US3430269A - Portable toilet - Google Patents

Description

March 4, 1969 T. T. BRADSHAW 3,430,269

PORTABLE TOILET Filed Nov. 5, 1966 INVENTOR THOMAS T BRADSHAW ATTORNEYS United States Patent 4 Claims ABSTRACT OF THE DISCLOSURE A portable toilet container having an upper opening normally covered by at least one downwardly swingable door, with a normally upwardly extending toilet seat hinged to the container and located above and connected to the door so that movement of the seat into a horizontal plane causes the door to open and upwards movement causes the door to close. The seat is held upwardly by a plunger pressing against the bottom of the seat, with the lower end of the plunger extending through a U-shaped bracket, located within the container, with a coil spring surrounding the plunger portion within the bracket and abutting the bracket and a shoulder formed upon the plunger to spring press the plunger upwardly against the seat.

This invention relates to a portable toilet and more particularly a toilet useful in areas where there are no available sewage lines of the conventional type.

In outdoors construction work, parks, sporting events, etc., it has become conventional to provide portable toilets which in general are formed of a portable container located within a suitable cabana. It is important that such toilets have means for closing or sealing their tops for sanitary purposes and in addition, that they be as simple and weather and rust proof as possible.

Hence, it is an object of this invention to provide an unusually simplified portable toilet having sealing doors which automatically close when the toilet is not in use and which unit is made of a limited number of simple parts which, even when rusted, will still function properly.

A further object of this invention is to provide a portable toilet having a simplified mechanism for holding the seat in an upward or non-use position and closure doors which open when the seat is lowered to a use position so that the toilet is sealed at all times that it is not in use.

These and other objects and advantages of this invention will become apparent upon reading the following description, of which the attached drawings form a part.

In these drawings:

FIG. 1 is a perspective view of the portable toilet herein.

FIG. 2 is an elevational side view of the toilet illustrated in FIG. 1.

FIG. 3 is an enlarged cross-sectional view taken from a side direction of a fragment of the toilet, and

FIG. 4 is a fragmentary, enlarged view taken from the front of the toilet.

FIG. 5 is a fragmentary, enlarged view looking downwardly at the top of the toilet, and

FIG. 6 is a fragmentary view of the plunger operator mechanism.

Referring first to FIG. 1, the portable toilet 10 generally comprises a cylindrical container 11 having a closed top 12 and a closed bottom 13. An opening 14 is formed in the top and this opening is normally closed by a pair of doors 15 which are hingedly connected, by hinges 16, to the top 12.

A conventional toilet seat is located above the opening 14 and is secured by a conventional toilet seat hinge 18 to the container top.

The seat is connected by a pair of links 19 to each of the doors 15, by means of suitable eye screws or rings 20 "ice located on the bottom face of the seat and similar screws or rings 21 secured to the tops of the doors 15. Thus, the links may have bent hook or eye ends on them to interconnect with the screws or rings.

At the rear of the seat, at its lower face, near the seat hinge 18, is located a wear plate 22 which has a side extension 23 that extends outwardly of the side of the seat and terminates in a slottedend 24.

The wear plate is engaged by a plunger 25 which extends downwardly through a hole 26 in the container top and further downwardly through a guide hole 27 formed in the bight of a U-shaped bracket 28 which is fastened to the container top. The plunger is surrounded by a coil spring 29 whose lower end rests upon the bight of the bracket 28 and whose upper end presses against a washer 30 which is permanently secured to the plunger. Hence, the spring 29 constantly spring urges the plunger upwardly to thereby push against the wear plate 22 and consequently cause the seat to remain in a titlted upwardly position.

The bracket and coil spring are protected by a suitable sheet metal shield 31 which extends transversely of the container.

In normal operation, the seat is arranged at an angle to the top of the container, but when the seat is depressed, by the weight of a user, the seat moves downwardly to the top of the container, against the spring pressure of the coil spring 29, and at the same time the rigid links 19 force the doors 15 downwardly and inwardly of the container to thereby expose the opening 14 in the top of the container. When the weight is removed, the spring 29 again forces the plunger upwardly to raise the seat which at the same time thereby raises the doors 15 into closed position. Thus, the doors are in affect supported by the seat which in turn is supported upwardly by the plunger and the coil spring.

For some uses, it is desirable to depress the seat, by secondary means and for that purpose, a rigid vertical rod 32 having a headed upper end 33 is fitted into the slotted end 24 of the wear plate 22 and has its lower end pivotally connected at 34 to a lever 35 which in turn is connected by a pivot bracket 36 to the lower end of the container. A guide bracket 37 guides the upward and downward movement of the lever 35. The free end of the lever is provided with a pedal portion 38 so that foot pressure downwardly upon the pedal 38 moves the lever 35 downwardly, in turn pulling the rod 32 down to thereby depress the seat and cause the doors 15 to open as mentioned above.

It can be seen, that the number of parts needed to operate the unit and to move and close the doors is limited and that the parts may be of very rough dimensions and loose fits, so that even if corroded or damaged slightly, the unit will still operate satisfactorily at all times.

The only part which would tend to wear out or become damaged would be the spring 29 and this can be easily replaced when necessary and even if severely corroded, will still operate satisfactorily for a considerable period of time.

This invention may be further developed within the scope of the following claims. Accordingly, it is desired that the foregoing description be read as being merely i1- lustrative of an operative embodiment of this invention, and not in a strictly limited sense.

Having fully described an operative embodiment of this invention, I now claim:

1. A portable toilet comprising a container having a closed top with an opening formed in said top; a door hingedly secured to said top for normally closing said opening, said door being movable downwardly and inwardly of the container for exposing said opening;

a toilet seat arranged above said opening and secured to said top by cooperating hinge means;

a substantially vertically arranged plunger extending through a hole formed in said top adjacent said hinge means, said plunger extending upwardly above said top and having its upper end abutting the lower face of said seat near said hinge means, and having its lower end extending into said container a short distance;

spring means located within the container and engaging the lower end of said plunger and spring forcing the plunger upwardly to thereby normally press against and hold the seat upwardly at an acute angle relative to said top;

a rigid link connecting the seat to the door, whereby forcing the seat downwardly, against the spring pressure, towards said top, simultaneously pushes, by means of said link, the door downwardly to thus expose said opening;

said spring means comprising a U-shaped bracket secured to the bottom face of the container top, with a guide hole formed in the bight of the U-shaped bracket and the lower end of the plunger extending through said guide hole; a coil spring surrounding the plunger and having its lower end rested upon said bight and its upper end pressing upwardly against a shoulder formed upon the plunger.

2. A portable toilet as defined in claim 1, and including a second door, the two doors together closing said opening and each being hingedly connected to the top at opposite sides of said opening; and a rigid link connecting the second door to the seat for thereby simultaneously moving both doors downwardly and inwardly of the container to expose the opening upon downward movement of the seat.

3. A portable toilet as defined in claim 1, and including a smooth wear plate secured to the lower face of the seat above said plunger, with the plunger engaging the wear plate; said wear plate having a free end extending beyond one side of the seat, and lever operated means secured to said free end for manually lowering said seat against the top of the container.

4. A portable toilet as defined in claim 3*, and said lever operated means comprising a rigid rod attached tov said free end and extending downwardly and having a lower end pivotally connected to a lever, which in turn is pivotally connected to the side wall of the container, with the lever located near the bottom of the container for foot operation.

References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 4/1928 Lang 4-144 SAMUEL ROTHBERG, Primary Examiner.

H. I. GROSS, Assistant Examiner.

US. Cl. X.R.

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