GB2334973A - Variable orientation toilet seat - Google Patents

Abstract

A circular toilet seat (1) has an elongate central opening (2) and a plurality of predetermined hinge fixing positions (3, 5, 7, 9) to which a hinge fixing may be attached. By selecting a pair of adjacent hinge fixing positions (3 and 5, 5 and 7 or 7 and 9) the toilet seat may be mounted with the major axis of the elongate opening (30) at an acute angle to the axis of the hinge (31). The seat is also provided with push-fit covers (21) for unused fixing positions.

Description

TOILET SEAT The invention relates to a toilet seat and to a toilet fitted with a toilet seat. It relates in particular to a toilet seat suitable for use in confined spaces.

There is a need for installing toilets in confined spaces to provide a facility for toilet use where hitherto it has not been considered possible to provide such facilities. For example, one may wish to install a toilet in an existing room at home or in a hotel bedroom, or to provide more facilities in a new house of limited size. When toilets are mounted in confined spaces discomfort and inconvenience to the user can result if the user's knees or feet are constricted by the wall of the toilet or the door to the toilet or toilet cubicle, or when there is insufficient headroom for the user to approach and get into the normal use position.

The invention relates to a toilet seat designed to alleviate this difficulty.

According to a first aspect of the invention, there is provided a toilet seat having an annular seat body defining a central non-circular opening, the seat body being provided with sets of alternative predetermined hinge-mounting positions circumferentially spaced on the seat body so that the toilet seat is mountable on a toilet bowl in one of two or more orientations, in at least one of which the major axis of the seat opening is at an acute angle to the hinge axis, by attaching hinge fixings to a selected set of the mounting positions corresponding to the desired orientation In this way, the toilet seat can be mounted upon a toilet bowl in whichever of the orientations is the most convenient given the layout of the room or space in which the toilet is fitted. Such a toilet can conveniently be fitted in a confined space where one could not have been fitted before. The orientation of the toilet seat induces the user to sit at the correct orientation. A toilet in accordance with the invention can thus be mounted closer to a side wall than previously possible, because the legs of a user sitting on the toilet can point outwards from the wall where there is more space.

Preferably, each set of hinge mounting positions consists of a pair of mounting positions, each pair having the same predetermined spacing.

In order to minimise the number of hinge mounting positions, a plurality of hinge mounting positions may be regularly spaced around the seat body, each set of hinge mounting positions consisting of a pair of adjacent positions. In this way, each mounting position except for those at the ends of the circumferential sequence forms part of, i.e. is common to, two different pairs of mounting positions. This arrangement reduces the number of positions needed for any given number of orientations.

In one arrangement, four hinge mounting positions may be provided, regularly spaced around the appropriate part of the circumference of the seat body.

In this arrangement there would be three pairs of adjacent mounting positions, each pair corresponding to a different orientation of the toilet seat thus providing for three possible seat mounting orientations, of which one might, say, be a normal orientation using the middle two hinge mounting positions, and the other two would be inclined seat orientations (offset to one side or the other) using the outer two hinge mounting positions (first and second or third and fourth). The hinge mounting positions may be spaced so as to provide angled seat orientations of, for example, 450 to each side, or at some other appropriate angle such as 309 or 600 between each orientation.

In order that the toilet seat can easily and readily be mounted in any of the orientations, the outer rim of the toilet is preferably substantially circular but it need not necessarily be so. For example, a multi-sided polygon may be used.

Conveniently, a screw hole is provided in the toilet seat at each hinge mounting position. Such a screw hole can be provided in a separate tapped insert (made for example, of brass) sunk into the seat.

Alternatively, a recess for a hinge fixing may be provided at each hinge mounting position.

It is convenient and advantageous to arrange the hinge connections, and hence also the screw holes, on the outer periphery of the body of the toilet seat rather than on the flat underside of the seat. Such positioning is also better for the purposes of hygiene in that the unused fixing holes are then not on the underside of the toilet seat where they might be soiled when the toilet is used with the seat raised.

For secure fastening, hinge fixings normally require attachment by two screws to the toilet seat, so the use of standard hinge fixings would normally require the provision of two tapped holes at each hinge mounting position. However, in an advantageous development of the invention, the hinge parts to be secured to the seat body are preferably interconnected by a brace, for example in the form of an arcuate, or appropriately shaped member to fit the respective region of the outer rim of the toilet seat, extending between two hinge mounting positions, with two holes located to correspond to the spacing of the screw holes or other fixing points at the hinge mounting positions.

The unitary hinge component can then be attached to the seat body by just the two screws (one at each hinge mounting position) passing through the holes of the brace and screwed into the tapped holes in the seat body.

This fastening arrangement thus provides a secure and stable attachment by means of just one screw and tapped hole in the seat body at each hinge mounting position.

Push-fit covers may be provided to cover those tapped holes not used for attaching the toilet seat.

The central opening of the seat body is preferably egg-shaped, for best use and comfort of the user.

However, oval or other non-circular shapes may also be used. The seat body need not, of course, be a complete (closed) annulus but may have a gap at the front as is sometimes provided in conventional seats.

According to a second aspect, the invention encompasses a toilet comprising a toilet bowl, a toilet seat having a seat body defining an elongate central opening, and hinge means adapted to connect the toilet seat to the toilet bowl for movement about a hinge axis, the major axis of the elongate central opening being arranged at an acute angle to the hinge axis.

According to a still further aspect of the invention, there is provided a toilet seat having an annular seat body defining a central non-circular opening, the seat body being provided with a set of pre-determined hinge-mounting positions so arranged or located on the seat body that the toilet seat is mountable on a toilet bowl in an orientation such that the major axis of the seat opening is at an acute angle to the hinge axis. For most of the usual types of toilet seat hinge-mounting assemblies, the hinge axis will be parallel to a notional line connecting the said pre-determined hinge-mounting positions.

For a better understanding of the invention a specific embodiment will now be described, by way of example, with reference to the accompanying drawings in which: Figure 1 shows a side view of a toilet seat in accordance with the invention, Figure 2 shows a toilet bowl fitted with the toilet seat of Figure 1 in a first orientation, Figure 3 shows the toilet bowl of Figure 2 with the toilet seat fitted in a second, angled, orientation, Figure 4 is a plan view of the assembly of Figure 3 with the seat down, but with the seat angled to the other side, and Figure 5 is a section through a coupling part.

The toilet seat according to an embodiment of the invention has an annular seat body 1 with a substantially circular outer rim 11. The inner rim 13 defines an egg-shaped central opening 2. A plurality of hinge-mounting positions 3,5,7,9 is provided circumferentially regularly spaced around the outer rim 11 of the seat body 1; the embodiment has four such hinge-mounting positions. The angular spacing of the hinge mounting positions, around a vertical axis perpendicular to the plane of the seat, is 450.

There are three pairs of adjacent hinge mounting positions, the first pair consisting of the first and second hinge mounting positions 3,5, the second pair consisting of the second and third hinge mounting positions 5,7 and the third pair consisting of the third and fourth hinge mounting positions 7,9. Each of the three pairs (i.e. sets) of adjacent hinge mounting positions corresponds to a particular orientation of the toilet seat when mounted.

To mount the toilet seat with the major axis 30 of the egg-shaped central opening 2 perpendicular to the hinge axis 31, as with conventional toilets and as shown in Fig. 2, the second set of hinge mounting positions 5,7 is selected. To mount the toilet seat with the major axis 30 of the egg-shaped central opening 2 at an acute angle to the hinge axis 31, either the first pair of hinge mounting positions 3,5 or the third pair of hinge mounting positions 7,9 is selected, as shown in Figure 3.

At each of the hinge mounting positions 3,5,7,9 there is provided a bore 15 extending radially into the outer rim of the seat body 1 and containing a brass plug having a tapped hole for accepting a screw.

A unitary hinge component 19 is provided, as shown in detail in Figure 5, comprising an arcuate brace member 41 and two hinge pieces 47. The member 41 has an inner face shaped to match the outer rim of the toilet seat body 11; in other words it has the same radius of curvature as the seat if the seat has a circular periphery. Through-holes 45 are provided at each end of the arcuate member 41.

The two hinge pieces 47 are provided, one at each end of the arcuate member and are rigidly connected to it. A respective hinge rod 49 is passed through each hinge piece 47, with a tubular washer 43 therebetween, and the hinge rod is then bent substantially perpendicularly to form an end region having a threaded stud 51 for attaching the respective hinge piece to the toilet bowl.

A toilet lid may also be hinged to the hinge rod by two lid mounting elements 53 which are attached to the lid and freely rotatable around the hinge rod, in a known manner.

To mount the toilet seat on the toilet bowl the hinge component 19 is first screwed onto the toilet seat at the hinge mounting positions appropriate to the selected orientation by passing screws through the holes 45 and screwing them into the tapped brass plugs in the bores 15. Then, the lid is placed on the toilet seat and each hinge rod 49 with its tubular washer 43 is passed through the respective hinge piece 47 and the lid mounting elements 53. The threaded studs 51 are then passed through holes in the toilet bowl and fixed by nuts on the underside of the bowl in the usual way.

This procedure is sufficiently simple that it can be performed by an unskilled person, and is simpler than using two separate hinge pieces one for each part of the hinge. In such embodiments, it would be easy to misorient the hinge assembly. However it would of course be possible to use two separate hinge pieces without a connecting brace formed by the arcuate member whilst still achieving the primary object of alternative seat orientations in accordance with the principal aspects of the invention.

The toilet bowl in the present embodiment has an upper rim 25 which is circular when viewed from above, so that the toilet seat fits onto the bowl in any of its orientations. However, a circular upper rim is not strictly necessary; the seat and bowl could have other matching shapes, or conceivably the toilet seat and toilet bowl need not have exactly the same shape so long as the toilet bowl can support the toilet seat in each of its desired orientations.

The toilet, apart from the toilet seat and rim of the toilet bowl, may be of any known form; thus the toilet can be a low-flush suite, or the like. The toilet seat may conveniently be formed of plastics and the hinge elements may conveniently be made of stainless steel.

Push-fit covers 21 are provided for inserting into the bores 15 (or into the plug holes) of the nonselected mounted positions 3,5,7,9.

In Figure 2, the toilet seat is shown fitted onto the toilet bowl in its normal orientation, using hinge mounting positions 5 and 7. However, by attaching the hinge fixing component 19 to a different selected pair of hinge mounting positions, i.e. 7 and 9 or 3 and 5, the toilet seat can be mounted in either of two angled orientations.

In Figure 3, the toilet seat is fitted so that when the seat is down, the opening will be presented to the user at an acute angle to the right side of approximately 450 to the normal arrangement (where the axis 30 would be perpendicular to the hinge axis 31).

The angled position will thus enable the user to stand or sit angled somewhat relative the normal use position, and this arrangement would be useful if space or headroom at the left side of the bowl were constricted. Thus, such a toilet could be mounted closer to a side wall than would otherwise be possible.

In Figure 4, the plan view shows an angular orientation of the seat presented to the left of the bowl for use if the space to the right of the bowl is tight.

Different numbers or spacings of the hingemounting positions could be provided to accommodate different angular orientations, perhaps in the range of 0 to 750 or even at 900 to the normal line 32 (see Fig. 4).

Of course, the invention lies not only in providing alternative, selectable mounting positions, but applies equally to a pre-determined single angularly-offset mounting where a particular installation requirement is known in advance.

A toilet having the toilet seat described is particularly suitable for use in small spaces such as in the area under the stairs in a house where an installation has hitherto perhaps been considered as not possible. As required, the seat can be mounted so that the central opening is oriented so that the user will stand or sit at an angle to the usual position aligned with the normal line 32 perpendicular to the hinges axis 31. The seat can thus be arranged so that the knees of a user sitting on the seat will not be obstructed or cramped by a nearby wall, pipe or door.

Claims (14)

Claims

1. A toilet seat having an annular seat body defining a central non-circular opening, the seat body being provided with sets of alternative pre-determined hinge-mounting positions circumferentially spaced on the seat body so that the toilet seat is mountable on a toilet bowl in one of two or more orientations, in at least one of which the major axis of the seat opening is at an acute angle to the hinge axis, by attaching hinge fixings to a selected set of the mounting positions corresponding to the desired orientation.

2. A toilet seat according to claim 1, wherein each set of hinge mounting positions consists of a pair of mounting positions having the same predetermined spacing.

3. A toilet seat according to claim 2 wherein a plurality of hinge mounting positions is regularly spaced around the seat body, each set of hinge mounting positions consisting of a pair of adjacent positions.

4. A toilet seat according to claim 3 having four hinge mounting positions regularly spaced around a part of the circumference of the seat body.

5. A toilet seat according to any preceding claim wherein the outer rim of the toilet is substantially circular.

6. A toilet seat according to any of claims 2 to 5 further comprising a unitary hinge fixing having a brace with holes at the predetermined spacing and two hinge pieces for attachment to a toilet body.

7. A toilet seat according to any preceding claim wherein a single screw hole is provided in the toilet seat at each hinge mounting position.

8. A toilet seat according to claim 7 wherein the screw holes are arranged on the outer periphery of the body of the toilet seat.

9. A toilet seat according to claim 7 or 8 when appendant to claim 6 wherein the hinge fixing is attached to the toilet seat at the desired orientation by a screw passing through each of the holes in the brace and engaging with the screw hole in the seat body at each selected hinge mounting position.

10. A toilet comprising a toilet bowl, a toilet seat having a seat body defining an elongate central opening, and hinge means adapted to connect the toilet seat to the toilet bowl for movement about a hinge axis, the major axis of the elongate central opening being arranged at an acute angle to the hinge axis.

11. A toilet comprising a toilet seat having an annular seat body defining a central non-circular opening, the seat body being provided with a set of pre-determined hinge-mounting positions so arranged or located on the seat body that the toilet seat is mountable on a toilet bowl in an orientation such that the major axis of the seat opening is at an acute angle to the hinge axis.

12. A toilet according to claim 11 wherein the hinge axis is parallel to a notional line connecting the said pre-determined hinge-mounting positions.

13. A toilet seat substantially as herein described with reference to and as shown in the accompanying drawings.

14. A toilet substantially as herein described with reference to and as shown in the accompanying drawings.