TOILET SEAT SYSTEM

Abstract

This invention is related to a toilet-seat-system or a similar system which makes use of the lid to serve the user as a backrest.

Description

This application claims priority to German application, DE 10 2007 028678.5, filed on Jun. 21, 2007, herein incorporated by reference.

FIELD OF THE INVENTION

The present invention relates to a toilet accessory. More specifically, this invention is related to a toilet-seat-system or a similar system which makes use of the lid to serve the user as a backrest.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

In the present application, the term “toilet-seat-system” means an assembly that mainly consists of a toilet-seat with a circular recess, a lid, a holder and means for fixation on a toilet-bowl. Any other object that is not part of the above described system is referred to herein as “toilet surroundings.” The right and the left side of the toilet-seat-system are based on the point of view of the sitting user.

Toilet-seat-systems are used in almost all households and public places. Ergonomic aspects are little considered even though it is well known that sitting ergonomically is not only comfortable, but also constitutional. In particular in the field of care and for handicapped people the quality of the supporting features of a toilet-seat-system is important.

Basic support function of a toilet-seat-system is provided by the seat and the lid if used as a backrest.

Moreover, toilet-seat-systems need to allow easy cleaning, which is realized by few and simple formed components which can easily be assembled and disassembled.

In almost all toilet-seat-systems, the lid and the seat are connected with a hinge facing the wall so that the lid can be rearward tilted freely against a back-stop. Normally the back-stop is a wall or a flushing water supply section so that the lid can theoretically be used as a backrest even though certain disadvantages must be taken into consideration. If the back-stop for the lid is located to far behind the seat, it is eventually not possible to use the lid as a backrest.

According to the general guidelines of ergonomic seating and positioning, the backrest should support the lumbar region actively while under the lumbar region room for the buttocks of the user should be provided. Moreover, the slope of the backrest should be around 10° with reference to the vertical.

If a conventional toilet-lid is used as a backrest, a correct ergonomic sitting posture of the user is not assured. On the one hand the distance between the user's back and the user's lumbar region and the lid normally is too large. On the other hand the slope of the lid depends on the toilet-surroundings and hence is not defined. Some conventional toilet-lids cannot be used as a back-rest at all because the stability of the components is too low. At last, a plane and non-ergonomic lid which is used as a backrest can eventually cause pressure points or injuries of the spine.

JP 2004 057 638, U.S. Pat. No. 5,809,582 and JP 6225843 disclose toilet-lids that can be used as a back-rest. For this purpose, support and cushion parts are fixed on the lid to support the back of the user and to allow comfortable sitting. In JP 2004 057 638 the lid is supported against the toilet-surroundings by a distance piece, which means an additional and also adjustable component to achieve a defined slope of the backrest is required. In U.S. Pat. No. 5,809,582 and JP 6225843 the support of the backrest is not described.

JP 2004 350 785 discloses a toilet-seat-system that provides a pivotable backrest that is connected to the toilet-bowl by a leverage. The main disadvantages are that the backrest cannot easily be used as a lid and the system is comparably complex.

JP 2002 330 899 discloses a mechanical structure to be mounted on a toilet-bowl that allows the pivotable backrest to be tilted on the toilet-seat. Unfavorable are the complexity of the tilting mechanism and the necessity of a solid sidewise fixation on a special shaped toilet-bowl.

U.S. Pat. No. 4,062,069 discloses a toilet-pan for use in a bed, which provides a removable cushioned backrest being connected to the pan by means of a leverage of bars, straps, springs and hinges. Besides the complexity of the support mechanism, another disadvantage is that the backrest can-not be used as a lid for the pan.

The sanitary industry offers backrests to be mounted above the toilet on the bathroom wall. A main disadvantage is that the backrest cannot be used as a lid for the toilet.

CH 552 376 discloses a toilet-seat with a toilet-lid. The lid provides a backrest for the user with the side facing the user's back showing a concave shape.

U.S. Pat. No. 5,666,672 A2 also discloses a toilet-seat-system comprising a toilet-bowl, a toilet-seat and a toilet-lid with the toilet-lid providing a backrest for the user.

Accordingly, there remains a need for a simple toilet-seat-structure providing a lid that serves the user as a stable backrest and which supports a correct and ergonomic sitting posture of the user whereas the loaded backrest is not supported by the toilet-surroundings. Furthermore, the lid and the toilet-seat should be tiltable to provide cleaning, assembly and disassembly of the system.

The present invention meets this need.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

The present invention provides a toilet-seat system comprising (a) a toilet-bowl having a forward end and a rear end; (b) a toilet-seat; and (c)a toilet-lid having a forward facing side and a rear facing side; wherein the toilet-seat and the toilet-lid are separately pivotable around an axis of rotation between a closed position and an opened position; and wherein the axis of rotation is running in a distance with reference to the upper plane of the toilet bowl and wherein the toilet-lid juts out towards a front portion of the toilet seat above the axis of rotation to provide a lumbar support; and wherein the toilet-lid comprises an extension which is located below the axis of rotation in the opened position of the toilet-lid, the extension having a forward facing abutment surface configured to abut at least one of the toilet bowl and the toilet seat in response to a rearward force applied to lid at a point above the axis of rotation.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

In the following the invention is described with the help of figures which exemplify certain embodiments of the invention:

FIG. 1 is a perspective view of the closed toilet-seat-system mounted on a toilet-bowl showing the axis of rotation of toilet-lid and toilet-seat;

FIG. 2 is a side view of the mounted and opened toilet-seat-system;

FIG. 3 is a perspective view of the mounted toilet-seat-system with the toilet-lid in the opened position;

FIG. 4 is a side view of the mounted toilet-seat-system with the toilet-lid in the opened position;

FIG. 5 is a perspective view of the mounted toilet-seat-system with the toilet-lid and toilet-seat;

FIG. 6 is an exploded and perspective view of the toilet-seat-system with toilet-bowl;

FIG. 7 is a perspective view of the holder with the axis of rotation of the toilet-lid and the toilet-seat in the opened position;

FIG. 8 is a perspective and detailed view of the rear region of the toilet-seat from below;

FIG. 9 is a longitudinal cross section as a perspective view of the mounted, closed toilet-seat-system with an additional cross-sectional view of the holder;

FIG. 10 is a longitudinal cross section of the right bearing of the toilet-seat of the mounted toilet-seat-system with the toilet-lid in the opened position;

FIG. 11 is a longitudinal cross section as perspective view of the center of the mounted toilet-seat-system with the toilet-lid in the opened position;

FIG. 12 is a perspective, partly exploded view of an embodiment of the toilet-seat-system with enlarged height of the toilet-seat with the toilet-lid in the opened position (so-called toilet-seat raiser);

FIG. 13 is a perspective exploded view on an embodiment of the toilet-lid showing two blades with stepped shape in the opened position; and

FIG. 14 is a perspective view of an embodiment of the toilet-lid with two extensions and with the axis of rotation positioned at the end of the toilet-lid.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

One of the features of the present invention is that the user can use the opened toilet-lid as a stable backrest that is supported only by the toilet-seat so that the support does not depend on the toilet-surroundings. The toilet-seat-system fulfills the requirements on ergonomic seating and positioning while the ergonomic sitting posture is enhanced by the well defined slope of the backrest and the stepped shape which points to the back of the user and supports in particular the lumbar region. Below the lumbar region the toilet-seat-system offers room for the user's buttocks, which also supports the ergonomic sitting posture. Finally, the lengthwise deepening in the backrest provides enough space for the spine which is not only a comfort feature, but also prevents the spine from pressure points and injuries. Especially in the field of health care where long use of the toilet is usual and a stable support structure of the toilet-seat-system is essential for the well-being of the user the described ergonomic features are of particular importance.

A further advantageous feature of the described toilet-seat-system is its easy assembly and disassembly. The toilet-seat-system can be mounted on any commercial toilet-bowl that has two vertical holes in the rear. For assembly the holder must once be fixed to the toilet-bowl, toilet-seat and toilet-lid are manually snap-fitted with each other and finally snap-fitted on the holder. Regarding the direction of the main loads on the toilet-seat-system the snap-fit connections are ideally located and easily producible especially if toilet-seat and toilet-lid are made of plastic, e.g. in the blow-molding technology.

Due to the easy manual disassembly of toilet-seat and toilet-lid and the small number of simple shaped components cleaning of the toilet-seat-system is remarkably facilitated.

A further advantage of the present invention is that toilet-seat and toilet-lid are locked in their upward position so that none of the components may fall down automatically and a potential risk of injury is avoided. Further, the toilet-seat and toilet-lid can be tilted freely in any angular position.

Furthermore, as the toilet-lid shows a lengthwise deepening it provides an aperture that facilitates the process of opening the toilet-lid.

Finally, the described toilet-seat-system offers a variety of upgrading options that are easy to realize and offer the user further comfort and support while using the toilet. By means of additional components the slope of the backrest can be adjusted arbitrarily, it can be spring born or it can be locked completely. The toilet-seat-system can be used as a basis for mounting tiltable armrests, and the height of the toilet-seat can be enlarged or inclined into a favorable direction by underlying it with spacers.

Accordingly, with reference to FIG. 1 and FIG. 4, the present invention provides a toilet-seat-system comprising the following components and features respectively:

(a) a toilet-bowl (1) having a front end (1a) and a back end (1b);

(b) a toilet-seat (4);

(c) a toilet-lid (3) a forward facing side (3f) and a rear facing side (3r);

wherein the toilet-seat (4) and the toilet-lid (3) are separately pivotable around an axis of rotation between a closed position and an opened position; and

wherein the axis of rotation (2) is running in a distance with reference to the upper plane of the toilet bowl (1); and wherein the toilet-lid (3) juts out towards a front portion of the toilet seat above the axis of rotation (2) to provide lumbar support;

and wherein the toilet-lid (3) comprises an extension (7) which is located below the axis of rotation (2) in the opened position of the toilet-lid (3), the extension having a forward facing abutment surface configured to abut at least one of the toilet bowl and the toilet seat in response to a rearward force (F) applied to lid at a point above the axis of rotation (2).

With reference to FIG. 6 the axis of rotation (2) of the toilet-lid (3) may be provided by two bolts (18, 19) which are molded on the toilet-lid (3).

With reference to FIG. 11, the extension (7) may provide at least one section (47) which allows a snap-fit connection of the toilet-lid (3) in its upper end-position.

With reference to FIG. 4, the toilet-lid (3) shows a stepped shape. The toilet lid (3) comprises a pivot (3a) connected to a neck portion (3b) which in turn is connected to a support portion (3c) at the jut (13). The support portion (3c) defines a plane (P) which is parallel to and offset from the axis of rotation (2). As seen in FIG. 4, plane (P) is offset from the axis of rotation (2) by a predetermined distance (K). As also seen in FIG. 4, the toilet lid has a bottom or forward facing side (3f) and a top or rear facing side (3r).

With reference to FIG. 3, the side of the toilet-lid (3) which is facing the user may provide a lengthwise groove (12) which runs in the middle of the toilet-lid (3).

In certain embodiments, the toilet-lid (3) is made of plastic. In certain embodiments, the toilet-lid (3) is made in one piece.

With reference to FIG. 2, in certain embodiments the toilet-seat (4) comprises a ridge (9) in the rear.

With reference to FIG. 2, in certain embodiments, the upper contour of the toilet-seat (4) substantially corresponds to the contour of the toilet-lid (3), which is facing the user.

With reference to FIG. 6, in certain embodiments, the ridge (9) of the toilet-seat (4) provides bearings to hold the pivots (18, 19) of the toilet-lid (3) and further bearings to hold the ball-shaped sections (24, 25) of the holder (10). In certain embodiments, the bearings are shaped so that a snap-fit connection between toilet-seat (4) and toilet-lid (3) and between toilet-seat (4) and holder (10) is provided. In certain embodiments, the bearings allow a rotation of the toilet-lid (3) and toilet-seat (4) into their end positions. In certain embodiments, the bearings are shaped so that at least one of the components toilet-lid (3) and toilet-seat (4) are snap-fitted in their end positions. The bearings may be shaped so that the axis of rotation (2) of toilet-lid (3) and toilet-seat (4) run coaxially.

With reference to FIG. 6, 7 and 8, the bearings (20, 21) for the pivots (18, 19) may be positioned between the bearings (39, 40) for the ball-shaped sections (24, 25) of the holder (10).

With reference to FIG. 11, the toilet-seat (4) may provide at least one abutment member (48) against which the abutment surface (7a) abuts to thereby support the at least one extension (7) when the toilet-lid (3) is in the upright position.

In certain embodiments, the toilet-seat (4) provides at least one section that allows a snap-fit connection of the at least one extension (7) in the upper end-position of the toilet-lid (3).

In certain embodiments, the toilet-seat (4) is provided with anti-slip elements (15) on the plane facing the toilet-bowl (1) (see FIG. 5). In certain embodiments, toilet-seat (4) is shaped so that it has a form-fit with the toilet-bowl (1).

With reference to FIG. 6, the rear section (9) of the toilet-seat (4) may house electrical and/or water-bearing components.

In certain embodiments, the toilet-seat (4) is made as one piece.

With reference to FIG. 3, in certain embodiments, the circular recess (4a) of the toilet-seat (4) has a further recess (4b) in the front section, which facilitates intimate care and accessibility for the user.

With reference to FIG. 7, in certain embodiments, the holder (10) substantially consists of a right and a left cone-shaped section (27, 28) which is connected by a bar (26).

In certain embodiments, at least one of the components—the bar (26) or the cone-shaped section (27, 28)—serve the at least one extension (7) as snap-fit element in the upper end-position of the toilet-lid (3).

The axis of rotation (2) of the toilet-seat (4) may be running through the center of the ball-shaped sections (24, 25) of the holder (10). See FIG. 7. Again referring to FIG. 7, the holder (10) may provides bolts (35, 36) for the assembly of pivotable armrests. In certain embodiments, the holder (10) is connected to the toilet-bowl (1) by screwable elements, by clampable elements and/or snap-fit elements. The holder (10) may be made of any material and is preferably made of metal or plastic with integrated metal elements.

In certain embodiments, with reference to FIG. 4, the angle α between toilet-lid (3) and the vertical is around 10°. The angle α between toilet-lid (3) and the vertical can be adjusted stepwise or continuously.

In certain embodiments, the toilet-lid (3) can be completely locked in its upper end position.

With reference to FIG. 12, in certain embodiments, the holder (10) can be underlayed with spacers (49, 50) to implement a raised toilet-seat (4).

FIG. 1 shows the toilet-seat-system mounted on the toilet-bowl (1) in the closed position. The chain dotted line indicates the axis of rotation (2) around which the toilet-lid (3) and the toilet-seat (4) can be swiveled upwards while arrow (5) indicates the direction of rotation. For this embodiment the axis of rotation of toilet-lid (3) and toilet-seat (4) are coaxial which is not obligatory. The front section of the toilet-lid (3) shows an aperture (6) to facilitate the opening process of the toilet-lid.

FIG. 2 shows a side view of the mounted and opened toilet-seat-system with a fundamental feature namely the distance dimension (A) describing the distance between the axis of rotation (2) and the upper plane (8) of the toilet-bowl (1) with the axis of rotation (2) running parallel to said plane (8). As a result the toilet-lid (3) shows the characteristic, stepped shape and the corresponding ridge (9) in the rear of the toilet-seat (4). Behind the axis of rotation (2) the closed toilet-lid (3) is provided with an extension (7) of length (L) which is favorably molded centrally on the toilet-lid (3). The extension (7) has an abutment surface (7a) which transfers a force applied to a forward facing side (3f) of the toilet lid (3) into the toilet-seat (4). Moreover, FIG. 2, shows partly the holder (10) which is attached to the toilet-bowl (1) with fixing material (11).

The toilet-seat-system with the toilet-lid (3) in the opened position for use as a backrest is shown in FIG. 3 as a perspective view. The lengthwise grove (12) runs in the middle of the toilet-lid and offers room for the spine of the user, so preventing from pressure points and provides the opening aid (6) at the front section of the toilet-lid (3). In its upper end position the toilet-lid (3) is locked by a snap-fit, but can manually be moved out of the snap-fit status through a low force. The snap-fit returns the user a tactile response that the toilet-lid (3) is positioned correctly, on the other hand it prevents the toilet-lid (3) to fall on the toilet-seat (4) automatically.

In another embodiment of the invention the circular recess (4a) of the toilet-seat (4) is enlarged with a further recess (4b) to facilitate the intimate care.

FIG. 4 shows in a side view the toilet-lid (3) in the opened position for use as a backrest especially the section of the lumbar support (13), the region (14) below said lumbar support (13) (dashed line) which provides room for the buttock of the user, as well as the well-defined angle α of the toilet-lid (3) which is preferably around 10°. With around 10° angles between 5° and 25° are enclosed, preferred are angles between 5° and 20°, even more preferred angels between 5° and 15° and still more preferred are 7.5° to 12.5°. The stepped shape of the toilet-lid (3) is mainly characterized by the distance dimension (K) which defines the position of the lumbar support (13) with regard to the back of the user. The above described geometry of the toilet-lid (3) and the toilet-seat (4) allows the user to take a well-defined sitting posture.

In its upper end position the toilet-seat (4) is locked by a snap-fit, but is can be manually moved out of the snap-fit status through a low manual force.

FIG. 5 shows the toilet-seat system with the toilet-lid (3) and toilet-seat (4) in their upper end position and the holder (10) which is attached to the toilet-bowl (1) with adequate fixation material (not shown).

To avoid slipping of the toilet-seat (4) on the toilet-bowl (1) special components (15) are positioned on the lower side of the toilet-seat (4) which are preferably molded on the toilet-seat (4) and which are made of anti-slip material.

In another embodiment of the invention the toilet-seat (4) can be formed to have a form-fit with either the inner or the outer contour of the toilet bowl (1) which prevents slipping.

By means of FIG. 6 the assembly of the toilet-seat-system of the preferred embodiment can be described. The holder (10) is attached to the toilet-bowl (1) with adequate fixation material, preferably screws and washers, making use of the two holes (16) and (17) of the toilet-bowl (1). The axis of rotation (2) of the toilet-lid (3) and the toilet-seat (4) is provided by two pivots (18 and 19) which stick out on the right and the left side of the extension (7). In the rear of the toilet-seat (4) the recesses (20 and 21) hold the said pivots of the toilet-lid (3). The opening of said recesses is preferably facing down and formed so that the snap-fit connection between toilet-seat (4) and toilet-lid (3) can be established manually. The favorable direction of assembly is indicated by arrow (22). The toilet-seat (4) with assembled toilet-lid (3) is mounted on the holder 10) so that the ball-shaped sections (24 and 25) of the holder (10) are in snap-fit interconnection with the toilet-seat (4). The preferred direction of assembly is indicated by the arrow (23).

Toilet-lid (3) and toilet-seat (4) are preferably made of plastic as one piece, e.g. by the blow-molding technology which is particularly suitable for large volume parts and snap-fit connections.

The voluminous rear section (9) of the toilet-seat (4) could be used to house electronic, pneumatic and/or water bearing components to equip the toilet-seat-system with additional functions, e.g. with a bidet device.

As shown in FIG. 7, the holder (10) mainly consists of a right and a left cone-shaped section (27, 28), which are connected by a bar (26,) which is substance-to-substance bonded to said cone-shaped sections to increase the stiffness of the holder (10). Each of the cone-shaped sections (27, 28) consists of a plane (29, 30) being the contact surface to plane (8) of the toilet-bowl (1) (not shown) and providing an inside thread (31, 32) in the cylindrical-shaped section (33, 34) to screw in the fixation material (not shown). The said cylindrical shaped sections (33, 34) pass into the respective ball-shaped sections (24, 25) with the axis of rotation (2) running through the center of the spheres whereas the diameter of the spheres is larger than the diameter of the cylindrical shaped sections (33, 34).

The holder (10) is favorably made of corrosion-resistant and/or painted metal or it is made of plastic whereas a plastic holder may contain metal elements to fulfill special functions.

In an embodiment of the invention (not shown) the holder (10) provides two threaded bolts extending from the planes (29, 30) instead of the two inside threads (31, 32) and which are substance-to-substance bonded to the cone-shaped sections (27, 28). The threaded bolts are inserted into the holes (16, 17) of the toilet-bowl (1) and screwed from the other side with fixation material, favorably washers and butterfly nuts.

Another embodiment of the holder (10) is also shown in FIG. 7. Two bolts (35, 36) extend from the right and left side of the cone-shaped sections (27, 28) (dashed line) with their axis running parallel to the axis of the bar (26). The bolts (35, 36) are substance-to-substance bonded or connected by form-fit to the cone-shaped sections (27, 28). Preferably the bar (26) runs through said cone-shaped sections and forms said bolts. The bolts may serve as a basis to mount further useful components on the toilet-seat-system, in particular said bolts may serve as an axis of rotation for armrests (not shown).

FIGS. 8 and 9 disclose the bearing and positioning of toilet-lid (3), toilet-seat (4) and holder (10) whereas FIG. 8 shows the rear section of the toilet-seat (4) from below and FIG. 9 shows the rear section of the closed toilet-seat-system in a cross section view.

The recesses (20, 21) of the toilet-seat 4 hold the corresponding bolts (18, 19) of the toilet-lid (3) and also provide the molded shoulders (37, 38) which allow a snap-fit connection. In addition, described arrangement serves as bearing for the toilet-lid (3) and allows easy manual assembly and disassembly.

Moreover, the toilet-seat (4) provides two, mainly cylindrical-shaped recesses (39, 49) which hold the cone-shaped sections (27, 28) of the holder (10). The recesses are formed so that the ball-shaped sections (25, 27) of the holder (10) serve as a bearing cup which allows pivoting the toilet-seat (4). By means of molded shoulders (Pos. 41) for the right section of the toilet-seat (4) the ball-shaped sections (25, 27) are in form-fit connection with the holder (10) which provides a save bearing of the toilet-seat (4) and allows easy assembly and disassembly.

FIGS. 8 and 10 show the movement of the toilet-seat (3) in its upper end-position. The above described recesses (39, 40) in the toilet-seat 4 are enlarged by the recesses (43, 42) with their width (B) being larger than the corresponding cylindrical sections (33, 34) of the holder (10). The recesses (43, 42) provide space for said cylindrical sections of the holder (10) which allows the upward movement of the toilet-seat (4). The direction of the movement is indicated by arrow (46). The end-position of the toilet-seat (4) is reached by the cylindrical sections (33, 34) of the holder (10) overcoming the resistance of the shoulders (44, 45) by applying little force on the toilet-seat (4). This snap-fit status prevents the toilet-seat (4) from falling on the toilet-bowl (1) automatically which facilitates the cleaning process.

FIG. 11 shows a cross-section of the toilet-lid (3) in the opened position. The shoulder (47) running crosswise is preferably molded on the extension (7). The shoulder (47) is shaped so that it en-compasses the bar (26) partly on its upper side in the end-position of the toilet-lid (3). To bring the shoulder (47) in said end-position little force needs to be applied on the toilet-lid (3). By tuning the shape of the shoulder (47) the necessary force on toilet-lid (3) can easily be optimized.

In another embodiment of the above described snap-fit connection on the bar (26) the extension (7) could make a snap-fit connection with the cone-shaped sections (27, 28) of the holder (10) with the participating components to be shaped accordingly.

As further embodiment of the above described snap-fit connection the toilet-lid (3) could make a snap-fit connection with the toilet-seat (4) with the participating components to be shaped accordingly.

Moreover, FIG. 11 discloses how the force (F 1) on the backrest is supported by the toilet-seat (4) with the toilet-lid (3), its extension (7) and its pivots (18 and 19) (not shown) presenting a simple two-armed lever. The force (F 1) causes the reaction force (F2) which is supported by the plane (48) of the toilet-seat (4) and the bearing forces (FL) (the right bearing force is indicated by the dashed arrow) which are generated by the pivots (18 and 19) of the toilet-lid (3) and supported in the recesses (20 and 21) of the toilet-seat (4).

As the vertical force (F3) on the toilet-seat (3) caused by the user normally is much higher than the force (F1) on the backrest there is no resulting turning moment on the toilet-seat (4) so that the toilet-seat-system remains in a stable position of rest. By this arrangement the holder (10) basically remains unloaded and hence the toilet-bowl (1) which is of major importance as the toilet-bowl (1) is normally made of relative brittle ceramics which should not be loaded highly.

FIG. 12 shows an embodiment of the preferred toilet-seat-system. To facilitate sitting down or getting up the height of the existing toilet-seat (4) is enlarged (so-called toilet raiser) either by single elements or by a ring (51) of the height (H) whereas the toilet-seat may also be formed as one piece with the height (H). The holder (10) needs to be underlayed with spacers (49, 50) of the height (H and attached to the toilet-bowl (1). This arrangement does not limit the free moving space of toilet-lid (3) and toilet-seat (4) what is a major advantage with regard to the commercial toilet raisers.

FIGS. 13 and 14 show the principles of two embodiments of the previously described, preferred toilet-seat-system whereas further variants may easily be developed by an expert, e.g. through combining the principles.

FIG. 13 shows an embodiment of the toilet-seat-system with the toilet-lid (52) being spaced with regard to the toilet-seat (53) for better view. The main difference to the previously described toilet-lid (1) is that the toilet-lid (52) shows a left and a right extension (54, 55) which lead the force on the backrest into the corresponding contact surfaces of the toilet-seat (53) with position number (59) indicating the right extension. The axis of rotation (2) of the toilet-lid (52) consists of two pivots (56, 57) facing inwards which are hinged to an appropriate recess (58) of the toilet-seat (53).

FIG. 14 also shows an embodiment of the toilet-seat-system with the toilet-lid (60) not having a stepped shape and comprising two extensions (61, 62). The axis of rotation (2) is located at the end of the toilet-lid (3) and running through said extensions. On the inner side of the extensions bolts may be molded (not shown) which are pivotably positioned in corresponding bearings (not shown) in the toilet-seat (63).

In the opened position the toilet-lid (60) is supported by a ridge in the rear of the toilet-seat (63) so that the load on the backrest is lead into the toilet-seat (63) through the contact plane (65).

Alternatively the lid may show a ridge in the rear so that the load is supported by the corresponding contact plane in the toilet-seat.

As the axis of rotation (2) is positioned at the end of the toilet-lid the axis of rotation of the toilet-seat (63) and the toilet-lid (60) are not coaxial.

Claims

1. A toilet-seat system comprising

(a) a toilet-bowl having a forward end and a rear end;

(b) a toilet-seat; and

(c) a toilet-lid having a forward facing side and a rear facing side;

wherein the toilet-seat and the toilet-lid are separately pivotable around an axis of rotation between a closed position and an opened position; and

wherein the axis of rotation is running in a distance with reference to the upper plane of the toilet bowl and wherein the toilet-lid juts out towards a front portion of the toilet seat above the axis of rotation to provide a lumbar support; and

wherein the toilet-lid comprises an extension which is located below the axis of rotation in the opened position of the toilet-lid, the extension having a forward facing abutment surface configured to abut at least one of the toilet bowl and the toilet seat in response to a rearward force applied to lid at a point above the axis of rotation.

2. The toilet-seat system of claim 1 wherein the axis of rotation of the toilet-lid is provided by two bolts which are molded on the toilet-lid.

3. The toilet-seat system of claim 1 wherein the extension provides at least one section which allows a snap-fit connection of the toilet-lid in its upper end-position.

4. The toilet-seat system of claim 1 wherein the toilet-lid comprises a pivot connected to a neck portion which in turn is connected to a support portion at the jut, and wherein the support portion defines a plane which is parallel to and offset from the axis of rotation.

5. The toilet-seat system of claim 1, wherein the forward facing side of the toilet-lid comprises a lengthwise groove which runs in the middle of the toilet-lid.

6. The toilet-seat system of claim 1, wherein a rear portion of the toilet-seat comprises a ridge.

7. The toilet-seat system of claim 6, further comprising:

a holder connecting the toilet bowl to the toilet seat, wherein:

the ridge of the toilet-seat comprises: a first set of bearings to hold pivots of the toilet-lid; and a second set of bearings to hold ball-shaped sections of the holder.

8. The toilet-seat system of claim 7, wherein the bearings are shaped such that at least one of the toilet-lid and the toilet-seat is snap-fitted into its end position.

9. The toilet-seat system of claim 7, wherein said bearings are shaped such that the toilet-lid and toilet-seat have a common axis of rotation.

10. The toilet-seat system of claim 1, wherein the toilet-seat comprises at least one abutment member against which the abutment surface abuts to thereby support the at least one extension when the toilet-lid is in the upright position.

11. The toilet-seat system of claim 1, wherein a rear portion of the toilet-seat houses electrical and/or water-bearing components.

12. The toilet-seat system of claim 6, further comprising:

a holder connecting the toilet bowl to the toilet seat, wherein the holder comprises a right and a left cone-shaped section which are connected by a bar.