GB2276890A

GB2276890A - Toilet seat with automatically operated spray clean nozzle

Info

Publication number: GB2276890A
Application number: GB9406159A
Authority: GB
Inventors: Tin Poh Ow
Original assignee: Individual
Current assignee: Individual
Priority date: 1993-04-09
Filing date: 1994-03-29
Publication date: 1994-10-12
Anticipated expiration: 2014-03-29
Also published as: GB9406159D0; JP3071090B2; JPH06343578A; GB2276890B

Abstract

An automatically operated spray clean nozzle means is fixed at an angle to a toilet seat 6 and incorporates an extendable and retractable nozzle sprayer from a spray clean nozzle housing 4 which is fixed to piping means 3 and stop cock 2 with water inlet 1. The spray clean nozzle means is suitably hinged such that the toilet seat can be rotated about a hinge to allow for easy toilet bowl cleaning and also if need be for the maintenance of the nozzle sprayer itself. <IMAGE>

Description

Toilet seat witmProd automgnca(ly operated spray clean nozzle Field of Invention This invention relates to an improved automatically operated spray clean nozzle means that is fixed at an advantageous angle to a toilet seat of a commode type toilet. The spray clean nozzle means incorporates an advantageously extendable and retractable nozzle sprayer from a spray clean nozzle housing which is advantageously fixed to piping means and stop cock with water inlet. The invention further allows the spray clean nozzle means to be suitably hinged such that the toilet seat could be rotated about a hinge to allow for easy toilet bowl cleansing and also if need be for the maintenance of the nozzle sprayer itself.

BackoundArt Currently in use and available in the market are porcelain toilet bowls that incorporate a bidet feature in several versions with means that are functionally similar to the invention except that these means are disadvantageously fixed to the porcelain toilet bowl and not to the seat as is being claimed by the invention The currently available means being associated with porcelain toilet bowl itself makes the cleaning of the porcelain toilet bowl difficult because of the interfering spray clean means that inevitably sticks out of the smooth contours of the porcelain toilet bowl. Further, the disadvantageously positioned spray clean means is not conducive to easy maintenance of the spray clean mechanism itself.Due to the inevitable lack of space in a toilet such mechanism must be easily accessible for installation and maintenance.

ObieXcts of Invention Thus it is an object of the invention that the automatic spray clean mechanism be made simple and reliable.

It is another object of the invention to conveniently locate the automatic spray clean means such as to facilitate convenient maintenance of the porcelain toilet bowl. To achieve this end the spray clean mechanism be advantageously fixed to the under side of the toilet seat, such that when the toilet seat is being rotated about it's hinge from a horizontal rest position resting on the porcelain toilet bowl to a verticle upright position it enables the easy maintenance of the porcelain aspect of the toilet bowl.

It is a further object of the invention, that the supply water piping to the automatic spray clean means is to additionally serve the function as a pin to the hinge means about which the toilet seat fixed to the automatic spray clean means4 the toilet seat and the cover to the toilet seat cover may be rotated from the horizontal position to the up right position and vice versa.

It is yet another object of the invention that the spray clean means and the supply water pipe be fixed to a stop cock or any other convenient means to limit the supply water to occasions if and when needed.

It is also another object of the invention for easy maintenance the input water pipe means be detachably attached to an input water fixing, to enable quick replacement of the spray clean toilet seat as a whole for ease of maintenance Description of Invention Now by way of an example, one embodiment of the spray clean toilet seat will be described with particular reference to the accompanying illustrations in which : Fig 1 is a side view of the spray clean toilet seat with both the seat cover and the toilet seat shown in the horizontal or rest position.

Fig 2 is a cut-away view of the spray nozzle housing with the spray nozzle shown in the "retracted" position.

Fig 3 is a cut away view of the spray nozzle housing with the spray nozzle shown in the "extended" position.

Referring now to Fig 1, the input water supply to the invention is suitably connected at (1) which is connected by a short tube means to a stop cock (2). The stop cock (2) may be of the ordinary turn clockwise to close and turn anti-clockwise to "open" type or alternatively other preferred means that when asserted is capable of discharging through the sprayer nozzle fixed capacity of cleaning water for use. From the stop-cock (2) a delivery pipe means (3) of suitable dimension delivers water to the sprayer nozzle. The delivery pipe (3) also serves as the hinge pin about which the toilet seat (6) and the toilet seat cover (7) are capable of being rotated. The delivery pipe (3) is sealed at the end.Cleaning water is delivered to the spray clean nozzle housing by a delivery hole (31) (see Fig 2) that is advantageously drilled into the delivery pipe (3). The nozzle housing (4) that is fixed to the underside of the toilet seat (6) fixed to the delivery pipe (3) by means of a nylon bush/seal (10), the nylon bush/seal is capable of ensuring a sufficiently tight fit over the delivery pipe (3) and the fit prevents leakage of water at its fixing and at the same time allows the automatic spray clean nozzle means to be swiveled about the delivery pipe (3).

The automatic spray clean nozzle means is made up of the following major components. A swivel means (11) that advantageously carries the nylon bush/seal means (10), when the toilet seat (6) is in the rest position, the delivery hole (31) of the delivery pipe (3) and the tapered short section (113) of the nylon bush/seal (10) are aligned such that the alignment enables water to be delivered to the short pipe section (114) in the swivel section (11). The first '0' ring at (13) of the swivel section (11) receives the tubular value means (18) which is press fitted. Immediately following the second '0' ring at (14) is to receive the nozzle head housing (17) which is also press fitted.

The tubular value means (18) is made of suitable length and the tube opening at (183) connects up with the short pipe of the swivel section at (114) and along the length of the tubular section an advantageous hole at (181) is drilled which forms part of the value operation that will be described further on. The tubular section terminates into a narrower transition tube at (182) and opens into a nozzle pressure chamber at (201).

The nozzle housing is a hollow tube and at the base at (171) it opens into a hole that advantageously allows the nozzle sprayer means to be housed in a retracted position and when the nozzle sprayer means is operated it allows it to slidably to extend out of the hole at (171) to the extended position.

A resilient spring (16) of suitable stiffness in the normally expanded configuration is contained in the hollow section of the nozzle housing. The spring is held in position between the base (171) and the nozzle flange (206). The nozzle sprayer means with the nozzle flange is capable of sliding out of the hollow section of the nozzle housing by compressing the spring (16).

The nozzle sprayer means (15) is comprised of a solid base section referred to as the nozzle head at (208) which carries a nozzle tube (205) that opens out at (204). At (203) the nozzle tube (205) opens into a nozzle chamber (20). The nozzle chamber is formed by a septum or partition (19) with its flange (119) resting fittingly over the nozzle flange (206) and the other end of the septum suitably positioned in a recess cut in the nozzle head (208) at (207).

At an advantageous length from the flange of the septum a hole of suitable dimension ia drilled in the septum shown at (202). This hole (202) serves to function as part of the value means (18) that ensures the automatic operation of the spray clean nozzle means.

Now the operation of the invention will be described. The toilet seat (6) will be in the rest position and the spray nozzle (5) will be held in the retracted position inside the nozzle housing (17) because of the normally expanded spring (16) acting on the nozzle flange of the nozzle sprayer. When water is turned 'ON' by the stop cock (2), the water travels through the delivery pife (3) and enters the tapered section (113), as the hole (31) in the delivery pipe is aligned to the hole in the nylon bush (10) the water enters the tubular section of the tubular value means (18). The water will not be able to pass through the hole at (181) in the tubular section because the septum (19) blocks the water flow. However the water in the tubular section passes the short transition tube at (182) and enters the pressure chamber at (201), gradually the pressure of the water inside the chamber will increase, at some point in time the pressure exerted by the water in the pressure chamber will exceed the forces exerted by the spring (16), such that the volume of the pressure chamber (201) starts to increase and the nozzle sprayer means form the retracted position begins to extend by compressing the spring (16). The process continues until the hole (202) in the septum of the nozzle sprayer means is aligned to the hole (181) at the tubular value means. The water in the tubular section enters and fills the nozzle chamber and the water finally finds its way out through the nozzle tube (20S) and out as a spray at (204) of the nozzle head (208).The fully compressed spring mechanically stops the further expansion of the nozzle means out of the nozzle sprayer housing. Any further increase in water pressure merely makes the water spray out of the nozzle head reach higher hight due to the increased pressure. The pressure of water in the pressure chamber keeps the nozzle means extended out of the nozzle sprayer housing until the water pressure is cut off by turning off the stop cock (2).

At which point due to loss of water pressure the compressed spring will exert a greater force by expanding to its normal configuration causing the nozzle sprayer means to retract back into the nozzle housing. Thus achieving the automatic operation of the nozzle sprayer means.

This arrangement of using the delivery tube as the pin means for the hinge formed by the toilet seat (6) and toilet cover (7) allows for keeping the spray clean nozzle means in upright position while the porcelain bowl is cleaned.

In other embodiments the stop cock (2) could be replaced by some means which actuated will deliver fixed amount of water at some fixed pressure after which the supply of water is turned off by some means awaiting the next operation, thus automatically conserving water and prevents accidental waste of water that could be left turned 'on' by a careless user of the toilet.

Claims

1. A spray clean nozzle means that is fixed at an angle to a commodeltype toilet seat wherein the spray clean nozzle means is characterised by a swivel section (11) with a bush (10); an extendable and retractable sprayer nozzle; a fixed spray clean nozzle housing fixed to a delivery piping means; and a stop cock for a water in-let such that the toilet seat fixed to the spray clean nozzle means is capable of being rotated together about the toilet seat hinge for easy maintenance of the toilet bowl.

2. A nozzle means according to Claim 1 wherein the delivery piping means that is terminated at one end forms the "pin" for the toilet seat hinge about which the toilet seat fixed to the spray clean nozzle means may be rotated to the uprightivertiolo position or rotated to the horizontal rest position.

3. A nozzle means according to Claim 2 wherein the delivery piping means (3) has a hole (31) drilled in such that in the horizontal rest position of the toilet seat, the hole (31) and the hole at the tapered short section (113) of the nylon bush/seal (10) of the swivel means (11) are aligned to enable water to be delivered to the spray clean nozzle means.

4. A nozzle means according to Claim 3 wherein the swivel section (11) and the bush/seal (10) of the spray clean. nozzle is made of nylon such that when installed over the hole (31) of the delivery piping means (3) prevents water leak and at the same time allows the toilet seat and the spray clean nozzle means to be rotated about the delivery piping means (3).

S. A nozzle means according to Claim 4 wherein the first '0' ring at (13) of the swivel section (11) receives and secures the tubular valve means (18) by press fitting means and the secured '0' ring at (14) of the swivel section (11) is secured to the nozzle head housing (17) by press fitting means.

6. A nozzle means according to Claim 5 wherein the tubular valve means (18) is constructed with an opening (183) at one end that connects up with the short pipe of the swivel section at (114) and along the length of the tubular section a hole drilled at (181) that forms part of the valve operation, whcreas the tubular section terminates into a narrow tube at (182) and opens into a nozzle pressure chamber at (201).

7. A nozzle means according to Claim 1 wherein the spray clean nozzle housing i; a hollow tube with a base which opens into a hole at (171) that allows the nozzle sprayer means to be housed in a retracted position and when the nozzle sprayer means is operated it allows it to slidably to extend out of the hole (171) to the extended position.

8. A nozzle means according to Claim 7 wherein a resilient spring (16) of suitable stiffness in'the normally expanded configuration is contained in the hollow section of the nozzle spray housing such that the said spring is held in position between the base at hole (171) and the nozzle flange (206) whereas the sprayer nozzle (15) is capable of sliding in and out of the hollow section of the nozzle housing by compressing or expanding the resilient spring (16).

9. A nozzle means according to Claim 1 wherein the sprayer nozzle means (15) is comprised of a nozzle head (208) which carries a nozzle tube (205) that opens out at (204), the nozzle tube (205) opens into a nozzle chamber (20), which chamber is formed by a septum (19) with its flange (119) resting fittingly over the nozzle flange (206) and the other end of the septum suitably positioned in a recess at (207) cut in the nozzle head (208) which serves to function as part of the valve means (18) that ensures the automatic operation of the spray clean nozzle means.

10. A spray clean nozzle means fixed to a commode-type toilet seat, constructed and adapted to operate substantially as hereinbefore 'described with reference to, and as illus trated in, the accompanying drawings.