Patent Publication Number: US-2016237669-A1

Title: Toilet bowl aerosol-spread-limiting system

Description:
CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS 
     This application is a continuation of International Application No. PCT/US2014/049373, filed Aug. 1, 2014, which claims the benefit of priority to U.S. provisional Application No. 61/861,024, filed on Aug. 1, 2013, both of which are hereby incorporated by reference in their entirety. 
    
    
     TECHNICAL FIELD 
     Embodiments generally relate to the field of sanitation devices. More particularly, embodiments relate to the technical field of bathroom sanitation. 
     BACKGROUND OF THE ART 
     Presently, most medically-related facilities, such as hospitals, do not have toilet lids due to concerns for users with mobility challenges, as well as cleaning burdens. However, these users are often the most vulnerable to infections that can be spread via toilets, especially if they have irritated or abraded skin that touches a contaminated surface like a toilet seat or if they are immune compromised.  Clostridium difficile  is perhaps the most common hospital-acquired infection, and these organisms, once spread, can live on surfaces for months if left untreated. Another common organism spread in the same manner and settings is vancomycin-resistant  Enterococci . There are also many other types of microbes and prion-like organisms that could pose similar threats to patients. 
     Uncovered toilets have been found to spread 12 times more germs than covered toilets. The turbulence of the water in a single toilet flush produces aerosolized water, microorganisms, and waste above the toilet for up to three hours, and the droplets can migrate throughout a room, suite, and facility on the hands, shoes, clothes, instruments, etc. of the patient and caregivers as well as through air flow. As aerosolized materials are traveling through the air, they can settle and remain on surfaces, people, equipment, etc. Further, organisms such as  Clostridium difficile  are not eliminated by typical alcohol-based cleaners that are used by many facilities to kill germs, and can potentially live on hard surfaces for months or longer. 
     There are approximately 1.7 million hospital-acquired infections in the United States each year that claim an estimated 99,000 lives. Of those, approximately 337,000 infections and 14,000 deaths are due to  Clostridium difficile  alone. The cost of direct treatment alone for treating hospital-acquired infections per year in the United States is approximately $45,000,000,000—not including other care settings like nursing homes and assisted living facilities whose residents are especially vulnerable to hospital-acquired infections such as  Clostridium difficile , nor does this estimate include the additional costs of malpractice suits, facility cleaning, patients&#39; costs (health care costs, loss of income, etc.). Further, this estimate is strictly based on the United States—these numbers do not consider the worldwide impact of hospital-acquired infections, which presumably is much greater. 
     The prior art is replete with attempts to cleanse the toilet bowl while not disseminating toilet odors. These objectives, both of which are understandable, are not necessarily mutually achievable. And both of them could be inconsistent with the objective of preventing dissemination of body wastes and germs. 
     Exemplary of the recent prior art are U.S. Pat. No. 7,596,818 to Sutton, U.S. Pat. No. 7,976,600 to Safuto and U.S. Pat. No. 8,709,137 to Chan. Of these, Sutton &#39;818 attempts to suppress odors by providing a disposable air exhaust system for a toilet. Safuto &#39;600 provides vents that selectively close when aerosol particles are detected at the toilet bowl. Chan &#39;137 teaches actively drawing in and exhausting air from a toilet. 
     It remains an unsolved problem of the prior art to provide a device and method to limit or contain the amount of aerosol generated in toilet flushing. It is also an unsolved problem of the prior art to provide a device and method that is disposable, portable, and can be easily used by various users of different skill levels. 
     SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 
     The toilet bowl covering system is designed to sit directly on top of the toilet bowl or in some embodiments the toilet seat, thus closing the gap and limiting exposure and spread of the aerosolized spray as well as any chemicals, microorganisms, or prion-type objects that may be part of the spray. This system will be of great value in a variety of environments where toilets can facilitate the spread of disease including hospitals, nursing homes, doctor&#39;s offices, and churches where toilets are shared but also in the homes of users with immune or other special concerns that might make them vulnerable to diseases that can be spread by aerosolized toilet contents. This invention is useful in disposing of both human and animal waste. The system can be used on all shapes, sizes, and iterations of toilets. 
     The invention has multiple embodiments of both methods and devices. Embodiments include methods for suppressing propagation of aerosols from a toilet system during a flush cycle of a toilet system having a flush mechanism and a toilet bowl with a flat upper surface having a bowl opening surrounded by a circumferential rim and a seat unit, comprising a seat and optionally a lid, where the seat unit is mounted for hinged movement between a raised and a lowered position on the flat upper surface. In this embodiment the method comprises the steps of obstructing air flow at the bowl opening with a cover, flushing the contents of the toilet bowl, with the cover in place, by activating the flush mechanism, and keeping the cover in place for a predetermined amount of time after the flushing step ends (for example, five minutes, a half hour, etc.). The step of obstructing air flow may comprise the step of placing the cover on the flat upper surface, when the cover is sized and adapted to extend across at least the bowl opening and the circumferential rim. The step of placing the cover may comprise the step of securing the cover to the toilet bowl, which may be achieved through the use of a pressure-sensitive adhesive or by an elastic member. The cover may also be secured to the toilet bowl by being interposed between the flat upper surface and the seat unit in the lowered position. The step of obstructing air flow may compromise the step of placing the cover on the seat unit, with the cover sized and adapted to extend below the flat upper surface around the circumferential rim of the toilet bowl. 
     Embodiments of devices include a disposable toilet cover for suppressing propagation of aerosols from a toilet bowl during a flush cycle, said cover comprising a flexible sheet having a top surface and a bottom surface, where the flexible sheet is sized to extend across the opening of a toilet bowl and at least a portion of the circumferential rim of the toilet bowl. The toilet cover may have an adhesive (a film, a coating, a strip, dots, etc.) located on the bottom surface of the sheet, and the adhesive may be located in a zone on the bottom surface that corresponds to the top surface of the circumferential toilet bowl rim. The toilet cover may have a protective overlay which covers and protects the adhesive coating on the flexible sheet from undesired contact prior to use. The protective overlay may be capable of being separated from the adhesive without disrupting the adhesive. The toilet cover may be treated with an antibacterial, antimicrobial, or germicidal agent, or another type of sanitizer or disinfectant. The toilet cover may include one or more test tabs that can be torn off or peeled off in order to sample the aerosols in the toilet bowl or the ambient air. The toilet cover may have one or more handles to make it easier to secure and remove from a toilet. The toilet cover may be disposable, and may be foldable such that it can be portable and/or otherwise packaged in a wrapper so that a user can carry it on their person or in luggage. The toilet cover may be made from any variety of materials and constructed in various ways in order to be waterproof, water-resistant, disposable, and biodegradable. The toilet cover may be non-rigid and flexible, or it may be rigid. It may use a variety of adhesives, including pressure-sensitive adhesives. The toilet cover may contain numbering, barcodes or other machine-readable forms, instructions for use and disposal, and/or brand marketing messages. Multiple toilet covers may also be provided to the user in a stacked configuration, where a single cover can be peeled off the stack when needed. In other configurations the toilet covers are provided in a sheet roll, where each device can be torn from the roll when needed. The methods and devices 
    
    
     
       BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
       A better understanding of the exemplary embodiments will be obtained from a reading of the following detailed description and the accompanying drawings wherein identical reference characters refer to identical parts and in which: 
         FIG. 1A  shows a side view of a first embodiment of the toilet cover device on a toilet; 
         FIGS. 1B, 1C, and 1D  show top, bottom and side views of a device of the first embodiment in isolation; 
         FIGS. 1E and 1F  show top and side views of a device of the first embodiment with an optional door feature; 
         FIG. 2  shows a bottom view of a second embodiment of a toilet cover device; 
         FIG. 3  shows a side perspective view of a stack of toilet covers of the embodiment of  FIG. 2 ; 
         FIG. 4  shows a bottom view of a device of the second embodiment with a peel-off test tab; 
         FIG. 5  shows a bottom view of a device of the second embodiment with an ambient test tab; 
         FIG. 6  shows a bottom view of a third embodiment of a toilet cover device with handles; 
         FIG. 7  shows a side perspective view of a device of the third embodiment on a toilet; 
         FIG. 8  shows a fourth embodiment of a toilet cover device with an outer skirt; 
         FIG. 9  shows a side perspective view of a device of the fourth embodiment on a toilet; 
         FIG. 10  shows a side perspective view of a fifth embodiment of a toilet cover device that may be dispensed from a roller; 
         FIG. 11  shows a bottom view of a device of the fifth embodiment; 
         FIG. 12  shows a bottom view of a sixth embodiment of a toilet cover device with adhesive strips; 
         FIG. 13  shows a bottom view of a device of the sixth embodiment with adhesive dots; 
         FIG. 14  shows a side view of a seventh embodiment of the toilet cover device; 
         FIG. 15  shows a side perspective view of the seventh embodiment of the toilet cover device on a toilet; 
         FIG. 16  shows a side view of an eighth embodiment of the toilet cover device; 
         FIG. 17  shows a partial cut-away perspective view of a device of the eighth embodiment with adhesive dots; 
         FIG. 18  shows a side view of a device of the eighth embodiment with a reinforced patch; 
         FIG. 19  shows a side view of a foldable embodiment of the toilet cover device; and 
         FIG. 20  shows a side view of the foldable embodiment of the toilet cover device in a portable wrapper. 
     
    
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF EXEMPLARY EMBODIMENTS 
     Various embodiments of the present invention will now be described in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings. In the following description, specific details such as detailed configuration and components are merely provided to assist the overall understanding of these embodiments of the present invention. Therefore, it should be apparent to those skilled in the art that various changes and modifications of the embodiments described herein can be made without departing from the scope and spirit of the present invention. In addition, descriptions of well-known functions and constructions are omitted for clarity and conciseness. 
     The essence of the invention may well be found in understanding a difference between the dissemination of odors and the dissemination of germs. Odors are gaseous molecules that escape from the bulk liquid in the toilet bowl. It is known for example, that an immiscible liquid, especially a scented oil, can limit the odors emanating from the toilet bowl, as the molecules of the odor-causing gas need to pass from the aqueous medium into the oily medium and then to escape from the oily medium. Unfortunately, this solution becomes impractical once the toilet is flushed. To achieve an acceptable level of cleaning the toilet bowl, it is advantageous to create a turbulent flow of water during the flushing process. This turbulence increases the energy available to allow the odors to escape. 
     The germs that the inventive concept seeks to limit are not gaseous, or, in fact, may not be liquid. They are particles that are suspended in the liquid. They escape from the liquid as an aerosol, not as a gas. An aerosol is a colloidal suspension of liquid particles dispersed in air. Aerosols are formed by the same turbulence that enhances the emission of odors. In general, the effects of the turbulent liquid flow occur in the vicinity directly above the water surface. 
     The turbulent liquid flow will inherently cause air flow near the liquid surface. However, and this shows the error of many of the prior art devices, actively moving the air in the toilet bowl above the liquid surface energizes both the odors and the aerosol, where the germs are contained in the particles. In fact, active movement of the aerosol can result in evaporation of the water in the aerosol, leaving the germs as an even smaller aerosol particle. Active air movement can occur by either injecting air into an air space above the liquid or by removing air from that air space. 
     As discussed, traditional toilet lids, which are well known in the art, can help alleviate this problem. Traditional toilet lids, however, are not configured to seal to the toilet bowl. Further, they are not configured to require that the top of the toilet bowl be sealed by the lid before the flush mechanism can be actuated. A tight seal of a lid to the toilet bowl during the flush not only reduces the turbulence of the surrounding air, but it also retains any aerosols produced during the flush inside the toilet bowl, enhancing the potential of the aerosol to settle out of the air into the liquid in the bowl rather than being dispersed into the room. Additionally, many hospitals and medical facilities use toilets that do not have built-in lids. 
     Therefore, in many cases it is advantageous to utilize a sealing toilet lid to suppress the generation and propagation of aerosols from toilet bowls. 
     Embodiments of the invention are described herein with reference to illustrations that are schematic illustrations of idealized embodiments (and intermediate structures) of the invention. As such, variations from the shapes of the illustrations as a result, for example, of manufacturing techniques and/or tolerances, are to be expected. Thus, embodiments of the invention should not be construed as limited to the particular shapes of regions illustrated herein but are to include deviations in shapes that result, for example, from manufacturing. 
     Reference will now be made in detail to the exemplary embodiments of the invention, examples of which are illustrated in the accompanying drawings. 
       FIGS. 1A, 1B, 1C, and 1D  illustrate a first embodiment of a toilet bowl cover device  10  covering the bowl of a toilet  500 . The cover device  10  of this embodiment is rigid and rectangular in shape, having a top surface  12 , bottom surface  14 , and four side surfaces  16 . A top handle  18  is attached to the top surface  12  of the device  10 , allowing a user to maneuver the device on and off a toilet. The device  10  may also have a front handle  20 , located on the front side surface  22 . As illustrated in  FIGS. 1E and 1F , the device  10  may have a hatch door  24  covering an aperture in the device  10 . When the device  10  is in use, the hatch door  24  may provide a user with the ability to access the toilet bowl  520  through the aperture.  FIG. 1F  illustrates a side view of a device with a hatch door  24  in the open position. A user may open the hatch door  24  in order to take a sample of the aerosols or water in the toilet bowl, or to deposit liquid or material into the toilet bowl  520 . The hatch door  24  may be fixedly attached to the device  10  with a hinge  26  or other attachment means. In some embodiments the hatch door  24  may not be fixedly attached to the device and may instead be completely removable. 
     The device  10  may be placed directly on the top surface of the toilet bowl rim  530  by a user prior to flushing the toilet  500  to prevent aerosols from escaping the toilet bowl  520  during the flush. It may also be left on the toilet between uses in order to ensure that aerosols do not escape. While  FIGS. 1A-1F  illustrate a device with a rectangular shape, other embodiments may use different shapes (circular, oval, etc.) that may be desirable, and may depend in part upon the shape of the particular toilet bowl. The device may be flat, lipped, or indented to fit the toilet bowl. The device may be any size that allows it to extend across at least the toilet bowl opening and the circumferential toilet bowl rim. The device may be made from a variety of materials including disposable cardboard and plastics to durable plastics, rubber, glass, fiberglass, composites, or wood. Furthermore, in some embodiments a rigid version of the device  40  may be constructed from materials including, but not limited to, rubber, plastic, and cardboard. The device may be included with a disposable unit to shield and store the unused rigid toilet bowl covers until they are needed on an individual use basis by the end user. 
       FIGS. 2, 3, 4, and 5  illustrate a second embodiment of a toilet cover device  40 . The device  40  of this embodiment is a non-rigid sheet, with a top surface  42  and bottom surface  44 . An adhesive film  46  is located on the bottom surface  44 . As shown in  FIG. 2 , in this embodiment the adhesive film  46  is located in a ring pattern  48  on the bottom surface  44  of the device  40 . The shape of the ring pattern  48  corresponds to the upper surface of a toilet bowl rim, and depending on the embodiment this shape may differ in order to properly correspond to the shape of the intended toilet. The adhesive film  46  may be a pressure-sensitive adhesive that allows the device  40  to be adhered to the toilet bowl rim  530  by a user applying pressure, but can be peeled off with little effort by a user at a later time. Using a pressure-sensitive adhesive also allows for the option of stacking multiple devices  40  together. The device  40  may be made from a variety of materials including paper, plastic, or a mix of the two. In some embodiments the device  40  may be a single layer sheet, and in other embodiments the device  40  may be a sheet comprised of multiple layers. The device may be made from biodegradable materials, including materials that give the user the option of flushing the device  40  down the toilet after use. For devices made of paper or other water-sensitive materials, a plastic film or other waterproof and water resistant material may be applied to the bottom surface and/or top surface of the device  40  to resist the impact of water. The device may contain an antibacterial, antimicrobial, germicide, or other disinfectant or sanitizer on its bottom surface and/or its top surface to prevent the spread of germs. 
       FIG. 4  shows a stack  50  of devices, each device positioned such that its adhesive film  46  is in contact with the top surface of the device below it (if any). The stack  50  of devices  40  allows a user to peel off the top device  40  in the stack  50  when a device  40  is needed. This configuration may reduce the amount of packaging needed for each individual device  40 , thereby presenting an environmentally-friendly option while also saving space. In embodiments where the devices  40  are not stacked, each device may have a removable protective overlay to cover and protect its adhesive film  46  from undesired contact prior to use. 
     It may be desirable for a user to test the aerosols within the toilet bowl, or to test the ambient air outside of the toilet bowl, to detect the presence of bacteria or other germs or substances. As shown in  FIG. 4 , the device  40  may have a bowl test tab  52  located on the bottom surface  44  that can be removed from the device and tested. The test tab  52  shown in  FIG. 4  is attached with adhesive and can be peeled off of the bottom surface when needed. As shown in  FIG. 5 , the device may have an ambient air test tab  54  located on the outer perimeter of the bottom surface  44  that extends from the device  40  and can be torn off of the device  40  when needed. It is appreciated that the test tabs  54 ,  56 , may be located in any position on the device that allows them to test the air inside the toilet bowl or the ambient air (outside the toilet bowl). Some embodiments of the device  40  may have multiple tabs in different locations. The tabs may be made out of a variety of materials, including the same materials that the device  40  is made from. Also, the tabs may be tear-off tabs, peel-off tabs, or connected to the device  40  in a variety of other ways that allows the user to test the desired environment. The test tabs may also include a growth medium to facilitate the detection of bacteria. 
       FIGS. 6 and 7  illustrate a device  40  that has handles  56 . In this embodiment a handle  56  is located on either side of the device  40 . The handles  56  may allow a user to maneuver the device on and off the toilet and dispose of the device without touching the adhesive film  46 . For those devices that contain an antibacterial or antimicrobial, germicide, or other disinfectant or sanitizer on the bottom surface  44 , the handles  56  may also prevent the user from coming into contact with such substances. The handles  56  as shown in  FIGS. 6 and 7  are extensions of the device  40  and therefore made from the same material(s) as the device  40 . This allows for the device  40  to be made from a single material, and then coated with the adhesive film  46  and any antibacterials, antimicrobials, germicides or other disinfectants and sanitizers. However, in other embodiments the device may be made from various materials, with the handles  56  being an extension of only a subset of the materials. In other embodiments the handles of the device  40  may be of a different shape, different material(s) than the device, and/or attached in a different manner. Once the device  40  is put into place on the toilet, as shown in  FIG. 7 , the handles can be used to remove the device  40 . In some embodiments the handles  56  may be comprised of one or more test tabs. 
       FIGS. 8 and 9  illustrate an embodiment of a device  60  having a width that extends beyond the adhesive ring pattern  48 , forming an outer ring  58  that does not contain adhesive. As shown in  FIG. 9 , when this device  60  is placed on a toilet  500 , the outer ring  58  may extend outward from the toilet bowl rim  530  and cover a larger portion of the toilet. This embodiment may be desirable when a user is uncertain of the measurements of the toilet bowl, as it provides a greater room for error in measurement. 
     It may also be desirable for a user that wishes to use a larger device that can provide cover for a wider range of toilet sizes. Other embodiments may also allow a user to adhere the device  60  to a toilet seat in the down position, as the cover can be sized and adapted to extend below the seat and the upper surface of the rim of the toilet bowl. In some embodiments this may be done by a device that lacks adhesive. 
     In some embodiments the outer ring  58  may contain some amount of adhesive to promote a tight seal on a toilet bowl rim. In other embodiments there may not be a full outer ring, but there may instead be a portion of the device that does not contain adhesive located around a portion of the adhesive ring pattern  48 . Finally, while  FIGS. 2 through 8  illustrate devices for oval and/or elongated toilet bowl rims, in other embodiments the devices are of the proper size and dimension to accommodate other shapes of toilet bowl rims, including compact and round toilet bowl rims. 
       FIG. 10  illustrates a roll  70  of toilet cover devices  72 . In this embodiment, each of the devices  72  are comprised of top sheet  74  and a protective overlay  76 . The protective overlay  76  keeps the top sheet  74  protected to ensure its efficacy when it is used. When a user desires to use one of the devices  72 , they may remove it from the rest of the roll  70  by tearing it off at a perforated seam  78  that separates the device  72  from the next device  72  on the roll. The user then removes the protective overlay  76  from the bottom surface  80  of the top sheet  74  before placing the top sheet  74  on a toilet bowl rim. 
     The protective overlay  76  may be made of plastic, paper, fabric, or any other material that provides sufficient protection to the top sheet  74 . In some embodiments the top sheet may contain one or more antibacterial, antimicrobial, germicide, or other disinfectant or sanitizing agent. 
     In some embodiments the top sheet  74  may include pressure-sensitive adhesive for attaching the top sheet  74  to a toilet bowl rim, and in such embodiments the adhesive may also be protected by the protective overlay  76  until the time of usage. Depending on the embodiment, the adhesive may be in a ring shape or other shape that corresponds to a toilet bowl ring. In other embodiments the adhesive may be in various other shapes, including adhesive strips and adhesive dots located in various configurations on the underside of the antimicrobial sheet.  FIG. 11  illustrates a top sheet  74  (protective overlay removed) with pressure-sensitive adhesive  82  located in a ring pattern  84  on the bottom surface  80  of the top sheet  74 . While the devices  72  of  FIGS. 11 and 12  are comprised of top sheets  74  and protective overlay  76  with rectangular shapes, in other embodiments the shape of the top sheets and bottom sheets may differ as desired. Furthermore, the location and type of adhesive may differ as well. 
       FIG. 12  illustrates a toilet cover device  90  that contains pressure-sensitive adhesive strips  92  along the bottom surface  94  of the device  90 , allowing the device  90  to be adhered to a toilet. Each adhesive strip  92  may be protected by a separate strip cover  96 . One strip cover  96  is removed in the illustration of  FIG. 12 . 
       FIG. 13  illustrates a toilet cover device  100  that contains pressure-sensitive adhesive dots  102  located on its bottom surface  104 . Each grouping of dots  102  is protected by a separate adhesive cover  106  (one adhesive cover  106  is removed in the illustration of  FIG. 13 ). Different groupings and locations of adhesive dots  102  may be used on the device as desired. 
       FIGS. 14 and 15  illustrate a toilet cover device  110  comprised of a flexible bouffant cap  112  with an elastic band  114  around the cap opening  116 . The device  110  is sized such that when the elastic band  114  is stretched by a user, the cap opening  116  is large enough to allow the device  110  to fit over the rim of a toilet  500 , such that the elastic band  114  of the device  110  wraps around the rim or under the rim, and holds the device  110  in place. As with the other devices described herein, this device  110  may be made from many different materials, including cloth, plastic, paper, and disposable versions thereof. The devices  110  may also be treated with an antimicrobial agent or other solution for disinfecting and sanitization purposes. The devices may include test tabs on any portion of the cap  112  or elastic band  114  for testing the aerosols in the toilet bowl  520  or the ambient environment outside of the toilet bowl  520 .  FIGS. 16 and 17  illustrate an embodiment of the device  120  with a bottom band  122  that covers the elastic band  124 . The bottom band  122  may be made from fabric, plastic, or any other material. Adhesive dots  128  are located on the inside surface  126  of the bottom band to increase the ability of the device  120  to remain in position on the toilet as desired by a user.  FIG. 18  illustrates the device  120  with a reinforced patch  130  located on the bouffant cap  132 . The reinforced patch  130  provides the user with a location on the device that can be grasped without potentially ripping a hole in the material. 
     Various embodiments of the devices discussed herein may be treated with antibacterials, antimicrobials, germicides, disinfectants, or sanitizers, or combinations thereof in order to prevent the spread of illness and disease from toilet aerosols. Different embodiments may also contain marker chemicals for identifying the presence of certain germs or other undesirable contaminants (for example, by turning a certain color when in the presence of a certain bacteria). Different embodiments may contain markers for identifying environmental factors such as pH. Additionally, embodiments of the above devices may include numbering, barcodes and other machine-readable forms, or other identification to assist with tracking the usage of the devices. In some environments, such as a hospital, it may be desirable to keep metrics on the number of devices used, as it may provide feedback on how often the devices are being used (reflecting the efforts of hospital staff), and may also be used to analyze correlations between the usage of the devices and the prevalence of infections and germs in a facility. By printing identification on individual or groups of devices, knowledge about the frequency of use can more easily be obtained. Furthermore, the devices may contain directions for use and disposal, and may also contain brand marketing messages. 
     Different embodiments of the devices may be made from one or more of a multitude of materials. Various materials and manufacturing techniques may be used to create water resistant devices, water proof devices, biodegradable devices, and properties that may be desirable in different environments and settings. Furthermore, different adhesives may be used as desired, and adhesives may be applied to the devices and/or integrated into the devices in a multitude of ways. Different embodiments may contain no adhesives at all. 
     It should also be recognized that any of the embodiments herein may be constructed to be non-rigid or rigid, depending on the materials chosen for construction. 
     Embodiments of the non-rigid toilet cover devices discussed herein may be provided in compact portable forms to allow users to take them when they travel, and/or carry them with them throughout the day.  FIGS. 19 and 20  illustrate an embodiment of a foldable sheet-style toilet cover device  140 . The device  140  may be folded along one or more fold lines. In  FIG. 17  the fold lines run in the horizontal and vertical direction and are indicated with the reference letters A′, B′, C′, D′, and E′. The fold lines may be preformed into the material of the device  140  by pressing an indentation or causing a perforation along the fold lines to facilitate folding of the material. Once folded, the device  140  may be placed in a wrapper  144  and sealed shut with a sticker  146 . In various embodiments the devices may be folded and/or compacted and packaged in a variety of ways to allow for ease of portability by an end user. The materials used for both the device and any packaging of the device may be made of a variety of materials (cloth, paper, plastic, rubber, cardboard, etc.). The materials may also be biodegradable to allow the device and/or the packaging to be flushed down the toilet after use. In different embodiments the toilet bowl covering devices may be packaged in various types of portable single or multi-packs. The devices may also be distributed in bulk quantities that can be placed in a portable or non-portable dispensing devices. 
     While the foregoing written description of the invention enables one of ordinary skill to make and use what is considered presently to be the best mode thereof, those of ordinary skill will understand and appreciate the existence of variations, combinations, and equivalents of the specific embodiment, method, and examples herein. The invention should therefore not be limited by the above described embodiment, method, and examples, but by all embodiments and methods within the scope and spirit of the invention. Those of ordinary skill will understand that variations and combinations of the above embodiments may be made to fulfill the needs of users, the environment in which the device is used, the real or perceived risk profile of the user, and the type(s) of toilets at issue.