AU596693B2 - Press button toilet seat/lid lifter - Google Patents

Description

1

J

596693 S F Ref: 30537 FORM COMMONWEALTH OF AUSTRALIA PATENTS ACT 1952 COMPLETE SPECIFICATION ~r ~,~rflr,2t i t Class mt. Class

(ORIGINAL)

FOR OFFICE USE: Application Number: Lodged: PH8961 14 November 1986 Accepted: Published: Priority: Related Art: Name and Address of Applicant: Sylvia Margret Clissold 4 Tandara Avenue Bradbury New South Wales 2560

AUSTRALIA

AT7ACH ED Actual Inventor: Address for Service: Sylvia Margret Clissold, Spruson Ferguson, Patent Attorneys, Level 33 St Martins Tower, 31 Market Street, Sydney, New South Wales, 2000, Australia Complete Specification for the invention entitled: PRESS BUTTON TOILET SEAT/LID LIFTER The following statement is a full description of this invention, including the best method of performing it known to me/us 581 5/2 -i ABSTRACT The present invention discloses a device for raising and lowering the seat and lid of a toilet by a push button operation. The device is connected to a water main and comprises a dual outlet-valve which is push button operated.

The valve when operated connects water having mains pressure to a control unit via conenction pipes. The control unit is able to rotate a pair of stub axles which are fitted one to each of the seat and the lid of the toilet. When the water passes through the valve to the control unit the water Col.

pressure rotates the corresponding stub axle thus raising t, the lid or the seat, or both, as required. The lid or seat C remains in an open state until the cistern is flushed whereby C the flowing water in the water main causes a lowering of the pressure in the connection pipes due to a venturi shaped connection. The pressure in the control unit is also lowered so the control unit allows the stub axles to rotate in the cc.. opposite direction thus lowering both the seat and lid.

4 C S- 1_- IMPORTANT -Cross out inapplicable words, in the above Form.) The present invention relates to toilet seats and lids, and in particular, to apparatus which raises the toilet seat and/or lid by a push button operation.

Hitherto, known automatically operated devices which raise toilet seats have been electrically driven. A small electric motor has been connected to raise the toilet seat but not to lower it. The electric motor is powered by a dry cel- battery or by a rechargeable battery. The main reason for having a toilet seat which is automatically raised and lowered is that it eliminates the need to manually lift the 4 4 seat or lid. This reduces the possibility of disease as there is no need for the person to touch the toilet seat or lid. It is also advantageous that the toilet seat or lid can be raised by all groups of people including the disabled who may have difficulty manually raising the toilet seat or lid.

Another advantage of an automatically operated toilet seat which is both raised and lowered is that the seat and c e, lid is maintained in a closed position which is both hygienic and aesthetic.

It is an object of the present invention to provide C apparatus for automatically raising and lowering a toilet seat and/or lid which has the abovementioned advantages.

According to one aspect of the present invention there is disclosed an apparatus for the selective, raising of a toilet lid or toilet seat and automatic lower'ing of both following flushing of the toilet, said apparatus comprising a dual water valve means connected to a dual controller and -2i 1~ operable to selectively apply mains pressure water to either one of two operating parts of said dual controller, one of said parts being connected to said lid to rotate same into a raised position against a corresponding biasing means which urges said lid into a lowered rest position, and the other of said parts being connected to said seat to rotate same into a raised position against a corresponding biasing means which urges said seat into a lowered rest position, and said dual C.cnn eCe& water valve beingcnnectabe-e to the mains pressure inlet of a cistern for said toilet and being responsive to the flow of water therein to relieve the mains pressure applied to any selected one of said parts thereby allowing said biasing Srtr means to substantially simultaneously lower both said lid and seat.

One embodiment of the present invention will now be described with reference to the drawings in which: Fig. 1 is a partially cut away perspective view of the apparatus of the preferred embodiment; Fig. 2 is a perspective view of a connector attaching the apparatus of Fig. 1 to the water inlet of a cistern; Fig. 3 is a longitudinal cross sectional view of the connector of Fig. 2; Fig. 4 is an exploded view of a push-button operated dual outlet valve of the apparatus of Fig. 1; Fig. 5 is a longitudinal cross-sectional view of the push-button operated dual outlet valve of Fig. 4; Fig. 6 is a perspective view of a control unit of the apparatus of Fig. 1 in which the left hand half is 3 1 1 l l 1 1 1 f i 1 1 -HA r *0 0000 0* C 4 I 1 I IL illustrated in exploded fashion; and Fig. 7 is a longitudinal cross-sectional view of left hand half of the control unit of Fig. 6.

The apparatus 10 of the preferred embodiment as illustrated in Fig. 1 is connected into a standard cistern system comprising a cistern 11 connected to the stop cock 12 in a water main by an inlet pipe 13. It is to be understood that the cistern 11 can be connected to any other form of water supply when a water supply main is not available. The cistern 11 has an inlet valve 14 which is regulated by a float switch 15. The cistern 11 has a flush outlet 16 operated by a push button 17. As with all standard systems, the cistern 11 has an overflow pipe 18 to allow overflow of any water which has built up due to any malfunction of the inlet valve 14. The cistern 11 is connected to a toilet bowl 19 by the flush outlet 16. On the toilet bowl 19 is a lid 20 and a seat 21.

The apparatus 10 comprises a connection member 22 and an inlet tube 23 which connects onto the inlet pipe 13.

In the embodiment illustrated in the drawings the connection member 22 connects onto a T-piece 24 in the inlet pipe 13.

The T-piece 24 has an internal venturi-shaped profile (not illustrated) of substantially conventional configuration.

The known operation of this device has the result that when water is passing through the inl.et pipe 13, the water pressure in the connection member 22 and the inlet tube 23 drops because partial vacuum is formed in the connection member 22.

In other embodiments not illustrated the inlet tube 23 can be i C r 4 r-- .II S t~ I e% C C directly connected to the T-piece 24.

The inlet tube 23 passes up through the overflow pipe 18 andcconnects to a push-button dual outlet valve 25 having two push buttons 26 and 27. The dual-outlet valve 25 is located adjacent the top 28 of the cistern 11 with the push buttons 26 and 27 protruding therethrough. The push buttons 26 and 27 are therefore easily manually operated.

The dual-outlet valve 25 as best seen in Figs. 4 and comprises a cylindrical housing 29 having an inlet 31 and two outlets 32 and 33 respectfully. Inside the housing 29 the valve 25 has two chambers 34 and 35 (Fig. 5) in which two corresponding valve stems 36 and 37 are connected to tr pistons 38 and 39 which fit into a respective valve seat and 41. The stems 36 and 37 are moved by the respective push buttons 26 and 27 which allow the water in the inlet tube 23 to flow through the chamber 34 or 35 (depending on which button was pressed) and through the respective one of the outlets 32 and 33. Once the push button 27 has been pressed the same water pressure on both sides of the piston 39 maintains the push button 27 in the pressed position as illustrated in Fig. 5. The housing 29 has two end caps 42 and 43 which are kept in position by two circlips 44 and respectively. A plurality of o-rings 46 inside the dualoutlet valve 25 maintain a water tight seal.

As seen in Fig. 1, the outlets 32 and 33 of the dualoutlet valve 25 are connected by pipes 53 and 52 respectively which pass through the cistern 11 to two inlets 54 and 55 of a control unit 50. The control unit 50 is located on the

I-

SC Ctl 5 I; j r~n~ underside of the seat 21 where the seat 21 and lid 20 are hinged.

As best seen in Figs. 6 and 7, the control unit comprises a central barrel 56 which is split in two identical parts by a transverse wall 57 dividing the barrel 56 into two chambers 58 and 59 each fed by a respective inlet 54 and Connected to corresponding ends of the central barrel 56 is one of a pair of outer barrels 60 and 61. Inside each of the outer barrels 60 and 61 is a pair of ball-bearings 62, a rotatable inner sleeve 63, a helical spring 64 and end I, caps 65 and 66 for the ball-bearing 62.

tI C Et, ~An 0-ring 67 is located on a piston 69 and the barrels c 60,61 are held together by a circlip 68. The piston 69 which reciprocates within the chamber 58, has a rod 70 passing through a transverse hole and stops 71. The rod 70 fits into a spiral slot 72 cut into the inner sleeve 63. The outer barrel 60 has a longitudinal slot 73 along which the stops 71 are able to be reciprocated. As the piston 69 reciprocates inside the central barrel 56 and the adjacent outer barrel the inner sleeve 63 is rotated. The inner sleeve 63 has a stub axle 74 which passes through a circular aperture 75 on the outer barrel 60. A sleeve 76 fits over the stub axle 74 and is tightened by a grub screw 77 which secures the sleeves 76 to the stub axle 74. Thus when either one of the inner sleeves 63 rotate the corresponding one of the sleeves 76 and 78 rotates as well.

The sleeves 76 and sleeve 78 fit into the hinge 79 (Fig. 1) of the seat 21 and lid 20 respectively. Thus when 6 the sleeves 76 and 78 are rotated the seat 21 and lid are likewise rotated and therefore raised and lowered.

In operation, the apparatus 10 is initiated by pressing either of the push buttons 26 or 27. Push button 26 is to raise the seat 21 and therefore also the lid 20, whilst push button 27 is pushed to raise only the lid Prior to pushing either of the buttons 26 or "77 the mains water pressure is in the inlet tube 23 and therefore the piston 38,39 are pushed upwardly to sit against their respective valve seats 40 and 41 in the cylindrical housing 29.

When the button 27 is pushed as illustrated in Fig. 5, the piston 39 is forced by the push button 27 out of the seat 41 thus allowing the water in the inlet tube 23 to pass through the outlet 33. 0-rings 46 prevent the water passing out of the opening where the push buttons 26 and 27 are located.

The water goes through pipe 52 and into the chamber 58 of the central barrel 56 of the control unit 50. The water pressure pushes the piston 69 against the resilience of the helical springs 64. As the rod /0 and stops 71 slide along the slot 73 in the outer barrel 60, the inner sleeve 63 rotates due to the rod 70 and stop 71 passing along curved K slot 72. Due to the fact that thie sleeve 76 is fixedly connected to the stub axle 74 of the inner sleeve 63, the sleeve 74 rotates. This rotation raises the seat 21 (and hence also the lid 20 if not previously raised) due to the operation of push button 27.

The curved slot 62 of the inner sleeve 63 has a portion (opposite stub axle 74) which extends partially I i around the circumference of the inner sleeve 63 whereby the seat 21 and lid 20 can be manually lifted without the operation of the push buttons 26 and/or 27.

Once the lid 20 and/or seat 21 has been raised by the water pressure in the chambers 58 and 59, to simultaneously lower both the seat 21 and lid 20, the cistern 11 is flushed by use of the push button 17. As the water level in the cistern 11 lowers, the inlet valve 14 opens thus allowing water to pass and thereby filling the cistern 11. As the water travels along the inlet pipe 13 a vacuum is formed at the '^tt venturi-shaped T-piece 24 thus dropping the pressure inside ts the inlet tube 23. The water then passes from the control unit 50 back through the valve 25 and thence to the inlet pipe 13 thus releasing the pressure through to the chamber 58 or 59. This pressure drop allows the resilience of the spring 64 to force the piston 69 back to its rest position. As the C piston is moving, the inner sleeve 63 is rotated to its rest position. Once the cistern 11 is full, the water in the l inlet pipe 13 stops flowing. Thus the water at mains pressure refills the inlet tube 23 and forces the piston 38,39 back into their rest positions against the seats 40,41.

|The foregoing describes only one embodiment of the present invention, and modifications obvious to those skilled in the art can be made thereto without departing from the scope of the present invention. For example, the inlet tube 23 is passed through the opening in the cistern 11 provided by the overflow pipe 18. For those cisterns which overflow into the flush outlet 16, it is necessary to introduce the 8 i inlet tube 23 into the cistern 11 in some other way, either directly through the cistern wall or via the flush outlet 16 and thence through the overflow.

t t Ott I C

I

I t~CI

I~

4.

9 I, i:-a 'i T

Claims (9)

1. Apparatus for the selective raising of a toilet lid or toilet seat and automatic lowering of both following flushing of the toilet, said apparatus comprising a dual water valve means connected to a dual controller and operable to selectively apply mains pressure water to either one of two operating parts of said dual controller, one of said parts being connected to said lid to rotate same into a raised position against a corresponding biasing means which urges said lid into a lowered rest position, and the other of said parts being connected to said seat to rotate same 'trt, into a raised position against a corresponding biasing means cc which urges said seat into a lowered rest position, and said Cnn ect-W dual water valve beingconnectab? 1 to the mains pressure inlet of a cistern for said toilet and being responsive to the flow of water therein to relieve the mains pressure applied to any selected one of said parts thereby allowing said biasing means to substantially simultaneously lower both said lid and seat.

2. The apparatus as claimed in claim 1 wherein said cistern inlet includes a venturi and said dual water valve means is connected to said venturi.

3. The apparatus as claimed in claim 2 wherein the re- application of mains water pressure to said dual water valve at the cessation of flow through said venturi, re-sets said dual water valve.

4. The apparatus as claimed in any one of claims 1 to 3 'wherein said dual controller is located at the hinge of said ~*ua~ seat and lid and said dual water valve means is located within said cistern and manually operable from external of said cistern.

The apparatus as claimed in claim 4 wherein said dual water valve means is connected to said cistern inlet via a conduit which passes through an overflow outlet said cistern.

6. The apparatus as claimed in claim 5 wherein said conduit is connected to said inlet at the downstream side of a stop cock.

7. The apparatus as claimed in any one of the preceeding 0 claims wherein each part -of said dual controller comprises an inlet cylinder, a piston reciprocable along said inlet cylinder against the action of said corresponding biasing means, a projection carried by said piston and engaged with a .o..4-n 4 surface of a rotatably mounted member to convert reciprocal motion of said piston into rotating motion of said member, said member being connectable to said seat/lid hinge.

8. The apparatus as claimed in claim 7 wherein said member comprises a sleeve co-axial with said piston and having a helical camming surface, said biasing means comprising a helical spring retained between a stem of said piston and j sleeve.

9. Apparatus as claimed in any one of the preceeding claims wherein said dual water valve means comprises a housing having a single inlet and a pair of outlets, each of said outlets communicating with said inlet via a valve seat, two pistons each reciprocatly mounted to open and close the 11 i i: v 4 r corresponding one of said valve seats in response to depression of a corresponding one of a pair of operating buttons, a pressure in said inlet exceeding the pressure in said outlets driving said pistons against said valve seats to close same. Apparatus for the selective raising of a toilet lid or toilet seat and automatically lowering of both following flushing of the toilet, said apparatus being substantially as described with reference to the drawings. DATED'this.FIRST day of SEPTEMBER 1987 SYLVIA MARGRET CLISSOLD t i Patent Attorneys for the Applicant SPRUSON FERGUSON t i rcr t( 12