PERSONAL TOILET SEAT COVER

Abstract

This invention presents a toilet seat cover. The toilet seat cover has a seat portion and a peripheral portion. The seat portion has a central opening, and has a top layer and a bottom layer. The top layer is preferably made of fleece or fabric material that feels warm with contact with a body. The bottom layer is preferably made of slip-resistant material. The peripheral portion has flaps extending from an outer periphery of the seat portion, which are adapted to hang down adjacent side portions of the toilet seat when the seat cover is placed on the toilet seat.

Description

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS

Not Applicable.

STATEMENT REGARDING FEDERALLY SPONSORED RESEARCH OR DEVELOPMENT

Not Applicable.

APPENDIX

Not Applicable.

FIELD OF THE INVENTION

This invention generally relates to toilet seat covers, and more particularly to a personal toilet seat cover having a peripheral portion to overhang a side portion of a toilet seat.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

Toilet seat covers have been used to avoid unsanitary contact with a toilet seat during use, especially in public restrooms Those toilet seat covers are either disposable and/or portable.

However, general problem with the known toilet seat covers is that it is difficult to provide a toilet seat cover that is easy to use to satisfactorily protect a user's body and/or clothing from contacting with an unsanitary toilet seat.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

Accordingly, it is an object of the present invention to provide a personal toilet seat cover that is easy to use to avoid the user's body and/or clothing from contacting unsanitary toilet seats to such an extent as to sufficiently satisfy personal hygiene conscious individuals. It is another object of the present invention to provide a personal toilet seat cover that can help eliminate cold feeling when used by a user and resist slipping on the toilet seat.

To achieve the above object, according to the present invention, there is provided a toilet seat cover comprising a seat portion and a peripheral portion. The seat portion has a central opening and has a top layer and a bottom layer. The peripheral portion has a flap extending from at least a portion of an outer periphery of the seat portion.

In a preferred embodiment of the present invention, the top layer is a layer of fleece or fabric material so that a user can feel warm when seating thereon. The bottom layer preferably is a slip-resistant material so as to help prevent slipping of the seat cover on the toilet seat.

In a preferred embodiment of the present invention, the peripheral portion has a front flap extending from a front portion of the outer periphery of the seat portion. The peripheral portion can further have side flaps extending from side portions of the outer periphery of the seat portion.

In a preferred embodiment of the present invention, the seat portion and peripheral portion are made integrally together with each other.

Further areas of applicability of the present invention will become apparent from the detailed description provided hereinafter. It should be understood that the detailed description and specific examples, while indicating the preferred embodiment of the invention, are intended for purposes of illustration only and are not intended to limit the scope of the invention.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

The above and other objects and features of the present invention will become apparent from the following description of preferred embodiments given in conjunction with the accompanying drawings, in which:

FIG. 1 is a top plan view of an embodiment of a personal toilet seat cover according to the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a perspective view of the personal toilet seat cover of FIG. 1 mounted on a toilet seat.

FIG. 3 is an exaggerated sectional view taken along the line 3-3 of FIG. 1.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

Shown in FIG. 1 is a preferred embodiment of a personal toilet seat cover 10 according to the present invention. The personal toilet seat cover 10 has a seat portion 12 adapted to be placed on a toilet seat. The seat portion 12 is sized so as to fit a standard toilet seat. The seat portion 12 has a central opening 14.

The personal toilet seat cover 20 also has a peripheral portion 16. In the illustrated embodiment, the peripheral portion 16 is comprised of a two side flaps or flanges 16a, 16c and a front flap or flange 16b. The two side flaps or flanges 16a, 16c extend from lateral peripheries of the seat portion 12. The front flap or flange 16b extends from a front periphery of the seat portion 12. In the illustrated embodiment, the personal toilet seat cover 10 does not have a flap or flange extending from a rear periphery of the seat portion 12. Various modifications can be made to the peripheral portion 16. For example, the peripheral portion 16 can be comprised of a different number of flaps or flanges other than three. The peripheral portion 16 can also be comprised of a single flap or flange.

FIG. 2 shows the personal toilet seat cover 10 of FIG. 1 mounted on a toilet seat of a toilet 20. With the seat portion 12 placed on the toilet seat, the front flap or flange 16b hangs downward adjacent a front portion of the toilet seat so as to protect the clothing and/or skin of a user. Likewise, the two side flaps or flanges 16a, 16c also hang downward adjacent side portions of the toilet seat so as to protect the clothing and/or skin of the user.

In a preferred embodiment, a top layer 11A of the seat portion 12 is made of material that feels warm with body contact, such as fleece or any fabric. A bottom layer 11B of the seat portion 12 is made from a non-skid material to provide gripping so that the seat portion 12 can resist slipping relative to the toilet seat. The top layer 11A is sewn to the bottom layer 11B about the periphery of seat portion 12. It is required that the bottom layer 11B of the seat portion 12 be non-adhesive so as to be easily removable. Accordingly, this embodiment of the present invention helps eliminate a cold feeling when a user uses a toilet. Optionally, the personal toilet seat cover can have a middle layer 11C sandwiched between the top layer 11A and the bottom layer 11B as can be seen in FIG. 3. Preferably, the middle layer 11C is made of washable plastic film and may have various thicknesses, such as ¼″, ½″, etc. Alternatively, middle layer 11C may be of washable NU foam, or other foam, so that liquid penetration there through can be prevented and will enhance the comfort of a seated user.

The personal toilet seat cover 10 can be reusable. Specifically, the personal toilet seat 10 can be made of washable material. In an alternative embodiment, the personal toilet seat cover 10 can be disposable. In this alternative embodiment, the personal toilet seat 10 is made of three layers: the top layer 11A, the bottom layer 11B and the middle layer 11C. Preferably, the top layer 11A is made of paper so as to provide warm feeling and comfort. Preferably, the middle layer 11C is made of thin plastic sheet for the purpose of separation with the toilet seat. Preferably, the bottom layer 11B is made of thin strip of thin non-slip easy liner for retention. The disposable personal toilet seat cover 10 is slightly oversized in relation to the toilet seat in width and/or length. Preferably, it is a one size fit-all design and intended to discard after each use.

The personal toilet seat cover 10 according to the present invention is easy to use; it takes a second or two to place and remove the personal toilet seat cover. It meets the demand of personal hygiene conscious individuals.

As various modifications could be made to the exemplary embodiments, as described above with reference to the corresponding illustrations, without departing from the scope of the invention, it is intended that all matter contained in the foregoing description and shown in the accompanying drawings shall be interpreted as illustrative rather than limiting. Thus, the breadth and scope of the present invention should not be limited by any of the above-described exemplary embodiments, but should be defined only in accordance with the following claims appended hereto and their equivalents.

Claims

1. A toilet seat cover comprising:

a seat portion having a central opening; and

a peripheral portion having a first flap extending from at least a portion of a outer periphery of said seat portion.

2. The toilet seat cover of claim 1, wherein said seat portion comprises a top layer and a bottom layer.

3. The toilet seat cover of claim 2, wherein said top layer comprises fleece material.

4. The toilet seat cover of claim 2, wherein said top layer comprises paper.

5. The toilet seat cover of claim 2, wherein said bottom layer comprises slip-resistant material.

6. The toilet seat cover of claim 2, wherein said seat portion further comprises a middle layer between said top layer and said bottom layer.

7. The toilet seat cover of claim 6, wherein at least one of said top, middle and bottom layers is made of plastic film.

8. The toilet seat cover of claim 1, wherein said first flap comprises a front flap extending from a front portion of said outer periphery of said seat portion.

9. The toilet seat cover of claim 8, wherein said peripheral portion further comprises a second flap and a third flap, each extending from a side portion of said outer periphery of said seat portion.

10. The toilet seat cover of claim 1, wherein said seat portion and said peripheral portion are integral.

11. The toilet seat cover of claim 1, wherein said toilet seat cover is disposable.

12. The toilet seat cover of claim 1, wherein said toilet seat cover is reusable.