Toilet aid

A protruding lever is releasably attached to a conventional flush-tank pivoted flush handle, extending toward a locus of the user's convenient arm flexure. The user is thereby enabled to actuate the flush lever without contortion from conventional seated position. The invention swings away from the user when inadvertently contacted, while retaining rigidity in the direction of flush actuation. An elbow-conformal recess facilitates confortable actuation by the user's elbow. The invention is releasably clamped to and wholly supported by the conventional flush handle.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 
1. Technical Field 
The invention relates to an aid for actuation of a conventional flush-tank 
pivoted flush handle. 
More particularly, the invention relates to an aid for actuation of a 
conventional flush-tank pivoted flush handle by a conventionally seated 
user which avoids user contortion usually resulting from flush handle 
location behind the user's torso. 
2. Prior Art 
Conventional flush-tank pivoted flush handles are located behind the torso 
of a conventionally seated user, usually adjacent one of the user's 
shoulders. A seated user seeking to remain seated while actuating the 
flush handle is obliged to uncomfortably contort his arm and torso. A user 
whose forearm or hand is amputated finds seated actuation of a 
conventional flush-tank pivoted flush handle particularly difficult. 
In the prior art, U.S. Pat. No. 2,862,212, C. B. Holl exemplifies a 
tank-mounted linkage manually actuable at a locus near the toilet bowl 
rim. U.S. Pat. No. 3,883,904, Wittman, exemplifies one of many 
pedal-actuable linkages. Common to prior art flushing aids is mechanical 
pendency to a portion of the toilet tank or bowl, or to the adjacent wall 
or floor, for provision of fulcrum, pivot or sliding guide force. Such 
prior art further relies upon complex linkages and a plurality of moving 
parts, and therefore is expensive to manufacture and install. 
A simple, inexpensive toilet aid was needed which extended the locus of 
flush handle actuation to more comfortable bounds of user arm disposition, 
avoiding contortion by a conventionally seated user. A need further 
existed for a toilet aid which, although extended into such comfortable 
bounds, would not rigidly protrude against the user's body while assuming 
or arising from the seated position. 
Therefore, it is an object of the invention to provide a toilet aid 
actuatable by a portion of the user's arm within the arm's comfortable 
flexure locus without contortion, to actuate a flush handle. 
A further object of the invention is to provide a toilet aid actuatable by 
the user's elbow within the arm's comfortable flexure locus without 
contortion, to actuate a flush handle. 
Another object of the invention is to provide a toilet aid which, although 
extended into comfortable bounds of user arm disposition, does not rigidly 
protrude against the user's body while assuming or arising from seated 
position. 
Still another object of the invention is to provide a toilet aid to actuate 
a flush handle wholly supported by the flush handle and requiring no 
additional attachment to or support by the toilet bowl, flush tank, 
adjacent floor or wall. 
It is a further object of the invention to provide a toilet aid to actuate 
a flush handle releasably attachable to dimensionally various flush 
handles. 
DISCLOSURE OF THE INVENTION 
A protruding lever is releasably attached to a conventional flush-tank 
pivoted flush handle adjacent the handle actuation end. The lever in use 
extends parallel the handle's pivot axis in a plane defined by the pivot 
axis and the handle actuation end, toward a locus of the user's 
comfortable arm flexure, where the user, by depressing a lever actuation 
end causes a corresponding downward force upon the handle actuation end. 
To avoid rigid protrusion against the user's body while assuming or arising 
from seated position, an embodiment of the invention has adjacent the 
juncture of the lever and the flush handle a hinge and return spring, so 
that lateral displacement is accommodated while retaining rigidity in the 
direction of flush handle actuation. In another embodiment, the lever is 
flexible in the direction of lateral displacement while inflexible so as 
to transmit flush handle actuation force in the direction of actuation. 
In an embodiment for actuation by the user's elbow, an elbow-conformal 
recess is disclosed adjacent the lever actuation end. 
Clamping attachment of the lever to the flush handle accommodates flush 
handles of various dimensions by a plurality of clamp screws.

BEST MODE FOR CARRYING OUT THE INVENTION 
For the purposes of promoting an understanding of the principles of the 
invention, reference will now be made to the embodiments illustrated in 
the drawings. Specific language will be used to describe the same. It 
will, nevertheless, be understood that no limitation of the scope of the 
invention is thereby intended, such alterations and further modifications 
in the illustrated device; and such further applications of the principles 
of the invention as illustrated herein being contemplated as would 
normally occur to one skilled in the art to which the invention relates. 
FIG. 1 illustrates in side elevation view a conventional tank-type flush 
toilet generally referred to as 10 having a bowl 11, a tank 12 generally 
behind a conventionally seated user (not shown), a conventional flush 
handle 13 having an actuation end 14 (more clearly shown in the front view 
of FIG. 2) downwardly rotatable about a handle pivot axis 15. When 
conventionally seated, a user (not shown) faces away from tank 12 
generally in frontal direction D, with the back of the user's torso 
generally parallel the front 16 of tank 12. A locus 17 is defined of 
comfortable arm flexure within the bounds of which at least one portion of 
the user's arm is available when in conventionally seated position for 
flush actuation. Because locus 17 is defined for any anticipated user, it 
may be seen that locus 17 is bounded by the comfortable arm flexure loci 
of a variety of users, exemplified by tall user locus 18 and child user 
locus 19. Thus, locus 17 is the one locus of coincidence of all intended 
user confortable arm flexure loci. 
The present invention is generally referred to as 20. Lever means 21 has a 
lever actuation end 22 within the comfortable arm flexure locus 17. 
Attachment means 23 at attachment end 24 of lever means 21 is shown 
clamped by screw means 25 coactive with threaded hole means 27 through 
attachment means 23, to flush handle 13 adjacent handle actuation end 14. 
A pivotable plane 26 is defined as passing through flush handle pivot axis 
15 and handle actuation end 14. In the conventional tank-type flush toilet 
configuration shown in FIGS. 1 and 2, pivotal plane 26 is approximately 
horizontal prior to and after return from flush actuation, and is canted 
about handle pivot axis 15 during actuation, respectively shown in FIG. 2 
as conditions 26-E and 26-F. Pivotal plane 26 generally passes through 
lever means 21; thus actuation force A applied to lever actuation end 22 
is translated into actuation force B adjacent flush handle actuation end 
14, resulting in flush handle actuation. The entire lever means 21 and 
attachment means 23 travelling downward as pivotal plane 26 is canted. 
Referring to FIG. 3, an embodiment of toilet aid 20 is illustrated having 
hinge means 31. Lever means 21 when inadvertently contacting the user's 
torso, such as when the user sits down or arises, swings outward in 
direction G from the position illustrated in FIG. 3, usually parallel 
flush handle axis 15 within pivotal plane 26 (defined in FIGS. 1, 2, not 
shown in FIG. 3). Spring means 32 urges lever means 21 to return from its 
swung-out displacement to a normal operating position defined by abutment 
of lever stop surface 34 against attachment means stop surface 33. 
Hinge means 31 is disposed to permit lever means 21 to swing outward while 
remaining in pivotal plane 26. Thus, downward force at lever actuation end 
22 is transmitted through hinge means 31 to urge flush handle actuation 
end 14 downward. 
The embodiment shown in FIGS. 4, 5 and 6 achieves the same end result as 
that of FIG. 3, by permitting flexure of lever means 21 in direction G, 
while resisting flexure in the direction of actuation A,B. Lever means 21 
has a narrow cross section 42 effectively creating a high modulus of 
elasticity in direction G, whereas the cross section 43 in the direction 
of actuation, A,B is wide, and therefore has a low modulus of elasticity 
in direction A,B. A suitable material for the embodiment of FIGS. 4, 5 and 
6 would be rubber, flexible plastic and the like, as is well known in the 
art. 
FIGS. 4, 5 and 6 also illustrate an elbow conformal recess 41 adjacent 
lever actuation end 22, for coaction with the user's elbow in transmitting 
actuation force B to lever means 21. Elbow conformal recess 41 also is 
illustrative of a relatively large and comfortable target area for 
coaction with any convenient portion of the user's arm. 
Those skilled in the art will readily derive other embodiments of the 
invention drawn from the teachings herein. To the extent that such 
alternative embodiments are so drawn, it is intended that they shall fall 
within the ambit of protection provided by the claims appended hereto: