EQUIPMENT FOR FOLDING THE TOILET SEAT AND / OR ITS LID

Abstract

A device for folding a toilet seat and/or lid provided with a system for sliding the seat and/or lid down includes a housing provided with a hinged lever, a drive connected to a motion sensor and a source of energy, and elements for connecting the housing to an inside of the seat and/or to a wall behind the lid.

Description

BACKGROUND AND SUMMARY

The technical solution relates to a device for folding the toilet seat and/or its lid, in particular a seat and/or a lid provided with a system for their sliding down. It is a non-contact device.

Folding the seat and possibly its lid is still solved by complicated mechanisms that are part of the supplied new toilets. Such solutions are described in several patents that describe the subject matter.

In the case of the mechanism disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 4,519,105, the cushion is displaced by a manual mechanism that is connected to a water container and, after flushing, causes the panel to be lowered to a horizontal position. The water container must be behind the raised seat, otherwise the mechanism can not be used. The mechanism is supplied with a water container.

Another device is the mechanism disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 4,551,866, which allows to fold the seat by means of a lever attached to the lower part of the seat and at the same time by the piston mechanism attached to the toilet.

The device disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 4,839,928 is a lever attached to a flushing vessel and, when flushing, pushes the seat into a horizontal position. This solution can only be used in the case of a toilet with a container just behind the seat lid.

The apparatus disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 5,819,327 is a mechanical device assigned to the lower part of the seat and is provided with drawers and two levers and an additional drawer for the toilet bowl. The mechanism works with a time interval when the seat is lifted.

The device described in U.S. Pat. No. 7,636,956 is a device embedded in the back of the seat and, by means of a button located on the wall or the front of the bowl, activates a motor that lifts and folds the seat.

The device described in U.S. Pat. No. 8,020,221 works with the help of pistons, when the lever is depressed by activating the internal mechanism and raising and lowering the seat. A mechanism similar to that described in U.S. Pat. No. 8,082,604 operates on a very similar principle of depressing the lever. In this case, the pistons are not used, but the mechanism is partially attached to the wall and works on the principle of the lever.

Recently, mechanisms that are directly part of the entire seat and lid and have built-in engine and sensors. These include the mechanism described in U.S. Pat. No. 8,640,268.

The disadvantage of all the above-mentioned devices is the need for more complex installation, or they are already part of the whole seat or they can only work on toilets that have a water tank just behind the bowl and not in the wall or above. Most of these mechanisms have to be manually operated or by use of foot. But in any case, some action is needed. Regardless, complex mechanisms are built into these toilets, the are not only costly but are not functional in existing toilets.

Currently there are toilet seats that have a system for their soft folding—after a first mechanical impulse, the seat or lid is tilted at a reduced speed so that it does not damage the toilets. Their disadvantage is the necessity to realize at least the basic movement for their folding.

The above-mentioned drawbacks are to a large extent eliminated by the folding device for the toilet seat and/or its lid, especially the seat and/or the lid provided with a system for their gradual folding, according to this technical solution. Its essence is that it is formed by a housing provided with a hinged lever whose drive is connected to a motion sensor and a source of energy, the housing being provided with elements for its attachment to the inner side of the seat cover and/or to the wall behind the lid. The device is equipped with a position sensor to prevent unintentional starting in the case of the lid. The source of power is 4 AA batteries that will last about two years of normal operation on the basis of testing. Alternatively, 4 AAA batteries can be used, but the normal operation time is reduced. In any case, there must be so many batteries that have a total power of 6V, because at this power, the motor is able to develop enough force to move the seat to the position where it falls spontaneously. It is not possible to use a 9V flat battery, as it would burn out the lever when it was used.

In a preferred embodiment, the housing is provided with a position sensor. The energy source is preferably a battery.

It is a device that is placed on the inside of the seat cover or behind it, depending on whether it is only required to move the seat or the lid. The device responds to the raised seat that covers the sensor. It is no longer necessary to assist the user to activate the device in any way.

After a certain period of time, the processor sends a signal to the motor, which moves the seat in the horizontal position using the lever. The lever moves on an axis 0 to 90 degrees and then returns to the device housing. The lever must be of sufficient length to be able to move the seat to a position where it will spontaneously fall into the horizontal position. For this reason, we have abandoned the intent with a piston solution that does not have the chance to develop sufficient seat movement. To clarify, it does not put the seat to an angle from which it would fall spontaneously and at the same time threaten to jam the piston and damage the whole device if the angle at which the seat comes to the piston is not perfectly perpendicular. This is in fact not achievable. The ideal length of the lever should be between 100 mm and 120 mm in order to allow the seat to reach the 80 degree angle after the lever has been extended, especially in slow-moving seats. For installation on the inside of the lid and its horizontal position, the device is equipped with a position detector sensor—vertical vs. horizontal. This is to prevent permanent activation due to the hidden sensor, thus draining the batteries and possible mechanical damage to the device. The device is powered by pencil batteries.

This new device can be used on all toilet models, and no complicated installation or intervention into the existing seat is required. An advantage over existing sensor systems is also the elimination of the triggering due to mere movement around the toilet (children, animals). The new system works with a sensor that sends a signal at regular intervals, and if the response does not come twice in succession, the device will not start. The device itself is placed with the tape on the fixed part of the cover or in the case of a toilet without a cover on the wall or any fixed part on which the seat is supported. The device itself should have a length of 145 mm, a width of 85 mm and a height of 20 mm

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

The apparatus for folding the toilet seat and/or the lid thereof, in particular the seat and/or the lid according to an aspect of the present invention is shown in the accompanying drawings, wherein:

FIG. 1 is a perspective view of the apparatus in a closed position; and

FIG. 2 is a perspective, partially broken view of the apparatus showing a hinged lever of the apparatus in an open position.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

An exemplary tilting device provided with a tilting system comprises a housing 3 provided with a hinged lever 1 whose drive 4 is connected to a motion sensor 2 and an energy source 5, the housing 3 being provided with elements for connecting it to the inside of the seat cover and/or the wall behind lid. The housing 3 has a position sensor. The power supply is 4 AA batteries. The device will be set to 2 minutes after the sensor 2 cover and the first pulse transmission. The whole body will be made of a good washable plastic and will consist of two parts, a rigid suspension base 6 and a removable device. The device is placed on the top of the lid so that it is covered by the seat.

The equipment for folding the toilet seat and/or its lid according to this technical solution will be used mainly for existing toilets; but also functional with new toilets, which are not equipped with an automatic pre-installed system.

Claims

1. A device for folding a toilet seat and/or lid provided with a system for sliding the seat and/or lid down, comprising a housing provided with a hinged lever, a drive connected to a motion sensor and a source of energy, and elements for connecting the housing to an inside of the seat and/or to a wall behind the lid.

2. The device according to claim 1, wherein the housing is provided with a position sensor.

3. The device according to claim 2, wherein the energy source is at least one battery.

4. The device according to claim 1, wherein the energy source is at least one battery.