Height adjustable infant potty seat

Abstract

The present invention relates to a height adjustable infant potty seat. Specifically, the present invention relates to an invertible height adjustable infant potty seat. In one embodiment, the present invention is a height adjustable infant potty seat comprising a potty seat portion shaped to receive a child thereon and receive human waste therein, an invertible shell having an outer face and protrusions thereon, the protrusions being located on the outer face at a position not equidistant from the top and bottom of the outer face, the protrusions adapted to receive and support the potty seat portion thereon at a first height, and the invertible shell being shaped such that it may be inverted to allow the potty seat to be supported by the protrusions at a second height. In one embodiment, protrusions form a flange.

Description

FIELD OF THE INVENTION

The present invention relates to a height adjustable infant potty seat. Specifically, the present invention relates to an invertible height adjustable infant potty seat.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

Potty seats have long been used to bridge the gap between diapers and using a toilet. Potty seats help prepare teach infants and children how to use an adult toilet. The idea behind “potty training” a child is to gradually wean a child from relying on diapers for urination and bowel movements. Since a toilet may be too large and unsafe for a child, a potty seat may be used as a safe alternative.

Although a potty seat may be adequate in the early stages of potty training, a child may physically outgrow that potty seat. Sometimes a child may outgrow their potty seat before they are ready to begin using a toilet or before they can safely use a toilet. This scenario would require the purchase of a larger or taller potty seat. Alternatively, by adjusting the height of potty seat, the potty seat's effective useful lifespan could be extended. It is this exemplary scenario in which the present invention provides an improvement on the prior art.

Prior art disclosures of a height adjustable potty seat are found in many U.S. patents. Specifically, U.S. Pat. No. 4,777,672 discloses a potty seat that may be adjusted by means of a pivoting slide mechanism. U.S. Pat. No. 5,685,029 discloses a potty seat utilizing side legs that slide into corresponding slits on the base of the toilet seat to adjust the height of the potty seat. U.S. Pat. No. 5,974,598 discloses a potty seat using articulating legs to adjust the height of the potty seat. Also, U.S. Pat. No. 6,385,790 discloses a potty seat that is height adjustable using a bellows mechanism. These prior art disclosures require expensive or difficult to use mechanisms to adjust the height of potty seats. The present invention is designed to overcome the problems found in the prior art and currently on the market. Furthermore, the present invention is designed to be easily and quickly adjusted to multiple heights.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

The present invention solves the above problems by providing a height adjustable infant potty seat.

In one embodiment of the present invention, the present invention is a height adjustable infant potty seat comprising a potty seat portion shaped to receive a child thereon and receive human waste therein, an invertible shell having an outer face and protrusions thereon, the protrusions being located on the outer face at a position not equidistant from the top and bottom of the outer face, the protrusions adapted to receive and support the potty seat portion thereon at a first height, and the invertible shell being shaped such that it may be inverted to allow the potty seat to be supported by the protrusions at a second height. In one embodiment, protrusions form a flange. In another embodiment, the first height may be one-half of the second height. In another embodiment, the invertible shell includes an inner face, said inner face including structural ribs thereon. Further, the potty seat portion and invertible shell may be manufactured from a plastic material. Additionally, at least one lip may be coupled to the protrusions to further support the potty seat and prevent the potty seat from disengaging the shell.

In another embodiment of the present invention, the present invention is a height adjustable infant potty seat comprising a potty seat section adapted to support a child thereon and receive human waste therein, and a base section having an interior face, an exterior face, and protrusions coupled to the interior face or the exterior face of the base section at a position not equidistant from the top and bottom of the interior face or exterior face, the protrusions adapted to support the potty seat section. The protrusions are coupled to the interior face or the exterior face of the base section such that the potty seat is supported at a first height, and whereby inverting the base section allows the potty seat section to be supported at a second height. In one embodiment, the first height is one-half of the second height. The base section may be adapted to fit between a toilet seat and the potty seat section or a floor surface and a potty seat section. Further, the potty seat section and the base section may be manufactured from a plastic material. In another embodiment of the present invention, the invertible shell may also include structural ribs coupled to the interior face or exterior face, the structural ribs providing structural support to the base section. Additionally, at least one lip may be coupled to the protrusions to further support the potty seat section.

In yet another embodiment of the present invention, the present invention is a height adjustable infant potty seat comprising a seat section, and a cylindrical shell of fixed height adapted to support the seat section, the cylindrical shell having an outer surface equal to the height of the cylindrical shell, and a protrusion coupled to the outer surface at a position that is one-third of the height of the cylindrical shell. By inverting the cylindrical shell, the protrusion is coupled to the outer surface at a position that is two-thirds of the height of the cylindrical shell. In one embodiment, the protrusion comprises a continuous protrusion around the outer surface of the cylindrical shell. In another embodiment, the protrusion comprises a discontinuous protrusion around the outer surface of the cylindrical shell. In a further embodiment, at least one lip is coupled to the protrusion to further support the potty seat.

From the foregoing disclosure and the following detailed description of various preferred embodiments it will be apparent to those skilled in the art that the present invention provides a significant advance in the art of height adjustable infant potty seat. Additional features and advantages of various preferred embodiments will be better understood in view of the detailed description provided below.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

The present invention will be understood and appreciated more fully from the detailed description in conjunction with the following drawings in which:

FIG. 1 is a perspective view of one embodiment of the height adjustable infant potty seat.

FIG. 2 is another perspective view of one embodiment of the height adjustable infant potty seat.

FIG. 3 is a cross-section view of one embodiment of the height adjustable infant potty seat. //

FIG. 4a is a top view of one embodiment of the height adjustable infant potty seat.

FIG. 4b is a side view of one embodiment of the height adjustable infant potty seat.

It should be understood that the appended drawings are not necessarily to scale, presenting a somewhat simplified representation of various preferred features illustrative of the basic principles of the invention. All references to direction and position, unless otherwise indicated, refer to the orientation of the object illustrated in the drawings.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

It will be apparent to those skilled in the art that many uses and design variations are possible for the height adjustable infant potty seat disclosed herein. The following detailed discussion of various alternative and preferred embodiments will illustrate the general principles of the invention. Other embodiments will be apparent to those skilled in the art given the benefit of this disclosure.

FIGS. 1 through 4b illustrate various embodiments of the present invention. Some terminology used throughout this specification may need to be defined to understand the present invention more thoroughly. As used throughout this specification, the term “user” may include an adult, a child, and/or a parent. A “child” or “children” shall mean a human under the age of 18 including, but not limited to, an infant, a baby, and a minor. The term “toilet” shall mean a plumbing fixture devised for the disposal of bodily wastes. The term “potty seat” includes, but is not limited to, a standalone potty seat and a potty seat designed to temporarily sit atop a toilet. The “height” of the objects refers to the distance of that object relative to a floor or toilet. The “first height” refers to the distance between the floor and protrusions before inverting the shell. The “second height” refers to the distance between the floor and protrusions after inverting the shell. The terms “shell” and “base section” shall be interchangeable.

FIGS. 1 and 2 depict perspective views of the height adjustable infant potty seat. In these embodiments, the invention is an invertible shell 20 for supporting a potty seat 10. The invertible shell 20 is preferably shaped to sit on a floor surface. The invertible shell 20 in this embodiment supports the potty seat 10 by means of protrusions 26 coupled to the outer face 22 of the invertible shell 20. The protrusions 26 may have a lip 30 to further support the potty seat 10 by holding it in place. The protrusions 26 may be continuous such that the protrusions 26 are coupled to the shell 20 along the entire surface of the shell 20 thereby forming a flange. The protrusions 26 may also be discontinuous such that the protrusions 26 are coupled to the shell 20 intermittently along the surface of the shell 20. Additionally, the protrusions 26 may comprise discrete elements spaced around the surface of the shell 20. In one embodiment, the protrusions 26 may form a flange to support the potty seat section 10.

A typical use of the present invention may be that a user first sets the height adjustable infant potty seat on the floor. For a smaller child, the height adjustable infant potty seat may be set up such that the protrusions 26 are relatively close to the floor, or at a first height 40. In one embodiment, the term relatively close to the floor means the protrusions 26 are located one-third of the height of the invertible shell 20. In other words, the distance from the floor to the protrusions 26 are one-third the distance from the floor to the top of the invertible shell 20. Then, the user may place the potty seat section 10 on top of the invertible shell 20 such that the base of the potty seat section 10 aligns with the protrusions 26 of the invertible shell 20. The potty seat 10 is then set at one height. When a child outgrows this potty seat 10 height, a user may then remove the potty seat section 10 from the invertible shell 20 by lifting up on the potty seat section 10. As seen in FIG. 1, a user may utilize handles on the potty seat section 10 (if so equipped) to perform this step. The user may then invert the invertible shell 20. By inverting the invertible shell 20, the protrusions 26 will now be farther away from the floor, or at a second height 42. In one embodiment, being farther away from the floor means the protrusions 26 are located at two-thirds of the height of the invertible. In other words, the distance from the floor to the protrusions 26 is two-thirds the distance from the floor to the top of the invertible shell 20. The potty seat section 10 is again placed on top of the invertible shell 20 such that the base of the potty seat section 10 aligns with the protrusions 26 of the invertible shell 20. After inverting the invertible shell 20 and placing the potty seat section 10 back onto the invertible shell 20, the potty seat section 10 sits higher than its original height. The same steps could be followed when using the invertible shell 20 on top of a toilet as opposed to the floor.

It may be useful for a user to revert back to a lower height for a variety of reasons. One such reason is having multiple children using the same potty seat 10. For example, a 3 year old child and a 5 year old child may both be using the same potty seat 10 during the same time period. The 3 year old child may need the potty seat 10 to sit low for usability and safety reasons. The 5 year old child may need the potty seat 10 to sit higher for the same or other reasons. A user may quickly and easily adjust the height of the potty seat 10 to accommodate both children.

FIG. 3 depicts a cross-section view of one embodiment of the invertible shell 20. In this embodiment, the protrusions 26 are coupled to the shell 20 at approximately one-third the height of the shell 20. Therefore, when the shell 20 is inverted, the protrusions 26 will be coupled to the shell 20 at approximately two-thirds the height of the shell 20. Although the protrusions 26 are permanently fixed at the same point along the shell 20, by inverting the shell 20, the distance from the protrusions 26 to the floor changes.

Other embodiments may provide that the protrusions 26 are located at various other distances relative to the floor. One such example is where the first height 40 is 20% of the shell 20 height. Therefore, the second height 42 is 80% of the shell 20 height. In this case, after inverting the shell 20 the potty seat section 10 will be raised by a distance of 60% of the shell 20 height. In all cases, regardless of where the protrusions 26 are coupled to the shell 20, the first height 40 and second height 42 will always equal the entire height of the shell 20.

FIG. 3 also shows an embodiment of the present invention that includes a lip 30 coupled to the protrusions 26. This lip 30 helps support the potty seat 10 and helps keep the potty seat section 10 from dislodging from the protrusions 26. Basically, this lip 30 helps assure that the potty seat 10 will remain sitting atop the protrusions 26. Other embodiments may have no lip 30.

FIGS. 4a and 4b depict a top view and a side view of one embodiment of the invertible shell 20, respectively. FIGS. 4a and 4b show embodiments of the present invention that are cylindrical in nature. However, other embodiments may include other shell 20 formations and shapes such as a square, rectangle, or triangle.

Similar to FIGS. 1 and 2, FIGS. 4a and 4b include structural ribs 28. In each of these various embodiments, the structural ribs 28 provide support for forces exerted onto the shell 20. Since one embodiment of invertible shell 20 is made from plastic materials, excessive forces on the shell 20 may bend or break the shell 20. These structural ribs 28 are coupled to the shell 20 to reinforce the shell 20 to withstand such forces. Plastic materials include polypropylene or any other plastic or composite material known in the art.

Although the embodiments from FIGS. 1 through 4b depict the protrusions 26 coupled to the outer face 22 of the shell 20, other embodiments may provide protrusions 26 coupled to the inner face 24 of the shell 20.

The apparatuses, uses, and methods disclosed herein have been described without reference to specific hardware. However, the apparatuses, uses, and methods disclosed herein have been described in a manner sufficient to enable persons of ordinary skill in the art to readily adapt commercially available hardware as may be needed to reduce any of the embodiments of the present invention to practice without undue experimentation.

It will be appreciated by persons skilled in the art that the present invention is not limited to what has been particularly shown and described in herein. The scope of the present invention is defined only by the claims which follow.

Claims

1. A height adjustable infant potty seat comprising:

a potty seat portion shaped to receive a child thereon and receive human waste therein;

an invertible shell having protrusions thereon, the protrusions being located on the shell at a position not equidistant from the top and bottom of the shell, the protrusions adapted to receive and support the potty seat portion thereon at a first height; and

the invertible shell being shaped such that it may be inverted to allow the potty seat to be supported by the protrusions at a second height.

2. The height adjustable infant potty seat of claim 1 wherein the protrusions form a flange.

3. The height adjustable infant potty seat of claim 1 wherein the first height is one-half of the second height.

4. The height adjustable infant potty seat of claim 1 wherein said invertible shell includes an inner face and an outer face and said protrusions are located on said outer face.

5. The height adjustable infant potty seat of claim 1 further comprising at least one lip coupled to the protrusions to prevent the potty seat portion from disengaging from the invertible shell.

6. The height adjustable infant potty seat of claim 1 wherein the potty seat portion and the invertible shell are manufactured from a plastic material.

7. A height adjustable infant potty seat comprising:

a potty seat section adapted to support a child thereon and receive human waste therein; and

a base section having an interior face, an exterior face, and protrusions coupled to the interior face or the exterior face of the base section at a position not equidistant from the top and bottom of the interior face or exterior face, the protrusions adapted to support the potty seat section;

wherein the protrusions are coupled to the interior face or the exterior face of the base section such that the potty seat is supported at a first height;

whereby inverting the base section allows the potty seat section to be supported at a second height.

8. The height adjustable infant potty seat of claim 7 wherein the first height is one-half of the second height.

9. The height adjustable infant potty seat of claim 7 further comprising structural ribs coupled to the interior face or the exterior face, the structural ribs providing structural support to the base section.

10. The height adjustable infant potty seat of claim 7 further comprising at least one lip coupled to the protrusions to further support the potty seat section.

11. The height adjustable infant potty seat of claim 7 wherein the base section is adapted to fit between a toilet seat and the potty seat section.

12. The height adjustable infant potty seat of claim 7 wherein the base section is adapted to fit between a floor surface and the potty seat section.

13. The height adjustable infant potty seat of claim 7 wherein the base section and the potty seat section are manufactured from a plastic material.

14. A height adjustable infant potty seat comprising:

a seat section;

a cylindrical shell of fixed height adapted to support the seat section, the cylindrical shell having: an outer surface equal to the height of the cylindrical shell; and a protrusion coupled to the outer surface at a position that is one-third of the height of the cylindrical shell; wherein by inverting the cylindrical shell, the protrusion is coupled to the outer surface at a position that is two-thirds of the height of the cylindrical shell.

15. The height adjustable infant potty seat of claim 15 wherein the protrusion comprises a continuous protrusion around the outer surface of the cylindrical shell.

16. The height adjustable infant potty seat of claim 15 wherein the protrusion comprises a discontinuous protrusion around the outer surface of the cylindrical shell.

17. The height adjustable infant potty seat of claim 15 further comprising at least one lip coupled to the protrusion to further support the potty seat.