Automatic Toilet Seat Assembly Closing System

Abstract

A closing apparatus is provided for automatically closing a toilet seat assembly adapted for mounting to a top ledge of a toilet bowl. Embodiments of the closing apparatus include an actuator for automatically rotating the toilet seat assembly between open and closed positions. The closing apparatus may also include one or more dampers for resisting the rotational movement of the toilet seat assembly so as to extend the closing rotation of the toilet seat assembly over a desired delay period. In other embodiments, the respective centers of gravity of a seat and a lid of the toilet seat assembly may be positioned with respect to a hinge axis of the toilet seat assembly in a manner that causes the seat or the seat and the lid to automatically close via gravitational torque when released in the open position. The closure apparatus may also include a simplified latch mechanism for selectively restraining the toilet seat assembly in an open position.

Description

CROSS REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS

This application claims priority under 35 U.S.C. §119 to U.S. Provisional Application No. 61/323,809, entitled “AUTOMATIC TOILET SEAT CLOSING SYSTEM,” filed on Apr. 13, 2010, and U.S. Provisional Application No. 61/328,522, entitled “AUTOMATIC TOILET SEAT ASSEMBLY CLOSING SYSTEM,” filed on Apr. 27, 2010, the contents of each of which are incorporated herein as if set forth in full.

FIELD OF INVENTION

This invention relates generally to toilet seat assemblies, and more particularly to apparatuses for closing toilet seat assemblies, e.g., a toilet seat, a toilet seat lid/cover, or both.

BACKGROUND

Toilet seat assemblies have always been designed such that the seat and lid, when opened, remain open. This of course only makes sense, or at least did prior to the development of rotary hinge dampers capable of controlling the position of the seat and lid. Yet, even with the appearance of effective rotary hinge dampers, traditional thinking prevails: toilet seats and lids continue to be designed as they always have been—to stay open when opened. The rotary hinge dampers are utilized only to prevent the seat and lid from slamming down.

Often, people neglect or forget to fully close a toilet seat assembly after using a toilet. It is desirable to fully close a toilet seat assembly for a variety of reasons. For safety and sanitary reasons, a closed toilet prevents small children or pets from accessing water in the toilet bowl and prevents items from being accidentally dropped in the toilet bowl. In addition, it may be desirable to keep a toilet seat assembly closed for reasons related to decorum or aesthetics. A closed toilet also prevents users from inadvertently sitting on the toilet bowl instead of the toilet seat and may encourage male users to raise the toilet seat as well as the lid prior to urinating.

Thus, an apparatus that fully closes a toilet seat assembly is advantageous. There are many devices or proposed devices which close toilet seat assemblies. However, all known devices suffer from shortcomings such as non-automatic operation, visual obtrusiveness, difficult installation, expensive design, and complexity, largely because they must all address the closing of a conventional toilet seat assembly where the seat and lid, when raised, are designed to stay open.

Some such devices do not offer automatic closure, meaning the user must perform some additional action to cause the device to close the toilet seat assembly. This approach has the disadvantage of presuming a user who fails to directly close a seat and lid will, nevertheless, not neglect or forget to take an additional action required operate the device. U.S. Pat. Nos. 5,327,589, 5,444,877 and 7,331,067 disclose a pedal the user is required to use in order to close the toilet seat assembly. Another group of devices require the toilet to be flushed in order to cause the seat and/or lid to be lowered. U.S. Pat. Nos. 5,546,612, 5,570,478, 5,369,814, 5,504,947, 5,060,318, 5,222,260, 5,289,593, 5,430,897, 5,307,524, 5,267,356, 5,400,442, 6,438,764 and 7,398,564 are examples of this group. Unfortunately, users sometimes also neglect or forget to flush.

Another group of devices offers automatic closure of the seat or the seat and lid after a timed interval. This group includes: hydraulic timer devices such as disclosed in U.S. Pat. Nos. 5,279,000, 4,551,866 and 5,388,281; mechanical timer devices such as disclosed in U.S. Pat. Nos. 5,153,946, 5,794,277, 6,085,360 6182,301 and 7,150,049; an electric timer device such as disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 4,995,120; timer devices which rely on gravity to shift a mass which biases a seat to closure such as disclosed in U.S. Pat. Nos. 5,101,518 and 5,461,734 and simply a spring and suction cup as disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 4,951,325. While offering automatic closure, these devices tend to be visually obtrusive because they must include elements which interact with the seat and/or lid that are clearly visible from the perspective of the user and detract from the normally sleek appearance of a toilet. These elements may also make cleaning the toilet more difficult.

Still other devices are difficult to install due to numerous parts and numerous installation steps. In addition, the toilet components the parts must be installed on might be difficult to access. Difficult installation results in increased time requirements for the user to install the device, increased likelihood of installation mistakes, and possible frustration on the part of the installer. For example, the device disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 6,438,764 requires multiple installation steps including running a cord from the bottom of the toilet seat assembly mounting bolt under, behind and finally into the toilet's tank. This device and other flush-activated devices require installation of members in the water tank, taking care not to interfere with the normal operation of the toilet, and connecting a communication means with an actuator.

Several devices are significantly complex when considered in light of the task the devices are meant to perform. This complexity results in increased cost and decreased reliability. For example, U.S. Pat. No. 5,307,524 discloses an electric line that connects to an expensive mechanism requiring a microprocessor. Other devices utilizing electric switches, pressure sensors, or motion sensors are also significantly complex and costly.

Conventional devices are considered too complex, costly, obtrusive and difficult to install because they must address the closing of a conventional toilet seat or seat and lid, which, once opened, are intentionally designed to remain open. Thus, known devices must either: 1) provide a substantial energy means to rotate a seat and/or lid from their open position to a point at which a conventionally-hinged seat and/or lid will continue to close by force of gravity; 2) limit the open position of the conventionally-hinged seat and/or lid to an angle of elevation relative to the toilet bowl ledge which is less than vertical so they will close by force of gravity; or 3) provide means to change the center of gravity of the seat and/or lid after they are opened such that, after a period of time, they will close by force of gravity. To simplify this disclosure, the term “angle of elevation relative to the toilet bowl ledge” will hereinafter be referred to as the “open angle”.

In more detail, existing devices that rotate a seat and/or lid from their conventional stay-open positions can be classified according to the energy means employed to accomplish this task. Such energy means include biasing springs, manual pulling or pushing, electric or hydraulic motors, and water pressure.

Conventional devices that limit the opening rotation of the seat and/or lid to something less than their stay-open position include U.S. Pat. Nos. 5,279,000, 5,604,936, 6,321,394 and 6,523,185. While these disclosures suggest that the limited open position of the seat can be nearly vertical and the seat and/or lid will nevertheless close by force of gravity, it is believed that these disclosures fail to consider that, when a conventionally-hinged seat and/or lid are nearly vertical, their centers of gravity relative to their hinge axis are such that the seat and/or lid have little gravitational torque and cannot necessarily be relied on to close by force of gravity because of friction inherent in the hinge arrangements and possibly added friction caused by hinge mounts being somewhat out of ideal alignment. This is especially true with more recently introduced toilet seat assemblies utilizing rotary dampers as their hinges to prevent the seat and lid from slamming down. For example, U.S. Pat. Nos. 6,438,764 and 7,398,564, issued to the present applicant, disclose a conventionally-hinged, self closing seat and lid using rotary dampers as the hinges. Because of friction inherent in the rotary dampers and hinge mounts, the seat and lid must be rotated to an open angle of approximately 78 degrees to acquire sufficient gravitational torque to overcome hinge friction and close by force of gravity. As a result, the pushrod used to accomplish this rotation must travel nearly ½ inch and requires a biasing spring with an initial thrust of 10 pounds. Thus, it is believed that, to be effective with toilet seat assemblies utilizing rotary dampers in their hinge arrangement, the known devices which limit the open position of a seat and/or lid to one which would actually cause them to close by force of gravity must so severely limit the open angle as to make them inconvenient to use and unacceptable in appearance.

The devices that provide means to change the center of gravity of the seat and/or lid after they are opened such that, after a period of time, they will close by force of gravity are considered to be costly to manufacture.

As previously noted, the more recently introduced toilet seat assemblies which incorporate one-way rotary dampers in their seat and lid hinge assemblies are conventionally hinged in that their seat and lid hinge positioning assures that the seat and/or lid, when opened, will remain in the open position unless and until a user, or some other energy source, initiates their closing by rotating the lid and/or seat to an open angle at which closing will continue by force of gravity. In order to facilitate this initial manual rotation by a user, the rotary dampers are configured to provide little or no restraining force until the toilet seat and/or lid rotate to an open angle at which closing will continue by force of gravity which, as previously noted, is an open angle considerably less than the intended open angle of conventionally-hinged toilet seat assemblies. This permits a user to “flip” the toilet lid and/or seat to the lesser open angle rather than having to continue to push them against a restraining force of a rotary damper until said angle is reached.

SUMMARY

Considering the foregoing, it is an object of the present invention to provide means that rotate an open seat of a conventionally-hinged toilet seat assembly to closure, eliminating the need to provide an energy source to rotate said seat to an angle that assures it will continue to close by force of gravity.

Another object of the present invention is to provide means that rotate an open lid of a conventionally-hinged toilet seat assembly to closure and eliminate or significantly reduce the energy required to rotate the assembly to an open angle which assures it will continue to close by force of gravity.

Another object of the present invention is to provide means that eliminate the need to limit the open angle of the seat and/or lid to less than 90 degrees as the means to assure they will close by force of gravity.

Another object of the present invention is to provide means by which toilet seat assemblies that incorporate one-way rotary dampers in their seat and lid hinge assemblies, but are conventionally hinged, can be made self-closing simply and economically.

Another object of the present invention is to provide means by which manually closed toilet seat assemblies which incorporate one-way rotary dampers in their seat and lid hinge assemblies, but are conventionally hinged, can be made easier to close and smoother in closing.

Another object of the present invention is to provide means by which a user may adjust an open angle of the seat and lid of a toilet seat assembly which incorporates one-way rotary dampers in its seat and lid hinges to selectively: 1) adjust an automatic closing time of the seat and lid; 2) allow the seat to be automatically closed after a time delay but leave the lid open; or 3) leave both the seat and lid open, to be smoothly closed manually with a slight and short pull on the lid.

Another object of the present invention is to provide means by which a user may adjust an open angle of the seat and lid of a toilet seat assembly which does not incorporate one-way rotary dampers in their seat and lid hinges to selectively: 1) adjust an automatic closing time of the seat and lid; 2) allow the seat to be automatically closed after a time delay but leave the lid open; or 3) leave both the seat and lid open, to be smoothly closed manually with a slight and short pull on the lid.

Still another object of the present invention is to provide means to simplify, and make less complex and costly, devices that utilize latches to control closing of toilet seat assemblies by timer means, in response to flushing, by use of foot pedals, or with motion sensors.

A final object of the present invention is to provide means by which a user may selectively choose to have the seat and lid of a toilet seat assembly close in response to flushing of the toilet.

Considering these objects, the present invention relates to toilet seat assemblies. Specifically, the methods and apparatuses described herein relate to closing toilet seat assemblies. The present invention addresses the problems described above by offering toilet seat assembly closure methods and apparatuses that are automatic in operation, visually unobtrusive, easy to install, noncomplex, reliable, and inexpensive. In particular, the present invention utilizes one-way dampers known in the trade which can provide a desired level of restraining or damping force beginning at, or very near, the point a toilet lid and/or seat is in a fully open position and further provides apparatuses and methods for use in conjunction with said dampers to provide toilet seat and lid assemblies which close automatically or more easily.

In one aspect, a toilet seat assembly closure apparatus adapted to mount on a toilet bowl ledge is provided. The toilet bowl ledge that the closure apparatus is adapted to mount upon may include a toilet seat assembly which includes rotary dampers associated with its hinge assembly. The closure apparatus may include an actuator adapted to engage the seat assembly such that the actuator closes the seat assembly. The actuator may be, for example, any one of, or combination of, the following: a mechanical spring, air spring or resilient elastomeric material. The closure apparatus is adapted such that opening the seat assembly provides energy which is stored by the closure apparatus and such that the rotary dampers associated with its hinge assembly control release of the energy over a desired delay period, and after that delay period the toilet seat assembly fully closes by force of gravity.

In another aspect, a replacement toilet seat assembly adapted to mount on a toilet bowl ledge is provided. The toilet seat assembly may include a seat and a lid which, by virtue of the positioning of their hinge points relative to their centers of gravity when in an open position, will rotate toward a closed position by force of gravity unless restrained. The toilet seat assembly may further include adjustment means by which a user can control the open position of the seat and lid. The toilet seat assembly may further include damper means associated with the toilet seat assembly. The toilet seat assembly may further include a latch means. The toilet seat assembly is adapted such that the dampers associated with the toilet seat assembly restrain the closing rotation of the seat and lid over a desired delay period, and such that after the delay period the toilet seat assembly fully closes.

Similarly, in another aspect, a method is provided which may include positioning the hinge points of a seat and lid relative to their respective centers of gravity such that when they are in an open position they will nevertheless close by force of gravity unless restrained. The method may further include restraining the seat and lid from closing for a desired delay period by means of dampers associated with the toilet seat assembly. The method may also include closing the seat assembly after the desired delay period. In this manner, the method does not require additional elements to supply energy to close the seat assembly. As such, complexity is reduced resulting in a less expensive and more reliable apparatus. In addition, operation is automatic and requires no additional thought or energy to be provided by the user.

In one embodiment, the actuator may include a spring adapted to be deformed by a conventional toilet seat lid, the spring being positioned such that the lid deforms the spring as the lid is moved to the fully-open position and releasing the spring moves the lid in a second direction thereby closing the seat assembly. The closure apparatus may be mounted to the toilet seat assembly. In this way, installation of the apparatus is simple and requires no permanent modifications to the toilet. In addition, the apparatus is visually unobtrusive and inexpensive.

In another aspect, a replacement toilet seat assembly adapted to mount on a toilet bowl ledge is provided. The toilet seat assembly includes a seat and a lid which, by virtue of the positioning of their hinge points relative to their centers of gravity when in an open position, will rotate toward a closed position by force of gravity unless restrained. The toilet seat assembly further includes an adjustment means by which a user can control the open position of the seat and lid. The toilet seat assembly further includes any appropriate rotary dampers associated with its hinge assembly. The toilet seat assembly is adapted such that the rotary dampers restrain the closing rotation of the seat and lid over a desired delay period and such that a user, via said adjustment means, can selectively: 1) adjust an automatic closing time of the seat and lid; 2) allow the seat to be automatically closed after a time delay but leave the lid open; or 3) leave both the seat and lid open, to be smoothly closed manually with a slight and short pull on the lid.

In another embodiment, a replacement toilet seat assembly adapted to mount on a toilet bowl ledge is provided. The toilet seat assembly includes a seat and a lid which, by virtue of the positioning of their hinge points relative to their centers of gravity when in an open position, will rotate toward a closed position by force of gravity unless restrained. The toilet seat assembly further includes means by which a user can control the open position of the seat and lid. The toilet seat assembly further includes any appropriate linear dampers associated with the toilet seat assembly. The toilet seat assembly is adapted such that the linear dampers restrain the closing rotation of the seat and lid over a desired delay period and such that a user, via said adjustment means and the linear dampers, can selectively: 1) adjust an automatic closing time of the seat and lid; 2) allow the seat to be automatically closed after a time delay but leave the lid open; or 3) leave both the seat and lid open, to be smoothly closed manually with a slight and short pull on the lid.

In another embodiment, a replacement toilet seat assembly adapted to mount on a toilet bowl ledge is provided. The toilet seat assembly includes a seat and a lid which, by virtue of the positioning of their hinge points relative to their centers of gravity when in an open position, will rotate toward a closed position by force of gravity unless restrained. The toilet seat assembly further includes means by which a user can control the closing torque exerted on the seat and lid. The toilet seat assembly further includes damper means associated with the toilet seat assembly. The toilet seat assembly further includes a latch means. The toilet seat assembly is adapted such that the seat may be latched in an open position and said latch means may easily be released by any of a variety of actuators, and after such release the damper means restrains the closing rotation of the seat and lid over a desired delay period.

In another embodiment, a replacement toilet seat assembly adapted to mount on a toilet bowl ledge is provided. The toilet seat assembly includes a seat and a lid which, by virtue of the positioning of their hinge points relative to their centers of gravity when in an open position, will rotate toward a closed position by force of gravity unless restrained. The toilet seat assembly further includes means by which a user can control the closing torque exerted on the seat and lid. The toilet seat assembly further includes damper means associated with the toilet seat assembly. The toilet seat assembly further includes a latch means. The toilet seat assembly is adapted such that the seat may, selectively, be latched in an open position and said latch means may easily be released by a control means sensitive to the flushing of the toilet or any other appropriate stimulus (e.g., a foot pedal, a timer, an optical sensor). After such release, the damper means restrains the closing rotation of the seat and lid over a desired delay period.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 is a side cross-sectional view of an embodiment of a closure apparatus for a toilet seat assembly, wherein a rear portion of a conventionally-hinged slow-closing toilet seat assembly with rotary dampers is mounted on a toilet bowl ledge and is shown in section with a lid in an open position.

FIG. 2 is a side cross-sectional view of another embodiment of a closure apparatus for the toilet seat assembly of FIG. 1, wherein the rear portion of the conventionally-hinged slow-closing toilet seat assembly with rotary dampers is mounted on a toilet bowl ledge and is shown in section with the lid is in an open position.

FIG. 3 is a side cross-sectional view of two exemplary toilet lids at an open angle of 90 degrees.

FIG. 4 is a side cross-sectional view of a conventionally-hinged slow-closing toilet seat and lid with rotary dampers, wherein the toilet seat and lid are shown in a fully open position and at an open angle at which they will close by force of gravity.

FIG. 5 is a side cross-sectional view of one embodiment of a toilet seat assembly of the present invention, wherein the toilet seat assembly and toilet bowl are shown in section and a seat and lid are shown at an open angle of 90 degrees.

FIG. 6 shows the toilet seat assembly embodiment of FIG. 5, wherein the seat and lid are shown at an open angle of 92 degrees.

FIG. 7 shows the toilet seat assembly embodiment of FIG. 5, wherein the seat and lid are shown at an open angle of 95 degrees.

FIG. 8 is a side cross-sectional view of another embodiment of a closure apparatus for a toilet seat assembly, wherein the toilet seat assembly with linear dampers and a toilet bowl are shown in section and a seat and lid are shown at an open angle of 90 degrees.

FIG. 9 is a perspective view of one embodiment of a hinge mount and a simplified latch assembly for an embodiment of a closure apparatus for a toilet seat assembly.

FIG. 10A is a rear cross-sectional view of another embodiment of a simplified latch assembly for a closure apparatus for a toilet seat assembly.

FIG. 10B is a front cross-sectional view of one embodiment of a control mechanism for the latch assembly of FIG. 10A.

For a more complete understanding of the present invention and further advantages thereof, reference is now made to the following detailed description taken in conjunction with the drawings.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

Referring now to FIG. 1, an embodiment of the closure apparatus is shown in combination with a toilet bowl ledge 1 having a conventionally-hinged toilet seat assembly 2 with a hinge mount 3 affixed thereto by a mounting bolt 4 and a mounting nut 5. The toilet seat assembly 2 includes a lid 6 which is shown in the fully open position and a seat 7 which is shown in the fully closed position. The hinge mount 3 includes a rotary damper (not shown) with axle 8 which defines an axis of rotation 9 of lid 6 and seat 7 and which is interconnected with lid 6 and seat 7 such that rotary damper axle 8 can control the (counter-clockwise) closing rotation of lid 6 and seat 7 over their full range of movement. Line 10 denotes the perpendicular above the axis of rotation 9. When the center of gravity of lid 6 or seat 7 aligns with this perpendicular position 10, lid 6 or seat 7 are at equilibrium: that is, gravitational torque on the lid 6 or seat 7 is zero and they are therefore not biased to rotate either clockwise or counter-clockwise. The toilet seat assembly 2 illustrated is typical of those known in the trade. Note that when lid 6 is fully open, its center of gravity lies on the side of perpendicular line 10 where the gravitational torque of lid 6 favors clockwise rotation instead of the counter-clockwise rotation required to close lid 6. As a result, in the absence of any external force applied to rotate lid 6 to a point where its center of gravity lies on the opposite side of line 10, lid 6 will remain in its fully open position. A leaf spring 11 is mounted in conjunction with the hinge mount 3 by mounting bolt 4 and mounting nut 5 such that when lid 6 is manually opened, leaf spring 11 is stressed, as shown, and when lid 6 is released, leaf spring 11 will immediately urge lid 6 toward counter-clockwise rotation to an angle at which the gravitational torque of lid 6 assures lid 6 will close. However, rotary damper axle 8 restrains this rotation of lid 6 by leaf spring 11 such that it prevents lid 6 from rotating from its fully open position to an angle at which the gravitational torque of lid 6 assures lid 6 will close for a desired delay period. While leaf spring 11 is shown mounted in conjunction with hinge mount 3 by mounting bolt 4 and mounting nut 5, leaf spring 11 could be attached to hinge mount 3 in any other appropriate manner, including, for example, mounting leaf spring 11 on top of hinge mount 3 with an adhesive. The functionality of leaf spring 11 could also be provided with an elastomeric pad (not shown) positioned on top of hinge mount 3.

FIG. 2 shows another embodiment of the closure apparatus in combination with the toilet seat assembly 2 of FIG. 1 affixed to toilet bowl ledge 1 by a mounting bolt 12 and mounting nut 5. In this embodiment, mounting bolt 12 has been provided with a cavity 13 adapted to receive a compression spring 14 and a rod 15 extending upward through hinge mount 3 such that when lid 6 is manually opened, rod 15 is depressed by lid 6 and compression spring 14 is in turn stressed by rod 15, as shown. When lid 6 is released, compression spring 14 will immediately urge rod 15 upward and rod 15 will, in turn, urge lid 6 to rotate counter-clockwise to an angle at which the gravitational torque of lid 6 assures lid 6 will close. However, rotary damper axle 8 restrains this rotation of lid 6 such that it prevents lid 6 from rotating from its fully open position to an angle at which the gravitational torque of lid 6 assures lid 6 will close for a desired delay period. The functionality of compression spring 14 could be provided in any other appropriate manner. For instance, it could be a compression spring (not shown) affixed to the hinge mount 3 instead being situated in bolt 12.

Thus, it may be seen that in the foregoing embodiments closure apparatus has been provided which will close the lid, and therefore also the seat, of a conventionally-hinged toilet seat assembly after a desired delay period following the raising and releasing of the lid. Furthermore, this functionality has been provided with relatively inexpensive and easy to install devices which can be used with conventionally configured soft-closing toilet seat sets. While the closure apparatus has been described with reference to specific examples, which are intended to be illustrative only and not limiting, it will be apparent to those of ordinary skill in the art that changes, additions or deletions may be made to the disclosed embodiments without departing from the spirit and scope of the present invention. For example, the functionality of leaf spring 11 and compression spring 14 could also be provided by a torsion spring (not shown) with its axis aligned with axis point 9 within hinge mount 3 or within the damper (not shown).

FIG. 3 shows simplified depictions of toilet lids 18, 21 which, taken together, illustrate the difference between the hinge arrangement of some embodiments of the present invention and the hinge arrangement of a conventional toilet seat assembly. In FIG. 3, counterclockwise rotation is required to close the lids and the lines 16 denote the perpendiculars above the axis of rotation 17 of each of the lids. Lid 18 has a center of gravity 19 and axis of rotation 17. The hinge position 20 of lid 18 relative to its center of gravity 19 is the same as that used in conventionally-hinged toilet seat assemblies. As FIG. 3 illustrates, at an open angle of 90 degrees, as shown, the center of gravity 19 of lid 18 lies about 12 degrees to the side of its perpendicular 16 which, due to its gravitational torque, urges lid 18 to rotate clockwise rather than counterclockwise to a closed position. FIG. 3 also shows a lid 21 which has a center of gravity 22 and an axis of rotation 17. The hinge position 23 of lid 21 relative to its center of gravity 22 is that of some embodiments of the present invention. As FIG. 3 illustrates, at an open angle of 90 degrees, the center of gravity 22 of lid 21 lies about 12 degrees to the side of its perpendicular 16 which, due to its gravitational torque, urges lid 21 to rotate counterclockwise to a closed position.

FIG. 4 shows a seat 24 and lid 25 of a conventionally-hinged toilet seat assembly with rotary dampers in its hinges (not shown). Seat 24 has a center of gravity 26 and lid 25 has a center of gravity 27. Seat 24 and lid 25 have an axis of rotation 28 and are illustrated by the dash-line figures in their fully raised position at an open angle of 95 degrees and in the solid line figures rotated to an open angle of 78 degrees. In FIG. 4 counterclockwise rotation is required to close the seat 24 and lid 25. As previously noted, owing to hinge friction, this open angle of 78 degrees is the greatest open angle at which seat 24 and lid 25 have sufficient gravitational torque to be expected to reliably continue counterclockwise rotation to close, under the control of the dampers. Dashed line 29 denotes the perpendicular above the axis of rotation 28 while dashed line 30 denotes the perpendicular above the center of gravity 26 of seat 24 when seat 24 is at an open angle of 78 degrees. Note that in the fully open position (95 degrees) the centers of gravity of the seat 24 and lid 25 lie to the side of the perpendicular 29 such that their gravitational torque favors remaining in the open position. Although not shown in the drawing, a closing (counterclockwise) rotation of seat 24 of only 2 degrees would align the center of gravity 26 of seat 24 with the perpendicular 29 of the axis of rotation and, in theory, at any closing rotation greater than 2 degrees, seat 24 would acquire gravitational torque favoring closing and such torque would cause seat 24 to close by force of gravity. However, in practice, seat 24 does not acquire sufficient gravitational torque to overcome the resistance of hinge friction until seat 24 has been rotated counterclockwise 17 degrees to the open angle of 78 degrees as shown. Line 30 thus represents the position the center of gravity 26 of seat 24 must rotate to in order to acquire sufficient gravitational torque to reliably close under the control of the damper. Similarly, with respect to lid 25, a closing rotation of only 9 degrees aligns its center of gravity 27 with the perpendicular 29 above axis of rotation 29, but in practice, lid 25 must be rotated counterclockwise 24 degrees to move center of gravity 27 into alignment with line 30. Thus, the perpendicular 30 denotes the position the centers of gravity of the seat and lid of a conventionally-hinged toilet seat assembly with rotary dampers in its hinges must reach in a counterclockwise rotation before they acquire sufficient gravitational torque to overcome the resistance of hinge friction and can be expected to reliably close by force of gravity under the control of the dampers.

Referring now to FIG. 5, one embodiment of a toilet seat assembly is shown in combination with a toilet bowl ledge 31 having a toilet seat assembly 32 affixed thereto. As illustrated, the toilet seat assembly 32 comprises a hinge mount 33 having a threaded cavity 34 in its bottom portion adapted to threadably receive the top portion of a mounting bolt 35 and is affixed to toilet bowl ledge 31 by mounting bolt 35 and mounting nut 36. The hinge mount 33, is intended to represent both hinge mounts of a toilet seat assembly, it being understood that all toilet seat assemblies have two hinge mounts and, in the case of toilet seat assemblies utilizing rotary dampers (not shown), they have one rotary damper per hinge mount—one interacting with the seat and one interacting with the lid. Thus, for simplicity of illustration, the one rotary damper axle 37 shown is intended to represent both the seat damper axle and the lid damper axle and represents a damper configured to restrain the closing rotation of both the seat and lid from at or near their open position to their closed position over a desired delay period.

Dashed lines 29 and 30 are those of FIG. 4, with line 29 denoting the perpendicular above the axis of rotation 38, where a seat or lid will have zero gravitational torque when its center of gravity is aligned therewith, while line 30 is the perpendicular denoting the position the centers of gravity of the seat and lid of a conventionally-hinged toilet seat assembly with rotary dampers in its hinges must reach in a counterclockwise rotation before they acquire sufficient gravitational torque to overcome the resistance of hinge friction and can be expected to reliably close by force of gravity under the control of the dampers, as shown in FIG. 4. Thus, when the center of gravity of any seat or lid aligns with or is to the left of line 30, the seat or lid will close by force of gravity.

The toilet seat assembly 32 also includes a lid 39 with a center of gravity 40 and a hinge area 41, and a seat 42 with a center of gravity 43 and hinge area 44 which are mounted on rotary damper axle 37, which defines an axis of rotation 38 and can restrain the closing (counter-clockwise) rotation of seat 42 and lid 39 from their open angle to their fully closed position. Lid 39 and seat 42 are shown opened to an open angle of 90 degrees. The hinge area 44 of seat 42 has been configured, relative to its center of gravity 43, such that when seat 42 is opened to an open angle of 90 degrees the center of gravity 43 of seat 42 remains to the left of line 30, indicating it has sufficient gravitational torque to overcome hinge friction and will rotate counterclockwise to close by force of gravity, as controlled by rotary damper axle 37.

Similarly, the hinge area 41 of lid 39 has been configured relative to center of gravity 40 such that when lid 39 is opened to an open angle of 90 degrees, center of gravity 40 of lid 39 remains on the right side of perpendicular line 30 and to the left of line 29, indicating it possesses some gravitational torque favoring counterclockwise rotation toward closing but not a sufficient amount to overcome hinge friction. Thus, lid 39 will not close unless additional counterclockwise torque is applied to lid 39 which is sufficient to overcome hinge friction and rotate lid 39 counterclockwise to the point where center of gravity 40 aligns with line 30. To address this, hinge mount 33 also has an opening 45, a lower portion 46 of which is threaded. An upper portion 47 of opening 45 is adapted to receive a compression spring 48 and the lower portion 46 is adapted to receive an adjuster bolt with a knurled top 49 located below opening 45. Adjuster bolt 49 is adapted such that a user can turn it to move compression spring 48 up or down within opening 45. As shown, compression spring 48 works in conjunction with a rear edge 50 of lid 39. More specifically, compression spring 48 is stressed by rear edge 50 of lid 39 as lid 39 is raised so that compression spring 48 exerts a counterclockwise torque on lid 39. By adjusting the elevation of compression spring 48 via adjuster bolt 49, a user may specify the extent that compression spring 48 is stressed and therefore the amount of counterclockwise torque it will exert on lid 39 to limit the open angle of lid 39 when lid 39 is opened and to provide additional counterclockwise torque to lid 39 to rotate lid 39 counterclockwise until its center of gravity 40 aligns with line 30.

Note that the greater the open angle of lid 39, the closer center of gravity 40 is to perpendicular 29, meaning that lid 39 has less counterclockwise gravitational torque to bias lid 39 to rotate counter-clockwise. Further, the farther center of gravity 40 is to the right of line 30, the farther lid 39 must rotate in a counterclockwise manner to acquire sufficient counterclockwise torque to overcome frictional resistance and continue to close under the control of rotary damper axle 37. In this regard, FIG. 5 shows compression spring 48 as somewhat stressed, signifying that compression spring 48 will provide sufficient added counterclockwise torque to lid 39 to rotate center of gravity 40 of lid 39 to line 30 so it will close under the control of rotary damper axle 37. The particular compression spring chosen should provide the desired torque to lid 39 after lid 39 has been rotated (and compression spring 48 stressed) to an open angle at least 5 degrees beyond the desired open angle, it being understood that known rotary dampers do not begin damping in their first 5 degrees of rotation from their initial position.

The elevation adjustment range of compression spring 48 provided by adjuster bolt 49 may be sufficient to enable compression spring 48 to provide a range of counterclockwise torque to lid 39 to overcome not only friction in the rotary dampers themselves but also possible friction between the hinges of seat 42 and lid 39 and in situations where seat 42 and lid 39 are raised to open angles greater or less than 90 degrees because the toilet itself is not level. FIGS. 6 and 7 demonstrate the effect of a user turning adjuster bolt 49 to move compression spring 48 to a lower elevation. It should be apparent that, were compression spring 48 to be elevated from the position shown, it would be stressed more and limit the open angle of seat 42 and lid 39 to one of less than 90 degrees, with the result that seat 42 and lid 39 would close over a shorter delay period, given a fixed damper resistance. It should also be noted that this embodiment would permit devices which use foot pedals to raise as well lower a toilet seat and lid to fully open them and to close them by simply removing a foot from the pedal.

Specifically, FIG. 6 shows the embodiment of the toilet seat assembly of FIG. 5 with seat 42 and lid 39 opened to an open angle of 92 degrees, as permitted by the elevation of compression spring 48, as determined by an adjustment of adjuster bolt 49. At this open angle the center of gravity 43 of seat 42 remains to the left of line 30, meaning it has sufficient gravitational torque to close under the control of damper axle 37. However, the center of gravity 40 of lid 39 remains to the right of line 30 and compression spring 48 has been lowered to an elevation where it has not been sufficiently stressed by the rear edge 50 of lid 39 to provide the necessary counterclockwise torque required to rotate lid 39 so that its center of gravity 40 rotates to line 30. Thus, when a user selects this elevation of compression spring 48 via adjuster bolt 49, seat 42 will still close under the control of the damper but lid 39 will remain open.

FIG. 7 shows the embodiment of the toilet seat assembly of FIGS. 5 and 6 with seat 42 and lid 39 opened to an open angle of 95 degrees, as permitted by the elevation of compression spring 48, as determined by an adjustment of adjuster bolt 49. At this open angle the center of gravity 43 of seat 42 has shifted to the right of line 30, meaning it has insufficient gravitational torque to close under the control of damper axle 37. The center of gravity 40 of lid 39 remains to the right of line 30 and compression spring 48 has been lowered to an elevation where it has not been sufficiently stressed by the rear edge 50 of lid 39 to provide the necessary counterclockwise torque required to rotate lid 39, much less both lid 39 and seat 42, so that their centers of gravity rotate to line 30. Thus, when a user selects this elevation of compression spring 48 via adjuster bolt 49, both seat 42 and lid 39 will remain open. However, compression spring 48 is still providing some counterclockwise torque on lid 39 and therefore on seat 42, meaning that to close the seat and lid manually would require a lesser pull or force on lid 39 by a user. In addition, because of the relationship of the centers of gravity of seat 42 and lid 39 to their respective hinge points, seat 42 must only be rotated counterclockwise 2 degrees, and lid 39 7 degrees for the centers of gravity to align with line 30 and continue closing, as compared to the 24 degree rotation required for a conventionally-hinged toilet seat and lid, as shown in FIG. 4. Thus, the pull required of a user would also be a shorter one than required with a conventionally-hinged, slow-closing toilet seat assembly with rotary dampers in its hinge mounts and the closing motion of the seat and lid would be smoother because the seat and lid are under the control of the rotary dampers. Thus, the toilet seat assembly requires no energy to automatically close a seat and little or no energy to automatically close a lid over a desired delay period.

Referring now to FIG. 8, another embodiment of the closure apparatus is shown in combination with a toilet bowl ledge 1 having a toilet seat assembly 60 affixed thereto. As illustrated, the toilet seat assembly 60 includes a hinge mount 62 having a threaded cavity 63 in its bottom portion adapted to threadably receive a top portion of a hollow mounting bolt 64 and is affixed to toilet bowl ledge 1 by mounting bolt 64 and mounting nut 65. Toilet seat assembly 60 also includes a lid 66 and a seat 67 which are configured with hinge points relative to their centers of gravity, as discussed above, but lid 66 and seat 67 do not have rotary dampers at their axis of rotation 71, which are shown raised to an open angle of 90 degrees, as shown in FIG. 5. For reference purposes, perpendiculars 29 and 30 of FIGS. 5-7 are shown with line 29 being the perpendicular above the axis of rotation 71 of the seat 67 and lid 66. The hinge area 68 of seat 67 has been provided with a groove 69 adapted to receive and hold one end of a strap 70. Dashed line 88 indicates the position of groove 69 and top end of strap 70 when seat 67 is in a closed position.

The hinge mount 62 includes an adjuster assembly 87, which includes adjuster bolt 49 and the associated compression spring 48 shown in FIGS. 5-7. The hinge mount 62 is configured to mount on toilet bowl ledge 1 such that the portion of hinge area 68 of seat 67 having groove 69 is positioned directly above hollow mounting bolt 64.

The present embodiment also includes a closure apparatus 72 which includes a damper assembly 73, for example, of the type disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 6,176,475. Damper assembly 73 may be attached to the end of mounting bolt 64, with a rod 74 extending vertically therefrom and upward through hollow mounting bolt 64. The top end of rod 74 is adapted to receive and hold the end of strap 70, which is mounted to groove 69 of seat 67, as shown.

The damper assembly 73 includes a housing 75 with cylindrical walls. The housing 75 has a top end 76 which is threadably attached to hollow mounting bolt 64. The bottom end 77 of housing 75 is closed. A valve assembly 78 cooperates with a lower end of rod 74 and moves up and down with rod 74 in housing 75. Valve assembly 78 effectively divides housing 75 into a first chamber 81 between valve assembly 78 and top end 76 of housing 75 and a second chamber 82 between valve assembly 78 and bottom end 77 of housing 75.

When damper assembly 73 is mounted to mounting bolt 64, as shown, it is open to atmospheric pressure because the opening within hollow mounting bolt 64 has a larger diameter than the diameter of rod 74, leaving an air gap between the two. As more fully disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 6,176,475, valve assembly 78 includes a seal 79 and a retainer 80, which cooperate with the lower end of rod 74 such that when rod 74 is moved toward the bottom end 77 of housing 75, air or liquid may freely flow around the valve assembly 78 from the second chamber 82 to the first chamber 81 of the housing 75, but when valve assembly 78 is moved toward the top end 76 of the housing 75, valve assembly 78, together with rod 74, forms a seal with the cylindrical wall of housing 75 which limits air or liquid flow from first chamber 81 to second chamber 82 of the housing 75 to a desired rate, thereby controlling the rate at which the bottom end of rod 74 can move toward the top end 76 of housing 75.

The damper assembly 73 also includes a compression spring 83 with a washer 84 adjacent its top end and a washer 85 adjacent its bottom end. The compression spring 83 is situated in housing 75 between top end 76 of housing 75 and valve assembly 78. Further, the damper assembly 73 includes a fluid 86, for example, of the type commonly used in damping devices. As previously noted, the seat 67 and lid 66 are shown raised 90 degrees and the lid adjuster 87 has been set such that both possess counterclockwise gravitational torque to rotate them counterclockwise to a closed position and thus they are trying to pull rod 74 upward via cord 70. However, in this open position, compression spring 83 has pushed rod 74 and its associated valve assembly 78 to the position shown, in which valve assembly 78 is below the top level of the fluid 86. In this position compression spring 83 is unstressed. As previously explained, the upward pull on rod 74 immediately seals valve assembly 78 with the walls of housing 75 and restrains the upward movement of rod 74. As a result, in order for seat 67 to rotate counterclockwise, valve assembly 78 must be pulled upward, first through the amount of fluid 86 above it, where it proceeds very slowly, and then a further distance through air in first chamber 81 of housing 75, where it acts as an air damper which still exerts a restraining force but can proceed somewhat more quickly. As this proceeds, rod 74 causes spring 83 to stress, resulting in increasing clockwise torque on seat 67 to resist the increasing counterclockwise gravitational torque of seat 67 as it rotates toward a closed position.

In addition, a user can adjust the closing delay period by simply threading damper assembly 73 further onto hollow mounting bolt 64. This is possible because washer 84 at the top end of spring 83 abuts the bottom end of hollow mounting bolt 64 and thereby limits the top end of spring 83 to this fixed position. Thus, threading damper assembly 73 further up onto hollow mounting bolt 64 moves only the housing 75 upward and results in valve assembly 78 being further below the top level of fluid 86, meaning the initially very slow movement upward of valve assembly 78 will take longer. By choosing the appropriate leakage rate of the valve assembly 78, the appropriate viscosity of fluid 86, and the appropriate resistance of spring 83 for the weight of the toilet seat and lid, this embodiment provides means by which a toilet seat may be closed very slowly at first and then somewhat more rapidly.

By providing spring resistance as well as damper resistance to the gravitational torque of a closing seat and lid, this embodiment eliminates reliance on a damper alone to provide such resistance and is beneficial where a seat and lid are too heavy to be controlled by a damper alone. It also has the advantage of making a seat and lid easier to raise because a user is assisted by the clockwise gravitational torque of highly-stressed spring 83 when the seat and lid are in a closed position. This would obviously be beneficial in devices intended to raise as well as lower a seat and lid.

As with the embodiment of FIGS. 5-7, this embodiment may also be adjusted, via adjustment assembly 87, to selectively choose to automatically close the seat and lid, just the seat, or neither.

The utility of the user adjustment function has been discussed with respect to its ability to compensate for hinge friction within the rotary dampers and possibly between the hinge areas of the seat and lid as well. It should be noted that this adjustment function can also be used to compensate for other real world factors including: toilets that are not level; manufacturing inconsistencies in the overall toilet seat assembly; wear from usage and even ambient temperature and humidity operating conditions. Were it not for these factors, the adjustment function of this embodiment could be performed by a simple 3 position adjuster.

FIG. 9 shows another embodiment of a toilet seat assembly, in which a hinge mount 51 is provided with a simple latch assembly 52. In one embodiment, latch assembly 52 comprises a weak flat spring 53 affixed at one end to hinge mount 51 by rivets or screws 54 and having a latch face 55 mounted on its opposite end. Dashed line arrow 59 indicates the latching and unlatching movements of latch face 55. Latch assembly 52 further includes a communication means 56 attached to latch face 55, here illustrated as a simple cord, which enables latch face 55 to communicate with a control means (not shown), which in practice could be a flush-activated control means, a foot pedal means, an optical sensor, or a timer means.

Latch assembly 52 further includes a notch 57 formed in hinge area 58 of seat 42. When seat 42 is raised to an open angle of 93 degrees, seat 42 has just enough counterclockwise gravitational torque to overcome hinge friction and close under the control of its damper. In operation, as seat 42 is raised to an open angle of 93 degrees, latch face 55 engages notch 57 and stops the opening rotation of seat 42. This prevents the further clockwise rotation of the rotary damper (not shown), which controls the closing rotation of seat 42.

As previously explained, the damper will therefore not exert any damping resistance on seat 42 until seat 42 has rotated counterclockwise 5 degrees, assuring seat 42 will rotate counterclockwise somewhat as soon as latch assembly 52 is unlatched. Note that at this open angle, the counterclockwise gravitational torque of seat 42 only barely exceeds the resistance of hinge friction such that seat 42 does not exert great force on latch face 55 and friction between latch face 55 and notch 57 is therefore minimal. By contrast, in known devices which utilize latches as the means to control closing of a seat and/or lid, the latches must restrain the release of an energy means required to rotate a conventionally-hinged seat and/or lid all the way from their open position to the point they will continue closing, as illustrated in FIG. 4. As a result, such devices inherently have greater friction in their latch means, and they therefore require greater energy to release their latch means. For example, U.S. Pat. No. 6,438,764 discloses a flush activated control means to release a latch restraining a spring intended to rotate a conventionally-hinged seat and lid to closure. The spring required must be compressed and latched at a point where the initial thrust force of the spring is 10 pounds and as a result, friction at the latch point requires substantial energy to release the latch. By contrast, when properly adjusted, the present embodiment must only restrain perhaps 1 pound or less and thus requires far less energy to release. As shown in FIGS. 5-8, this embodiment could also selectively close lid 39 by simply adjusting the compression spring 48 so that it is sufficiently stressed to provide enough counterclockwise torque to lid 39 to assure the center of gravity 40 of lid 39 is rotated counterclockwise to line 30 after the latch is released. Thus, it may be seen that, while described only in comparison to a flush-activated device, the ease of release of the latch of this embodiment also provides this advantage to any devices utilizing latches, whether actuated by timers, by flushing, by foot pedals or by motion sensors.

FIG. 10A shows an embodiment of a latch assembly 93 associated with a portion of the toilet seat assembly of FIGS. 5-7 from a rear elevational view wherein a hinge mount 89 and a hinge area 90 of a seat (not shown) are shown. Hinge mount 89 includes a rotary damper 91, having an axle 92 upon which hinge area 90 is hinged, and a latch assembly 93. Latch assembly 93 comprises a cavity 94 in hinge mount 89 adapted to sealably receive an elastomeric bladder 95 with an attached cap having a latch point 96, which are together adapted to engage a latch socket 97 formed in hinge area 90. Hinge mount 89 further includes a passageway 98 connecting cavity 94 and elastomeric bladder 95 with its threaded lower end 99 which is adapted to receive a hollow mounting bolt 100. Hollow mounting bolt 100, together with a mounting nut 101, affix hinge mount 89 to a toilet bowl ledge (not shown). A fitting 102 sealably connects tubing 103 with mounting bolt 100, and tubing 103 communicates between a control means, shown in FIG. 10B, and the lower end of mounting bolt 100. Elastomeric bladder 95 may be somewhat larger than as shown in FIG. 10A, such that when in the position shown in FIG. 10A, elastomeric bladder 95 is slightly compressed and its own resilience has caused latch point 96 to latch with the latch socket 97 of hinge area 90, the two being in alignment when the seat is in an open position, as shown.

Looking now at FIG. 10B, a portion of a rear toilet tank wall 104 is shown. Mounted thereon is a bottomless vessel 105 which includes an opening 106, adapted to sealably receive the end of tubing 103 that not attached to hollow mounting bolt 100. Vessel 105 further includes a venting assembly 107, which is adapted to allow air to escape from vessel 105 but to prohibit air from being drawn into vessel 105. Vessel 105 is adapted to be mounted to the rear tank wall 104 via an attached bendable mount strap 108 such that it is largely submerged in water when the toilet tank is full, as shown by dotted line 109. Venting assembly 107 includes a guide 110, a rod 111 with an attached elastomeric nipple 112 and a cooperating opening 113 in vessel 105. The rod 111 and nipple 112 are of sufficient weight to seal venting assembly 107 at ambient air pressure. Note that the overall arrangement disclosed in FIGS. 10A and 10B provides a sealed passageway between elastomeric bladder 95 and the upper portion of vessel 105.

In operation, when the toilet is flushed and the water level rapidly drops, it likewise drops in vessel 105. Because venting assembly 107 will not permit air to enter vessel 105, a partial vacuum is created in vessel 105, which is transmitted to bladder 95 through tubing 103, hollow mounting bolt 100, and passageway 98, causing bladder 95 to contract and thus latch point 96 to disengage from latch socket 97 on hinge area 90 such that the seat is free to close. As the tank refills and water rises in vessel 105, the increasing air pressure in the upper portion of vessel 105 relieves the contracted partial vacuum condition of bladder 95, which is then again biased by its own resilience to latch, and venting assembly 107 is forced open to restore normal air pressure in vessel 105 when the tank is full. Thus, when the seat and lid are next opened, the seat will again latch open until released as described. It should be obvious that tubing 103 could be routed directly from hinge mount 89 to vessel 105, instead of through a hollow mounting bolt 100, which would permit the use of a standard mounting bolt and enable the overall apparatus to be provided fully assembled.

Returning to FIG. 10A, seat hinge area 90 also includes an opening 114 adapted to receive a push/pull pin 115, shown in a retracted position. When pin 115 is in a fully inserted position it prevents latch point 96 from entering latch socket 97, thus disabling the automatic latching function, if desired. In this case, a user may adjust the assembly to automatically close over a delay period or stay open, as previously disclosed. Thus it may be seen that, in this embodiment, a toilet seat assembly has been provided which is adapted to selectively close the seat and lid when the toilet is flushed. It may also be seen that, through the use of energy generated by the falling water level when a toilet is flushed to release the latch, this functionality has been provided with no need to provide other energy to do so. In addition, this functionality has been provided with just a few inexpensive parts and is noncomplex in that the only moving parts are latch assembly 93 and venting assembly 107. It may further be seen that the toilet seat assembly is not difficult to install or visually obtrusive.

The described embodiments enable a user to adjust an open angle of a seat and a lid of a toilet seat assembly to selectively: 1) adjust an automatic closing time of the seat and lid; 2) allow the seat to be automatically closed after a time delay but leave the lid open; or 3) leave both the seat and lid open, to be smoothly closed manually with a lighter and shorter pull on the lid than is required with soft-closing toilet seat assemblies known in the trade.

Furthermore, it may be seen that by selectively balancing the counterclockwise gravitational torque force of the seat and lid plus an adjustable compression spring against the resistance of hinge friction and a damping means, an apparatus has been provided by which known devices utilizing latches as the means to restrain a seat and/or lid from closing, either by timed means or by flushing of the toilet or with foot pedals, would require latching against only a minimal force biasing a seat and lid to close and therefore would require far less energy to release the latch.

Still further, it may be seen that the embodiments improve upon known devices in that they substantially reduce or eliminate the need for energy to rotate a seat and lid to close, eliminate the need to limit an open angle of the seat and lid and eliminate the need for a costly device to shift the center of gravity of the seat and lid after they are opened. In addition, this functionality has been provided inexpensively and with apparatus that is easy to install.

The foregoing description of the present invention has been presented for purposes of illustration and description. Furthermore, the description is not intended to limit the invention to the form disclosed herein. Consequently, variations and modifications commensurate with the above teachings, and skill and knowledge of the relevant art, are within the scope of the present invention. The embodiments described hereinabove are further intended to explain best modes known of practicing the invention and to enable others skilled in the art to utilize the invention in such, or other embodiments and with various modifications required by the particular application(s) or use(s) of the present invention. It is intended that the appended claims be construed to include alternative embodiments to the extent permitted by the prior art.

Claims

1. A closure apparatus adapted to be mounted to a toilet seat assembly having a lid disposed upon a seat, said closure apparatus comprising:

an actuator, said actuator adapted to engage the lid such that when the toilet seat assembly is released in an open position, said actuator rotates the lid, and therefore the seat, from said open position into a closing position from which the lid and the seat will rotate into a closed position via a gravitational torque; and

one or more rotary dampers, said rotary dampers configured to resist rotational movement of the lid and the seat from said open position to said closed position.

2. A closure apparatus as set forth in claim 1, wherein positioning the lid in said open position stores energy in said actuator, and wherein said dampers control release of the energy such that the lid rotates from said open position into said closing position over a desired delay period.

3. A closure apparatus as set forth in claim 1, wherein said actuator comprises a spring.

4. A closure apparatus as set forth in claim 3, wherein said spring is adapted to be stressed by said toilet seat assembly when said toilet seat assembly is positioned in said open position.

5. A closure apparatus as set forth in claim 1, wherein said dampers apply a rotational torque, and wherein said rotational torque is adjustable.

6. A toilet seat assembly adapted for mounting to a toilet via a hinge mount, the toilet having a toilet bowl with a top ledge having pre-existing holes for mounting said toilet seat assembly and a water tank, said toilet seat assembly comprising:

a toilet seat that rotates about an axis of rotation between a closed position and an open position, wherein said axis of rotation is positioned relative to a center of gravity of said toilet seat such that when said toilet seat is in a vertical position, gravitational torque biases said toilet seat to close by force of gravity.

7. A toilet seat assembly as set forth in claim 6, further comprising a toilet lid associated with said toilet seat, wherein said toilet lid rotates about said axis of rotation between said closed position and said open position, and wherein said axis of rotation is positioned relative to a center of gravity of said toilet lid such that when said toilet lid is in said vertical position, gravitational torque biases said toilet lid to close by force of gravity.

8. A toilet seat assembly as set forth in claim 7, further comprising:

a control mechanism configured to control rotational movement of said toilet seat from said open position to said closed position and said toilet lid from said open position to said closed position.

9. A toilet seat assembly as set forth in claim 8, wherein said control mechanism comprises one or more rotary dampers.

10. A toilet seat assembly as set forth in claim 8, wherein said control mechanism comprises:

a toilet seat damper configured to apply a first rotary torque to slow rotational movement of said toilet seat over a first delay period; and

a toilet lid damper configured to apply a second rotary torque to slow rotational movement of said toilet lid over a second delay period.

11. A toilet seat assembly as set forth in claim 8, wherein said control mechanism comprises a closure apparatus, said closure apparatus comprising:

a mounting bolt having an opening extending therethrough;

a cylindrical housing adapted to be threadably received on said mounting bolt;

a rod having a first end and a second end, said first end extending through said mounting bolt and adapted to control rotation of said toilet seat and said second end having a one-way valve assembly disposed within said housing;

a spring member disposed within said housing, said spring member adapted to lower said rod within said housing; and

a fluid disposed in a lower portion of said housing, wherein when said toilet seat rotates into said open position, said spring moves said rod downward in said housing, thereby positioning said one-way valve assembly in said fluid, and wherein when said toilet seat is released, said one-way valve assembly seals against said housing, thereby restraining upward movement of said rod and rotational movement of said toilet seat and said toilet lid from said open position to said closed position.

12. A toilet seat assembly as set forth in claim 11, wherein said spring member is adapted to apply a rotary torque to resist rotational movement of said toilet seat from said open position to said closed position.

13. A toilet seat assembly as set forth in claim 11, wherein said closure apparatus is adapted to apply a rotary torque to control rotational movement of said toilet seat from said open position to said closed position over a delay period.

14. A toilet seat assembly as set forth in claim 13, wherein said closure apparatus is adapted to be adjustable to change said delay period.

15. A toilet seat assembly as set forth in claim 13, wherein when said gravitational torque of said toilet seat exceeds a rotary torque applied by a damper, said closure apparatus controls rotational movement of said toilet seat from said open position to said closed position.

16. A toilet seat assembly as set forth in claim 6, further comprising:

a toilet lid associated with said toilet seat, wherein said toilet lid rotates about said axis of rotation between said closed position and said open position, and wherein said axis of rotation is positioned relative to a center of gravity of said toilet lid such that when said toilet lid is in said vertical position, gravitational torque biases said toilet lid to close by force of gravity; and

a control mechanism configured to control rotational movement of said toilet seat from said open position to said closed position and said toilet lid from said open position to said closed position, wherein said control mechanism comprises a latch assembly configured to engage said toilet seat at said open position to selectively prevent said toilet seat from rotating from said open position to said closed position.

17. A toilet seat assembly as set forth in claim 16, wherein said latch assembly comprises:

a flat spring having first and second ends, wherein said first end is fixably coupled to said hinge mount;

a latch face configured to engage a notch in said toilet seat, wherein said latch face is fixably coupled to said second end of said flat spring; and

a controller communicatively coupled with said latch face, wherein said controller controls a disengagement of said latch face from said notch, thereby releasing said toilet seat.

18. A toilet seat assembly as set forth in claim 16, wherein said latch assembly comprises:

an elastomeric bladder;

a cap coupled with said elastomeric bladder, wherein when said elastomeric bladder is in an equilibrium position, said elastomeric bladder is biased to engage said cap with a notch in said toilet seat; and

a bottomless vessel disposed within the water tank, wherein said bottomless vessel is communicatively coupled with said elastomeric bladder, and wherein when water in the water tank drops, said elastomeric bladder contracts to withdraw said cap from said notch in said toilet seat.

19. A toilet seat assembly as set forth in claim 6, further comprising:

a toilet lid associated with said toilet seat, wherein said toilet lid rotates about said axis of rotation between said closed position and said open position, and wherein said axis of rotation is positioned relative to a center of gravity of said toilet lid such that when said toilet lid is in said vertical position, gravitational torque biases said toilet lid to close by force of gravity; and

a control mechanism configured to control rotational movement of said toilet seat from said open position to said closed position and said toilet lid from said open position to said closed position; and

an elevation assembly configured to engage said toilet lid at said open position.

20. A toilet seat assembly as set forth in claim 19, wherein said open position defines an elevation angle above the top ledge, and wherein said elevation assembly is positionable to increase or decrease said elevation angle of said open position.

21. A toilet seat assembly as set forth in claim 20, wherein said gravitational torque biasing said toilet lid lessens as said center of gravity of said toilet lid approaches a perpendicular position above said axis of rotation, and wherein positioning said elevation assembly to increase or decrease said elevation angle of said open position alters a delay period over which said toilet lid moves between said open position and said closed position.

22. A toilet seat assembly as set forth in claim 21, wherein when said elevation angle is within a first range, said toilet seat and said toilet lid automatically rotate into said closed position when said toilet seat and said toilet lid are released in said open position, wherein when said elevation angle is within a second range, said toilet seat automatically rotates into said closed position and said toilet lid remains in said open position when said toilet seat and said toilet lid are released in said open position, and wherein when said elevation angle is within a third range, said toilet seat and said toilet lid remain in said open position when said toilet seat and said toilet lid are released in said open position.

23. A toilet seat assembly as set forth in claim 22, wherein said elevation assembly comprises an adjustable member that is threadably engaged within an opening in said hinge mount, and wherein rotation of said adjustable member alters a height at which said elevation assembly engages a rear portion of said toilet lid, thereby adjusting said elevation angle of said open position.

24. A toilet seat assembly as set forth in claim 23, wherein said elevation assembly further comprises a spring that is associated with said adjustable member, and wherein adjusting said elevation angle of said open position alters a height at which said spring engages said toilet lid, thereby altering a stress placed on said spring when said toilet lid is in said open position and, in turn, a closing torque that said spring exerts on said toilet lid to rotate said toilet lid towards said closed position.

25. A method for fully closing a toilet seat assembly mounted upon a toilet, comprising:

capturing energy associated with opening said seat assembly; and

releasing said energy over a delay period thereby fully closing said seat assembly.

26. A method as set forth in claim 25, wherein said step of capturing energy associated with opening said seat assembly comprises deforming a spring member as said seat assembly is opened.

27. A method as set forth in claim 25, wherein said step of releasing said energy over said delay period comprises restricting release of said spring member over said delay period.

28. A method as set forth in claim 27, wherein said step of restricting release of said spring member comprises associating rotary dampers with said toilet seat assembly such that said rotary dampers restrict expansion of said spring member over said delay period.

29. A method for automatically closing a toilet seat assembly, the method comprising:

positioning a hinge point of a toilet seat relative to a center of gravity of said toilet seat such that when said toilet seat is in a vertical position, gravitational torque biases said toilet seat to close by force of gravity.

30. A method as set forth in claim 29, further comprising positioning a hinge point of a toilet lid relative to a center of gravity of said toilet lid such that when said toilet lid is in a vertical position, gravitational torque biases said toilet lid to close by force of gravity.

31. A method as set forth in claim 30, further comprising providing one or more dampers to restrain said toilet seat and said toilet lid such that said toilet seat and said toilet lid close over a desired delay period.

32. A method as set forth in claim 31, further comprising providing a latch mechanism configured to retain said toilet seat assembly in an open position.

33. A method as set forth in claim 32, further comprising providing a latch release mechanism configured to automatically unlatch said toilet seat assembly from said open position.

34. A method as set forth in claim 33, further comprising providing a controller to enable or disable said latch mechanism.