Lifting device for lifting and locking a toilet seat
A suction cup assembly enables user to lift and lock toilet seat with a single hand in a single continuous action without making a hand contact with the toilet seat.
Present invention relates to a lifting device and methods for lifting and locking a toilet seat without making a hand contact with the toilet seat.
For sanitary reason, numerous attempts have been made in prior art for lifting a toilet seat without making a hand contact with the under-side of toilet seat, where is likely to be contaminated during toilet usage. For example, some prior attempts proposed an unconventional shape or construction of toilet seat that provides a finger landing area distanced from the under-side of toilet seat. Others proposed a hand or foot tool to operate toilet seat remotely. For various reasons such as unattractive appearance, cleaning or maintenance difficulty, space interference, safety hazard, costly and complicated design . . . , all prior attempts have not been successful. Therefore, there is still a need for a simple and cost effective lifting device that enables user to lift toilet seat without making a hand contact with the toilet seat.
Occasionally, a male child or adult may irresponsibly use toilet without lifting up toilet seat for urinating, and therefore causes toilet seat to be contaminated by splash of urine. Male user may intentionally do so because he is reluctant to touch toilet seat for sanitary reason. Therefore, it is desirable to provide a locking device for interlocking toilet seat and toilet lid together as a combined unit in lie-down position, which forces male user to lift up toilet seat by lifting up the combined unit before urinating.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTIONAn object of present invention is to provide a lifting device and method for lifting a toilet seat with a single hand in a single continuous action without making a hand contact with the toilet seat.
Another object of present invention is to provide a lifting device and method for interlocking toilet seat and toilet lid together as a combined unit with a single hand in a single continuous action without making a hand contact with the toilet seat.
Another object of present invention is to provide a lifting device that is detachably connected to a toilet lid without a possibility of falling into toilet bowl due to an accidental impact force.
Another object of present invention is to provide a lifting device that can be clipped onto toilet lid through a contoured front edge of toilet lid.
Principal techniques of present invention for achieving the above objects are demonstrated as follows: Referring to
User can restore the combined unit (
It should be noted that the lifting device 2 in
To convert the first usage condition (
User may convert the non-usage condition (
User may convert the second usage condition (
User may lift up toilet seat 4 and convert the non-usage condition (
It is important to note that release strip 14 is formed by a closed loop for a finger access. As a result, user is able to hold the front edge of toilet lid 3 and pull (trigger) release strip 6 with a finger in a single-hand action (
It is also important to note that, if there is no adequate clearance between toilet lid 3 and toilet seat 4 (
Referring to
In
The front end of horizontal leg 21 is provided with a central slot opening 25 connected to a central circular opening 26. Suction cup assembly 8 is fixedly connected to clip 9 by engaging collar 12 of suction cup assembly 8 into the circular opening 26 of clip 9.
When clip 9 is clipped onto toilet lid through the forcibly-opened opening between tip end 24 and horizontal leg section 21, the top surface of flange 13 will be forcibly pressed against and flush with the bottom planar surface of toilet lid, and tip end 24 will be forcibly pressed against and in linear contact with the top planar surface of toilet lid. As a result, shaft 11 will be positioned perpendicular to the bottom planar surface of toilet lid.
It is understood that toilet lid is typically provided with a contoured front edge, which projects downwardly beyond the bottom planar surface of toilet lid. In order to maintain shaft 11 perpendicular to the bottom planar surface of toilet lid when clip-on suction cup assembly 7 is clipped onto a toilet lid through the contoured front edge of toilet lid, the beginning of circular loop 22 (where it joints the horizontal leg 21) is formed with a downward slope, and circular loop 22 has sufficient interior volume for enveloping the contoured front edge.
It is also understood that toilet seat may also have a contoured front edge matching that of toilet lid. Therefore, it is necessary to properly distance the circular opening 26 from circular loop 22, so that suction cup 10 will land on a top planar surface of toilet seat (rather than the contoured front edge of toilet seat) while clip-on suction cup assembly 7 being clipped onto toilet lid, and toilet lid being rotated toward toilet seat.
It is understood that the above preferred embodiments are intended for demonstrating rather than limiting the scope of present invention. Variations and modifications are allowed without exceeding the scope of present invention. For example, connector 30 (
Claims
1. A clip-on suction cup assembly comprising of a clip, an elongated shaft, a release strip, and a suction cup; in which, wherein:
- said clip has a means for clipping onto a toilet lid of a toilet assembly through a contoured front edge of said toilet lid with said contoured front edge projecting downward below a bottom planar surface of said toilet lid, a means for enveloping said contoured front edge, and a means for fixedly connecting said clip to a top end of said elongated shaft, so that said elongated shaft is positioned perpendicular to said planar bottom surface of said toilet lid when said clip is clipped onto said toilet lid through said contoured front edge of said toilet lid;
- said suction cup has a bottom planar surface, and a top base fixedly connected to a bottom end of said elongated shaft;
- said release strip has a top end connected to said elongated shaft closely adjacent to said top end of said elongated shaft, and a bottom end connected to an exterior surface of said suction cup adjacent to said bottom planar surface of said suction cup, so that said release strip forms a closed loop and provides an interior volume for a finger access for pulling said release strip with a finger; and
- said elongated shaft has a height that provides a clearance between said toilet lid and a toilet seat for pulling said release strip with a finger in slightly upward direction without interfering with said contoured front edge of said toilet lid when said clip-on suction cup assembly is clipped onto said toilet lid through said contoured front edge of said toilet lid, and said toilet lid is positioned on top of said toilet seat in a horizontal position;
- said toilet assembly has a first usage condition for normal toilet usage by a user, in which, said clip-on suction cup is clipped onto said toilet lid, and said toilet seat and said toilet lid are in a lie-down position and a lift-up position respectively;
- said toilet assembly has a second non-usage condition, in which, said toilet seat and said toilet lid are interlocked together by said clip-on suction cup assembly as a combined unit in said lie-down position;
- said toilet assembly has a third usage condition for urinating by a male user, in which, said toilet seat and said toilet lid are interlocked together by said clip-on suction cup assembly as a combined unit in said lift-up position;
- said user is able to lift up said toilet seat and convert said first usage condition to said third usage condition with a single hand in a single continuous action without making a hand contact with said toilet seat by means of firstly holding said front edge of said toilet, secondly rotating said toilet lid downward to said lie-down position, thirdly pressing said toilet lid against said toilet seat in said lie-down position so that a vacuum is formed in said suction cup for interlocking said toilet lid and said toilet seat together as said combined unit in said lie-down position, and finally lifting up said combined unit;
- said user is able to convert said second non-usage condition to said first usage condition with a single hand in a single continuous action without making a hand contact with said toilet seat by means of firstly holding said front edge of said toilet lid, secondly pulling said release strip with a finger so that said vacuum in said suction cup is vented off for disengaging said toilet lid and said toilet seat as separate units, and finally lifting up said toilet lid;
- said user is able to lift up said toilet seat and convert said second non-usage condition to said third usage condition with a single hand in a single continuous action without making a hand contact with said toilet seat by means of holding said front edge of said toilet and lifting up said combined unit;
- said user is able to convert said third usage condition to said first usage condition with a single hand in a single continuous action without making a hand contact with said toilet seat by means of firstly holding said front edge of said toilet lid, secondly rotating said combined unit downward to said lie-down position, thirdly pulling said release strip with a finger so that said vacuum in said suction cup is vented off for disengaging said toilet lid and said toilet seat as said separate units, and finally lifting up said toilet lid.
2. The clip-on suction cup assembly according to claim 1, in which,
- said clip is formed in a general U shape that comprises of a first leg having a slot opening connected to a circular opening, a circular loop, and a second leg having a tip-end;
- said elongated shaft has a collar connected to said top end of said elongated shaft, and a flange connected to a top surface of said collar;
- said means for clipping said clip onto said toilet lid through said contoured front edge of said toilet lid is by means of inserting said clip through a forcibly-opened opening of said clip between said first leg and said tip-end of said second leg until said contoured front edge of said toilet lid fits nicely within said circular loop;
- said means for enveloping said contoured front edge of said toilet lid is by means of forming a downward slope at the beginning of said circular loop where it joints said first leg, and forming an interior volume within said circular loop for enveloping said contoured front edge; and
- said means for fixedly connecting said clip to said elongated shaft, and positioning said elongated shaft perpendicular to said bottom planar surface of said toilet lid is by means of engaging said collar of said elongated shaft into said circular opening through said slot opening of said clip, so that said flange of said elongated shaft is flush with and forcibly pressed against said bottom planar surface of said toilet lid, and said tip-end of said clip is forcibly pressed against and in linear contact with a top planar surface of said toilet lid while said clip being clipped onto said toilet lid.
3. The clip-on suction cup assembly according to claim 1, in which,
- said clip is formed in a general U shape that comprises of a first leg, a circular loop, and a second leg having a tip-end;
- said elongated shaft has a flange connected to said top end of said elongated shaft;
- said means for fixedly connecting said clip to said elongated shaft is provided by a connector that has a planar body, a track for engaging said first leg of said clip in parallel to said planar body of said connector, and a cavity for engaging said flange of said elongated shaft perpendicular to said planar body of said connector;
- said means for clipping said clip onto said toilet lid through said contoured front edge of said toilet lid is by means of inserting said clip through a forcibly-opened opening of said clip between said first leg and said tip-end of said second leg until said contoured front edge of said toilet lid fits nicely within said circular loop;
- said means for enveloping said contoured front edge of said toilet lid is by means of forming a downward slope at the beginning of said circular loop where it joints said first leg, and forming an interior volume within said circular loop for enveloping said contoured front edge; and
- said means for positioning said elongated shaft perpendicular to said bottom planar surface of said toilet lid is by means of maintaining a top surface of said connector flush with and forcibly pressed against said bottom planar surface of said toilet lid, and maintaining said tip-end of said clip in linear contact with and forcibly pressed against a top planar surface of said toilet lid when said clip is clipped onto said toilet lid by inserting said clip through said forcibly-opened opening of said clip between said first leg and said tip-end of said second leg.
4. The clip-on suction cup assembly according to claim 1, in which,
- said clip is formed in a general U shape that comprises of a first leg having a slot opening connected to a circular opening, a circular loop, and a second leg having a thread bolt engaged to a thread hole;
- said elongated shaft has a collar connected to said top end of said elongated shaft, and a flange connected to a top surface of said collar;
- said means for clipping said clip onto said toilet lid through said contoured front edge of said toilet lid is by means of inserting said clip through an opening between said first and second legs until said contoured front edge of said toilet lid fits nicely within said circular loop;
- said means for enveloping said contoured front edge of said toilet lid is by means of forming a downward slope at the beginning of said circular loop where it joints said first leg, and forming an interior volume within said circular loop for enveloping said contoured front edge; and
- said means for fixedly connecting said clip to said elongated shaft, and positioning said elongated shaft perpendicular to said bottom planar surface of said toilet lid is by means of engaging said collar of said elongated shaft into said circular opening of said clip, so that said flange of said elongated shaft is flush and forcibly pressed against said bottom planar surface of said toilet lid when said thread bolt is tightened against a top planar surface of said toilet lid.
5. The suction cup assembly according to claim 3, in which, said first leg of said clip has multiple holes, and said connector has multiple dents for selectively engaging said holes of said first leg of said clip.
6. A combination of a suction cup assembly and a connector, in which, wherein:
- said suction cup assembly has an elongated shaft, a release strip, and a suction cup;
- said connector has a means for fixedly connecting said suction cup assembly to said connector, and a means for fixedly connecting said connector to a bottom planar surface of a toilet lid of a toilet assembly, so that said suction cup assembly is detachably connected to said toilet lid;
- said suction cup has a bottom planar surface, and a top base fixedly connected to a bottom end of said elongated shaft;
- said release strip has a top end connected to said elongated shaft closely adjacent to a top end of said elongated shaft, and a bottom end connected to an exterior surface of said suction cup adjacent to said bottom planar surface of said suction cup, so that said release strip forms a closed loop and provides an interior volume for a finger access for pulling said release strip with a finger;
- said elongated shaft has a height that provides a clearance between said toilet lid and a toilet seat of said toilet assembly for pulling said release strip with a finger in slightly upward direction without interfering with a contoured front edge of said toilet lid when said suction cup assembly is detachably connected to said toilet lid, and said toilet lid is positioned on top of said toilet seat in a horizontal position; and
- said elongated shaft is positioned perpendicular to said bottom planar surface of said toilet lid when said suction cup assembly is detachably connected to said toilet lid;
- said toilet assembly has a first usage condition for normal toilet usage by a user, in which, said clip-on suction cup is clipped onto said toilet lid, and said toilet seat and said toilet lid are in a lie-down position and a lift-up position respectively;
- said toilet assembly has a second non-usage condition, in which, said toilet seat and said toilet lid are interlocked together by said clip-on suction cup assembly as a combined unit in said lie-down position;
- said toilet assembly has a third usage condition for urinating by a male user, in which, said toilet seat and said toilet lid are interlocked together by said clip-on suction cup assembly as a combined unit in said lift-up position;
- said user is able to lift up said toilet seat and convert said first usage condition to said third usage condition with a single hand in a single continuous action without making a hand contact with said toilet seat by means of firstly holding said front edge of said toilet, secondly rotating said toilet lid downward to said lie-down position, thirdly pressing said toilet lid against said toilet seat in said lie-down position so that a vacuum is formed in said suction cup for interlocking said toilet lid and said toilet seat together as said combined unit in said lie-down position, and finally lifting up said combined unit;
- said user is able to convert said second non-usage condition to said first usage condition with a single hand in a single continuous action without making a hand contact with said toilet seat by means of firstly holding said front edge of said toilet lid, secondly pulling said release strip with a finger so that said vacuum in said suction cup is vented off for disengaging said toilet lid and said toilet seat as separate units, and finally lifting up said toilet lid;
- said user is able to lift up said toilet seat and convert said second non-usage condition to said third usage condition with a single hand in a single continuous action without making a hand contact with said toilet seat by means of holding said front edge of said toilet and lifting up said combined unit;
- said user is able to convert said third usage condition to said first usage condition with a single hand in a single continuous action without making a hand contact with said toilet seat by means of firstly holding said front edge of said toilet lid, secondly rotating said combined unit downward to said lie-down position, thirdly pulling said release strip with a finger so that said vacuum in said suction cup is vented off for disengaging said toilet lid and said toilet seat as said separate units, and finally lifting up said toilet lid.
7. The combination of suction cup assembly and connector according to claim 6, in which, said elongated shaft has a flange fixedly connected to said top end of said elongated shaft, said means for fixedly connecting said suction cup assembly to said connector is by engaging said flange into a track of said connector in parallel to a top planar surface of said connector, and said means for fixedly connecting said connector to said bottom planar surface of said toilet lid is by placing an adhesive backing on said top planar surface of said connector, and pressing said top planar surface of said connector against said bottom planar surface of said toilet lid.
8. A combination of a suction cup assembly and a toilet lid in a toilet assembly, in which, wherein:
- said toilet lid has an integral connector fixedly and integrally connected to a bottom planar surface of said toilet lid adjacent to a contoured front edge of said toilet lid, and said connector has a means for fixedly connecting said suction cup assembly to said connector, so that said suction cup assembly is detachably connected to said toilet lid;
- said suction cup assembly has an elongated shaft, a release strip, and a suction cup;
- said suction cup has a bottom planar surface, and a top base fixedly connected to a bottom end of said elongated shaft;
- said release strip has a top end connected to said elongated shaft closely adjacent to a top end of said elongated shaft, and a bottom end connected to an exterior surface of said suction cup adjacent to said bottom planar surface of said suction cup, so that said release strip forms a closed loop and provides an interior volume for a finger access for pulling said release strip with a finger;
- said elongated shaft has a height that provides a clearance between said toilet lid and a toilet seat of said toilet assembly for pulling said release strip with a finger in slightly upward direction without interfering with said contoured front edge of said toilet lid when said suction cup assembly is detachably connected to said toilet lid, and said toilet lid is positioned on top of said toilet seat in a horizontal position; and
- said elongated shaft is positioned perpendicular to said bottom planar surface of said toilet lid when said suction cup assembly is detachably connected to said toilet lid;
- said toilet assembly has a first usage condition for normal toilet usage by a user, in which, said clip-on suction cup is clipped onto said toilet lid, and said toilet seat and said toilet lid are in a lie-down position and a lift-up position respectively;
- said toilet assembly has a second non-usage condition, in which, said toilet seat and said toilet lid are interlocked together by said clip-on suction cup assembly as a combined unit in said lie-down position;
- said toilet assembly has a third usage condition for urinating by a male user, in which, said toilet seat and said toilet lid are interlocked together by said clip-on suction cup assembly as a combined unit in said lift-up position;
- said user is able to lift up said toilet seat and convert said first usage condition to said third usage condition with a single hand in a single continuous action without making a hand contact with said toilet seat by means of firstly holding said front edge of said toilet, secondly rotating said toilet lid downward to said lie-down position, thirdly pressing said toilet lid against said toilet seat in said lie-down position so that a vacuum is formed in said suction cup for interlocking said toilet lid and said toilet seat together as said combined unit in said lie-down position, and finally lifting up said combined unit;
- said user is able to convert said second non-usage condition to said first usage condition with a single hand in a single continuous action without making a hand contact with said toilet seat by means of firstly holding said front edge of said toilet lid, secondly pulling said release strip with a finger so that said vacuum in said suction cup is vented off for disengaging said toilet lid and said toilet seat as separate units, and finally lifting up said toilet lid;
- said user is able to lift up said toilet seat and convert said second non-usage condition to said third usage condition with a single hand in a single continuous action without making a hand contact with said toilet seat by means of holding said front edge of said toilet and lifting up said combined unit;
- said user is able to convert said third usage condition to said first usage condition with a single hand in a single continuous action without making a hand contact with said toilet seat by means of firstly holding said front edge of said toilet lid, secondly rotating said combined unit downward to said lie-down position, thirdly pulling said release strip with a finger so that said vacuum in said suction cup is vented off for disengaging said toilet lid and said toilet seat as said separate units, and finally lifting up said toilet lid.
9. The combination of suction cup assembly and toilet lid according to claim 8, in which, said elongated shaft has a flange fixedly connected to said top end of said elongated shaft, said means for fixedly connecting said suction cup assembly to said connector is by engaging said flange into a track of said connector in parallel to said bottom planar surface of said toilet lid.
Type: Application
Filed: Sep 24, 2012
Publication Date: Mar 27, 2014
Inventor: Ue-Ming Yang (Chicago, IL)
Application Number: 13/573,549
International Classification: A47K 13/10 (20060101);