Patent Publication Number: US-2011061157-A1

Title: Potty, in particular for infants

Description:
The invention relates to a potty, in particular for infants, in accordance with the preamble of claim  1 . 
     Potties are preferably used when travelling or in order to help infants become toilet trained. For example a two-piece potty is known from the company Baby Björn AG, which is produced from plastics material by injection moulding. This potty comprises a lower part, which has a contact face for providing support on a base. A side wall is supported at this contact face and transitions at an upper end into an edge and an inner receptacle region. An upper part, which is separate from the lower part and can be removed from the lower part for emptying and cleaning, comprises a seat and a pot-shaped shell part arranged inside the seat. The seat preferably transitions integrally into the shell part. A supporting edge is provided at an outer face of the seat, carries the seat and is supported at the edge of the lower part. The pot-shaped shell part thus engages with the receptacle region of the lower part. 
     Potties of this type are preferably configured in two colours so as to look attractive. A colour for pigmenting the plastics material is thus selected for each of the lower part and the upper part. These configurations no longer satisfy the ever-increasing demands placed on design. 
     Furthermore, in two-piece potties of this type the upper part may often shift relative to the lower part. 
     The object of the invention is therefore to propose a potty that has an attractive external design and at the same time is highly secure for daily use. 
     This object is achieved by a potty having the features of claim  1 . Further advantageous configurations and developments are disclosed in the further claims. 
     The configuration of a potty according to the invention in which the side wall of the lower part comprises a decorative surface produced by an in-mould process makes it possible to create, in a simple manner different surfaces (depending on the desired design or on requirements), which are independent of the further coloured configuration of the upper and lower parts. In order to produce a decorative surface of this type at a side wall, it is necessary for the edge provided at the lower part to be configured as a peripheral rim extending along the side wall so as to achieve a high level of quality of the decorative surface at the outer wall. This peripheral rim may be formed in a simple manner by the two-piece configuration of the potty. At the same time a secure arrangement of the upper part relative to the lower part is made possible, the supporting edge of the upper part being arranged, at least over portions, on the peripheral rim of the lower part and overlapping this, at least over portions. The upper part can thus be securely fixed and positioned relative to the lower part. At the same time a good transfer of load over the seat and away onto the contact face is obtained via the interfaces between the upper and lower parts. This configuration of the two-piece potty according to the invention thus makes it possible to equally achieve the advantages of high design standards and flexible adaptation to different designs requirements, as well as high operational reliability. 
     A preferred embodiment of the potty provides for the upper part to comprise a splashguard portion in a front region and, opposite, a supporting portion in the rear region, the splashguard portion and the supporting portion being taller than the seat and preferably transitioning flowingly into the seat. The splashguard portion is preferably shorter than the supporting portion. This type of saddle-shaped configuration of the upper part is achieved by a good fit between the seat and the supporting face and, at the same time, the splashguard portion prevents any urine from leaking outside in an undesired manner. 
     Furthermore, it is preferred for a flattened region to be provided on a rear face of the supporting face on the upper part, which flattened region comprises an engagement opening. This makes it possible to hold the upper part in a region that is not normally wetted by urine. In addition, the outer contour (closed incidentally) of the upper part can be grasped in a simple manner so as to empty and clean the upper part. 
     A further preferred configuration of the invention provides a locking member at the edge of the lower part, preferably in a front region of the lower part, at which locking member a receiving member engages with the supporting edge of the upper part and prevents the upper part from being removed from the lower part. A locking clip is preferably provided at the upper part, opposite the receiving member, and engages removably with the lower part. This arrangement makes it possible to securely fix the upper part to the lower part for use. Furthermore, it is thus made possible for the upper part and the lower part to be connected and separated in a simple manner. For example, in order to complete the potty it may be provided for the receiving member of the upper part to first engage with the locking member of the lower part. A rear region of the upper part is moved towards the lower part by a pivoting movement about this semi-formed hinge joint. Once the supporting portion of the upper part is arranged, at least over portions, on the peripheral rim and overlaps this, at least over portions, the locking clip for engaging the lower part can be attached in such a way that the upper part is prevented from being removed from the lower part. 
     The locking clip arranged on the upper part and arranged in a rear region preferably engages with a recess in the lower part, which recess is provided in the flattened region of the lower part. It is therefore possible for the locking clip to be clipped or clicked-in in a simple manner and to be released in an easily accessible manner. 
     In accordance with a preferred embodiment the locking strip is arranged on the upper part, in particular on a flattened region of the upper part, by an integral hinge. The potty may therefore consist merely of the upper and lower parts, without the need for additional, separate parts, and a secure connection between the upper and lower parts can thus be achieved. 
     The receptacle region arranged in the lower part of the potty is preferably arranged in a recessed manner relative to an end face of the peripheral rim, said receptacle region preferably being formed by a web portion that is oriented at right angles to the side wall or at an angle deviating therefrom by less than ±20° so as to be oriented at right angles to the outer wall. This arrangement poses the advantage that the polymer melt impacts the side wall almost or virtually at right angles as it flows over the side wall and spreads out in both directions, this clearance being immediately filled with plastics material owing to the dimensioning of the peripheral rim, in such a way that the only direction of flow of the polymer melt is along the outer wall toward the contact face. A decorative film provided on the outer wall and preferably held in the injection mould by electrostatic charge is therefore smoothly coated and fixed, almost automatically. A retaining portion for the decorative film is thus formed by the quick filling of the region for forming the peripheral rim, which portion also prevents the decorative film from being displaced or creased inside the injection mould. 
     It is further preferably provided for the receptacle region to extend completely along the peripheral rim and to comprise at least a strip-shaped portion. The polymer melt therefore flows toward the side wall in a right-angled or virtually right-angled manner in the entire region along the side rim so as to achieve a high level of quality of the decorative surface on the side wall. 
     The receptacle region of the lower part preferably comprises a through-opening for receiving the shell part at the upper part. This through-opening makes it possible to provide a shell part having a large volume. 
     The receptacle region of the lower part also comprises a hump-shaped elevation beside the flattened region. This hump-shaped elevation substantially corresponds to the contour of the supporting portion, which transitions into the seat at the upper part. The potties can therefore be stacked on top of one another, it being possible for a high supporting portion to be formed that is not restricted by the distance between the receptacle region and the contact face at the lower part when the potties are stacked inside one another. 
     Similarly, a hump-shaped elevation is preferably also provided in the front region of the receptacle region. The splashguard portion may therefore also be formed with the necessary height. 
     A further preferred configuration of the potty provides for the shell part to comprise a base in the upper part, which base lies in the plane of the contact face of the lower part when the upper part is fixed to the lower part, or for the base to be at least slightly taller than the contact face. In the first variant, load is also transferred or support is also provided at the base via the shell part. In the second alternative no force is transferred from the shell part to the base. This shell part can thus be formed with a smaller wall thickness. 
     In accordance with a further advantageous configuration of the invention the supporting edge of the upper part comprises a continuously peripheral shoulder that extends via its respective ends into the flattened region, at least in part. A particularly high level of rigidity of the upper part is therefore obtained since the shoulder also extends over a corner region between the supporting edge and the flattened region. 
     The receptacle region of the lower part is preferably also completely surrounded by the peripheral rim. A particularly rigid configuration of the lower part is created by this arrangement. At the same time, a completely peripheral shoulder may support the supporting edge of the upper part. 
     A further preferred configuration of the invention provides for the side wall of the lower part and the flattened region of the lower part to be aligned with the supporting edge of the upper part and the flattened region of the upper part. A good level of load transfer can therefore be created. Furthermore, an aesthetically pleasing shape is obtained in such a way that the two-piece potty looks like a mould. 
     The invention and further advantageous embodiments and developments thereof will be described and explained in greater detail hereinafter with reference to the examples shown in the drawings. The features to be inferred from the description and the drawings may be applied, in accordance with the invention, either individually or in any combination. 
    
    
     
       In the drawings: 
         FIG. 1  is a perspective plan view of a two-piece potty, 
         FIG. 2  is a full, schematic cross-sectional view of the potty according to  FIG. 1 , 
         FIG. 3  is a schematically enlarged cross-sectional view of the edge region of the upper part and lower part of the potty, 
         FIG. 4  is a schematic view of the potty according to  FIG. 1  comprising a completely raised upper part, 
         FIG. 5  is a perspective view of a potty comprising an upper part in an intermediate position relative to a lower part, and 
         FIG. 6  is a further schematic view of the intermediate position of the upper part relative to the lower part according to  FIG. 5 . 
     
    
    
       FIG. 1  illustrates a schematic view of the potty  11  according to the invention. In order to describe the potty  11  according to  FIG. 1  in greater detail, reference is made to  FIG. 2 , which shows the potty according to  FIG. 1  in full cross-section, and reference is also made to  FIG. 4 , which shows a two-piece potty  11  made of plastics material and produced by injection moulding. 
     The potty  11  comprises a lower part  12  having a contact face  14 , at which stopper members oriented downwardly and not shown in greater detail may be provided as an anti-slip means relative to the support. For example the contact face  14  is configured as a brim. Alternatively, only one narrow, web-shaped face having enlarged sectors for receiving the stopper members may also be provided. A side wall  15  connects to the contact face  14 , which side wall extends as far as an upper edge  17 . A lower part having an oval contour is formed by the side wall  15  and comprises a slightly conically extending side wall  15 . This oval shape is only exemplary. The peripheral side wall  15  of the lower part  12  is interrupted by a flattened region  18 , which is preferably arranged in a rear region of the potty  11 . A recess  19  is provided in this flattened region  18  and extends as far as the vicinity of the edge  17 . 
     The lower part  12  is produced from plastics material in an injection moulding process. In this instance it is preferably provided for the side wall  15  of the lower part  12  to comprise a decorative surface produced by the in-mould process. In this process the desired decorative film is preferably placed in the mould before the polymer melt is injected into the mould, which decorative film is preferably held in the mould by an electrostatic charge. In order to achieve a high level of quality of the decorative surface, the edge  17  is configured as a peripheral rim  21 , a receptacle region  22  of the lower part  12  that forms a type of end face for the lower part  12  and is configured as a wall portion being arranged in a recessed manner relative to an end face  23  of the rim  21 . At the same time, this wall portion of the receptacle region  22  is oriented at right angles to the side wall  15  or at an angle thereto of less than ±20°. The polymer melt can therefore impact the side wall  15  almost frontally during the injection moulding process and holds the decorative film fixed to the mould. The clearance formed by the rim  21  is then quickly filled with polymer melt in such a way that the flowing polymer melt then flows off along the side wall  15  toward the contact face  14 . The decorative film is therefore smoothed simultaneously. The receptacle region  22  or a wall portion connected directly to the rim  21  preferably extends completely peripherally and at least in a strip-shaped manner along the peripheral face of the side wall  15 , on which a decorative surface is formed by a decorative film. 
     An upper part  26  of the potty  11  can be placed on the lower part  12  and connected thereto in a rigid, yet removable manner. The upper part  26  comprises a seat  27 , the outer face of which transitions into a supporting edge  28 . As shown in the enlarged sectional view in  FIG. 3 , this supporting edge  28  of the upper part  26  lies, at least in part, on the end face  23  of the peripheral rim  21  and overlaps this rim  21 , at least in part. It is preferably provided for the supporting edge  28  to completely overlap the peripheral rim  21 , at least in the region of the side wall  15 , and to be arranged on the end face  23 . It is therefore possible to create a stable and rigid two-piece embodiment of the potty  11 . At the same time, the risk of being injured at the rim  21  is reduced by the complete overlapping. In addition, supporting ribs  29  may be provided at an inner wall portion of the upper part  26  and arranged at a distance from the supporting edge  28  so the edge  17  of the lower part can engage in between when the upper part  26  is arranged on top. The supporting ribs  29  are preferably also supported on the receptacle region  22 . The upper part  26  can thus be better fixed to the lower part  12 . 
     A pot-shaped shell part  30  is adjacently moulded onto an inner face of the supporting face  27 , which shell part extends through a recess  32  in the receptacle region  22 . A base  33  of the shell part  30  preferably lies in the plane of the contact face  14 . In a front region of the upper part  26  the seat  27  transitions into a splashguard portion  35 , which is taller than the seat  27 . In the rear region of the upper part  12  the seat  27  transitions into a supporting portion  36  so as to offer the infant secure support on the potty  11 . The supporting portion  36  is preferably taller than the splashguard portion  35 . At a rear face of the supporting portion  36  a flattened region  37  is provided, which transitions directly into the flattened region  18  of the lower part. An engagement opening  38  is provided in the flattened region  37  in such a way that it is possible to handle the upper part  26  in a simple manner. 
     A hump-shaped elevation  41  is provided at the lower part  12  in the rear region of the receptacle region  22  in the vicinity of the flattened region  18  and extends towards the upper part  12  and enters inside a supporting portion  36 , at least in part. This makes it possible for a plurality of potties  11  to be stacked on top of one another in a space-saving manner since the supporting portion  36  of the lower potty  11  engages with the elevation  41  of the potty  11  arranged above. At the same time, the shell parts  30  of the potties  11  arranged on top of one another may engage with one another. Similarly, an elevation  42  may also preferably be provided in a front region so the splashguard portion  35  can engage with an elevation  42  of this type when the potties  11  are stacked on top of one another. 
     A locking member  43  is preferably moulded onto the front region of the lower part  12  for locking the upper part  26  relative to the lower part  12  and engages with a receiving member  44  moulded onto the upper part  26 . The locking member  43  and the receiving member  44  may also each be produced as a separate component and may be fixed to the upper part  26  or to the lower part  12 , for example by a clipping or locking connection. This receiving member  44  is almost formed as an undercut so as to engage with the locking member  43 , in such a way that the upper part  26  is held down relative to the lower part  12  and can still be swivelled in a first phase. A position of this type emerges, for example, from  FIGS. 5 and 6 . In these illustrations an intermediate step is shown during the fixing or removing of the upper part  26  to/from the lower part  12 . In any case the receiving member  44  of the upper part  36  engages with the locking member  43  of the lower part  12  in such a way that the upper part  26  is fixed to the lower part  12  in the position shown in  FIGS. 5 and 6 . The upper part  26  can then be swivelled on the lower part  12 . A locking clip  46  is actuated so as to provide complete fixing, in such a way that it engages with the recess  19  in the flattened region  18 . The locking clip  46  therefore comprises a locking or clipping member (not shown in greater detail) so as to provide a releasable fixing. An integral hinge  47  is formed at the flattened region  37  for hinged connection to the locking clip  46 . Alternatively, further fixing mechanisms or locks may be provided. The locking member  43  and the receiving member  44  may also be arranged interchangeably at the lower part  12  and upper part  26 . The locking member  43  may also be configured as a locking projection or as a catch, which engages with a complementary geometry of the upper part  26  and therefore fixes the upper part  26  to the lower part  12 . 
     LIST OF REFERENCE NUMERALS 
     
         
           11 . Potty 
           12 . Lower part 
           14 . Contact face 
           15 . Side wall 
           17 . Edge 
           18 . Flattened region 
           19 . Recess 
           21 . Rime 
           22 . Receptacle region 
           23 . End face 
           26 . Upper part 
           27 . Seat 
           28 . Supporting edge 
           30 . Shell part 
           32 . Through-opening in  22   
           33 . Base of  30   
           35 . Splashguard portion 
           36 . Supporting portion 
           37 . Flattened region at  26   
           38 . Engagement opening 
           41 . Elevation 
           42 . Elevation 
           43 . Locking member 
           44 . Receiving member 
           46 . Locking clip 
           47 . Integral hinge