Apparatus for manipulating a hinged member

A portable apparatus for manipulating a hinged member, comprising a telescoping handle and a jaw having upper and lower jaw members pivotally connected to one end of the handle. The upper and lower jaw members are oriented parallel to each other and are spaced apart for receiving the hinged member therebetween. The inner surfaces of the upper and lower jaw members are shaped for conforming to the shape of the hinged member. First and second resilient members are connected to the upper and lower jaw members, respectively, and to the handle for biasing the jaw member toward a position wherein the jaw is aligned with an axis of the handle. The biasing action of the resilient members provides a clamping action to prevent the hinged member from being dislodged from the jaws and also provides a torque in both a clockwise and counterclockwise direction, depending on the orientation of the hinged member, for facilitating the initiation of the raising or lowering operation.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 
1. Field Of The Invention 
The present invention relates to an apparatus for manipulating a hinged 
member and more particularly, to an apparatus for manipulating a hinged 
toilet seat or lid. 
2. Description Of The Relevant Art 
Some people have an aversion to handling toilet seats and lids, due to a 
buildup of human waste, fungus growth, or possible bacterial and viral 
contamination, however slight. Other persons may find it difficult to 
manipulate a toilet seat or lid due to physical disabilities. For example, 
some people may find it difficult to bend over to reach for the seat or 
lid, or they may find it difficult to manipulate the lid from a horizontal 
to a vertical orientation, and vice versa, because of the substantial 
wrist and arm movements required. 
Known devices for facilitating the manipulation of a hinged member, such as 
a toilet seat, comprise a handle affixed to the hinged member, as 
exemplified in U.S. Pat. Nos. 1,999,555; 2,758,315; 3,191,193; 3,717,884; 
3,935,601; and 4,129,907. Although these devices do provide a grasping 
mechanism for the hinged member, the affixed nature of the devices makes 
cleaning more difficult, and hence the device is likely to be as 
contaminated as the hinged member. Furthermore, the projecting handle 
disclosed in the foregoing patents may interfere with a person's comfort 
when he or she is sitting on the seat and each device requires the user to 
bend over for manipulating the seat from the horizontal to vertical 
position. 
Another device for manipulating a hinged member is exemplified by U.S. Pat. 
No. 4,578,830, which discloses a permanently affixed lever which is 
pivoted to open a toilet seat. As with other conventional devices, the 
affixed nature of the device and, in this case, a complicated gearing 
mechanism, makes cleaning more difficult and users still must bend over to 
activate the device. 
Finally, the fact that conventional devices are affixed to the hinged 
member means that the devices are not always provided when the user wants 
them. This is especially true with public toilets, which ordinarily do not 
provide such lifting devices and frequently lack proper maintenance. 
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 
The present invention is a portable apparatus for manipulating a hinged 
member. In one embodiment of the present invention directed to an 
apparatus for manipulating a hinged toilet seat or lid, a jaw comprising 
upper and lower jaw members is connected pivotally to one end of a handle. 
The handle may have a telescopic construction to accommodate the different 
distances between the user and the hinged member. The upper and lower jaw 
members are oriented parallel to each other and are spaced apart for 
receiving the hinged member therebetween. The inner surfaces of the upper 
and lower jaw members are shaped for conforming to the shape of the hinged 
member. For use with a toilet seat, the inner surface of the upper jaw 
member has a concave shape, and the inner surface of the lower member is 
substantially flat. 
First and second resilient members, e.g., springs, are connected to the 
upper and lower jaw members, respectively, and to the handle for biasing 
the jaw member toward a position wherein the jaw is aligned with an axis 
of the handle. The biasing action of the springs minimizes the lifting 
strength required to operate the device and provides a clockwise and 
counterclockwise torque, depending upon the orientation of the hinged 
member for facilitating the initiation of the lowering or raising 
operation. The biasing action of the springs also provides a clamping 
action to prevent the hinged member from falling out of the jaws. 
The economic and simple design of the present invention makes it easy to 
clean and store, and the portable nature of the device means that it is 
readily available when needed and does not cause discomfort when the user 
is seated on the toilet. Use of the device requires no bending over and 
requires an absolute minimum of lifting strength, with very little arm and 
wrist movement.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS 
FIGS. 1-3 are side, top and bottom views, respectively, of an apparatus 4 
comprising a handle 8 and a jaw 12 for manipulating a hinged member. e.g., 
a toilet seat 14 (FIG. 4). Handle 8 comprises an outer handle member 16 
and an inner handle member 20 slidingly disposed within outer handle 
member 16 for telescopically extending the length of handle 8 along an 
axis 22. Once the desired length of handle 8 is determined, the relative 
positions of outer handle member 16 and inner handle member 20 are fixed 
in a well known manner by a lock nut 24. 
Jaw 12 is connected pivotally to one end of handle 8 preferably to inner 
handle member 20, by a pin 28 extending through collars 29 and 30. Jaw 12 
comprises an upper jaw member 32 and a lower jaw member 36 extending from 
handle 8 and terminating in free ends 38 and 40, respectively. Upper and 
lower jaw members 32 and 36 are oriented generally parallel to each other 
and are spaced apart from each other for receiving a hinged member, such 
as toilet seat 14, therebetween. 
Upper jaw member 32 has a concave inner surface 44 for conforming to the 
shape of an upper surface 50 of the toilet seat 14, although the shape of 
inner surface 44 may vary according to the shape of the hinged member with 
which the device is used. The outer surface 46 of upper jaw member 32 
preferably is flat, and upper jaw member 32 preferably is sized so that it 
may fit between the upper surface 50 of seat 14 and a lower surface 52 of 
a lid 54, as shown in FIG. 7. Upper jaw member 32 also has a lip 58 
extending toward an interior section of jaw 12 for aiding the clamping 
action of jaw 12 when the device is in use. Similarly, lower jaw member 36 
has a substantially flat inner surface 62 shaped to conform to the shape 
of a lower surface 64 of toilet seat 14 as shown in FIG. 5. The outer 
surface 66 of lower jaw member 36 also is substantially flat and is sized 
to fit between lower surface 64 of seat 14 and an upper surface 74 of a 
toilet bowl 78. Lower jaw member 36 is shorter than upper jaw member 32 
for reasons discussed below. 
To facilitate the lamping action of jaw 12, a first spring 82 is connected 
by screws 86 to the outer surface 46 of upper jaw member 32 and to inner 
handle member 20, as shown in FIG. 2. For bending, and hence breaking the 
tension of, spring 82 when jaw 12 is aligned with the axis 22 of handle 8, 
a spacer 90 preferably is disposed between spring 82 and upper jaw member 
32. A similar spring 94 is connected by screws 98 to outer surface 66 of 
lower jaw member 36 and to inner handle 20, as shown in FIG. 3. A spacer 
100 is disposed between spring 94 and lower jaw member 36 for bending, and 
hence breaking the tension of, spring 94. Spacers 90 and 100 break the 
tension of springs 82 and 94, respectively, so that a minimum amount of 
force is required to initiate pivoting of jaw 12 away from axis 22. 
Operation of the present invention may be understood by referring to FIGS. 
4-7. As shown in FIG. 4, apparatus 4 is mounted to seat 14 by placing free 
ends 38 and 40 of jaw 12 against the upper surface of seat 14 and by 
pushing down on handle 8 so that jaw 12 pivots clockwise and moves into 
the position shown in FIG. 5. The shorter lower jaw member 36 facilitates 
this action. When so positioned, spring 94 exerts tension on jaw 12 in a 
counterclockwise direction. This counterclockwise tension provides a 
clamping action to maintain jaw 12 affixed to seat 14 and also provides a 
torque helping to pivot seat 14 into the open position. As a result, very 
little wrist movement is required by the operator to lift the seat. Seat 
14 then is lifted, as shown in FIG. 6, until it is vertically upright and 
adjacent to lid 54, as shown in FIG. 7. As the seat progresses from the 
position shown in FIG. 6 to that shown in FIG. 7, spring 82 provides 
tension to jaw 12 in a clockwise direction for enhancing the clamping 
action of jaw 12. The clockwise torque is particularly useful when the 
seat is to be lowered, since it helps to pivot seat 14 into the lower 
position. Accordingly, the device according to the present invention 
provides clamping and a corresponding torque action in both the horizontal 
and vertical orientations of the toilet seat. This minimizes the amount of 
wrist and arm motion required to lift and lower the lid. 
While the above is a complete description of a preferred embodiment of the 
present invention, various modifications are obvious to those skilled in 
the art. For example, handle 8 and/or jaw 12 may be formed as one piece, 
and they may be formed from wood, plastic, and other materials. Springs 82 
and 94 may be replaced by rubber or some other elastic material to provide 
biasing of jaw 12 and, if so, spacers 90 and 100 may be omitted. 
Consequently, the description should not be used to limit the scope of the 
invention which is properly described in the claims.