FOOT STEPPER FOR TOILET BOWL

Abstract

A foot stepper for driving a lever of a flush valve of a toilet bowl includes a base plate, a pedal disposed on the base plate, and an operating member connected to a driving cable for driving the lever, and slidably disposed in front and rear directions of the base plate within the base plate. The pedal has a protrusion on its lower surface, the operating member has a seating surface in contact with the protrusion, and the seating surface of the operating member may be inclined such that, as the pedal is pressed downward, the protrusion moves downward and pushes the operating member in the front and rear directions.

Description

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS

This application claims priority to Korean Patent Application No. 20-2021-0001341 filed on Apr. 28, 2021 and Korean Patent Application No. 20-2022-0000373 filed on Feb. 7, 2022, the entire contents of which are herein incorporated by reference.

TECHNICAL FIELD

The present device relates to a foot stepper for driving a lever-type flush valve of a toilet bowl. More particularly, the present device relates to a foot stepper for toilet bowls enabling a user to drive a flush valve for toilet bowls by foot while enabling the user to drive the flush valve by pressing down or raising a lever by hand.

BACKGROUND ART

In general, flush toilet bowls in public rest rooms adopt a structure of flushing water by pressing down or raising a lever by hand. For example, as shown in FIG. 1, a flush valve 2 for toilet bowls is installed on a pipe 1 extending upwards from the rear of a toilet bowl, and the flush valve 2 for toilet bowls is provided with a lever 3 disposed in a horizontal direction in a normal state, and the lever 3 is pressed down or raised by a user to operate the flush valve 2. However, because many users touch the lever 3 of the flush valve 2, hygiene is not good, and there is a risk of actual exposure to bacteria. In particular, social demand for non-contact is increasing due to recent COVID-19 situations.

PRIOR ART DOCUMENTS

Patent Document

(Patent Document 1) KR 20-1999-0036062

SUMMARY

Technical Problem

The present device is designed to solve the problems of the related art, and therefore the present device is directed to providing a foot stepper for toilet bowls capable of protecting a user from various virus dangers such as COVID-19 and enabling even a patient having difficulty in upper body movement to easily operate a flush valve, by enabling a user to drive a flush valve for toilet bowls by foot while enabling the user to drive the flush valve by pressing down or raising a lever by hand.

The present device is also directed to providing a foot stepper for toilet bowls that can be miniaturized by lowering an overall height of the foot stepper.

The present device is also directed to providing a foot stepper for toilet bowls that can be easily used by children or women by stably and sufficiently driving a lever even with a small force.

The present disclosure is also directed to providing a foot stepper for toilet bowls that is easy in maintenance even with frequent use, by providing a foot stepper for toilet bowls that is easy for non-experts to assemble and disassemble with a simple structure without the aid of a special tool.

The present disclosure is also directed to providing a foot stepper for toilet bowls having a low probability of failure even in toilet bowl and toilet environments that require frequent water cleaning.

Technical Solution

According to an embodiment of the present device, a foot stepper for driving a lever of a flush valve of a toilet bowl includes a base plate, a pedal disposed on the base plate, and an operating member connected to a driving cable for driving the lever, and slidably disposed in front and rear directions of the base plate within the base plate. The pedal has a protrusion on its lower surface, the operating member has a seating surface in contact with the protrusion, and the seating surface of the operating member is inclined such that, as the pedal is pressed downward, the protrusion moves downward and pushes the operating member in the front and rear directions.

According to an embodiment of the present device, the base plate may include an edge portion extending along an edge to form an inner space, the edge portion may include a front edge portion, a rear edge portion, and a side edge portion connecting the front edge portion to the rear edge portion, and at least a portion of the side edge portion may include a guide portion for guiding forward and backward sliding of the operating member.

According to an embodiment of the present device, at least one drain hole may be formed in a lower surface of the base plate.

According to an embodiment of the present device, a stopping protrusion to be guided along the guide portion may be formed on a side surface of the operating member.

According to an embodiment of the present device, a spring may be disposed between the front edge portion of the base plate and the operating member, one end of the spring may be connected to the front edge portion, and the other end of the spring may be connected to the operating member.

According to an embodiment of the present device, when a force applied to the pedal is removed, the operating member may be moved forward at least partially by a restoring force of the spring, and thus the protrusion may move upward along the seating surface of the operating member and the pedal may return to its original position.

According to an embodiment of the present device, the protrusion may include a seating surface inclined at an inclination angle corresponding to the inclination angle of the seating surface of the operating member.

According to an embodiment of the present device, the pedal may include a guide pin extending downward at every corner of a lower surface of the pedal, the base plate may include a guide hole into which the guide pin is inserted, at every corner of an upper surface of the base plate, and the guide pin may be movable in a vertical direction while being inserted into the guide hole.

According to an embodiment of the present device, the foot stepper may further include a cradle surrounding the base plate, and the cradle may be a structure having a shape increasing toward the bottom.

According to an embodiment of the present device, a rotatable roller is provided on the protrusion, and thus, as the pedal is pressed downward, the protrusion may move downward, and the roller may rotate while being seated on the seating surface of the operating member.

According to an embodiment of the present device, the rotatable roller may be provided in pair.

According to an embodiment of the present device, the pedal may be rotatably coupled to the base plate, an upper surface of the pedal may include a first plane and a second plane, and the first plane may be formed to be inclined with respect to the second plane.

According to an embodiment of the present device, when the pedal is not pressed downward, the first plane may be parallel to the base plate.

According to an embodiment of the present device, at least one guide member extending in the front and rear directions of the base plate may be disposed within the base plate, a through hole through which and into which the guide member passes and is inserted may be formed in the operating member, and the operating member may extend in the front and rear directions of the base plate in a state where the guide member is inserted into the through hole.

According to an embodiment of the present device, at least one spacer for separating a bottom surface of the operating member from an upper surface of the base plate may be formed on an upper surface of the base plate, and the spacer may extend in the front and rear directions of the base plate so that the operating member slides in the front and rear directions of the base plate while being spaced apart from the upper surface of the base plate on the spacer.

Advantageous Effects

According to an embodiment of the present device, the overall height of a foot stepper may be lowered with a simple structure, so that the foot stepper may be miniaturized.

According to an embodiment of the present device, a lever may be stably and sufficiently driven even with a small force, through an operating member.

According to an embodiment of the present device, a pedal has a hinge-type structure and is composed of a first plane and a second plane inclined with respect to the first plane, and thus a user may step on a pedal without strain on the ankle by stepping on the first plane, and a user accustomed to a hinge-type pedal such as a car pedal may use a foot switch without sense of difference by stepping on the second plane.

According to an embodiment of the present device, each of the components of the foot stepper has a simple structure and is thus easy to assemble and disassemble. Because users frequently use a flush value of a toilet bowl according to a function of the flush valve, replacement of specific parts and maintenance thereof are easy due to such easy disassembly and assembly.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a toilet bowl including a lever-type flush value that is used in a typical public rest room.

FIG. 2 is an exemplary view of a toilet bowl provided with a foot switch according to an embodiment of the present device.

FIG. 3 is a perspective view of a lever operating part in a state where its arm is not rotated, according to an embodiment of the present device.

FIG. 4 is a perspective view of a lever operating part in a state where its arm is rotated and a lever has been pushed up, according to an embodiment of the present device.

FIG. 5 is a perspective view of the lever operating part (from which a housing has been removed), according to an embodiment of the present device.

FIG. 6 is a perspective view of a lever operating part in a state of being mounted on a flush valve, according to an embodiment of the present device.

FIG. 7 is an exploded perspective view of the lever operating part according to an embodiment of the present device.

FIG. 8 is a perspective view of a foot stepper according to a first embodiment of the present device.

FIG. 9 is an exploded perspective view of the foot stepper according to the first embodiment of the present device.

FIG. 10 is a perspective view of a foot stepper from which a pedal has been removed, according to the first embodiment of the present device.

FIG. 11 is a perspective view of a pedal viewed so that a bottom of the pedal is exposed, according to the first embodiment of the present device.

FIG. 12 is a perspective view of a foot stepper according to a second embodiment of the present device.

FIG. 13 is a perspective view of a foot stepper from which a pedal has been removed, according to the second embodiment of the present device.

FIG. 14 is a side view of the foot stepper according to the second embodiment of the present device.

FIG. 15 is a perspective view of a pedal viewed so that a bottom of the pedal is exposed, according to the second embodiment of the present device.

FIG. 16 is a perspective view of an operating member according to the second embodiment of the present device.

FIG. 17 is a perspective view of a base plate according to the second embodiment of the present device.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

The present device will now be described more fully with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which exemplary embodiments of the device are shown. The present device may, however, be embodied in many different forms and should not be construed as being limited to the embodiments set forth herein.

The terminology used herein is for the purpose of describing particular embodiments only and is not intended to limit the present device. As used herein, the singular forms “a”, “an” and “the” are intended to include the plural forms as well, unless the context clearly indicates otherwise.

It will be understood that the terms “comprises” and/or “comprising,” when used in this specification, specify the presence of stated components, steps, operations, and/or elements thereof, but do not preclude the presence or addition of one or more other components, steps, operations, and/or elements thereof.

While such terms as “first”, “second”, etc., may be used to describe various components, such components must not be limited to the above terms. The above terms are used only to distinguish one component from another. In the description, certain detailed explanations of the related art are omitted when it is deemed that they may unnecessarily obscure the essence of the present device.

Hereinafter, the present device will be described more fully with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which exemplary embodiments of the device are shown. The configuration of the present device and the effect of the action thereof will be clearly understood through the following detailed description.

FIG. 2 is a perspective view of a toilet bowl provided with a foot switch according to an embodiment of the present device. Referring to FIG. 2, a foot switch 10 according to an embodiment of the present device may include a lever operating part 100, a driving cable 200, and a foot stepper 300. Through this foot switch 10, a user may operate a flush valve 2 by stepping on a pedal 340 of the foot stepper 300 with his or her foot, while the user may still operate the flush valve 2 by raising or lowering a lever 3 by his or her hand. A more detailed description thereof will now be given below with reference to the drawings.

FIG. 3 is a perspective view of a lever operating part in a state where its arm is not rotated, according to an embodiment of the present device. FIG. 4 is a perspective view of a lever operating part in a state where its arm is rotated and a lever has been pushed up, according to an embodiment of the present device.

As can be seen in FIGS. 3 and 4, an arm 140 is inside a housing 120, and, only when the user steps on the pedal 340 of the foot stepper 300 with his or her foot, the arm 140 is rotated to protrude from the housing 120 and pushes the lever 3 upwards. Through this structure, as shown in FIG. 3, even when the foot switch 10 is mounted on the flush valve 2, no mechanical devices or instruments are exposed around the lever 3 of the flush valve 2 until the user steps on the pedal 340 of the foot stepper 300. (As will be described later), while the foot switch 10 according to an embodiment of the present device adopts only a mechanical structure without using any electronic device such as a motor, no mechanical devices for driving the lever 3 are exposed around the lever 3 until the user steps on the pedal 340 of the foot stepper 300, and accordingly, the user does not feel a significant difference from a typical toilet bowl in which the foot switch 10 is not installed. Thus, without giving a sense of discomfort when the user selects an existing function of operating the flush valve 2 by raising or lowering the lever 3 by hand, a function of operating the lever 3 with the user's foot may be additionally provided.

FIG. 5 is a perspective view of the lever operating part 100 (from which the housing 120 has been removed), according to an embodiment of the present device. The lever operating part 100 includes a frame 160 fixed to the flush valve 2, and the arm 140 configured to rotate relative to the frame 160 as the driving cable 200 is pulled. The arm 140 is rotated to contact the lever 3 and push the lever 3 to rotate the lever 3. As shown in FIG. 5, a seating groove 146 may be formed at a location with which the lever 3 comes into contact during rotation of the arm 140. The frame 160 and the arm 140 may be manufactured with steel.

The lever operating part 100 may further include a first fixing member 110 for fixing the frame 160 to the flush valve 2, and a second fixing member 130 for fixing an end of the driving cable 200 to the frame 160.

The first fixing member 110 may be, for example, a metal band made of aluminum having a predetermined ductility. FIG. 6 is a perspective view of a lever operating part in a state of being mounted on a flush valve, according to an embodiment of the present device. As shown in FIG. 6, one end of the first fixing member 110 may be fixed to the frame 160 through screws 161 and 162, and the first fixing member 110 may surround the flush valve 2 and then be tightened with a screw 111 to fix the frame 160 to the flush valve 2.

FIG. 7 is an exploded perspective view of the lever operating part 100 according to an embodiment of the present device. A rotation shaft 170 is inserted into a hole 144 of the arm 140 and a hole 164 of the frame 160, so that the arm 140 is rotatably coupled with the frame 160. As shown in FIG. 6, a direction L2 of the rotation shaft 170 of the arm 140 is parallel to a lengthwise direction L1 of the lever 3 in a non-actuated state. At one end of the arm 140, a protruding pin 150 is coupled to a hole 142 of the arm 140 so as to extend parallel to the rotation shaft 170 of the arm 140. A hole 166 is formed at an end of the frame 160, and the second fixing member 130 is fixedly fitted into the hole 166. The second fixing member 130 may have a cylinder shape having a hollow, and the driving cable 200 may be fitted onto the hollow and fixed to the hole 166. When the arm 140 is coupled with the protruding pin 150 and the rotation shaft 170 and the second fixing member 130 is coupled with the frame 160, a fixing packing 180 may be used for fixing.

The driving cable 200 has a double-track cable structure and may be composed of an inner cable 240 and an outer cable 220 surrounding the inner cable 240, and the outer cable 220 may be, for example, a sheathed wire. The inner cable 240 is movable within the outer cable 220. As shown in FIG. 5, the outer cable 220 may be fixedly fitted into the hollow of the second fixing member 130, and the inner cable 240 may further extend from the outer cable 220 and may be fixed to the protruding pin 150 through a hole formed in the protruding pin 150. Accordingly, when the inner cable 240 is pulled, the arm 140 is rotated about the rotation shaft 170.

Through the above-described structure (that is, the double-track cable structure and the structure in which one end of the outer cable 220 is fixed at a predetermined point through the lever operating part 100 attached to the flush valve 2), the driving cable 200 does not need to maintain a taut state. In other words, even when the driving cable 200 does not maintain a taut state, the inner cable 240 is pulled so that the arm 140 is rotated. For example, when the driving cable 200 has a single-wire structure, unless the driving cable 200 is in a taut state, the arm 140 may not rotate even when the driving cable 200 is pulled. Therefore, additional fixtures for keeping the driving cable 200 taut are needed around a toilet bowl (e.g., on the floor or wall), and thus additional construction may be needed on the floor or wall and the floor or wall may be damaged.

As shown in FIG. 3, a guide groove 122 is formed in the housing 120, and, as the arm 140 rotates, it moves along the guide groove 122. A lever groove 124 enabling the lever 3 to protrude from the housing 120 is formed in the housing 120. A lower portion of the housing 120 is open so that the housing 120 may be mounted on the flush valve 2 from the top to the bottom, and respective lower portions of the guide groove 122 and the lever groove 124 are also open. Through the above-described structure, without needing to disassemble or change the existing flush valve 2, the lever operating part 100 may be easily installed on the flush valve 2 by fixing the frame 160 to the flush valve 2 through the first fixing member 110 and then covering the frame 160 with the housing 120. On the other hand, by removing the housing 120 and releasing the first fixing member 110 from the flush valve 2, the lever operating part 100 may be easily removed from the flush valve 2. Because the lever operating part 100 is frequently used by users according to the function of the flush valve 2 of a toilet bowl, such easy attachment/detachment, disassembly, and assembly facilitate replacement of specific parts.

FIG. 8 is a perspective view of a foot stepper according to a first embodiment of the present device. FIG. 9 is an exploded perspective view of the foot stepper according to the first embodiment of the present device. A foot stepper 300 according to the first embodiment of the present device includes a base plate 320, the pedal 340 disposed on the base plate 320, and an operating member 370 that is connected to the driving cable 200 for operating the lever 3 and slidably disposed in front and rear directions (F, R) of the base plate 320 within the base plate 320. In consideration of corrosion, the base plate 320, the operating member 370, and the pedal 340 may be manufactured by injection molding plastic.

In order to prevent the foot stepper 300 from being unintentionally turned over or easily moved on the floor surface of a public rest room while being used, the foot stepper 300 may additionally include a cradle 360. The cradle 360 may be designed to be larger toward the bottom so that a surface in contact with the floor increases. In order not to be easily moved, unlike the base plate 320, the cradle 360 may be made of stainless steel (which is relatively heavy compared to plastic).

FIG. 10 is a perspective view of a foot stepper from which a pedal has been removed, according to the first embodiment of the present device. However, for the purpose of explanation, a portion of the protrusion 342 formed on a lower surface of the pedal 340 is also shown in FIG. 10.

As shown in FIGS. 9 and 10, the base plate 320 includes an edge portion extending along its edge to form an inner space. The edge portion includes a front edge portion 321, a rear edge portion 322, and side edge portions 323 and 324 connecting the front edge portion 321 to the rear edge portion 322. A plurality of springs 350 may be disposed between the front edge portion 321 and the operating member 370. A hook portion 325 may be formed on the front edge portion 321, a groove 372 may be formed on a seating surface 374 of the operating member 370, and both ends of each of the springs 350 may be fitted onto the hook portion 325 and the groove 372, respectively, and thus the spring 350 may be connected to the front edge portion 321 and the operating member 370.

FIG. 11 is a perspective view of a pedal viewed so that a bottom of the pedal is exposed, according to the first embodiment of the present device. As shown in FIG. 11, a protrusion 342 may be coupled to the lower surface of the pedal 340 through a screw.

Referring to FIG. 10, the operating member 370 includes the seating surface 364 in contact with the protrusion 342. As a user steps on the pedal 340 with his or her foot and accordingly the pedal 340 is pressed downward L, the protrusion 342 (together with the pedal 340) moves downward L. Because the seating surface 374 of the operating member 370 is inclined in the front and rear directions (F, R), the protrusion 342 pushes the operating member 370 rearward R while moving downward L. As the operating member 370 is pushed rearward R, a driving cable (more precisely, the inner cable 240) connected to the operating member 370 is pulled.

When the user removes the foot from the pedal 340 and thus a force applied to the pedal 340 is removed, a restoring force of the spring 350 and the lever 3 return to their original positions, and thus the operating member 370 is moved forward F by a force of pulling the driving cable 200, and, accordingly, while the protrusion 342 is moving upward U along the seating surface 374 of the operating member 370, the pedal 340 returns to its original location. Preferably, the protrusion 342 may have a seating surface 346 inclined at an inclination angle corresponding to the inclination angle of the seating surface 374 of the operating member 370. Accordingly, stable surface contact between the protrusion 342 and the operating member 370 is possible.

Through the above-described structure, an overall height of the foot stepper 300 may be adjusted. For example, a length of the inner cable 240 that needs to be pulled to drain water according to the existing flush valve 2 is determined. In other words, a distance by which the operating member 370 needs to move rearward R is determined according to the existing flush valve 2, and this distance is proportional to a downward (L) moving distance of the pedal 340, but the proportion varies according to the inclination angle of the seating surface 374 of the operating member 370 with respect to the bottom surface of the base plate 320. When the inclination angle of the seating surface 374 of the operating member 370 with respect to the bottom surface of the base plate 320 is set to be small, the operating member 370 further moves rearward R according to the downward (L) movement of the pedal 340. Accordingly, an overall height of the foot stepper 300 in a state where the user does not step on the pedal 340 is kept low, and accordingly, the foot stepper 300 may be miniaturized.

The pedal 340 may include a guide pin 344 extending downward L at every corner of its lower surface, and the base plate 320 may include a guide hole 326 in a cylindrical shape into which the guide pin 344 is inserted, at every corner of its upper surface. Because the guide hole 326 has a sufficiently great length, the pedal 340 is moved in a vertical direction (U, L) while the guide pin 344 is being inserted into the guide hole 326, and accordingly, a movement of the pedal 340 in the vertical direction (U, L) is stably guided.

In addition, a guide portion 327 for guiding sliding of the operating member 370 in the forward and backward directions (F, R) is formed on at least a portion of the side edge portions 323 and 324, and a stopping protrusion 376 to be guided along the guide portion 327 is formed on a side surface of the operating member 370. Accordingly, a movement of the operating member 370 in the forward and backward directions (F, R) is stably guided.

A groove 328 for fixing the driving cable 200 may be formed on the bottom of the base plate 320. For example, the outer cable 220 may be fitted onto the groove 328 by force fitting and be fixed to the groove 328. The inner cable 240 is connected to the operating member 370. Accordingly, according to the rearward (R) movement of the operating member 370, the inner cable 240 is pulled.

Because the foot stepper 300 is disposed on the floor of a public rest room that needs to be cleaned frequently, the foot stepper 300 is frequently exposed to water. Accordingly, at least one drain hole 329 is formed in the bottom of the base plate 320. Therefore, water which unintentionally permeates into the inner space of the foot stepper 300 is discharged to the outside through the drain hole 329.

FIG. 12 is a perspective view of a foot stepper 400 according to a second embodiment of the present device. FIG. 13 is a perspective view of a foot stepper from which a pedal has been removed, according to the second embodiment of the present device.

The foot stepper 400 according to the second embodiment of the present device includes a base plate 420, a pedal 440 disposed on the base plate 420, and an operating member 470 that is connected to the driving cable 200 for operating the lever 3 and slidably disposed in front and rear directions (F, R) of the base plate 420 within the base plate 420.

FIG. 14 is a side view of the foot stepper according to the second embodiment of the present device. As shown in FIG. 14, the pedal 440 is rotatably coupled to the base plate 420. An upper surface 442 of the pedal 440 includes a first plane 444 and a second plane 446, and the first plane 444 is inclined with respect to the second plane 446. As shown in FIG. 14, when the pedal 440 is not pressed downward, the operating member 470 is positioned in place by the lever 3 of the flush valve 2 and the spring 450, and, as a result, a state of rotation of the pedal 440 relative to the base plate 420 is maintained by the operating member 470. An inclination angle between the first plane 444 and the second plane 446 may be formed such that the second plane 446 is parallel to the base plate 420.

In the case of the foot stepper according to the first embodiment of the present device, the entire pedal is formed to be movable vertically with respect to a base plate, and thus, when a user steps on the pedal, there is no strain on the ankle, and even a small child may step on the pedal with a small force. In the case of the foot stepper according to the second embodiment of the present device, the pedal 440 includes the first plane 444 parallel to the base plate 420 and the second plane 446 inclined with respect to the first plane 444, and thus a user may step on the pedal 440 without strain on the ankle by stepping on the first plane 444, and a user who is familiar with the hinge-type pedal such as a car pedal may use a foot switch according to the present device without a sense of difference by stepping on the second plane 446.

FIG. 15 is a perspective view of a pedal viewed so that a bottom of the pedal is exposed, according to the second embodiment of the present device. As shown in FIG. 15, a protrusion 442 may be coupled to the lower surface of the pedal 440 through a screw, and a roller 448 is mounted on the protrusion 442.

When the pedal 440 is rotatably coupled relative to the base plate 420, a rotatable roller 448 is provided on the protrusion 442 as in the second embodiment (rather than a protrusion being formed to surface-contact an operating member as in the first embodiment), and thus the roller 448 may be configured to be in line contact with the operating member 470. The roller 448 may be provided in pair.

As a user steps on the pedal 440 with his or her foot and accordingly the pedal 440 is pressed downward L, the protrusion 442 (together with the pedal 440) is also rotated downward L relative to the base plate 420. At this time, even when the protrusion 442 rotates relative to the base plate 420, the roller 448 mounted on the protrusion 442 rotates while in line contact with the operating member 470, and pushes the operating member 470 rearward R. As the operating member 470 is pushed rearward R, a driving cable (more precisely, the inner cable 240) connected to the operating member 470 is pulled.

FIG. 16 is a perspective view of an operating member according to the second embodiment of the present device. FIG. 17 is a perspective view of a base plate.

As shown in FIGS. 13, 16, and 17, at least one guide member 480 extending in the front and rear directions (F, R) of the base plate 420 may be disposed within the base plate 420. A through hole 472 through which and into which the guide member 480 penetrates and is inserted is formed in the operating member 470, and thus the operating member 470 extends in the front and rear directions (F, R) of the base plate 420 while the guide member 480 is being inserted into the through hole 472). Accordingly, sliding of the operating member 470 may be stably guided.

In addition, at least one spacer 425 for separating the bottom surface of the operating member 470 from the top surface of the base plate 420 may be formed on the upper surface of the base plate 420. The spacer 425 extends in the front-rear directions (F, R) of the base plate 420 so that the operating member 470 slides forward and backward while being spaced apart from the upper surface of the base plate 420 on the spacer 425. Accordingly, when the operating member 470 slides, a frictional force between the operating member 470 and the upper surface of the base plate 420 may be reduced, and the operating member 470 may slide more stably.

DESCRIPTION OF REFERENCE NUMERALS

2: flush valve

3: lever

10: foot switch

100: lever operating part

120: housing

140: arm

150: protrusion pin

160: frame

170: rotation axis

200: driving cable

300: foot stepper

340: pedal

Claims

1. A foot stepper for driving a lever of a flush valve of a toilet bowl, the foot stepper comprising:

a base plate;

a pedal disposed on the base plate; and

an operating member connected to a driving cable for driving the lever, and slidably disposed in front and rear directions of the base plate within the base plate,

wherein

the pedal has a protrusion on a lower surface thereof,

the operating member has a seating surface in contact with the protrusion, and

the seating surface of the operating member is inclined such that, as the pedal is pressed downward, the protrusion moves downward and pushes the operating member in the front and rear directions.

2. The foot stepper of claim 1, wherein the base plate comprises an edge portion extending along an edge to form an inner space, the edge portion comprises a front edge portion, a rear edge portion, and a side edge portion connecting the front edge portion to the rear edge portion, and at least a portion of the side edge portion comprises a guide portion for guiding forward and backward sliding of the operating member.

3. The foot stepper of claim 1, wherein at least one drain hole is formed in a lower surface of the base plate.

4. The foot stepper of claim 2, wherein a stopping protrusion to be guided along the guide portion is formed on a side surface of the operating member.

5. The foot stepper of claim 2, wherein a spring is disposed between the front edge portion of the base plate and the operating member, one end of the spring is connected to the front edge portion, and the other end of the spring is connected to the operating member.

6. The foot stepper of claim 1, wherein, when a force applied to the pedal is removed, the operating member is moved forward at least partially by a restoring force of a spring, so that the protrusion moves upward along the seating surface of the operating member and the pedal returns to an original position.

7. The foot stepper of claim 1, wherein the protrusion comprises a seating surface inclined at an inclination angle corresponding to the inclination angle of the seating surface of the operating member.

8. The foot stepper of claim 1, wherein

the pedal comprises a guide pin extending downward at every corner of a lower surface of the pedal, and

the base plate comprises a guide hole into which the guide pin is inserted, at every corner of an upper surface of the base plate, and the guide pin is movable in a vertical direction while being inserted into the guide hole.

9. The foot stepper of claim 1, further comprising a cradle surrounding the base plate,

wherein the cradle is a structure having a shape increasing toward the bottom.

10. The foot stepper of claim 1, wherein a rotatable roller is provided on the protrusion, and, as the pedal is pressed downward, the protrusion moves downward, and the roller rotates while being seated on the seating surface of the operating member.

11. The foot stepper of claim 10, wherein the rotatable roller is provided in pair.

12. The foot stepper of claim 1, wherein

the pedal is rotatably coupled to the base plate, and

an upper surface of the pedal comprises a first plane and a second plane, the first plane being formed to be inclined with respect to the second plane.

13. The foot stepper of claim 12, wherein, when the pedal is not pressed downward, the first plane is parallel to the base plate.

14. The foot stepper of claim 1, wherein

at least one guide member extending in the front and rear directions of the base plate is disposed within the base plate,

a through hole through which and into which the guide member passes and is inserted is formed in the operating member, and

the operating member extends in the front and rear directions of the base plate in a state where the guide member is inserted into the through hole.

15. The foot stepper of claim 1, wherein

at least one spacer for separating a bottom surface of the operating member from an upper surface of the base plate is formed on an upper surface of the base plate, and

the spacer extends in the front and rear directions of the base plate so that the operating member slides in the front and rear directions of the base plate while being spaced apart from the upper surface of the base plate on the spacer.