Patent GB-1331066-A (GB)
Title: Closet seat
IPC: A47K13/16
Filed: 1970-11-13
Abstract: 1331066 Closet seat guards G M TROMP 13 Nov 1970 [13 Nov 1969] 54258/70 Heading E1C [Also in Division F2] Apparatus for dispensing seat guards for water closet seats, wherein the movement of a closet seat 1 from a vertical to a substantially horizontal position extracts a seat guard from a stock or pile and deposits it on the seat, comprises a stock of paper sheets 12, which are of approximately horse-shoe shape and include a centrally disposed folded strip portion 13 which drops into the toilet pan to facilitate washing away of the guard during flushing, and a mechanism operated by movement of the seat 1 from a vertical to a horizontal position which includes means on the forward edge of the seat for gripping a sheet when the seat is vertical, such means comprising a rotatable clamping element 25 which, upon movement of a pivoted operating handle 31 from a vertical position (solid lines, Fig. 2) to the position shown in chain lines, Fig. 2, rotates, against the action of a return spring from the solid line position to the chain line position shown in Fig. 2 whereby flexible finger 27 engages the foremost sheet of the stock, at a point opposite a thickened portion 30 of back plate 8, creating a nip which is then clamped between the finger 27 and the forward cross-member 4 of the seat 1. The handle 31 is then moved further downwards to cause movement of the seat 1 from the vertical posi-  tion to the horizontal position which pulls out the sheet from the stock to lie in position on the seat. The handle 31 is then released so that the clamping element 25 is retracted into the seat or (Fig. 9, not shown) so as to lie flush with the surface of the seat. The mechanism connecting the handle 31 with the clamping strip 25 and the seat may be either cordoperated (Figs. 2 and 8) or be operated by linkwork (Figs. 11 and 13). In the former case, cord 38 is secured to an anchorage 39 on a bracket secured to the back plate 8, which bracket provides the pivotal mounting for the handle 31, passes upwardly and around pulley 37 on crank arm 36, which is rotated by the handle, then passes downwardly through a curved guide 42 secured to the seat 1 into the interior of one of the side members, which together with the cross-member 4 forms the seat 1, and is secured to a roller (43, Fig. 4, not shown) fixed to shaft 26 of the clamping strip 25. Movement of the handle 31 downwardly therefore causes a pulling action on the cord 38 so as to first rotate the clamping strip 25 into clamping position, and then to pivot the seat 1 downwardly, against the action of a seat return spring 10. In order to lightly dampen downward movement of the seat and more heavily dampen the return movement of the seat, to allow the user to sit down on it after releasing the handle 31, a pneumatic damping cylinder 50 is mounted on the back plate 8 and has a piston rod 45 which extends downwardly and is connected to the guide 42 at the rear of the seat. Two flexible pistons 46, 47 forming chick valves acting in opposite directions are mounted on the rod 45 and two air bleeds 55, 60 are provided, the bleed 55 being adjustable by a needle valve 56. By positioning the bleed 60 such that, with the seat fully lowered, it lies between the pistons 46, 47, air can continue to be forced through it during downward movement of the seat, since the air can move downwardly past the piston 46, but initial upward movement is restrained since air can only pass into the cylinder 50 via the bleed 55 until piston 46 has moved downwardly beyond the bleed 60. The damping cylinder 50 is modified in the embodiment of Figs. 11 and 13 in that the bleed 60 in the side wall of the cylinder is replaced by a bleed in the end wall of the cylinder which incorporates a check valve 85 permitting flow of air outwardly from the cylinder but not inwardly, so that the whole of the rising movement of the seat is more heavily damped than the lowering movement, whose damping is controlled by the adjustable bleed 89. In this embodiment, the handle 31 rotates a U-shaped crank 71 which operates two links 72, 74, the former rotating the clamping strip 25 through a two-armed lever 73, a link 80, and a crank 81 on the shaft 26, while the latter has a slotted connection with a crank arm 75 connected to the seat 1, thus allowing the clamping strip 25 to clamp a sheet from the stock against the cross-member 4 of the seat prior to the seat being lowered, and, after the seat has been lowered allowing the handle to return fully upon release to retract the clamping strip while the seat is maintained lowered by the damping cylinder 50. The holding means for the sheets in this embodiment is modified in that the sheets rest on the top of a forward bulge 8a of the back plate 8 whereas in the first embodiment they hang on hooks 17 by means of perforations in the sheets.