Patent Publication Number: US-2011072569-A1

Title: Toilet for handicapped and normal people

Description:
CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS 
     Not applicable 
     FEDERALLY SPONSORED RESEARCH 
     Not applicable 
     SEQUENCE LISTING OR PROGRAM 
     Not applicable 
     FIELD OF THE INVENTION 
     The present invention concerns toilets specifically designed for handicapped persons, as well as anyone having difficulty using a conventional toilet but can, of course, be used by able-bodied and disabled alike. 
     BACKGROUND TO THE INVENTION 
     Toilets that exist which are available to consumers and builders through retail and wholesale hardware stores and other outlets to install in homes, public restrooms, hospitals and schools or in ships, planes or recreational motor vehicles or any other locations, whether portable or fixed, are in one respect all of one kind/standard format that will be termed herein as “conventional toilets”. That is to say, that where the seats are anything other than symmetrical from front to rear, they are all arranged with the broader part of the seat, the part on which the user sits/places their buttocks, positioned at the rear, meaning nearest to the cistern/flushing tank and the seat narrows towards the front. This is true for toilets, whether close-coupled or not, and whether for the able-bodied or for the physically or mentally disabled. For disabled toilets a handlebar may be provided to assist them in moving to and from the toilet, but this is normally positioned extending in a plane parallel to the front-rear axis of the toilet at the right and/or left-hand side of the toilet. 
     For those with physical or mental disabilities such as Muscular Dystrophy, Alzheimer&#39;s, spinal injuries or amputees, they generally have no choice but to use these conventional toilets since there are no options available to them. They are, however, far from ideal for the disabled. A major problem with the conventional toilet design is that when a wheelchair-bound disabled person wants to use the toilet, it is difficult for him/her to get off the wheelchair to transfer onto the toilet. The wheelchair user must turn himself/herself around through 180 degrees and finally maneuver onto the toilet set. 
     Even for those who care for wheelchair users, it is hard for the caregiver to get the wheelchair user off the wheelchair, carry them to the toilet, turn them around and put them on the toilet seat. It is a cumbersome process and a back-breaking job for the caregiver. 
     A large number of U.S. patents issued for toilets have been reviewed including, for example, the ten listed below:
     (1) D353,450 (December 1994) Folke Anderson, et al., Ornamental design only   (2) U.S. Pat. No. 3,986,216(October 1976) Robert B. Davis, et al., Relates to low-volume flush   (3) U.S. Pat. No. 3,939,501 (February 1976) Frank T. Sargent, Relates to portable toilets   (4) U.S. Pat. No. 3,565,106 (February 1971) Baumbach, Diaphragm-type control valve   (5) U.S. Pat. No. 3,801,991 (April 1974) Fulton, et al., Self-contained portable toilet   (6) U.S. Pat. No. 3,858,249 (January 1975) Howard, Self-contained sanitary closet   (7) U.S. Pat. No. 3,994,028 (November 1976) Johan Victor, Sealable container   (8) U.S. Pat. No. 3,798,681 (March 1974) Abom Johansen, High-water closet   (9) U.S. Pat. No. 3,883,903 (May 1975) Broek, et al., Water closet   (10) U.S. Pat. No. 3,905,409 (September 1975) Stokes, Toilet with pump   

     None of the above or other prior art reviewed addresses the aforementioned problems of access and convenience for the wheelchair user and it is amongst the objects of the present invention to address those problems. 
     SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 
     According to a first aspect of the present invention, there is provided a toilet which comprises a toilet bowl and cistern, wherein the bowl and seat is rotated through 180 degrees relative to the conventional, meaning where the seat is oval or at least tapers in the front to rear axis of the toilet, the narrow part of the seat is rearmost, meaning adjacent to the toilet cistern, and the wider part of the seat for the user to sit on, accommodating the users buttocks, is forward-most, meaning away from the toilet cistern. 
     This arrangement provides the wheelchair user with the ability to slide from a wheelchair directly onto the toilet seat without needing to turn around on moving from the wheelchair. 
     The toilet constructed according to this invention does not substantially exceed the manufacturing cost of the conventional toilet and yet provides greatly improved comfort and ease of use by the wheelchair user. 
     Persons using the toilet will face the tank, in which the tank will have either a left or right side flush handle and suitably the cistern is adapted to allow either configuration to facilitate easy flushing of the unit. The user will not be required to turn around after using the toilet to flush it. 
     A support handle/handlebar is suitably provided on the toilet at the rear of the toilet bowl but preferably in front of the cistern. This preferably extends horizontally across the rear of the toilet and suitably has a leg or legs mounted in one or a pair of mounting sockets that are provided in a pedestal of the cistern or on the rear of the toilet bowl or coupling there between the handle/handlebar preferably rising above the top of the cistern. The handle/handlebar preferably spans the rear of the toilet at points between where the flush lever handle may mount to the cistern. Suitably the handle is a padded handlebar. 
     The user faces the tank in front of him/her and though this may require some adjustments from the previous mindset, most users will quickly adjust to this new approach. Thereafter, it will be as easy as riding a bicycle and prove to be a very comfortable and pleasant experience. 
     In order to make the invention clearer, the following description is included along with illustrations. 
    
    
     
       BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
       A preferred embodiment of the present invention will now be more particularly described, by way of example only, with reference to the accompanying drawings. Please note that closely-related figures state the same number but provide different alphabetic suffixes. 
         FIG. 1  comprises a perspective view of the preferred embodiment of toilet with integral, close-coupled cistern as viewed from the top, front left side; 
         FIG. 1(   a ) shows the toilet with support handlebar removed and showing two sets of mounting sockets for the handlebar, which may be drilled or cast-formed/integrally-formed in the bottom tank support (cistern pedestal) or otherwise provided therein or thereon; 
         FIG. 1(   b ) shows the inserted handle, but this time in the outer/side-mounted square, tubular handle-mounting sockets; 
         FIG. 2  is a top plan view of the toilet; 
         FIG. 3  is a bottom plan view of the toilet; 
         FIG. 4  is a left side (elevation) view of the toilet; 
         FIG. 5  is a right side (elevation) view of the toilet; 
         FIG. 6  is a front (elevation) view of the toilet; 
         FIG. 7  is a rear (elevation) view of the toilet; 
         FIG. 8  is a detail perspective view of the removable support handle, and 
         FIG. 9  is a schematic view that shows a wheelchair user approaching or departing and also seated on the toilet using the support handlebar. 
     
    
    
     DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT 
     Referring to  FIG. 1 , the preferred embodiment of the toilet comprises a close-coupled integrated toilet bowl and cistern, wherein the bowl and seat is rotated through 180 degrees relative to the conventional, meaning where the seat is oval or at least tapers in the front to rear axis of the toilet, the narrower part of the seat is rearmost, meaning adjacent the toilet cistern and the wider part of the seat for the user to sit on, accommodating the users buttocks, is forward-most, meaning away from the toilet cistern. 
     The toilet cistern/flush tank is supported by a pedestal that is suitably a solid block to support the weight of the water-filled tank and to provide an anti-tip counterweight should, for example, any anchoring bolts for the toilet fail due to fatigue or their porcelain sockets crack or break. 
     In the solid block support/pedestal under the cistern/flush tank behind the toilet bowl there are a set of sockets for insertion of the feet of a long-legged supportive handle/handlebar that provides support to the user while standing up, rising and lowering during/after use of the toilet. The handlebar support may be inserted in the drilled pair of socket holes in the block that are illustrated in all Figures or in the wider spaced pair of tubular support sockets formed onto the sides of the block support/pedestal as shown in  FIG. 1(   b ) onwards. The handlebar has an inverted U-shaped form comprising an upright pair of legs with the padded handle-hold spanning between the legs at the upper end. The height of the handlebar is, as illustrated, such as to rise a few inches (centimeters) above the top of the cistern and has lateral clearance for ease of access by the seated user to the flushing handle, whether the flushing handle is mounted on the left or right side of the front face of the cistern/toilet flushing tank. 
     There are suitably one or two pairs of holes provided for toilet seat and lid attachment to the toilet bowl.  FIGS. 4 and 5  show in elevation view where each leg of the support handle is inserted and  FIG. 6  shows in elevation view where the flush handles may be installed on either side, although preferably these are spaced clear from where the legs of the handlebar pass. 
       FIG. 6  shows in front elevation the laterally protruding tubular support sockets for the feet of the handlebar legs. These sockets are an alternative to sockets drilled in the block or socket holes could be provided during the casting process of manufacturing the toilet bowl and pedestal. The manufacturing process will dictate the cheapest and best method. The support handle/handlebar may be demountable or in a further variant may be fixed in place. 
       FIG. 8  shows the removable handle in two variants having two different leg/feet end profiles—round or square in end profile—to suit correspondingly-shaped mounting sockets. 
       FIG. 9  demonstrates the ability to easily slide onto the toilet from a wheelchair and slide backwards onto the wheelchair from the toilet seat. 
     ADVANTAGES 
     From the description above, a number of advantages of the new toilet become evident, including the following: 
     (1) No turning around at all for the user or caregiver; 
     (2) The ability to easily slide onto the toilet from the transportation device for user. Some individuals will not need a caregiver for this task and, therefore, be less dependent; 
     (3) The ability to easily slide backwards onto the transportation device from the toilet after use; 
     (4) Flush handle in front of the user, hence no turning around after use of the toilet. The flush handle could be installed on the left or right-hand side, which will be advantageous for persons with limited arm use; 
     (5) Hand support provided while standing up or sitting down, and 
     (6) The unit is very user-friendly. 
     Accordingly, the reader will see that the new toilet is convenient and easier for the wheelchair user to use when compared to the conventional toilet. Once an individual becomes used to the new toilet, its use will be natural/instinctive [like riding a bicycle.]