US2219044A

US2219044A - Toilet seat and the like

Info

Publication number: US2219044A
Authority: US
Inventors: Arthur F Horr
Original assignee: Individual
Current assignee: Individual
Priority date: 1940-03-16
Filing date: 1940-03-16
Publication date: 1940-10-22
Anticipated expiration: 1957-10-22

Description

Oct. 22, 1940;

A. F. Ho R TOILET SEAT AND THE LIKE Filed larch 16, 1940 2 Sheets-Sheet INVENTOR ATTORNEY A. mom 2,219,044-

TOILET SEAT AND THE LIKE Fil'd larch 16, 1940 i INVEN'YTOR BY Y "4 ATTORN Ys Patented Oct. 22, 1940 UNITED STATES PATENT oFFics Claims.

This invention relates primarily to toilet seats and has for one of its objects the provision of a construction wherein the seat after use is covered, washed, sterilized by heat and then cooled, so as to be in a clean and sterile condition after each operation. Inasmuch as the cover moves to closed position after each operation and remains closed, the danger of contamination while the apparatus is standing idle is removed. I

More specifically my invention comprehends a seat having thegeneral characteristics above referred to in which the operation of uncovering the seat for use is initiated manually, as by depressing a pedal or operating a pushbutton, the cover opening thereafter automatically. After use the cover returns to initial position and remains in that position, the seat after closure of the cover being washed, sterilized and cooled.

In the accompanying drawings wherein I have illustrated one embodiment of my invention:

Fig. 1 is an elevational view showing the apparatus in closed position;

Fig. 2 is a view similar to Fig. 1 showing the cover open;

Fig. 3 is a plan view partly in section with the seat cover closed;

Fig. 4 ,is a fragmentary longitudinal section through Fig. 3; I

Fig. 5 is a detail view of the cams, switches and valves of the apparatus; and

Fig. 6 is a wiring diagram of the cults employed in the equipment.

Referring to the drawings in detail: 2 designates a toilet bowl to which my invention is applied.

Resiliently mounted on the bowl 2 is a drain pan 4 of metal, for instance. This pan is in the form of an annulus resting upon rubber pads 6 or other resilient mounting, upon the bowl 2, the inner edge of this annulus being bent downwardly so that the pan will drain into the bowl.

8 is the seat which is to be sterilized, etc. This seat is of metal and is hollow or arch-shaped in cross section, as seen in Fig. 4.

45 Intermediate the seat 8 and the pan 4 I provide a water pipe H) which extends from the rear part of the assembly and is bent around, as illustrated in Fig. 3, to the general contour of the seat. This pipe is provided with perforations in its upper face, as shown at l2, so that when water is supplied to the pipe it will spray the lower side of the seat 8. The function of this spray is to cool the seat after the completion of the sterilizing operation.

Overlying the seat 8 is a cover [4 which is electric ciradapted to be raised and lowered, as illustrated in Figs. 2 and 4, for example. Mounted on the lower side of this cover is a water pipe [8, beni; to the general contour of the cover and provided in its lower side with perforations so that when 5 water is supplied to the pipe the upper face of the seat 8 will be flushed or washed. This is shown in Fig. 4. The flushing pipe I6 is connected by any suitable form of coupling H to fixed pipe 20, so as to permit the pipe It to raise and lower with 10 the cover.

Mounted on the pan 4 to the rear of the seat and cover 8 and I4 is a housing 22. Within this housing is an electric driving motor 24 by which the cover I4 is raised and lowered. In axial 15 alignment with the motor 24 is a rotary cam cylinder 26, carrying

earns

28, 20 and 32 on its periphery. The cam cylinder is driven by the motor 24 through gear train 34. The shaft 36 of the cam cylinder is mounted in bearings provided 20 in uprights 38, resting, for example, upon the drain pan 4. One of the members 38 is provided with an offset 40 which carries a pinion 42. This pinion meshes at intervals with teeth 44 provided on the inside of the cam cylinder 26. The length 25 of the rack provided by the teeth 44 is such that the pinion 42 makes one revolution only for each revolution of the cam cylinder.

Carried on the face of the pinion 42 is a crank 46 pivotally connected by link 48 to a raising and 30 lowering lever 50, the rear end of which is pivoted at 52; the lever extending forward beneath the cover H to which it is pivotally connected at 54.

Extending into the housing 22 is another lever 56 pivoted at its rear end at 58. This lever which 35 may be termed a control lever also extends forward beneath the cover 14 to which it is pivotally connected at 60.

As will be apparent from the drawings, this linkage and lever system is such that upon rotation of the pinion 42 clockwise, as viewed in Fig.

4, for approximately one-half revolution, the cover l4 will be moved rearwardly, its rear end swinging upwardly at the same time until the cover has assumed the broken line position of Fig. 4. In this raising movement the face of the cover is always toward the front of the equipment, which is desirable from the standpoint of appear ance and usage. In this movement of the cover it will be appreciated that the lifting is done by the lever 50, the lever 56 acting as a control lever to pivot the rear end of the cover 14 upwardly, until, as above mentioned, the cover assumes a vertical position with the front of the cover facing forwardly.

'0! the bowl I provide a pedal 18. Connected to this pedal is a pivoted lever it to which is connected a wire 80 extending rearwardly along the side of the bowl and upwardly into the housing 22 where it is attached to a spring metal plate 82 forming part of the motor switch 62. The live plates of this switch are designated 84 and 88, re-

spectively. The plate 82 carries a depending latch arm 88 adapted, when the plate 82 is depressed, to engage a latch 85. Justabove this latch 89 the switch 62 is provided with a leaf 9!) having a foot 92 at its free end. This foot is adapted to be engaged by the motor cam' 29 on the cam cylinder 26.

The parts of the apparatus are shown with the electric circuits open, and with the water valves (it and 8% closed. The cover it is closed. 7

In operation the pedal 18 is depressed, fie

I the plate 82 of the motor switch closing the circult of the motor 24 through the switch leaves 8d and 86. This same operation latches the switch closed through latch arm 88 and latch 89. The circuit for the motor ztnow being closed the cam cylinder 25 will be driven in a clockwise direction, as viewed in Fig. 5. It will be noted from this figure of the drawings that the pinion $2 is in engagement with the teeth 64, so that the pinion too will begin to rotate in a clockwise direction and through the lever and linkage system above described the rear end of the cover I will begin to swing upwardly. Almost at the beginning of the rotation of the cam cylinder 26 the motor cam 28 will raise thefoot 92, increasing contact pressure between as and 88. Thereafter cam 28 pushes 823 off 89, 92 keeping 84 and 88 closed so as to maintain the motor circuit closed. The cam cylinder, thereiore, will continue rotating until the foot 92 of the leaf 96 drops into the dwell 94 of the cam, whereupon the motor switch will automatically open.

At this time the cover M has been raised to open position as indicated in broken lines in The seat 8 is now ready for use. When load is applied to the seat a member 98 carried thereby mores downwardly, the seat being resiliently mounted, as above explained, until the hooked end of [the member 96 comes under the lever l8 to which the wire 80 is attached. Accordingly as soon as theload is takenoif the seat the latter will spring back to its original position, the momentary engagement of the member 98 with the lever 78 again closing and latching the motor switch 52 in the same way the switch was closed i in the first instance by depression of the pedal it. The camcyl-inder will again stant rotating to initiate {the return of the cover 65 to its initial closed position. The motor switch will remain latched in closed position until the dwell 9G in the cam has passed from -beneath the font at of the leaf on and the active face of the cam rides under the foot 92 unlatching to but raising 92 to hold 88 and 38 in contact, to nminrtiain the motor circuit closed. It is to be noted that the end of the member 9'6 which engages the end of the lever i8 when the load is removed from the seat is adapted to disengage the lever so [that the two mem'' bars 96 and 18 will then be in the position shown in Fig. 4, the 7 motor switch, however, being latched closed.

The active face of the cam 28 now maintaining the motor switch closed the cam cylinder 26 will continue to rotate, until finally the cover i4 is fully closed. In other words, the pinion 82 has made one complete revolution, first to open the cover and then to close it and is now out of engagement with the teeth 44.

The cam cylinder 26 finally reaches the position where the water control cam 30 engages the stem of the valve 68, opening the valve to admit water to the flushing pipe i8 and the seat is flushed.

As the cam 36- leaves the valve 68 .the transformer cam 32 will engage the transformer switch 64 closing the circuit to the transformer 18, causing current to flow in 8 and heating it to sterilizing temperature. When the cam 32 has moved beyond this switch the switch opens. At about this instant the water control cam 30 will have been moved to position where it will engage and open the cooling water valve 66, to spray the lower side of the seat M until the same is reduced to the temperature desired. The cam 36 is of such a length that before the cam cylinder has moved to its stopping .pwition, the valve $8 will have been disengaged and automatically closed. At the end of one revolution of the cam cylinder the dwell 98 in the cam will have moved under the foot 92 of the leaf 9D of the motor switch allowing the motor switch to spring open. All parts are now at restv and in their initial position, all electric circuits are open, and the seat 8 which has been washed, sterilized and cooled is one in the cover it and the appanatus is ready for the next operating cycle. It is to be understood that changes may be made in the details of construction and arrangement of parts, including thermostatic and automatic controlahereinabwe described without departing from the spirit and scope of my invention.

What is claimed is: s

1. An apparatus of the class described, comprisl ng in combination a toilet seat, a cover therefor, ng and lowering means for the cover, electric means for hating the seat, power driven means for controlling [the raising and lowering of the cover and for controlling the circuit to the electric-heating means. said [power driven means being so arranged that the circuit to the heating means is closed only when the cover has been closed.

2. An apparatus of the class described, comprising in combination a toilet seat, a cover for the same, means for flushing the seat and for electrically heating .the seat in the order named, and with the cover in closed position, and cooling means thereafter operative to apply a coolant to .the lower side or face of the seat.

3. An apparatus of the class described, comprising in combination a toilet seat, a cover for the same, means for flushing the seat and for thereafter causing electric current to flow in the seat to heat the same, with the cover in closed position, and cooling means .thfter operative to apply a coolant to the. lower side or face of the seat.

4. An apparatus of the class described, comprising in combination a toilet seat, a cover therefor, means operative only with the cover in closed position for applying a bath of water to the upper side of the seat, means for thereafter electrically heating the seat to a sterilizing temperature, and means for thereafter applying a coolant to the lower side or face of the seat.

5. An apparatus of the class described, comprising in combination a toilet seat, a cover therefor, automatic controlled power driven means for raising and lowering the cover, means for flushing the seat, for thereafter electrically heating the seat to sterilizing temperature, and means for iinally cooling the seat, said flushing, heating and cooling means being cam-controlled, said means being so disposed relatively that the flushing, sterilizing and cooling operations will be performed in the order mentioned and only with the cover in closed position.

6. An apparatus of the class described, comprising in combination a toilet seat, a cover there for, cam-controlled power driven means for raising and lowering the cover, means for flushing the seat, for thereafter heating the seat to sterilizing temperature, and means for finally cooling the seat, said flushing, heating and cooling means being cam-controlled, said cams being so disposed relatively that the fiushing, sterilizing and cooling operations will beperformed in the order mentioned and only with the cover in closed position.

7. An apparatus of the class described, comprising in combination a toilet seat, a cover therefor, a water pipe attached to the lower side of the cover for supplying a spray of water to the seat when the cover is closed, and means for raising the cover and pipe as a unit.

8. An apparatus of the class described, comprising in combination a toilet seat, a cover therefor, a water spray pipe attached to the lower side of the cover, a valve controlling the supplying of water to the said pipe, a lever for raising and lowering the cover, a motor for actuating the lever, and cams driven by said motor for controlling the circuit of the motor and the supplying of water to said pipe, said cams being so relatively disposed that with the cover raised the water supply is shut off to said water pipe.

9. An apparatus of the class described, comprising in combination a toilet seat, a cover therefor, a water spray pipe attached to the lower side of the cover, a valve controlling the supplying of water to the said pipe, a lever for raising and lowering the cover, a motor for acutating the lever, and cams driven by said motor for controlling the circuit of the motor and the supplying of water to said pipe, said cams being so relatively disposed that after closure of the cover the said valve will be opened automatically to arimit water to the spray pipe.

10. An apparatus of the class described, comprising in combination a toilet seat, a cover therefor, power driven means for raising and lowering the cover, electric means for heating the seat, the electric heating means being operative only when the power driven means has lowered the cover to closed position.

ARTHUR F. HORR.