Toilet seat Field of the Invention

The present invention concerns a toilet seat with a seat frame intended to rest on the rim of a toilet pan, where the seat frame surrounds an aperture in the toilet seat, and where the toilet seat furthermore includes a pivotable lid that may pivot between a first position where the aperture is covered by the lid, and a second position where the lid has been lifted off the aperture.

Description of Prior Art Toilet design has not changed much over the years, though some small adjustments have appeared in order to follow the trend of the time. Over time, toilet seats have changed even less with regard to the structural design of toilet seats, not to mention the colour of the toilet seat. Usually, a toilet seat therefore consists of a seat frame resting on the upper rim of the- toilet pan, and a lid covering the seat frame and the aperture surrounded by the seat frame.

From US 6,701,539 is known a so-called multi toilet seat which is adapted to fit to adults and to children, and which is furthermore arranged with properties making the toilet seat usable for pets. This toilet seat has a traditional seat and a smaller seat incorporated in the lid, where the lid of the smaller seat is in the same plane, hi order to open the lid for the smaller seat, a recess is arranged at the front edge of the seat to fit one or a pair of fingers for lifting the seat. Such a recess is not cleaning-friendly, and problems with hygiene may easily arise. Furthermore, this multi-toilet-seat is provided with many other recesses and hinge devices making cleaning tedious.

Therefore, the purpose of the invention is to provide an alternative and simple toilet seat which structurally differs from existing toilet seat in order to enable a different and novel design and to enable providing some advantages that existing toilet seats do not have.

Description of the Invention

This object is achieved with a toilet seat with a seat frame intended to rest on the rim of a toilet pan, where the seat frame surrounds an aperture in the toilet seat, and where

the toilet seat furthermore includes a pivotable lid that may pivot between a first position where the aperture is covered by the lid, and a second position where the lid has been lifted off the aperture. The lid is dimensioned to fit into the aperture for in closed condition to lie in the same plane as the seat frame and approximately filling out the aperture. In that way, the lid acts as a kind of plug in the aperture.

Such a toilet seat where the lid fits into the aperture of the seat frame provides a number of degrees of freedom of design that existing toilet seats do not have. At the same time, a number of advantages are associated with such a seat. A first advantage is that the toilet seat, with the same thickness as the seat frame according to prior art, does not take up so much space in height, as the lid does not lie upon the seat frame but inside it. This means that costs of packing and shipping are reduced compared with toilet seats with lids covering the entire seat frame. Another advantage is that there is only need for material for a lid to the extent corresponding to the aperture in the seat frame, and not for a lid covering the entire seat frame. A toilet seat according to the invention is thus also material saving. The latter fact is particularly important in cases where toilet seats are made of special, precious woods, where the wood is expensive due to very limited resources.

A toilet seat according to the invention has a lid provided with a fitting which in closed condition is supported on the seat frame as stop profile. The seat frame has a front end and a rear end, corresponding the front and rear ends of a toilet pan, and the fitting may then e.g. include a rod extending from the rear end of the lid to a position in continuation of the front end of the lid, where the rod is resting on the seat frame. Such an embodiment has the functional advantage that the user, in order to open up the lid, may suffice with gripping this rod and does not have to take hold of the edge of the lid, which may be displeasing for the user due to the risk of the edge of the lid having received spray from the last flushing, and thereby not being clean.

A preferred variant of a toilet seat according to the invention is designed so that the rod is supported by the seat frame at the front end of the seat frame as well at the rear end of the seat frame. With this solution, a better distribution of loads on the lid is achieved, if e.g. a person sits or stands on the lid.

Such a rod may e.g. have a cross-section which is flat and straight on the side facing away from the seat frame. Furthermore, on the side facing the seat frame the rod may have a curving shape of the cross-section, which is aesthetically pleasing and comfortable for the user to touch. The seat frame may correspondingly have a recess corresponding to the rounding of the rod. Such an embodiment is easy to produce by injection moulded seat frames and extruded rods.

However, this design is not optimal in production of wooden seats where the wood is worked in order to make space for the rod in an aesthetical way. hi this case, a rounding is more expensive to make than a linear course of a cavity for the rod in the seat frame, hi a second embodiment, the rod therefore has a cross-section which at the side facing the seat frame is shaped linearly over a part, e.g. with a straight top side and a straight underside in parallel therewith, where the underside, however, is more narrow than the top side and connected with the top side with two straight sides sloping up to the top side.

Such rods can be made of aluminium, e.g. extruded aluminium. In that case it is advantageous if the rod is surface-treated in order not to be. attacked by cleaning agents. However, other materials can be used as well, e.g. brushed stainless steel or synthetic material.

hi a further embodiment, the seat frame is designed with a slope towards the surrounded aperture in order to enhance the running of liquid from the seat frame and into the aperture. Correspondingly, the lid may be designed with a slope towards its outer edge for liquid to run into the aperture more easily.

At its rear end, the seat frame may be provided with two bushings, each shaped tubular with an angle with two legs, where one leg is embedded in the seat frame and the opposite leg provided with a tubular opening, and where the tubular openings are parallel and flush with the seat frame and intended for receiving pivots which are part of a fitting for fastening on the rear end of the toilet pan.

The seat frame, which has a front end and a rear end corresponding to front end and rear end of a toilet pan, may be C-shaped with a frame opening at the rear end. Such toilet seats may find application with specially designed toilet pans, e.g. as designed by Philip Starck. In that case, the lid is designed with a rearwards directed tail section for also filling out the frame aperture at the rear.

Moreover, the seat frame may advantageously be provided at its rear end with a bushing at each side of the frame aperture, where each bushing has a first tubular opening, and where the first tubular openings are parallel and pointing against each other in the plane of the seat frame. Furthermore, the lid is provided with tubular pivots corresponding to the tubular openings, where the tubular pivots are rotatably received in the tubular openings in order thereby to form a pivotable hinge for the lid. Additionally, the bushings may have second tubular openings that are parallel and point in direction away from each other for receiving second pivots, where these second pivots are part of a fitting for fastening at the rear end of the toilet pan.

As a toilet set according to the invention takes up much less space in height than a toilet seat with a lid according to prior art, the seat frame can be made with a thickness which is much greater than normally, without the toilet seat thereby taking up more space when packing and shipping more than according to prior art. The motivation for making a toilet seat with large thickness is in the fact that toilet pans supported on the floor are largely all made with a unified height which has not changed substantially for many years, irrespectively that the persons have become taller with time. By making a toilet seat with a greater height, e.g. 2, 3, 4 or 5 cm thick, the seat height is adapted to the individual user. Also, elderly persons otherwise having problems with raising themselves after using the toilet, due to the relatively low level, may benefit by replacing their toilet seat according to prior art with one according to the invention, e.g. made with a thickness of 3 cm.

Short Description of the Drawing

The invention is described in more detail with reference to the drawing, where: FIG. 1 shows a first embodiment of a toilet seat according to the invention; FIG. 2 illustrates various cross-sections of the rod;

FIG. 3 shows an alternative toilet seat with C-shaped seat frame; FIG. 4 illustrates fastening the seat frame to a fitting from the pan; FIG. 5 shows a C-shaped seat frame with hinge fittings for the lid and for the pan; FIG. 6 shows the cross-section of a seat frame sloping towards the aperture.

Detailed description of the invention

Fig. 1 shows a first embodiment of a toilet seat according to the invention. Fig. Ia shows the toilet seat 1 as seen towards its plane side, Fig. Ib shows the toilet seat 1 in perspective view in closed condition and Fig. Ic shows the toilet seat in perspective view in open condition.

The toilet seat 1 has a seat frame 2 and a lid 3 which is designed with an extension corresponding to the aperture in the seat frame 2, so that the lid 3, in closed condition, can fill out the aperture 4 and lie in the same plane as the seat frame 2. The lid 3 is fastened to the underside of a rod 5 extending from the rear end 6 of the seat frame 2 to the front end 7 of the seat frame 2. At the rear end 6, the rod 5 is hinged to the seat frame 2 in order to pivot the lid 3 into the aperture 4, which is then filled by the lid 3. Between the inner edge 8 of the aperture 4 and the outer edge 9 of the lid 3, there is a small tolerance so that that the lid readily fits into the aperture 4, however providing for relatively tight fit between the lid and the seat frame 2. Optionally, the inner edge 8 of the aperture 4 and outer edge 9 of the lid 3 may be designed conically to provide a shape for a tight fit.

The rod 5 shown on Fig. 1 has a straight top side 10 and a curving underside 11. Correspondingly, the seat frame 2 is provided with a curving recess 12 for receiving the curving underside 11 of the rod 5.

The cross-section of the rod 5 with the curving underside 11 and the straight top side 10 are shown in greater detail on Fig. 2a. An alternative embodiment is shown on Fig. 2b, where the top side 10 is straight and where the cross-section of the underside 11 ' has a partially linear course. A further embodiment with partly linear underside 11 ' is shown on Fig. 2c, where the top side 10', however, is curving in order to appear more soft.

Fig. 3 shows an alternative toilet seat where the lid 3' has a tail 13 for filling a frame aperture 19 in a C-shaped seat frame 2'.

Fig. 4 illustrates a possible fastening of the seat frame 2 to the toilet pan. At its rear end 6, the seat frame 2 is provided with two bushings 14, each having two legs 15, 16, of which one 15 is embedded in the seat frame 2 and the other leg 16 provided with a tubular opening 17, and where the tubular openings 17, 17' are parallel and flush with the seat frame 2. The two apertures 17, 17' are intended for receiving pivots 18 which are part of a fitting (not shown) for fastening at the rear end of the toilet pan.

The toilet seat with the C-shaped seat frame 2' and the lid 3' with the tail 13 may be interconnected as shown on Fig. 5. At the rear end 6, the seat frame 2' is provided with a bushing 20 at each their side of the frame aperture 19. These bushings 20 may e.g. be screwed into screw holes 23 in the seat frame. Each bushing 20 has a first tubular opening 21, and the first tubular openings 21 are parallel and point against each other in the plane of the seat frame 2'. Furthermore, the lid 3' is provided with tubular pivots 22 corresponding to the first tubular openings 21, so that the tubular pivots 22 may be rotatably received in the tubular openings 21 in order thereby to form a pivotable hinge for the lid 3'. Moreover, the bushings 20 have second tubular openings 24 that are parallel and point away from each other for receiving second pivots 18, that are part of a fitting for fastening at the rear end of the toilet pan. This device is particularly useful with more focus on hygiene, as the device is easy to clean due to the curving smooth surface without any sharp corners.

Fig. 6 shows a cross-section of the toilet seat 1, where the seat frame 2 is provided with a slope 25 towards the aperture 4 in order for liquid on the seat frame to flow more easily into the aperture 4. Analogously, the Hd 3 may be designed with slopes towards its outer edge for liquid on the lid 3 to run into the aperture 4 more easily.

Fig. 7 shows an alternative embodiment where the toilet seat is not provided with a rod for opening the lid 3, but where the seat frame 2 is provided with a recess 26 facilitating access to the lid 3.

It is noted that _. the angle of abutment of the lid may be adjusted so that the lid may function as back as well, if so desired. Usually, one may, however, will not use the lid for such purposes for hygienic reasons.

The hinge shown on Fig. 5 may in some situations tend to be deformed when the lid is heavily loaded. This is particularly the case if the lid is not supported by an possible inclining edge at the inner side of the seat frame according to an approximated fit principle. The toilet seat shown on Fig. 1 therefore includes a transverse hinging rail 27 about which the rod 5 is pivotably mounted. Such a hinging rail may be provided as a steel cylinder mounted on the toilet pan and about which bushings are provided so that they can rotate on the cylinder. A centre bushing is fastened to the rear end of the lid with two screws and may rotate about the cylindric rod that extends through the bushings and ends with bent sections at the ends, which in turn are fastened in a pair of fittings in the toilet pan. An outer bushing at each side of the central bushing is fastened with screws in the seat frame and may also rotate about the cylinder whereby the seat frame is pivotably supported by the cylinder. The seat frame 2 as well as the lid will then be supported in a stable way on the transverse cylinder/rod. This cylinder may be two-part and joined in the centre within the central rotatable bushing.