Patent Publication Number: US-2011056006-A1

Title: Toilet base gasket

Description:
CROSS REFERENCES TO RELATED APPLICATIONS 
     Not Applicable 
     STATEMENT REGARDING FEDERALLY SPONSORED RESEARCH 
     Not Applicable 
     REFERENCE TO APPENDIX 
     Not Applicable 
     BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 
     A. Field of the Invention 
     The present invention relates to the field of gaskets, more specifically, a gasket for seating a toilet. 
     B. Discussion of the Prior Art 
     As a preliminary note, it should be stated that there is an ample amount of prior art that deals with gaskets for toilets. As will be discussed immediately below, no prior art discloses a toilet base gasket that replaces a wax ring with a two-piece system including a beveled base ring and replacement flange, and further including a removable cover to prevent debris from falling into the closet flange prior to installation of the toilet. 
     The Spells, Sr. patent (U.S. Pat. No. 6,745,408) discloses a non-leaking toilet gasket kit having a V-ring seal affixed to the base outlet opening of a flush toilet. However, the gasket kit does not include a beveled base ring that is placed in the closet flange and of which a removable cover is provided to cover said closet flange, and wherein a non-wax replacement flange is placed between the beveled base ring and toilet to provide a watertight seal. 
     The Carwile patent (U.S. Pat. No. 6,519,784) discloses a seal apparatus that is useful as a seal between a commode and a drain pipe comprising a pipe extension, a gasket, and a flanged base. However, the seal apparatus does not use a beveled base ring and replacement flange with cotter pins to provide a watertight seal with the toilet, and also does not include a removable cover. 
     The Humber patent (U.S. Pat. No. 7,055,184) discloses a closet flange for coupling the base of a toilet to a drain pipe. However, this reference is only directed to a closet flange and not a non-wax gasket system for sealing the toilet onto said closet flange. 
     The Hodges patent (U.S. Pat. No. 6,070,910) discloses a closet flange with a body portion having a tapered end and a plurality of grooves circumferentially disposed about the tapered end, and wherein said grooves are configured to receive an elastic O-ring. However, this reference is direction to a closet flange and not a gasket system for use in sealing a toilet onto a closet flange. 
     The Thompson patent (U.S. Pat. No. 3,821,820) discloses a sealing outlet connection gasket for a toilet. However, the sealing outlet connection gasket does not include a two-piece system that uses a beveled base ring that has a removable cover and of which is positioned between the closet flange and a non-wax replacement flange. 
     The Izzi, Sr. patent (U.S. Pat. No. 4,482,161) discloses a toilet bowl gasket of rubberlike material having compressible concentric rings on both sides where the material can be polyvinyl chloride. However, the gasket system does not involve a two-piece system including a beveled base ring in conjunction with a wax-replacement flange. 
     The Gallacher et al. patent (U.S. Pat. No. 6,691,331) discloses a toilet gasket for sealing a toilet base and a closet flange. However, the kit does not teach or include a two-piece system involving a beveled base ring in conjunction with a wax-ring replacement flange. 
     The Dismore et al. patent (U.S. Pat. No. 5,185,890) discloses a toilet bowl sealing device or assembly for use with floor closet flanges. However, the sealing device does not teach a two-piece system including a beveled base ring in conjunction with a wax-ring replacement flange. 
     While the above-described devices fulfill their respective and particular objects and requirements, they do not describe a toilet base gasket that replaces a wax ring with a two-piece system including a beveled base ring and replacement flange, and further including a removable cover to prevent debris from falling into the closet flange prior to installation of the toilet. In this regard, the toilet base gasket departs from the conventional concepts and designs of the prior art. 
     SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 
     The toilet base gasket includes a beveled base ring and a replacement flange. The beveled base ring comes with a removable cover and both of which are placed in an existing closet flange prior to installation of the toilet. The replacement flange is a non-wax flange that has a plurality of cotter pins that are circumferentially aligned near an outer edge and of which apply a separating force against a bottom sealing surface of the toilet, and thereby creating a watertight seal between the toilet and the replacement flange as well as between the replacement flange and the beveled base ring. 
     It is an object of the invention to provide a replacement flange that is not made of a wax, but in a preferable embodiment is made of a polyvinyl chloride. 
     A further object of the invention is to provide a two-piece gasket system wherein a base ring is placed in the existing closet flange prior to installation. 
     A further object of the invention is to provide a removable cover that is removed prior to installation of the toilet, but prevents debris from falling into the closet flange. 
     These together with additional objects, features and advantages of the toilet base gasket will be readily apparent to those of ordinary skill in the art upon reading the following detailed description of presently preferred, but nonetheless illustrative, embodiments of the toilet base gasket when taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings. 
     In this respect, before explaining the current embodiments of the toilet base gasket in detail, it is to be understood that the toilet base gasket is not limited in its applications to the details of construction and arrangements of the components set forth in the following description or illustration. Those skilled in the art will appreciate that the concept of this disclosure may be readily utilized as a basis for the design of other structures, methods, and systems for carrying out the several purposes of the toilet base gasket. It is therefore important that the claims be regarded as including such equivalent construction insofar as they do not depart from the spirit and scope of the toilet base gasket. It is also to be understood that the phraseology and terminology employed herein are for purposes of description and should not be regarded as limiting. 
    
    
     
       BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
       The accompanying drawings, which are included to provide a further understanding of the invention and are incorporated in and constitute a part of this specification, illustrate embodiments of the invention and together with the description serve to explain the principles of the invention: 
       In the drawings: 
         FIG. 1  illustrates an exploded view of the toilet base gasket as well as the toilet and the closet flange; 
         FIG. 2  illustrates an exploded view of the cotter pins, replacement flange, a beveled base ring, atop an existing closet flange; 
         FIG. 3  illustrates a detailed cross-section view of the invention and detailing the inter-relation of the toilet, replacement flange, cotter pins, beveled base ring, and the closet flange; 
         FIG. 4  illustrates an exploded view of the closet flange, beveled base ring, and removable cover; and 
         FIG. 5  illustrates an exploded view of the toilet, replacement flange, and beveled base ring positioned in the closet flange. 
     
    
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE EMBODIMENT 
     Detailed reference will now be made to the preferred embodiment of the present invention, examples of which are illustrated in  FIGS. 1-5 . A toilet base gasket  10  (hereinafter invention) includes a replacement flange  11 , a beveled base ring  12 , and a removable cover  13 . 
     The removable cover  13  is affixed to a top surface of said beveled base ring  12  via a fastening means  12 A comprising an adhesive or snap rings. The removable cover  13  has screwdriver slots  13 A that assist in the removal of the removable cover  13  from the beveled base ring  12 . 
     The replacement flange  11  has a plurality of cotter pins  11 A circumferentially aligned around near an outer edge  11 B of the replacement flange  11 . The cotter pins  11 A are oriented with their heads upwardly with respect to the replacement flange  11 . 
     The replacement flange  11  is made of a material comprising a plastic or a rubber. The beveled base ring  12  is made of a material comprising a metal, rubber, or plastic. 
     The invention  10  is installed upon a closet flange  30  and toilet  31  by first placing the beveled base ring  12  upon a top opening of the closet flange  30 . The removable cover  13  shall remain in place until the toilet  31  is ready for installation. 
     Next, the removable cover  13  is removed, and the replacement flange  11  is placed atop the beveled base ring  12 , and the toilet  31  then aligned atop the closet flange  30 . Finally, the toilet  31  is secured to the closet flange  30  via bolt  30 A and nut  31 A. As the toilet  31  is tightened onto the closet flange  30 , the cotter pins  11 A will bend and act to impose a force against both the toilet  31  and the beveled base ring  12  with respect to the replacement flange  11 . 
     Once tightened, a watertight seal is formed along the toilet  31 , the replacement flange  11 , the beveled base ring  12 , and the closet flange  30 . 
     With respect to the above description, it is to be realized that the optimum dimensional relationship for the various components of the invention  10 , to include variations in size, materials, shape, form, function, and the manner of operation, assembly and use, are deemed readily apparent and obvious to one skilled in the art, and all equivalent relationships to those illustrated in the drawings and described in the specification are intended to be encompassed by the invention  10 . 
     It shall be noted that those skilled in the art will readily recognize numerous adaptations and modifications which can be made to the various embodiments of the present invention which will result in an improved invention, yet all of which will fall within the spirit and scope of the present invention as defined in the following claims. Accordingly, the invention is to be limited only by the scope of the following claims and their equivalents.