Raised Toilet Seat

This invention concerns improvements in or relating to raised toilet seats.

Raised toilet seats are mountable or locatable on toilets to increase the height at which a person sits on a toilet. Such items are particularly used by the elderly to avoid having to lower themselves down onto a toilet and subsequently to raise themselves from a lowered position, which latter step in particular can involve significant difficulties. It is desirable for raised toilet seats to meet a number of criteria. These criteria include that the seat is readily cleanable, able to support heavy persons, and also usable on a wide range of different types and sizes of toilets.

A number of prior arrangements have been provided. These have included plastics material mouldings where two pieces have been joined together. Problems may be encountered with the join between the two pieces, and especially if during use material enters into the moulding through the join. Other prior arrangements have required supporting ribs which can be problematic to clean.

According to the present invention there is provided a raised toilet seat assembly, the assembly including a body with an upper surface upon which a person can sit, three mounting areas provided on the body, and three adjustable mounting arrangements fixed to the body respectively at the three mounting areas and extending from the body to be engageable with a toilet bowl; the mounting areas including hollow sealed cavities, a lower surface engageable on top of a toilet bowl, and a recess to receive part of the respective mounting arrangement.

The body may have side walls extending downwardly from the upper surface defining a downwardly open space beneath the upper surface save for where the mounting areas are provided. The body may be configured without any supporting ribs extending across the spaces beneath the upper surface.

Each mounting arrangement may include an engagement member engageable against the outside of a toilet bowl, and adjustment means permitting the engagement member to be selectively movable towards or away from the body to a required position to engage with a particular toilet size and shape.

The adjustment means may each include a thread provided in the mounting area recess, and the engagement members may each be mounted to a respective adjustment member which is threadingly engageable with a respective mounting arrangement thread to permit adjustment of the position of the engagement members by rotation of the adjustment member.

One or more of the adjustment members may be manually rotatable to adjust the position of the respective engagement member. One or more of the adjustment members may include an engagement formation such that the adjustment member can be rotated using a corresponding key member which is engageable in an engagement formation on the adjustment member.

A lid may be provided beatable over the body. Female formations may be provided on the body, with respective male formations on the lid engageable with the female formations to permit the lid to be selectively mounted on the body. The female formations may initially be provided with push out sections, which sections can be removed from the remainder of the body if it is required to use the lid.

A recess may be provided in the front of the upper surface of the body. A recess may be provided in the rear of the upper surface of the body to receive the coccyx of a person.

The body may be provided as a single moulding, and the mounting areas may be formed by gas injection moulding. The threads on the mounting arrangement recesses may be formed by moulding.

In an alternative embodiment each mounting area may include an insert mountable to the remainder of the assembly, the insert defining the recess. The insert may be formed by injection moulding.

The invention also provides a method of forming a raised toilet seat assembly according to any of the preceding nine paragraphs, the method including forming the body by injection moulding, with the mounting areas being formed by gas injection moulding.

Embodiments of the present invention will now be described by way of example only and with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which:-

Fig. 1 is a diagrammatic perspective view of the body of a first raised toilet seat assembly according to the invention;

Fig. 2 is a diagrammatic side view of the assembly of Fig. 1 mounted on a toilet;

Fig. 3 is a diagrammatic perspective view from above of the assembly of Fig. 1 ;

Fig. 4 is a diagrammatic perspective view from beneath of the assembly of Fig. 1 ;

Fig. 5 is a diagrammatic perspective view from beneath of the body of Fig. 1;

Fig. 6 is a diagrammatic cross sectional view of part of the assembly of Fig. 1 ;

Fig. 7 is a diagrammatic perspective view from above of a further part of the assembly of Fig. 1 ;

Fig. 8 is a diagrammatic perspective view from below of said further part of the assembly of Fig. 1 ;

Fig. 9 is a diagrammatic perspective view from beneath of the body of a second raised toilet seat assembly according to the invention; and

Fig. 10 is a further diagrammatic perspective view from beneath of the assembly of Fig. 9.

Figs. 1 to 8 of the drawings show a first raised toilet seat assembly 10 including a body 12 and three mounting arrangements 14. The arrangements

14 are substantially equispaced around the body 12, with a front mounting arrangement 16, and two substantially identical side mounting arrangements

18 towards the rear of the body, one on each side thereof.

The body 12 is formed as a single moulding by injection moulding and has an upper surface 20 surrounding an opening 22. The upper surface 20 has a shape generally similar to the shape of the top of a conventional toilet bowl, whilst the opening 22 has a shape generally similar to the opening in a conventional toilet bowl. A recess 24 is provided in the front of the upper surface to permit a person to clean themselves whilst still seated. A further recess 26 is provided extending from the opening 22 rearwardly at the rear of

the upper surface 20 to receive the coccyx of a person sitting on the assembly 10.

An outer side wall 28 extends downwardly from the upper surface 20 to define the perimeter of the body 12. An inner side wall 30 extends downwardly from the inner edge of the upper surface 20 to define the opening

22. The inner side wall 30 extends a little lower than the outer side wall 28, to guard against splashes entering beneath the upper surface 20. A downwardly open clear space 32 is defined between the outer and inner walls 28, 30 except for where the mounting arrangements 14 are provided.

Each mounting arrangement 14 includes a closed hollow cavity 34 formed by gas injection moulding, with the lower edge of the cavity 34 level with the lower edge of the outer wall 28. A radial recess 36 is provided on the underside of each cavity 34, with lower lips 38 defining a radial channel 40. A threaded formation 42 is provided extending downwardly in the recess 36 part way along the length thereof. The threaded formation 42 is formed during moulding of the body 12 and comprises an arcuate downwardly facing threaded portion.

The mounting arrangements 14 also include a downwardly extending mounting member. In the case of the front arrangement 16 the mounting member 44 has a generally crescent shape, but with a straight upper edge. An over moulded resilient portion 46 is provided on the rear facing side of the mounting member 44. The mounting members 48 of the side arrangements 18 comprise downwardly extending arcuate section fingers with a resilient over moulding 50 on the inner side.

The mounting members 44, 48 are selectively movable towards or away from the body 12 to permit engagement on the outside of a toilet bowl as illustrated in Fig. 2. Each of the mounting members 44, 48 extends from a slider member 52 which slidingly locates within the channel 40. The slider

member 52 rotatably mounts an adjustment member which is threadingly engageable with the threaded part 42 such that rotation of the adjustment member slidingly moves the respective mounting member 44, 48 radially. For the front mounting 16 the adjustment member is in the form of a bolt member 54 rotatable by an appropriate key. The side arrangements 18 each include an adjustment member in the form of a bolt 56 with an enlarged head 58 which can be manually rotated.

A lid 60 is provided to selectively close the opening 22 and cover the upper surface 20. Two female formations 62 are provided towards the rear edge of the upper surface 20 and corresponding threaded male formations 63 on the underside of the lid 60 can locate therein. The female formations are initially provided with press out members 64 as shown in Fig. 5 which can be pushed out of the formation 62 if the lid 60 is to be fitted. Otherwise the ^' members 64 can be retained in the formation 62 to maintain a continuous upper surface 20. The female formations 62 also include internally threaded cylindrical members 65 in which the male formations 63 are engageable. A cruciform engagement formation is provided on the lower end in use of the cylindrical members 65, with which a tool 67 is engageable to rotate the cylindrical members 65 relative to the male formations 63. A tab 66 is provided on the front of the lid 60 to facilitate manual engagement therewith.

There is thus described a raised toilet seat assembly with a number of advantageous aspects. As indicated above the assembly 10 can be fitted to a wide range of different shapes and sizes of toilets by appropriate location of the mounting members 44, 48 as described above. The single moulding of the body 10 with an absence of supporting ribs, and with the hollow cavities 34, provides for a very strong arrangement, and one which can be readily cleaned. Ribs are not required which avoids locations where dirt can often become trapped.

Figs. 9 and 10 show a further assembly 70 with a body 72, which is similar to the body 12 except as follows. Here the hollow cavities 74 of the mounting arrangements 76 are not gas injection moulded but are cored out and open when inverted as shown in these figures. Above each cavity 74 a gas injection moulded insert 78 is located which defines the radial channels 80, and the threaded formations 82 are provided therein.

On the outside of the inserts 78 dove tail section formations 84 engage with corresponding formations 86 on the main moulding 88 of the body 72. A resilient projection 90 is provided on the inside of a radially outer flange 92 on the inserts 78. The projection 90 is engageable with an opening 94 on the outer face of the main moulding 88, to retain the insert 78 thereon.

It is to be realised that various other modifications may be made without departing from the scope of the invention. For instance, different adjustment members may be provided, and these could all be manually adjustable, or all adjustable by a key. The mounting member may take a different form, and if required more than three of these could be provided.

Whilst endeavouring in the foregoing specification to draw attention to those features of the invention believed to be of particular importance it should be understood that the Applicant claims protection in respect of any patentable feature or combination of features hereinbefore referred to and/or shown in the drawings whether or not particular emphasis has been placed thereon.