Patent Publication Number: US-6339851-B1

Title: Toilet seat

Description:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 
     1. Field of the Invention 
     The present invention relates to a toilet seat of the kind which includes a seat ring and means for positioning the same relative to a toilet bowl, wherein said positioning means include at least one pair of mutually connected arms which are movably mounted on the seat ring and adjustable synchronously to positions in which they engage the toilet bowl. 
     2. Description of the Related Art 
     Toilet seats of the aforedescribed kind or similar kinds are known, e.g., from U.S. Pat. Nos. 1,089,040, 1,304,095, 1,951,621, 2,687,535 and 2,955,296, GB-A-573 004 and SE-C-502 022. The seat positioning arms or like devices, which may be adapted to engage directly on the inside or on the outside of a toilet bowl or against the inside or outside of a seat ring that is already fitted to the toilet bowl, are individually adjustable. These known seat positioning devices have the drawback of not enabling the toilet seat to be readily positioned exactly centrally on toilet bowls or fitted seat rings of mutually different sizes and shapes. Corresponding problems exist with toilet seats where the positioning arms engage the underside of a seat ring fitted to the toilet bowl. 
     SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 
     The object of the present invention is to provide a novel and improved toilet seat which will self-centre as it is fitted to a toilet bowl, either with or without a fitted seat ring. 
     It is proposed to this end that the arms of each pair of positioning arms of a toilet seat of the aforedescribed kind are designed for engagement with opposing inner or outer sides of the toilet bowl and are so interconnected as to move synchronously In mutually opposite directions when adjusted to their respective settings. The arms are preferably pivotal, although they may alternatively be made displaceable in an other known manner, said arms being interconnected so that movement of one arm in one direction will result in synchronous movement of the other arm in an opposite direction. 
     When pivotal arms are used, the arms may be pivotal about different, mutually spaced pivot shafts and synchronization of the pivotal movements of said arms can be achieved by providing the arms with mutually engaging ratchet quadrants. However, the arms of each pair of arms will preferably be pivotal about one and the same pivot shaft located in a symmetry plane that extends through the toilet seat. 
    
    
     BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
     Further characteristic features of the invention are set forth in the accompanying dependent claims. The invention will be described below in more detail with reference to a preferred, exemplifying embodiment of an inventive toilet seat, and also with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which 
     FIGS. 1 and 2 are perspective views of an inventive toilet seat seen obliquely from above and obliquely from beneath respectively; 
     FIGS. 3 and 4 illustrate the toilet seat of FIGS. 1 and 2 from above and from beneath respectively; 
     FIG. 5 is a longitudinal sectioned view taken centrally through the toilet seat according to FIGS. 1-4; 
     FIGS. 6 and 7 are side views of components of the toilet seat shown in FIG. 5; 
     FIG. 8 illustrate pivotal position setting arms shown in FIG. 5 from above; and 
     FIGS. 9-10 are schematic partial plan views taken from beneath and illustrating the pivoting principle of the setting arms. 
     Those components that find correspondence or general correspondence in the different figures of the drawings have been identified with the same reference signs. 
    
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS 
     Further scope of applicability of the present invention will become apparent from the detailed description given hereinafter. However, it should be understood that the detailed description and specific examples, while indicating preferred embodiments of the invention, are given by way of illustration only, since various changes and modifications within the spirit and scope of the invention will become apparent to those skilled in the art from this detailed description. 
     The toilet seat illustrated in FIGS. 1-10 is intended for children and designed to be fitted releasably to a toilet bowl (not shown) which may or may not be fitted with a seat ring. However, the inventive principle whereby attachment of a toilet seat to toilet bowls of mutually different sizes and shapes is greatly facilitated can also be applied to the toilet seats of adult toilets, for instance with toilet bowl elevators for adults that are handicapped in some way. 
     The toilet seat illustrated in FIGS. 1-8 includes a relatively broad seat ring  10  that has an opening  11  which is displaced towards the front end of the ring  10 , where said ring is provided with a raised part  12  which functions as a splash guard when urinating. The opening  11  is surrounded by a vertical opening  13 , the front wall of which, together with the rear wall of the raised part  12 , may conveniently slope obliquely upwards and rearwards, as best seen from FIGS. 2,  4  and  5 . 
     The seat ring  10  is fitted with arms  14 ,  15  by means of which the toilet seat can be positioned on a toilet bowl. In the illustrated case, the arms  14 ,  15  are movably mounted on the seat ring  10  and can be adjusted to positions in which they engage opposite inner surfaces of the toilet bowl, or preferably a seat ring already fitted to said bowl. However, with the aid of small modifications within the scope of the invention the arms can be adapted for engagement with the outside of a toilet bowl. Only one pair of arms  14 ,  15  are provided at the rear part of the seat ring  10 , whereas the vertical opening  13  is provided with positioning ribs  16  at the front part of the seat ring  10  for abutment with the inside of the toilet bowl or a seat ring fitted thereto. However, it lies within the scope of the invention to replace these ribs  16  with adjustable arms (not shown) that are arranged in a similar way to the arms  14 ,  15 . These arms are interconnected in pairs, so as to move synchronously in opposite directions when positioning the arms, whereby the toilet seat will be centred in relation to the toilet bowl when bringing the arms into engagement therewith. A particular advantage is afforded when the arms  14 ,  15  are pivotally mounted, preferably on one and the same pivot shaft  17  (FIG.  5  and FIGS.  8 - 10 ). 
     In the illustrated embodiment, the arms  14 ,  15  shown from the top in FIG.  8  and schematically from beneath in FIGS. 9 and 10, each include a slot  18  which is spaced from the shaft  17 . The slots which may be arcuate in shape, as shown, cross one another and are throughpassed by a further shaft  19  which is guided in said slots and which, similar to the shaft  17 , is located in the symmetry plane of the toilet seat, as shown in FIG.  5 . In order to achieve synchronous rotation of the arms  14 ,  15  in mutually opposite directions, the shaft  17  is movable towards and away from the immovable shaft  19 . A recessed part  20  of the seat ring  10  is covered with a removable lid or cover  21 , which carries the immovable shaft  19  and from which said shaft  19  extends down through the bottom of the recessed part  20  and through the slots  18  in the arms  14 ,  15 . The bottom end of the shaft  19  carries a setting knob  22 . The latter includes a helical groove  23  into which the movable shaft  17  projects. This latter shaft  17  is guided for movement in the longitudinal direction of the seat. To this end, there extends in the longitudinal direction of the seat between the rear part of the recessed part  20  and the inside of the seat ring  10  a guide groove which is defined by groove walls  24  located on two opposite sides of the symmetry plane, of which walls only one is shown in FIG.  5 . Thus, when turning the setting knob  22  the movable shaft  17  will move in the longitudinal direction by virtue of a camming action between said shaft and the helical groove  23 , whereby the arms  14 ,  15  will, in turn, be swung synchronously in mutually opposite directions about the movable shaft  17  by virtue of the camming action between the slots  18  and the immovable shaft  19 , while moving simultaneously in unison in the longitudinal direction of the seat, as will be evident when making a comparison between FIGS. 9 and 10. It will be seen that a similar movement pattern of the arms  14 ,  15  could be achieved by moving the shaft  19  relative to the shaft  17  or by moving both shafts relative to each other to a certain extent. The helical groove  23  will conveniently have a small pitch so as to obtain a self-locking engagement between the shaft  17  and the walls of the groove  23 , thereby obviating the need of interlocking the arms  14 ,  15  in desired positions of rotation. 
     The arms  14 ,  15  are shown more schematically in FIGS. 9 and 10, but have principally the same designs as in FIG. 8, i.e. include two plate-like main parts which are pivotally connected at  17  and which have end-parts  25  which are angled relative to the toilet seat and intended for engagement with the inside of a toilet-bowl opening indicated by lines  26 . FIGS. 9 and 10 illustrate the arms  14 ,  15  in a respective maximum and minimum outwardly swung position, where the shaft  19  is located at one or the other end of the slots  18 . 
     In order to enable the toilet seat to be positioned and loosened hygienically, without needing to place ones hands beneath the seat, the setting knob  22  is positioned so as to be accessible from the outside or the upper side of the seat ring  10 , as shown in FIGS. 2-5. Thus, the toilet seat can be fitted to a selected toilet bowl, by placing the toilet seat with the arms  14 ,  15  positioned on the toilet bowl in the manner shown in FIG. 10 for instance, wherewith the setting knob  22  is rotated through the influence of the outwardly and rearwardly extending part of the seat ring  10 , in a direction such as to cause the downwardly angled parts  25  of the arms  14 ,  15  to engage the inside  26  of the toilet-bowl opening. The toilet seat is released, of course, by turning the knob  22  in the opposite direction. 
     In order to avoid unintentional sliding or slipping of the toilet seat relative to the upper surface of the toilet bowl, a bead-like edge  27  comprised of some anti-slip material, preferably a soft material, is provided around the periphery or outer bottom edge of the seat ring  10 . Both the edge  27  and the seat ring  10  are moulded from a plastic material of appropriate quality. This also applies to the remaining components of the toilet seat. A part  28  of the bead-like edge  27  extends out from the seat ring  10  at the rear of the toilet seat, in the form of a loop which forms a seat carrying handle. 
     The toilet seat can be readily dismantled into its component parts, so as to enable the seat to be cleaned effectively. In the illustrated embodiment (FIGS.  5 - 8 ), said components, the shaft  19 , the arms  14 ,  15  and the setting knob  22 , are releasably assembled to this end in the following way: The shaft  19  is tubular and has inserted into its end that lies distal from the lid  21  a locking plug  29  which includes a stem  30  that can be inserted into the tubular shaft  19 , and a head  31  that is preferably provided with a coin slot  32  by means of which the plug  29  can be turned without needing to use any particular tool to this end. The underside of the head  31  carries a ridge  33  which is intended to be received in a complementary groove  34  in the end of the shaft  19 . The locking plug  29  is intended to be held by friction in the bore of the shaft  19  while holding together the arms  14 ,  15  pivotally mounted at  17  and the knob  22  between the bottom of the recessed part  20  and the head  31  of said plug. The bottom end of the shaft  19  is slotted (FIG. 6) and includes bottom thickenings  35  that can be caused to pass the slots  18  and a central opening in the knob  22  subsequent to radial compression of the shaft-parts  36  separated by said slot. These thickenings  35  then lie against the underside of the knob. The slots in the shaft  19  are widened when inserting the locking plug  29 , therewith preventing the parts  36  from springing towards each other, through the coaction of the ridge  33  with the oblique surfaces of the groove  34 , such that the thickenings prevent the knob  22  from leaving the shaft  19 . As the locking plug  29  is turned, it moves outwardly relative to the shaft  19  by virtue of the camming action between the ridge  33  and the groove  34 , therewith enabling the plug to be removed from the shaft. The knob  22  and the arms  14 ,  15  can then easily be removed form the shaft  19 . 
     It will be understood that the invention is not restricted to the aforedescribed and illustrated exemplifying embodiment thereof and that the invention can be implemented in any desired manner within the scope of the invention as defined in the following claims.