Technical Field The invention relates to toilet cover assembly for a toilet bowl comprising a cover part having at a rear edge face interspaced a pair of eye members with aligned open- ings facing each other, a bracket provided with fastening means for fastening thereof to the toilet bowl, a pair of aligned pin members arranged axially displaceably in the bracket and having an axially outer head and an operating member operating from the outside and being operationally connected to the pin members via transmission for a bringing the heads thereof into and out of engagement with the openings in the eye members of the cover part, when the openings are aligned with the heads of the pin members.

Background Art US-A-3261029 discloses a toilet cover assembly of the above type, wherein the operating member is formed of a projecting turning knob arranged centrally on the bracket and having a gear portion arranged in the interior of the bracket and meshing at opposite sides thereof with a rack of a respective pin member. When the turning knob is turned, the heads of the pin members are brought into and out of engagement with the openings in the eye members on the cover part formed of a toilet seat and a toilet cover. Such a projecting knob, which must be comparatively large to enable use thereof by persons with frail fingers, does not contribute to make the appearance of the bracket and thus the toilet cover assembly esthetically appealing and also hinders cleaning of the same.

Brief Description of the Invention The object of the invention is to provide a toilet cover assembly of the above type

which is not encumbered by the above draw-backs.

The toilet cover assembly according to the invention is characterised in that the operating member is a operating sleeve pivotally arranged on the bracket and with a longitudinal axis extending parallel to the axis of the aligned pin members.

As a result, it is possible to form the operating member such that it forms an esthetically appealing whole with the bracket, while still being easily gripped and operated.

According to the invention the pin members may be biassed to adopt their engage- ment position by means of a spring means.

It is thus ensured that the heads of the pin members do not inadvertently disengage the respective openings in the cover part, when the cover part is raised and lowered.

Furthermore the operation thereof is facilitated, as the sleeve merely is to be released in order to bring the pin members into engagement with the openings.

Moreover according to the invention the transmission between the sleeve and the pin members may comprise a toothed rim on the inner face of the sleeve extending in circumferential direction thereof, a rack meshing with each of the pin members, and at least one additional transmission member between said toothed rim and racks.

Furthermore the at least one additional transmission member may comprise a shaft pivotally arranged in the bracket, said shaft having a first gear portion meshing with the racks of the pin members on opposing sides thereof, and a second gear portion adapted to mesh with the toothed rim of the operating sleeve.

According to the invention the toothed rim of sleeve may comprise two toothed rim parts axially offset relative to each other for meshing with a respective side of the

bevel gear portion of the shaft and mutually offset in circumferential direction so as to provide a rotary position of the operating sleeve, in which the bevel gear portion of the shaft does not mesh with any of the toothed rim parts.

Said rotary position of the operating sleeve, in which none of the toothed rim parts mesh with the second gear portions of the shaft, thus corresponds to the position, in which the heads of the pin members engage the openings in the eye members of the cover part. Irrespective of which of the two possible directions the sleeve is turned away from said position, one of the toothed rim parts is brought into engagement with the second gear portion and thus turns the shaft. Due to the engagement of the first gear portion with both racks connected to the pin members, the heads thereof are disengaged from the openings in the cover part at said turning of the sleeve.

Especially when the pin members are biassed to adopt their initial position, this embodiment of the invention offers operational advantage that the operator does not have to remember or concern himself about which direction the sleeve is to be turned in order to bring the pin members out of engagement, since this is effected regardless of the direction of rotation of the sleeve. As soon as the sleeve is released, the pin members and thus the sleeve returns to the initial position due the biassing of the pin members.

Moreover according to the invention the toothed rim parts of the operating sleeve may have axially extending teeth facing each other.

According to the invention the pin members may be rotatably arranged in the bracket and their heads may have an outer profile not presenting a rotation symmetry for interlocking engagement with the openings of the cover part, said opening have a corresponding cross-sectional profile.

As a result the pivotal arrangement of the cover part relative to the bracket is pro- vided by means of the pivotal arrangement of the pin members relative to the

bracket, while the heads of the pin members provides a non-pivotal connection between the cover part and the pin members.

Furthermore, according to the invention the pin member may be arranged non-rotata- bly in the bracket, their heads forming hinge pins for the openings in the eye mem- bers of the cover part.

Brief Description of the Drawings The invention is explained in detail below with reference to the drawings, in which Fig. 1 is a top view of toilet cover assembly according to the invention comprising a seat and a cover pivotally connected with a bracket about a common axis of rota- tion, Fig. 2 illustrates the toilet cover assembly in Fig. 1 seen in the direction II in Fig.

1, Fig. 3 illustrates the toilet cover assembly in Fig. 1 seen in the direction III in Fig.

1, Fig. 4 illustrates the toilet cover assembly in Fig 1, in which the seat and the cover are separated from each other and detached from the bracket, Fig. 5 is a sectional view along the line V-V in Fig. 1, the seat and cover being turned from the lowered position shown in Fig. 1 to raised position, and Fig. 6 is a sectional view along the line VI-VI in Fig. 5, Fig. 7 is a diagrammatic and perspective and fractional view of the toilet cover

assembly in Figs. 1-6 and wherein a operating sleeve thereof is shown in a first position, Fig. 8 illustrates the same, the operating sleeve being shown in a second position and Fig. 9 is a diagrammatic view of a further embodiment of the toilet cover assembly according to the invention.

Best Mode for Carrying out the Invention The toilet cover assembly shown in Figs. 1-8 comprises a cover part comprising a seat 1 and a cover 2 hingedly interconnected and pivotally connected with a bracket 3, said seat 1 and cover 2 either only indicated or omitted on the drawings for clear- ness. The bracket 3 comprises a housing 4 having two legs 5,6 with bases 7,8. Each base is provided with a rotatable disc 9 having an oblong hole 10. A bolt 11 is in- serted through the hole for fastening the bracket 3 to a toilet bowl, said bolt being inserted through a hole in the toilet bowl and secured thereto by means of a nut 12 and washers 13 and 14.

The seat 1 and the cover 2 are hingedly interconnected by means of two interspaced hinges, each comprising a hinge member 16,16' provided with a pin and a hinge member 17,17' provided with a bearing. The hinge pin members 16,16' each com- prises a substantially conical body 18 having an axially projecting pin 19 and a leg 20 extending substantially tangentially from the body 18 and ending in a mounting base 21. The hinge bearing members 17,17' each comprise a substantially conical bearing 22 provided with a cylindrical cavity 23 adapted to receive the pin 19 of the hinge pin member 16,16' and a leg 24 extending substantially tangentially from the bearing and ending in a mounting base 25. The two hinge pin members are identical as are the two hinge bearing members.

As best shown in Fig. 4, a hinge bearing member 17 is mounted on the rear edge 26 of the seat 1 at one end and a hinge pin member 16'is mounted at the other end co-axially thereto, the pin 19 facing outwards. The mounting base 25 of the hinge pin member 17 and the mounting base 21 of the hinge bearing member'16 are both countersunk in the rear edge 26 of the seat 1. Correspondingly, a hinge pin member 16 is mounted on the lower face of the cover 2 adjacent its rear edge 27, the pin 19 facing outwards, and a hinge bearing member 17'is mounted at the other end co- axially therewith. The mounting base 21 of the hinge pin member 16 and the mount- ing base 25 of the hinge bearing member 17'are both countersunk in the lower face of the cover.

As illustrated in Figs. 1 and 4, the hinge members 16,17: 16', 17' of the hinges are mounted such on the seat 1 and the cover 2 respectively so that the pins of the hinge pin members 16,16' can be brought into and out of engagement with the cavities 23 of the hinge bearing members 17,17' by an axial displacement of the cover 2 relative to the seat 1, when the seat 1 and the cover 2 are detached from the bracket 3. Fur- thermore the hinge members are arranged such that a shoulder 28 between the body 18 and the pin 19 substantially abuts an inwardly facing edge face 29 of the bearings 22, when the pins 19 engage the bearings 22. In said engagement position, the dis- tance between the inwardly facing end faces 30 of the bodies 18 of the hinge pin members 16 correspond substantially to the distance between the end faces 31,32 of the bracket housing 4 facing away from each other.

The shape of the housing 4 of the bracket 3, which is substantially symmetrical about a central plane 33 as best shown in Fig. 6, is explained in detail below with reference to Fig. 5 and the half of the bracket and the housing illustrated therein. It should also be noted that the seat and cover for clearness are not shown on said drawings and that the hinge members are shown in a position corresponding to the raised position of the seat and the cover and not the lowered position shown in Figs. 1 to 4. With reference to the housing half shown in Fig. 5 and on the left-hand side on Fig. 6 a damper 50

is accommodated therein. This damper serves to dampen the movement of the cover from its raised to its lowered position. The damper 50 comprises a pivotal, hollow shaft 34 with an axially outer head 35 and a body 36 of a smaller diameter than the head. The head 35 is arranged pivotally in an axially outer portion 37 of the interior of the housing. Two identically shaped sleeves 38,39 are pivotally arranged on the shaft body 36 and comprise body portions 40,41 facing each other and flange por- tions 42,43 facing away from each other. A coil spring 40 is provided around the body portions 40,41 of the sleeves 38,39 and torsionally preloaded between the sleeves 38.39. The sleeves 38,39 are further provided with projections co-acting in such a manner with the housing and the hollow shaft 34 that the spring coil 40 is further preloaded, when the cover is turned from its raised to its lowered position, whereby the said movement is dampened. Correspondingly, the seat's movement from its raised to its lowered position is dampened by means of the damper 50'in the other housing half member. Said dampers are described in detail in the applicant's own Danish patent application No. PA 1998 00777 which is hereby incorporated herein by reference thereto.

In the interior of the hollow shaft 34 a pin member 41 is arranged axially displace- able, but prevented from rotating, said pin member having head 42 not presenting rotation symmetry and biassed by means of a spring 42 to adopt the shown engage- ment position, in which the head 42 engages a corresponding recess 44 not presenting rotation symmetry and arranged in the hinge pin member 16 connected to the cover 2. At its axially inner end the pin member 41 is rotatably connected (at 45) with a rack member 46 (confer also Fig. 6). The rack 46, which is prevented from rotation, is arranged axially displaceable in the housing and provided with a toothed portion 47. The toothed portion 47 meshes with a first gear portion 48 on a shaft 49 being rotatably arranged about a vertical axis centrally in the housing. The toothed shaft 49 is provided with a bevel gear portion 51 at its upper end. The bevel gear portion 51 is adapted to mesh with a toothed portion 52 on a first toothed rim part 53 protruding from the inner surface of a two-piece operating sleeve 54 and extending in the

circumferential direction thereof. The two-piece operating sleeve 54 is pivotally arranged on the bracket housing.

Referring especially to Fig. 6, a damper 50'is provided in the housing half shown on the right-hand side, said damper corresponding to the damper 50 provided in the housing half shown on the left-hand side. In the hollow shaft of the damper 50'a pin member 41'is thus provided having a head 42'not presenting a rotation symmetry and which by means of a spring 43'is biassed to adopt the engagement position in Fig. 6, in which the head 42'engages a corresponding recess 44'in the hinge pin member 16'connected to the seat 1. At its axially inner end the pin member 41 is rotatably connected at 45'with a rack portion 46'meshing with the first gear portion 48 of the toothed shaft 49 at the side opposite the mesh of the rack 46 therewith.

On its inner surface the two-piece operating sleeve 54 is provided with a second toothed rim part 53' (confer Figs. 7 and 8) extending like the first toothed rim part 53 in circumferential direction and provided with a toothed portion 52'adapted to mesh with the bevel gear portion 51 of the shaft 49.

As shown in Fig. 7, the toothed rim parts 53 and 53'are offset such in axial and in circumferential direction that their toothed portions 52,52' do not mesh with the bevel gear portion 51 of the shaft 49 in the initial position shown in Figs. 5 and 6, in which the heads 42,42' of the pin members 43,43' engage the opening 44 in the cover hinge pin member 16 and the opening 44'in the seat hinge pin member 16'.

When the operating sleeve 54 is displaced from the said initial position, either the toothed portion 52 of the toothed rim part 53 or the toothed portion 52'of the toothed rim part 53'meshes with the bevel gear portion 51 of the shaft 49. Since the toothed rim parts 53,53' are arranged with one on each side of the shaft 49, the shaft 49 is rotated in the direction shown by the arrow A regardless of the direction of rotation of the sleeve 54. As the first gear portion 48 of the shaft 49 meshes with the toothed portions of the racks 46,46', both racks are pulled into the housing, and the heads

42,42' of the pin members 41,41' are thus brought out of engagement with the recess in the cover hinge pin member 16 and the seat hinge pin member 16'such that the cover and the seat may be detached from the bracket as a unit. When the operating sleeve 54 is released, the heads 42,42' of the pin members 41,41' return to their engagement position due to the preload force of the springs 43,43'. The racks 46,46' are each provided with a stop member 55,55' for determining the engagement posi- tion of the heads 42,42'.

Fig. 9 is a diagrammatic view of a further embodiment of the toilet cover assembly according to the invention arranged on a toilet bowl. The toilet cover assembly comprises a seat 101, a cover 102 and a bracket 103 secured to the toilet bowl. The seat 101 is provided with two interspaced seat hinge eyes 104,104' having aligned openings. Correspondingly, the cover 102 is provided with two interspaced cover hinge eyes 105,105'having aligned openings.

The bracket 103 differs substantially from the bracket described with reference to Figs. 1-8 by not being provided with dampers and the pin members 141,141' being non-pivotally arranged in the housing 104 of the bracket 103. The heads 142,142' of the pin members 141,141'are furthermore formed as cylindrical pivot pins adapted to engage cylindrical openings in the bushes 143,143' on whose cylindrical surface the hinge eyes the seat 101 and the cover 102, respec- tively are pivotally arranged. Accordingly, other features of the bracket 103 corre- spond to the bracket 3 described with reference to Figs. 1-8 above, ie the pin mem- bers 141,141'are biassed by means of the spring (not shown in Fig. 9) to adopt their engagement position and are provided a rack 46,46'meshing with a toothed shaft 49 which in turn is adapted to mesh with toothed rim parts on the sleeve (not shown in Fig. 9) pivotally arranged on the housing of the bracket.