GB1569624A - Hinge assembly hinge assembly - Google Patents

Description

(54) IMPROVEMENTS IN OR RELATING TO A HINGE ASSEMBLY (71) We, BALL PLASTICS LIMITED, a British Company of Burstead Works, Kennel Lane, Billericay, Essex, do hereby declare the invention, for which we pray that a patent may be granted to us, and the method by which it is to be performed, to be particularly described in and by the following statement: This invention relates to a hinge assem bly, and more particularly to a hinge assembly suitable for use with a toilet seat.

Such items as toilet seats are frequently formed with a hinge assembly integral there with, means being provided for securing the hinge assembly to a toilet pan. Such means commonly comprise bolts or threaded studs, and nuts adapted to engage said bolts or threaded studs, the bolts or threaded studs being passed through suitably located aper tures in the toilet pan prior to the nuts being engaged with and thightened on said bolts or threaded nuts.

In many buildings toilet pans are located immediately adjacent a wall and thus it may be exceedingly difficult to remove the toilet seat and hinge assembly for cleaning or other purposes. It is an object of this inven tion to provide a hinge assembly suitable for use with a toilet seat and which may, in use, enable a toilet seat to be readily removed from a toilet pan for cleaning or other such purposes.

According to one aspect of this invention there is provided a hinge assembly compris ing a base member adapted to be secured to a rigid structure, said base member hav ing an upstanding portion defining a recess to accommodate a pivotal member as here in defined, and a hollow cover member releasably engageable with said base mem ber by moving the cover member in one predetermined direction relative to said base member, the direction of the opening being substantially transverse to said one predeter mined direction, said cover member being adapted to embrace the base member and having at least one inner protrusion adapted to engage said pivotal member and retain said pivotal -member in said recess.

In this specification the term pivotal member is used to mean an elongate member that may be rotated about its longitudinal axis, or which supports at least one further member which can be pivoted about the longitudinal axis of the elongate member.

In either case a further member mounted on the pivotal member may be pivoted about the axis of the pivotal member.

Conveniently the pivotal member may comprise a shaft or a shaft like portion adapted to be secured to or formed integrally with a toilet seat.

The base member may comprise a -member having an aperture therein adapted to receive and accommodate a bolt or the like to secure said base member to said rigid structure and said base member may comprise two upstanding flanges, one said flange being provided with said recess.

Conveniently the cover member may be a member adapted to be engaged with base member and may have an inner dependent flange or protrusion adapted to engage said -shaft.

According to a second aspect of this invention there is provided a toilet seat assembly provided with hinge assemblies according to said one aspect of the invention.

In order that the invention may be more readily understood, and so that further features thereof may be appreciated one embodiment thereof will now be described by way of example with reference to the accompanying drawings in which: Figure 1 is a perspective view of a toilet seat assembly; Figure 2 is an exploded view of part df the hinge of the assembly of Figure 1; and Figure 3 is an exPloded view of a second embodiment of a hinge in accordancetwith the invention.

Referring to Figures 1 and 2 a to;let-seat assembly 1 comprises a toilet seat 2 formed as an annular member of phenol/;urea plastics material, the member having-the usual resilient stoppers provided on the lower surface thereof to prevent seat member from damaging a toilet pan. The seat mem ber has, towards the rear thereof, two down wardly depending apertured lugs 3 that em brace a rod 4 or shaft so that the seat member is pivotally mounted.

A lid member 5 having an outer con figuration similar to the outer configuration of the seat member, and also formed of phenol/urea plastics material, is also mounted on the shaft. the seat member also having two downwardly depending lugs 6 provided with apertures through which the shaft passes.

The shaft 4 protrudes beyond the two downwardly depending lugs 3 provided on the seat member 2 and each end of the shaft is mounted in a hinge assembly 7. One hinge assembly will now be described in detail with reference to Figure 2.

A hinge assembly comprises a base mem ber 8 which, in the present embodiment, is substantially rectangular in plan. The base member has a horizontal lower portion 9 provided with an aperture 10 to accom modate a bolt or the like, the bolt being insertable through a corresponding aperture provided in a toilet pan. A nut may then be threadedly engaged on the other end of the bolt to secure the base member rigidly in position on the toilet pan.

The base member is provided with two parallel upstanding flanges 11, 12. One such flange 11 being located at the edge of the horizontal lower portion at its edge adjacent the lid member and the second flange 12 being spaced from the first flange and being on the opposIte side of the aperture 10 formed in the base member 8.

The first flange 11, when viewed in ele vation, has a hook shaped upper portion 13 which defines a recess to accommodate the shaft 4, the recess being formed so that the shaft may be introduced into said recess by moving the shaft laterally with respect to the axis thereof, i.e. in the direction of arrow 14.

A hollow cover member 15 is provided which is associated with said base member, the cover member also being substantially rectangular in plan and being adapted to be moved downwardly onto the base member in a direction perpendicular to the plane containing the base member, (this direction thus also being transverse to the direction of the opening of the recess which is indi cated by arrow 14), the cover member 15 thus being snapped into engagement with the base member 8.The interior of the cover member 15 is provided with an inner pro trusion 16 in the form of a downwardly de pending flange or finger that is so located - that when the cover 15 is snapped into position on the base member 8 the protrusion 16 engages the shaft 4 and urges the shaft 4 firmly into the recess provided in the first flange 11 provided on the base member 8, the flange or finger thus retaining the shaft in position.

Both the base member 8 and the cover 15 are formed from phenol/urea plastics material.

In mounting a toilet seat assembly 1 as above described on a toilet pan the base member 8 of two hinge assemblies 7 which are mirror-images of each other will be mounted on the toilet pan by means of nuts and bolts, and subsequently the lid 5 and seat 2, both mounted on the shaft 4, are pivotally mounted on the base members 8, the ends of the shaft 4 protruding beyond the apertured lugs 3, 6 being urged laterally of the axis of the shaft (i.e. in the direction of arrow 14) into engagement with the recesses on the first flanges 11 provided on the base members 8. The second flanges 12 provided on the base members serve to prevent excessive axial movement of the shaft 4.

Subsequently the cover members 15 are snapped into position on the base members 8, the inner protrusions 16 provided on the cover members then serving to secure the shaft 4 in position. The seat 2 and lid 5 may be moved pivotally together, or independently of each other, but when it is desired to remove the seat and lid, for example, for cleaning purposes, the covers 15 provided on the base members 8 may be removed and subsequently the seat 2, lid 5 and shaft 4 may be removed from the base members merely by moving the shaft laterally of the axis thereof, It will be appreciated that many modifications may be made to the above described embodiment of the invention. For example, the shaft may be integrally formed with the seat or lid. Alternatively the base member may have any convenient shape as may be dictated by design and need not have the rectangular shape specifically described above. Of course, the shape of the cover member may also be modified in this way.

Furthermore it is to be appreciated that whilst one specific material has been identified above, the components of the hinge assembly and the toilet seat assembly may be formed of other materials. Also it is to be appreciated that the specific design of the cover member may be modified and in particular the flange provided in the cover member adapted ot engage the shaft may extend horizontally inwardly from one side wall of the cover member or may be replaced by one or more fingers or any other suitable inner projection adapted to perform the desired function.

Figure 3 of the accompanying drawings illustrates a second type of hinge which is similar to the hinge of Figure 2 but in which the shapes of various integers are altered and in which the protrusion 16 is replaced by two inwardly directed ribs 17.

WHAT WE CLAIM IS: 1. A hinge assembly comprising a base member adapted to be secured to a rigid structure, said base member having an upstanding portion defining a recess to accommodate a pivotal member as herein defined, and a hollow cover member releasably engageable with said base member by moving the cover member in one predetermined direction relative to said base member, the direction of the opening being substantially transverse to said one predetermined direction, said cover member being adapted to embrace the base member and having at least one inner protrusion adapted to engage said pivotal member and retain said pivotal member in said recess.

2. An assembly according to claim 1 wherein the pivotal member comprises a shaft or a shaft like portion adapted to be secured to or formed integrally with a toilet seat.

3. A hinge assembly according to claim 1 or claim 2 wherein the base member comprises a member having an aperture therein adapted to receive and accommodate a bolt or the like to secure said base member to said rigid structure.

4. A hinge assembly according to claim 3 wherein said base member comprises two upstanding flanges, one said flange being provided with said recess, and the other flange serving to prevent or minimise axial movement of said pivotal member.

5. A hinge assembly according to any one of the preceding claims wherein the cover member is a member adapted to be engaged with base member and has an inner dependent flange or protrusion adapted to engage said shaft.

6. A toilet seat assembly provided with hinge assemblies according to any one of the preceding claims.

7. A hinge assembly substantially as herein described with reference to and as shown in Figures 1 and 2 of the accompanying drawings.

8. A hinge assembly substantially as herein described with reference to and as shown in Figure 3 of the accompanying drawings.

9. A toilet seat assembly substantially as herein described with reference to and as shown in Figures 1 and 2 of the accompanying drawings.

10. A toilet seat assembly substantially as herein described with reference to and as shown in Figure 3 of the accompanying drawings.

drawings.

**WARNING** end of DESC field may overlap start of CLMS **.

Claims (10)

**WARNING** start of CLMS field may overlap end of DESC **. similar to the hinge of Figure 2 but in which the shapes of various integers are altered and in which the protrusion 16 is replaced by two inwardly directed ribs 17. WHAT WE CLAIM IS:

1. A hinge assembly comprising a base member adapted to be secured to a rigid structure, said base member having an upstanding portion defining a recess to accommodate a pivotal member as herein defined, and a hollow cover member releasably engageable with said base member by moving the cover member in one predetermined direction relative to said base member, the direction of the opening being substantially transverse to said one predetermined direction, said cover member being adapted to embrace the base member and having at least one inner protrusion adapted to engage said pivotal member and retain said pivotal member in said recess.

2. An assembly according to claim 1 wherein the pivotal member comprises a shaft or a shaft like portion adapted to be secured to or formed integrally with a toilet seat.

3. A hinge assembly according to claim 1 or claim 2 wherein the base member comprises a member having an aperture therein adapted to receive and accommodate a bolt or the like to secure said base member to said rigid structure.

4. A hinge assembly according to claim 3 wherein said base member comprises two upstanding flanges, one said flange being provided with said recess, and the other flange serving to prevent or minimise axial movement of said pivotal member.

5. A hinge assembly according to any one of the preceding claims wherein the cover member is a member adapted to be engaged with base member and has an inner dependent flange or protrusion adapted to engage said shaft.

6. A toilet seat assembly provided with hinge assemblies according to any one of the preceding claims.

7. A hinge assembly substantially as herein described with reference to and as shown in Figures 1 and 2 of the accompanying drawings.

8. A hinge assembly substantially as herein described with reference to and as shown in Figure 3 of the accompanying drawings.

9. A toilet seat assembly substantially as herein described with reference to and as shown in Figures 1 and 2 of the accompanying drawings.

10. A toilet seat assembly substantially as herein described with reference to and as shown in Figure 3 of the accompanying drawings.

drawings.