NZ514050A - Toilet seat lifter with foot pedal mechanism - Google Patents

Abstract

A lifter for raising a toilet seat that comprises a pedal (4), fulcrum (5) and a connector. The lifter is arranges so that when the pedal is stood on the pedal pivots about the fulcrum to move the connector and therefore moving the toilet seat from a horizontal orientation to a vertical orientation. The fulcrum has a releasable locking ability that allows the seat to be locked in the vertical position. An upper first recess (9) for receives an outwardly protruding pin (10) that rests freely on edge (11). The fulcrum also has a second recess or slot (12) adjacent to recess (9) that has a guide (13). Alternatively the pedal may incorporate a cam (15) which can rotate within a cam receiving opening (16) within the fulcrum. The cam rotates such that when in the horizontal tail portion (17) of the cam no further movement is possible.

Description

7 4 0 5 0 Patents Form No. 5 POST-DATED UNDER SECT 12(4) tO ^U<V7J^Cr.'? o THE PATENTS ACT 1953 COMPLETE SPECIFICATION intellectual property office of n.z. - 7 SEP 2001 RECEIVED A LIFTER I, DANIEL JOHN WESTWOOD, a New Zealand citizen, of 35 Angelo Avenue, Howick, Auckland, New Zealand, hereby declare this invention for which I pray that a patent may be granted to me , and the method by which it is to be performed, to be particularly described in and by the following statement: 514 050 This invention relates to a lifter. In particular, a preferred form of the invention relates to a lifter for a toilet seat, or for the lid of a toilet seat.

BACKGROUND In the context of sanitation it is known for toilets to involve a bowl for receiving wastes from the human body. A toilet normally has a seat arranged on the bowl so that a user can comfortably sit himself or herself over the bowl. The seat typically can be swung about a hinge-like mechanism from a horizontal orientation to a vertical orientation. The seat generally has a lid which covers the bowl, and which can swing from the horizontal orientation to the vertical orientation independently of the rest of the seat.

Toilet seats can be an area of reasonably high bacterial presence, and it is thus desirable that they be touched by hand as little as possible, and preferably not touched by hand at all. However, a disadvantage with many known types of toilet is that one must lift at least part of the toilet seat to an open or vertical orientation in order to use the toilet. It is normally difficult or awkward to achieve this by any other means than with one's hands. It is accordingly an object of the present invention to provide means which goes at least some way towards addressing the above mentioned disadvantage.

The terms "comprise", "comprises", "comprising", and "comprised", if and when used herein, should be interpreted broadly - le to mean "consisting of or including". The terms are not intended to be interpreted exclusively.

INTELLECTUAL property office of nz. 1 5 JAN 2002 RECEIVED 514050 SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION According to one aspect of the invention there is provided a lifter for raising at least part of a toilet seat, comprising a pedal, a fulcrum, and a connector, the lifter being arranged such that when it is in use the pedal can be stood on to cause the pedal to pivot about the fulcrum to move the connector, the connector in turn moving the at least part of the toilet seat from a substantially horizontal orientation to a substantially vertical orientation, the fulcrum having locking means for use in releasably locking the seat in the substantially vertical orientation manually - le by one's hand or foot.

As indicated above, the term manually should be interpreted to include an action effected by way of foot or by way of hand.

Preferably the pedal has a first end portion for receiving the foot of a user and an opposite second end portion attached or capable of attachment to the connector.

Preferably the connector comprises a rod for extending from the second end portion to the toilet seat.

Preferably the lifter is arranged such that when it is in use and part of the pedal is stood on by the user, the toilet seat or at least the part of the toilet seat (eg the lid), moves to and remains in the substantially vertical orientation, but automatically moves to the substantially horizontal orientation when the pedal is released According to another aspect of the invention there is provided a lifter for raising at least part of a toilet seat, comprising a pedal mechanism and connection intellectual PROPERTY office of n.z. 1 5 JAN 2002 means for connecting the pedal mechanism to the toilet seat, the lifter being arranged such that when it is in use the pedal mechanism can be stood on to cause the connection means to move the at least part of the toilet seat from a substantially horizontal orientation to a substantially vertical orientation. The pedal mechanism may incorporate a fulcrum, and the connection means may incorporate a rod.

DRAWINGS Some preferred aspects of the invention will now be described by way of example, and with reference to the accompanying drawings, of which: Figure 1 shows a toilet fitted with a lifter in accordance with the present invention, Figure 2 is a side view of the lifter.

Figure 3 is a plan view of the lifter.

Figure 4 shows a connector rod forming part of the lifter, and Figures 5-8 show locking mechanisms forming part of at least some embodiments of the invention. Figure 6a is a plan view of the arrangement shown in figure 6.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION The lifter 1 is designed for use with a toilet 2, and is for lifting the toilet's seat 3 without the need to use one's hands. The lifter 1 comprises a pedal 4 in the intellectual property office of n.z. .1 5 JAN 2002 form of a lever secured to and arranged to pivot about a fulcrum 5. More specifically, the pedal is elongate and has a broad first end portion 6 and a narrower opposite second end portion 7. The first end portion 6 is for receiving one's foot, and the second end portion 7 is attached to a connector rod 8. With particular reference to figure 1, the connector rod 8 extends substantially vertically from the second end portion 7 to the toilet's seat 3. As shown, the upper end portion of the connector rod 8 is secured to the seat 3 at a position slightly behind where a user of the toilet would normally seat themselves.

When in use the lifter is arranged so that the pedal 4 is slightly above ground level and the fulcrum 5 is at or near to ground level. The arrangement is such that the broad first end portion 6 of the pedal is forward with respect to the second end portion 7. A person wishing to use the toilet can then approach the lifter 1 and push one foot down on the broad first end portion 6 of the pedal 4. This causes the first end portion 6 of the pedal to move down in a pivoting action about the fulcrum 5, with the result that the second end portion 7 of the pedal is raised. Raising the second end portion 7 of the pedal causes the connector rod 8 to move upwards, which in turn acts on the toilet seat to lift (ie swing) it from a substantially horizontal orientation to a substantially vertical orientation. Further, the arrangement is preferably such that on removing one's foot from the pedal the pedal and the connector rod move in a reverse direction wherein the toilet seat is lowered - ie swings from a substantially vertical to a substantially horizontal orientation. It will of-course be appreciated that in raising or lowering the toilet seat a portion of the toilet seat remains fixed to the rest of the toilet by way of a hinge arrangement as is normal with toilets.

Referring to figure 3, the second end portion 7 of the pedal preferably tapers inwards from the first end portion 6. Also, and as shown in figure 4, the intellectual property OFFICE OF N.Z. 1 5 JAN 2002 connector rod 8 is preferably in the form of an elongate rod with inwardly curved ends.

In some embodiments of the invention the lifter 1 may be arranged so that it only moves a lid of the toilet seat. In still further embodiments the lifter 1 may be formed so that one can select whether to raise the toilet seat as a whole (ie with the lid) or just the lid alone. In some cases the arrangement may be such that the non-lid part of the seat can be raised to meet the lid when the lid is already raised.

Preferably the fulcrum is glued down at floor level, although it can be secured similarly by way of screws or some other suitable means.

The connector rod 8 may hook into a hole drilled in the toilet seat, and this mode of attachment to the toilet seat is most preferably used with toilet seats made from plastic or other synthetic materials. In the case of a wooden toilet seat the connector rod may preferably be attached to the seat by way of a staple or eyelet, etc.

Referring to figures 5, 6 and 6a, in some embodiments of the invention the fulcrum 5 incorporates a locking mechanism for maintaining the toilet seat in a substantially vertical orientation when it has been lifted. More specifically, the fulcrum 5 may have an upper first recess 9 for receiving an outwardly protruding pivot pin 10 or similar forming part of the lever-like pedal 4. As shown, the pivot pin 10 or similar rests freely on an edge 11 of the fulcrum 5 within the first recess 9 The fulcrum 5 also has a second recess or slot 12 adjacent the first recess 9. This slot 12 is adapted to receive a guide 13 (optionally in the form of a pin) forming part of the pedal 4. The guide 13 is arranged such that it protrudes outwardly to a small extent from the rest of the pedal 5. "intellectual property i office of N.Z. 1 1 5 JAN MM I The arrangement at figure 5 shows the lifter when the broad first end portion 6 of the pedal is raised - ie with the toilet's seat in a lowered disposition. It can be seen that in this disposition the guide 13 is within the slot 12 and is unable to move from there in the absence of the guide 13 being raised. The seat can be raised by pushing a foot down on the broad first end portion of the pedal, which causes the guide 13 to raise up out of the slot 12. Referring to figures 6 and 6a, when the guide 13 is just above the slot 12 the foot of the person using the lifter applies a small amount of forward pressure to the pedal, which causes the guide 13 to move and sit on top of a small platform 14 adjacent the slot 12. With the guide 13 in this position it maintains the seat in a lifted disposition even if the person releases his or her foot from the pedal. To lower the seat the pedal need only be moved back towards the person a small degree with respect to the fulcrum so that the guide 13 can drop back into the slot 12.

Referring to figures 7 and 8, some further embodiments of the invention may incorporate an alternative locking mechanism for maintaining the toilet seat in a substantially vertical orientation when it has been lifted. More specifically, and with reference to figure 7, the pedal may incorporate an elongate cam 15 which can rotate within a broad substantially circular portion of a cam receiving opening 16 within the fulcrum. Figure 7 shows a situation where the broad first end portion 6 of the pedal is raised - ie with the toilet's seat lowered. As can be seen from figure 7, in this disposition the cam 15 is inclined upwards.

To raise the toilet's seat one pushes down on the first end portion 6 of the pedal as before, and this causes the cam 15 to rotate to a certain extent within the broad substantially circular portion of the cam receiving opening 16 As shown in figure 8, this brings the cam 15 into an orientation where its longitudinal dimension is horizontal or near horizontal. With the cam 15 in this disposition intellectual PROPERTY office of nz. 1 5 JAN 2002 i one can apply, with one's foot, a small force to the pedal to move the cam into a narrow substantially horizontal tail portion 17 of the cam receiving opening. With the cam 15 in the tail portion 17 the lever is unable to rotate further, thus maintaining the toilet's seat in a raised disposition. To move the toilet's seat back to a lowered disposition one need only apply a small force to the pedal to withdraw the cam 15 from the tail portion 17 of the cam receiving opening, after which the lever is free to rotate a sufficient amount to lower the toilet's seat.

While some preferred forms of the invention have been described by way of example, it should be appreciated that modifications and improvements can occur without departing from the scope of the appended claims.

INTELLECTUAL PROPERTY OFFICE OF NZ. 1 5 JAN 2002 RECEIVED

Claims (11)

WHAT I CLAIM IS -9- 5/| /. A C A ti *i U J 0

1. A lifter for raising at least part of a toilet seat, comprising a pedal, a fulcrum, and a connector, the lifter being arranged such that when it is in use the pedal can be stood on to cause the pedal to pivot about the fulcrum to move the connector, the connector in turn moving the at least part of the toilet seat from a substantially horizontal orientation to a substantially vertical orientation, the fulcrum having locking means for use in releasably locking the seat in the substantially vertical orientation manually,.

2. A lifter according to claim 1, wherein the locking means comprises an opening in the fulcrum arranged to receive a protrusion forming part of the pedal.

3. A lifter according to claim 2, formed such that the protrusion can be moved from within the opening to a position adjacent the opening wherein the protrusion butts against the fulcrum to releasably lock the seat in the substantially vertical orientation when the lifter is in use.

4. A lifter according to claim 2, wherein the opening has a first portion within which the protrusion can at least partially rotate to enable the seat to raise or lower, the opening also having a second portion of sufficient dimensions to receive the protrusion but insufficient to enable the protrusion to rotate.

5. A lifter according to any one of the preceding claims, wherein the pedal has a first end portion for receiving the foot of a user and an opposite second end portion attached or capable of attachment to the connector.

6. A lifter according to claim 5, wherein the connector comprises a rod for extending from the second end portion to the toilet seat. INTELLECTUAL PROPERTY OFFICE OF N.Z. 1 5 JAN 2002 RECEIVED -10- 0

7. A lifter according to any one of the preceding claims, wherein the lifter is arranged such that when it is in use and part of the pedal is stood on by a user, at least the part of the toilet seat moves to and remains in the substantially vertical orientation but, unless locked, automatically moves to the substantially horizontal orientation when the pedal is released.

8. A lifter according to any one of the preceding claims, wherein the part of the toilet seat is a lid of the toilet seat.

9. A lifter according to any one of the preceding claims arranged in an in-use situation in combination with a toilet, wherein the fulcrum is set at or near ground level and the pedal is pivotally secured to the fulcrum, and wherein the connector is secured to and extends from the pedal to the toilet's seat.

10. A lifter substantially as herein described with reference to the accompanying drawings.

11. A toilet in combination with a lifter substantially as herein described with reference to the accompanying drawings. DANIEL JOHN WESTWOOD By His Authorised Attorney A.J. Pietras & Associates INTELLECTUAL property office of n.z. 1 5 JAN 2002 RECEIVED