WO2007104101A1

WO2007104101A1 - Toileting and toilet training devices for children

Info

Publication number: WO2007104101A1
Application number: PCT/AU2007/000312
Authority: WO
Inventors: Aow Lee Lee Goh
Original assignee: Aow Lee Lee Goh
Priority date: 2006-03-13
Filing date: 2007-03-13
Publication date: 2007-09-20

Abstract

The device is a toilet receptacle,, for assisting in the toilet training of newborns, infants, toddle and preschoolers. It is configured for use with a toilet or receiving pot. The toilet receptacle includes a left hand footrest configured to be disposed at a front end or side wall of the toilet receptacle and configured for raising the left hand knee of the child towards the chest whilst sitting on the seat. The device also includes a right hand footrest configured to be disposed at front end or side wall of the toilet receptacle and configured for raising the right hand knee of the child or toddler towards the chest whilst sitting on the seat. The device is equipped with sound devices, which are configured to provide two, or more predetermined sounds, words and music to induce actuation (defecation or urination) by the user. The device is configured to be attached to any clean flat surface, to the seat of a conventional toilet, to the footrest of a squatting toilet or is built as an 'integral low sitting' toileting unit.

Description

TOILETING AND TOILET TRAINING DEVICES FOR CHILDREN

Field of the Invention

This invention relates to a toilet device and, in particular, to a toilet footrest device, toilet seat or toilet receptacle or toilet incorporating same for use by children to assist in their toilet training and their toileting.

The invention has been developed primarily for use by newborns, infants, toddlers or preschoolers (hereinafter referred to as "children") and will be described hereinafter with reference to this application. However, it will be appreciated that the invention is not limited to this particular field of use as it could be modified for use by bigger children, teenagers and even adults in hospitals and other care situations

Background of the Invention

In some cultures, children are effectively toilet trained from birth. In Western society generally, many child care manuals recommend toilet training begin after the child is 18 months to 3 years old. It is the case that a significant number of infants and toddlers up to 2 years old that are in nurseries, pre-schools, kindergartens or even at home are wearing nappies, mainly disposable ones. In fact, relatively significant numbers of 3 and 4 year old (albeit fewer) are still wearing nappies, mostly disposable nappies that are conventional or more pant shaped "trainer nappies".

Children who have been inadvertently trained to do their toileting into nappies have to be un- trained later. Both children and parents are often distressed by the process. In recent years, doctors are confronted by some parents with the new phenomenon of "toileting refusal" by their preschoolers who would do their toileting only into nappies.

The phenomenon can be avoided completely if children are toilet trained as newborn infants. For children who have not been toilet trained as soon as possible from infancy, the transition from nappies to the potty or to a conventional toilet is a big step in their toilet training as they have been inadvertently trained to do their toileting into nappies. Hence many are confused and some children resist this change and hence the task to un-train them becomes a difficult one

It is also the case that the cost of conventional and trainer nappies for children prior to toilet training is one of the most expensive budget items for adult carers. The disposal of nappies is a significant environmental problem and, even when non-disposable nappies are employed, the detergents used to wash the nappies are generally not environmentally friendly. Notwithstanding, many parents or adult carers do not have time to wash and dry conventional cloth nappies.

Thus, significant numbers of parents and adult carers resort to using relatively large numbers of disposable nappies. These are discarded, typically with urine and faecal matter, with household refuse. Of course, nappies of any variety soaked in urine or with faecal matter can cause children to suffer skin reactions such as mild to severe nappy or diaper rash, which may have other consequences.

Also as the infants are being toilet trained from birth, it is anticipated that parents will now be faced with unsteady toddlers who would like to use an attractive toileting device to assert their new found independence of wanting to be able to go to the toilet themselves. Many of the current potties are devices that are used by parents for toilet training their toddlers, not to be used by toddlers independently. Hence many are not designed such that they are toddler proof and will not topple over and spill their contents.

Object of the Invention It is an object of the invention to provide a toilet footrest device, toilet seat having a footrest device or toilet receptacle or toilet having a footrest device that will assist in the toilet training and toileting of children, or to provide useful alternative. It will also provide a stable toileting receptacle for the independent use of toddlers and preschoolers

Summary of the Invention

According to a first aspect of the invention there is provided a toilet receptacle for assisting in the toilet training of children configured for use with a toilet or receiving pot, the toilet receptacle including a left hand adjustable footrest configured to be disposed at a front left hand end of the toilet receptacle and configured for raising the left hand knee of the child or toddler towards its chest, whilst sitting on the seat; and a right hand adjustable footrest configured to be disposed at a front right hand end of the toilet receptacle and configured for raising the right hand knee of the child or toddler whilst sitting on the seat.

According to a second aspect of the invention there is provided a method for providing a toilet receptacle for assisting in the toilet training or toileting of children, the method including the steps of configuring the toilet receptacle for use with a toilet or pot; disposing a left hand footrest at a front or left hand side of the toilet receptacle wherein the left hand footrest is configured for raising the left hand knee of the child towards its chest whilst sitting on the seat; and disposing a right hand footrest at a front or right hand side of the toilet receptacle wherein the right hand footrest is configured for raising the right hand knee of the child towards its chest whilst sitting on the seat.

According to a third aspect of the invention there is provided a footrest for a toilet receptacle for assisting in the toilet training of children, the footrest extending from a front and or side of the receptacle and configured to raise the knees of a child towards their chest while seated on the receptacle

According to a fourth aspect of the invention there is provided a toilet receptacle for assisting in the toileting or toilet training of children, the toilet receptacle including a footrest formed in a front and /or side of an outside of the toilet receptacle, the footrest configured to raise the knees of a child towards their chest when seated on the receptacle.

According to a another aspect of the invention, there is provided, a toilet seat for a toilet receptacle, the toilet seat including a footrest extending there from, the footrest configured to raise the knees of a child towards their chest when seated on the toilet seat.

It can therefore be seen that there is provided a toilet receptacle, toilet seat and footrest(s) for a toilet that advantageously provides a more conducive device to assist in the toilet training and toileting of children. The device can be used advantageously as a toileting device for bigger children, teenagers and adults as well. Brief Description of the Drawings

Preferred embodiments of the invention will now be described, by way of example only, with reference to the accompanying drawings in which:

FIG. 1 shows the perspective view of a toilet receptacle according to a first preferred embodiment of the invention;

FIG. 2 is a side view of the receptacle of FIG 1 showing the footrest mechanism; FIG. 3 is a side view of the footrest of FIG 2; FIG. 4 is a front view of the footrest of FIG 3; FIG. 5 is a perspective view of another preferred embodiment of the invention where the footrest is integral to the receptacle.

FIG. 6 is a sectional view of FIG 5 in use with a receiving pot. FIG. 7 is a perspective view of a toilet receptacle according to another aspect of the invention; FIG. 8 is a top view of the receptacle of FIG. 7;

FIG. 9 is a side view of a pot for use with FIG 7. FIG. 10 is a side view of the receptacle of FIG 7 used with the pot of FIG 9; FIG. 11 is a perspective view of a toilet dispenser for the storage of dispensable toilet wipes of the receptacle of FIG 7 FIG. 12, FIG13 and FIGS18 to 23 show various views of the receptacle according to preferred embodiments of the invention when used in various configurations;

FIG. 14 is a perspective view of a toilet receptacle according to another aspect of the invention.

FIG. 15 shows the various views of a toilet receptacle according to a first preferred embodiment of the invention

FIG. 16 shows various views of a toilet receptacle according to another aspect of the invention.

FIG 17 shows the toilet receptacle in use over a squatting toilet or it can be built as an integral unit Fig 17b as a special low sitting toilet for children.

Detailed Description of Drawings Referring to FIG. 1 , there is shown an elevated perspective view of a child's toilet receptacle 1 according to a first preferred embodiment. It will be noted that like reference numerals are used herein for like components.

The child toilet receptacle 1 is for the toileting and toilet training of children. The toilet is formed from an injected moulded plastic such as polypropylene. However it could be formed by any other suitable method using any other suitable material.

The toilet receptacle 1 includes a seat portion 2 configured to support the child's rear when seated on the toilet receptacle 1. The seat 2 of the toilet receptacle 1 has an oval shaped opening 3 for the passage of material to pass through to be collected and disposed of. The front end of the toilet seat portion 2 includes a splashguard or liquid barrier 4 that is configured to prevent spillage of urine, especially when a male child is seated on the receptacle.

The toilet receptacle 1 includes a pair of footrests 5 and 6. The footrests 5 and 6 are disposed on a left hand front side (footrest 5) and a right hand front side (footrest 6). The left hand footrest 5 is configured to receive the left foot of a child seated on seat 2 and to cause the left knee of the child to be raised towards their chest when seated on the seat 2. Likewise, the left hand foot rest 6 is configured to receive the right foot of the child whilst seated on the seat 2 and to raise the child's right knee (not illustrated) towards their chest when seated on the seat 2

The footrests 5 and 6 are suitably removably mounted to the front left and right hand sides of the receptacle 1 respectively as illustrated in Figures 2,3 and 4. The slots 7 are to accommodate the footrest positioning and locking mechanism. In this way, the footrests 5 and 6 can be moved towards or away from the child (not illustrated) in the seated position. As such, the footrests 5 and 6 can be moved forward (towards receptacle opening 3) to accommodate smaller children, or children with shorter legs, or away therefrom to accommodate larger children or children with longer legs.

As best seen in Fig 2, the footrest can be moved towards or away from a seated child (is noted, not illustrated) by engaging locking pin 11 with a corresponding locking groove 8 so as to retain the footrest 5 (or 6) in a position closer to a seated child ( not illustrated) or, as shown, furtherest away to accommodate the shin lengths of the child as it grows.. Referring to FIG 3 and 4, the footrest 5 and 6 is shown inperspective and frontal view. The footrest 5 and 6 of this preferred embodiment includes a foot abutment plate 9 mounted substantially perpendicularly to a mounting plate 10. At an end of the mounting plate 10, is a T bar 12 which bears the locking pin 11. The footrest 5 and 6 mounts to calf rest section 13 of the toilet receptacle 1 and it is secured in its position by the locking pin 7 fitting into an appropriate groove at the bottom side of the calf rest section 13. The position of the footrest is thus changeable by moving the position of the locking pin 11. In this way, it accommodates children of different sizes and leg lengths.

Figures 5 shows a perspective front view of receptacle 14 where the left and right foot rests 15 and 16 are integrally formed extending from a single mounting plate 17.

Fig 6 is a side view of the receptacle 14 in partial cutaway showing it in use with a receiving pot. 18. However, it will be appreciated the footrestsi 5 and 16 can be fixedly mounted to the receptacle 14 or it can movable as preferred to position the knees of a child closer to them when seated on seat 2 of receptacle 1.

In the preferred embodiment of FIG 7, the hole is covered by a dome shaped lid or potty hole cover 25a which is hinged in a recess 25b at the back end of the seat. The cover 25a is attached at the hinge 25c such that it can be easily removed if desired. When in the closed position the cover 25a sits on the dome of the splashguard at its front end. The cover 25a serves the dual function of a lid for reducing smells when closed or as a "play trailer" for the toilet receptacle 21 when it is opened. The cover 25a has a small handle 26, suitable for little fingers to grip and lift the cover to close or open it. This is also shown in Figs 8 and 10.

Arising from seat portion 22, behind the splashguard at the front end of the toilet receptacle 21 , is a sturdy broad curved vertical stand 2 7, which is curved into a "U" shaped bar 28 at its top end. The U shaped bar 28 is designed as a structure to hold onto when the child is trying to sit on and get up from the seat of the toilet receptacle without the receptacle moving or toppling. The ends of the U shaped bar can be fitted with a screw like knob to which are attached "small steering wheels" 29, one on each end, which rotate on a spindle. The wheels give the toilet receptacle the appearance of a toy vehicle for riding; in this case it resembles a "tug boat" potty. Below the handle, the back face of the curved upright vertical stand 27, is fitted with a vertical slot 30 for the placement of a clip on/clip off toilet dispenser 31 (Shown in FIG 5) containing toilet wipes 32 suitable for children's use. Attached to the top of the front end of the curved vertical stand 27 is a pair of spaced apart sound devices 33 and 34. These sound devices are disposed in device recesses 35 disposed at stand 27. The sound devices are configured to provide two or more predetermined sounds, words and music to induce defecation or urination by the child. Special Lyrics for the sounds made and words of encouragement spoken or sung by the toilet receptacle 1 are used to to induce actuation. In some embodiments, the sound devices are sealed in waterproof enclosures inside recesses 35. Of course, the receptacle 21 could be made without the sound devices attached and the sound devices could be on a separate equipment and played to the child sitting on receptacle 21.

Below the sound devices is a slot 36 for placing a name tag. This is to enable identification of the device when it is used in a childcare situation. The toilet receptacle 21 includes five (could vary)potty feet 37 that are circumferentially disposed about the bottom of the receptacle, which has a broader base making the receptacle very stable (see Fig 2) The feet are designed to be attractive, (in the example shown, it is webbed) to children and each foot includes a pair of spaced apart apertures 38 configured for releasably retaining the heads 39 of suction cups 40. The suction cups 40 are obviously configured to assist in retaining the receptacle in a fixed position, such as on tiles in a bathroom or on top of the toilet seat on a toilet bowl or any other clean flat surfaces. The spaced apart pair of apertures 38 allow the suction cups to be attached to different sized toilet seats.

Of course, it will be appreciated that the suction cups 40 can be replaced with any preferred non-slip device or material and the chair can be attached by other means over a toilet or other surfaces. The suction device of the receptaclre feet is designed to prevent the potty stool receptacle from moving or toppling when the child is sitting on or getting up from the seat. This is important to prevent accidental knocking over and spillage of the contents of the receiving pot. In the embodiment shown, the seat portion 23 and the walls around the circumference of the toilet receptacle 21, is provided with thicker plastic to reinforce the toilet receptacle's strength. In FIG. 10, it will be appreciated that the thick line indicates reinforced plastic that are areas where relatively large loads would be expected to be applied by heavier children or moving children. The receptacle walls need to be strong as splaying of the feet is highly undesirable. Attached to the sides of the anterior end of the sidewall of the receptacle, include a left and a right hand, angled winged platforms or footrests, configured for receiving the feet of a child when seated on the receptacle seat portion 22 around hole 23. The footrests 21 and 22 are configured to raise the knees of a child towards the chest and below the chin when the child is seated, a position more conducive to the toileting process. The footrests are designed to be detachable devices, which can be clipped or hooked or attached by other means to a pair of slots 43 or 44 (number could vary) provided on the anterior side walls or side walls of the toilet receptacle. When the footrest is moved to the upper slot 43 it is raised and can be used by a child with shorter limbs and when it is moved to slot 44, it is lowered and thus can be used by a child with longer limbs. The parent or adult carer can select the most appropriate for the individual child. Of course, at a certain point in the toilet training process of the growing child, the footrest 21 and 22 may no longer be required and can be removed all together.

FIG. 8 is a top view of the toilet receptacle 21 showing a seat portion 22 configured to support the child's rear when seated on the receptacle. The seat portion 22 have a number of stud apertures 45 configured to receive studs 46, disposed around a correspondingly shaped waterproof, self sealing horseshoe shaped polyurethane soft foam cushion 47. The cushion 47 can be releasable and is attached to the seat portion 22, at the plurality of stud apertures 45 to provide padding and making the receptacle chair 21 relatively softer, warmer and thus more comfortable when the child is seated. Of course it will be appreciated that the soft foam cushion can be made of various materials and attached to the seat by other means.

FIG. 9 is a perspective view of the sturdy receiving pot 48 with a handle 49 and three "pot feet" each with an aperture to receive the head of a suction cup 40 which provides the pot with a firm grip on any clean flat surface it is placed on. This is to prevent any accidental knocking over and spillage of its contents. Of course, the pot can be variously shaped to suit the receptacle.

Turning to FIG.10, there is shown a cutaway side view of the toilet receptacle of FIG. 7 disposed over the receiving pot 48. It can be seen that the upper rim 51 of the pot is configured to be disposed around the inner lip 52 of the toilet seat opening 23. This not only can provide additional support for heavier or moving children sitting on the toilet receptacle seat but also provides an additional splash barrier from material going into the pot 48. When in use, a water layer 53 is disposed in the pot for preventing material sticking on the base of the pot. The Figure also shows the dome shaped lid in an opened position functioning as an attractive "play trailer" for the child.

FIGS 11 show a clip on/clip off toilet dispenser 31 containing toilet wipes 32 suitable for children's use.

FIG. 12 show the toilet receptacle in FIG 7in use over a receiving pot placed over tiles in a bathroom. In this situation a mature toddler or preschooler can use the device independently without adult assistance. They can be taught to open the lid when the toilet receptacle is in use and to close it after its use.

FIG.13 show the toilet receptacle in FIG 7 with its lid removed in use over a conventional adult toilet. In this situation, it can be conveniently attached to the rim of a conventional toilet seat so that the child user can urinate or defecate directly into an adult toilet. The suction disc can be attached through the apertures at various positions on the potty feet, thus allowing flexibility for the toilet receptacle to be attached to different sized toilets. When in use in this way, the child must always be accompanied by an adult and cannot be left even for a second.

Thus the device is configured to be able to attach firmly over any flat clean surface and used with a receiving pot as well as attach firmly to a conventional adult toilet seat for direct expulsion by the user into the toilet bowl.

Referring to FIG 14, there is shown another preferred embodiment of the toilet receptacle 21 with the footrest 54 and 55 configured for raising the knees of the child when seated. In this embodiment, the footrests 54 and 55 are not moveable. This embodiment can be formed from single moulded plastic providing manufacturing advantages over the above embodiment in which the footrests 41 and 42 are adjustable. It can therefore be seen that there is provided a toilet receptacle 21 that assist in the toilet training of infants, toddlers and young children. It can be seen that the footrests 41 and 42 can be provided as a removable footrestto a child's toilet receptacle or it can be formed integrally and moulded into the child's toilet receptacle The toilet receptacle can be used without a pot and placed securely on a conventional toilet seat or toilet bowl, or over a pot anywhere on a clean flat surface.

FIG. 15 shows the various views of a toilet receptacle 1 according to a first preferred embodiment of the invention

FIG. 16 shows various views of a toilet receptacle according to another aspect of the invention, where the footrest is integral to the unit.

Figures 17a show the receptacle 1 attached to a conventional adult "Asian type squatting toilet" It could also be built as an integral unit FIG 17b which may be built with a bidet 56 attached to it to facilitate the cleaning of the child's private parts. This structure could be built as a child sized "sitting pan" (semi squatting pan) suitable for use in child care centres and public places and homes that cater for children's need to go to the toilet independently.

It will also be appreciated that not only assisting the child in going to the toilet, the toilet receptacles described can be used in homes, in child care centres and in public conveniences relatively easily thus making this aspect of caring for the toileting needs of children easier for parents and other carers. The toilet receptacles with the adjustable or non-adjustable footrests assist in moving the knees of the child toward the chest to assist the child in their toileting process. This feature makes the device also suitable for bigger children and adults. It may also be used in care situations where the raising of the knees is desired in the toileting process

The foregoing describes only a few embodiments of the present invention and modifications, obvious to those skilled in the art, can be made thereto without departing from the scope of the present invention. For example, the foot rests 5/6 can be pegs configured for threaded engagement with corresponding threaded apertures disposed in the front and or side of the toilet receptacle 1 or seat 2.

Claims

1. A toilet receptacle for assisting in the toilet training of children configured for use with a toilet or receiving pot, the toilet receptacle including: a left hand adjustable footrest configured to be disposed at a front left hand end of the toilet receptacle and configured for raising the left hand knee of the child or toddler towards its chest, whilst sitting on the seat; and a right hand adjustable footrest configured to be disposed at a front right hand end of the toilet receptacle and configured for raising the right hand knee of the child or toddler whilst sitting on the seat.

2. A toilet receptacle according to claim 1 wherein the left and right hand footrests are integrally formed with the receptacle, or are removably mountable to the receptacle, or the left and right hand footrests are formed from a single footrest extending across a front of the receptacle.

3. A toilet receptacle according to claim 1 or 2 wherein the left and right hand footrests are configured to be movable between a plurality on positions towards or away from a user of the receptacle.

4. A toilet receptacle according to any one of claims 1 to 3 wherein the left and right hand footrests are movable around the receptacle

5. A toilet seat according to claim 1 wherein the left and right hand footrests are interconnected.

6. A toilet receptacle according to claim 1 and including a seat disposed about an opening and configured for receiving a child, the seat separate from or integral with the receptacle.

7. A toilet receptacle according to claim 6 wherein the left and right hand footrests are integrally formed with or removably mountable to the seat.

8. A toilet receptacle according to any one of claims 1 to 7 wherein the receptacle is a conventional toilet or a pot

9. A toilet receptacle according to any one of claims 1 to 8 wherein the toilet receptacle is a potty in the form of a stool configured for mounting on a toilet seat over a toilet bowl or pot

10. A toilet configured for receiving a toilet seat or receptacle according to any one of claims 1 to 9.

11. A method for providing a toilet receptacle for assisting in the toilet training or toileting of children, the method including the steps of: configuring the toilet receptacle for use with a toilet or potty; disposing a left hand footrest at a front or left hand side of the toilet receptacle wherein the left hand footrest is configured for raising the left hand knee of the child towards its chest whilst sitting on the seat; and disposing a right hand footrest at a front or right hand side of the toilet receptacle wherein the right hand footrest is configured for raising the right hand knee of the child towards its chest whilst sitting on the seat.

12. A method according to claim 12 wherein the left and right hand footrests are configured to be removably mounted to the toilet receptacle or potty, or are integrally formed therewith.

13. A method according to claims 17 or 18 including the step of providing a sound device and configuring the device to provide one or more predetermined sounds and/or words of encouragement to induce the child to go to the toilet.

14. A footrest for a toilet receptacle for assisting in the toilet training of children, the footrest extending from a front and or side of the receptacle and configured to raise the knees of a child towards their chest while seated towards their chest while seated on the receptacle..

15. A footrest according to claim 20 being removably mountable to the toilet receptacle.

16. A footrest according to claim 20 or 21 being positionable about the front and/or side of the toilet receptacle.

17. A footrest according to any one of claims 20 to 22 wherein the footrest is formed from a pair of spaced apart footrests.

18. A footrest according to any one of claims 20to 23 being movable towards or away from a child seated on the receptacle

19. A footrest according to anyone of claims 20 to 24 being formed from one or more pegs or stirrups

20. A toilet receptacle for assisting in the toileting or toilet training of children, the toilet receptacle including a footrest formed in a front and /or side of an outside of the toilet receptacle , the footrest configured to raise the knees of a child towards their chest when seated on the receptacle

21. A toilet receptacle according to claim 26 including a pair of spaced apart footrests formed in the front and /or side of the outside of the toilet receptacle.

22. A toilet seat for a toilet receptacle, the toilet seat including a footrest extending there from, the footrest configured to raise the knees of a child towards their chest when seated on the toilet seat.