Baths – closets – sinks – and spittoons – Dry closets
Reexamination Certificate
1999-11-02
2001-05-22
Eloshway, Charles R. (Department: 3751)
Baths, closets, sinks, and spittoons
Dry closets
C004S236000, C004S240000, C004S254000
Reexamination Certificate
active
06233753
ABSTRACT:
FIELD OF THE INVENTION
The present invention relates generally to the mounting of the frame of a commode seat to a commode or like seating device, and, more particularly, to a pair of mirror image bolts that are fastened to the commode or seating device so as to have a portion that extends generally horizontally rearwardly from the point of attachment to the rear frame member of the commode, an angled straight portion and an intermediate arcuate portion, the angled straight portion and the straight portion forming an acute angle with respect to each other.
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
Typically, commodes are regularly used by elderly or infirmed persons to aid in the convenience of use by such persons that cannot use, or for some reason find it difficult to use, the normal porcelain toilet commonly used in households today. By definition, the use of the word commode and toilet are sometimes used interchangeably for both of the devices and thus, in order to provide clarity, the use of the words hereinafter in the present description will be to use the term commode to describe the present device that is portable and movable to aid the person and the term toilet will be used to describe the typical porcelain device that is of the standard household variety.
With the use of commodes, there are at least two somewhat independent uses. One is where the commode is serving as an independent device and is interfitted with a pail having a solid bottom to catch and retain the waste products at any convenient location to the user, such as bedside. Such commodes are generally comprised of a relatively light frame, normally of a metal tubular construction, and are easily movable to desired locations and may even include wheels that are lockable into a fixed position to allow the device to be rolled along the floor to the location of choice. An alternate use, however, of the commode is to move or otherwise position the device to be located physically over the standard toilet so that, in effect, the user has the convenience and comfort of the commode configuration but uses the standard toilet for the disposal of the waste products. In the latter use, obviously, the pail has no bottom and operates more in the form of a splash guard to direct the waste products into that standard toilet.
One disadvantage in the latter use of a commode is in the location of the bolts that fasten the commode seat assembly to the frame. The seat assembly normally includes a seat on which the person is situated and a cover overlying that seat and covering the underneath components when the commode is not in use. Both the seat and the cover are conventionally pivotally affixed with respect to the frame to enable the user to individually lift the cover into its usable and non-usable positions and to also raise the seat for access to the pail for disposal of the waste products or for removal of the pail or splash guard for cleaning. As such, the securing bolts are normally affixed in some manner to the commode seat to allow that pivoting movement and securely affixed to one of the frame members of the commode, preferably a back bar as will be explained. The bolts are conventionally affixed to the back bar or other frame member by passing the threaded ends of such bolts vertically downwardly through the frame member and securing the bolts to that frame member by affixing nuts to the threaded ends to be tightened and complete the assembly.
The difficult arises, therefore, in the positioning of the vertically oriented threaded ends into the frame the member. When assembled, the lower ends of the threaded bolts project through the nuts for a finite distance and those bolt ends thus project outwardly of the nuts in a downward vertical direction. When the commode is used over the standard porcelain toilet, therefore, the lower ends of the bolts can cause considerable damage to the porcelain finish of the toilet and which is certainly an undesirable situation. Since the commode, as indicated, is used over the standard household toilet, damage to the porcelain can permanently affect the look of the toilet and the physical damage not readily repairable.
Accordingly, it would be desirable to provide de differing orientation and positioning of the bolts that secure the seat to the commode so as to not cause permanent damage to the porcelain toilet in the household.
As a further problem with commodes, the rear of the commode seat is supported above the back bar by bolts but the rear of the seat is normally situated inwardly disposed with respect to the back bar and thus, in the event of a failure of the rear support bolts, the seat can collapse downwardly and will not be restrained from full downward movement by that back bar. Thus, the seat is capable of collapsing downwardly with the person positioned on the seat.
It would thus also be desirable to provide a system where the bolts not only hold the rear of the seat firmly in position, but position the rear of the seat directly vertically above and in alignment with the back bar support such that, in the event of a failure of one or both of the bolts, the rear of the seat will fall downwardly only a slight distance and then be fully supported and prevented from further downward movement by that strong support of the back bar.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
Therefore, in accordance with the present invention, a commode construction is provided that overcomes the difficulties and problems of the aforedescribed commodes and which has a frame on which the person can be situated with the frame having a front to which the person faces and a rear facing the back of the person. The frame is preferably of a tubular construction and includes a support member or back bar at the rear of the frame to provide support and is a structural member of the frame. A pair of specially constructed bolts are used to secure the commode seat to the frame and each bolt is a mirror image of the other. The bolts each have a generally straight portion having a threaded end that is inserted through the back bar and that straight portion, when so inserted, extends horizontally rearwardly from the back bar so as to prevent any damage to a porcelain toilet when the commode is positioned atop the toilet. The bolts are shaped so as to form an angled straight portion with an intermediate arcuate portion between the straight portion and the angled straight portion. The arcuate portion configures a curving shape that leads into the upward angle and forward direction to the angled straight portion.
The angled straight portion terminates in upper ends that are shaped so as to interfit with the seat and to allow that seat to pivot with respect to the fame. In the preferred embodiment, the upper ends that interfit with the commode seat are formed at an angle from the angled straight portion and more preferred, the straight portion the arcuate portion and the angled straight portion are in a common plane that is vertically oriented and the upper ends are formed at about a 90 degree angle with respect to that plane. Thus, in the preferred embodiment, the upper ends of the angled straight portion can simply be inserted into horizontally disposed bores in the seat itself to support the seat to the frame. Since the bolts are mirror images of each other, they can be used with a commode seat where the upper ends are inserted into the bores outwardly with respect to the seat or, by reversed the bolts, they can be used in an orientation where the ends of the arcuate portion are inserted inwardly into the bores in the seat.
By the particular curvature and the vertical height of the bolts of the present invention, the rear of the seat can be positioned directly vertically above the back bar and be oriented so that, in the event either or both of the bolts fail, the rear of the seat will only fall a short distance whereupon the rear of the seat will hit upon and be supported by the back bar. Thus, in the event of such failure, the person only moves downwardly a slight amount, possibly an uncomfortable but safe distance.
Other features and
Eloshway Charles R.
Klauber & Jackson
Tubular Fabrications Industry
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