Patent Publication Number: US-2021177219-A1

Title: Drip catcher

Description:
CROSS REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS 
     Previously filed as Provisional Application 67/766,923, filing date: Nov. 13, 2018 
    
    
     STATEMENT REGARDING FEDERALLY SPONSORED RESEARCH OR DEVELOPMENT 
     n/a 
     BACKGROUND 
     1. Field of Invention 
     The invention relates to the field of appurtenances or attachments to toilets to improve the hygiene of their use. 
     2. Problem Solved 
     A common problem when a standing man urinates into a toilet is that often a few drops land on the floor in front of the toilet, making the floor wet. In addition, drops may spatter out of the toilet. This makes it unpleasant for subsequent users who want to sit down, in that they must endeavor to keep their clothes off the floor, and for users who are barefoot. It also poses a slipping hazard. This is a problem in both public and residential bathrooms. 
     3. Related Art 
     The prior art consists of absorbent pads laid on the floor, which keep the floor dry, but do not solve all the problems for subsequent users. 
     SUMMARY 
     The invention consists of a shield to intercept the drops and a mechanism for automatically deploying it when the seat is raised, and automatically stowing it out of the way when the seat is lowered. 
    
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION 
     1. In a preferred embodiment, a disposable absorbent pad is attached by suitable means which may be an adhesive, to a shield, which may be crescent-shaped or another shape, which is attached to a more or less vertical support member, which is attached to the toilet, such as by hooking it over the rim of the toilet bowl, typically in front. The shield is arranged to pivot about an axis a small distance in front of the support member, and has a tail which extends a small distance beyond the axis. For example, the support member may have two or more ears protruding forward which are attached to mating ears on the shield by rivets or other fasteners, about which the shield pivots. The shield, instead of being flat, may be curved so as to protrude as little as possible from the toilet in the stowed position. 
     2. An actuating member which is arranged to slide vertically along the support member extends over the rim of the toilet bowl so that it is pressed down when the seat is lowered and is returned by a spring when the seat is raised. The top of the actuating member may have ears extending sideways so that it will be actuated even by a seat which has a gap in front. The bottom end of the actuating member is connected to the tail of the shield so that the shield is raised to a more or less vertical position when the seat is lowered and extended in a more or less horizontal position when the seat is raised. To accommodate the motion of the shield tail, the connection between the actuating member and the tail may take the form of a link hinged at both ends or of a flexible portion of the actuating member hinged only at the bottom end. 
     3. The sliding motion of the actuating member may be accommodated, for example, by having part of the edges of the support member bent forward and inward so as to captivate the actuating member or, alternatively, by having the edges of the actuating member captivate the support member in a like manner or, alternatively, by having a slot in one of these members to accommodate rivets attached to the other member. 
     4. Alternatively, the shield can be folded downward to a more or less vertical position when the seat is lowered. But in this case the subsequent user may need to change the pad first. 
     5. The shield does not need to have edges but can be flat because the pad is intended to absorb the liquid. The adhesive can be part of the disposable pad and should be pressure-sensitive, so that the pad can be replaced easily. The pad may have one or more strings, tabs, loops, or the like, to facilitate its replacement. 
     6. I envision that the device, when sold, be easily adaptable by the purchaser to different shapes of toilets. To this end, the shield may initially be flat. Likewise, the vertical support member may initially lack the final bend into the toilet bowl. 
     7. While what has been described is a preferred embodiment, it should be apparent to anyone skilled in the art that many and varied modifications may be made without departing from the spirit of the invention.