DISPOSABLE TOILET SEAT LIFT APPARATUS

Abstract

A toilet seat lift apparatus with sanitary features including removability and metal mixtures having high microbicidal activity either coated onto its surface or incorporated into the material from which it is fabricated. The handle attaches to the underside of a toilet seat and extends beyond the outer edge of the seat, thereby providing a means to lift the seat without direct manual contact with the seat. The gripping portion of the handle may include or ring or other gripping member to facilitate easy handling. The handle is attached to the underside of the toilet seat by hook-and-loop adhesive strips, thereby allowing the handle to be periodically removed, washed, and replaced, or simply discarded. The antimicrobial material incorporated into or coated onto the handle enhances sanitation between periodic washings.

Description

CROSS REFERENCES TO RELATED APPLICATIONS

The present application claims the benefit of U.S. Provisional Patent Application Ser. No. 61/310,869, filed Mar. 5, 2011 (Mar. 5, 2010).

STATEMENT REGARDING FEDERALLY SPONSORED RESEARCH OR DEVELOPMENT

Not applicable.

THE NAMES OR PARTIES TO A JOINT RESEARCH AGREEMENT

Not applicable.

SEQUENCE LISTING

Not applicable.

INCORPORATION-BY-REFERENCE OF MATERIAL SUBMITTED ON A COMPACT DISC

Not applicable.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

1. Field of the Invention

The present invention relates generally to toilet seat lifting apparatus, and more specifically to a disposable article for removable attachment to (principally public) toilet seats so as to avoid touching an unsanitary surface.

2. Discussion of Related Art including information disclosed under 37 CFR §§1.97, 1.98

The present invention was conceived and devised as a solution to the repugnant and unsanitary action of having to manually touch a soiled toilet seat in order to raise or lower the seat. Numerous devices have been designed to eliminate the distasteful manual contact with toilet seats, but equally numerous shortcomings persist even in view of the historical solutions.

The recently issued U.S. Pat. No. 7,644,451, to Ross, entitled, “Pedal operated toilet seat lifter and return,” is representative of a class of devices using complex cables, levers and cams to accomplish the lifting of the toilet seat. The '451 patent teaches a toilet seat lifting apparatus comprising a base with a first pedal that may be depressed to lift the toilet seat and a second pedal to lower the seat, each connected to the seat through a simple set of levers. U.S. Pat. No. 6,263,517, to Brooks, shows similarly complicated mechanical apparatus for lifting a toilet seat and lid. As will be appreciated, such apparatus is inherently costly and involves some installation skill. As with other devices in this class, the cost and complexity effectively preclude widespread acceptance by the consuming public.

U.S. Pat. No. 7,552,485, to Harrison, Jr., provides a much simpler solution to the problem of contacting unsanitary toilet seats. This references shows a toilet seat gripping apparatus that includes a panel for attachment to the front of the toilet seat rim. The panel has a top side, a bottom side, a forward edge and a rear edge, the latter being concavely arcuate and contoured to fit an outer edge of a toilet seat. A pair of elongate gripping members are disposed through holes in the panel for clamping the panel onto a toilet seat. The panel and gripping members (i.e., the handle) comprise a generally permanent attachment to the seat, and as will be readily appreciated, in only a small amount of time the handle will be soiled and unsanitary. The clamping system employed makes it entirely unfit for use on public toilets. Furthermore, the integrity of the toilet seat finish will be compromised by engagement of the clamping members with the seat. And, finally, the rigid structure of the panel extending well beyond the edge of the seat also becomes an impediment to walking or moving past the toilet.

U.S. Pat. No. 6,842,916, to Gunn, et al, discloses a toilet seat lifting device having a housing with a handle slidably mounted within the housing (essentially a sword in scabbard type of device). A hook is attached beneath the handle and an adhesive pad is located on the housing. The adhesive pad is affixed to the underside of the toilet seat lid. The user slides the handle to an outward position, thereby disengaging the hook from the toilet seat, so as to lift only the toilet seat lid, when so desired. When pushed into an inward position, the hook engages the toilet seat so that when the handle is lifted the toilet seat will be lifted along with the toilet seat lid. The apparatus is designed for permanent installation.

A number of design patents show less adaptable permanent fixtures, including U.S. Des. Pat. Nos. 576,013; 575,618; 572,567; and 529,784.

The foregoing patents reflect the current state of the art of which the present inventor is aware. Reference to, and discussion of, these patents is intended to aid in discharging Applicant's acknowledged duty of candor in disclosing information that may be relevant to the examination of claims to the present invention. However, it is respectfully submitted that none of the above-indicated patents disclose, teach, suggest, show, or otherwise render obvious, either singly or when considered in combination, the invention described and claimed herein.

BRIEF SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

Accordingly, it is a first and principal object of the present invention to provide a toilet seat lifting apparatus that is may be installed easily and without the need of special skills or tools.

Another object of the present invention is to provide a device that enables the user to raise and lower a toilet seat without manual contact with the actual toilet seat.

Yet another object of the present invention is to provide The device must be removable for periodic cleaning and provide for an easy replacement in its original position, without the need to apply a new adhesive strip or the need to remove and reinstall screws or other fasteners.

A still further object of the present invention is to provide a toilet seat lift apparatus that is sufficiently flexible to minimize the possibility of injury should a person inadvertently brush past it or walk into it.

Another object is to provide a toilet seat lift that has antibacterial properties inherent in the material used in its construction.

Further, but not finally, an object of the present invention is to provide a toilet seat lifting apparatus that includes a means of attachment to a companion product in a retail sales environment.

For these reasons, the toilet seat lift handle of the present invention is fabricated from a flexible plastic material sufficiently strong to bear the weight of a toilet seat, which extends sufficiently beyond the edge of the toilet seat to provide the user with a good grasping element, which is sufficiently segregated from the seat to provide the user with a surface significantly separate from the potentially soiled seat, and which is flexible enough to eliminate any hazard associated with walking into or brushing past the handle. The handle is preferably affixed to the underside of the toilet seat by an adhesive backed hook-and-loop material. The hook-and-loop material allows a semi-permanent installation that is simple to install and requires no special tools or skills. Importantly, the hook-and-loop installation enables the handle to be removed for cleaning both the handle and the underside of the toilet seat, while also facilitating easy reinstallation in the same location. This process can be repeated as often as required for sanitation.

The antibacterial/microbicidal composition of the plastic used in the manufacture of the handle provides an additional sanitary feature. Metal-based compositions having high microbicidal activity can be coated onto or incorporated into the plastic to provide long lasting antimicrobial properties using a very low level of toxicity. Examples

In an alternative embodiment, the handle may include a selectively removable gripping portion and a pin portion. In this embodiment, a sleeve or channel is affixed to the underside of either or both the toilet seat and lid, and the pin is selectively and removably inserted into the sleeve or channel by each user of the toilet. The gripping portion may be a simple strap or tab affixed to the pin so as to provide a gripping surface of sufficient size to facilitate easy movement of the seat and lid. Because the gripping portion is removed after each use, and preferably disposed of, and a new handle employed by the next user, there is no unsanitary surface that is ever contacted by users.

The foregoing summary broadly sets out the more important features of the present invention so that the detailed description that follows may be better understood, and so that the present contributions to the art may be better appreciated. There are additional features of the invention that will be described in the detailed description of the preferred embodiments of the invention which will form the subject matter of the claims appended hereto. It is to be understood that the disclosure is not limited in its application to the details of the construction and the arrangements set forth in the following description or illustrated in the drawings. The inventive apparatus described herein is capable of other embodiments and of being practiced and carried out in various ways.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE SEVERAL VIEWS OF THE DRAWINGS

The invention will be better understood and objects other than those set forth above will become apparent when consideration is given to the following detailed description thereof. Such description makes reference to the annexed drawings wherein:

FIG. 1 is a perspective view showing a toilet with the present invention installed on the toilet seat and lid;

FIG. 2 is a bottom view showing a portion of the toilet seat on which the inventive apparatus is installed;

FIG. 3A is a cross-sectional side view in elevation taken along section lines 3A of FIG. 2;

FIG. 3B is the same view showing the inventive apparatus detached or removed from the toilet seat;

FIG. 4A is a side view in elevation showing alternative attachment apparatus for releasably capturing the toilet seat lift;

FIG. 4B is a side view in elevation showing the toilet seat lift of FIG. 4A secured onto the underside of the toilet seat;

FIG. 5A is a side view in elevation of second preferred embodiment of the inventive apparatus, showing a bracket providing a hinge point to facilitate the installation and removal of the handle from the toilet seat or lid; and

FIG. 5B is the same view in elevation thereof, showing the handle affixed to the seat or lid.

FIG. 5C is a side view in elevation of the inventive apparatus shown in 5B.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

Referring to FIGS. 1 through 5C, wherein like reference numerals refer to like components in the various views, there is illustrated therein a new and improved disposable toilet seat lift apparatus, generally denominated 10 herein. In a first preferred embodiment, the inventive apparatus comprises an elongate, generally planar and substantially rectangular attachment strip 12. The attachment strip preferably includes an adhesive side 14 which is attached to the underside 16A/16B of a toilet seat 18 or toilet lid 20. The strip further includes a hook-and-loop fastener side 22 having hook-and-loop material 24 disposed and exposed thereon so as to provide a surface for attachment of a handle 26 having a top side 28 with complementary hook-and-loop material 30. The length of the attachment strip is slightly shorter than that required to span the distance from the inner rim 32 of the seat to the outer rim 34 of the seat.

The handle 26, has an attachment portion 36 having dimensions that generally correspond to the above-described attachment strip. The handle further includes a gripping portion 38 that extends outwardly several inches from the toilet seat when installed. Neither the attachment portion nor the gripping portion need to be rigid, but if the attachment portion is fabricated of rigid material, the gripping portion is dimensioned so as to be at least partially flexible. This can be accomplished by providing a gripping portion having a thin profile, such as the thin plastic rings employed to group canned goods together, and such that the material employed naturally bends when so dimensioned. The gripping portion preferably includes a ring 40 proximate its outer end to facilitate easy grasping with the user's fingers. The bend permitted between the gripping portion and the attachment portion reduces the levering forces transmitted to the attachment portion when bearing a load, as this would tend to separate the adhesive hook-and-loop strips from effective contact.

Referring next to FIGS. 4A-4B, in a second preferred embodiment 50 the inventive apparatus further includes a mounting bracket 52 interposed between the attachment strip and the attachment portion of the handle. The mounting bracket is affixed to the underside of the toilet seat or lid and includes a hooked interior end 54 that engages the inboard end 56 of the handle so as to prevent it from detaching from the attachment strip when the gripping portion 58 of the handle is pulled upwardly to lift the seat or lid.

Referring next to FIGS. 5A-5C, in a third preferred embodiment 60, a receptacle 62 may be installed on the underside of one or both of the toilet seat and/or lid. The receptacle 62 may comprise any of a number of attachment means, including a slot 63, or alternatively a clip, channel, sleeve, and so forth, which cooperates with a complementary handle attachment element to which a gripping portion is affixed. When, for example, the receptacle is a female clip, channel, slot or sleeve, the handle attachment element comprises a complementary male strap having a flexible breakaway tab 64 or other retention member to keep the strap from being inadvertently pulled from the clip. The tab is fabricated so as to flex and depress so as to facilitate full insertion of the strap into the slot 63. When the end 65 of the strap emerges from the other open end of the slot, the tab itself will emerge from the slot, and the tab will bend outwardly so as to provide a stop element that prevents the strap from being pulled out from the receptacle. The tab is fabricated to withstand the tension load borne when the toilet lid and/or seat are lifted by pulling upwardly on the strap. However, when the user is finished using the assembly, a pull directly and straight out from the receptacle will fold the breakaway tab over so as to allow the strap to be removed from the clip. A flexible gripping portion 66 extends outwardly from the male element to facilitate both lifting and pulling actions. FIG. 6 shows an example of such an arrangement of elements.

Some studies have shown that medical instruments can be sterilized and decontaminated when coated with certain metal mixtures. The antimicrobicial effect has been shown potent in inactivating Junin virus, spores of Bacillus subtilis, staphylococci, Escherichia coli, Proteus, and Pseudomonas aeruginosa. Metals best suited for this purpose include copper and iron ions, as well as gold, and silver. Certain metal mixtures have been shown to be particular effective, titanium mixtures including chromium, hafnium, zirconium, as well as copper peroxide and iron peroxide mixtures. The potency of the metal mixture is considerably enhanced by the addition of a metal chelator, such as diethylenetriaminepentaacetic acid (DTPA), edetic acid (EDTA, and especially nitrilotriacetic acid (NTA). Accordingly, in the preferred embodiments, at least the gripping portion of the handle may include a metal composition having high microbicidal activity either deposited on its surface or embedded in the handle material. The means of incorporating the antimicrobial metal will be dictated by the method of manufacturing the product handle.

The above disclosure is sufficient to enable one of ordinary skill in the art to practice the invention, and provides the best mode of practicing the invention presently contemplated by the inventor. While there is provided herein a full and complete disclosure of the preferred embodiments of this invention, it is not desired to limit the invention to the exact construction, dimensional relationships, and operation shown and described. Various modifications, alternative constructions, changes and equivalents will readily occur to those skilled in the art and may be employed, as suitable, without departing from the true spirit and scope of the invention. Such changes might involve alternative materials, components, structural arrangements, sizes, shapes, forms, functions, operational features or the like.

Therefore, the above description and illustrations should not be construed as limiting the scope of the invention, which is defined by the appended claims.

Claims

1. A toilet seat lift apparatus, comprising:

a generally planar strap having a gripping portion and a toilet seat engaging portion; and

an attachment mechanism disposed on either or both of said toilet seat engaging portion and on the underside of a toilet seat for selectively and removably attaching said toilet seat lift apparatus to a toilet seat lid.

2. The toilet seat lift apparatus of claim 1, wherein said gripping portion is fabricated from plastic and includes an antimicrobial metal either deposited on its surface or embedded in the plastic material.

3. The toilet seat lift apparatus of claim 2, wherein said antimicrobial metal is selected from the group consisting of gold, silver, copper, iron, titanium mixed with chromium, titanium mixed with hafnium, titanium mixed with zirconium, titanium mixed with copper, copper peroxide mixture, iron peroxide mixture, and any combination thereof.

4. The toilet seat lift apparatus of claim 1, wherein said attachment mechanism includes an elongate, generally planar and substantially rectangular strip of hook-and-loop fastener material having an adhesive side attached to the underside of a toilet seat or toilet lid, and complementary hook-and-loop material having an adhesive side affixed to one side of said toilet seat engaging portion of said strap.

5. The toilet seat lift apparatus of claim 4, wherein said gripping portion is fabricated from plastic and includes an antimicrobial metal either deposited on its surface or embedded in the plastic material.

6. The toilet seat lift apparatus of claim 4, wherein said gripping portion is flexible and includes a ring disposed at its end.

7. The toilet seat lift apparatus of claim 1, further including a mounting bracket affixed to the underside of the toilet seat or lid and including a hooked interior end that captures and engages the end of sand toilet seat engaging portion of said strap when said strap is installed on the underside of a toilet seat.

8. The toilet seat lift apparatus of claim 7, wherein said gripping portion is fabricated from plastic and includes an antimicrobial metal either deposited on its surface or embedded in the plastic material.

9. The toilet seat lift apparatus of claim 8, wherein said antimicrobial metal is selected from the group consisting of gold, silver, copper, iron, titanium mixed with chromium, titanium mixed with hafnium, titanium mixed with zirconium, titanium mixed with copper, copper peroxide mixture, iron peroxide mixture, and any combination thereof.

10. The toilet seat lift apparatus of claim 1, wherein said attachment mechanism includes a receptacle installed on the underside of a toilet seat or toilet lid, said receptacle including a slot having two open ends for the insertion of said toilet seat engaging portion of said strap.

11. The toilet seat lift apparatus of claim 10, wherein said toilet seat engaging portion of said strap includes a flexible breakaway tab disposed on the surface of said toilet seat engaging portion of said strap, such that when said strap is inserted into one of said open ends of said slot such that said tab passes through said slot and out said other open end of said slot, said tab will bend outwardly to provide a stop that provides enhanced resistance to removing said strap from said slot.

12. The toilet seat lift apparatus of claim 11, wherein said gripping portion is fabricated from plastic and includes an antimicrobial metal either deposited on its surface or embedded in the plastic material.

13. The toilet seat lift apparatus of claim 12, wherein said antimicrobial metal is selected from the group consisting of gold, silver, copper, iron, titanium mixed with chromium, titanium mixed with hafnium, titanium mixed with zirconium, titanium mixed with copper, copper peroxide mixture, iron peroxide mixture, and any combination thereof.

14. A toilet seat lift apparatus, comprising:

a generally planar strap having a seat-engaging portion and a grip; and

an attachment mechanism for selectively and removably attaching said toilet seat lift apparatus to a toilet seat or toilet lid;

wherein when said toilet seat lift apparatus is installed on a toilet seat, said grip extends outwardly from the bottom of the toilet seat so as to facilitate lifting the toilet seat with the toilet seat lift apparatus without having to contact the toilet seat.

15. The toilet seat lift apparatus of claim 14, wherein said grip is fabricated from plastic and includes an antimicrobial metal either deposited on its surface or embedded in the plastic material.

16. The toilet seat lift apparatus of claim 15, wherein said antimicrobial metal is selected from the group consisting of gold, silver, copper, iron, titanium mixed with chromium, titanium mixed with hafnium, titanium mixed with zirconium, titanium mixed with copper, copper peroxide mixture, iron peroxide mixture, and any combination thereof.

17. A toilet seat lift, comprising:

a strap having an attachment portion and a handle portion;

mechanical attachment means for removably connecting said attachment portion to a toilet seat or toilet lid; and

microbicidal material disposed on either the surface of said strap or incorporated into the material from which said strap is fabricated.

18. The toilet seat lift of claim 17, wherein said mechanical attachment means a receptacle with a slot attached to the toilet seat and a breakaway surface feature disposed on said strap that cooperates with said receptacle to form a releasable snap fit connection, such that said attachment portion of said strap may be inserted into said slot, but said strap cannot be pulled out from said slot unless a predetermined amount of pulling force is applied to said strap.

19. The toilet seat lift of claim 17, wherein said mechanical attachment means comprises a first adhesive element affixed to said strap and a second adhesive element affixed to said strap, wherein said adhesive elements mate provide a releasable connection when approximated to one another.

20. The toilet seat lift of claim 17, wherein said microbicidal material comprises a metal peroxide mixture enhanced by a metal chelator.