(1) FIELD OF THE INVENTION

THIS INVENTION relates to a dual child and adult toilet seat.

(2) PRIOR ART

Conventional toilet seats have a seat suitable for an adult and a hinged cover. The size of the hole in the seat is such that it is difficult, if not impossible, for children to use the toilet seat. The fear of falling into the toilet bowl can cause many children to suffer anxiety when using the toilet. While inserts may be fitted to the adult seat to enable use by children, they are cumbersome and must be stored separately.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

It is an object of the present invention to provide a child's seat in a toilet seat assembly.

It is a preferred object to provide such a seat which can be swung upwardly out of use when the toilet is used by an adult.

It is a further preferred object to provide such a seat which does not require any modification to the toilet bowl (or cistern). Other preferred objects of the present invention will become apparent from the following description.

In a broad aspect the present invention resides in a dual child and adult toilet seat assembly including: a base mountable on a toilet bowl; an adult toilet seat hingedly mounted on the base and operable to support an adult above a toilet bowl; a lid or cover hingedly mounted on the base

and operable to cover the adult toilet seat in a lowered position and allow access to the adult toilet seat in a raised position; wherein: a child's toilet seat is hingedly mounted on the base and is interposed between the adult toilet seat and the lid and operable, in a lowered position, to engage the adult toilet seat to support a child above the toilet bowl; and, in a raised position, to allow access to the adult toilet seat. The base may comprise a single frame, or a pair of sub-frames, releasably securable to the toilet bowl by suitable fasteners (eg stud and wing nut). The seat and lid may be hingedly connected to the base by a rod or a pair of pivot pins engageable in the base. The adult toilet seat preferably has a substantially planar body, about an ogival shaped hole, with down turned edge flanges, to be supported by the rim of the toilet bowl in its lowered position.

Preferably the child toilet seat is of a similar shape but of reduced dimensions and rests on the adult toilet seat in its lowered position.

Preferably the cover overlies both seats in its lowered position.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION To enable the invention to be fully understood, reference will be made to the accompanying drawings, in which:

FIG. 1 is a perspective view showing a first embodiment of the seat assembly fitted to a toilet unit; FIG. 2 is an underside perspective view of the seat assembly with the child seat lowered for use;

FIG. 3 is a similar view with the child seat raised;

FIG. 4 is a part section side view of the seat assembly and toilet unit;

FIG. 5 is a part sectional side view of a second embodiment of the seat assembly;

FIGS. 6 and 7 are respective top and underside perspective views of the second embodiment of the seat assembly with the child seat lowered for use; and

FIG. 8 is an underside view of the second embodiment with the child seat raised.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT

A conventional toilet unit 10 (see FIGS. 1 and 4) has a pedestal 11, with a bowl portion 12, and a flushing cistern 13. The bowl portion 12 has a rim 14, which assists in directing the flush of water from the cistern 13 into the bowl portion 12.

The pedestal 11 has a rearwardly diverted flange 15, with holes 16, to mount a pair of stud and wing nut assemblies 17 to releasably secure the seat assembly 20 to the pedestal 11.

Referring to FIGS. 2 to 4, the components of the seat assembly 20 are moulded in plastics. A base 21 overlies the flange 15 and has sockets 22, 23 to receive the stud and wing nut assemblies 17 to secure the seat assembly 20 to the pedestal 11.

An adult toilet seat 24 has a substantially planar body 25 around a substantially ogival shaped hole 26. Inner and outer flanges 27, 28 on the body 25 are arranged inside and outside of the rim 14 of the pedestal 11 when the adult seat 24 is lowered. A pair of rearwardly extending wings 29, 30 enable the adult seat to be hingedly connected to the base 21. A child seat 31 has a similar configuration to the adult seat 24 but the hole 32 therethrough is smaller than hole 26 and the outer flange 33 is arranged to be supported by the body 25 of adult seat 24 when the child seat 31 is in the lowered position (see FIG. 5). Rearwardly extending wings 34, 35 also enable the child

seat 31 to be hingedly mounted on the body 21.

The lid 36 is arranged to overlie the seats 24, 31 when lowered its outer flange 37 enclosing the seats 24, 31. Wings 38, 39 enable it to be hingedly mounted on the base 21.

Integral pivot pins (not shown) on the wings 38, 39 on the lid, secured by clips 40, pass through the wings 28, 29 and 34, 35 on the seats 24, 31 to hingedly mount the seats on the base 21. By raising or lowering the child seat 31, the toilet unit 10 can be comfortably used by an adult or a child.

Referring now to FIGS. 5 to 8, the seat assembly 120 has an adult seat 124, child seat 131 and lid 136, where the hole 126 in seat 124 is larger than hole 132 in seat 131.

A rod 140 hingedly secures the seats 124, 131 and the lid 136 to the two base members 121 (with their respective sockets 122 for engagement by the stud and wing nut assemblies 117). It will be noted that the wing 134 on the child seat 131 is received intermediate of the wings 134, 139 on the lid 136, and the wings 129, 130 on the adult seat 124.

In its lowered position, the lid 136 encloses the child seat 131, and partially encloses the adult seat 124 (see FIG. 5).

The present invention provides a simple, efficient means for providing both adult and child seats for a toilet unit, without requiring modification of the pedestal 11 or cistern 13 and so is readily adaptable to existing units.

Various changes and modifications may be made to the embodiment without departing from the present invention defined by the appended claims.