GB2361791A

GB2361791A - Toilet Seat or Door Position Alarm

Info

Publication number: GB2361791A
Application number: GB9927977A
Authority: GB
Inventors: Graeme John Taylor; Kenneth Ian Mcandrew
Original assignee: CYBERNANNY Ltd
Current assignee: CYBERNANNY Ltd
Priority date: 1999-11-26
Filing date: 1999-11-26
Publication date: 2001-10-31
Also published as: GB9927977D0

Abstract

A toilet seat position alarm 5 is attached to the seat 4 of a toilet (or water closet). Immediately the seat is raised an audible warning is generated. The male toilet user is thereby reminded to lower the seat after urinating. The alarm may also be attached to a door or other hinged surface to detect movement thereof.

Description

1 2361791

1 A-dvance Warning Device for instruction in toilet use 2 3 The present invention relates to a device for use with a 4 toilet to remind a male user, immediately upon lifting 5 the toilet seat, that they should remember to lower the 6 seat after use. 7 8 It is well known that conventional toilets have a seat 9 which can be moved between a lowered and raised position 10 wherein the raised position is typically for the 11 convenience of male users. It is generally considered 12 common etiquette for the male user to return the seat to 13 its lowered position after use. However it is common for 14 the male user to f orget to do so, which can be an 15 annoyance to a female user who wishes to use the toilet 16 immediately after. 17 18 It is known in the art to provide devices which attempt 19 to address the aforementioned problem. US Patent No 20 5,748,096 for example discloses a device which generates 21 an audible indicator when the toilet seat is in a raised 22 position. In this disclosure a switch connects the 23 ON/OFF terminals of an audio module once the toilet seat

2 1 has been lifted, to activate the device. Similarly UK 2 Patent Application No 2330845 discloses an electronic 3 timing circuit which generates an alarm if the toilet 4 seat is not returned to a lowered position within a set 5 period of time. 6 7 Although these devices prompt the user to return the seat 8 to a lower position, they do so at a point of time after 9 the toilet seat has been raised. As these indicator 10 alarms are of an audible nature and are triggered after a 11 delayed period of time following lifting of the seat, it 12 is possible that the alarm will not be not be heard if it 13 occurs at the same time as the toilet is flushed. It is 14 also possible that the user may finish using the toilet 15 and leave the room without replacing the seat to a 16 lowered position before the alarm or message is 17 activated. The availability of a device which generates 18 an alarm immediately at the preliminary stage of seat 19 lifting, before the male uses the toilet, would therefore 20 be of great value as a prophylactic measure. 21 22 It is an object of the present invention to provide an 23 device which generates an alarm to remind a male user to 24 lower a toilet seat after use. 25 26 It is a further object of the present invention to 27 provide an device which generates an alarm to remind a 28 male user to lower a toilet seat after use, wherein said 29 alarm is activated immediately upon lifting the toilet 30 seat. 31 32 It is a yet further object of the present invention to 33 provide an device which generates an alarm to remind a 3 1 male user to lower a toilet seat af ter use, wherein said 2 device is activated before the user utilises the toilet, 3 so that the device is not activated at the same time as 4 the toilet is flushed and there if therefore greater 5 certainty that the user will hear the alarm. 6 7 According to the present invention there is provided an 8 electronic device which can be fitted underneath a toilet 9 seat wherein immediately upon raising the toilet seat, 10 and before the toilet has been used, an alarm is 11 activated to remind the user to replace the seat after 12 use. 13 14 The device contains activating means for activating an 15 alarm immediately upon raising the toilet seat. 16 17 Preferably said activating means is a one way tilt 18 switch. 19 20 Preferably the device is battery operated. 21 22 Preferably the device is a fully enclosed unit with 23 housing. 24 25 Preferably said housing is waterproof. 26 27 Preferably the device has attachment means for fixing the 28 device to the underside of a toilet seat. 29 30 Most preferably the attachment means is an adhesive strip 31 or suction cups although any other suitable attachment 32 method could be used. 33 4 1 Preferably the device fits between the toilet seat and 2 rim of the bowl of a toilet in such a manner that it is 3 not visible when the toilet seat is in a lowered 4 position. 5 6 Preferably the device contains memory means for storing 7 an audible message. 8 9 Preferably said memory means is a microchip. 10 11 Preferably the device has means to produce an audible 12 message. 13 14 Preferably said means in a speaker. 15 16 In order to provide a better understanding of the 17 invention, an embodiment will now be described by way of 18 example only, with reference to the accompanying Figures 19 in which: 20 21 Figure 1 is a side perspective view illustrating a toilet 22 and device in accordance with the present invention; 23 24 Figure 2 is a plan of the internal components of the 25 device, and; 26 27 Figure 3 illustrates the device switch mechanism. 28 29 Referring firstly to Figure 1 a conventional toilet 30 generally depicted at 1 is comprised of a body 2, toilet 31 bowl 3 and toilet seat 4. The toilet seat 4 is hinged 32 and can therefore be moved between a lowered and a raised 33 position, wherein the raised position is typically used 1 by a male user. An device 5 is attached to the underside 2 of the toilet seat 4 and is sized so that it fits between 3 the toilet seat 4 and rim of the bowl 3 in such a manner 4 that it is not visible when the toilet seat 4 is in a 5 lowered position. 6 7 Figure 2 illustrates the inner components of the device 8 generally depicted at 5. The device 5 includes one or 9 more batteries, 6. The device 5 also includes a message 10 chip 7 for storing one or more audible messages. 11 Typically the audible messages can be recorded prior to 12 assembly of the device and could be in the form of a 13 voice message or a buzzer. The alarm activated on raising 14 the seat, could be comprised of a single message or a 15 number of short messages. The device further comprises a 16 speaker 8 which is connected to the message chip 7 and a 17 one way tilt switch 9. The device 5 is a fully enclosed 18 unit with housing 10 which is typically provided with a 19 waterproof seal. This prevents the internal circuitry of 20 the device 5 from being adversely affected by water 21 splashing up from the toilet bowl. 22 23 Figure 3 illustrates the device 5 in use when attached to 24 the underside of a toilet seat. In position 1 the toilet 25 seat is resting in its lowered position and the device 5 26 is therefore in a horizontal orientation. In this 27 orientation the one way tilt switch 9 is in an OFF 28 position. When a user begins to raise the toilet seat, 29 the tilt switch 9 reaches its tilt over angle within the 30 device 5, then subsequently tilts into an ON position as 31 shown in position 3. In the ON position the message chip 32 is activated and the device generates a signal in the 33 form of a voice message to remind the user that they 6 1 should return the seat to a lowered position after use. 2 In position 4 the seat is returned to a lowered position 3 and the tilt switch returns to its OFF position ready to 4 be reactivated the next time the seat is raised. 5 6 The advantage of the present invention is that, unlike 7 other devices known to the art, the device of the present 8 invention generates a reminder message as soon as the 9 user commences lifting the seat. Therefore there is a 10 greater certainty that the user will hear and take heed 11 of the message as there is no chance of the message 12 activating at the same time as the toilet is flushed, or 13 after the user has left the room. In addition it is 14 envisaged that the present invention will act as a 15 prophylactic measure to warn the user before he has used 16 the toilet. 17 18 The above embodiment is described for use with a toilet 19 seat but could be readily adapted for other applications. 20 For example it is envisaged that the device could be 21 adapted to be used in any place where food is located 22 such as a fridge or food cupboard. In this application 23 the device would generate a warning signal or message by 24 a similar mechanism to that which is described above, 25 when a person opens the food containing unit and could be 26 used to discourage the individual from eating. 27 28 Further modifications and improvements may be 29 incorporated without departing from the scope of the 30 invention herein intended.

7 1 Cla 2 3 1 A device for fitting to hinged surface, the device 4 comprising an activation means for detecting when the hinged surface is moved and an alarm means, 6 characterised in that the alarm means is triggered 7 immediately that hinged surface is moved.

8 9 2. A device as claimed in Claim 1 wherein the hinged surface is a toilet seat and the activation means 11 detects when the toilet seat is raised.

12 13 3. A device as claimed in Claim 1 wherein the hinged

14 surface is a cupboard or container door and the activation means detects when the door is opened.

16

Claims

17 4. A device as claimed in any preceding Claim wherein

18 the activation means is a one way tilt switch.

19 5. A device as claimed in any preceding Claim wherein 21 the alarm means comprises a loudspeaker.

22 23 6. A device as claimed in any preceding claim 24 comprising memory means for storing an audible message, wherein the alarm means is adapted to play 26 said message.

27 28 7. A device as claimed in claim 6 wherein said message 29 is a warning to lower the toilet seat or close the hinged door.

31 8 1 8. A device as claimed in claim 6 or claim 7 wherein 2 the memory means is a microchip.

3 4 9. A device as claimed in any preceding claim, enclosed in a waterproof housing.

6 7 10. A device as claimed in any preceding claim 8 comprising an attachment means for fixing the device 9 to the underside of a toilet seat.

11 11. A device as claimed in claim 8 wherein the 12 attachment means is an adhesive strip.

13 14 12. A device as claimed in any preceding claim, adapted to fit between a toilet seat and rim of the bowl of 16 a toilet in such a manner that it is not visible 17 when the toilet seat is in a lowered position.

18 19 13. A toilet seat having therein or attached thereto a device comprising an activation means for detecting 21 when the toilet seat is raised and an alarm means, 22 characterised in that the alarm means is triggered c 23 immediately that the toilet seat is raised.

24 14. A toilet seat as claimed in Claim 13 wherein the 26 activation means is a one way tilt switch.

27 28 15. A toilet seat as claimed in Claim 13 or Claim 14 29 wherein the alarm means comprises a loudspeaker.

31 16. A toilet seat as claimed in any of claims 13 to 15 32 comprising memory means for storing an audible 33 message, wherein the alarm means is adapted to play 9 1 said message. 2