US20100175176A1

US20100175176A1 - Wc bowl and mounting base

Info

Publication number: US20100175176A1
Application number: US12/601,872
Authority: US
Inventors: Matti Ollila
Original assignee: OTSOSON Oy
Current assignee: OTSOSON Oy
Priority date: 2007-05-30
Filing date: 2008-05-28
Publication date: 2010-07-15
Also published as: WO2008145820A1; EP2167744A1; ES2391689T3; EA200901581A1; UA97527C2; EP2167744B1; FI20075389A; EA016110B1; FI20075389A0; FI120241B; EP2167744A4; PL2167744T3

Abstract

A WC bowl and a mounting base, the WC bowl comprising a frame portion (1) whose lower surface (2) is intended to be mounted on a mounting foundation, such as a floor. The WC bowl comprises one or more mounting bases (5) comprising a support surface (51), the support surface (51) of one or more mounting bases (5) being adjustable at a distance relative to the lower surface (2) of the WC bowl in such a manner that the mounting base supports the WC bowl when said lower surface is located on the mounting foundation.

Description

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

The invention relates to WC bowls and particularly to WC bowls comprising tools for facilitating the mounting thereof and to said tools for facilitating the mounting of WC bowls.
Typically, WC bowls are mounted in sanitary facilities of apartments or the like. Such sanitary facilities, such as the floors of bathrooms, have inclinations, i.e. declivities, for leading any water on the floor to the floor drain.
In spite of inclining floors, there is a tendency to mount WC bowls horizontally. However, the bottom part of WC bowls is even, whereby the bowl must be inclined relative to the floor in connection with the mounting. It is known to implement this support of WC bowls horizontally by placing loose components to support the WC bowl in a horizontal position. Such loose components used for the support include for instance pieces of plastic mat, wooden ribs or the like available materials.
Once the WC bowl is supported horizontally on an inclining floor in the above-mentioned manner, the gap between the WC bowl and the floor is sealed with a load-bearing mass, and optionally further fastened with screws or the like to the mass or to the floor.
Adjusting WC bowls in a horizontal position by using loose components is quite impractical, since the magnitude of the inclination of the floor varies depending on the mounting site. In addition, the use of loose components for the straightening is cumbersome. These components are to be placed between the WC bowl and the floor while ensuring the correct place of mounting. The mounting often takes up a considerable amount of time precisely because of the straightening of the bowl.
However, by operating in the known manner, WC bowls are not always successfully placed horizontally in spite of the time-consuming efforts, which often results in complaints and expensive reinstallations.
Publication CA 2066966 A1 discloses a screw arrangement intended for mounting the mounting ring of a toilet bowl. The mounting rings of the toilet bowl are intended to increase the distance between the toilet bowl and the floor. The screw used for the mounting provides a very small adjustment gap for stabilizing the toilet bowl, but simultaneously results in the need to make several sealing joints both at the screw head and between the toilet bowl and the floor.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

Thus, the object of the invention is to provide a WC bowl and a mounting base attachable to the WC bowl in a manner solving the above-mentioned problems. The object of the invention is achieved with a WC bowl and a mounting base for the WC bowl, which are characterized by what is stated in the independent claims. Preferred embodiments of the invention are described in the dependent claims.
The WC bowl according to the invention is based on being provided with one or more mounting bases, enabling the mounting of the WC bowl in a horizontal plane irrespective of the direction or magnitude of the inclination of the mounting foundation.
An advantage of the WC bowl of the invention is a significantly easier mounting thereof. The mounting may be performed without any loose components to be placed under the bowl. The mounting of the WC bowl of the invention significantly quickens compared with the previous manner of mounting, the adjustment into the horizontal position being a simple action.
Furthermore, in mounting the WC bowl of the invention, no more sealing joints are required than in that of a conventional WC bowl and the height of the WC bowl is not increased during the mounting despite the mounting bases.
An advantage of the adjustable mounting base of the invention is that, when required, this mounting base may be fastened to the WC bowl before the mounting for supporting it horizontally during the mounting phase. The mounting base of the invention is simply adaptable to all known WC bowl models. In view of industrial production, the mounting base is a simple product, and providing a WC bowl with mounting readiness for joining the base does not cause additional costs in the production process of the bowl.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE FIGURES

In the following, the invention will be described in more detail in connection with preferred embodiments with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which

FIG. 1 shows the lower portion of a WC bowl according to an embodiment of the invention seen from below;

FIG. 2 shows the lower portion of a WC bowl according to a second embodiment of the invention seen from below;

FIG. 3 shows a side view of a WC bowl of the invention; and

FIG. 4 shows an example of an adjustment base for a WC bowl.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

FIG. 1 shows the lower portion of a WC bowl of the invention with the inner side of the lower portion of the WC bowl visible. Said frame portion 1 comprises a lower surface 2 intended, during the mounting, to be positioned against a mounting foundation, which is typically a floor.
In the manner shown in FIG. 1, the WC bowl of the invention comprises one or more mounting bases 5. In the embodiment of FIG. 1, two mounting bases 5 are shown, positioned on opposite sides of the WC bowl.
The mounting base 5, which is shown in more detail in FIG. 4, is fastened to the inner surface of the lower portion of the WC bowl in a manner enabling the adjustment of a support surface 51 of the mounting base to extend below a plane constituted by the lower surface 2 of the WC bowl. This being so, the mounting base 5 supports the WC bowl, and the mounting base enables the adjustment of the WC bowl to the horizontal plane despite the inclinations of the floor.
The mounting base is fastened to the inner surface of the lower portion of the WC bowl by gluing, for example. For the fastening, the mounting base comprises a mounting face 52, which is a substantially planar plate surface enabling a reliable fastening of the mounting base. The fastening to the WC bowl may also be performed in other manners.
The mounting base comprises an adjustable projection 53, which constitutes the support surface 51. The adjustable projection is for instance a screw component, such as a screw or the like provided with threading, that can be threaded in a plate component 54 of the mounting base, the component being similarly threaded for receiving the screw component 53. Consequently, the mounting base 5 according to the embodiment shown in FIG. 1 can be adjusted by screwing the screw component 53, whereby the support surface 51 of the screw component approaches the plane constituted by the lower surface of the WC bowl or is pulled back therefrom.
In the embodiment of FIG. 1, the head of the adjustable projection 53, i.e. the screw component, is arranged as a nut head serving as the support surface. Using a nut head is advantageous, since it makes the adjustment of the projection simple by the use of a tool intended for screwing the nut.
In the embodiments of FIGS. 1 and 4, the mounting base is shown to be composed of a plate having an angle of about 90 degrees. One of the planes separated by the angle constitutes the plate component 54 and the other the mounting face 52. The projection 53 is arranged in the plate component 54 and has an adjustable length.
Consequently, the mounting base of FIG. 4, mounted in FIG. 1, is intended to be fastened from the mounting face to the inner surface of the lower portion of a conventional WC bowl in such a manner that the projection is adjustable to bring the WC bowl to a horizontal position when being mounted on an inclined surface. The strength of the fastening of the mounting base to the WC bowl does not have to endure the loads directed to the WC bowl during use. Accordingly, the simplest manner of fastening the mounting base is gluing, which enables the supporting of the weight of the WC bowl.
A WC bowl comprising the mounting base of FIG. 4 is mounted by bringing the WC bowl into the desired, i.e. typically a horizontal, position by using the mounting bases. Load-bearing mounting mass or the like is then applied between the lower portion of the WC bowl and the mounting foundation, the mounting mass thus receiving the weights of the WC bowl and the user. In other words, the mounting base of the embodiment supports the WC bowl only during the mounting. The mounting is further completed by fastening the WC bowl to the surface in the desired manner by using screws, for example.
FIG. 2 shows a second embodiment of the WC bowl of the invention. In this embodiment, the mounting bases are arranged fastened to each other in such a manner that the adjustable projections 53 are fastened adjustably to a support plate 64 that extends from one edge of the lower surface of the WC bowl to the other and bears on the lower surface of the WC bowl. The support plate 64 is bent such that the ends of the support plate can be located at the lower edge of the WC bowl and the surface receiving the adjustable projections 53 of the support plate inside the lower portion of the WC bowl. As in the embodiment of FIG. 1, the adjustable projections are preferably composed of a screw component, allowing the distance of the adjustable projections from the lower edge of the WC bowl to be adjusted by screwing the projections. Similarly, threaded holes are provided in the support plate for receiving the projections, adjustable by screwing, in the manner shown in FIG. 2.
The support plate extending from one side of the WC bowl to the other is mounted in position for instance when the hardening mass used in the manufacture of the WC bowl is still partly soft. In this case, the support plate can be positioned in such a manner that the ends thereof that are placed on the lower surface of the WC bowl are pressed against the lower surface. Particularly, the ends of the support plate can be pressed only against the inner edges of the lower surface of the WC bowl, in which case the support plate mounted under the WC bowl cannot be detected at all.
The mounting base according to FIG. 2, comprising a support plate 64 for the adjustable bases, is intended to support the weights of both the bowl itself and that of the user of the WC bowl. From the adjustable bases, the weight is transferred to the frame of the WC bowl via the support plate. In the embodiment of FIG. 2, the support surfaces 51 of the adjustable projections are shown to be composed of circular feet. The purpose of the feets is to distribute the weight of the WC bowl to a larger support surface on the mounting foundation and generate a larger friction between the mounting foundation and the WC bowl.
When the WC bowl according to the embodiment of FIG. 2 is being used, the mounting of the WC bowl is simple. The WC bowl is positioned in place, and the inclinations of the mounting foundation are taken into consideration by adjusting the mounting bases until the WC bowl is in the desired, i.e. generally in a horizontal, position. The gap remaining between the WC bowl and the mounting foundation may then be filled with a mass used for sealing, and the WC bowl may be fastened with screws to the mounting foundation. The mass used does not have to be a load-bearing mass, since the structure of the embodiment of FIG. 2 supports the WC bowl and the user of the bowl.
For the sake of illustration, FIG. 3 shows a WC bowl 31 of the invention on a mounting foundation 32. The WC bowl is tilted backward relative to the mounting foundation, since the mounting foundation is inclined forwardly (in the figure, to the left). Accordingly, the WC bowl of the invention is adjusted to the horizontal plane by using the adjustable mounting bases 51. For increasing clarity, FIG. 3 is shown without any seaming or mounting mass to be optionally added between the WC bowl and the mounting foundation.
It is obvious to a person skilled in the art that as technology advances, the basic idea of the invention can be implemented in a variety of ways. Consequently, the invention and its embodiments are not restricted to the above examples, but can vary within the scope of the claims.

Claims

1. A WC bowl comprising a frame portion whose lower surface is intended to be mounted on a mounting foundation, such as a floor, wherein the WC bowl comprises one or more mounting bases arranged inside the frame portion of the WC bowl and comprising a support surface, the support surface of one or more mounting bases being adjustable at a distance relative to the lower surface of the WC bowl in such a manner that the mounting base supports the WC bowl when said lower surface is located on the mounting foundation.

2. A WC bowl as claimed in claim 1, wherein one or more mounting bases comprise threads, the distance of the support surface of the mounting base relative to the lower surface of the WC bowl being adjustable via the threads of the mounting base.

3. A WC bowl as claimed in claim 1, wherein one or more mounting bases are composed of a threaded plate component fastened to the WC bowl and a screw component, a head of the screw component being arranged to constitute the support surface of the mounting base.

4. A WC bowl as claimed in claim 1, wherein the mounting base is supported on a support plate that is located transverse relative to the lower surface of the WC bowl and supported on the lower surface of the WC bowl.

5. A WC bowl as claimed in claim 4, wherein the support plate is supported between the lower surfaces of the WC bowl in such a manner that the ends of the support plate are located on top of the inner edges of the lower surface.

6. A WC bowl as claimed in claim 4, wherein the support plate is bent inside the lower portion of the WC bowl to extend above a plane defined by the lower surface of the WC bowl when the WC bowl is in the position of use, the support surface of the mounting base being adjustable to extend below said plane defined by the lower surface for supporting the WC bowl.

7. A mounting base for mounting a WC bowl on a mounting foundation, wherein the mounting base comprises adjustable projections fastened adjustably to a support plate that is adaptable inside a frame portion of the WC bowl to extend from one edge of the lower edge of the WC bowl to the other and to rest on the lower surface of the WC bowl, the adjustable projections of the mounting base comprising a support surface that is adapted to rest on the mounting foundation when the mounting base is mounted in the WC bowl and the distance of the support surfaces being adjustable relative to the support plate.

8. A mounting base as claimed in claim 7, wherein the support plate of the mounting base is bent in such a manner that the ends of the support plate are located at the lower edge of the WC bowl and a surface receiving the adjustable projections of the support plate is located inside the lower portion of the WC bowl when the mounting base is mounted in the WC bowl.

9. A mounting base as claimed in claim 8, wherein the adjustable projections are composed of screw components and that the support plate comprises threaded holes for receiving said screw components.

10. A mounting base as claimed in claim 9, wherein the support surface of the adjustable projection comprises a nut head.

11. A WC bowl as claimed in claim 2, wherein one or more mounting bases are composed of a threaded plate component fastened to the WC bowl and a screw component, a head of the screw component being arranged to constitute the support surface of the mounting base.

12. A WC bowl as claimed in claim 5, wherein the support plate is bent inside the lower portion of the WC bowl to extend above a plane defined by the lower surface (2) of the WC bowl when the WC bowl is in the position of use, the support surface of the mounting base being adjustable to extend below said plane defined by the lower surface for supporting the WC bowl.