Baths – closets – sinks – and spittoons – Opener or closer for a closet seat or lid
Patent
1997-01-30
1998-10-13
Fetsuga, Robert M.
Baths, closets, sinks, and spittoons
Opener or closer for a closet seat or lid
4248, A47K 1310
Patent
active
058193278
ABSTRACT:
An automatic toilet seat closing apparatus, particularly adapted for use with a toilet seat is described. The apparatus will automatically lower a toilet seat that has been rotated to a raised position after a time interval determined by the extent to which a wind-up motor is wound. The mechanism is simply constructed and preferably mounted on the bottom surface of a standard toilet seat, so that it provides a clean, neat appearance which is aesthetically pleasing and does not interfere with the cleaning or maintenance of the toilet fixture. The apparatus includes an energy storage device, a locking mechanism, an override mechanism, and a wind-up motor which serves both as a timer and a triggering device. The energy storage device includes springs which store energy transferred to it by a user when a user raises the toilet seat, for use in urging the toilet seat back to a lowered position after the time period clocked by the wind-up motor has elapsed. The springs in the energy storage device also dampen the descent of the toilet seat so that the seat does not close with a loud noise or damaging the seat or the toilet bowl. The locking mechanism releasably but temporarily locks the toilet seat in a raised position until the wind-up motor triggers the release of the lock. The override mechanism allows the automatic closing of the toilet seat to be overridden, thereby allowing a user to lock the toilet seat in the raised position indefinitely. The override mechanism also allows the timed closure of the seat to be overridden such that a user may return the seat to a lowered position before the time period has elapsed. The advantages include a simpler economic construction, a neat appearance, and a mechanism that allows the seat to be locked in a raised position to facilitate cleaning and maintenance.
REFERENCES:
patent: 2200687 (1940-05-01), Bercot
patent: 3404411 (1968-10-01), Newkirk
patent: 5153946 (1992-10-01), Yoke et al.
patent: 5388281 (1995-02-01), Wiklund et al.
Fetsuga Robert M.
O'Banion John P.
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