Field of the Invention

The present invention relates to an automatic closure mechanism in particular for a toilet seat, and in particular to a novel automatic closure mechanism for controllably releasing and closing the toilet seat without damaging the seat or the closing mecha¬ nism.

Background of the Invention

The fact that the toilet seat or lid is left open on a family's toilet after use may be the cause of irritation for other members of the family. Also, for safety reasons it may be desirable to assure that the toilet seat and lid are in their closed position when not be¬ ing used such that small children and animals do not accidentally fall into the toilet bowl. For this purpose, a number of devices have been developed through the past century in which by various means and constructions devices have been proposed which should close the toilet seat and lid automatically after use.

Common for a number of these devices is the fact that they rely on either an electrical motor coupled to a time device, a liquid reservoir comprising pump means, gear mechanisms coupled to springs and other rather cumbersome, fragile and mainte- nance-prone constructions.

One such example is illustrated in US 5267356. In this prior art document, a compli¬ cated mechanism is described which is activated in response to a toilet flushing action. As the toilet is flushed, a brake mechanism releases energy stored in a tension spring such that an axle is brought to rotate. By means of different gear wheels, the energy is transferred to the toilet seat, and at the same time to a dampening mechanism compris¬ ing a cylinder acting as a piston on a helical spring, whereby the piston action is pro¬ vided by further gears rotating an outer cylinder which by means of helical grooves urges the cylinder against the spring, whereby the dampening action is achieved, hi addition to being bulky, the prior art device is also very complicated, and requires a device installed in the water tank in order to operate. Furthermore, due to the relative

large number of moving parts, the device is prone to malfunction, and does not pro¬ vide an aesthetic pleasing solution, mainly due to its size, but also due to the required extra installations such as cables, levers, etc.

Generally, there is a desire to provide solutions and constructions which may be cleaned easily such that a relatively high standard of hygiene may be obtained. The prior art devices comprising wires, solenoids, motors, reservoirs, pipes, gears, etc. also provide challenging constructions with respect to cleaning such that it may be very difficult to obtain a desirable hygienic standard. In order to render the constructions secure against aggressive cleaning fluids and the mechanical impact from cleaning the constructions usually becomes increasingly expensive.

A further disadvantage with the prior art devices is the fact that they often are inte¬ grated with the seat or lid construction such that the customer is forced to buy the seat and lid which comes with the closure mechanism, whereas for some customers it might be desirable to have the advantages of the closure mechanism without the per¬ haps disagreeable design of the seat and lid.

For this purpose there is a need for an automatic closure mechanism which is mainte- nance-free, does not take up much space, will function reliably, and may be adaptable to any seat and lid construction.

Object of the Invention

It is therefore an object of the present invention of overcome the shortcomings of the prior art as described above, and provide an aesthetic, reliable and unobtrusive auto¬ matic closure mechanism which may be adapted to a number of different seat designs.

Description of the Invention

The present invention addresses this by providing an automatic closure mechanism for a toilet seat comprising:

- a housing having means for being fastened to a toilet bowl, wall or the like;

- a first rotatable member arranged coaxially within the housing, where said first rotatable member has interface means for engaging a toilet seat and/or toilet seat lid, where said first rotatable member may rotate in relation to the hous¬ ing; - a first axially displaceable member arranged coaxially with the first rotatable member, where said first axially displaceable member may be axially displaced in relation to the first rotatable member and that the first axially displaceable member interacts with the housing or a further member inserted between the housing and the rotatable member in order to avoid rotation; - a resilient member arranged coaxially with the housing, such that the first axi¬ ally displaceable member may compress said resilient member.

In this configuration the entire closure mechanism is encapsulated in a housing. It is hereby provided that all the parts necessary in order to provide closing of the seat and/or lid are contained within one member. The housing may be made from any suit¬ able material such as for example plastics or metal, and in particular aluminium, such that both from a point of strength, but also from the point of hygiene, the housing is able to withstand the influences from the often aggressive cleaning fluids and me¬ chanical impact deriving from the cleaning, but which also may protect the mechanical and other parts making up the automatic closure mechanism in a safe way.

The interface means are suitable for attaching the seat and/or lid constructions such that by designing the interface corresponding to the seat and/or lid, any seat or lid con¬ struction may be attached to the automatic closure mechanism. One particular inter- face which will be described within this application is the snap-on toilet seat rings produced by the firm Pressalit A/S of Denmark, but it should be emphasized that any type of seat construction may be made suitable for attachment to the inventive auto¬ matic closure mechanism by providing appropriate interface means.

Between the housing and the first rotatable member a slit will necessarily be present. In order to assure that the interior of the housing is sealed off from external influences, a suitable seal not hampering the proper working of the automatic closure mechanism may be installed in order to protect the interior of the housing from the influences

which the automatic closure mechanism may be exposed to. The skilled person will know how to seal the slit between the housing and the first rotatable member such that it is assured that no foreign matter will enter the interior of the housing. In this manner it is very easy, and also relatively cheap, to provide a safe and secure sealing of the working parts such that a substantially maintenance-free mechanism is provided, and at the same time a long service life may be expected.

The arrangement of the axially displaceable member coaxially inside the first rotatable member has a number of advantages. Firstly, the rotatable member will act as a guide for the displaceable member such that the rotational movement does not influence the direction of the axial movement, and additionally this construction is very space- economic such that a very compact construction may be provided inside the housing.

The transformation of the movement generated by lifting the seat which by means of the interface creates rotation in the first rotatable member is translated to the axially displaceable member, for example by a tongue and groove arrangement, where the groove has a tread-like pitch, or any other suitable means. As the toilet seat is moved from its closed to its open position, the axially displaceable member will compress the resilient member such that a part of the energy the user uses to lift the toilet seat will be stored in the resilient member. The resilient member may be in the shape of a heli¬ cal spring or may have any other configuration whereby the axial displacement of the axially displaceable member due to the compression force urged onto the resilient member will be able to store energy in the resilient member.

In order to assume the axial displacement, the first axially displaceable member has means which interacts with either the housing or a further member, thereby avoiding that the rotation transferred by the rotatable member is transferred to the axial member which thereby will not be able to translate relatively to the rotatable member.

The axially displaceable member may have one or more straight side surfaces, which are to slide against corresponding surfaces provided on the inside of the housing, i.e. the part of the axially displaceable member extending outside the rotatable member

may have a polygonal cross-section, and the inside of the housing a complimentary polygonal cross-section in this area.

As the seat and/or lid is released, the energy stored in the resilient member will urge the first axially displaceable member to return, whereby the first rotatable member will be urged to rotate in the opposite direction such that the rotational movement will be transferred via the interface to the seat and/or lid, which thereafter will close.

For a number of applications it will in this connection be desirable to install a dampen- ing mechanism such that as the seat and/or lid is pivoted into a position less than at a 90 degree angle in relation to the rim of the toilet bowl, gravity will influence the de¬ scent of the lid and seat, which if not dampened will hit the rim of the toilet bowl quite hard, and at least with a loud noise. For this purpose it might be desirable to install some kind of dampening mechanism such that the speed of the closing of the lid and the seat may be reduced, and may be drawn out over a period of time.

In a further advantageous embodiment, a locking arrangement is provided for locking the first rotatable member in relation to the housing, where said locking arrangement comprises one or more locking members, where said one or more locking members are further used for mounting the automatic closure mechanism to a toilet bowl, where between the housing and the locking member resilient means are arranged, such that as a load is applied to the toilet seat the automatic closure mechanism is lowered by compressing the resilient means, whereby the one or more locking members engages the first rotatable member, and as the load is removed the resilient means are relieved and the locking members will disengage the first rotatable member.

In order to prevent the immediate closure of the toilet seat and lid after being opened, a locking mechanism is provided which is activated by a weight placed on the seat. As the weight is placed on the seat, the seat will be forced downwards whereby the lock- ing member will engage the first rotatable member. Normally, the seat is held over the locking members by the resilient means such that the seat lid may rotate freely, but as a weight is introduced on the top of the seat, the seat will be lowered by compressing

the resilient means whereby the end of the locking members will engage the rotatable member and thereby make it impossible to pivot the seat and/or lid.

Instead of the locking member engaging the rotatable member, an aperture may be provided in the rotatable member such that the locking member may penetrate the ro¬ tatable member through the aperture, and engage the axially displaceable member. In this manner, both members are locked against rotation/displacement. Alternatively, the locking members may be arranged to engage the part of the axially displaceable mem¬ ber extending outside the rotatable member, such that the axial member may be ar- rested and thereby blocking movement of the rotational member.

The locking members also serve to be the members by which the automatic closure mechanism and thereby also the toilet seat and lid are fastened to the toilet bowl. By this arrangement the automatic closing mechanism as seen from the outside will look like an ordinary toilet hinge assembly having a somewhat enlarged hinge. In compari¬ son to other prior art devices, the present device thereby provides not only a reliable and inventive automatic closing mechanism, but also from an aesthetic point of view provides a very neutral solution which does leave the designer of toilet seats with a large degree of freedom to incorporate the hinge construction into the overall design of the toilet seat/lid.

In a further advantageous embodiment of the invention a delay function in the closure mechanism, where said mechanism may comprise a hydraulically operated damper unit, where said damper unit is arranged coaxially inside the first axially displaceable member and said first rotatable member, where the first axially displaceable member and said first rotatable member coaxially inside form a liquid tight chamber which is substantially completely filled with a liquid in which the damper is arranged, where the damper comprises two mutually displaceable members arranged coaxially one in¬ side the other, and that resilient means, such as a helical spring, is arranged between the two displaceable members, where, as the two mutually displaceable members ex¬ tend or retract, liquid will flow from or to the cavity created inside the damper through one or more apertures arranged in the outer member of the two mutually displaceable members.

In the embodiments of the invention where the construction does not have locking members in order to retain the seat and lid in their upright position, the delay function may be pre-programmed, i.e. pre-designed, such that a relatively long delay will allow a user to leave the toilet before the delay function activates the closing mechanism. On the other hand, where a locking mechanism is provided, the delay may be shorter, but under all circumstances a certain period of time should be calculated into the delay function such that the user will not have the feeling that the toilet seat or lid is closing while the person is still using the toilet.

In a further advantageous embodiment of the invention the closure mechanism is op¬ erable for seats and/or lids opening more than 90 degrees from the closed position in contact with the toilet bowl to an open rest position, such that, as the seat and/or lid is opened, the rotation causes the first rotatable member to rotate, which rotation is trans- lated into an axial displacement of the first axially displaceable member by means of a longitudinal slit having a predetermined pitch in the axial direction arranged in the first rotatable member, in which slit a notch integral with the first axially displaceable member is displaceably arranged, such that as the seat and/or lid is opened the first displaceable member is axially translated whereby the resilient member is compressed, and when the seat and/or lid is to close, the energy stored in the compressed resilient member forces the axially displaceable member to be displaced axially, whereby the notch forces the first rotatable member to rotate which via the interface means urges the lid and/or seat past the 90 degree angle, whereby the lid and/or seat may close in¬ fluenced by gravity.

In the situations where the toilet seat and lid are pivoted more than 90 degrees, gravity will influence the seat and lid such that as a user leaves the toilet, the seat and lid will remain open due to the force of gravity. Therefore, by providing the resilient member with a pre-load which is provided by pivoting the seat and/or lid from a closed posi- tion to an open position, this pre-load may be used to move the toilet seat and/or lid past the 90 degree point such that gravity will bring the seat and/or lid down into the closing position.

In a further advantageous embodiment, a delay is built in, such that after the seat and/or lid is to close or is released from the locking arrangement, the resilient member will displace the first axially displaceable member and thereby the notch along the slit, where the first section of the slit is parallel to the axial displacement direction, where the delay may be controlled by one or a combination of the following: the length of the linear section of the slit, the resiliency characteristics of the resilient member, the vol¬ ume of liquid which has to be replaced in the hydraulically operated damper, the vis¬ cosity of the liquid, the pitch of the slit.

In order to not close the toilet seat and/or lid too rapidly after a user has left the instal¬ lation, the invention in a further embodiment as described above provides the closing mechanism with a delay such that after the seat or lid has been released, a period of time will pass before the closing movement of the toilet seat and lid is initiated. The delay may be predetermined such that during the construction process of the automatic closing mechanism, a certain predetermined delay time is built into the mechanism. The advantages of this is the fact that all the parts necessary in order to operate the system may be sealed off inside the housing as explained above.

The disadvantage is of course that a user may not predetermine the delay according to personal wishes, but tests have indicated that by building in delays of between two minutes and up to 15 minutes, most users have no need for adjusting the delays differ¬ ently.

The delay may be controlled by selecting a resilient member, for example in the shape of a helical spring, where the spring constant is such that as the first axially displace¬ able member is urged towards the rotatable member, a certain period will pass before the pressure in the hydraulic fluid is such that rotation of the rotatable member will occur. Also, other parameters such as the volume of liquid which needs to be dis¬ placed before the axial displacement is translated into a rotational movement, or the channels through which the liquid is flowing, and/or the characteristics of a built in hydraulic dampener may all be selected such that the delay may have a certain length of time.

In a still further advantageous embodiment of the invention, the rotational speed of the first rotational member, and thereby the closing speed of the seat and/or lid, may be controlled by one or a combination of the following: the pitch of the slit, the resiliency characteristics of the resilient member, the volume of liquid which has to be replaced in the hydraulically operated damper, the viscosity of the liquid, the pitch of the slit, the size of the apertures the liquid has to flow through. Once the actual hosing of the seat and lid is initiated, the closing should occur as fast as possible. One aspect, how¬ ever, which needs to be considered is the closing speed when the seat/lid impacts the rim of the toilet bowl. For this purpose, a damper or a breaking mechanism should be built into the system such that a controlled and controllable movement of the seat and/or lid is assured.

In a further advantageous embodiment, the interface means also has a hinge function, such that the closure mechanism may be deactivated. This inventive aspect is foreseen in cases where, for one reason or another, it is desirable to be able to maintain the seat and lid in an open position for a longer period of time without having to place a load on neither the seat nor the lid. This may for example be the case during cleaning, maintenance work or the like, where access to the toilet bowl is desirable.

Description of the Drawing

The invention will now be described with reference to the accompanying drawing, where

fig. 1 illustrates a side view of a toilet seat, fig. 2 illustrates a perspective view of a toilet seat, fig. 3 illustrates a cross-section through the automatic closure mechanism in a first closed position, fig. 4 illustrates a cross-section through the automatic closure mechanism in a second open position, fig. 5 illustrates an exploded view of a closure mechanism according to the inven¬ tion, fig. 6 illustrates a schematic complete toilet.

Detailed Description of the Invention

In fig. 1, a side view of a toilet seat 1 and a lid 2 attached to an automatic closure mechanism 3 according to the invention is illustrated. The toilet bowl is not illustrated, only indicated by the schematic plate 4.

In fig. 2, the same construction is illustrated where it may be seen that the inventive automatic closure mechanism 3 is substantially "invisible" in the entire seat/lid con¬ struction.

In the embodiments illustrated in fig. 1 and 2, the toilet seat and lid are equipped with an easy, click-on system such that the seat 1 and lid 2 may be removed from the hinge/automatic closure mechanism 3 by pushing the button 5, whereafter the seat and lid may be removed from the toilet bowl, and only the automatic closure mechanism remains bolted onto the toilet bowl. This is designed in order to facilitate cleaning around and behind the toilet seat and lid, and furthermore in order to easily be able to renovate or replace a seat and lid construction.

Turning to fig. 3, a cross-section through the inventive automatic closure mechanism according to the invention is illustrated.

A housing 6 is provided, which housing contains all the operable parts of the auto¬ matic closure mechanism. The housing 6 may be made from any suitable material such as for example aluminium, steel, plastics and the like. In this embodiment, an interior sleeve 7 is provided which is not able to rotate in relation to the housing 6. In the sleeve, a slit is provided (not illustrated) in which a notch 8 being an integral part of the first axially displaceable member 9 is arranged. In either end of the automatic clo¬ sure mechanism 3 an interface 10 is provided into which a seat and/or lid construction may be attached. As the seat or lid is pivoted, the interface will transfer the rotational movement to the first rotational member 11. This rotation may, for example by means of a thread 12 or a thread-like structure in the first axially displaceable member 9, re¬ sult in the axially displaceable member 9 being axially displaced in relation to the first

rotational member 11. The transferral is by means of notches 13 provided in the rota¬ tional member 11.

In the embodiment illustrated in fig. 3, the automatic closure device is illustrated in the position where the seat and lid are in the closed position. The resilient member, here in the shape of a helical spring, is in its uncompressed stage.

As the seat and lid are moved from an open rest position, i.e. the lid and the seat are pivoted away from the toilet bowl, into a position for downwards movement due to the influence of gravity, a dampening mechanism 15 is built into the automatic closure arrangement such that the impact of the seat and lid on the toilet rim may be limited in order to provide a smooth closing.

Turning to the inventive locking arrangement, the arrangement operates by applying a weight to the automatic closure assembly, for example by persons sitting on the seat, whereby the hinge and thereby the automatic closure mechanism will be moved downwards in the direction of the arrow 16. In this embodiment, the locking arrange¬ ment comprises two locking members 20,21 which at the same time as functioning as locking members act as the fastening means for attaching the automatic closure mechanism to the toilet bowl.

The locking members 20,21 are arranged inside circular flanges 22,23 provided inte¬ gral with the housing 6. Between the housing 6 and the locking members 20,21 a resil¬ ient member in the shape of a helical spring 24 is arranged.

The tips of the locking members 20,21 may penetrate the housing through apertures provided in connection with the round flanges 22,23 such that the tips 25 due to the movement of the automatic closure assembly in the downwards direction 16 may pro¬ ject inside the housing 6. hi the first rotatable member 11 and a corresponding receiv- ing member 26 provided inside the housing, the tip 25 of the locking members may engage the rotatable member and the receiving member 26 such that the rotating member is not able to rotate. As soon as the weight is removed from the automatic

closure assembly, the rotatable member 11 will be released from the engagement with the tip 25 of the locking member 20, 21 such that the rotatable member 11 may rotate.

Turning to fig. 4, a situation is illustrated where the axially displaceable member 9 is fully extended whereby the helical spring 14 is fully compressed. In this situation, the helical spring will urge the axially displaceable member 9 towards the right in the fig¬ ure. This movement will cause the rotatable member 11 to rotate, and thereby urge the seat 1 and the lid 2 to begin their closing motion. The rotatable member 11 will be free to rotate in that the weight has been removed from the closure mechanism such that the tips 25 of the locking members 20,21 are moved out of engagement with the ro¬ tatable member 11 and the receiving member 26 due to the influence of the resilient springs 24.

Inside the coaxial space provided inside the axially displaceable member 9, a hydraulic damper unit 30 is arranged. The hydraulic damper unit serves to dampen the motion of the seat and/or Hd such that a smooth and controlled movement, especially during closuring of the seat/lid, is provided. Although the hydraulic damper unit 30 in this embodiment is illustrated as a separate unit, the hydraulic dampening facility may be built into, and thereby be integral with, the axially displaceable member 9 and/or the rotatable member 11.

Turning to fig. 5, an exploded view of the automatic closure mechanism is illustrated. The assembly of the parts illustrated in the exploded view of the fig. 5 are described above with reference to figs. 3 and 4.

In fig. 6, a toilet 31 is schematically illustrated. In the closed position, the seat and lid will theoretically be in a plane as indicated by 32. As the seat and lid are opened, they will pivot about the automatic closure mechanism which is coaxial with the hinges which schematically corresponds to point 33. In their open position, they will have a rest position corresponding to the plane 34. hi this position, gravity will urge the seat and lid towards the right-hand side illustrated in fig. 6. The automatic closure mecha¬ nism will, when activated as described above, pivot the seat and lid in this example approximately 20 degrees towards the left into the position illustrated by 35. When

closing, the seat and lid will be forced towards 32 by the influence of gravity such that a complete closing will occur. In order to provide a smooth closing, a dampening unit as described above may act on the seat and lid such that a smooth and controlled clos¬ ing of lid and seat may occur.

The angles indicated in fig. 6 and described above may vary depending on the toilet make. The automatic closure mechanism may be designed to operate at larger or shal¬ lower angles by for example using alternative helical springs 14, hydraulic dampeners 30, hydraulic fluids etc. Also, the weight of the seat and lid has an influence on the closure mechanism, but may also be adjusted by providing springs, dampeners and the like which are suitable for the purpose.