US3693198A

US3693198A - Closet seat

Info

Publication number: US3693198A
Application number: US88549A
Authority: US
Inventors: Gerardus M Tromp
Original assignee: Individual
Current assignee: Individual
Priority date: 1969-11-13
Filing date: 1970-11-12
Publication date: 1972-09-26
Anticipated expiration: 1989-09-26
Also published as: CH521746A; DE2055528A1; NL6917097A; NL143805B; BE758795A; FR2069413A5; AT317098B; SE369576B; DE2055528B2; GB1331066A; CA926052A

Abstract

A closet seat for a lavatory bowl is pivotally mounted on a supporting back plate for movement between approximately vertical and approximately horizontal positions and a supply of sanitary paper sheets carried by the back plate; when the closet seat is moved to its vertical position, an automatically operated clamping strip attaches one of the paper sheets to the closet seat for movement therewith when the closet seat is moved to its horizontal position.

Description

[151 3,693,198 [451 Sept. 26, 1972 1,994,285 3/1935 Moore..........,................4/243 Gerardus Tromp, Pretoriusstraat 2,002,721 5/1935 Thomasma ....................4/242 22 Hague Netherlands 2,166,996 7/1939 Lemmon et al..............3l2/50 22 i d; 2 9 FOREIGN PATENTS OR APPLICATIONS [21 A 549 193,514 2/l923 Great Britain.................4/244 1,029,610 3/1953 France...........................4/244 454,715 l/1928 Germany.............. ....4/244 [30] Foreign Application Priority Data Primary Examiner-Frederick L. Matteson Nov. 13, 1969 Netherlands.............6917097 Assistant Examiner Donald B Massenberg 52 us. ....4/246 7 AmmekBrenne 0 Guay [51] Int. ....A47k 13/16 [58] Field of Search..........4/237, 242, 243, 244, 245, [57] ABSTRACT 4/246 247 A closet seat for a lavatory bowl is pivotally mounted on a supporting back plate for movement between ap- 5 References Cited proarimately vertical and approximately horizontal positions and a supply of sanitary paper sheets carried UNITED STATES PATENTS by the back plate; when the closet seat is moved to its vertical position, an automatically operated clamping g et strip attaches one of the paper sheets to the closet seat ls l for movement therewith when the closet seat is moved 1,944,077 l/1934 Gold et a1. ....................4/242 to its horizontal position 1,961,704 6/1934 Morton........................194/80 1,982,922 12/1934 Morton........................206/57 13 Claims,l3 Drawing Figures United States Patent Tromp CLOSET SEAT [72] Inventor:

w i Q i PATENTEUSEPZB 1912 3,6 93, 198

sum

2 or 8 PATENTEU SEP 26 1372 v sum 3- 0F 8 PATENTEI] SEP 2 6 I972 SHEET 5 0F 8 CLOSET SEAT BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION tal position and is provided with means for covering at least part of the seat with clean paper when the seat is moved downwards.

2. Description of the Prior Art:

With conventional closet seats of this type paper is pulled over hollow pads of the seat by a mechanism which is driven by the movement of the seatand a cutting blade which is also driven .by seatmovement serves to. cut off part of the paper at each downward movement of the seat. Such prior art devices embodiments proved to be unsatisfactory in practicebecause there were many break-downs in the moving and cutting mechanisms, because they were complicated, expensive and heavy, and because the application of a new supply of paper was often a difficult procedure. Furthermore, such prior art closet seats with paper attaching devices had to be shaped quite differently from a conventional seat, so that they did not fit on every lavatory pot.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION It is, therefore, an object of the present invention to eliminate the aforesaid disadvantages and to construct a closet seat with an automatically applied paper cover, which seat, as far as dimensions and outward appearance are concerned, in essence. does not deviate from a conventional seat.

A characteristic feature of the closet seat according to the present invention is that it is provided with a clamping device which may be moved from a rest position into a clamping position, and during the process, in the vertical position of the seat, is adapted to clamp a paper, fitting said seat, from a stock or pile of such papers and to carry this paper along when the seat is moved to the approximately horizontal position.

in essence it is possible to embody the clamping device in various ways. It has been found, however, that the most efficient embodiment of the clamping device consists in that it includes a rotatable clamping strip accommodated in the wall of the seat, which rotatable clamping strip, in the clamping position, acts on an edge of the seat.

When an operating lever is used for the swinging of the closet seat, this operating lever can simultaneously cord or rope extends according to the invention between a rocking lever provided on the axle of the operating lever and a rocking lever provided on the axle of the rotatable clamping strip, the seat being loaded towards the vertical position by a primary spring and the rotatable clamping strip being loaded towards the rest position by a second spring, while the spring force of both springs is chosen such that less force is required-for operating the rotatable clamping strip than for operating the seat, and upon rotation of the operating lever, first the rotatable clamping strip is pulled into the clamping position by the cord or rope, and sub.- sequently the seat is pulled towards the horizontal position by such cord or rope. This preferred embodiment of the invention provides a relatively simple, light con struction and has proved to bevery reliable. The cord or rope, through a guideway ensuring a smooth passage along a bend, may be guided from a hollow arm of the seat to the rocking lever of the operating lever.

In order to provide the assembly with rigidity and a supporting means for the stock or pile of paper, the seat is preferably provided with a rigid back plate, to be fastened in vertical position, whereby there are devices present for the supporting and retaining of a supply pile of preformed papers, fitting the seat, at the front of such plate.

it is possible to remove asingle sheet of paper from the pile without mishap if the rotatable clamping strip is provided with a flexible strip which is adapted to move along a pile of paper sheetspositioned in front of the back plate, whereby the back plate, in the proximity of the zone in which such strip contacts the paper sheets, is either provided with a thickened portion or with a forward bulge. When using this back plate, the pile of paper'sheets may be supported in a simple manner as by hooks attached to the front of the back plate, which hooks fit into. slots or corrugations in the paper sheets, whereby the paper sheets are suspended from the hooks and are retained by a strip which is provided with friction around the periphery of :theback plate. If the friction strip is rotatablyfixed to the axle of the seat, it is possible to place the paper sheet simply and rapidly in position by tilting the strip slightly forwards.

It is desired that the operating lever resumes its starting position without fail, to this end the operating lever is loaded by a spring towards a position in which the rope or cord is relatively slack. To prevent the paper from beingclamped between the rotatable clamping strip and a rigid partof the seat when the toilet is flushed, in the rest position of such rotatable clamping strip, it forms part of the outer wall of the seat.

The back plate may also serve as an attachment for a fastening device. The back plate is, for instance, provided with an adjustable clip with which the closet seat assembly may be securedto a fall pipe or a wall.

To prevent a closet seat, placed in the horizontal position, from immediately resuming the vertical position by spring action, the seat is connected with a piston rod provided with at least a singlepiston guided into a cylinder, whereby in the cylinder wall a narrow bore is provided in a zone which, in the horizontal position of the seat, is beyond the range of movement of the piston. In this assembly, the bore is preferably provided with an adjustable orifice. By adjusting the orifice, the slow speed. at which the seat resumes the vertical position may be controlled.

In order to swing the closet seat relatively rapidly from the vertical into the horizontal position and nevertheless to prevent the seat from jarring the closet pot, thepiston rod is preferably provided with two pistons acting as check valves, which are provided at some distance from one anotherand open in opposite directions, whereby a second bore is provided in the wall of the cylinder in a zone which, in the horizontal positionof the seat, is situated between the two cylinders.

Furthermore, the present invention relates to a supply pile of paper sheets designed for a closet seat described above, which sheets fit onto such seat, are approximately horse-shoe shaped, and are supplied in a package made of plastic, for example, which package has a back wall, a side wall which extends around the periphery of the paper sheets and a front wall which extends in front of vertically folded, flushing strips.

In another embodiment of the closet seat according to the invention, the fragile cord is replaced by a system of draw links and rocking levers positioned between the axle of the operating lever and the axle of the rotatable clamping strip. Since such links are rigid, it is necessary to make arrangements to ensure that on turning back the operating lever to the rest position, the seat will remain in the horizontal position.

To this end, the closet seat preferably characterized in that a rotatable lever supported on the axle of the operating lever is adapted to be rotated by a pin attached to the axle in opposite direction to the action of a spring, in that in addition to a draw link of the aforesaid system extending towards the axle of the rotatable clamping strip, there is attached to the aforesaid rotatable lever another draw link, the other end of which is provided with a slidable pin-slot connection with a rotatable lever supported on the axle of the seat, to which axle is attached the piston rod of a piston and cylinder assembly provided with an inlet valve and an outlet valve, whereby a transmission is provided between the last-mentioned, spring-loaded rocking lever and the seat axle. Owing to the slidable pin-slot connection, the operating lever is allowed to resume the starting position without the seat having to follow.

Another object of the present invention is to ensure that when the operating lever resumes the rest position, the seat, which is in the horizontal position, will not immediately start rising, so that one gets the chance to sit down on the horizontal seat.

To this end, the aforesaid transmission consists of a cam fixed to the rocking lever and a cam fixed to the axle of the seat, which cams are adapted to act on one another in order to move the seat back to the vertical position when the operating lever resumes the rest position, whereby in the operating position of the operating lever there is some distance between such cams. When the operating lever springs back, the cam fixed to the rocking lever does not act on the cam fixed to the axle of the seat until some time has gone by (for instance 3 to 4 seconds), whereupon the latter cam and thus the seat are carried along.

The stock of paper sheets designed for the second embodiment of the closet seat is characterized in that the strips to be applied to the arms of the seat are taken up in a clip-shaped container, the back wall of which is provided with a forward bulge. With the back plate of the closet seat, to be attached in vertical position, provided with a centrally disposed bulge, whereby there is room between the seat and the back plate for storing paper sheets, the flushing strips may extend through an opening in the edge of the bulge of the back plate.

Additional features and advantages of the present invention will become apparent from the following description taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS FIG. 1 is a front elevational view of a closet seat according to the present invention with such seat in its horizontal position but with a supply of paper sheets removed from the supporting back plate.

FIG. 2 is a cross-section taken along the staggered line II-Il in FIG. 1, in which the vertical position of the seat is indicated by a chain line.

FIG. 3 is a partial rear elevational view of FIG. 1 showing the rear of the back plate.

FIG. 4 is a partial top plan view with parts in section of the right hand side of FIG. 2 with the seat in its horizontal position.

, FIG. 5 is a cross-section taken along the line VV in FIG. 4, which shows how a paper sheet is held by the rotatable clamping strip. 4

FIG. 6 is a cross-sectiontaken along the line VI--VI in FIG. 4.

FIG. 7 is a front elevational view of a supply package of paper sheets to be mounted on the front of the back plate of FIG. 1.

FIG. 8 is a cross-section taken along the line VIII VIII in FIG. 7, in which the back plate is added to said section.

FIG. 9 is a partial cross section similar to FIG. 5 but showing an alternative embodiment of the rotatable clamping strip.

FIG. 10 is a front elevational view of one of the paper sheets to be applied to the closet seat.

FIG. 11 is a rear elevation view with parts broken away and parts in section of a secondembodiment of a closet seat according to the present invention.

FIG. 12 is a cross-section taken along the staggered line XII-XII in FIG. 11.

FIG. 13 is a cross-section taken along the line XIII XIII in FIG. 11.

DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS As is illustrated in FIGS. 1, 2, 4 and 5 of the drawings, a substantially horse-shoe shaped closet seat 1 includes two

hollow arms

2 and 3, which at one end are interconnected by a connecting piece 4. At the free ends of the

hollow arms

2, 3 the closet seat is connected with an axle 5. Each of the ends of said axle is rotatably mounted in an L-shaped plate 7 (FIG. 3),

which is connected with a back plate 8. The back plate 8 may be fastened to a down pipe or a wall by any suitable means such as an adjustable bracket 9. A spiral spring 10 is provided around the axle 5, the seat 1 being loaded in vertical position by said spring. This arrangement makes it possible for the closet seat 1 to be hinged between an approximately vertical and an approximately horizontal position. In. FIG. 2, the horizontal position is indicated by full lines, while the vertical position is indicated by chain lines.

A supply of paper sheets 12 is placed at the front of the back plate 8 (see FIG. 8). The supply of paper sheets 12 is between the plate 8 and the seat 1 when the closet seat 1 is in the vertical position; the closet seat 1 is quite firmly pressed against the paper sheets 12 by the spiral spring 10.

As is shown in FIG. 10, the shape of the paper sheets 12 is substantially the same as the shape of the closet seat 1, i.e., horse-shoe shaped, wherein there is a relatively long strip 13 between the arms of the horse-shoe; however, this strip, if the paper sheet is on the closet seat 1 (see FIG. 2), is suspended between the

arms

2, 3

of the closet seat, and generally as far as the bottom of the lavatory pot. The strip 13 serves to make it possible that the paper sheet is flushed away from the closet seat. In the supply package of paper sheets 12, the strips 13 are folded in upward direction and are disposed behind a front wall of the packing in which the stock of paper sheets is supplied.

In order to prevent a paper sheet applied to the closet seat from sliding off the seat prematurely, the closet seat is provided with friction strips 14.

In every paper sheet there are provided two slots 15, so that the stock of paper sheets 12 can be suspended on the back plate by means of two hooks 17 attached to the back plate.

In the proximity of the two free ends at the bottom side of the stock of papers, the plate 8 recedes slightly inwardly for the mounting of leaf springs 18 which extend through cut-outs in the back wall of the package of the stock of paper sheets 12 and push the paper in the package forwards, (See FIG. 8).

The package 19 of the stock of paper sheets may, for instance, consist of a synthetic foil in which, for instance, 200 sheets of paper may be accommodated. Such package is provided with a back wall, side walls which surround the paper sheets, and a front piece which, is previously indicated, extends in front of the vertically folded strips 13 and, at 20, is curved inwards above such strips. At the top of the package there is a tab which prevents the top parts of the paper sheets from falling out of the packing.

Along the periphery of the back plate 8, the periphery of the stock of paper sheets 12, and the periphery of the closet seat 1 in vertical position, there is provided a circumferential frame 23 which is rotatably supported on the axle 5 of the seat. The circumferential frame 23 acts with friction on the plate 8. If a new supply of paper sheets has to be provided, the frame is slightly tilted forwards, so that there is a space to suspend the stock 12 on the hooks l7. Thereupon the frame is tilted back again. The circumferential frame 23 rests against the stock of paper sheets 12 (see FIG. 8). If the closet seat 1 is swung downwards, the stock of paper sheets 12 consequently cannot simply become detached from the hooks 17.

In the connecting piece 4 of the seat 1, a rotatable clamping strip 25 is attached to an axle 26, which axle is rotatably supported in the wall of the seat 1, (FIG. 4). The rotatable clamping strip 25 is provided with a flexible strip 27, made of rubber, for instance, while on the axle 26 of the rotatable clamping strip, a spiral spring 28 is provided, the rotatable clamping strip being loaded in the direction of the position according to FIGS. 2 and 8 by such spring. If the closet seat is in vertical position (FIG. 8) and the rotatable clamping strip is rotated, the flexible strip 27 passes along the stock of paper sheets 12 and carries a single sheet from the stock 12 along in an upward direction; during this process, the paper is stopped at the top, so that it is folded, said fold being clamped between the strip 27 and the edge 29 of the closet seat 1 (FIG. 5). At the site of the line of contact between the flexible strip 27 and the stock of paper sheets 12, the plate 8 is provided with a thickened portion by which it is achieved that really only one sheet of paper from the stock of paper sheets 12 is clamped in position. The subsequent rotation of the rotatable clamping strip 25 towards the clamping position and the downward swinging of the closet seat 1 take place by means of an operating lever 31 which forms partof an axle 32 which is supported in a channel-shaped plate 33 that is attached to the back plate 8. A spiral spring 34 is arranged around theaxle 32 and by this spring the operating lever 31 is loaded in the direction of the vertical position (FIG. 1,3).

A rocking lever 36 is'connected with the end of the axle 32 is provided with a roller 37, over which roller a cord 38 is passed, the free end of which, at 39, is adjustably connected with the channel-shaped plate 33. The cord 38 runs through a guideway to ensure. a smooth passage through a bend 42 connected'with the seat 1, through a hollow arm 3 of the seat to a roller 43 arranged around the axle 26 of the rotatable clamping strip 25. The cord 38 is connected with the roller 43 in such a way that if the cord is pulled, the roller 43 and with it the axle 26 with the rotatable clamping strip 25 are rotated until the flexible strip 27 acts on the edge 29 of the closet seat 1, which is shown in FIG. 5.

Pulling of the cord 38 is effected by rotating the rocking lever 36 with the aid of the operating lever, this causes the roller 37 to rise (see arrow in FIG. 2). There is less force needed to rotate the rotatable clamping strip 25 in a direction opposite that. of the spiral spring 28 than to rotate the closet seat 1 in a direction opposite that of the spiral spring 10. If theoperating lever 31 is rotated and consequently the cord is pulled, first of allthe rotatable clamping-strip 25 will be positioned as shown in FIG. 5, and as soon as the rotatable strip contacts the edge 29, the closet seat 1 is pivoted downwards taking the paper sheet clamped in position with it. Such paper sheet is therefore pulled out of the stock 12 to take up a position on the seat in such a way that the seat is practically covered by it. The descending paper strip 13 is suspended into the lavatory pot when the seat is in the horizontal position.

Once the closet seat rests on the lavatory pot in the horizontal position, the operating. lever 31 may be released, while a piston-cylinder assembly, to be explained in more detail hereinafter, will ensure that the seat 1 is not immediately swung back into the vertical position by the spiral spring 10. However, the operating lever 31 does resume the starting position under the influence of the spiral spring 34, causing the cord 38 to go slack, (see FIG. 2).

As previously indicated, the paper sheet taken along will now cover the seat completely, while the end of the strip 13 will be suspended in the lavatory pot. This strip will ensure that when the pot is flushed, the paper will be removed from the seat and passed into the drain together with the water used for flushing.

The end of a piston rod 45 is rotatably attached to the guideway ensuring smooth passage through a bend 42, which guideway is connected with the closet seat. The top of such piston rod is provided with two

pistons

46, 47 which act as check valves and which are separated by a section 48. These pistons are slidable in a cylinder 50 which, at the top, is rotatably supported in plates 53, which are fastened to the back plate 8, by meansof an axle pin 52.

If the closet seat is moved back to the horizontal position, the piston 46 is substantially positioned against the top closure of the cylinder 50. This top closure is provided with a bore 55 in which the flow of air is controlled by a tapered pin 56 forming an integral part of an adjustable screw 57. This tapered pin 56 is accommodated in a tapered hole 58 which is perpendicular to the aforementioned bore 55. When the pin is displaced to the left, as viewed in FIG. 2, more air is allowed to flow through; conversely, when the pin is displaced to the right, less air is allowed to flow through.

Starting from a horizontal position of the closet seat 1, the spiral spring will attempt to swing the seat back to the vertical position, causing the

pistons

46, 47

to be moved downwards. As a result thereof a vacuum is struck, which has a delaying action on the hinge movement of the closet seat. In view of the fact that both pistons act as check valves, though they open in opposite directions, in this case only the uppermost piston 46 is in action. By making it possible, with the aid of the adjusting screw 57, for a greater flow of air to pass through the bore 55, the swinging of the closet seat in vertical direction is accelerated.

A second bore 60 is provided in the jacket of the cylinder 50. As soon as the uppermost piston has passed this second bore 60, more air is allowed to flow in above the pistons, causing the hinge movement of the closet seat to be accelerated.

If the closet seat is moved from the vertical to the horizontal position, the

pistons

46, 47 are moved upwards whereby the air mainly escapes through the bore 60, causing the downward hinge movement to be delayed. If the bore 60 is passed by the uppermost piston 46, the air is also allowed to escape through the bore 60, and this because said uppermost pistonacts as a check valve and is opened by the compressed air.

When the uppermost piston 46 has passed the bore 60, it might occur that at that moment the air has difficulty in escaping through the bore 60. In that case a second bore might be provided underneath the bore 60. As appears from FIG. 10, the upper surface of the paper (which will come to rest on the front of the closet seat 1) is not cut straight, but a notch 61 may be found in those areas. This notch prevents the paper sheet from wrapping itself around the seat 1 when the closet is flushed. Consequently, the paper sheet is always washed away.

In the embodiment of the rotatable clamping strip according to the FIGS. 1 to 8 there is the danger that when the closet is flushed, the paper sheet is clamped between the rotatable clamping strip 25 (in the rest position) and the back edge of the connecting piece 4 of the seat by the strong flow of water used for flushing, consequently the paper sheet is not washed away. This risk is avoided in the embodiment of the rotatable valve according to FIG. 9. In this embodiment, in the nonclamping rest position of the valve, the rotatable valve together with the flexible strip forms a slightly curved part of the outer wall of the connecting piece. Thus the paper slides past it when the toilet is flushed.

The embodiment according to FIGS. 11 to 13 mainly differs from in the previous figures in that the rotatable clamping strip 25 is no longer operated through a cord, but through draw links;

the stock of paper sheets 12 is taken up in a clipshaped member in the zone of the connection between the arms, which member is at the back provided with a bulge indispensable to the operation of the closet seat;

between the return movement of the piston rod and the reverse motion of the seat some time goes by, so that on releasing the operating lever the seat will not immediately rise from the lavatory pot.

Inasmuch as the embodiment according to the FIGS. 11 to 13 inclusive differs only in details from the previous embodiment and many parts have remained the same or substantially the same, corresponding parts have been provided with corresponding reference numerals.

This second embodiment also shows a horse-shoe shaped closet seat 1 having two

arms

2 and 3 which are interconnected by a connecting piece 4. The closet seat 1 is connected with the axle 5 and is hinged between a horizontal and a vertical position.

There is a rigid back plate 8 behind the raised seat, which plate, contrary to the previous embodiment, is provided with a centrally disposed forward bulge 8a which extends into the space restricted by the

parts

2, 3 and 4. In this embodiment there is also a stock of paper sheets 12, of which the paper sheets to be applied to the seat are between the plate 8 and the seat 1, whereas the flushing strips 13 (which in this case have not been partly folded in an upward direction) are stored through an opening 8b in the back plate 8 at-the back of the aforesaid centrally disposed bulge 8a. The stock of paper sheets is provided at the top in a clip-shaped member 12a made of relatively rigid plastic or metal. This member is provided with an edge 12b which extends in front of the upper edge of the stock of papers, and lugs 12c which extend upwards from the space between the paper sheets to be applied to the seat and the flushing strips 13.

The connecting piece also includes a rotatable clamping strip 25 which is attached to an axle 26 and is provided with a rubber strip 27. On rotating the rotatable clamping strip 25, one paper sheet is removed from the stock 12 by the rubber strip 27 and clamped in position, this procedure being the same as in the previous embodiment. The fact that there are not several paper sheets removed from the stock is due to the aforementioned clip-shaped member 12a which retains the upper part of the stock of paper sheets and is provided with a dent 12d at the back, the function of said dent being comparable with that of the thickened portion 30 in the back plate 8 of the embodiment according to FIGS. 1 to 10 inclusive.

The clamping strip 25 and the seat 1 are operated by an operating lever 31 which forms an integral part of an axle 32 which is supported in walls 8c of the back plate 8. A spring 34 acts on the axle 32, the lever 31 being loaded in the upward direction by said spring. The axle 32 is furthermore provided with a cam which is adapted to contact a rotatable lever 71 which is rotatably supported on the axle 32 and to operate said lever.

The rotatable lever 71 is through a draw link 72 con-' nected to a rocking lever 73 which is rotatably supported on the axle 5 of the seat. Through a second draw link 74 the rotatable lever 71 is connected with a rotatable lever 75 which is adapted to rotate freely about the axle of the seat. In the proximity of one end of the draw link 74 there is provided an oblong slot 77 which can accommodate a pin 78 of the rotatable lever 75.

When the operating lever 31 is pulled forward, the cam 70 is rotated taking the rotatable lever 71 along, this causes the two

draw links

72 and 74 to be displaced with the result that the rocking lever 73 is rotated and that the pin 78 of the rotatable lever 75 moves along in the slot 77 of the draw link 74. I

The rocking lever 73, through a long rod 80 extending through an arm 2 of the seat, is connected with a lever 81 which is secured to the axle 26 of therotatable clamping strip in such a way that on rotating the rocking lever 81, the clamping strip is rotated to the clamping position, whereby as previously indicated one paper sheet of the stock 12 is detained. At the mo,- ment that the clamping strip 25 is arrested, the pin 78 has reached the lower part of the slot 77, causing the rotatable lever 75 on theaxle 5 of the seat to start rotat- The rotatable lever 75 is provided with a cam 82 which is adapted to mate with a projecting pin 83 of the axle 5 of the seat. Furthermore, the lower part of a piston rod 45 is connected with a hinged connection to the rotatable lever 75.

It will be apparent that from the moment that the clamping strip 25 is arrested because the operating lever 31 is pulled forward, the seat 1 willstart swinging into the horizontal position in a direction opposite to the action of the spring 10. Inasmuch as the pin 78 has reached the lower part of the slot 77, the rotatable lever 75 will also start rotating about the axle 5, whereby the piston rod 45 is pushed upwards. This piston rod is provided with two

pistons

46, 47 whichact as check valves and are kept apart by a piece 48 and are slidable in a cylinder 50 that at the top is rotatably supported. This cylinder 50 extends between two wall sections 8d of the back plate 8.

The vertical displacement of the piston 47 causes air to be expelled through the adjustable outlet valve 85-,- causing the downward movement of the seat 1 to be delayed, which is necessary to prevent the paper sheet carried along from being blown off the seat and to avoid parts of the closet seat from being damaged.

A spring 10 surrounding the axle 5 acts on the rotatable lever 75 whereby the spring tension of the spring may be adjusted by the spring tension adjuster 10a. When the draw link 74 moves the rotatable lever 75 in a vertical direction, no spring tension is exerted on the seat 1, so that the rotatable clamping strip is not sub jected to counterpressure, which counterpressure isneeded to carry the paper sheet which is taken along to the horizontal position. For this reason there is a return spring 87 which surrounds the axle 5 of the seat, which return spring acts on the cam 82 in opposed direction with respect to the spring 10; the tension of such return spring may be adjusted by means of the adjuster 88. This return spring 87 is thus needed to provide the rotatable clamping strip with sufficient counterpressure.

If the seat 1 rests on the lavatory pot in the rest position, the operating lever is released, this causes it to be reversed by the spring 34 whereby the draw link 74 moves downwards. By this action it is ensured that the pin 78 rises in the slot 77.

The dimensions of the various levers (in particular 71 and 75) are chosen such that the

cams

82 and 83 on the rotatable lever 75 and the axle 5, respectively, will move away from one another when the seat 1 is moved from the vertical. into the horizontal position. This movement takes place, for instance, through an angle of 10. When the operating lever 31 springs back, the rotatable lever will perform a reverse motion under the influence of the spring 10. This causes the piston rod 45 to be moved downwards, which movement is prevented by the vacuum formed above the piston 46. The resulting delay may be controlled with the quantity of air which is allowed to pass through, the adjustable inlet valve 89.

In connection with the aforementioned angular distance of approximately 10 between the

cams

81 and 83, on reversing the rotatable lever 75, the cam 82 will only act on the cam 83 after some: time has gone by; from this moment onwards the axle. 5 and thus the seat 1 are carried along in the vertical direction. In other words,if somebody has lowered the seat on to the lava tory pot and has released the operating lever 31, the seat will only. start rising after some delay, so that one has time to take place on the seat.

A spring 90 acts on the rotatable lever 71 to ensure that the lever and thus throughthe draw'link 72, the rotatable lever 73 and the draw link the rotatable clamping strip 25 can return to the starting position when the operating lever 31 is reversed. The paper sheet is consequently released at the right moment.

The particular advantages of this second embodiment according to the FIGS. 11 to 13 inclusive with respectto the previously described embodiment consist in that on the one hand the operation of the clamping strip 25 through draw links is more efficient than through a cord, as well as in that some time goes by between the reverse motion of the operating lever and the start of the return movement of the seat.

Inasmuch as the present invention is subject to many variations, modifications and changes in detail, it is intended that all matter contained in the foregoing description or shown in the accompanying drawing shall be interpreted as illustrative and not in a limiting sense.

What isclaimed is:

1. In combination with a toilet seat mounted on a toilet bowl for swinging about a transverse axle disposed adjacent the back end of said seat between an. approximately horizontal operative position and an upstanding inoperative position, said s eat having a pair of hollow side arms connected by a hollow front part at the end remote from said axle;

meansto cover at least part of the seat with a clean sheet of paper from a stock of preformed paper sheets as the seat moves down to said horizontal position, said means comprising;

operating lever means mounted on a first shaft and adapted to move said seat between said positions; clamping means including a second shaft mounted in said front part and a clamping strip rotatably mounted on said second shaftland adapted to be moved from a rest position to a clamping position in which it acts upon an edge of said front part, and transmission means connecting said clamping means to said operating lever means whereby actuation of said lever means, with said seat initially in the vertical position, causes said clamping strip to rotate to said clamping position carrying therewith a sheet of paper from said stock of preformed paper and carry said sheet along with said seat as the latter is moved to the horizontal position.

2. The toilet seat according to claim 1 in which said transmission means comprises;

a first rocking lever fixed on the first shaft,

a second rocking lever on the second shaft,

elongated flexible means connecting said rocking levers,

first spring means biasingsaidseat towards the vertical position,

second spring means biasing the rotatable clamping strip towards the rest position, the spring force of both said springs being so related that less force is required for operating the rotatable clamping strip than for lowering the seat, and in that on rotating the operating lever the rotatable clamping strip is first of all pulled to the clamping position by the flexible means and thereafter the seat is swung towards the horizontal position by said flexible means.

3. The toilet seat according to claim 1 further comprising,

a guideway through which said flexible means passes ensuring smoothpassage through a bend from a hollow arm of the seat towards the rocking lever of the operating lever.

4. The toilet seat according to claim 1 further comprising,

a rigid back plate adapted to be fixedly mounted in a vertical position, and

means for supporting and restraining said supply of performed paper on the front of said plate.

5. The toilet seat according to claim 4 wherein the rotatable clamping strip includes a flexible strip which is adapted to slide along a stock of paper sheets positioned in front of the back plate and, in the proximity of the zone in which said strip contacts the paper, is provided with at least one thickened portion.

6. The toilet seat according to claim 2 further comprising,

third spring means biasing the operation lever in a direction in which said elongated flexible means is relatively slack.

7. The toilet seat according to claim 1 wherein the rotatable clamping strip, in the non-clamping rest posi tion, forms part of the outer wall of the seat.

8. The toilet seat according to claim 1 further comprising,

a fixed cylinder,

at least one piston guided in said cylinder,

a piston rod connected to said seat and said at least one piston, and a narrow bore in the wall of the cylinder in a zone which, in the horizontal position of the seat, is situated beyond the range of movement of the piston rod. 9. The toilet seat according to claim 8 further comprising means to adjust the opening of said bore.

10. The toilet seat according to claim 9 further comprising,

at least two spaced pistons on said piston rod, said pistons acting as check valves, and a second bore in the wall of the cylinder in a position which, in the horizontal position of the seat, is situated between the two pistons. 11. The toilet seat according transmission means comprises,

a rotatable lever mounted on said first shaft,

spring means biasing said first shaft for rotation in a first direction,

cam means fixed to said first shaft and adapted to move said rotatable lever in a second direction opposite said first direction,

a first draw link connected at one end to said rotatable lever,

a first rocking lever mounted on said transverse axle and connected to the other end of said first draw link,

a second rocking lever fixed to said second shaft,

and a second draw link connecting said first and second rocking levers.

12. The toilet seat according to claim 11 wherein saidtransmission means further comprises;

a third draw link one end of which is connected to said rotatable lever and the other end of which is provided with a slidable pin and slot connection,

a third rocking lever mounted on said transverse axle and connected to said slidable connection of said third draw link,

a piston-cylinder assembly including a fixed cylinder, a piston slidably mounted within the cylinder, and a piston rod connected to said piston and to said third rocking lever, and

valve means in said piston-cylinder assembly adapted to control the speed of piston movement.

13. A toilet seat according to claim 11 wherein said transmission further comprises,

second cam means formed on said first rocking lever,

third cam means fixed to said transverse axle,

said second and third cam means being adapted to act on one another to move the seat back to the vertical position when said operating lever returns to its rest position.

to claim 1 wherein said

Claims

1. In combination with a toilet seat mounted on a toilet bowl for swinging about a transverse axle disposed adjacent the back end of said seat between an approximately horizontal operative position and an upstanding inoperative position, said seat having a pair of hollow side arms connected by a hollow front part at the end remote from said axle; means to cover at least part of the seat with a clean sheet of paper from a stock of preformed paper sheets as the seat moves down to said horizontal position, said means comprising; operating lever means mounted on a first shaft and adapted to move said seat between said positions; clamping means including a second shaft mounted in said front part and a clamping strip rotatably mounted on said second shaft and adapted to be moved from a rest position to a clamping position in which it acts upon an edge of said front part, and transmission means connecting said clamping means to said operating lever means whereby actuation of said lever means, with said seat initially in the vertical position, causes said clamping strip to rotate to said clamping position carrying therewith a sheet of paper from said stock of preformed paper and carry said sheet along with said seat as the latter is moved to the horizontal position.

2. The toilet seat according to claim 1 in which said transmission means comprises; a first rocking lever fixed on the first shaft, a second rocking lever on the second shaft, elongated flexible means connecting said rocking levers, first spring means biasing said seat towards the vertical position, second spring means biasing the rotatable clamping strip towards the rest position, the spring force of both said springs being so related that less force is required for operating the rotatable clamping strip than for lowering the seat, and in that on rotating the operating lever the rotatable clamping strip is first of all pulled to the clamping position by the flexible means and thereafter the seat is swung towards the horizontal position by said flexible means.

3. The toilet seat according to claim 1 further comprising, a guideway through which said flexible means passes ensuring smooth passage through a bend from a hollow arm of the seat towards the rocking lever of the operating lever.

4. The toilet seat according to claim 1 further comprising, a rigid back plate adapted to be fixedly mounted in a vertical position, and meaNs for supporting and restraining said supply of performed paper on the front of said plate.

6. The toilet seat according to claim 2 further comprising, third spring means biasing the operation lever in a direction in which said elongated flexible means is relatively slack.

7. The toilet seat according to claim 1 wherein the rotatable clamping strip, in the non-clamping rest position, forms part of the outer wall of the seat.

8. The toilet seat according to claim 1 further comprising, a fixed cylinder, at least one piston guided in said cylinder, a piston rod connected to said seat and said at least one piston, and a narrow bore in the wall of the cylinder in a zone which, in the horizontal position of the seat, is situated beyond the range of movement of the piston rod.

9. The toilet seat according to claim 8 further comprising means to adjust the opening of said bore.

10. The toilet seat according to claim 9 further comprising, at least two spaced pistons on said piston rod, said pistons acting as check valves, and a second bore in the wall of the cylinder in a position which, in the horizontal position of the seat, is situated between the two pistons.

11. The toilet seat according to claim 1 wherein said transmission means comprises, a rotatable lever mounted on said first shaft, spring means biasing said first shaft for rotation in a first direction, cam means fixed to said first shaft and adapted to move said rotatable lever in a second direction opposite said first direction, a first draw link connected at one end to said rotatable lever, a first rocking lever mounted on said transverse axle and connected to the other end of said first draw link, a second rocking lever fixed to said second shaft, and a second draw link connecting said first and second rocking levers.

12. The toilet seat according to claim 11 wherein said transmission means further comprises; a third draw link one end of which is connected to said rotatable lever and the other end of which is provided with a slidable pin and slot connection, a third rocking lever mounted on said transverse axle and connected to said slidable connection of said third draw link, a piston-cylinder assembly including a fixed cylinder, a piston slidably mounted within the cylinder, and a piston rod connected to said piston and to said third rocking lever, and valve means in said piston-cylinder assembly adapted to control the speed of piston movement.

13. A toilet seat according to claim 11 wherein said transmission further comprises, second cam means formed on said first rocking lever, third cam means fixed to said transverse axle, said second and third cam means being adapted to act on one another to move the seat back to the vertical position when said operating lever returns to its rest position.