US2955296A

US2955296A - Toilet seat attachment

Info

Publication number: US2955296A
Application number: US727959A
Authority: US
Inventors: Zapolski Bronislaw
Original assignee: American Radiator and Standard Sanitary Corp
Current assignee: American Radiator and Standard Sanitary Corp
Priority date: 1958-04-11
Filing date: 1958-04-11
Publication date: 1960-10-11
Anticipated expiration: 1977-10-11

Description

Oct. 11, 1960 z po s 2,955,296

TOILET SEAT ATTACHMENT Filed April 11, 1958 INVENTOR ERdN/S LAW 24pm. SKI

ATTORNEY Patented Oct. 11, teen 2,955,296 TOILET .SEAT ATTACHMENT Bronislaw Zapiolski, Hastings" on Hudson, I \T.Y., assignor to American Radiator 8: Standard Sanitary Corporation, New York, N.., a corporation of Delaware Filed Apr. 11, 1958, Ser. No. 727,959 3 Claims. (Cl. 4-239 This invention rel-ates to improvements in infant toilet seats attachable to and used in conjunction with an ordinary adult toilet seat.

There are several features desirable in an'infants toilet seat including comforgease of attachment and disengagement from the adult seat, and simplicity.

It is a general object of this invention to provide an improved infant seat combining the above mentioned features.

A further object is to provide in an infants toilet seat improved meansfor removable attachment to an adult seat such that attachment and removal can be accomplished with one hand leaving the other arm free to hold an infant.

Another object is to provide a two piece infants toilet seat in which the two pieces are hinged together for jackknife spreading in attachment to an adult seat.

For a complete understanding of my invention reference should be'had to the following specification and the accompanying drawing, wherein:

Fig. 1 is a perspective view of an infant toilet seat embodying my invention;

Fig. 2 is a bottom plan view of the same;

Fig. 3 is a side, elevational cross sectional view of my device being applied to a larger conventional seat taken on line 3-3 of Fig. 2; v

Fig. 4 is a side elevational view of my device in place on a conventional seat;

Fig. 5 is a cross section of an adjustable gripping member taken on line 5-5 at Fig. 2;

Fig. 6 is a cross section of a taken on line 6-6 at Fig. 2;

Fig. 7 is a cross sectional view of the pivot means employed taken on line 7-7 of Fig. 2; and

Fig. 8 is a cross section on line 8-8 of Fig. 2 showing a locking means.

Referring to Figs. 1 and 3 the illustrative embodiment of my invention comprises a seat portion or body-supporting member 10, and a back rest portion or separate member 11. The seat portion 10 is formed of a plastic or any other suitable material shaped to have an opening 12 defined by a transverse rear portion and forwardly extending side portions proportioned so that when the seat is attached to the adult seat the opening 12 in the infant seat and an opening 13 in the adult seat are aligned. The back rest portion 11 is a single piece preferably shaped to provide continuous sides and back for the safety and comfort of the infant.

As shown in Figs. 2, 3 and 4 depending from the bottom of each of the portions 10 and 11 are gripping members 14-17. Members 14-15 are adjustably secured in spaced relation adjacent the front of the seat and members 16-17 are in spaced relation adjacent the rear of the back rest and integral with a flange 9 (Fig. 3) which acts as a stop means for the rear half of the seat when fixed gripping member the seat is in the position shown in Figs. 2 and 4. The

members 14-15 are slidably adjustable as shown for inward and outward movement and securing by the screws 18.(Figs. 2 and 5). With the

members

14, 15, 16, 17 within the opening 13 (Fig. 4) and the

members

16, 17 against the rear wall portion of the opening, the

members

14, 15 are adjusted to engage the front wall portion of the opening. The downward and outward

inclined flange portions

14a, 15a, 16a, 17a will thus be in position to engage the undersurface of the inner circumference of the opening 13. The adjustment of members 14-15 is made only once as an original adjustment of the infant seat to the adult seat. Thereafter no further adjustments are necessary as will become evident hereinafter.

Referring now to Figs. 3, 4 and 7 the seat 10 is pivoted on each side adjacent the mid portion thereof to the back rest piece adjacent the front edge of the sides thereof. In my preferred embodiment the pivot means employed are pins 19 secured either in the seat or back rest and projecting into a recess of the other member.

With the above arrangement the seat and back rest may be lifted as a unit holding the back rest adjacent a forward portion of a side thereof whereupon the two pieces jackknife or break upward as shown in Fig. 3 to bring the gripping members 14-15 of the seat closer to the members 16-17 of the back rest. The seat can now be lowered in place on the adult seat, the members 1 -5-17 entering the hole 13 in the adult seat. Thereafter pressing down on the back rest 11 brings the bottoms of the seat and the back rest into substantially a straight line, thereby spreading the members ,14-17 into engagement with the inside of the adult seat. .The members 14-17 havea center portion and inclined flanges to better grip the underside of the inside circumference of the adult toilet seat hole 13.. While the weight of the infant will hold the seat in its locked position on the adult seat, I prefer to provide a lock means between the back of the seat and the adjacent portion of the back rest as indicated at 20 in Figs. 1 and 8.

The seat is readily removable from the adult seat with one hand simply by lifting on the arms of the back rest adjacent a front portion of either arm rest, i.e., substantially over the pivot 19. The two pieces thereupon jackknife to the position shown in Fig. 3 releasing the gripping members from the adult seat. It will be noted that the jackknifing action is caused by upward pressure on the pivots 19 and downward pressure on the

flange portions

14a, 15a, 16a and 17a of the members 14-17 until the members move together and are released from the adult seat.

From the above it is evident that I have provided an improved infants seat which can beattached to and removed from the adult seat with one hand leaving the other arm of the mother free to carry the infant. It will also be noted that the device is of simple structure comprising in the main the seat portion and the back rest portion which can be moulded as individual units, the rear gripping members 16-17 being moulded as part of the back rest portion. The only attached members are the adjustable front brackets 14-15 and the pivot pins 19.

It should be noted that the part of the infant seat piece 16 forward of the pivots 19 should be heavier than the rear part to assure that the two pieces assume the jackknifed position when the unit is lifted by the fore part of the arm rests. This is accomplished by thickening of the front part of the seat, by the weight of the brackets attached to the seat and by the urine deflector 21 formed in the front part of the seat. However, any suitable weight means can be employed.

Scratching and marring of the adult seat may be pre vented by padding of the members 14-17 and portions of the infant seat engaging the adult seat.

While I have shown and described a particular embodiment of my invention, it will be obvious to those skilled in the art that various changes and modifications may be made without departing from my invention in its broader aspects and I, therefore, aim in the appended claims to cover all such changes and modifications as fall within the true spirit and scope of my invention.

What I claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent of the United States is:

1. A childs toilet seat comprising a back rest portion having depending gripping means and a stop means, a seat portion having depending gripping means and pivoted to said back rest portion on an axis between said first secured and said second secured gripping means such that upon lifting the seat by a portion of the back rest above said axis, the forward portion of the seat portion will tilt downward to swing said first and second gripping means closer together, said seat portion being formed to present a rigid, smooth, continuous seating surface, said stop means limiting the upward tilt of said forward portion of said seat to a position providing maximum spread of said first and second gripping means, and means for locking said seat portion against said stop means.

2. A childs toilet seat for removable attachment to an adult toilet seat having an aperture, said childs seat comprising a rigid integral body-supporting member having a transverse rear portion and forwardly extending side portions, said rear and side portions forming an opening adapted to overlie the opening in the adult seat, a first gripping means depending from the forward portion of said body-supporting member and adapted to extend into said'aperture to engage said adult seat, a separate member having a second depending gripping means at a rear portion thereof and adapted to extend into said aperture to engage said adult seat, said members being pivotally connected along an axis located between said first and second gripping means to allow said members to swing to a position providing reduced spread between said first and second gripping means when said childs seat is lifted by any portion of either one of said members located between said gripping means and to allow said members to slide on the surface of the adult seat upon downward pressure on any portion located between said gripping 4 means thereby to pivot to a position providing sufficient spread of said first and said second gripping means to engage said adult seat and to secure said childs seat thereto whereby with one hand said childs seat may be attached to and detached from said adult seat.

3. A childs toilet seat for removable attachment to an adult toilet seat having an aperture, said childs seat comprising a rigid integral body-supporting member having a transverse rear portion and forwardly extending side portions,-said rear and side portions forming an opening adapted to overlie the opening in the adult seat, a first gripping means depending from the forward portion of said body-supporting member and adapted to extend into said aperture to engage said adult seat, a separate member having a second depending gripping means at a rear portion thereof and adapted to extend into said aperture to engage said adult seat, and having forwardly extending arm portions, means pivotally connecting the forward ends of said arm portions to the forwardly extending side portions of said body-supporting member along an axis located to allow the forward end of said body-supporting member'to pivot downwardly moving said gripping means closer together as said seat is lifted by the forward end of said forwardly extending arm portions to facilitate insertion of said gripping means within the opening of said adult seat to attach said childs toilet seat thereto, said members being adapted to slide on the surface of the adult seat upon downward pressure on any portion of said childs seat adjacent said axis to pivot said members to a position providing suflicient spread of said first and second gripping means to engage said adult seat and secure said childs seat thereto.

References Cited in the file of this patent Australia Oct. 7, 1943