Abstract:
A toilet seat lifter ( 10 ) having a flexible seat bar ( 12 ) securely positioned under a toilet seat ( 18 A) and aligned by a pair of clips at each end. A shaft ( 14 ) is securely pivotally connected at a top distal end to a side of the seat bar ( 12 ). A foot pedal ( 16 ) is securely pivotally-connected at a bottom distal end of the shaft ( 14 ). The foot pedal ( 16 ) has a foot pedal rocker ( 16 A) positioned approximately in a bottom middle thereof. The lifter is especially suitable for application to portable lavatories due to its low intrusiveness and easy assembly and disassembly. When a user pushes downwardly on the foot pedal ( 16 ), the shaft ( 14 ) and seat bar ( 12 ) are raised to elevate the toilet seat ( 18 A).

Description:
PRIORITY CLAIM  
       [0001]     The present application is a continuation-in-part of U.S. patent application Ser. No. 10/898,905, filed Jun. 26, 2004, pending, which is incorporated by reference herein. 
     
    
     FIELD OF THE INVENTION  
       [0002]     The present invention relates to lavatories and more particularly, the present invention relates to a portable toilet seat lifter.  
       BACKGROUND  
       [0003]     Numerous innovations for toilet seat lifters are present in the prior art. Even though these innovations may be suitable for the specific individual purposes to which they address, they differ from the present invention as hereinafter contrasted.  
         [0004]     In U.S. Pat. No. 6,510,562, by inventor Bae. et al. titled, Toilet seat  6  lifting device, a toilet lifting apparatus in which a spring mechanism causes a toilet seat to rise after flushing of the toilet. The spring mechanism is controlled by a bolting device which is connected to the spring mechanism at one end and to a cable at another end so that upon flushing the cable moves the bolting mechanism thereby releasing the spring mechanism. The spring mechanism can vary its resiliency which in turn varies the speed by which the toilet seat rises from its seated position upon flushing. A urine guard is also provided.  
         [0005]     In U.S. Pat. No. 5,875,498, by inventor Joseph, titled, Toilet seat lifting device, a toilet seat lifting device for selectively raising and lowering the seat of a toilet includes a base disposed on a floor surface, a stanchion secured to the front of the base, and a foot pedal pivotally mounted to the stanchion. AA plurality of link arms are pivotally mounted to the stanchion and are linked to the foot pedal so that movement of the foot pedal pivots the link arms. Mounted to the distal ends of the link arms is a lifting arm retaining member which carries an elongated lifting arm capable of vertical repositioning on the lifting arm retaining member to accommodate variously-sized toilet howls and seats. The upper end of the lifting arm is attached to the under-side of the toilet scat. A main spring attached to the link arms assists in raising and dampens the lowering of the toilet seat and a helper spring projecting upwardly from the base between the link arms engages when the toilet seat goes past the top dead center position in order to assist in returning the toilet seat to the lowered state.  
         [0006]     In U.S. Pat. No. 5,103,506, by inventor Munford, et al., titled, Toilet seat lifter, a foot-actuated lifting mechanism for a toilet sent requires no modification of the toilet or surrounding structure. The lifting mechanism has a hollow vertical housing, an upper transverse bracket for attachment to a toilet seat bolt, and a lower transverse bracket for attachment to a toilet base bolt. A spacing adjustment mechanism permits the vertical spacing between the brackets to he adjusted to accommodate different toilet dimensions. A pivoting arm locates under the toilet seat, and a floating connection permits pivoting of the toilet seat lid with the arm and simultaneous translation relative to the arm to accommodate differences in rotational axes. A pedal is free-standing on the floor surrounding the toilet and pivots on a fulcrum. A linkage mechanism couples the pedal to the arm so that depression of the pedal raises the toilet seat. The linkage can be extended or retracted to ensure that the pedal rests on the floor regardless of any spacing adjustment. torsion and compression springs associated with the linkage mechanism prevent slamming of the toilet seat against either the base of the toilet or the associated reservoir.  
         [0007]     In U.S. Pat. No. 4,030,146, by inventor Pilkington, et al., titled, Toilet seat lifting apparatus including a resilient bowed member for preventing the seat from slamming, a toilet seat lifting apparatus comprising a base which is bolted to the base of a toilet, a foot pedal pivotally mounted to the base, a bowed member formed of a resilient material and interconnecting adjacent ends of the base and the foot pedal, a plate secured to the toilet seat and an arm connecting the foot pedal and the toilet seat, the bowed member being movable between a lowered position and a raised position when the foot pedal is depressed, and slightly biasing the toilet scat away from the toilet bowl so as to prevent the seat from slamming as the foot pedal is released. In the preferred embodiment the apparatus is formed from polypropylene material.  
         [0008]     Even though these innovations may he suitable for the specific individual purposes to which they address, they would not be suitable for application to public toilet facilities which require frequent changing of parts and components, including the seat.  
       SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION  
       [0009]     The above patented inventions differ from the present invention because they fail to describe or claim at least one combination of the following features depicted in the present invention: a flexible bar having a right brace with right brace clip and left brace with a left brace clip which allow for compatibility with seats of various dimensions and shapes by flexing onto the seat periphery so as to retain the left and right brace clips in proper alignment with the bottom face of the affected seat.  
         [0010]     The present invention relates to a toilet seat lifter. More particularly, the present invention relates to a toilet seat lifter having a foot pedal. The types of problems encountered in the prior art are that those toilet seat lifters requite modification to the toilet and/or toilet seat. Such modifications include drilling holes through the seat to accommodate a lifting arm or surrounding the seat with a clipping device to allow for attachment to a lifting mechanism.  
         [0011]     In the prior art, attempts to solve this problem included rigid attachments that secured to the exterior of the toilet. However, the problem was solved by the present invention because it only requires that the foot pedal be secured to the floor while the toilet seat lifting device, bar, is removably attachable to the toilet seat by a the flexible bar and the corresponding right brace and left brace clips. Hence, the only attachment required in the present invention is to the floor adjacent to the affected seat.  
         [0012]     Innovations within the prior art are rapidly being exploited in the field of sanitary products for lavatories. The present invention went contrary to the teaching of the art which describes and claims devices which require modification to the pre-existing toilet by drilling through the seat or modifying the seat hardware. Specifically, the present invention provides a system where only a single rigid anchoring point is required, thereby reducing installation costs and interference with existing apparatus. Such minimal labor and intrusiveness is especially suitable for application to the mass transit industry where lavatories are compact in size and do not allow for flexible installation of p mechanisms. With the present invention, a lifting mechanism can be easily added to existing public transportation lavatories by rigid attachment to the single floor point and flexible coupling to the affected seat.  
         [0013]     The present invention solved a long felt need for a simple easily attachable toilet seat lifting device. Accordingly, it is an object of the present invention to provide a toilet sent lifter having a flexible bar which applies lateral force to the seat to align the lifting clips with the seat, a shaft which applies upward force to lift the seat, and a foot pedal which transforms downward force to upward force which is delivered to the shaft.  
         [0014]     More particularly, it is an object of the present invention to provide a bar having a right brace with right brace clip and a left brace with a left brace clip. Each brace and clip is used to align and position the seat bar so as to cause application of upward force to the toilet seat bar to raise the seat and application of downward force to the seat bar to lower the toilet seat.  
         [0015]     In keeping with these objects, and with others which will become apparent hereinafter, one feature of the present invention resides, briefly stated, in the foot pedal having a foot pedal rocker upon which it pivots. The foot pedal rocker transfers the downward force applied by a user to upward force at a joint which is coupled to an end of the shaft. The upward force is transferred to the seat bar which includes a left brace and a right brace which are each aligned with a bottom of the toilet seat. Such application of upward force by each brace results in lifting of the toilet seat.  
         [0016]     In reverse operation, application of force to an opposite end of the foot pedal results in downward force on the shaft. Such downward force is transferred to the seat bar and to the associated left and right brace. The downward force is transferred to the toilet seat by way of friction force by way of vertical posts associated with each clip which are in contact with an edge of the toilet seat. Such downward force causes the toilet seat to return to a down position.  
         [0017]     The novel features which are considered characteristic for the invention are set forth in the appended claims. The invention itself, however, both as to its construction and its method of operation, together with additional objects and advantages thereof, will he best understood from the following description of the specific embodiments when read and understood in connection with the accompanying drawings. 
     
    
     BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS  
       [0018]     The following references are used in the figures:  
         [0019]      10 —toilet seat lifter ( 10 )  
         [0020]      12 —bar ( 12 )  
         [0021]      12 R—right brace ( 12 R)  
         [0022]      12 L—left brace ( 12 L)  
         [0023]      14 —shaft ( 14 )  
         [0024]      16 —foot pedal ( 16 )  
         [0025]      16 A—foot pedal rocker ( 16 A)  
         [0026]      18 —toilet ( 18 )  
         [0027]      18 A—toilet seat ( 18 A)  
         [0028]      18 AA—toilet seat hinge ( 18 AA)  
         [0029]      FIG. 1  is a side view of a toilet ( 18 ) exhibiting a toilet seat lifter ( 10 ) attached to a toilet seat ( 18 A) in a non-lifted position;  
         [0030]      FIG. 2  is a side view of a toilet ( 18 ) exhibiting a toilet seat lifter ( 10 ) attached to a toilet seat ( 18 A) in a lifted position;  
         [0031]      FIG. 3  is a bottom view of a toilet seat ( 18 A) exhibiting a bar ( 12 ) securely attached thereto; and  
         [0032]      FIG. 4  is a partial side view of a right side toilet seat ( 18 A) showing a right clip ( 12 R) securely attached thereto. 
     
    
     DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT  
       [0033]     Referring to  FIG. 1  and  FIG. 2  which are each a right side view of a toilet ( 18 ) illustrating the toilet seat lifter ( 10 ) of the invention attached to a toilet seat ( 18 A) in a non-lifted position and in a lifted position, respectively. The toilet seat lifter ( 10 ) comprises a seat bar ( 12 ) securely positioned under a toilet seat ( 18 A). As is known, the toilet seat ( 18 A) is generally circular in shape, including oval, round u-shaped, and semicircle. The bar mechanism is positioned below the toilet seat and is aligned by reference to the right clip and left clip at each end thereof. The right and left clips include a horizontal section which is coupled to the flexible bar and a vertical section extending on either a left end or a right end, for the left clip and right clip, respectively. The vertical section is formed so as to engage the periphery of the toilet seat by extending beyond the lower plane of the seat and not intruding on a user by extending beyond a top plane. In one embodiment each vertical section extends about 1 inch from the horizontal section. Preferably, the vertical section is a circular rigid rod having a diameter of about ½ inch and a length of 1 inch. However, as may be appreciated various dimension and shaped vertical sections may be employed without departing from the teachings of the invention. In another embodiment, the vertical section extends beyond both planes and is made of a flexible material such as hard rubber. In yet another embodiment, the vertical section is a steel rod that is covered by a rubber compound so as to protect the affected seat and provided friction force for the downward mode of operation. Furthermore, in this embodiment, the horizontal section of the clip is also coated with a rubber compound so as to protect the seat. The bar is generally u-shaped and is made of a rigid material which allows for flexion but retains its original shape. Examples of such materials are stainless steel and plastic polymers. The u-shaped seat bar allows for expansion or contraction of the ends so as to increase or decrease the distance between the clips at each end of the u-shaped bar. In one embodiment, the seat bar and associated brace clips are configured to apply to the interior rim of a toilet seat. In another embodiment, illustrated in the Figures, the seat bar and associated brace clips are configured for application to the exterior rim of the toilet seat.  
         [0034]     In application, to install the seat lifter by application to the exterior rim, a user applies force to the ends of the bar to expand the bar and place the bar below a seat such that the right clip and left clip extend outside and at least partially into the plane of the seat. The user then relieves the pressure from the bar ends to allow for the intrinsic flexion of the bar to bring the ends towards one another. The ends thereby applies pressure onto the periphery of the seat, since as discussed above, each corresponding vertical section of each clip now extends some distance into the plane of the seat, as viewed from below. Each L-shaped clip is positioned around and below the seat such that the horizontal section is in contact with the bottom of the seat while the vertical section is in contact with the seat periphery. Accordingly, each vertical section or peg serves to align the horizontal face such that upward force serves to lift the seat in a substantially upward arcing fashion to provide a high efficiency mechanism, which delivers force in the direction of the pivot vector of the seat. A foot pedal rocker ( FIG. 3 ) is then secured to the floor adjacent to the lavatory so as to provide a shaft ( FIG. 3 ) in substantially vertical alignment when coupled to a side of the seat bar.  
         [0035]      FIG. 3  is a bottom view of a toilet seat ( 18 A) illustrating the seat bar ( 12 ) attached thereto by the engagement of the clips. As discussed above, the seat bar ( 12 ) further comprises a right clip ( 12 R) securely attached to the bar at a right distal end thereof and a left clip ( 12 L) securely attached to the bar at a left distal end thereof. As may be appreciated, the right clip ( 12 R) and the bar left clip ( 12 L) also function to evenly distribute the weight of the toilet seat ( 18 A) between each horizontal section which facilitates lifting thereof.  
         [0036]     The toilet seat lifter ( 10 ) further comprises a shaft ( 14 ) securely pivotally connected at a top distal end to a side of the seat bar ( 12 ). The toilet seat lifter ( 10 ) further includes a foot pedal ( 16 ) pivotally connected from a bottom end thereof to distal end of the shaft ( 14 ). The foot pedal ( 16 ) comprises a foot pedal rocker ( 16 A) positioned approximately in a bottom middle thereof. In operation, the rocker is attached to the ground adjacent to the seat. The u-shaped bar is then applied around the seat, as discussed above. When a user pushes downwardly on the foot pedal ( 16 ), the shaft ( 14 ) transfers force to the bar ( 12 ) raises the toilet seat ( 18 A) in a pivotal direction according to the movement allowed for by the toilet seat hinges ( 18 AA).  
         [0037]      FIG. 4  is a partial side view of a right side of a toilet seat ( 18 A) illustrating the right clip ( 12 R) attached thereto. As shown, a U-shaped configuration seat bar includes a middle section and a pair of sections, first section and second section, extending perpendicular from the middle section. As discussed above and illustrated in  FIG. 4 , each clip ( 12 R,  12 L) includes a horizontal section adapted to mate with the bottom face of the toilet seat and a vertical section configured to align the seat bar ( 12 ) with the toilet seat ( 18 A). The seat bar  12  first section includes a left clip ( 12 L) configured for positioning below and adjacent of the toilet seat ( 18 A), which aligns the seat bar ( 12 ) with the toilet seat ( 18 A). Similarly, The seat bar  12  second section includes a right clip ( 12 R) configured for positioning below and adjacent of the toilet seat ( 18 A), which also aligns the seat bar ( 12 ) with the toilet seat ( 18 A). The right clip ( 12 R) and the left clip ( 12 L) function as a quick attachment means for aligning and fastening the bar ( 12 ) to the toilet seat ( 18 A) by expanding the bar and applying force to the ends of the toilet seat.  
         [0038]     As may be appreciated, when the seat lifter is to be installed where there is no direct line-of-sight clearing from the end of the foot pedal to the edge of a seat, alternative configurations of a shaft mechanism are employed. In one embodiment, a flexible wire chain is attached between the shaft and the seat bar so as to transfer upward force from the shaft to a section of the seat bar while the shaft is spaced from the seat bar. In another embodiment, the affected toilet enclosure is modified to allow for the shaft to protrude and attached to the seat bar when mounted onto the toilet seat. Accordingly, the seat bar of the present invention may be used to couple to a toilet seat and provide the advantages of the invention regardless of the mechanism employed to direct upward force to the seat bar sections.  
         [0039]     It will be understood that each of the elements described above, or two or more together, may also find a useful application in other types of constructions differing from the type described above.  
         [0040]     While the invention has been illustrated and described as embodied in a toilet seat lifter, it is not intended to he limited to the details shown, since it will be understood that various omissions, modifications, substitutions and changes in the forms and details of the device illustrated and in its operation can be made by those skilled in the art without departing in any way from the spirit of the present invention.  
         [0041]     Without further analysis, the foregoing will so fully reveal the gist of the present invention that others can, by applying current knowledge, readily adapt it for various applications without omitting features that, from the standpoint of prior art, fairly constitute essential characteristics of the generic or specific aspects of this invention.