US3490082A

US3490082A - Height adjustable auxiliary toilet seat

Info

Publication number: US3490082A
Application number: US707568A
Authority: US
Inventors: Charles E Murcott
Original assignee: Lumex
Current assignee: Lumex Inc
Priority date: 1968-02-23
Filing date: 1968-02-23
Publication date: 1970-01-20
Anticipated expiration: 1987-01-20

Description

Jan. 26, 1970 c. E. MURCOTT 3A$$2 HEIGHT ADJUSTABLE AUXILIARY TOILET SEAT Filed Feb 23, 1968 ENVENTOR. O/MRLES f. Mmcorr ATTORNEY United States Patent vO US. Cl. 4-239 Claims ABSTRACT OF THE DISCLOSURE An auxiliary toilet seat for providing a raised support of the user above the bowl where the seat employs height adjustable and laterally expansible and contractable bowl engaging U-shaped clips for support of the seat upon the toilet bowl.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION The invention deals with an auxiliary seat structure wherein the seat and its depending confining sleeve are preferably formed of plastic material, the sleeve being detachably mounted upon the lower surface of the seat and the seat supports a plurality of depending V-shaped brackets, in connection with which expansible and contractable U-shaped toilet bowl engaging members are adjustably coupled in controlling the height adjustment of the seat with respect to the toilet bowl.

To applicants knowledge, auxiliary seats of the type and kind under consideration have been in use but, to the best of his knowledge, such auxiliary seats have not been provided with means for adjusting the height of the auxiliary seat with respect to the toilet bowl and wherein U- shaped members are employed capable of being expanded and contracted to fit snugly On the periphery of the upper end of the bowl and this structural combination, in applicants judgment, is new.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION With the auxiliary seat structure of the type and kind defined, the auxiliary seat is not only applicable to toilet bowls of various peripheral contours and designs, but is also adjustable in controlling the height of the auxiliary seat on the toilet bowl, in connection with which the same is mounted.

The novel features of the invention will be best understood from the following description, when taken together with the accompanying drawing, in which certain embodiments of the invention are disclosed and, in which, the separate parts are designated by suitable reference characters in each of the views and, in which:

FIG. 1 is a diagrammatic perspective view illustrating one of my improved auxiliary seats supported on a toilet bowl.

FIG. 2 is an enlarged bottom plan view of the bowl, including its depending sleeve, and omitting the seat supporting units, but indicating position of support of such units on the seat.

FIG. 3 is a section on the line 33 of FIG. 2; and

FIG. 4 is a diagrammatic side view of one of the seat supporting units indicating a part only of the seat and omitting the depending sleeve.

Considering FIG. 1 of the drawing, diagrammatically shows a toilet bowl with the normal seat 11 in a raised position, omitting all detail showing of the pivotal support of the seat 11. At 12 is shown the seat proper of the auxiliary seat structure, which is preferably slightly elliptical in form and has a flat lower surface 13, as clearly noted in FIG. 3, and a downwardly inclined or tapered upper surface 14, extending to the aperture 15 of 3,490,082 Patented Jan. 20, 1970 "ice the seat. This aperture is also elliptical in form, as will be apparent from a consideration of FIG. 2.

Detachably mounted on the lower surface 13 of the seat 12 is downwardly contracted preferably circular confining sleeve 16. The upper edge of the sleeve has an outwardly flared rim 17, note FIG. 3, and this rim terminates at the front and rear of the seat in relatively flat extensions 18, note FIG. 2, through which screws 19 are passed in securing the sleeve 16 to the seat to become a unitary part thereof. In the preferred form, both the seat and the sleeve are composed of plastic material.

Each side of the seat is provided with two pairs of spaced threaded apertures 20, note FIG. 2, for the mounting of supporting units, generally identified by the reference character 21 in FIG. 4 of the drawing.

As each of the units 21 are of the same construction, the brief description of the unit as seen in FIG. 4 will suffice.

Each unit comprises a V-shaped bracket 22 having, at its upper end, flared flanges 23, through which screws 24 are passed to engage the apertures 20 in support of the brackets around the periphery of the seat 12. Welded to the crosshead of the bracket 22 is an internally threaded sleeve 25 for adjustable support of a long threaded screw 26. The lower end of the screw 26 supports a flanged disc 27, forming a head, said head supporting a rubber disclike cushion plug 28 adapted to engage the upper surface of the bowl 10, as diagrammatically seen in FIG. 1 of the drawing. A lock nut 29 is employed on the screw to retain an expansible and contractable bowl engaging member 30 on the screw, while permitting rotation of the member 30 to compensate for the contour of the bowl, as will be apparent.

The member 30 is formed of a material facilitating lateral movement of the side arms 31 of the member 30 toward and from each other for proper positioning of each of the members 30 on bowls of different upper surface contours. This expansion and contraction of the arms 31 can be forcibly accomplished by an operator in fitting the seat to a particular bowl and, when once adjusted, no further relative movement would be necessary, the arms having suflicient flexibility to fit snugly upon the bowl, In accomplishing this end result, the lower ends 32 of the arms are flared outwardly. Washers 33 are preferably employed between the wide crosshead 34 of the member 30 and the

parts

27 and 29, as diagrammatically seen in FIG. 4 of the drawing.

By employing the adjustable mounting of the members 30 in the brackets 22, the height of the seat 12 with respect to the top of the bowl can be adjusted to suit the comfort of the user of the bowl, keeping in mind the various heights of patients finding the need to use auxiliary seats of the type and kind under consideration.

In the diagrammatic showing of FIG. 1 and the illustration of FIG. 4, the members 30 may be said to be at a medium height adjustment. In other words, the member 30 can be lowered, as well as raised with respect to the bracket 22. By the detachable mounting of the supporting units 21, as well as the detachable mounting of the sleeve 16, the complete assemblage can be compactly packaged for shipment and readily set up for use.

In the use of the auxiliary seat, it will be apparent that the Weight of the patient arranged upon the seat is taken up directly through the seat, the bracket 22, the screw 26 and the cushion plug 28 on each of the units.

Having fully described my invention, what I claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent is:

1. A height adjustable auxiliary toilet seat of the character defined, comprising a seat; a depending confining sleeve detachably secured to the lower surface of the seat; a plurality of V-shaped supporting units detachably mounted on the seat outwardly of and independently of said sleeve; a plurality of U-shaped bowl engaging members each having an elongated, adjustable screw in threaded engagement with a threaded part of said V- shaped units for adjustment vertically with respect to the seat in controlling the height of the seat with respect to a toilet bowl, in connection with which the auxiliary seat is used.

2. A toilet seat as defined in claim 1, wherein said member has side arms, and said side arms are relatively movable to adapt each unit to fit snugly on the toilet bowl.

3. A supporting unit of the class defined, comprising a mounting bracket having means for attachment to a support, a U-shaped member for engaging an article, and an elongated screw on said member and in threaded engagement with said bracket for adjustable support of the member in said bracket in controlling position of the support with respect to said article.

4. A unit as defined in claim 3, wherein said U-shaped member includes side arms capable of forcible movement into different spaced positions.

5. A unit as defined in claim 3, wherein said screw in cludes a head supporting a plug of cushioning material, and said member being rotatable on said screw to adjust said member to the article engaged thereby.

References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 1,599,812 9/1926 Ellis 248226.5 X 2,732,566 1/1956 Bruelheide 4239 3,086,223 4/1963 Gass 4-237 3,367,614 2/1968 Leonard 248188.4 X

LAVERNE D. GEIGER, Primary Examiner H. K. ARTIS, Assistant Examiner