U.S. patent application number 11/274000 was filed with the patent office on 2007-05-17 for non-wobbling toilet seat.
Invention is credited to Conrad Roblejo.
Application Number | 20070107115 11/274000 |
Document ID | / |
Family ID | 38039205 |
Filed Date | 2007-05-17 |
United States Patent
Application |
20070107115 |
Kind Code |
A1 |
Roblejo; Conrad |
May 17, 2007 |
Non-wobbling toilet seat
Abstract
A retainer system and method of preventing lateral movement of a
toilet seat in relation to a toilet bowl are disclosed. A retainer
article having a base portion and an extender portion extending
from the base portion is fastened to the underside of a toilet seat
with a set of hook and loop fabric fastener materials comprising a
hook piece and a loop piece.
Inventors: |
Roblejo; Conrad; (Marlton,
NJ) |
Correspondence
Address: |
COZEN O'CONNOR, P.C.
1900 MARKET STREET
PHILADELPHIA
PA
19103-3508
US
|
Family ID: |
38039205 |
Appl. No.: |
11/274000 |
Filed: |
November 15, 2005 |
Current U.S.
Class: |
4/213 |
Current CPC
Class: |
A47K 13/04 20130101 |
Class at
Publication: |
004/213 |
International
Class: |
E03D 9/04 20060101
E03D009/04 |
Claims
1. A retainer system for the prevention of lateral slippage between
a toilet seat having an underside and an underlying toilet bowl rim
having a top, an inside edge, and an outside edge, the retainer
system comprising: an article having a base portion and an extender
portion extending from the base portion; and a set of hook and loop
fabric fastener materials comprising a hook piece and a loop piece,
the hook material adapted to removably adhere to the loop material;
the hook piece or the loop piece being adhered to the base portion
of the article and the other piece adapted to be adhered to the
underside of a toilet seat.
2. The retainer system of claim 1 wherein the other piece comprises
material having adhesive on one side and a release sheet disposed
thereover.
3. A toilet seat having an underside having a lateral movement
retainer article having a base portion and an extender portion
extending from the base portion fastened to the underside of the
toilet seat with a set of hook and loop fabric fastener materials
comprising a hoop piece and a loop piece, one of the pieces being
substantially permanently adhered to the underside and the other of
the pieces being substantially adhered to the base portion of the
lateral movement retainer article, the hook piece and the loop
piece being removably fastened to each other.
4. The toilet seat of claim 3 wherein the extender portion of the
lateral movement retainer article is positioned so that when the
toilet seat is down and resting on an underlying toilet bowl rim,
lateral movement of the seat in relation to the rim is
substantially prevented.
5. The toilet seat of claim 3 wherein the extender portion is
formed of an elastomer material.
6. A method of preventing lateral movement between a toilet seat
and a toilet bowl wherein the toilet seat has an underside and the
toilet bowl has an upper rim having an inside and an outside
comprising fastening a retainer having a base portion and an
extender portion to the underside of the seat by adhering one piece
of a set of a hook fastener material and a loop fastener material
to the base portion of the retainer and the other piece of the set
to the underside of the toilet seat, positioning the retainer so
that the extender portion will engage the inside or outside of the
upper rim, pressing the hook fastener material and the loop
fastener material together so that the retainer will face into the
bowl when the toilet seat is closed and will prevent lateral
movement of the seat in relation to the bowl.
7. A device for stabilizing a toilet seat in its desired position
atop a toilet bowl, comprising at least one restraining means
connectable to the bottom of the toilet seat for preventing lateral
movement of the toilet seat relative to the toilet bowl, wherein
the restraining means extends downward into the toilet bowl so as
to rest immediately adjacent to an upper inside rim of the toilet
bowl when the toilet seat is in its lowered position and further
comprising a tapered portion on the restraining means to guide the
toilet seat onto the toilet bowl, a substantially level portion
connectable by means of a set of hoop and loop fastener material
pieces to the bottom of the toilet seat to support the toilet seat
and to connect the toilet bowl while separating the toilet seat
from the toilet bowl when the seat is in the lowered position, and
an edge portion located between the tapered portion and the level
portion that is substantially perpendicular to the level portion
and that is substantially parallel to the inside edge of the toilet
bowl when the seat is in the lowered position, to stabilize the
toilet seat by preventing lateral movement.
8. The device of claim 7 further comprising a toilet seat wherein
the device is connected to the toilet seat.
9. The device of claim 8, wherein at least two devices are
positioned on opposite sides of the toilet seat at a distance
allowing for a secure fit to the toilet seat.
10. The device of claim 7, wherein the tapered configuration is at
an angle of between 15 and 75 degrees to the toilet seat bottom
when connected.
11. The device of claim 7, wherein the tapered configuration is at
an angle of between 30 and 60 degrees to the toilet seat bottom
when connected.
12. The device of claim 7, wherein the tapered configuration is at
about a 45 degree angle.
13. The device of claim 7, wherein the level portion is between
0.75 and 2.25 inches.
14. The device of claim 7, wherein the level portion is between 1
and 2 inches.
15. The device of claim 7, wherein the level portion is 1.5
inches.
16. The device of claim 7, wherein the edge parallel to the inside
edge of the toilet bowl is between 0.1 and 0.6 inches long.
17. The device of claim 7, wherein the edge parallel to the inside
edge of the toilet bowl is about 0.4 inches long.
18. The device of claim 7, wherein the width of the substantially
level portion is between 0.2 and 0.6 inches.
19. The device of claim 7, wherein the width of the substantially
level portion is about 0.4 inches.
20. A toilet seat having a top on which a person can sit, a
generally horizontal bottom, an inside edge, an outside edge, and
integral means for preventing lateral movement with respect to a
toilet bowl when the seat is in a down position on top of the
toilet bowl, the means comprising an integral extender portion
extending generally perpendicularly from the bottom at either the
inside edge of the outside edge; the toilet seat having an
underside and the integral means having a base portion adhered to
the underside of the toilet by means of a set of hook and loop
fabric fastener materials comprising a hook piece and a loop piece,
the hook material adapted to removably adhere to the loop material;
the hook piece or the loop piece being adhered to the base portion
of the integral means and the other piece adhered to the underside
of a toilet seat.
Description
FIELD OF THE INVENTION
[0001] The present invention relates generally to hinged toilet
seats, and the lateral retaining of the seat on the underlying
toilet bowl rim when in the seat is in a lowered position. The
invention relates in particular to methods and means for fastening
such retainers to the undersides of toilet seats.
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
[0002] Conventional toilet seats have plastic or metal hinges and
fittings to a porcelain toilet bowl which, over time and due to
use, become loose and allow the seat to wobble laterally when the
weight of a person is applied on the seat.
[0003] This inevitable wobble or play in the attachment between the
seat hinge brackets and the bowl is very annoying to people who use
the seat, and in some cases can be dangerous and cause the person
to fall or lose their balance.
[0004] The brackets, fittings and fasteners are usually formed of
plastic and cannot be sufficiently tightened to avoid the wobble
problem. Attempting such tightening often leads to stripping of the
threads or other damage to the plastic fittings.
[0005] Conventional bumpers installed upon the bottom of a toilet
seat serve to prevent the marring of the underlying bowl rim, but
nothing to prevent the lateral wobble of the seat relative to the
rim. In fact, the relatively small bumpers may even encourage such
slippage or play, due to their relative height in combination with
the possibly sloped and/or curved low friction surface of the bowl
rim.
[0006] Toilet seats generally tend to align properly with bowl rims
when no pressure is placed upon them, but when a person places
weight upon the seat or lid, the seat bumpers often shift laterally
on the bowl rim and the seat often shifts laterally so and drop
down to rest directly upon the bowl rim. While the result may be
annoying to some persons, others such as the elderly or infirm
using such a toilet may be startled to the point of losing their
balance and slipping from the seat, thus possibly risking serious
injury.
[0007] In the prior art, retainers either integral with or
installed to the bottom surface of a toilet seat have been
described, the retainers preventing lateral movement of the seat
relative to the bowl rim. The retainers grip the inner and possibly
also the outer edges of the bowl rim, and provide some angular
resilience in order to accommodate bowl rims having different
slopes.
[0008] Moore, U.S. Pat. No. 2,104,714, discloses a toilet seat
having two laterally spaced apart halves, with adjustable spacing
therebetween. The bumpers beneath the seat halves are also
adjustable and each include a single depending extension to catch
the outer edge of the rim, but the bumpers must be manually
adjusted with a tool (e.g., screwdriver) each time the spacing
between the seat halves is adjusted.
[0009] McCawley, U.S. Pat. No. 3,646,620, discloses a toilet seat
guide, two of which are immovably affixed to opposite sides of the
seat bottom.
[0010] Adams, U.S. Pat. No. 4,747,167, discloses a non-shiftable
toilet seat assembly in which the bumpers are immovably affixed to
the seat bottom
[0011] Wofford, U.S. Pat. No. 4,893,360, discloses an apparatus for
positioning a seat on the rim of a toilet bowl which requires at
least two mating retainers to be immovably affixed to both the bowl
rim and seat bottom
[0012] Caldwell, U.S. Pat. No. 5,212,840, discloses a stabilizing
toilet seat guide which includes specific angles and dimensions for
the depending retaining portion.
[0013] Armanno, Sr., U.S. Pat. No. 5,361,425, discloses retainers
having a resilient intermediate portion which allows the depending
retainer portions and member from which they depend to arcuately
rock to accommodate uneven bowl rims.
[0014] All of the prior art retainers and retaining systems are
difficult to install and adjust. Due to the difficulty of
installing such prior art devices, it is believed that they have
not become widely available commercially.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
[0015] It is an object of the present invention to provide
anti-wobble toilet seat retaining systems which are extremely easy
to install and adjust. It is another object of this invention to
provide toilet seats which have strong, easily adjustable,
anti-wobble retainers.
[0016] These objects and others which will become apparent from the
following disclosure are achieved by the present invention which
comprises in one aspect a toilet seat having integral anti-wobble
means for prevention of lateral slippage of a toilet seat when
placed in its normal, horizontal position on a toilet bowel, during
normal use when a person sits on the toilet seat.
[0017] A different aspect of the invention is a system for the
prevention of lateral slippage of a toilet seat comprising a
retainer comprising a base portion which comprises a seat bottom
contact surface and an extender portion which functions to extend
against the side of the upper portion of the bowl so as to prevent
lateral movement of the seat relative to the bowl, and hook and
loop material for removably securing the contact surface against
the bottom surface of a toilet seat. Either the hook material is
adhered to the bottom of the seat and the loop material is adhered
to the top of the retainer, or vice versa.
[0018] Another aspect of the invention is a toilet seat system
comprising at least one retainer attached with hook and loop
material so that the retainer can be removed and replaced, and can
be easily adjusted to different positions. The retainer is
positioned so that the extender just touches the inside of the bowl
when the seat is down. In some embodiments, the retainer can touch
the outside of the bowl, or with a U-shaped retainer, the retainer
can touch both the inside and outside of the top rim of the
bowl.
[0019] The use of hook and loop mating tape allows the one or more
retainers to be very easily installed and adjusted, and also easily
removed for cleaning or other purposes.
[0020] The invention consists in the novel combination and
arrangement of parts hereinafter more fully described, illustrated
and claimed with reference being made to the attached drawings.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
[0021] FIG. 1 is a cross-sectional view of a retainer according to
the invention.
[0022] FIG. 2 is a perspective view of a toilet, illustrating a
toilet seat according to the invention having two retainers adhered
thereon, and in addition a toilet bowl, a toilet tank which are not
part of the invention.
[0023] FIG. 3 is a cross-sectional view of a toilet seat with loop
tape adhered thereto.
[0024] FIG. 4 is a cross-sectional view of a toilet seat having an
integral anti-wobble downward extension, illustrated on top of a
toilet bowl rim and bowl shown in phantom.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT
[0025] Referring now to the drawings wherein similar reference
characters denote corresponding features consistently throughout
the several figures of the drawings, FIG. 1 illustrates a retainer
14 having a base portion 16 and an extender portion 15. The
extender portion 15 or the entire retainer 14 may be elastomeric
material such as Nylon, rubber, and the like. On the side of the
base portion 16 which will mate with the bottom of a toilet seat 13
as illustrated in FIG. 2 is the hook piece of a set of Velcro.RTM.
tape, with the hook fabric 18 adhered with contact adhesive 17.
[0026] FIG. 3 illustrates a cross-section of a toilet seat 13 with
a top 12, bottom 11, and a piece of Velcro.RTM. fabric having
adhesive 21 and loop portion 10.
[0027] FIG. 2 shows a toilet system having a conventional bowl rim
19, conventional brackets 20, and a toilet seat 13. On the
underside of the toilet seat 13 are two retainers 14, each having a
base portion 16 and an extender portion 15. The retainers are
fastened by means of Velcro.RTM., with the hook fabric fastener
material 18 on either the bottom of the retainer as shown in FIG. 1
and the loop fabric fastener material 10 on the bottom of the
toilet seat as shown in FIG. 3, or vice versa.
[0028] As shown in FIG. 2, the retainers are in a position to
engage the inner side of the upper edge of the rim 19 of the toilet
bowl when the seat is lowered to a horizontal position. A unique
feature of the present invention is that the retainers can be
easily removed and adjusted so that the extender portion is
approximately flush with the inside of the top of the rim of the
bowl 19 due to the remove and replace feature of Velcro.RTM.
fastening systems.
[0029] Although one retainer can be used in cases where the
retainer has a U-shaped configuration (not illustrated), it is
preferred to have two retainers, one on each side of the toilet
seat to mate with insides of the left side and right side of the
upper side of a toilet bowl. The extender is preferably of a
tapered configuration. An angle of between 15 and 75 degrees to the
toilet seat bottom when connected is preferred, and an angle of 30
to 60 degrees to the toilet seat bottom is more preferred. In some
embodiments, an angle of 45 degrees is very suitable.
[0030] The base or level portion can be of any length not exceeding
the radial width of the bottom of a toilet seat, with a length of
between 0.75 and 2.25 inches being preferred, a length of between 1
and 2 inches more preferred, and a length of 1.5 inches most
preferred. The edge parallel to the inside edge of the toilet bowl
is preferably between 0.1 and 0.6 inches long.
[0031] While others have proposed similar retainer systems to
prevent lateral movement of toilet seats on toilet bowl rims, a
common problem due to the design of the hinges 20, no one has
previously proposed a fastening system which has the advantages of
the present invention with respect to adjustability and
removability for cleaning. Other systems were permanently adhered,
typically with screws or adhesive, and as a result have not become
widely available commercially.
[0032] Referring now to FIG. 4, an embodiment of a toilet seat with
integral anti-wobbling means is illustrated. Rather than providing
an aftermarket retainer system which is adhered to the bottom of a
toilet seat, the toilet seat can be manufactured with an extender
25 at two or more locations along the inside circumference or
opening of a toilet seat 22. At least two extenders 25 are
required, or the extender can be continuous, thereby extending down
into the bowl 26 (shown in phantom) either around the entire toilet
seat. Some toilet seats have an oval opening, some have a round
opening, and some are U-Shaped. The molded in extenders are usually
formed at the factory when the toilet seat is made, rather than
being a separate item which must be attached by the consumer.
[0033] When the toilet seat 22 is in the down position, with
customary bumpers 23 resting on top 19 of the bowl 26, the novel
extender portions 25 optionally touch the inside of the toilet bowl
26. Alternatively a slight space, for example 0.10 to 0.30 inch, is
provide between the extender portions 25 and the vertical edge of
the top of the toilet bowl.
[0034] The integral extender portions can alternatively be on the
outside of the toilet seat 22 so as to engage the outside 24 of
bowl 26 when in the down position (not illustrated). When the
extender is on the outside toilet seat, it can not extend for the
entire outer circumference of the toilet seat because the back
portion of the top surface of a normal, typical bowl extends
backwards.
[0035] A toilet seat 22 having built in extender portions 25 made
of the same material as the main portion of the toilet seat has
many advantages. If the seat is made of wood or plastic, it can be
made in one piece. However, the seat must be made with the extender
portions the factory during original manufacture rather than being
an aftermarket item to be added or installed by the consumer.
[0036] While the invention has been described and illustrated with
respect to one embodiment, other embodiments, alternatives, and
modifications should become readily apparent to those skilled in
this art without departing from the spirit and scope of this
invention.
* * * * *