Baths – closets – sinks – and spittoons – Buffers and dashpots
Reexamination Certificate
1999-08-16
2001-02-06
Fetsuga, Robert M. (Department: 3751)
Baths, closets, sinks, and spittoons
Buffers and dashpots
C004S246100
Reexamination Certificate
active
06182301
ABSTRACT:
FIELD OF THE INVENTION
The present invention relates to the field of automatic closing devices, and in particular to an apparatus for automatically pivoting one member relative to another member to which it is pivotally connected such as for automatically closing a toilet bowl lid and/or seat upon a toilet bowl.
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
A common complaint associated with free-swinging toilet seats and lids is that one or both is left in the up or open position after use. During the nighttime, the subsequent user, who may be half-asleep and may disregard turning on the lights, is usually startled by sitting directly on or within the rim of the toilet bowl. Some also suggest that proper bathroom etiquette requires that both the lid and the seat be left down or closed when the commode is not in use so that the inside of the bowl is not readily accessible to the curious young child or family dog or cat.
Several solutions to this problem have been developed such as the device described in U.S. Pat. No. 4,195,372 which automatically closes the toilet lid after use. There, a simple leaf spring interposed between the toilet seat and its lid ensures that the seat will stay down unless held up by manually lifting it against the reactive force of the spring. In U.S. Pat. No. 1,743,079, a device uses a spring-loaded plunger to automatically close the lid or the lid and the seat unless someone is sitting on the seat, which action temporarily allows the lid to stay open until the weight is removed from the seat. In U.S. Pat. No. 1,134,755, a device is disclosed which uses a weighted, pivotally mounted rocker arm to automatically close a toilet lid unless held open. The rocker arm may be temporarily disabled from closing the lid by sitting on the seat. Another device, disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 1,830,361, prevents the toilet lid from being pivoted to a stable, upright position unless the lid is pushed back far enough, against the bias of a spring, to shift the toilet seat forward. When someone sits on the forward-shifted seat, the lid will remain in the upright position. Upon removing the weight from the seat, a spring system pulls the seat and hinge of the lid rearwardly and past a gravitationally stable position allowing it to slam shut. In U.S. Pat. Nos. 452,684 and 2,104,947. devices are shown wherein the toilet lid may be pivoted all the way back to a cocked or loaded position which holds the lid open and wherein the toilet seat is pivoted slightly upwards. Upon sitting on the seat, the respective mechanism is advanced to an intermediate stage. When weight is next removed from the seat, the device is triggered from the intermediate stage to automatically pivot the lid closed with the aid of gravity, the '947 device providing a friction disk member for slowing the descent of the lid.
While these devices seem to solve the problem of closing a toilet lid and/or seat after use, they create a number of new problems. Some of the above-described mechanisms will inherently not allow the toilet seat to be raised. Some, while allowing both the seat and the lid to be raised in order to use the facility as a urinal, must be manually held in the upright position during use. And a problem with nearly all of these devices is that the lid is automatically caused to close immediately after weight is removed from the toilet seat. A person, especially one who is disable or handicapped, could be struck by the falling lid if he or she cannot rise quickly enough from the seat.
What is needed is a device which automatically closes the toilet lid and/or seat safely and economically and without substantially inhibiting the normal operation of the standard free-swinging toilet lid and/or seat.
Just as the toilet lid or seat is lifted and left up despite the desire it be closed after use, other hingedly mounted objects are often left open when it is desired that they be closed. Examples of such structures include garden and back yard gates, kitchen cabinet doors, and closet doors. Each of these doors and gates, as well as an endless variety of other hingedly connected objects, are frequently opened or pivoted, and then left in the open or pivoted position after use, much to the dismay of the owner, allowing ingress or egress of pets, people, dust, bugs or other unwanted items. The same device that satisfies the aforedescribed need to automatically close the toilet lid and/or seat, safely and economically and without substantially inhibiting the normal operation of the standard free-swinging toilet lid and/or seat would similarly benefit a wide variety of other hingedly or pivotally mounted objects that may be pivoted from a first rest position to a second position and that are desired to be returned to the rest position after a predetermined time.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
Generally speaking, the present invention provides a device for holding a first member, such as a toilet bowl lid and/or seat, in an open position relative to a second member, such as a toilet bowl, to which it is pivotally connected, and then after the passage of a predetermined period of time, automatically closing or pivoting the first member back against the second member at a dampened rate, the predetermined period of time being variable.
An apparatus for automatically pivoting a first member relative to a second member comprises a housing connectable to the second member; a shaft connectable to the first member and juxtaposed to rotate about its axis within the housing between a rest position and an open position, the shaft having first and second rates of rotation in a closing direction from the open to the rest position; a torsion spring assembly connected between the housing and the shaft; a dampening assembly connected between the housing and the shaft for exerting a dampening torque upon the shaft during at least one direction of rotation of the shaft relative to the housing; a time delay assembly connected between the housing and the shaft for variably exerting a braking torque on the shaft; a shift assembly connected between the housing and the shaft and operable to enable and disable the time delay assembly; and, a clutch assembly for engaging the shaft with the dampening assembly and the time delay assembly when torque is applied to rotate the shaft in the closing direction. In one embodiment, the first member is a toilet bowl and the second member is either or both a toilet lid and a toilet seat. The apparatus also provides for selective adjustment of duration of activation of the time delay assembly.
It is an object of the present invention to provide an improved device for automatically pivoting one member relative to another member to which it is pivotally connected.
It is an object of the present invention to provide an improved device for automatically closing the lid of a toilet facility.
It is another object of the present invention to provide a device for automatically closing the lid or seat of a toilet facility after a predetermined time.
It is another object of the present invention to provide an improved device for automatically closing, pivoting, rotating, translating or moving one device relative to another device, either manually or by the action of a mechanical device, after a predetermined time.
Further objects and advantages of the present invention will become apparent from the following description of the preferred embodiment.
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Krueger Harold
Zemlin Karl
Creative Innovation, Inc.
Fetsuga Robert M.
Woodard Emhardt Naughton Moriarty & McNett
LandOfFree
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