TOILET SEAT COVER

Abstract

Aspects of the invention are directed to a toilet seat cover for use with a toilet having a toilet seat, the toilet seat defining an upper surface, a lower surface, and a toilet seat opening. The toilet seat cover comprises an upper layer, a lower layer, and a loop. The upper layer defines an upper opening therein. Moreover, the lower layer defines a lower opening therein and is coupled to the upper layer such that the upper layer and the lower layer define a pocket therebetween. The loop spans between the upper layer and the lower layer. The pocket is adapted to receive the toilet seat such that the upper layer overlies at least a portion of the upper surface and the lower layer underlies at least a portion of the lower surface while the upper opening and the lower opening align with the toilet seat opening.

Description

FIELD OF THE INVENTION

The present invention relates generally to sanitary equipment, and, more particularly, to seat covers for toilets.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

The use of public toilets may be an unpleasant and possibly hazardous experience because of the unhygienic conditions often associated with these facilities. Public restrooms may harbor streptococcus, staphylococcus, E. coli and shigella bacteria, hepatitis A virus, the common cold virus, and various sexually transmitted organisms. Toilet seats are of particular concern. For that reason, disposable toilet seat covers capable of reducing a user's exposure to these threats are of great interest.

Designs for toilet seat covers directed at mitigating the risks associated with toilet seats can be found in, for example: U.S. Pat. No. 5,437,906; U.S. Patent Application Publication Nos. 2003/0208826 and 2006/0288470; International Patent Application Publication No. WO2006123003; French Patent No. 1,108,590; and UK Patent Application No. 2497567. However, each of these designs suffers from one or more of the following disadvantages: poor protection for the user; the need to touch the toilet when mounting and dismounting the cover; and overly complex and expensive designs.

For the foregoing reasons, there is a need for toilet seat cover designs that address these several deficiencies.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

Embodiments of the present invention address the above-identified needs by providing a disposable toilet seat cover that: 1) provides excellent protection for the user; 2) may be installed on a toilet without the user coming into direct contact with the toilet; 3) is relatively simple and inexpensive to manufacture; and 4) may be compactly packaged for transport and storage.

Aspects of the invention are directed to a toilet seat cover for use with a toilet having a toilet seat, the toilet seat defining an upper surface, a lower surface, and a toilet seat opening. The toilet seat cover comprises an upper layer, a lower layer, and a loop. The upper layer defines an upper opening therein. Moreover, the lower layer defines a lower opening therein and is coupled to the upper layer such that the upper layer and the lower layer define a pocket therebetween. The loop spans between the upper layer and the lower layer. The pocket is adapted to receive the toilet seat such that the upper layer overlies at least a portion of the upper surface and the lower layer underlies at least a portion of the lower surface while the upper opening and the lower opening align with the toilet seat opening.

Additional aspects of the invention are directed to an apparatus comprising a toilet and a toilet seat cover. The toilet comprises a toilet bowl and a toilet seat. The toilet seat is positioned atop the toilet bowl and defines an upper surface, a lower surface, and a toilet seat opening. The toilet seat cover, on the other hand, comprises an upper layer, a lower layer, and a loop. The upper layer defines an upper opening therein. In addition, the lower layer defines a lower opening therein and is coupled to the upper layer such that the upper layer and the lower layer define a pocket therebetween. The pocket receives the toilet seat such that the upper layer overlies at least a portion of the upper surface and the lower layer underlies at least a portion of the lower surface while the upper opening and the lower opening align with the toilet seat opening.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

These and other features, aspects, and advantages of the present invention will become better understood with regard to the following description, appended claims, and accompanying drawings where:

FIG. 1 shows a side perspective view of a toilet seat cover in accordance with an illustrative embodiment of the invention while the toilet seat cover is in use on a toilet;

FIG. 2 shows a perspective view of the FIG. 1 toilet seat cover;

FIG. 3 shows an exploded perspective view of the FIG. 1 toilet seat cover;

FIG. 4 shows a sectional view of a portion of the FIG. 1 toilet seat cover with the flap attached in a first illustrative manner;

FIG. 5 shows a sectional view of a portion of the FIG. 1 toilet seat cover with the flap attached in a second illustrative manner;

FIG. 6 shows a perspective view of the FIG. 1 toilet seat cover while partially installed on a toilet;

FIG. 7 shows a perspective view of the FIG. 1 toilet seat cover while fully installed on a toilet; and

FIG. 8 shows a sectional view of the FIG. 7 toilet seat cover and toilet.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

The present invention will be described with reference to illustrative embodiments. For this reason, numerous modifications can be made to these embodiments and the results will still come within the scope of the invention. No limitations with respect to the specific embodiments described herein are intended or should be inferred.

FIG. 1 shows a side perspective view of a toilet seat cover 100 in accordance with an illustrative embodiment of the invention. In this view, the toilet seat cover 100 is being used by a user 200 to prevent direct contact between the user 200 and a toilet 300. Such a use may occur when, for example, the user 200 is using a toilet 300 in a public restroom.

Aspects of the toilet seat cover 100 are more easily visible in FIGS. 2 and 3, which show intact and exploded perspective views, respectively, of the toilet seat cover 100 while the toilet seat cover 100 is expanded, but not presently installed on a toilet. The toilet seat cover 100 may be conceptually separated into several constituent elements: an upper layer 105, a lower layer 110, a flap 115, a first loop 120, a second loop 125, and a collar 130. The upper layer 105 defines an upper opening 135 therein. Likewise, the lower layer 110 defines a lower opening 140 therein.

In accordance with aspects of the invention, the lower layer 110 is coupled to the upper layer 105 such that the upper layer 105 and the lower layer 110 combine to define a pocket 145 therebetween. In the present non-limiting embodiment, the upper layer 105 defines three upper edges that are attached to three lower edges defined by the lower layer 110. The pocket 145 preferably has dimensions just large enough to accommodate standard round and elongated toilet seats. In one or more embodiments, the pocket 145 may have a width of about 15 inches, a length of about 18 inches, and a height of about one inch, although these particular values are merely illustrative and other values could be used and still come within the scope of the invention. At the opening of the pocket 145, the first loop 120 and the second loop 125 each span between the upper layer 105 and the lower layer 110, thereby forming two handles.

The collar 130 is positioned such that it runs along an edge of the upper opening 135 in the upper layer 105. In one or more embodiments, the collar 130 may be somewhat rigid in relation to the remainder of the toilet seat cover 100 and, therefore, may protrude from the upper layer 105 in what is a downward direction in the figures. Nevertheless, it is emphasized that such a collar 130 is entirely optional and that toilet seat covers with and without such a collar 130 are envisioned and would fall within the scope of the invention.

The flap 115 may be attached to the toilet seat cover 100 in various ways. FIG. 4, for example, shows a sectional view of a portion of the toilet seat cover 100 cut along the plane indicated in FIG. 3 with the flap 115 attached in a first illustrative manner, while FIG. 5 shows a sectional view of a portion of the toilet seat cover 100 with the flap 115 attached in a second illustrative manner. In the illustrative embodiment shown in FIG. 4, the flap 115 is attached to the upper layer 105 above a seam between the upper layer 105 and the lower layer 110. In contrast, in the particular embodiment shown in FIG. 5, the flap 115 is attached to the lower layer 110 so as to form one continuous sheet therewith, with the upper layer 105 attached at the interface of the lower layer 110 and the flap 115. In either case, the flap 115 may be made of a flexible material. The flap 115 may therefore be made to extend away from the remainder of the toilet seat cover 100, as shown in FIGS. 2-5 or, alternatively, to fold back onto the remainder of the toilet seat cover 100 so as to cover the upper or lower openings 135, 140. The latter configuration is particularly compact and well suited for packaging as well as transport by a user prior to use.

In terms of materials and manufacturing, the toilet seat cover 100 will preferably comprise a highly flexible material such as a thin plastic or thin paper. The toilet seat cover 100 may, for example, be formed from relatively thin polyethylene, which is typically inexpensive to obtain and to manufacture into end products. If desired, the collar 130 may be made slightly thicker than the remainder of the toilet seat cover 100 to provide additional rigidity in that component. Polyethylene is regularly formed into plastic shopping bags, and, as a result, its formation into the toilet seat cover 100 will be well within the skill of one having ordinary skill in the relevant manufacturing arts. In one or more embodiments, the toilet seat cover 100 may be formed by, for example, conventional blown film extrusion, plastic welding techniques (e.g., heat sealing), or a combination thereof. Reference is made to B. H. Gregory, Polyethylene Film Extrusion: A Process Manual, Trafford Publishing, 2009, which is hereby incorporated by reference herein.

Because the toilet seat cover 100 is envisioned as being single-use and disposable, it is preferred that the toilet seat cover 100 be formed of a material certified or capable of being certified by the Oxo-biodegradable Plastics Association (London, UK) as being oxo-biodegradable, and/or a material certified or capable of being certified by the Biodegradable Products Institute (New York, N.Y., USA) as being biodegradable in a managed composting facility. Candidates include, as only a few examples, vegetable-based bioplastics, degradable polyethylene, and polyactic acid (PLA). Here again, these materials are commercially available and their fabrication into consumer products is widely practiced.

Advantageously, the use of highly flexible and light materials such as thin plastic and paper allow the toilet seat cover 100 to be folded into a very small form factor that aids in storage and transport. Prior to use, moreover, the flap 115 can be made to fold back onto the remainder of the toilet seat cover 100 so as to reduce the size of the toilet seat cover 100. In one or more embodiments, a plurality of toilet seat covers may be packaged into a small bag or dispenser for carrying on the person.

Once so formed, the toilet seat cover 100 may be readily and effectively utilized to protect a user from direct contact with a toilet. Those risks associated with this type of contact (see Background) are thereby mitigated. FIG. 6 shows a perspective view of the toilet seat cover 100 while partially installed on the toilet 300, while FIG. 7 shows the toilet seat cover 100 after being fully installed. The toilet 300 comprises a toilet bowl 305, a toilet seat 310, a toilet lid 315, and a toilet tank 320. The toilet seat 310, moreover, defines a toilet seat opening 325, a lower surface 330 (facing the toilet bowl 305), and an upper surface 335 (facing away from the toilet bowl 305). In placing the toilet seat cover 100 on the toilet 300, a user may initially utilize the loops 120, 125 as handles to direct the lower layer 110 under the toilet seat 310 and the upper layer 105 above the toilet seat 310 so that the toilet seat 310 is partially received into the pocket 145 defined between the two layers 135, 140 (FIG. 6). Subsequently, the loops 120, 125 may be further used to slide the toilet seat 310 even further rearward (i.e., toward the toilet tank 320) until the toilet seat 310 is fully received into the pocket 145 (FIG. 7). In both steps, the loops 120, 125 allow the user to conduct the installation with little or no direct contact with the toilet 300 itself.

Once in place, the upper layer 105 of the toilet seat cover 100 overlies the upper surface 335 of the toilet seat 310 while the lower layer 110 underlies the lower surface 330 of the toilet seat 310. At the same time, the upper opening 135 and the lower opening 140 in the toilet seat cover 100 are aligned with the toilet seat opening 325. With the upper opening 135, the lower opening 140, and the toilet seat opening 325 aligned in this manner, the protruding collar 130 falls along the inside edge of the toilet seat opening 325. Such a condition is made more apparent in FIG. 8, which shows a partially broken perspective view of the fully installed toilet seat cover 100 and the toilet seat 310 cut along the plane indicated in FIG. 7. So placed, the toilet seat 310 is almost fully enveloped by the toilet seat cover 100.

At the same time, with the toilet seat cover 100 installed, the flap 115 may be placed so that it drapes in front of the toilet bowl 305, forming a barrier between the toilet bowl 305 and the user's legs. Thus, in using the toilet seat cover 100, and, more generally, apparatus in accordance with aspects of the invention, the user is protected both from the toilet seat 310 and the toilet bowl 305.

Aspects of the invention thereby provide a very effective and easy to use barrier for use when utilizing public restrooms. Direct contact between the user and the toilet 300 is minimized during installation, and almost complete isolation between the user and the toilet 300 is ultimately achieved with the toilet seat cover 100 in place. At the same time, the toilet seat cover 100 is light and may be folded into a compact form factor for storage and transport. Once used, the toilet seat cover 100 may simply be discarded.

It should again be emphasized that the above-described embodiments of the invention are intended to be illustrative only. Other embodiments can use different types and arrangements of elements for implementing the described functionality. These numerous alternative embodiments within the scope of the appended claims will be apparent to one skilled in the art.

Moreover, all the features disclosed herein may be replaced by alternative features serving the same, equivalent, or similar purposes, unless expressly stated otherwise. Thus, unless expressly stated otherwise, each feature disclosed is one example only of a generic series of equivalent or similar features.

Claims

1. A toilet seat cover for use with a toilet having a toilet seat, the toilet seat defining an upper surface, a lower surface, and a toilet seat opening, and the toilet seat cover comprising:

an upper layer, the upper layer defining an upper opening therein;

a lower layer, the lower layer defining a lower opening therein and coupled to the upper layer such that the upper layer and the lower layer define a pocket therebetween; and

a loop, the loop spanning between the upper layer and the lower layer;

wherein the pocket is adapted to receive the toilet seat such that the upper layer overlies at least a portion of the upper surface and the lower layer underlies at least a portion of the lower surface while the upper opening and the lower opening align with the toilet seat opening.

2. The toilet seat cover of claim 1, wherein the toilet seat cover comprises a plastic.

3. The toilet seat cover of claim 1, wherein the toilet seat cover comprises polyethylene.

4. The toilet seat cover of claim 1, wherein the toilet seat cover comprises a material certified or capable of being certified by the Oxo-biodegradable Plastics Association as being oxo-biodegradable.

5. The toilet seat cover of claim 1, wherein the toilet seat cover comprises a material certified or capable of being certified by the Biodegradable Products Institute as being biodegradable in a managed composting facility.

6. The toilet seat cover of claim 1, wherein:

the upper layer comprises three upper edges;

the lower layer comprises three lower edges; and

each of the three upper edges is attached to a respective one of the three lower edges to define the pocket.

7. The toilet seat cover of claim 1, further comprising a second loop, the second loop spanning between the upper layer and the lower layer.

8. The toilet seat cover of claim 1, further comprising a flap, the flap attached to at least one of the upper layer and the lower layer.

9. The toilet seat cover of claim 8, wherein the flap is positionable such that it covers at least a portion of the upper opening.

10. The toilet seat cover of claim 8, wherein:

the toilet further defines a toilet bowl, the toilet bowl underlying at least a portion of the toilet seat; and

the flap is positionable such that it drapes in front of an external portion of the toilet bowl when the pocket receives the toilet seat such that the upper layer overlies at least a portion of the upper surface and the lower layer underlies at least a portion of the lower surface while the upper opening and the lower opening align with the toilet seat opening.

11. The toilet seat cover of claim 1, further comprising a collar, the collar running along an edge of the upper opening and positionable such that it covers an inside edge of the toilet seat opening when the pocket receives the toilet seat such that the upper layer overlies at least a portion of the upper surface and the lower layer underlies at least a portion of the lower surface while the upper opening and the lower opening align with the toilet seat opening.

12. An apparatus comprising:

a toilet, the toilet comprising: a toilet bowl; and a toilet seat, the toilet seat positioned atop the toilet bowl and defining an upper surface, a lower surface, and a toilet seat opening;

a toilet seat cover, the toilet seat cover comprising: an upper layer, the upper layer defining an upper opening therein; a lower layer, the lower layer defining a lower opening therein and coupled to the upper layer such that the upper layer and the lower layer define a pocket therebetween; and a loop, the loop spanning between the upper layer and the lower layer;

wherein the pocket receives the toilet seat such that the upper layer overlies at least a portion of the upper surface and the lower layer underlies at least a portion of the lower surface while the upper opening and the lower opening align with the toilet seat opening.

13. The apparatus of claim 12, wherein the toilet seat cover comprises a plastic.

14. The apparatus of claim 13, wherein the toilet seat cover comprises polyethylene.

15. The apparatus of claim 12, wherein:

the upper layer defines three upper edges;

the lower layer defines three lower edges; and

each of the three upper edges is attached to a respective one of the three lower edges to define the pocket.

16. The apparatus of claim 12, further comprising a second loop, the second loop spanning between the upper layer and the lower layer.

17. The apparatus of claim 12, further comprising a flap, the flap attached to at least one of the upper layer and the lower layer.

18. The apparatus of claim 17, wherein the flap is positionable such that it covers at least a portion of the upper opening.

19. The apparatus of claim 17, wherein the flap covers an external portion of the toilet bowl.

20. The apparatus of claim 12, further comprising a collar, the collar running along an edge of the upper opening and covering an inside edge of the toilet seat opening.