pile lower end. Each sheet includes a tab accessible to peel the sheet from the pile. Adhesive is coupled to each sheet lower side but not to the tabs. Each upper sheet includes a coating such that the adhesive separates cleanly from the sheet upper sides.

Description

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

This invention relates generally to toilet seat covers and, more particularly, to a replaceable sanitary toilet seat that includes a stack of sanitary sheets that may be removed individually to ensure that a next user may sit on a sanitary sheet when using the toilet.
Many people are hesitant to be seated upon a toilet seat in a public restroom for fear that the seat is not hygienic and carries a risk of acquiring unwanted germs, infection, or disease. More particularly, a person may feel anxiety knowing that the skin of multiple persons have previously contacted the same seat or that the seat itself may have been contacted directly or inadvertently by human waste.
Various devices have been proposed in the art for covering the seat of a toilet so as to prevent the spread of germs. Although assumably effective for their intended purposes, the existing devices or proposals each include disadvantages that are overcome by the present invention. For instance, some existing products require a user to spread a thin paper over the toilet seat and align it on all sides, being careful not to allow it to become misaligned during use as this would allow undesirable contact with a potentially unsanitary toilet seat. This process must be repeated for each use. Other proposals include removing one of a plurality of stacked sheets after each use so that an unadulterated sheet is available to a next user. However, those proposals do not satisfy the goals of both easy removal and ensuring that no portion of the next sheet was contacted by a previous user's skin.
Therefore, it would be desirable to have a sanitary toilet seat that includes a plurality of adhesively stacked sheets, each sheet being configured so as to be both easily removable before use as ensuring that no portion thereof has been contacted by the skin of a prior user. Specifically, it would be desirable that an outer edge of each sheet be slightly larger than that of a next lower sheet. In addition, it would be desirable to have a numbered tab associated with each sheet so that a user is able to easily and without risk of contamination peel off only a single sheet as desired.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

A sanitary toilet seat according to the present invention for use with a toilet having a bowl with an upper rim and a pair of flanges extending upwardly from the upper rim at a rear area of the toilet includes a sturdy base having a seat portion and a connection portion. A plurality of water resistant feet extend from a lower side of the seat portion for contacting the upper rim. A plurality of biodegradable sheets are stacked atop one another to form a pile with upper and lower ends, the pile upper end being wider than the pile lower end. Each sheet includes a tab accessible to peel the sheet from the pile. Adhesive is coupled to each sheet lower side but not to the tabs. Each upper sheet includes a coating such that the adhesive separates cleanly from the sheet upper sides.
Therefore, a general object of this invention is to provide an easily used sanitary toilet seat that is hygienic especially for public and commercial restrooms.
Another object of this invention is to provide a sanitary toilet seat, as aforesaid, that includes a plurality of biodegradable sheets of wax paper that are stacked with a mild adhesive.
Still another object of this invention is to provide a sanitary toilet seat, as aforesaid, in which the stack of sheets each has a tapered configuration such that a higher sheet has a larger width dimension that an adjacent lower sheet.
Yet another object of this invention is to provide a sanitary toilet seat, as aforesaid, in which each sheet is flushable.
A further object of this invention is to provide a sanitary toilet sheet that may be easily detached from a toilet and replaced when all the sheets have been removed.
A still further object of this invention is to provide a sanitary toilet seat, as aforesaid, that is easy to be used and understood and inexpensive to manufacture.
Other objects and advantages of the present invention will become apparent from the following description taken in connection with the accompanying drawings, wherein is set forth by way of illustration and example, embodiments of this invention.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a sanitary toilet seat according to a preferred embodiment of the present invention;

FIG. 2 is another perspective view of the toilet seat as in FIG. 1 with a top sheet partially removed;

FIG. 3 is an isolated view on an enlarged scale taken from a portion of FIG. 1;

FIG. 4 is a perspective view of the toilet seat as in FIG. 1 removed from the toilet;

FIG. 5 is an exploded view of the toilet seat as in FIG. 4;

FIG. 6 is a bottom perspective view of the toilet seat as in FIG. 4;

FIG. 7 a is a sectional view taken along line 7 a-7 a of FIG. 4;

FIG. 7 b is an isolated view on an enlarged scale taken from a portion of FIG. 7 a;

FIG. 8 is a perspective view of the base with the pile of sheets removed;

FIG. 9 is a side view of the pile of sheets removed from the base; and

FIG. 10 is a top view of the toilet seat as in FIG. 4.

DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT

Sanitary toilet seats according to the present invention will now be described in detail with reference to FIGS. 1 through 10 of the accompanying drawings. More particularly, a sanitary toilet seat 100 according to one embodiment for use with a toilet 10 (FIGS. 1 and 2) having a bowl 12 with an upper rim 13 and a pair of flanges 14 extending upwardly from the upper rim 13 at a rear area 15 of the toilet 10 includes a base 110 and a plurality of sheets 150.
The base 110 may preferably be constructed of cardboard or another recyclable material, and is best shown in FIG. 5 and FIG. 6. The base 110 has a seat portion 112 and a connection portion 122. The seat portion 112 is configured to cover a majority of the upper rim 13 and has an upper face 114 that is convex or generally planar. The upper face 114, if generally planar, may meet a generally planar vertical face 124 of the connection portion 122 at an angle of at least ninety degrees.
A plurality of water resistant feet 115 extend from a lower side 116 of the seat portion 112 for contacting the upper rim 13, and it may be desirable for the lower side 116 to be generally planar or concave. The feet 115 may be constructed of any water-resistant material having suitable strength to avoid failing under operable loads of, for example, upwards of four hundred pounds. It may, however, be desirable for the feet 115 to be constructed of a recyclable plastic or another recyclable material.
Returning to the connection portion 122, the connection portion 122 is sized to fit between the pair of flanges 14 (FIGS. 1 through 3) and has a passage 125 (FIG. 5) therethrough for alignment with a passage in each flange 14. To couple the sanitary toilet seat 100 to the toilet 10, a rod may pass through the passage 125 in the connection portion 122 and the passages in the flanges 14. As the rod may include one end that is larger than the flange passages, that end of the rod may be restricted from pulling through the passages. A wing nut or other hand-operated fastener may be coupled to the other end of the rod after the rod is in place through the passages to similarly restrict the other end from pulling through the passages. While a wing nut is described, those skilled in the art will appreciate that other means for removably securing the rod may alternately or additionally be utilized.
Attention now being directed to the sheets 150, it may be desirable for the sheets 150 to be constructed of a biodegradable material, such as a biodegradable paper. The sheets 150 are stacked atop one another (FIG. 7 b) to form a pile 152 (FIG. 5) with upper and lower ends 152 a, 152 b, and it may be desirable for the sheets 150 in the pile 152 to contact the vertical face 124 of the connection portion 122. The pile upper end 152 a is wider than the pile lower end 152 b, and the pile 152 is atop the seat portion 112 of the base 110. Each subsequent sheet 150 may be larger than a sheet 150 immediately below, such that the sheet 150 immediately below is covered and protected against skin contact until the upper sheet 150 is removed.
Each sheet 150 has upper and lower sides 154 a, 154 b (FIGS. 1 and 8) and is configured to cover the seat portion 112 of the base 110. Adhesive 160 is coupled to each sheet lower side 154 b, as shown in FIG. 8, and each sheet upper side 154 a has a coating such that the adhesive 160 separates cleanly from the sheet upper sides 154 a when desired. While various coatings and materials may be used, the sheets 150 may, for example, be constructed of a wax paper. Again referring to FIG. 8, each sheet 150 has a perimeter 155, and the adhesive 160 coupled to the lower side 154 b of each sheet 150 is spaced inwardly from the sheet's perimeter 155 to form a border 156 that is free of adhesive 160. Alternatively, however, the adhesive may be positioned adjacent the perimeter to maintain a good seal between the sheets.
As shown, for example, in FIGS. 9 and 10, each sheet 150 has a tab 157 accessible to peel the sheet 150 from the pile 152 (FIG. 2). The tabs 157 may be stacked atop one another to form a line 157 a (FIG. 9) angled non-perpendicularly to the upper face 114 of the seat portion 112 to increase their accessibility. Or the tabs 157 may be stacked atop one another and may get increasingly larger from the pile lower end 152 b to the pile upper end 152 a to increase their accessibility. It may be desirable for the adhesive 160 to not be coupled to the tabs 157, as shown in FIG. 8, as this may further increase the accessibility of the tabs 157. Indicia may be included to distinguish each sheet 150 from the adjacent sheets 150.
This may include, for example, different colors, alphanumeric characters, shapes, phrases, pictures, or other indicia. Moreover, as shown in FIG. 3, it may be desirable for instructions 159 to be printed on each sheet 150 regarding removal of respective sheets 150 from the pile 152. These instructions 159 may be located, for example, adjacent the tabs 157.
In use, the connection portion 122 is positioned between the pair of flanges 14 (FIG. 1), and the rod may couple the connection portion 122 to the flanges 14 as described above. The feet 115 sit upon the upper rim 13 of the toilet 10, supporting the base 110 and keeping the base 110 from getting wet. To obtain a clean, sanitary seat surface, the user may follow the instructions 159 adjacent the tabs 157 and peel the top sheet 150 from the pile 152 using the uppermost tab 157 prior to sitting. Because of the configuration of the tabs 157 (discussed above) and the indicia distinguishing the adjacent sheets 150, the user may differentiate the different sheets 150 and tabs 157 and remove only the uppermost sheet 150, reducing or eliminating waste associated with removing multiple sheets 150 at once. The border 156 and lack of adhesive on the tabs 157 may facilitate removing the upper sheet 150 from the pile 152. Further, the coating on the upper side 154 a of each sheet 150 may aid in the adhesive 160 on the upwardly adjacent sheets 150 from sticking to the upper sides 154 a after removal of the upwardly adjacent sheets 150 from the pile 152.
Once a sheet 150 is separated from the pile 152, the removed sheet 150 may be discarded in the toilet 10. And, by removing a sheet 150 from the pile 152, a clean sheet 150 is revealed. The user may sit upon the clean sheet 150 and utilize the toilet 10, as will be apparent. The pile 152 may provide a stable structure for the user due to its configuration and materials of construction. Because each subsequent sheet 150 is larger than the sheet 150 immediately below, the sheets 150 below are covered and protected against skin contact so long as the upper sheets 150 remain on the pile 152.
Once all of the sheets 150 are separated from the base 110, the base 110 may be separated from the toilet 10 and discarded. More particularly, the rod may be removed (e.g., by removing the wing nut) and the connection portion 122 may be separated from the flanges 14. A new sanitary toilet seat 100 may then be installed, as set forth above. It may be desirable for the discarded base 110 and feet 115 to be recycled.
It is understood that while certain forms of this invention have been illustrated and described, it is not limited thereto except insofar as such limitations are included in the following claims and allowable functional equivalents thereof.

Claims

1. A sanitary toilet seat for use with a toilet having a bowl with an upper rim and a pair of flanges extending upwardly from the upper rim at a rear area of the toilet, the sanitary toilet seat comprising:

a cardboard or otherwise sturdy base having a seat portion and a connection portion, said seat portion being configured to cover a majority of said upper rim and having a convex or generally planar upper face, said connection portion being sized to fit between said pair of flanges and having a passage therethrough for alignment with a passage in each flange;

a plurality of water resistant feet extending from a lower side of said seat portion for contacting said upper rim;

a plurality of biodegradable sheets stacked atop one another to form a pile with upper and lower ends, said pile upper end being wider than said pile lower end, said pile being atop said seat portion, each sheet having upper and lower sides and being configured to cover said seat portion, each sheet having a tab accessible to peel said sheet from said pile; and

adhesive coupled to each sheet lower side, said adhesive not being coupled to said tabs;

wherein each sheet upper side has a coating such that said adhesive separates cleanly from said sheet upper sides.

2. The sanitary toilet seat of claim 1, wherein:

said seat portion upper face is generally planar;

said connection portion has a generally planar vertical face meeting said upper face at an angle of at least ninety degrees; and

said sheets contact said connection portion vertical face when forming said pile.

3. The sanitary toilet seat of claim 2, further comprising indicia distinguishing each said sheet from adjacent sheets.

4. The sanitary toilet seat of claim 3, wherein said tabs get increasingly larger from said pile lower end to said pile upper end, said tabs being stacked atop one another.

5. The sanitary toilet seat of claim 3, wherein said tabs are stacked atop one another to form a line angled non-perpendicularly to said seat portion upper face.

6. The sanitary toilet seat of claim 5, wherein:

each said sheet has a perimeter; and

for each sheet, said adhesive coupled to said sheet lower side is spaced inwardly from said perimeter of said sheet to form a border free of adhesive.

7. The sanitary toilet seat of claim 6, further comprising:

a rod for passing through said passage in said connection portion and said passage in each flange, said rod having one end that is larger than said flange passages; and

means for removably securing said rod to said connection portion and said flanges by hand.

8. The sanitary toilet seat of claim 7, further comprising instructions printed on each said sheet regarding removal of respective sheets from said pile.

9. The sanitary toilet seat of claim 8, wherein said water resistant feet are constructed of recyclable plastic.

10. The sanitary toilet seat of claim 2, wherein said tabs are stacked atop one another to form a line angled non-perpendicularly to said seat portion upper face.

11. The sanitary toilet seat of claim 1, wherein:

each said sheet has a perimeter; and

12. The sanitary toilet seat of claim 11, further comprising:

13. The sanitary toilet seat of claim 12, further comprising indicia distinguishing each said sheet from adjacent sheets.

14. The sanitary toilet seat of claim 13, further comprising instructions printed on each said sheet regarding removal of respective sheets from said pile.

15. A sanitary toilet seat for use with a toilet having a bowl with an upper rim and a pair of flanges extending upwardly from the upper rim at a rear area of the toilet, the sanitary toilet seat comprising:

a cardboard base having a seat portion and a connection portion, said seat portion being configured to cover a majority of said upper rim and having a convex or generally planar upper face, said connection portion being sized to fit between said pair of flanges and having a passage therethrough for alignment with a passage in each flange;

a plurality of biodegradable sheets stacked atop one another to form a pile with upper and lower ends, said pile being atop said seat portion, each subsequent sheet being larger than a sheet immediately below such that said sheet immediately below is covered and protected against skin contact, each sheet having upper and lower sides and being configured to cover said seat portion, each sheet having a tab accessible to peel said sheet from said pile; and

adhesive coupled to each sheet lower side;

16. The sanitary toilet seat of claim 15, wherein:

each said sheet has a perimeter;

for each sheet, said adhesive coupled to said sheet lower side is spaced inwardly from said perimeter of said sheet to form a border free of adhesive; and

said tabs are free of adhesive.

17. The sanitary toilet seat of claim 16, further comprising:

indicia distinguishing each said sheet from adjacent sheets; and

instructions printed on each said sheet regarding removal of respective sheets from said pile.

18. The sanitary toilet seat of claim 17, wherein said tabs are stacked atop one another, and at least one of: (a) said tabs get increasingly larger from said pile lower end to said pile upper end; and (b) said tabs form a line angled non-perpendicularly to said seat portion upper face.

19. The sanitary toilet seat of claim 18, further comprising: