Abstract:
A protective shield for a toilet bowl having a toilet seat connected thereto is disclosed. The toilet has an upper edge on which said toilet seat rests. The upper edge of the toilet has an inside surface and an outside surface. The shield is in the form of a sheet having a top edge, a bottom edge, and a pair of side edges, a front surface and a rear surface. The sheet has at least one retaining means in proximity to the rear surface of said sheet for maintaining said sheet in position on said toilet. The bottom edge of said shield extends into the toilet without touching any of the water in the bowl and the top edge extends upwardly so that the area where the toilet seat is connected to the toilet bowl is protected by the shield.

Description:
FIELD OF THE INVENTION  
       [0001]     The present invention relates to improvements in toilet and toilet seat sanitation, more particularly, directing the spray of urine into the bowl and preventing the urine from entering the area between the seat and the bowl of the toilet.  
       BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION  
       [0002]     One of the problems faced by parents of young children is the issue of toilet training. Young boys, in particular, are not particularly careful when they urinate thus causing urine to be sprayed not just into the toilet but also onto the underside of the toilet seat and the surrounding area. One area that is commonly sprayed is the region between the toilet seat and the toilet where the toilet seat is connected to the toilet. This area is also particularly difficult to clean once it has been soiled. Urine can flow not only between the seat and the bowl but also between the bolts and the orifices in the bowl for connecting the seat to the toilet. Thus in order to clean this area thoroughly, the only preferred way is to remove the seat from the toilet, washing the affected area and reconnecting the seat. It will be appreciated that this is time consuming and difficult. In addition, on many older installations it is not always a simple task to remove the seat from the toilet. Many older seats have metal threaded members and a metal nut that can corrode over time due to contact with water causing the two to become difficult to separate and later reinstall once the area has been cleaned.  
         [0003]     Over the years there have been various products available to assist the parent in toilet training a young boy and in particular to assist him in having the urine actually enter the bowl. There have been several products that are attached to the toilet ad which hang into the bowl some distance that provide a target for the child to aim for. Alternatively, there have been products that float in the water in the bowl that provide an aiming surface for the boy to direct the urine stream. While these products are efficacious to some extent, they do not solve the problem. One reason why they do not solve the problem is that there are many instances where the child has become absorbed in play and waited to the very last minute to seek relief. In these instances, the urgent need to evacuate overcomes any effort to keep the urine stream within the confines of the bowl or to aim at an artificial target. A similar situation arises on many mornings where the child has been asleep all night. When the child awakens, due to the time that has passed since the night before, the child frequently has to urinate quickly. In these instances also, the child is more likely to be less careful with the urine stream than he would otherwise be, thus causing urine to be sprayed outside the bowl and onto the seat of the toilet and elsewhere.  
         [0004]     In order to alleviate the cleaning problem many parents require the younger boys to sit on the toilet seat or a specially designed potty seat even though the boy is tall enough to use the toilet bowl from a standing position. While sitting on the toilet seat solves the immediate problem the parent is actually only putting off the time when the boy has to stand to urinate. In addition, the potty seats often have a guard at the front tip of the seat that can make it difficult or even painful for the boy to sit on the seat by himself, or even when he is lifted in place or gets down himself. Even if the child is older, whether through carelessness or inaccuracy the problem still seems to be present.  
         [0005]     As a result, there is a need for a device that will protect the surfaces of the toilet from errant streams of urine that is easy to assemble, may be left in place and is easily cleaned after use.  
       SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION  
       [0006]     The present invention solves the problem of soiled toilet seats and protects the area between the toilet seat and the bowl that is difficult to clean. The article of the present invention is comprised of a sheet that may have a top edge, a bottom edge and a pair of side edges. There is front surface and a rear surface to the sheet. At least the front surface of the sheet is preferably made of a water impermeable or water repelling material that prevents absorption of the urine and facilitates cleaning of the sheet.  
         [0007]     The sheet is held in position on the bowl by a member that extends from the rear surface of the sheet and may rest on or hook over the rim surface of the bowl. The sheet is of generally sufficient size so that the bottom edge preferably extends a short distance into the bowl of the toilet to protect the interface between the seat and the toilet bowl but not so far as it touches the water in the bowl. The top edge of the sheet extends upwardly a distance above the upper edge of the bowl. The higher the sheet the more protection that is provided.  
         [0008]     The sheet is preferably made of a material that has sufficient thickness so that it is capable of remaining upright without bending or flopping over when installed on a toilet bowl. The material may be a plastic material or a plastic coated paper, a wax coated paper or any other suitable material. The sheet is preferably foldable about one or more score lines to reduce its size for packaging and storage purposes. 
     
    
     BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS  
       [0009]      FIG. 1  is a front view of a preferred embodiment of the shield of the present invention.  
         [0010]      FIG. 2  is a side perspective view of the shield of  FIG. 1  on a toilet bowl.  
         [0011]      FIG. 3  is a rear view of the shield of  FIG. 1 .  
         [0012]      FIG. 4  is a front view of the shield of  FIG. 1  in position on a toilet.  
         [0013]      FIG. 5  is a perspective view of the disinfectant container for the shield of the present invention.  
         [0014]      FIG. 6  is a front view of an alternative embodiment of the shield of the present invention when the toilet seat is in an open position.  
         [0015]      FIG. 7  is the shield of  FIG. 6  in a partially opened position.  
         [0016]      FIG. 8  is the embodiment of  FIG. 7  when the toilet seat is in a closed position  
         [0017]      FIG. 9  is an angled front view of another embodiment of the present invention.  
         [0018]      FIG. 10  is a side view of the right side of the embodiment of  FIG. 9 .  
         [0019]      FIG. 11  is a superior (top, bird&#39;s eye) view of the embodiment of  FIG. 9 .  
         [0020]      FIG. 12  is a front view of the embodiment of  FIG. 9 .  
         [0021]      FIG. 13  is an angled front view of the left side guard, separate from the present invention (embodiment of  FIG. 9 ?).  
         [0022]      FIG. 14  is an inferior (bottom, lower) view of the side guard spacer of  FIG. 15 .  
         [0023]      FIG. 15  is an angled inferior view of the side guard spacer of the present invention.  
         [0024]      FIG. 16  is a superior view of the base of the present invention.  
         [0025]      FIG. 17  is an inferior view of the base of the present invention.  
         [0026]      FIG. 18  is a front view of the shield, separate from the present invention.  
     
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION  
       [0027]     As seen in  FIG. 1  there is a sheet  10  of preferably of a flexible material. The sheet may be made of a plastic or a paper coated and/or impregnated with a plastic, an oil based compound, wax or other water resistant and/or water repellant material. The sheet should be of a sufficient thickness so that the sheet will stand upright without folding or flopping over when placed in position on a toilet seat. The sheet material preferably has a thickness greater than 3 mil. Suitable plastic material, include but are not limited to polyethylene, polypropylene and other thermoplastic materials, etc.  
         [0028]     The sheet has a top edge  11  a bottom edge  12  and a pair of side edges  13  and  14 . There is a front surface  15  and a rear surface  16 . The front surface  15  preferably has one or more score lines  17 ,  18  and  19  hat extend from the top edge of the shield to the bottom edge. These score lines facilitate folding the sheet material for storage or for packaging purposes. In addition, the score lines permit the sheet material to have a configuration that loosely approximates the arc of the toilet bowl and its rim, when the sheet in place on the bowl. In a preferred embodiment the top edge  11  is provided with at least one handle  20  for lifting the shield and putting it in place on the bowl. In addition, the handle facilitates removal of the shield for cleaning after use. In a preferred embodiment, the top edge is provided with a pair of additional handles  21  and  22  that aid in opening and closing the sheet about the score lines and placing the shield in position. The handles may be comprised of any suitable material and have any configuration known in the art. In a preferred embodiment the handles are of the same material as the shield itself and are integral with the shield.  
         [0029]     Extending rearwardly from the shield is at least one means for retaining  23  the shield in place about the toilet rim. The retaining means has a generally horizontal member  24  extending from the rear surface of the sheet and a downwardly extending arm  25  that forms a hook to hold the shield in place. Where a single retaining means is used preferably the retaining means is of sufficient strength to support the shield in its upright position. Preferably, there are three retaining means present  23 ,  26  and  27 . One retaining means  26  is located in the vicinity of the center of the rear surface when measured from the side walls. As shown in  FIG. 3  the retaining means  26  has a base  26   a  and a contact surface  26   b  which connects the retaining means to the rear surface of the sheet. The retaining means  26  may be attached to the rear surface of the sheet  16  by any suitable means. The base  26   a  preferably rests on the upper surface of the rim of the toilet. Alternatively, the rear member  26  may have the same configuration as retaining means  23  and  27 . The other two retaining means preferably extend rearwardly from sections  28  and  29  of the rear wall that are formed by the score lines  17  and  19 . Preferably, each of the retaining means is pivotal in at least a horizontal plane to facilitate installation of the shield over the rim of the toilet bowl. Similarly, the downwardly extending arm  25  should also be flexible to accommodate different toilet bowl designs. Alternatively, the retaining means may extend from the side edges  13  and  14  and be pivotal about the side edge so that they can be placed over the rim. When the retaining means extend from the side edge, they may be readily made from the same sheet material as the remainder of the shield. A score line  30  is one means of rendering the retaining means pivotal. In one embodiment the rear retaining means  26  need not have a hook shaped appendage. It has been found that the score line  18  in the center region of the sheet locates the rear wall toward the rim of the bowl without the necessity for a hook shaped retaining means in that location. It may be preferable, however, to provide on or more supports  26  to prevent the shield from tipping rearwardly when in place. The retaining means and supports may be affixed to the shield by any suitable means as will be appreciated by one skilled in the art. For example, the retaining means may be affixed to rear wall by means of a hinge.  
         [0030]     As seen in  FIGS. 2 and 4 , the sheet is of generally sufficient size so that the bottom edge extends a short distance into the bowl of the toilet but not so far as it touches the water in the bowl. By extending into the bowl a distance the shield protects the area where the toilet seat is connected to the bowl from urine. The top edge of the sheet extends upwardly a distance above the upper edge of the bowl. The higher the sheet the more protection that is provided from errant streams of urine.  
         [0031]     The shield of the present invention is preferably provided with a water impermeable surface for ease of cleaning and to prevent urine from being impregnated in the material. Although the shield may be disposable, the shield may also be cleaned by any suitable means.  FIG. 5  is an example of one means of disinfecting the shield of the present invention. The container  50  has a front wall  51  a rear wall  52  and a pair of side walls  53  and  54 . There is a bottom wall  55  and a removable cover  56 . In a preferred embodiment the cover is hingedly connected to the rear wall at the upper surface  57  of the rear wall. The front wall  51  preferably has hingedly connected at its base a drip tray  58 . The drip tray when not in use is in an upright position against the front wall of the container. When the shield is to be disinfected the tray is pulled down away from the front wall. The shield is dipped into the disinfectant in the container and removed. The shield may rest on or be placed over the drip tray so that any disinfectant present can drip off the shield. The tray is provided with a pair of side walls  59  and  60  and a base wall  61  that help retain the tray in position against the front wall by means of a friction fit. These walls also prevent any disinfectant from soiling the floor surface when it drips off the shield.  
         [0032]      FIGS. 6, 7 , and  8  depict an alternative embodiment of the shield of the present invention. In this embodiment, the shield  70  has an axis  71  separating the shield into an upper section  72  and a lower section  73 . In a preferred embodiment the upper section and the lower section are mirror images of each other. The shield has a top edge  74  and a bottom edge  75 . The top edge  74  has a pair of horizontal portions  76  and  77  that are separated by a center arc  78  that connects the horizontal portions. The bottom edge  75  has a pair of horizontal portions  79  and  80  that are separated by a center arc  81  that connects the horizontal portions. On the side of the horizontal edge opposite the center arc are side arcs  82  and  83  on the top edge and side arcs  84  and  85  on the bottom edge. Two vertical score lines  86  and  87  are located on the sheet and extend for about the midpoint of the horizontal portions on the top edge to about the midpoint of the respective horizontal portion on the bottom edge. The score lines permit sections  88  and  89  to be folded inwardly. When sections  88  and  89  are folded inwardly the side arcs  82  and  83  preferably line up with the center arc  78  and the side arcs  84  and  85  preferably line up with the center arc  81  as shown in  FIG. 7 . As seen in  FIG. 6  there are additional score lines  90 ,  91 ,  92 , and  93  on one side and score lines  94 ,  95 ,  96  and  97  on the other. These score lines form generally a diamond shape.  
         [0033]      FIG. 7  shows the shield in a partially opened position. As can be seen in this Figure, the side arcs line up with the center arcs. The base  100  and  101  of triangles  98  and  99  formed by the score lines  90  and  92  are bisected by score line portions  102  and  103  respectively that extend from the apex  104  and  105  of the triangles to the respective bases. Score line portions  102  and  103  and score lines  90  and  92  and  95  and  97  permit the upper section  72  to be folded over the lower section  73 . Orifices  104 ,  105 ,  106 ,  107 ,  108 ,  109 ,  110  and  111  provide a means to tie the shield to the bowl and the toilet seat.  
         [0034]     When the toilet seat is in its lowered position, the shield is as is shown in  FIG. 8 . When the shield is being lifted for use, the upper section  72  separates from lower section  73  about the axis  71  as seen in  FIG. 8 . As the seat is placed in a raised position, sections  88  and  89  open outwardly forming the shielding surface as shown in  FIG. 6 . The shield of  FIGS. 6, 7 , and  8  is preferable provided with a water impermeable surface to facilitate cleaning of the shield. In order to clean the shield the shield is removed from the bowl and seat. If desired the shield can be disinfected by using the container of the present invention or by any other suitable means.  
         [0035]     The shield of the present invention may be manufactured by any suitable means. One method of manufacturing the shield of the present invention is by die cutting whereby a blade in the shape of the design of the shield cuts through the sheet material to form the shield.  
         [0036]     The second embodiment of the invention is represented removed form the toilet in its expanded form in  FIG. 9 . The second embodiment of the invention consists of a shield  203  connected to a pair of side guards  201  and  202  and a base  210 . The shield  203  has a top edge  204 , a bottom edge  205 , and a pair of side edges  206  and  207 . The bottom edge  205  and both side edges  206  and  207  have attachment flaps  211 , and  208  and  209 , respectively. The bottom attachment flap  211  is attached to the base  210  by any adhesive means, such as glue. The side attachment flaps  208  and  209  are attached to the outer surfaces  212  and  213  of the side guards  202  and  201 , respectively. The side guards  201  and  202  have outer surfaces  213  and  212  and inner surfaces  215  and  214 , respectively. Each side guard  201  and  202  has an arc edge  217  and  216 , respectively. The arc edges  217  and  216  are cut in the same arc as the inner arc  218  of the base  210 . Each arc has an angled edge  219  and  220 . These angled edges  219  and  220  come in contact with the shield  203 . The side attachments flaps  208  and  209  wrap around the angled edges  220  and  219 , respectively, to attach the shield  203  to the side guard outer surfaces  212  and  213 , respectively. Each side guard  201  and  202  has an attachment piece  221  and  222 , respectively. The attachment piece  221  and  222  has an arced edge  223 ,  224  which is cut in the same manner as the outer arc  225  of the base  210 . The side guard  201  and  202  has a score line  227  and  226 , respectively. Score lines  226  and  227  allow the side guards  202  and  201  to fold down onto the base  210 . The side guards  201  and  202  also have attachment means  229  and  228 . Attachment means  229  and  228  are composed of two slots  231  and  230 , and  233  and  232 . The attachment means  228  and  229  allow for the attachment of elastic means  234  and  235 , which allow the device  200  to automatically expand when the toilet seat is raised off of it side guard spacers  236  and  237  can be attached to the outer surfaces  212  and  213  of the side guards  202  and  201 , respectively  
         [0037]      FIG. 10  is an outer side view of the invention. In this perspective the side guard  202  is shown, one can also see the outer surface of the side guard  212 , the shield  203 , the top edge  204 , the side attachment flap  208 , the base  210 , an attachment piece  222 , a flat edge  238 , the attachment mean  228  and elastic means  234 ; also depicted is the side guard spacer  236 .  FIG. 10  shows the outer arcs  225  and  225 ( a ) of the base  210  extend beyond the shield  203 .  
         [0038]     When looking down on the second embodiment, as in  FIG. 11 , the slot means  246  and  247  can be seen in the base  210 . Slot means  246  and  247  are cut into the base  210 , toward the front of the toilet. Each slot means  246  and  247  is composed of three straight edges  248  and  249 ,  250  and  251 , and  252  and  253 . The slot means  246  and  247  are used to engage the hinges of the toilet seat (and seat cover, if present); thus, allowing the invention  200  to fit precisely against the back surface of the toilet bowl. Between slot means  246  and  247  is a straight edge  225  of the base  210 .  
         [0039]      FIG. 12  shows how the shield  203  is attached to the toilet. There are two side guard spacers, one on the outer left hand side  237  and one on the outer right hand side  236 . The two side guard spacers  236 ,  237 , function to keep the toilet seat raised off of the invention when the toilet seat is lowered. There are also two elastic means one on the outer left hand side  235  that attaches to the attachment mean  241  and one on the outer right hand side  234  that attaches to attachment means  240 . The top edge  204  of the shield  203  and the shield  203  rests against the toilet seat when the seat is lifted.  
         [0040]      FIG. 13  illustrates the side guard  201  which is located and attached to the outer edge of the shield  203 . The drawing shows the outer edge  213  and the inner edge  215  of the side guard  201 . The side guard  201  has an angled edge  219  that is connected to the shield  203 . The side guard  201  also has an angled edge  217  that has an attachment means  229  towards the front of the toilet seat. The attachment means  229  has two slots,  231  and  233 , cut into the side guard  201  on the angled edge  217 . The figure also shows the attachment piece  221 , with its arced edge  223  and the score line  227  at which the attachment means  221  is folded upwards at a 90-degree angle from the side guard  201 .  
         [0041]      FIG. 14  depicts the side guard spacer  236 . The side guard spacer has a topside  254  and bottom side  253 . The side guard spacer  236  has four sides, topside  257 , a bottom side  255 , a right side  258  and a left side  256 . Each side is connected at right angles, left side  256  is connected to top side  257  at a right angle a, top side  257  is connected to right side  258  at a right angle d, right side  258  is connected to bottom side  255  at right angle c, and bottom side  255  is connected to left side  256  at right angle b. The side guard spacer  236 , although shown as a square, may be any shape or size, or may not be present. There are two attachment members, one on the length of the left side  260  and on the length of the right side  259 . The side guard spacer,  236  is attached to the side guard,  201  at points  261  and  262   a  by adhesive means.  
         [0042]      FIG. 15  shows side guard spacers  236  and  237 . These side guard spacers  236  and  237  have a top surface  254 , and four side surfaces  255 ,  256 ,  257  and  258 . The bottom of each side guard spacer is open, except for two attachment members  259  and  260 . Adhesive is applied to the outer surfaces  261  and  262  of these attachment members  259  and  260 , respectively. The side spacer guard  236  and  237  is then attached to the outer surface  212  and  213  of side guards  202  and  201 , respectively.  
         [0043]      FIG. 16  shows the base  210  of the invention  200  is composed of an inner arc  218  and two outer arcs  225  and  225   b.  Flat edges  238  and  239  connect the inner arc  218  to the outer arc  225 . Located on the inner arc  218  are attachment means  240  and  241 . Attachment means  240  and  241  are each composed of two slots  242  and  243 , and  244  and  245 . Attachment means  240  and  241  provide articulation points for elastic means  234  and  235 , respectively. Slot mean  246  and  247  are cut into the outer arc  225  of the base  210 . The top surface  263  of the base  210  has two attachment areas  264  and  265 . These attachment areas are cut in the same manner as the attachment pieces  221  and  222  of side guards  201  and  202 , respectively. The attachment areas  264  and  265  outline areas on the top surface  263  of base  210  where adhesive should be applied to fix the side guards  201  and  202  to the base  210 . Attachment areas  264  and  265  are each composed of straight edges  266  and  267 , and  268  and  269 . Curved edges  270  and  271  complete the area to be filled with adhesive.  
         [0044]      FIG. 17  represents the second embodiment from the perspective of the bottom surface  272  of the base  210 . The outer arcs  225  and  225   b  are seen. As well as slot means  246  and  247 , and straight edge  225   a.  The bottom surface  272  has toilet attachment means  273   a - f.  These toilet attachment means  273   a - f  are fastened to the bottom surface  272  of the base  219  on the bottom surface. The top surface of toilet attachment means  273  articulates with the upper surface of the toilet bowl rim. The toilet attachment means  273  will not permanently fix the device to the toilet. They are such that will allow the user to disengage the device, allowing for replacement of the device at regular intervals. The toilet attachment means  273   a - f  may be Velcro® or double-sided tape. Also, the toilet attachment means  273   a - f,  may be any shape, in any number, and may cover any part or the entire bottom surface.  
         [0045]      FIG. 18  represents the shield  203  of the second embodiment. In this embodiment, the shield  203 , the bottom edge  205  is divided into two bottom attachment flags  274  and  275 . The bottom attachment flaps  274  and  275  are separated by an arc-shaped cut-out  276 . The arc-shaped cut-out  276  is cut in the same manner as the inner arc  218  of the base  210 . The bottom attachment flaps  274  and  275  can be attached to the top surface  263  or bottom surface  273  of the base  210 .  
         [0046]     The bottom attachment flaps  274  and  275  are folded along bottom score line  277 , which traverses the shield  203 . The side attachment flaps  208  and  209 , which attach to side areas  202  and  201 , we folded along side score lines  277  and  278 , respectively. Diagonal score lines  281  and  282  allow the shield to fold on itself when the device is collapsed under the toilet seat.  
         [0047]     On the reverse side  282  of the shield  203  supports  283  and  284  can be attached. These supports  283  and  284  will give the shield  203  the ability to resist urine flow.