Patent Publication Number: US-11647874-B2

Title: Raised toilet seat and method for fitting same

Description:
RELATED APPLICATION 
     This application claims the benefit of priority from French Patent Application No. 20 01804, filed on Feb. 24, 2020, the entirety of which is incorporated by reference. 
     FIELD OF THE INVENTION 
     The invention relates to a raised toilet seat and to the method of fitting same. 
     A raised toilet seat is generally made up of two injection-moulded plastic shells which are assembled, or of a plastic component obtained by rotational moulding. 
     DESCRIPTION OF THE PRIOR ART 
     Document KR 2012 0081854 describes a raised toilet seat comprising a front part and two wings of which the ends are separated by a gap, the wings at their free ends bearing, in the case of one of them, a channel section equipped with notches, and, in the case of the other, an opening to accept the channel section, and ridges to retain the notches. 
     In order to fix the raised seat on the toilet bowl it is known practice to use screws which press against the bowl from the outside. These screws, of which there are generally three, are placed on the front and the sides of the bowl. In another embodiment, the raised seat is equipped with fixing tabs, for example four of these, which are removable and which each comprise a tongue that is guided manually for fitting it. 
     All of these embodiments involve accessories which have to be manipulated in order to fit the raised seat and remove it for the purposes of cleaning it. In addition, the shape of the raised seat does not, in general, correspond exactly to the shape of the bowl, making the accessories all the more necessary, increasing the cost of the raised seat, and making it more complicated to fit, thereby increasing the risks of error and accident. 
     OBJECTS AND SUMMARY 
     One of the objects of the invention is to propose a raised seat that does not exhibit the aforementioned disadvantages and that allows for quick and easy fitting, and a certain stability on the bowl. 
     Another object of the invention is to propose a raised seat in which the constituent components are simplified and lower in number. 
     Another object of the invention is to propose a raised seat that is easy to remove and to clean, thus reducing bacteriological risks. 
     One subject of the invention is a raised toilet seat comprising a front part and two wings of which the ends are, before the raised seat is fitted, separated by a gap, the wings at their free ends bearing, in the case of one of them, a channel section equipped with notches, and, in the case of the other, an opening to accept the channel section, and ridges to retain the notches, characterized in that the channel section has a flat bottom and side walls that are parallel to one another and bear the notches on their exterior face and in the vicinity of their free end, and in that the channel section comprises, articulated to the free end of the flat bottom, a flap able to be lodged between the side walls in order to lock them in position parallel to one another. 
     According to one embodiment, the raised seat comprises a front lip and two lateral lips for pressing laterally on the front part and on the sides of the toilet bowl respectively. 
     According to one embodiment, the notches have a front face that is oblique to make it easier for them to pass over the ridges, and a rear face that is substantially perpendicular to the respective side wall so that they are retained by the ridges. 
     Another subject of the invention is a method for fitting the aforementioned raised seat, characterized by the steps of:
         pivoting the flap towards the outside of the channel section;   inserting the channel section borne by one of the wings of the raised seat into the opening borne by the other wing of the raised seat as far as a visible mark;   pivoting the flap towards the inside of the channel section to lock the side walls of the channel section in their relative position;   placing the raised seat onto the toilet bowl with the front lip pressing against the front lateral part of the bowl;   using manual pressure to bring the wings of the raised seat closer together, causing the channel section to progress further in the opening and causing the notches to move past the ridges until the lateral lips are pressing against the sides of the bowl.       

     A further subject of the invention is a method for removing the aforementioned raised seat, characterized by the steps of:
         removing the raised seat from the bowl by pulling vertically;   turning the raised seat over;   pivoting the flap towards the outside of the channel section;   grasping the side walls of the channel section between the two wings of the raised seat and bringing them closer towards one another in order to cause the notches to escape from the ridges;   allowing the elasticity of the raised seat to cause the ends of the wings to spring apart.       

    
    
     
       BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
       The invention is described with reference to the attached drawings, in which: 
         FIG.  1    depicts a perspective view of one embodiment of a raised seat according to the invention, prior to fitting; 
         FIG.  2    depicts a view from above of one embodiment of a raised seat, according to the invention, prior to fitting; 
         FIG.  3    depicts a view of the raised seat of  FIG.  2   , from beneath; 
         FIG.  4    depicts a partial perspective view, from beneath, of the attachment channel section of the raised seat prior to fitting; 
         FIG.  5    depicts a partial perspective view, from beneath, of the attachment channel section after initial insertion of the channel section; 
         FIG.  6    depicts a partial perspective view, from beneath, of the attachment channel section of the raised seat after the side walls of the channel section have been locked in relative position by the flap. 
     
    
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION 
     The invention relates to a raised seat  1  made of moulded plastic, intended to be placed and fixed on a toilet bowl, of oval overall shape, and having, prior to fitting, a gap at its rear part. The raised seat  1  has a front part  2  and, between this front part  2  and the gap at the back, two mutually symmetrical arc-shaped wings  3 ,  4 . 
     The first  3  of these wings bears, at its free end, a channel section  5  made up of a flat bottom  6  at the top, and of two side walls  7 ,  8 . 
     The flat bottom  6  of the channel section  5  bears, on its top face, a visible mark  28 . 
     The side walls  7 ,  8  are parallel to one another and substantially perpendicular to the flat bottom  6 . The side walls  7 ,  8  and the flat bottom  6  have substantially the same width, which means that in cross section the channel section  5  is substantially square. Each of the side walls  7 ,  8  bears, in the vicinity of its free end, and on its exterior face, a series of regularly spaced notches  9 ,  10 . The side walls  7 ,  8  and the flat bottom  6  have a certain elasticity and the free edges of the side walls  7 ,  8  can be brought closer together by manual pressure. 
     Articulated to the free edge situated at the end of the flat bottom  6  is a substantially square flap  11  able to be lodged between the side walls  7 ,  8  in order to lock them in position parallel to one another, thereby preventing them from moving closer together so as to prevent accidental opening of the raised seat and keep it in position. Advantageously, the side walls  7 ,  8  each bear, on their interior face, an end stop  29  against which the flap  11  can bear. In this position, bearing against the end stops  29 , the flap  11  acts as a lock. The flap  11  can also be pivoted towards the outside of the channel section  5  and leave the side walls  7 ,  8  free to be brought closer together manually. 
     The second  4  of the wings of the raised seat ends in an opening  12  of substantially square shape, able to accept the channel section  5 . Behind this opening  12 , the wing  4  has, on each side, two lateral ridges  13 ,  14 ;  15 ,  16  spaced by the same spacing as the notches  9 ,  10  of the channel section  5 , and, in its central part, ribs  17 ,  18  on which the flat bottom  6  can bear. The opening  12  comprises a crosspiece  19  for guiding the free end of the side walls  7 ,  8  of the channel section  5 . 
     The raised seat  1  comprises, to hold it stably on the toilet bowl, lips to press against the exterior lateral surface of the toilet bowl: a front lip  20  to press laterally against the front part of the bowl, and two lateral lips  21 ,  22  to press laterally against the sides of the bowl. 
     The raised seat  1  has a hollow structure comprising partition walls to bear against the toilet bowl, the partition walls being arranged symmetrically beneath the two wings  3 ,  4  of the raised seat, towards the front  23  and under the widest bit towards the back  24 ,  25 . 
     The raised seat  1  is moulded in a single piece. 
     The raised seat  1  is fitted to a toilet bowl in a simple manner. 
     First of all, the flap  11  is pivoted towards the outside of the channel section  5  and the channel section  5  is inserted into the opening  10  as far as the visible mark  28 . The flap  20  is then pivoted back towards the inside of the channel section  5  to lock the side walls  7 ,  8  of the channel section  5  in their relative position. The raised seat  1  is placed on the bowl, with its front lip  20  pressing against the front lateral part of the bowl. The wings  3 ,  4 , which are separated from one another at the gap at the back of the raised seat overhang the bowl at the sides. 
     The wings  3 ,  4  are then pushed together manually. The lateral pressure applied to the wings  3 ,  4  causes the channel section  5  to progress further into the opening  12  until the lateral lips  21 ,  22  come to press laterally against the sides of the bowl. During this progression, the notches  9 ,  10  borne by the side walls  7 ,  8  of the channel section  5  pass over the ridges  13 ,  14 ,  15 ,  16 , squeezing the side walls  7 ,  8  closer together each time a ridge is overcome. To facilitate this passage, the notches  9 ,  10  have a front face  26  that is oblique, and in order to keep them in position after they have overcome the ridges, the notches have a rear face  27  that is substantially perpendicular to the respective wall  7 ,  8 . During this progression, the entire structure of the raised seat deforms elastically. At the end of the progression, the raised seat is in a stable position on the bowl, held by the front lip  20  and lateral lips  21 ,  22  pressing against the sides of the bowl. 
     The raised seat is removed from the bowl by pulling vertically. After the raised seat has been turned over, the flap  11  is pivoted manually out of the channel section  5 , then the two side walls  7 ,  8  are grasped manually close to their free end and moved closer together to cause the notches  9 ,  10  to escape from the ridges  13 ,  14 ,  15 ,  16 . The elasticity of the raised seat allows the ends of the wings  3 ,  4  to spring apart and a gap to be created at the back of the raised seat. 
     Assembling the raised seat by simply clipping the notches  9 ,  10  over the ridges  13 ,  14 ,  15 ,  16  allows the raised seat to be adapted to suit the dimensions of the bowl. The elasticity of the structure of the raised seat on the one hand allows it to adapt to suit the bowl and on the other hand makes it easy to remove, particularly for the purposes of cleaning it.