US2287371A

US2287371A - Heated toilet seat

Info

Publication number: US2287371A
Application number: US353811A
Authority: US
Inventors: George R Blakesley; Haas Frederick Herbert
Original assignee: Individual
Current assignee: Individual
Priority date: 1940-08-23
Filing date: 1940-08-23
Publication date: 1942-06-23
Anticipated expiration: 1959-06-23

Description

June 1942- G. R. BLAKESLEY EI'AL 2,287,371

HEATED I TOILET SEAT Filed Aug. 23, 1940 Ill "Em George E. BZakesJey. Fredric HerfierZHaas.

Patented June 23, 1942 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE HEATED TOILET SEAT George R. Blakesley and Frederick Herbert Haas, West Los Angeles, Calif.

Application August 23,1940, Serial No. 353,811

2 Claims.

The present invention relates in general to seat constructions, particularly toilet seats, and is especially concerned withimproved means for the heating of seats to remove the-chill therefrom and render them comfortable of use.

This invention is susceptible of advantageous use in homes, hotels, office and public buildings and in other places where modern sanitary toilet seats are utilized.

More specifically, the herein described invention contemplates a heated toilet seat which, through the application of heat, will be an aid to the elimination of waste products from the bodies of both young and old persons suffering from constipation.

' It has heretofore been well recognized that the proper application of heat to the gluteal portion of the human body results in improved circulation and relaxation which aid materially in the elimination of waste products from; the body. A feeling of bodily comfort ensues, and the applied heat causes muscular relaxation and the hyperemia of an increased blood flow in the muscles and associated parts of the body. These beneficial effects are indeed similar to those resulting from warm enemas and hip steam baths so frequently administered by the medical profession to obtain relaxation for the purpose of aiding body eliminations.

'Our invention is further beneficial to mothers in the handling of nervous, sensitive children.

A warm seat prevents subjection of their sensitive bodies to shocks which will tend to cause tension and muscular contraction. The childs health is thus improved due to the establishing of more regular elimination habits.

Our improved heated toilet seat is of particularbeneilt to all persons in rather cold climates, and has further proven a boon to those suffering from rectal troubles, and to women during menstrual periods, especially when accompanied with cramps and pain.

Having the foregoing in mind, the herein described invention has for a primary object the provision of an improved heated toilet seat, that is simple in construction, efilcient in operation, and which is particularly beneficial for its thermal-therapy properties in the treatment and elimination of disorders in the gluteal region of the human body.

A further object of the invention is to provide a seat construction including heating means therefor, which is especially adapted for toilet seats, and wherein the supplied heat energy and heat radiating characteristics of the seat proper are so proportioned as to elevate the temperature thereofto a desired substantially constant value above a predetermined ambient room temperature.

It is also an object of the invention to provide a heated toilet seat construction having parts so arranged as to enable their being readily removed should they become damaged or inoperative for any reason, and replaced by new parts with a minimum-of inconvenience and trouble.

In accordance with the general features of our invention, it proposed to generally provide a toilet seat, which may be of the closed or open ring type, of hollow construction.

The hollow interior of the seat is provided with an opening communicating with the exterior of the seat. "he hollow interior of the seat is filled with a non-freezing, non-explosive fluid such as the liquids generally utilized in cold weather in the radiators of automobiles. This liquid is in intimate contact with the interior surface of the seat and serves as a heat transmitting medium to conduct and distribute heat from a localized heating element which is preferably mounted adjacent the opening communicating with the exterior of the seat. This opening is closed with a suitable closure member which is sealed in position and serves as a support for connections to the heating element.

The closure member is provided with a suitable socket and contacts for receiving the ordinary electrical connection plug by means of which the heating element may be connected to a suitablesource of electricity.

As an added feature of the invention, it is proposed to so design the heating capacity of the heating element in relation to the radiating characteristics of the seat proper, that for a room temperature of approximately 64 F., there would be Just sufficient heat energy suppliedto raise the temperature of the seat to approximately F. At this temperature, the heat supplied and heat radiated are substantially the same so that further heating of the toilet seat is prevented. An elevated temperature of this amount isfound to be suflicient to remove the natural chill, and is not sumciently high to burn or otherwise damage the skin of the person utilizing the seat of our improved design. Moreoventhe maximum temperature is not sufliciently high to cause dangerous expansion of the liquid within the seat to such an extent as might cause the seat to explode or otherwise be damaged thereby.

The above, other and further objects and teatures of the invention will be apparent from the following description, accompanying drawing,

and appended claims.

Various aspects of the present invention are illustrated in the accompanying drawing, and the views thereof are as follows:

Figure 1 is a fragmentary plan view of a toilet seat embodying the present invention, portions of the seat being cut away to show its interior construction and details of the heating means therefor.

Figure 2 is anenlarged transverse sectional view through the rear portion of the seat to show details of the sealing closure and electrical connector; taken substantially on line IIII of Figure 1. f

Figure -3 is a transverse sectional view through a side portion of the seat proper, taken substantially on line 111-111 of Figure 1.

preferable, however, to construct the seat member of hard rubber material which may be molded or otherwise formed into the desired shape.

The seat member is constructed with a hollow core or passage II which extends substantially throughout the length of the two side portions of the seat, when the seat is of the open ring type,

and throughout the entire length of .the seat,

when of the closed ring type. This passage at the rear portion of the seat member communiment is so designed that when the desired eleduced, the seat member will radiate an equal amount-of heat to that which is supplied thereto. Thus the elevated temperature will become constant at a predetermined value and the temperature will not rise above this value. The elevated temperature is chosen of such value as to provide only enough heat to take the chill off the surface of the seat, and of course it will be appreciated that the size of the heating element may be slightly varied depending upon whether the seat is to be utilized in warmer or colder climates.

Moreover at the elevated temperature, this temperature is not s'ufiicient to heat up theheat transmitting liquid to such value as to build up excessive or dangerous pressures within the toilet seat which might result in an explosion or otherwise damage the seat.

By way of example, it may be stated that in tests which have been made on our improved cates with an opening l2 which connects the passage with the exterior of the seat member to forman opening through which the core or passage of the seat member may be substantially filled with a suitable vheat transfer medium as indicated generally at l3.

This heat transfer medium may of any suitable material, compound or fluid. In practice, it has been found desirable to use a fluid such as a non-freezing, non-explosive liquid such as utilized in preventing the freezing of automobile radiators. Such liquids as glycerine, glycol and the like may be used for this purpose and in some cases it may be found necessary to mix these liquids with a certain amount of water.

The heat transmitting liquid is utilized to intimately contact the interior surface of the passage or core H of the seat and serves to transmit and distribute heat energy from a localized heating element l4- which is placed in the passage adjacent to they opening 12. I

This heating element may be of any suitable construction which may be immersed in the liquid without becoming damaged thereby. More specifically, the heating element may be of the type comprising a resistance wire which is encased within a heat conductive casing which will suitably protect the heating element when immersed in the liquid. Such heating elements are readily obtainable for such purpose.

The heating element is of such size that it may be readily inserted and removed through the opening l2, thuspermitting its being readily replaced, s hould it ever become damaged in use. In order to prevent heating the toilet seat to such temperature as might beuncomfortable or burn the skin of a person utilizing the seat, the heat be composed construction, it has been foundthat only a small amount of heat is required to raise the surface temperature of the seat from approximately 64 F. to 80 F., and that this change of temperature is sufiicient to remove the natural chill of the seat. This is accomplished by a smallelectric heating coil of no more than 10 watts or less capacity. With the novel seat construction and such a coil, this small amount of heat will not raise the temperature any more than approximately 15 above normal room temperature.

The opening I2 is closed by a closure member 15 which preferably includes a plate portion 16 which will extend over the opening I! and the marginal portions of the surrounding seat. The closure member is secured in position over the opening by means of suitable holding-down screws I1. It is also preferable to utilize a gasket 18 between the under surface of the plate portion IB and the associated portions of the seat surrounding the opening I2 so as to completely seal the opening and prevent the leakage of the liquid I be inserted into the socket 20 for connecting the V generating capacity of the resistor or heating ele- 76 I3 therethrough.

The sealing and closing member also serves the additional purpose of forming an electrical connection to the heating element. For this purpose, anintegrally formed portion I9 is provided which projects from the rear surface of the plate portion Hi. The plate portion and the projecting portion 19 are provided with a socket 20 which opens to the rear of the toilet seat and contains a pair of spaced elongate contacts 2| which are adapted to engage complementary contacts carried by a suitable connection plug 24 arranged to heating element with a suitable source of electric supply. The contacts 2| are of course connected through

suitable conductors

22 and 23 to the ends of the heating element. The closure I5 is preferably constructed of insulating material.

In extremely warm or hot weather, it i an easy matter to readily pull the plug 22 and thus disconnect the heating element to prevent heating of the toilet seat, or at other times when heating of the seat is not desired.

'From the foregoing description, it will be apparent that the present invention provides an improved heated toilet seat that is simple of construction, efllcient .of operation, and which is particularly beneficial for its thermo-therapy properties in the treatment and elimination of disordersdn the gluteal region of the human body; which embodies a seat construction including heating means therefor which is especially adapted for a toilet seat and wherein the supplied heat'energy and heat radiating characteristics of the seat are so proportioned as toelevate the temperature thereoi. to a desired substantially constant value above a predetermined am-' bient room temperature; and which embodies parts so-arranged as to enable their being readily removed should they become damaged or inoperative for any reason, and replaced by new parts with a minimum of inconvenience and trouble.

The invention has been described herein more or less Precisely as to details, yet it is to be understood that the invention is not to be lim-- ited thereby, as changes may be made in the arrangement andproportion or parts, and equivalents may be substituted without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention. a

We claim as our invention:

1. A toilet seat having a hollow interior and being formed at one end thereof to define an opening communicating with the hollow interior, a heat-distributing liquid disposed within and substantially filling the hollow interio a closure member removably secured to said seat and normalLv sealing said opening, an electric heater imit carried by said closure member and disposed within the hollow interior or the seat and immersed in said liquid, said heater being insertable through said opening and being removable with said closure member as a unit, means defining a recess in said closure member, pin connector means on said closure member and within said recess for protection by said closure memher, and in circuit connection with said heater, and a plug insertable in said recess in contact with saidpin connector means.

2. A toilet seat having a hollow interior and being formed at one end thereof to define an opening communicating with the hollow interior, a heat-distributing liquid disposed within and substantially filling. the hollow interior, a closure member removably entered in and secured to-said seat and normally sealing said opening, an elec-- 'ti'ic heater unit carried by said closure member and disposed within the hollow interior of said seat and immersed in said liquid, said heater being insertable' through said opening and removable with said closure member as a unit, means defining a recess in said closure member, exposed connector means on said closure member and within said recess for protection by said closure member, said connector means being in circuit connection with said heater.

GEORGE R. BLAKESLEY. FREDERICK HERBERT HAAS.