Inflatable toilet seat adapter for child

A toilet seat adapter for use by infants and children who are unable to use conventional bathroom facilities. The invention includes a tubular inflatable plastic body, with a tubular seat portion having a front segment, side segments and rear segment that join to define a central opening. Connecting with a bottom side of seat portion side segments and seat portion rear segment is a downward extending tubular positioning ring. Sidewalls of the positioning ring are formed with respective sets of vertical, spaced apart stiffening ribs. Connecting respectively to the seat portion side segments is a pair of handles. Attached to the seat portion rear segment is an upstanding, tubular backrest while a flap covers the inflation device.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

Field of the Invention

This invention relates generally to portable toilet seat adapters, and more particularly to a highly advantageous, differentially inflatable toilet seat adapter for toddlers that can be rapidly set up for use, and subsequently rapidly deflated and collapsed, for example to small size kit form.

Prior Art

There is need for portable toilet seat adapters for toddlers, especially for example on family outings and traveling. Prior devices of this nature were clumsy, complex, and lacked the many advantages of the present inflatable potty seat, including extreme collapsibility to compact kit size, very rapid inflatability for use during emergencies, and differential inflatability to resist reduction in size of the central well.

Inflatable toilets, bedpans, and toilet seat adapters are well-known and have been in use for many years but none has the features described in the present invention.

The toilet seat adapter of the present invention provides several advantages over like adapters presently known or in use.

A first advantage is that this adapter, when not in use, can be easily deflated and then folded for ready insertion into a small-size zip-lock type bag.

Secondly, this adapter can be fitted on conventional toilet seats having different size openings. The adapter positioning ring is sufficiently pliable to fit into different size toilet seat openings and then sufficiently rigid to hold the adapter in place. This rigidity is enhanced by the spaced apart, positioning ring laterally connected stiffening ribs. Once in use, the weight of a child increases the internal air pressure to provide still further stiffening of the positioning ring.

Further, the backrest of the adapter offers important support and stability for a child of toilet-training age. Such children are not always ready to execute when first placed on the adapter. The also spaced apart, laterally connected stiffening ribs in the adapter backrest insure that the backrest provides full height support. Another significant improvement on all existing inventions is that the present invention has an apparatus that blocks the sensors on auto flush devices.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

A toilet seat adapter of this invention is particularly adapted for use by a child too small to use the seat of a conventional toilet. This adapter has an inflatable body made of a vinyl-like material. The adapter includes a tubular seat portion having a front segment, side segments and a rear segment that connect to define a central opening. Connected to a bottom side of the seat portion side segments and seat portion rear segment is a downward extending U-like shaped positioning ring. Inner and outer sidewalls of the positioning ring include respective sets of vertical, spaced apart stiffening ribs that are connected by lateral partitions. Connecting respectively to the seat portion side segments is a pair of handles. Attached to the seat portion rear segment is an upstanding, tubular backrest also formed with spaced apart, front and rear vertical stiffening ribs connected by lateral partitions.

In order to start using it, a deflated adapter is first inflated by blowing air into the adapter body through an air valve. Respective inner spaces of the seat portion, positioning ring, and backrest are operatively connected allowing inflowing air to uniformly inflate these elements and form a rigid structure. The adapter then is placed onto a conventional toilet seat. As seated, the adapter seat portions interact with the toilet seat and the adapter positioning ring fits snugly against sides of the toilet seat opening. As positioned, the adapter seat portion opening remains firmly aligned with the toilet seat opening when a child is seated on the adapter. For storage or during travel the adapter may be unsealed and deflated.

DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT

A toilet seat adapter particularly adapted for use by a child too small to be supported comfortably by a toilet seat of a conventional toilet is shown generally inFIGS. 1,2 and 3and designated10andFIG. 4.

The adapter10has an inflatable body12made of a soft, impermeable plastic material, such as from a vinyl sheet. This body12includes a tubular seat portion14having an arcuate-shaped front segment16, side segments18, and an arcuate-shaped rear segment20. These segments16-20connect to define an inner oval-like shaped central opening22.

Connecting with a bottom side24of the seat portion side segments18and seat portion rear segment20is a downward extending, tubular, U-shaped positioning ring26. Inner and outer sidewalls28,30of the positioning ring26are formed with respective sets of vertical, spaced apart stiffening ribs32shown typically inFIG. 5. Oppositely positioned ribs32then are connected by lateral partitions34. As the ring26is positioned, an open space38is formed between outer ends40of the positioning ring26and a bottom side42of the seat portion front segment16.

Connected to respective upper sidewalls44of the seat portion side segments18is a pair of handles46that respectively project upwardly and outwardly. Ends of the handles46merge respectively with reinforcing plates48that arc welded to upper sidewalls44of the seat portion side segments18.

Attached to a top wall49of the seat portion rear segment20is an upstanding, tubular backrest50. This backrest50comprises a front and rear wall52,54that are formed having sets of vertical, arcuate-shaped pleats56spaced apart by further stiffening ribs32, seeFIG. 5. Again, note that opposing backrest ribs32are connected by respective lateral partitions34.

For use, a deflated adapter10first is unfolded and then inflated by blowing air into the adapter tubular body12through a commercially available, sealable air valve62carried by the rear wall54of the backrest50. Air valve62is covered with flaps, seeFIG. 4. Respective inner spaces64of the seat portion14, the positioning ring26, and the backrest50are operatively connected allowing inflowing air to uniformly inflate these elements14,26,50and form a rigid adapter structure.

The adapter10then is placed onto the seat of a conventional toilet such that the outer wall30of the positioning ring26fits against the sides of the conventional toilet seat opening and the bottom sides24,42of the adapter seat portion segments16,18, and20rest on the toilet seat. The positioning ring26is sufficiently pliable to first deform and then fit snugly against sides of varying toilet seat opening configurations. Additionally, the ring26is sufficiently rigid that the adapter seat portion opening22remains aligned with the convention toilet seat opening when a child is seated on the adapter seat portion14. Note that additional stability is added when a child sits on the adapter10resulting in further compression of air in the adapter10. As seated, the child may grip the handles46to enhance a feeling of stability and lean back to be supported by the backrest50.

When the adapter10is to be stored or taken for use during travel, for example, the valve62may be unsealed and air in the adapter10expelled by compressing the adapter body12. The adapter body12then may be folded and placed in a small zip-lock type bag until use of the adapter10again is required.

While the embodiment, uses and advantages of this invention have been shown and discussed, it should be understood that this invention is limited only by the scope of the claims. Those skilled in the art will appreciate that various modifications and changes may be made without departing from the scope and spirit of the invention, and those modifications and changes may result in further uses and advantages.

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