Child's Potty Ring
A potty ring for a child includes a seat ring, a first opening, at least one second opening, and an adjustable handle. The seat ring has a front portion and a rear portion, and is configured to rest upon a toilet seat. The first opening is centrally disposed on the seat ring between the front portion and the rear portion. The second opening is disposed on the rear portion of the seat ring and is sized smaller than the first opening. The adjustable handle is movably disposed within the at least one second opening and contains at least one engagement leg. The adjustable handle is movable between a raised position and a lowered position. In the lowered position, the at least one engagement leg is configured to engage the inner surface of a toilet seat. In the raised position, the at least one engagement leg is configured to be disengaged from the toilet seat.
This application claims priority to and is based on U.S. Patent Application No. 61/782,745, filed Mar. 14, 2013, Attorney Docket No. 0621.2138P, entitled “Child's Potty Ring,” the entire disclosure of which is incorporated herein by reference in its entirety.
FIELD OF THE INVENTIONThe present invention relates to a child's potty ring that is configured to attach to a standard toilet seat. More specifically, the present invention is a child's potty ring with slidable engagement legs for releasably engaging the toilet seat of a toilet.
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTIONVarious types of potty rings exist for children who are not large enough to use the normal toilet seat of a toilet. These potty rings attach to toilet seats in a number of ways. However, most attach to the toilet seat using complex securing mechanisms that are both costly and difficult to clean. These potty rings may require a sufficient amount of time to properly clean and maintain. Properly cleaning and maintaining a potty ring is essential to prevent the spread of bacteria and viruses in the bathroom, especially for young children with developing immune systems. Additionally, the more complex the securing mechanism, the harder it is for parents to reassemble and use after cleaning. Furthermore, potty rings that attach to the toilet seat using simpler securing mechanisms may not provide adequate safety precautions for preventing the potty ring from moving while in use. With these types of potty rings, a child could easily shift their weight to one side or another, causing movement of the potty ring on the toilet seat.
Therefore, what is needed is potty ring that easily attaches to and detaches from the toilet seat of a toilet. Furthermore, what is needed is a simple mechanism that securely holds the potty ring in place on the toilet seat. Moreover, what is needed is a potty ring and securing mechanism that is sanitary and easy to clean and maintain. Finally, what is needed is a potty ring that is relatively inexpensive but still effective in use.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTIONAccording to one exemplary embodiment, the present invention includes a potty ring including a seat ring with a front and a rear, an opening disposed in the seat ring between the front and rear of the seat ring, at least one aperture disposed proximate to the rear of the seat ring, and an adjustable handle slidably disposed within the at least one aperture. In addition, the adjustable handle contains at least one engagement leg. Furthermore, the adjustable handle is configured to slide between a raised configuration and a lowered configuration. In the raised configuration, the engagement leg is configured to be disengaged from the inner edge of the toilet seat of the toilet. When the adjustable handle is in the lowered configuration, the engagement leg is configured to engage the inner edge of the toilet seat of the toilet.
Like reference numerals have been used to identify like elements throughout this disclosure.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTIONReferring to
As illustrated in
Turning to
In the illustrated embodiment, the first front foot 320 includes a first rounded portion 322 and a first engagement portion 324. The first rounded portion 322 provides structural support for the first front foot 320, while the first engagement portion 324 is configured to engage the toilet seat 610. The first engagement portion 324 further includes a first engagement tab 326 that latches to the bottom 612 of the toilet seat 610 (illustrated in
As further illustrated in
Illustrated in
Turning back to
Referring now to
Further illustrated in
Turning now to
The simple mechanism of a slidable adjustable handle 500 allows for easy cleaning and maintenance of the potty ring 100. A parent can simply slide the adjustable handle 500 out of the apertures 224, 226 of the rear portion 220 of the potty ring 100 to clean the potty ring 100 and adjustable handle 500 separately. As further illustrated in
Referring back to the embodiment illustrated in
It is to be understood that terms such as “left,” “right,” “top,” “bottom,” “front,” “rear,” “side,” “height,” “length,” “width,” “upper,” “lower,” “interior,” “exterior,” “inner,” “outer” and the like as may be used herein, merely describe points or portions of reference and do not limit the present invention to any particular orientation or configuration. Further, the term “exemplary” is used herein to describe an example or illustration. Any embodiment described herein as exemplary is not to be construed as a preferred or advantageous embodiment, but rather as one example or illustration of a possible embodiment of the invention.
Although the disclosed inventions are illustrated and described herein as embodied in one or more specific examples, it is nevertheless not intended to be limited to the details shown, since various modifications and structural changes may be made therein without departing from the scope of the inventions and within the scope and range of equivalents of the claims. In addition, various features from one of the embodiments may be incorporated into another of the embodiments. Accordingly, it is appropriate that the appended claims be construed broadly and in a manner consistent with the scope of the disclosure as set forth in the following claims.
Claims
1. A potty ring comprising:
- a seat ring with a front and a rear;
- a pass-through opening disposed in the seat ring;
- at least one aperture disposed on the seat ring; and
- an adjustable handle movably disposed within the at least one aperture, the adjustable handle including at least one engagement leg, wherein the adjustable handle is configured to move between a raised configuration and a lowered configuration, the at least one engagement leg being engaged with an inner edge of a toilet seat when the adjustable handle is in the lowered configuration and the at least one engagement leg being disengaged from the inner edge of the toilet seat when the adjustable handle is in the raised configuration.
2. The potty ring of claim 1, wherein the at least one engagement leg includes a tapered angled end.
3. The potty ring of claim 2, wherein the at least one engagement leg includes a co-molded material on the tapered angled end, the co-molded material being configured to frictionally engage the inner edge of the toilet seat.
4. The potty ring of claim 1, wherein the seat ring further comprises an edge having a co-molded material configured to frictionally engage a top of the toilet seat.
5. The potty ring of claim 1, wherein the seat ring includes at least one handle positioned between the front and the rear of the seat ring.
6. A potty ring comprising:
- a seat ring with a front, a rear, a top, and a bottom;
- a pass-through opening disposed in the seat ring, the pass-through opening extending between the top and the bottom of the seat ring;
- at least one foot extending downwardly from the bottom of the seat ring, the at least one foot being configured to engage an inner edge of a toilet seat;
- at least one aperture disposed proximate to the rear of the seat ring; and
- an adjustable handle movably disposed within the at least one aperture, the adjustable handle including at least one engagement leg, wherein the adjustable handle is configured to move between a raised configuration and a lowered configuration, the at least one engagement leg being engaged with the inner edge of the toilet seat when the adjustable handle is in the lowered configuration and the at least one engagement leg being disengaged from the inner edge of the toilet seat when the adjustable handle is in the raised configuration.
7. The potty ring of claim 6, wherein the at least one engagement leg includes a tapered angled end.
8. The potty ring of claim 7, wherein the at least one engagement leg includes a co-molded material on the tapered angled end, the co-molded material being configured to frictionally engage the inner edge of the toilet seat.
9. The potty ring of claim 6, wherein the seat ring further comprises an edge having a co-molded material configured to frictionally engage a top of the toilet seat.
10. The potty ring of claim 6, wherein the at least one engagement leg comprises two engagement legs.
11. The potty ring of claim 10, further including at least one foot extending from the bottom of the seat ring.
12. The potty ring of claim 11, wherein the at least one foot comprises:
- an engagement portion that includes a tab, wherein the tab is configured to latch underneath the inner edge of the toilet seat.
13. The potty ring of claim 11, wherein the at least one foot extending downwardly from the bottom of the seat ring is oriented proximate the front of the seat ring.
14. A potty ring comprising:
- a seat ring with a front and a rear;
- a pass-through opening disposed in the seat ring;
- at least one aperture disposed proximate to the rear of the seat ring; and
- an adjustable handle movably disposed within the at least one aperture, the adjustable handle including a plurality of engagement legs, wherein the adjustable handle is configured to slide between a raised configuration and a lowered configuration, the engagement legs being engaged with an inner edge of a toilet seat when the adjustable handle is in the lowered configuration and the engagement legs being disengaged from the inner edge of the toilet seat when the adjustable handle is in the raised configuration.
15. The potty ring of claim 14, wherein each of the engagement legs includes a tapered angled end.
16. The potty ring of claim 15, wherein each of the engagement legs includes a co-molded material on the tapered angled end, the co-molded material being configured to frictionally engage the inner edge of the toilet seat.
17. The potty ring of claim 14, wherein the seat ring further comprises an edge having a co-molded material configured to frictionally engage a top of the toilet seat.
18. The potty ring of claim 17, further comprising an orifice in the rear of the seat ring proximate the edge of the seat ring.
19. The potty ring of claim 18, further comprising a storage hook that is removably coupleable to a toilet and insertable through the orifice of the seat ring, the potty ring being configured to be hung from the storage hook when not in use.
20. The potty ring of claim 14, wherein the seat ring includes at least one handle positioned between the front and the rear of the seat ring.
Type: Application
Filed: Mar 11, 2014
Publication Date: Sep 18, 2014
Inventors: Juliette Marlene Welch (East Aurora, NY), Seth Galley (East Aurora, NY)
Application Number: 14/204,182