EP1199020B1 - Hinge for toilet seat - Google Patents

Abstract

The rotation dampening devices (11,12), directly joined to the hinge parts (26) positioned at the back of the toilet bowl (10) with an adapter (20), serve as swivel axle of the lid/seat unit (2,4). The dampening devices (11,12), working with a piston (16), rotating in a horizontally positioned cylinder (14), is permanently joined to the adapter (20) and accommodated in a stepped space (44,46,48,54) at the back of the unit (2,4), moving either with the seat (4) or with the lid (2), as required.

Description

The invention relates to a toilet seat hinge according to the preamble of patent claim 1.

Such a toilet seat hinge is known from DE 3 701 720 A1.

In the solution known from US 5,966,132 the seat and the cover are mounted along a pivot axis, wherein the lowering movement of the seat or the lid is controlled by a damping device with a spring-biased link guide and a liquid damper.

The combination of spring-loaded link guide and fluid damper requires a considerable device complexity, so that the total price of the toilet seat is not inconsiderable mitgeprägt from the joint.

In US 6,009,568 a toilet seat hinge is disclosed, in which the seat and the lid are designed with separate pivot axes. Although a more even guidance of the seat and the cover is made possible by this separate embodiment of the pivot axes, in this variant, however, a considerable space is required in order to train the two mutually offset pivot axes with the corresponding damping devices can.

WO 99/63875 A1 and WO 99/63874 A1 also show toilet seat hinges, in which the seat and the cover are arranged on a common pivot axis. This pivot axis is formed by two hinge pins leading the seat and the lid, which cooperate with a damping device in the form of spring elements. These hinge pins are over one Coupled coupling mechanism that allows a release of the set of the ceramic.

A disadvantage of the above-described solutions that a considerable device-technical effort is required to form the pivot axis of the seat assembly.

In contrast, the present invention seeks to provide a toilet seat hinge that allows reliable damping of the lowering movement of a seat or a lid with minimal device-technical effort.

This object is achieved by a toilet seat hinge with the features of claim 1.

According to the invention a pivot axis of a toilet seat set is formed by a damping device which is connected via an adapter piece with the ceramic-side hinge pins. The damping device is rotatably connected to the adapter piece and received in a receiving bore of the toilet seat set, wherein the damping device is rotatably connected either with the seat or the lid of the toilet set, so that either the movement of the seat or the lid is braked. The pivot axes along which the toilet seat set is pivotally formed essentially by the damping device and the adapter piece - in other words - the lid and / or the seat are mounted directly on these components, so that the device complexity compared to conventional solutions , in which pivot axis and damping device were formed by separate elements, is substantially reduced. The adapter piece is provided according to the invention with a radial bore into which the hinge pin dips when placed.

The invention also includes embodiments in which the adapter piece and the damping device are integrally formed as a special component. However, it is preferred to form the damping device from mass-produced dampers, as used in other applications.

The axial securing of the adapter piece or the damping device by means of an axial securing, which is preferably used in the radial direction in a mounting strap of the seat, so that adapter piece and / or damping device are secured in the axial direction with respect to the fastening tab. This variant has the advantage that the assembly and disassembly can be done very easily by inserting or removing the axial lock.

In a preferred embodiment, the axial securing is formed by a spring clip, which is inserted through the fastening tab into an annular groove of the adapter piece or the damping device.

The damping device is designed to be particularly compact if it is designed as a rotary damper, on the one hand in rotationally fixed engagement with the cover or the seat and on the other hand is rotatably coupled via a suitable positive connection to the adapter piece.

The production of the seat set is particularly simple when the receiving bore for the damping device and the adapter piece is designed as a through hole.

Depending on whether the seat or the cover is to be braked, the receiving bore is designed to be continuous with approximately the outer diameter of the damping device or the adapter piece or as a stepped bore, in which a cover-side end portion is set back radially and provided with a mating surface.

The adapter piece and / or the hinge pins are preferably made of plastic or precious metal.

Other advantageous developments of the invention are the subject of the other dependent claims.

In the following a preferred embodiment of the invention will be explained in more detail with reference to schematic drawings.

• Figur 1 eine Schnittdarstellung einer WC-Sitzgarnitur;
• Figur 2 eine Draufsicht auf ein Adapterstück der WC-Sitzgarnitur aus Figur 1;
• Figur 3 einen Schnitt entlang der Linie A-A durch die WC-Sitzgarnitur aus Figur 1 und
• Figur 4 eine Einzeldarstellung eines Federbügels zur Axialsicherung.

Show it:

• Figure 1 is a sectional view of a toilet seat set;
• Figure 2 is a plan view of an adapter piece of the toilet seat set of Figure 1;
• 3 shows a section along the line AA through the toilet seat set of Figure 1 and
• Figure 4 is a detail view of a spring clip for axial securing.

1 shows a sectional view of a toilet seat 1 with a cover 2 and a seat 4, which are connected via two coaxially arranged seat joints 6, 8 with a merely indicated ceramic 10. The seat joints 6, 8 are designed such that the toilet seat 1 pivots from its illustrated closed position by more than 90 degrees in an open position can be, in which the lid 2 and / or the seat 4 abut against a stop.

Each of the two seat joints 6, 8 has a rotational damper 11, or 12, via which the lowering movement of the clothing 1 is braked. About the rotary damper 11 of the seat joint 6, the lowering movement of the lid 2 and the rotational damper 12 of the seat hinge 8, the lowering movement of the seat 4 is braked. The rotary dampers 11, 12 are commercially available purchased parts, so that it is possible to dispense with a further description of the functional properties. The braking torque of the rotary damper 11, 12 is designed so that the cover 2 and the seat 4 can pivot back slowly without support by hand on the ceramic 10 out.

Each rotary damper 11, 12 has a cylinder 14, in which a rotary piston 16 is guided. The rotary piston 16 is provided with one or more flats or recesses so that it can be brought into positive engagement with the cover 2 or the seat 4. At the remote from the piston 16 back of the cylinder 14 of each rotation damper 11, 12, a diagonal projection 18 is formed, via which a rotationally fixed connection to an adapter piece 20 takes place.

Figure 2 shows an individual view of the adapter piece 20, which is used in the swivel joints 6, 8.

According to Figure 2, the adapter piece 20 has an approximately cylindrical base body 22 in which a radial blind hole 24 is formed. The adapter piece 20 can be placed over the blind hole 24 on a hinge mandrel 26 which is anchored in the ceramic 10. The locking between the hinge pin 26 and the adapter piece 20 via a snap connection, which is formed for example by a spring or O-ring, which is inserted into the inner circumferential wall of the blind hole 24 and engages in a circumferential groove, not shown, of the hinge pin 26. That is, the entire toilet seat set can be deducted from the hinge pins 26 very quickly with minimal effort.

On the outer circumference of the base body 22 is further formed an annular groove 28, whose function will be discussed below. In the adjacent to the annular groove 28 end face of the base body 22 is a diagonally extending rectangular groove 30 is provided, in which the diagonal projection 18 engages, so that a rotationally fixed connection between the cylinder 14 of the rotary damper 11 and 12 and the adapter piece 20 is made.

The adapter piece 20 and the rotary cylinder 11 or 12 engaged therewith form in each case a pivot axis 32, 34 of the seat joints 8 and 6, respectively.

As can be seen in particular Figure 1, the lid has two outer mounting tabs 36, 38 which engage around two inner fastening tabs 40, 42 of the seat 6. In the two, in the axial direction slightly wider than the outer fastening tabs 36, 38 formed inner fastening tabs 40, 42 each have a receiving bore 44 and 46 is provided. The receiving bore 44 in the inner fastening tab 42 is designed as a stepped bore, wherein the diameter is reduced to the outer fastening tab 38 out. In this smaller part 48 of the receiving bore 44, a flattening corresponding to the profile of the rotary piston 16 of the rotary damper 12 is formed so that the rotary piston 16 is rotatably connected to the inner fastening tab 42. The rotary piston 16 passes through the flattened part 48 of the receiving bore and protrudes into a bearing bore 50 of the outer fastening tab 38, wherein the diameter the bearing bore 50 is selected such that the cover 2 is rotatably mounted on the rotary piston 48.

The seat joint 6 associated receiving bore 46 is formed as a through hole with a constant diameter.

In the penetrated by the rotary piston 16 end portion a spacer sleeve 52 is inserted, the rotary piston 16 of the rotary damper 11 slidably surrounds, so that the seat 4 is rotatably supported on the outer periphery of the adapter piece 20, the associated rotary damper 11 and the spacer 52 via the receiving bore 46 , The rotary piston 16 passes through the spacer 52 and protrudes into a receptacle 54 of the adjacent outer mounting tab 36, wherein the profile of the receptacle 54 is formed according to the profile of the rotary piston 16, so that the cover 2 is rotatably connected to the rotary piston 16.

That is, in the above construction, the lid 2 is braked over the engagement of the outer fastening tab 36 with the rotary damper 11, wherein the rotary piston 16 of the two rotary damper 11, 12 act as a pivot axis. The lowering of the seat 4 is braked by the engagement of the rotary piston 16 of the rotary damper 12 with the part 48 of the receiving bore 44, wherein the outer periphery of the rotary damper 11, 12, the adapter pieces 20 and the rotary piston 16 act as a pivot bearing for the seat 4.

The axial securing of the two seat joints 6, 8 takes place in each case via a spring clip 56 which, according to FIG. 4, is bent roughly in the shape of a U, the ends being bent apart in a V-shape. Following the V-shaped bent-apart end portions, the two U-legs of the spring clip 56 are arched arcuate to an eye 58. As in particular from the Section AA according to Figure 3 shows, the diameter of the eye 58 is selected so that the inner surfaces of the U-legs of the spring clip 56 the peripheral walls of the formed by the annular groove 28 web of the adapter piece 20 positively or positively engage, although still a relative rotation between Adapter piece 20 and spring clip 56 is enabled. According to Figure 3, a radially extending insertion slot 60 is formed in each inner fastening tab 40, 42 through which the spring clip 56 is inserted into the fastening tab 40 and 42, that the eye 58 formed by the annular groove 28 middle web of the Adapter piece 20 surrounds. In this way, the adapter piece 20 is reliably secured in the axial direction in the respective receiving bore 44 and 46, although still a rotational movement between adapter piece 20 and cover 4 is allowed. According to Figure 2, the insertion slot 60 is provided with a V-shaped extension 62, so that the removal of the spring clip 56 is facilitated. In Figure 3, the insertion positions of the spring clip 56 (attachment, emergence on web, embracing the web) are shown.

To assemble the toilet set, first the cover 2 and the seat 4 are arranged in the relative position shown in FIG. 1, and then the rotary dampers 11 and 12 are inserted into the respective receiving bores 44, 46, wherein the rotary piston 16 of the seat joint 6 is rotationally fixed Engagement with the outer fastening tab 38 passes and is slidably guided in the other outer fastening tab 36. Accordingly, the other rotary piston 16 of the seat hinge 8 is in rotationally fixed engagement with the inner fastening tab 14 and is rotatably guided in the bearing bore. After insertion of the Roatationsdämpfer 11, 12, the two adapter pieces 20 are mounted so that the diagonal projection 18 dips into the respective rectangular groove 30 of the rotary damper 11 and 12 respectively. In the following Mounting step, the spring clip 56 are inserted through the two insertion slots 60 of the inner fastening tabs 40 and 42, so that the legs of the spring clip 56 engages in the annular groove 28 of the adapter piece 20 and the eye 58 surrounds the web of the annular groove 28 (see Figure 3). The preassembled unit is then placed on the two hinge pins 26.

On the hinge pins 26 may be formed in the region between the adapter piece 20 and a rest on the ceramic 10 Rosette not shown flats on which a wrench for mounting the hinge pins 26 on the ceramic 10 can be recognized.

The toilet seat hinge according to the invention is characterized by an extremely simple construction, with the assembly can be performed with a few simple steps by a layman.

In particularly high-quality versions, at least the hinge pins 26 and the adapter pieces 20 are made of stainless steel. In simpler embodiments, the seat hinge 6, 8 made of plastic.

Instead of the illustrated rotary damper 11, 12, other damping devices can be used. It is essential that the damper 11, 12 is used both for braking the lowering movement, as well as for guiding the cover 2 or the seat 4.

Disclosed is a toilet seat hinge for fastening a seat set to a ceramic, wherein the lowering movement of the seat set can be braked by a damping device. The damping device is connected via an adapter piece with the fastening means of the seat set, wherein Adapter piece and damping device form the pivot axis for the seat assembly.

LIST OF REFERENCE NUMBERS

1

WC set

2

cover

4

Seat

6

seat hinge

8th

seat hinge

10

ceramics

11

rotary damper

12

rotary damper

14

cylinder

16

rotary pistons

18

Diagonal edge

20

adapter piece

22

body

24

Blind hole

26

gudgeon

28

ring groove

30

rectangular groove

32

swivel axis

34

swivel axis

36

outer fastening strap

38

outer fastening strap

40

inner fastening strap

42

inner fastening strap

44

location hole

46

location hole

48

Part of the mounting hole

50

bearing bore

52

spacer

54

admission

56

spring clip

58

eye

60

insertion

Claims (10)

1. An articulation for a toilet seat for securing a toilet seat assembly (1) to a ceramic body (10), including a rotation axis (32, 34) for a seat (4) and a seat cover (2) of said seat assembly (1) and including a damping means (11, 12) for supporting said seat assembly (1) during the pivoting movement, wherein an adapter member (20) is connected with a fastening means (26) that is secured in said ceramic body (10), and positively connected with the damping means (11, 12) that is received in a reception bore (44, 46) of a mounting link (40, 42) of said seat assembly (1), characterized in that said adapter member (20) and said damping means (11, 12) form the rotation axis (32, 34) for said seat cover (2) or for said seat (4), and in that said adapter member includes an approximately cylindrical base body in which a radial blind bore (24) is formed for insertion on a gudgeon (26).
2. The articulation for a toilet seat in accordance with claim 1, including a latching connection for locking between said gudgeon (26) and said adapter member (20).
3. The articulation for a toilet seat in accordance with claim 1 or 2, wherein said adapter member (20) is fixed in said reception bore (44, 46) by means of an axial retainer (56) which at least in portions extends through said mounting link (40, 42).
4. The articulation for a toilet seat in accordance with claim 3, wherein said mounting link (40, 42) has an insertion slot (60) opening in said reception bore (44, 46), into which a spring clip (56) plunging into an annual groove (28) of said adapter member (20) is inserted.
5. The articulation for a toilet seat in accordance with any one of the preceding claims, wherein said damping means is a rotation damper (11, 12) having at its end portion removed from said adapter member (20) a rotary piston (16) which is in positive engagement with said seat (4) or said seat cover (2).
6. The articulation for a toilet seat in accordance with claim 5, wherein said rotation damper (11, 12) at its end portion removed from said rotary piston (16) has a diagonal projection (18) which plunges into a correspondingly formed recess (30) of said adapter member (20).
7. The articulation for a toilet seat in accordance with claim 5 or 6, wherein said reception bore (46) has the form of a through bore, and into the one end portion removed from said gudgeon (26) a spacer sleeve (52) is inserted through which a rotary piston (16) extends so as to be rotatable, wherein a part of said rotary piston (16) projecting from said spacer sleeve (52) is positively received in said seat cover (2).
8. The articulation for a toilet seat in accordance with claim 5, wherein said reception bore (44) has the form of a stepped bore, wherein a part (48) of said reception bore (44) removed from said gudgeon (26) is radially stepped back and positively engages said rotary piston (16), and a part of said rotary piston (16) projecting from said reception bore (44) is rotatably received in a bearing bore (50) of said seat cover (2).
9. The articulation for a toilet seat in accordance with any one of the preceding claims, wherein adapter member (20) and gudgeon (26) are made of stainless steel or plastic.
10. The articulation for a toilet seat in accordance with any one of the preceding claims, wherein adapter member (20) and rotation damper (11, 12) are formed integrally.

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