Baths – closets – sinks – and spittoons – Opener or closer for a closet seat or lid – Fluid mechanism
Reexamination Certificate
2001-11-27
2003-02-25
Phillips, Charles E. (Department: 3751)
Baths, closets, sinks, and spittoons
Opener or closer for a closet seat or lid
Fluid mechanism
C004S248000, C016S341000, C188S307000
Reexamination Certificate
active
06523185
ABSTRACT:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
(1) Field of the Invention
The present invention relates generally to toilet seats that include a seat hinge assembly to return the toilet seat to a horizontal or lowered position from a vertical or raised position in a controlled manner, and in particular to assemblies of this type that can be readily adapted for use with toilet seats of different weights.
(2) Description of the Prior Art
Conventional toilet seats include a seat section and a lid section, joined at their back edges to a hinge that is secured to the toilet basin so that the lid section or both sections can be raised manually to a vertical position, or subsequently lowered to a horizontal position. Unfortunately, many males after manually raising the toilet seat to use the toilet as a urinal fail to lower the toilet seat to the horizontal position when finished. As a result, much marital strife has resulted when females who later wish to use the toilet find the scat in its raised position.
Numerous devices are described in the prior art purporting to address this problem. Generally, these devices comprise a hinge that includes a spring that is compressed when the lid is raised, to thereby urge the scat back toward a horizontal position, and means to retard movement of the seat, so that the seat is slowly lowered to its horizontal position. Other hinges include a fluid cylinder in which fluid is transferred from a first chamber to a second chamber when the seat is raised. The seat, which is raised to less than vertical, is slowed in its return to the horizontal position by flow of the fluid through a restricted orifice back to the first chamber.
One example of an automatic toilet seat lowering device of this latter type is found in U.S. Pat. No. 5,279,000, issued Jan. 18, 1994 to Mercier et al. The present inventor is one of the joint inventors of the invention described in that patent. The toilet seat lowering hinge described in the '000 patent is comprised of a housing that includes a horizontal cylindrical chamber attached to the toilet basin; and a vaned shaft axially aligned within the chamber and attached to the toilet seat. A paddle extends radially from the shaft, with the distal end of the paddle brushing against the inner wall of the chamber when the shaft is rotated. A baffle extends from the inner wall of the chamber wall into engagement with the shaft opposite the vane, thereby dividing the chamber into first and second compartments.
The chamber is partially filled with an operating fluid, such as oil. A first vent is positioned in either the baffle or the vane to permit the fluid to flow from one compartment to the other compartment of the chamber as the toilet seat is raised, and a second vent is used to permit fluid to return to the first compartment as the seat is lowered by gravity.
When the toilet seat is manually raised, fluid flows through the one-way valve and the vent from the first compartment to the second compartment. A stop is positioned in the path of the seat to prevent the seat from being raised entirely to the vertical position. Therefore, the weight of the seat urges the seat back to the horizontal position. However, the restricted flow of the fluid back through the vent into the first chamber prevents rapid movement of the seat, resulting in the seat being gently lowered to its horizontal position.
While the Mercier et al. device has proven to be satisfactory for its intended purpose, further improvements are desired in order to improve the device's durability, and increase control over lowering of the toilet seat, while still providing a device that is economical to manufacture and maintain.
In particular, there is a need for a toilet seat-lowering device that can be easily modified for use with different weight toilet seats. When a toilet seat is lowered by gravity from the raised, slightly less than vertical, position to the horizontal position, the gravitational force exerted increases proportionally to the reduced angle of the seat relative to its horizontal position. The force is proportionally to the weight of the seat. Thus, if the same resistance is exerted by a hinge assembly on seats of different weights, the heavier seat will descend at a greater speed, and may strike the upper surface of the toilet with considerable force, resulting in a large noise and risk of damage to the seat or lowering mechanism.
Ideally, the level of resistance exerted against toilet seats should be proportional to the weight of the toilet seat, so that any given toilet seat would gently descend to its lowered position. Heretofore, it has been possible to accomplish this object only by custom designing each toilet seat lowering device to the weight of a single seat. This approach is not only expensive, but results in the need for a large inventory. Instead, there is a need for a toilet seat lowering device that can be easily and inexpensively adapted for use with toilet seats having a range of weights.
When connected to a toilet seat lowering device, the toilet seat in the fully raised position must be at an angle of slightly less than vertical in order to return to the horizontal position. Thus, toilet seat lowering devices are designed to stop the toilet seat in this position. The design of prior art devices in this respect, however, assumes that the toilet is on a level surface, which is seldom the case in most home bathrooms. As a result, many devices will not perform as intended. Thus, there is also a need for a toilet seat lowering device that can be adjusted to compensate for non-level surfaces.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
The present invention relates to a toilet seat lowering device that operates on the same principal as the Mercier device described in the above '000 patent, but with modifications to address the above needs. Like the device of the '000 patent, the present device is comprised of housing including a fluid chamber secured to the toilet basin, and a pivotal vane that divides the chamber into two compartments. The seat is attached at its rear edge to the vane, so that lifting of the seat from a horizontal position to a generally vertical position pivots the vane within the housing from a seat-lowered position to a seat-raised position, forcing the operating fluid from one chamber to the other chamber through a first opening, which preferably is a one-way valve. When the seat is returned to the horizontal position by gravity, a second opening in the vane permits the fluid to return to the initial compartment.
While similar in many aspects to the earlier Mercier et al. device, the toilet seat lowering assembly of the present invention also includes features that specifically address the deficiencies in prior art designs. Specifically, the device of the present invention can be quickly and inexpensively modified to compensate for different toilet seat weights. In addition, the device can be easily adjusted to compensate for non-level floor conditions.
Generally, the housing includes a horizontally elongated fluid chamber and means to attach the housing to a toilet basin. The fluid chamber may be of various configurations. For purposes of the present description, the chamber will be described as having opposed first and second side walls, upper and lower walls connecting the side walls, and opposed end walls. Preferably, the upper wall is a generally horizontal planar wall, so that the toilet seat can be raised to the slightly less than vertical position without contacting the toilet seat lowering device, and without requiring relocation of the toilet seat.
The vane is comprised of a shaft rotatably or pivotally mounted along a horizontal axis and a paddle with an inner end attached to the shalt, and a distal end extending to the side of the chamber, dividing the chamber into first and second compartments. The vane is pivotal between first and second positions changing the relative volumes of the compartments. The vane is preferably formed of a steel cylindrical rod or shaft having opposed ends, with the paddle being in the form of
Mercier William H.
Moore Randolph J.
,MacCord Mason PLLC
Phillips Charles E.
LandOfFree
Self-lowering toilet seat does not yet have a rating. At this time, there are no reviews or comments for this patent.
If you have personal experience with Self-lowering toilet seat, we encourage you to share that experience with our LandOfFree.com community. Your opinion is very important and Self-lowering toilet seat will most certainly appreciate the feedback.
Profile ID: LFUS-PAI-O-3150730