TOILET SEAT HOLDER

Abstract

The present invention discloses a lifting mechanism for a seat of a toilet, where at least part of the mechanism may be concealed. The lifting mechanism may enable maintaining the toilet seat in a lifted position, where the seat is adjacent to the cover of the toilet and substantially perpendicular to the rim of the toilet bowl, for the improved comfort, convenience, and hygiene of a user. According to embodiments of the invention, the lifting mechanism may comprise at least one of: (i) toilet seat holders connected to the back interior parts of the seat and bowl of the toilet enabling to maintain the seat in a lifted position as long as no substantial weight is applied upon the seat (e.g. the user's body weight when sitting upon the seat); (ii) delay mechanism enabling to delay and slow down the momentum of the lifting of the seat.

Description

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS

This application claims the benefit under 35 U.S.C. § 119(e) of U.S. Provisional Patent Application No. 60/874,647 filed on Jan. 29, 2007, the content of which is incorporated by reference herein.

FIELD OF THE INVENTION

The present invention generally relates to the field of toilet seats and more specifically, the present invention relates to lifting mechanisms for toilet seats.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

A toilet seat is usually lowered and lifted manually by its users to fit the users' comfort of use. The lifted position of the toilet seat and cover may be desirable when the toilet is not in use.

A U.S. Pat. No. 6,012,180 by Williams Larry T. discloses a pair of compound leaf springs targeted at holding a commode seat in the Lip position. The leaf springs have a primary curve for spring lifting power, a second curve to reduce friction between the seat and spring when the seat is lowered, and a third curve to act as a spring washer to hold the leaf spring in place between the seat and commode. By holding the seat in the up position unless a user wishes to lower it, the seat is less apt to be soiled when the commode is used for urination.

A patent application number WO2005102135 by Beneli Meir and Levi Shay discloses a toilet seat and lid assembly that allows automatically raising of the assembly to an upright position by using a spring based lifting mechanism that is provided on a swing center.

A patent number CN1690320 by Ji Dapeng discloses a lifting device for hoisting a back-drain toilet seat. A telescopic external pipe is mounted on the front end of vertical rod on the left side and under the lifting support, and a telescopic inner pipe is mounted in said pipe. A spring installed on the upper part which has axles for pins to connect the inner pipe and the lifting rod with pin as a whole, so the invention can save the strength by the rebound of spring, when lifting the toilet seat for drain.

A patent number CA2381453 by Yenokvian Berj discloses a strong spring at the base of a toilet seat that keeps the seat in a raised position.

A patent application number GR2000100316 by Vergis Ioannis discloses a return mechanism designed for pushing a toilet seat from a lowered to a raised opened position, where the springs are threaded along a hinge where the springs' edges are connected to a vertical piece that lifts the seat.

A patent application number US2001034900 by Aramburo Jaime discloses an apparatus for automatically raising of a toilet seat. The apparatus comprises a return spring, which is incorporated in the hinges of the toilet seat.

A patent number JP4061837 by Konishi Hideaki, Kamimnura Mashaito. Yamazaki Shigeru and Ono KKeisuke discloses a toilet device enabling a toilet seat to be lifted up by a light force and prevent the formation of large sound by the gentle lowering in returning to an original state by forming the joint part of a hinge shaft for pivotally installing a toilet seat (toilet cover) on a device body to a cylindrical part having fan-shaped and half moon shaped sectional shape, and connecting the hinge shaft by a universal joint which is urged in the direction in a lifting-up by a spring fitted on the outer periphery.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

The present invention discloses a lifting mechanism for a seat of a toilet, where at least part of the mechanism may be concealed. The lifting mechanism may enable maintaining the toilet seat in a lifted position, where the seat is adjacent to the cover of the toilet and substantially perpendicular to the rim of the toilet bowl, for the improved comfort, convenience, and hygiene of a user.

According to embodiments of the invention, the lifting mechanism may comprise at least one of: (i) toilet seat holders connected to the hack interior parts of the seat and bowl of the toilet enabling to maintain the seat in a lifted position as long as no substantial weight is applied upon the seat (e.g. the user's body weight when sitting upon the seat); (ii) delay mechanism enabling to delay and slow down the momentum of the lifting of the seat.

According to some embodiments of the invention, the lifting mechanism may comprise a holder enabling to lift the seat, where the holder may comprise:

• • a curved upper portion that enables fastening to said seat;
  • a lower portion that enables fastening to said bowl; and
  • a torsion spring threaded to the top edge of the upper portion, wherein the edges of said spring are protruding enabling to be fastened to the upper portion's cross section at one edge and to the inner side of the seat at the other edge.

According to some embodiments of the invention, the holder may enable lifting the seat and maintaining the seat in a lifted position, in which the seat is substantially perpendicular to the rim of the bowl, when no force is applied by a user to push said seat towards said rim, where the fastening of the spring's edge to the seat may enable concealing of said spring in said seat.

According to some embodiments of the invention, the holder may be substantially concealed in the inner side of the seat. The inner side of the seat may comprise at least one niche and at least one slit enabling the coil of said spring to be seated in said niche and the protruding edge of said spring to be seated in said slit. The upper portion of the holder may comprise a slit, enabling the other protruding edge of the spring to slide into the slit of said upper portion. The mechanism lower portion of the holder may enable connecting the bowl and the scat by threading into a hole carved at the bowl. In that way, the spring may be held compressed and hidden between the inner side of the seat and the bowl.

The holder may maintain the spring in a compressed position enabling the spring to maintain the lifted position, where upon applying force in order to lower the seat, the spring may be further compressed enabling to automatically return the seat to the lifted position by returning to the former position of the spring when the force is no longer applied.

According to some embodiments of the invention, the lifting mechanism may further comprise at least one delay member attached to the bottom side of the toilet seat. The delay members may enable delaying the momentum of the seat when automatically lifted upwards by the holders. The delay members may be vacuum knobs, which comprise cavities enabling to empty when pressure is applied upon them. Once the user applies force that pushes the seat against the bowl, the cavity inside the knobs may be emptied of air allowing the knobs to stick to the bowl's rim. Once the seat is lifted, the attaching of the knobs may enable delaying the lift throughout a time-interval by applying an attaching force, which may counteract the lifting force applied by the holder, until the knobs are detached from the rim of the bowl.

Additionally, according to some embodiments of the invention, the lifting mechanism may further comprise at least one shock absorber made from shock absorbing materials such as rubber, where the absorbers may be attached to the inner side of the toilet's cover to enable softening of the contact impact between the seat and the cover once the seat is lifted to the lifted position.

According to some embodiments of the invention, the holder may comprise at least two discs coaxially and adjacently threaded through the holder's upper portion rod. Each surface of each disc that faces the other disc may comprise a protrusion enabling the discs to block the holder's rotational movement when the seat is lifted, where the discs' protrusions location and size may be predefined to prevent the seat from further lilting from a predefined blocking point on.

Alternatively, according to some embodiments of the invention, the discs may not comprise a protrusion but the thickness of the encircling circumference of each disc may be un-uniform, where upon lifting of the seat the average distance between the discs diminishes up to a predefined point where the discs prevent the seat from further lifting.

Additionally, once the toilet cover is lowered to a closed position in which the cover and the seat are substantially adjacent and cover the bowl, the weight of the cover may enable overcoming the lifting force of the holder, enabling to maintain the closed position. The weight of the cover may be predefined to allow fulfilling this function.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

The subject matter regarded as the invention will become more clearly understood in light of the ensuing description of embodiments herein, given by way of example and for purposes of illustrative discussion of the present invention only, with reference to the accompanying drawings, wherein

FIG. 1 schematically illustrates a toilet seat with a lifting mechanism, according to some embodiments of the invention;

FIG. 2A and FIG. 2B schematically illustrate a side view and a bottom-front view of toilet seat holders, according to some embodiments of the invention;

FIG. 3A and FIG. 3B schematically illustrate a toilet seat lifting and hiding mechanism, according to some embodiments of the invention;

FIG. 4 schematically illustrates a bottom view of a toilet seat with a lifting mechanism, according to some embodiments of the invention; and

FIG. 5A and FIG. 5B schematically illustrate an open-cover and closed cover positions respectively, according to some embodiments of the invention.

FIG. 6 schematically illustrates a blocking mechanism for blocking of the seat's lift, according to some embodiments of the invention.

FIG. 7 schematically illustrates a blocking mechanism for blocking of the seat's lift, according to alternative embodiments of the invention.

FIG. 8 schematically illustrates adjusting means for adjusting of the toilet seat's aperture angle, according to additional embodiments of the invention.

The drawings together with the description make apparent to those skilled in the art how the invention may be embodied in practice.

An embodiment is an example or implementation of the inventions. The various appearances of “one embodiment,” “an embodiment” or “some embodiments” do not necessarily all refer to the same embodiments. Although various features of the invention may be described in the context of a single embodiment, the features may also be provided separately or in any suitable combination. Conversely, although the invention may be described herein in the context of separate embodiments for clarity, the invention may also be implemented in a single embodiment.

DESCRIPTION OF SOME EMBODIMENTS OF THE INVENTION

The present invention discloses a lifting mechanism for a seat 106 of a toilet 100, where at least part of the mechanism may be concealed. The lifting mechanism may enable maintaining the toilet seat 106 in a lifted position, where the seat 106 is adjacent to the cover 108 of the toilet 100 and substantially perpendicular to the rim of the toilet bowl 104, for the improved comfort, convenience, and hygiene of a user.

According to embodiments of the invention, the lifting mechanism may comprise at least one of: (i) toilet seat holders 200 connected to the back interior parts of the seat 106 and bowl 104 of the toilet enabling to maintain the seat 106 in a lifted position as long as no substantial weight is applied upon the seat 106 (e.g. the user's body weight when sitting upon the seat 106); (ii) delay mechanism enabling to delay and slow down the momentum of the lifting of the seat 106.

While the below description contains many specifications, these should not be construed as limitations on the scope of the invention, but rather as exemplifications of the preferred embodiments. Those skilled in the art will envision other possible variations that are within its scope. Accordingly, the scope of the invention should be determined not by the embodiment illustrated, but by the appended claims and their legal equivalents.

Reference in the specification to “one embodiment”, “an embodiment”, “some embodiments” or “other embodiments” means that a particular feature, structure, or characteristic described in connection with the embodiments is included in at least one embodiments, but not necessarily all embodiments, of the inventions. It is understood that the phraseology and terminology employed herein is not to be construed as limiting and are for descriptive purpose only.

The principles and uses of the teachings of the present invention may be better understood with reference to the accompanying description, figures and examples. It is to be understood that the details set forth herein do not construe a limitation to an application of the invention. Furthermore, it is to be understood that the invention can be carried out or practiced in various ways and that the invention can be implemented in embodiments other than the ones outlined in the description below.

It is to be understood that the terms “including”, “comprising”, “consisting” and grammatical variants thereof do not preclude the addition of one or more components, features, steps, or integers or groups thereof and that the terms are to be construed as specifying components, features, steps or integers. The phrase “consisting essentially of”, and grammatical variants thereof, when used herein is not to be construed as excluding additional components, steps, features, integers or groups thereof but rather that the additional features, integers, steps, components or groups thereof do not materially alter the basic and novel characteristics of the claimed composition, device or method.

If the specification or claims refer to “an additional” element, that does not preclude there being more than one of the additional element. It is to be understood that where the claims or specification refer to “a” or “an” element, such reference is not be construed that there is only one of that element. It is to be understood that where the specification states that a component, feature, structure, or characteristic “may”, “might”, “can” or “could” be included, that particular component, feature, structure, or characteristic is not required to be included.

Where applicable, although state diagrams, flow diagrams or both may be used to describe embodiments, the invention is not limited to those diagrams or to the corresponding descriptions. For example, flow need not move through each illustrated box or state, or in exactly the same order as illustrated and described.

Methods of the present invention may be implemented by performing or completing manually, automatically, or a combination thereof, selected steps or tasks. The term “method” refers to manners, means, techniques and procedures for accomplishing a given task including, but not limited to, those manners, means, techniques and procedures either known to, or readily developed from known manners, means, techniques and procedures by practitioners of the art to which the invention belongs. The descriptions, examples, methods and materials presented in the claims and the specification are not to be construed as limiting but rather as illustrative only.

Meanings of technical and scientific terms used herein are to be commonly understood as by one of ordinary skill in the art to which the invention belongs, unless otherwise defined. The present invention can be implemented in the testing or practice with methods and materials equivalent or similar to those described herein.

Any publications, including patents, patent applications and articles, referenced or mentioned in this specification are herein incorporated in their entirety into the specification, to the same extent as if each individual publication was specifically and individually indicated to be incorporated herein. In addition, citation or identification of any reference in the description of some embodiments of the invention shall not be construed as an admission that such reference is available as prior art to the present invention.

FIG. 2A and FIG. 2B schematically illustrate a concealed toilet scat 106 holder 200, according to some embodiments of the invention. The holder 200 may connect the toilet seat 106 to the toilet bowl 104 as illustrated in FIG. 3A. The holder 200 may enable to maintain the toilet seat 106 in a lifted position, where the lifted position is where the cover 108 and the seat 106 are opened an substantially perpendicular to one another, as illustrated in FIG. 1.

According to some embodiments if the invention, the toilet seat holder 200 may comprise:

• • an upper portion 22 which may be a curved rod;
  • a lower portion 44, which may be threaded to enable fastening the holder 200 to the toilet bowl 104 and/or to the seat 106; and
  • a coiled spring 204 that may be a torsion spring that may be threaded to the edge of the upper portion 22 to allow the tension of the spring 204 to maintain the seat 106 in a lifted position unless a substantial weight (such as the user's body weight) enables lowering it.

According to some embodiments of the invention, as illustrated in FIGS. 2A and 2B, the upper portion 22 may be connected to the lower portion 44 through a connector 202. The lower part of the upper portion 22 may be shifted from the center of the connector 202 (non-concentric) to allow connecting the upper portion 22 to predefined connecting points positioned at a predefined distance from one another in the seat 106 and the lower portion 44 to fastening parts enabling to fasten to the lower portion 44 edges, where the parts may be positioned at a predefined distance from one another that is different from the distance between the seat's 106 parts.

Alternatively, the upper portion 22 and the lower portion 44 may be jointly configured as a single piece (e.g. a single rod threaded at its tower portion 44 and curved as a hook or an angle at its upper portion 22).

According to some embodiments of the invention, as illustrated in FIG. 2A and FIG. 2B, the spring's 204 edges 205 may be protruding out of the coil to allow one edge 205 to slide into a slit 210 carved at the front cross section of the upper portion 22 of the holder 200 and the other edge 205 to slide into a track slit 409 carved at the interior side of the seat 106, as illustrated in FIG. 3B.

According to some embodiments of the invention, the threaded parts of the tower portions 44 may be threaded through holes drilled at the bowl 104 (as usually is the case in many toilet bowls 104). Each lower portion 44 may be fastened to the bowl 104 by fastening means 208 known in the art, as illustrated in FIG. 3A. The inner part of the seat 106 may comprise carved niches 408 designed to fit the circumference of the springs 204 to be seated inside the niches 408 and each protruding edge 205 to be seated in a connected slit 409 connected to each niche 408, as illustrated in FIG. 3B. By inserting the coiled springs 204 into the niches 408, the holders 200 may be effectively concealed from plain view enabling to conceal the holders 200. The concealment may facilitate in increasing the esthetic value of the toilet seat 106.

Accordingly, each holder 200 may be held fastened to the seat 106 at one end and to the bowl 104 at the other, allowing to hold the seat 106 and the bowl 104 connected. The springs 204 may be held in a compressed position where the applying of a force to lower the seat 106 (e.g. the weight of the user) may pull the strings 106 to a more compressed state enabling the strain of the compressed strings 106 to carry out the lifting of the seat 106 by relaxing back to their former position.

According to some embodiments of the invention, as illustrated in FIG. 4, at least one delay member 20 may be attached to the seat 106 enabling to delay and slow down the momentum of the seat 106 when automatically lifted upwards by the holders 200. The delay members 20 may be, for example, vacuum knobs attached to the bottom side of the seat 106 where in a sitting position, when the user applies weight upon the seat 106, the delay members 20 may be attached to the upper circumference rite of the bowl 104, where the cavity of the knob may be emptied of air allowing the delay member 20 to stick to the rim. Once the user gets up and off of the seat 106, the holders 200 may apply force to allow lifting of the seat 106 back up, where the delay members 20 may apply temporary counteracting force, by clinging to the rim of the bowl 104 enabling to delay and slow down the lifting until the delay members 20 are detached from the bowl 104 (and hence can no longer apply the counteracting delay force).

Additionally, the delay time-interval, which is an average time it take from the moment the seat 106 is lifted until the knob delay member 20 is detached from the bowl 104 rim may be predefined by the shape, depth and/or volume of the cavity inside the knob, for example. The time-interval may be defined in relation to the physical dimensions of the knob's cavity enabling to select a knob of specific dimensions according to desirable time-intervals.

Alternatively, the delay members 20 may be made from flexible materials that have a substantial relaxation time-interval so that the delay members 20 may be compressed when the user's weight is applied upon the seat 106 pushing the delay members 20 against the rim of the bowl 104 and decompressed slowly relaxing back to their stretched position until the delay members 20 can detach from the rim in a substantially full relaxed position.

Additionally, according to some embodiments of the invention, at least one shock absorber 50 may be attached to the inner side of the cover 108 to facilitate in absorbing and softening the contact impact between this side of the cover 108 and the seat 106 when the seat 106 is lifted upwards and reaches the lifted position. The absorbers 50 may be made from absorbing materials such as sponge like elastic polyesters and the like, as known in the art and may be attached to the inner side of the cover 108 that meets the seat 106 in a lifted position of the seat 106.

Additionally, according to some embodiments of the invention, the material from which the cover 108 is made may be selected to allow the assembly of the seat 106 and the cover 108 to maintain in a lowered position, as illustrated in FIG. 5B, when the user lowers the cover 108 and the seat 106 to the lowered position. This may mean that the weight of the cover 108, pushing towards the floor (due to the gravity force that the weight may apply) may be substantial enough to resist or counteract the lifting force applied by the holders 200 and maintain the assembly in the lowered closed position.

According to some embodiments of the invention, as illustrated in FIG. 1. FIG. 3A and FIG. 4, the lifting mechanism may comprise two holders 200 fastened to the bowl 108 and seat 106.

FIGS. 6-7 schematically illustrate a blocking mechanism, according to some embodiments of the invention. The blocking mechanism may comprise at least two discs 220A and 220B that may be coaxially and adjacently threaded through the holder's 200 rod of the upper portion 22. The discs 220 may be designed to enable blocking of the seat's 106 rotational movement that enables the lilting of the seat 106 to prevent the seat 106 from hitting the cover 108 or even come in contact with the cover 108 when lifted.

According to some embodiments of the invention, as illustrated in FIG. 6, the thickness of the encircling circumference of each disc 220 may be un-uniform (e.g. gradually growing from one point upon the circumference onwards). Upon automatic lifting of the seat 106 the average distance between the discs 220A and 220B may diminish up to a predefined point where the discs prevent the holder 200 from further rotating and hence prevent the seat 106 from further lilting. This point may be predefined in the mechanism defining the aperture between the seat 106 and the bowl 104 in the lifted position.

According to some embodiments of the invention, as illustrated in FIG. 7, each surface of each disc 220 that faces the other disc 220 may comprise a protrusion 221A and 221B enabling the discs 220A and 220B to block the holder's 200 rotational movement when lifting the seat 106. The protrusions 221A and 221B location and size may be predefined to prevent the seat 106 from further lifting from a predefined blocking point on, for example, to prevent the seat 106 from reaching and touching the cover 108 when lifted to the maximal aperture of the lifted position.

Additionally, adjusting means 225 may be added to the discs 220, as illustrated in FIG. 8, to allow adjusting the position in which the seat 106 may be blocked from liking by, for example, attaching the discs 220A and 220B therefore increasing the friction between them. For example, at least one screw button as the adjusting means 225 threaded through the discs 220A and 220B and through the seat 106 and cover 108 enabling the user to secure the screw, for example, or loosen it according to the desirable friction between the discs 220A and 220B and the desirable maximal aperture angle between the seat 106 and cover 108. The user may define the aperture of the toilet seat 106 in the lifted position by enabling to tighten the discs 220 to one another by securing the adjusting means 225.

According to some embodiments of the invention, the lifting mechanism may enable removing the seat 106, the cover 108 or both from one another and/or from the bowl 104 to facilitate the user in cleaning the assembly of seat 106 and cover 108 and the bowl 104.

According to some embodiments of the invention the adjusting means 225 may additionally connect the cover 108 the discs 220 and the seat 106 to one another.

While the invention has been described with respect to a limited number of embodiments, these should not be construed as limitations on the scope of the invention, but rather as exemplifications of some of the preferred embodiments. Those skilled in the art will envision other possible variations, modifications, and applications that are also within the scope of the invention. Accordingly, the scope of the invention should not be limited by what has thus far been described, but by the appended claims and their legal equivalents.

Claims

1. A lifting mechanism for a toilet, wherein said toilet comprises a toilet bowl, a toilet seat and a cover.

said lifting mechanism comprising at least one toilet seat holder, wherein said holder comprises: a curved upper portion that enables fastening to said seat; a lower portion that enables fastening to said bowl; and a torsion spring threaded to the top edge of said upper portion, wherein the edges of said spring are protruding enabling to be fastened to the upper portion's cross section at one edge and to the inner side of the seat at the other edge;

wherein said holder enables lifting of said seat and maintaining said seat in a lifted position in which said seat is substantially perpendicular to the rim of the bowl, when no force is applied by a user to push said seat towards said rim and

wherein said fastening of said spring's edge to the seat enables concealing of said spring in said seat.

2. The mechanism of claim 1 wherein the inner side of said seat comprises at least one niche and at least one slit enabling the coil of said spring to be seated in said niche and the protruding edge of said spring to be seated in said slit,

wherein said upper portion of said holder comprises a sit, enabling the other protruding edge of the spring to slide into said slit of said upper portion.

3. The mechanism of claim 2 wherein said fastening of said holder enables connecting said howl to said seat by threading said lower portion into a hole carved at said bowl.

4. The mechanism of claim 3 wherein at least one fastening means enables securing the lower portions to the bowl.

5. The mechanism of claim 1 wherein said fastening of said holder maintains said spring in a compressed position enabling said spring to maintain the lifted position, wherein upon applying force to lower said seat, said spring is further compressed enabling to return the seat to the lifted position by returning to the former position of the spring when said force is no longer applied.

6. The mechanism of claim 1 wherein said upper portion and lower portion of said holder are jointly configured as a single piece designed as a single rod that is curved at the upper portion edge.

7. The mechanism of claim 1 wherein said upper portion is connected to said lower portion through a connector, wherein said connector enables the upper portion to be non-concentric with the bottom part of the lower portion.

8. The mechanism of claim 1 further comprises at least one delay member attached to the bottom side of the toilet seat, wherein said delay member enables delaying the momentum of said seat when automatically lifted upwards by said holder.

9. The mechanism of claim 8 wherein said at least one delay member is vacuum knob, wherein once the user applies force that pushes the seat against the bowl, a cavity inside said knob is emptied of air allowing said attachment

and wherein once the seat is lifted, the attaching of the knob enables delaying said lift throughout a time-interval by applying an attaching force which counteracts the lifting force of said holder, until said knob is detached from said rim.

10. The mechanism of claim 1 further comprises of at least one shock absorber made from shock absorbing materials, wherein said absorber is attached to the inner side of the cover to enable softening of the contact impact between said seat and said cover once the seat is lifted to the lifted position.

11. The mechanism of claim 1 further comprises at least two discs coaxially and adjacently threaded through the holder's rod where each surface of each disc that faces the other disc comprises a protrusion enabling the discs to block the holder's rotational movement when the seat is lifted, wherein the discs' protrusions location and size is predefined to prevent the seat from further lifting from a predefined blocking point on.

12. The mechanism of claim 1 further comprises at least two discs coaxially and adjacently threaded through the holder's rod where the thickness of the encircling circumference of each disc is un-uniform, wherein the discs prevent the seat from further lifting from a predefined lifting aperture by blocking one another when reaching.

13. The mechanism of claim 1 further comprises at least two discs at each side of the seat coaxially and adjacently threaded through the holder's rod and at least one adjusting means inserted through said discs enabling to adjust the aperture between the seat and the bowl by tightening of said discs using said adjusting means.

14. The mechanism of claim 13 wherein said adjusting means is additionally threaded through said seat and said cover enabling to fasten said cover to said seat.

15. A delay member attached to the bottom side of a toilet seat, wherein said toilet seat is attached to a lifting mechanism enabling to lift the seat to a lifted position wherein said delay member enables delaying the momentum of said seat when automatically lifted upwards by said mechanism.

16. The delay member of claim 15 wherein once the toilet cover is lowered to a closed position in which said cover and seat are substantially adjacent and cover the bowl, the weight of said cover enables overcoming the lifting force of said holder, enabling to maintain said closed position.

17. The delay member of claim 16 wherein is a vacuum knob, wherein once the user applies force that pushes the seat against the bowl of the toilet, a cavity inside said knob is emptied of air allowing said attachment

and wherein once the seat is lifted, the attaching of the knob enables delaying said lift throughout a time-interval, which is an average time from the moment the seat is lifted until said knob is detached from the bowl rim,

wherein said knob applies an attaching force, which counteracts the lifting force of said holder, until said knob is detached from said rim.

18. The delay member of claim 17 wherein said time-interval is defined in relation to the physical dimensions of the knob's cavity enabling to select a knob with a cavity of specific dimensions according to a desirable time-interval.