Abstract:
An improved toilet chair that allows for a ready supply of toilet tissue and other hygiene supplies while retaining the portable nature of the toilet chair. This allows elderly and disabled patients to exercise some freedom in certain hygiene activities.

Description:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION  
       [0001]     1. Field of the Invention  
         [0002]     The present invention relates to the field of portable toilet chairs for the care of the elderly and disabled.  
         [0003]     2. Background Information  
         [0004]     When caring for an elderly or disabled person, a common goal is to allow for as much independence of the patient as possible. Areas in which this is particularly important are eating, dressing, and personal hygiene. The importance of this goal can be seen in the products available today that aid the patient in these areas, i.e. specially shaped utensils, helpful aids for opening bottles and jars, specially adapted door and faucet handles, devices that allow one-handed buttoning, aids for pulling up socks and stockings, and toilet seats that are elevated to allow ease of use, to name just a few. With the advent of the “graying of America” and the subsequent increase in our elderly population, the problems in this area will only increase.  
         [0005]     In the area of personal hygiene, a great help to the home care giver is the toilet chair. This portable chair prevents the patient from making long, arduous trips to the bathroom and allows, in some cases, the patient freedom and privacy in controlling bathroom functions. One problem that is frequently seen in the use of these portable toilet chairs is the lack of accessibility to a ready supply of toilet tissue and supplies. In a regular bathroom, the toilet tissue is conventionally hung on the wall nearby the toilet. Unfortunately, the very advantage of the toilet chair—its portability—is the characteristic that creates the problem at hand: accessibility to toilet tissue and supplies. This is a problem that prevents the elderly or disabled patient from gaining a bit of freedom in his personal hygiene activities and is also an annoyance to a care giver when aiding the patient in the use of such a toilet chair.  
         [0006]     The present invention solves this problem by ensuring a ready and convenient supply of toilet tissue and other toilet supplies for the toilet chair user. This allows an elderly or disabled patient to use such a toilet chair without the aid of a care giver, or allows the care giver to help the elderly or disabled patient to use such a toilet chair without requiring the care giver to abandon the patient while searching for toilet tissue or supplies. The solution to this problem taught in the present invention creates a safer and potentially more independent environment for the elderly or disabled patient.  
       SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION  
       [0007]     In view of the foregoing, it is an object of the present invention to provide an improved toilet chair.  
         [0008]     It is another object of the present invention to provide an improved toilet chair that aides in the independence of an elderly or disabled person by making readily accessible to a toilet chair user, a supply of toilet tissue and other hygiene supplies.  
         [0009]     It is another object of the present invention to provide an improved toilet chair that allows a care giver to more conveniently and safely aid an elderly or disabled patient in using a toilet chair by making readily accessible a supply of toilet tissue and other hygiene supplies.  
         [0010]     In satisfaction of these and other related objectives, Applicant&#39;s present invention provides a toilet tissue dispenser attached to a toilet seat. Various embodiments of the present invention are possible with the addition of other toilet supplies being made available.  
         [0011]     Applicant&#39;s approach to the problem described above is certainly simple, but it is equally unobvious. Applicant&#39;s improved toilet chair facilitates, for the first time, the safe and convenient usage of the portable toilet seat by a care giver, and facilitates, for the first time, the independent and private usage of the portable toilet seat by an elderly or disabled patient. 
     
    
     BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS  
       [0012]      FIG. 1  is a perspective view of an improved toilet chair of the present invention.  
         [0013]      FIG. 2  is an enlarged side view of the components of a toilet tissue attachment means of the present invention.  
         [0014]      FIG. 3  is an enlarged frontal view of a toilet tissue attachment means of the present invention showing an accessory-holding chamber. 
     
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT  
       [0015]     Referring to  FIG. 1 , the improved toilet chair of the present invention is identified generally by the reference number  10 . As is commonly known, portable toilet chairs can assume a number of different configurations. A toilet chair of a configuration other than that shown in the accompanying drawings, or described in this detailed description of the preferred embodiment will, nevertheless, fall within the scope of the present invention and the appended claims so long as there is attached a toilet tissue attachment means as described in this invention.  
         [0016]     Notwithstanding the foregoing, a preferred embodiment of the present invention will now be described. Improved toilet chair  10  includes, at a minimum, a portable toilet chair  14  and a toilet tissue attachment means  12 . In the preferred embodiment shown in  FIG. 1  and in the close up views of  FIGS. 2 and 3 , toilet tissue attachment means  12  is comprised of a reversibly closeable access cover  16 , seen best in  FIG. 2 , which defines an accessory-holding chamber  32  said access cover  16  having a substantially linear aperture  18 . In other, equally good but not pictured embodiments, aperture  18  would not be substantially linear.  
         [0017]     With reference to  FIG. 1 , toilet chair  14  has attached to, or integrally molded in a conventional manner, side arm supports  24 - 25  and support legs  20 - 23  (with  22  not shown). In conventional manner, toilet chair  14  has a seat support  26  with an attached, or integrally molded, hygienic-waste receptacle  28 . In addition, toilet chair  14  has attached to, or integrally molded in a conventional manner, back support  22 . It is contemplated that the components of toilet chair  14  of this invention be produced from any suitably stiff material that is convenient such as, but not limited to, molded plastic or wood. It is further contemplated that the components of toilet chair  14  be cast in molds or made in any other conventional manner as is the common practice in this field. Also, it is contemplated in the preferred embodiment that the components of toilet chair  14  will be secured by suitable nuts and bolts, as are commonly used in the field. There is a plurality of conceivable mechanisms to attach the components of toilet chair  14 .  
         [0018]     As seen in the preferred embodiment shown in  FIGS. 1 and 2 , toilet tissue attachment means  12  is comprised of a reversibly closeable access cover  16  (or simply, access cover  16 ), seen best in  FIG. 2 , to be pivotally attached to the front margins of left toilet tissue attachment panel  40  and right toilet tissue attachment panel  44 . When said access cover  16  is in a closed position, along with top piece  42 , there is defined an accessory-holding chamber  32 . Toilet tissue attachment panels  40  and  44  run in substantially parallel paths and terminate in angular protrusions that contain holes for seating a conventional toilet tissue holder and toilet tissue roll. This can best be seen in  FIG. 2 , with left angular protrusion toilet tissue holder hole  46  and right angular protrusion toilet tissue holder hole  48 .  
         [0019]     As seen in the preferred embodiment shown in  FIGS. 1 and 2 , when combined with a substantially linear aperture in access cover  16 , this accessory-holding chamber  32  is perfect for storing, and making accessible, moist towelettes as are commonly found at baby care suppliers. In another embodiment, not shown but equally as good, the aperture could be in another configuration giving easier access to such hygiene supplies as cotton balls or q-tips.  
         [0020]     Another embodiment of access cover  16 , shown best in  FIG. 3 , has a reversibly sliding panel  30  exposing aperture  18  in access cover  16 . This sliding panel retains moisture in the hygiene supplies being kept in accessory-holding chamber  32 . As previously stated, in the preferred embodiment, moist towelettes would be kept in accessory-holding chamber  32 , and aperture  18  would be substantially linear as shown in the figures. But other hygiene supplies could also be kept in the accessory-holding chamber  32  such as q-tips, cotton balls, lotions, or other hygiene aides.  
         [0021]     In any embodiment of the present invention, toilet tissue attachment means  12  includes a toilet tissue support assembly  50  for supporting a conventional toilet tissue roll (not shown in the drawings).  
         [0022]     Although the invention has been described with reference to specific embodiments, this description is not meant to be construed in a limited sense. Various modifications of the disclosed embodiments, as well as alternative embodiments of the inventions will become apparent to persons skilled in the art upon reference to the description of the invention. It is, therefore, contemplated that the appended claims will cover such modifications that fall within the scope of the invention.