Seat and Cover Assembly for a Toilet Bowl

This invention relates to a seat and cover assembly for a toilet bowl and, more particularly, to such an assembly that insures that the seat member is kept clean during all positions of it and the cover member.

It has long been recognized, especially in industrial and commercial applications, to provide a seat for a toilet bowl with a biasing means, such as a spring, to automatically raise the seat during periods of non-use to prevent soiling of the seat when the toilet is used by a male in the standing position. However, in domestic environments in which a cover is almost universally provided for the toilet seat, practical problems arise in connection with this type of arrangement. For example, it is impossible to place the seat and the cover in their lowered positions during periods of non-use, which is a significant disadvantage from an aesthetic standpoint. Also, if the seat is biased to its upright position with a spring force sufficient to also bias the cover upwardly, it becomes difficult to separte the seat from the cover when it is desired to use the seat in its lowered position. In other arrangements utilizing a spring-loaded seat, the bias is set only to bias the seat with a sufficient force so that it will stay in its upright position nonwithstanding the fact that the cover may be covered with a relatively thick fabric material. However, in these arrangements the bias is insufficient to move the seat upwardly when the seat is in its lowered position.

It is therefore an object of the present invention to provide a seat and cover assembly for a toilet bowl in which the seat, after being used in its lowered position, will be biased to its upright position.

It is a further object of the present invention to provide an assembly of the above type in which the seat and cover are biased together in both their upright and lowered positions.

It is a still further object of the present invention to provide an assembly of the above type in which the cover is latched relative to the toilet bowl in its upright position to facilitate separation of the seat and cover.

It is a still further object of the present invention to provide an assembly of the above type in which the seat and the cover can be placed in their normal lowered position during periods of non-use.

Toward the fulfillment of these and other objects, the seat assembly of the present invention includes a seat member and a cover member pivotally mounted relative to the toilet bowl for movement between an upright position and a lowered position. Spring means are provided for biasing the seat member and the cover member into an abutting relationship in all positions of the two members and means are provided for quick-releasably securing the cover member in its upright position.

FIG. 1 is a front elevational view of a toilet bowl arrangement incorporating the seat and cover assembly of the present invention and showing the latter assembly in its closed position;

FIG. 2 is a view similar to FIG. 1 but depicting the seat and cover assembly of the present invention in its upright position;

FIG. 3 is a view similar to FIG. 1 but depicting an operable position of the seat and cover assembly of the present invention;

FIG. 4 is an enlarged, perspective, exploded view of the seat and cover assembly of the present invention;

FIG. 5 is an enlarged top plan view, partially in section, of the seat and cover assembly of FIG. 4; and

FIG. 6 is an enlarged, partial, front-elevational view of a portion of the seat and cover assembly of FIG. 4.

Referring specifically to FIG. 1 of the drawings, the reference numeral 10 refers in general to a toilet bowl of a conventional design having a water reservoir 12 mounted thereon. The seat and cover assembly of the present invention is shown in general by the reference numeral 14 and is affixed to an upper surface of the toilet bowl 10 in a manner to be described later, and is movable between the lowered inoperative position shown in FIG. 1, the upright position for use by a male in the standing position shown in FIG. 2, and an operative position for use in the sitting position shown in FIG. 3.

Referring specifically to FIG. 4, which depicts the details of the seat and cover assembly of the present invention, the reference numeral 16 refers to a seat member of a general annular configuration having two mounting flanges 18a and 18b formed integrally with the rear portion thereof. A cover member 20 is provided which extends over the seat member 16 in the lowered, or inoperative, position of the assembly and has two mounting flanges 22a and 22b extending integrally from its rear portion.

A mounting fixture 24 is provided which includes a pair of mounting posts 26 extending from the lower surface thereof which extend through corresponding standard openings formed in the toilet bowl 10 for fastening the fixture relative to the bowl in a conventional manner. The fixture 24 is shaped in a manner to define a pair of ramps 28a and 28b which are appropriately recessed to receive a pair of magnets 30a and 30b, respectively for reasons to be described in detail later. The fixture 24 also includes a forward extension block 32 which has a pair of semi-circular grooves 34 formed therein for reasons to be described in detail later. The extension block 32 cooperates with a separate, similarly shaped, block 36 also having two semi-circular grooves 38 formed therein which, together with the grooves 34, define two circular bores. The block 36 is mounted underneath the extension block 32 by a plurality of threaded bolts 40 which engage with appropriately formed threaded inserts (not shown) formed in the extension 32.

A pair of hinge pins 42a and 42b are provided which extend within the bores formed by the grooves 34 and 38. The hinge pins 42a and 42b have extensions 44a and 44b, respectively, of a slightly smaller diameter which project from the later grooves and receive torsion springs 48a and 48b, respectively. As better shown in FIG. 5, the mounting flanges 18a and 18b of the seat member 16 have circular openings formed therein which respectively align with similarly formed circular openings formed in the mounting flanges 22a and 22b of the cover member 20 which together receive the extensions 44a and 44b. The torsion springs 48a and 48b extend around their respective extensions 44a and 44b and include bent free end portions which engage in corresponding notches formed in the flanges 18a, 18b, 22a and 22b, and extending coextensive with the respective openings formed in the flanges. As a result, the springs 48a and 48b apply an oppositely-directed torque to continuously bias the seat member 16 and the cover member 20 together in all positions of the members.

As shown in FIGS. 4 and 6, a pair of magnetic keepers 50a and 50b are formed in the back surface of the flanges 22a and 22b of the cover member 20 which magnetically engage with the magnets 30a and 30b formed on the ramps 28a and 28b, respectively of the fixture 24. This magnetic attraction between the magnets 30a and 30b and the keepers 50a and 50b, respectively, is such that the cover member 20 is latched in its upright position, but is easily unlatched when the cover member is moved toward its closed, or horizontal, position.

In view of the foregoing, it can be appreciated that the torsion springs 48a and 48b constantly urge the seat member 16 and the cover member 20 together in an abutting relationship in all positions of the two members. Also, the magnets 30a and 30b and the keepers 50a and 50b maintain the cover member 20 in its upright position, yet enable the latter member to be quick-releasably detached by simply pulling it away to release the magnetic attraction between the magnets and the keepers.

In operation, the seat and cover assembly 14 of the present invention is normally maintained in the normal closed, horizontal position as shown in FIG. 1. For use by a male in a standing position the assembly 14 is moved to the upright position of FIG. 2, whereby the cover member 20 is latched relative to the fixture 24 and the cover member and the seat member 16 and are biased to their abutting relationship by the action of the springs 48a and 48b. When used in the sitting position of FIG. 3, the user simply manually separates the seat member 16 from the cover member 20 with a force sufficient to overcome the spring tension of the springs 48a and 48b. The seat member is lowered to the horizontal position shown while the cover member is placed in its upright latched position. As soon as the user rises from the sitting position, the seat member 16 will move under the force of the springs 48c and 48b to its upright position in an abutting relationship with the upright cover member 20. Of course, the members 16 and 20 can then be moved to their lowered horizontal position shown in FIG. 1, by the user simply lowering the members 16 and 20 thus releasing the magnetic force between the magnets 30a and 30b and the keepers 50a and 50b, respectively.

It is thus seen that the seat and cover assembly of the present invention insures that there will be no soiling of the seat member during the standing position of a male since it is impossible for the seat member to rest in its lowered horizontal position while the cover member 20 is in its upright position unless the user is in the sitting position shown in FIG. 3.

A latitude of modification, change and substitution is intended in the foregoing disclosure and in some instances some features of the invention will be employed without a corresponding use of other features. Accordingly, it is appropriate that the appended claims be construed broadly and in a manner consistent with the spirit and scope of the invention therein.