US3545015A - Hygienic apparatus - Google Patents

Description

Dec. 8, 1970 I c. R. RICHARDSON, JR., ETAL 0 5 HYGIENIC APPARATUS '3 Sheets-Sheet 1 Filed April 15, 1968 INVEN TO R s Omr/es ff. fla /Adm James K Faye/v Dec. 8, 1970 c. R. RICHARDSON, JR.. ET AL ,0

HYGIENIC APPARATUS 3 Sheets-Sheet 2 Filed April 15; 1968 [III/1111110111111 01/101111.

INVEN TORS. (fiar/es i/ZMW/JW, Jr.

James K/ eje/v.

fltfir- 1970 c. R. RICHARDSON, JR. ETAL 3,5 0

HYGIENIC APPARATUS 3 Sheets-Sheet 15 Filed April .15, 1968 w w m w m w i n 4 k a m rm James F F United States Patent 3,545,015 HYGIENIC APPARATUS Charles R. Richardson, Jr., Glenview, and James F. Fegen, Morton Grove, Ill., assignors to Sani-Seat Inc. Filed Apr. 15, 1968, Ser. No. 721,417 Int. Cl. A4721 3/22 US. Cl. 4--7 14 Claims ABSTRACT OF THE DISCLOSURE A hygienic apparatus comprised of a housing that is seated on a mounting plate secured to a toilet bowl and has the toilet seat and cover hingedly connected to journals integral with the mounting plate. The housing contains components for heating and directing a stream of water into the bowl below the seat and also contains blower-heater means for directing a flow of air into the bowl; the seat being fashioned to permit such air passage.

This invention relates to improvements in hygenic apparatus and is more particularly concerned with the provision, in mounted association with a toilet bowl, of novel means for directing a jet of warm water at the anus or adjacent body openings and subsequently directing a stream of warm air onto said area or areas to dry the same, all without materially changing or altering the toilet seat structure.

The herein disclosed structure embodies a substantially rectangular housing that is seated on a mounting plate secured to an area of the toilet bowl rearwardly of a substantially conventional type seat and cover in such position as to be located entirely rearwardly of a person seated on the seat. The seat and cover are hingedly connected to the mounting plate. The housing includes manually actuated electric switch means eifective when in one of a plurality of positions to heat a stream of water and direct a jet stream toward the critical body area and when in another position to stop the flow of water and discharge a stream of warm drying air.

The structure is such that it requires but a minimal change in the conventional structure of the seat and cover so as to direct the stream of drying air onto the selected body area. All of the mechanism, such as the switch, the water heater and discharge nozzle and the warm air delivery means is contained within the body of the housing.

The apparatus disclosed herein includes a novel mounting plate and related assembly which permit it to be used in association with substantially all commercially avail able toilets without modification of the same irrespective of whether the bowl is essentially oval or round, and which permit use of the toilet seat in a conventional fashion, even when the blower-heater assembly is removed for servicing.

It is therefore an object of the invention to provide a novelly constructed and assembled hygenic apparatus of the character referred to.

Another object is to provide a device of the character referred to in which all of the operating components are enclosed in a housing situated rearwardly of the seat on a toilet bowl.

Another object is to provide a structure wherein the housing is not utilized as a part of the seat.

Another object is to provide for the novel disposition of various components of the device within a housing.

Another object is to provide a novelly constructed toilet seat.

Another object is to provide a novelly constructed mounting plate having hinge journals thereon.

Another object is to provide novel means for hingedly connecting the seat and cover to the component housing.

Patented Dec. 8, 1970 The structure by means of which the above-noted and other objects and advantages of the invention are attained will be described in the following specification, taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings, showing a preferred illustrative embodiment of the invention, in which:

FIG. 1 is a top plan view of a toilet bowl showing the hygienic apparatus mounted thereon.

FIG. 2 is a side elevational view thereof.

FIG. 3 is a detail sectional view of the hinge structure connecting the seat and cover to the mounting plate and housing.

FIG. 4 is a fragmentary detail perspective view of the rear edge of the cover.

FIG. 5 is a fragmentary detail perspective view of the rear edge of the seat.

FIG. 6 is an elevational view of the back side of the housing, showing the back cover removed, and illustrating the arrangement of components therein.

FIG. 7 is an enlarged fragmentary vertical sectional view of the housing, seat and cover, taken substantially on line 7-7 of FIG. 6.

FIG. 8 is a perspective view of the mounting plate.

FIG. 9 is a schematic diagram of the electric wiring in the apparatus.

Referring specifically to FIGS. 1 and 2 of the accompanying drawings, the toilet bowl 11 is fitted with a seat 12 and a cover 13 mounted on the toilet bowl, and rearwardly of the seat and cover, is an upstanding substantially rectangular housing 14. The seat, cover and housing preferably are fabricated from rigid plastic material. The housing is comprised, as best shown in FIGS. 6 and 7, of a bottom wall 15, a front wall 16, which has its upper area inclined rearwardly, as at 16a, a top wall 17 and end walls 18. The bottom wall 15 has a perimeter flange 19 on its bottom face that nests over the edges of a novel rectangular mounting plate 21 which is secured firmly to the toilet bowl, as by mounting studs 22 having heads 22a that are seated in recesses or holes 23 in the bottom wall 15.

As best shown in FIG. 8, the mounting plate 21 includes on its rearwardly facing edge, an upstanding flange 24 having spaced apertures 25 therein to receive bolts (not shown) which may be used for securing it to certain styles of toilets. Its front edge is formed with two forwardly extending flanges 26, each of which has an upstanding bearing or hinge journal 27, each apertured, as at 28, at its upper end. Each journal also has a horizontal aperture 29 to receive a bolt 31 (FIG. 3) for securing the journal 27 to the front wall of housing 14 and for locating the housing and seat 12 and cover 13 with respect to one another and the mounting plate 21. Preferably, the plate 21 has two pairs of mounting holes 32 for the studs 22, so as to further adapt it for being mounted on toilet bowls of various lengths and sizes.

The seat 12 and cover 13 are hingedly connected to the journals 27 as by journal pins 33 as best shown in FIG. 3. It will be observed that the seat and cover may both be raised into an elevated position with the cover 13 lying against the inclined housing wall portion 16a.

The mounting plate 21 by reason of flange 24 and journals 27, in association with housing perimeter flange 19, serves to nest housing 14 in position and allows removal of the housing 14 from the assembly for servicing without affecting the availability of seat 12 and cover 13 for use in a conventional manner.

Referring now to FIG. 6, one end wall 18 of the housing mounts an electric toggle switch 34, adjacent to its upper end, and has a passage near its lower end to receive an electric conductor 35a leading to a source of electric current. Also mounted within said housing is a water heater unit 35, a transformer 36, an anti back-up valve 37, a solenoid flow control valve 3 8 and a combination motor 39, air blower 41 and air heater 42. These components are all secured to and are carried by the housing front wall 16, as by means of the various clamps shown. A line 43 leading to the main water supply is connected to the solenoid valve 38. This valve is connected by a conduit 44 to the water heater unit 35. A flow conduit 45 leads from the water heater unit to the anti back-up valve 37 from where a conduit 46 leads to the lower central region of the front wall for projection through an opening 47. As best shown in FIG. 7, the conduit 46 is connected to a spray nozzle 48 provided with a single upwardly-forwardly directed jet orifice or water dispensing element 49. Preferably, the nozzle 48 is mounted firmly in an extension 51 contiguous with wall opening 47. The position of the jet nozzle is such that when a stream or jet of water is discharged therefrom, it will be directed in the area of the anus of a person seated on seat 12.

The blower 41 has its discharge end 41a directed toward the housing front wall, which is provided with an opening '52 that normally is closed by a flapgate 53. As shown in doted lines in FIG. 7, this gate swings upwardly-outwardly when air is discharged from the blower 41, so as to permit air to be discharged from the gate over the rear side of the seat and into the toilet bowl. In order to permit passage of air into the bowl while a person is seated thereon, the rear side of the seat is recessed, as at 54, and the cover 13 is recessed at 55 (see FIG. 4) to afford clearance for opening of the flap gate 53.

Referring now to FIG. 9, the switch 34 has four terminals, "56, 57, 58, and -9, and a pair of movable contacts 61 and 62. When the switch is in neutral or off position, the contact 62 is engaged with terminal 57, so as to connect the secondary of transformer 36 to water heater 35 through the contacts of thermal switch 63. Transformer 36 will maintain a minimum flow of current suflicient to maintain temperate water in the heater 35 during periods of non-use. When the switch is set to initiate the flow of water, contact 61 engages terminal 58 and simultaneously contact 62 disengages contact 5 7, disconnecting secondary of transformer 36 from water heater 35, and engages terminal 59, thus supplying full line voltage to solenoid flow control valve 38 and to water heater 35, and thereby rapidly heat water passing through the heater during a period of use. When the switch is reversed, to operate the blower 41 and air heater 42, its contacts 61 and 62 engage terminals 56 and 57, respectively, so as to stop the flow of water and supply electric current to the blower and heater. Heater air is discharged from the housing through the opening 52.

Although we have described a preferred embodiment of our invention in considerable detail, it will be understood that the description thereof is intended to be illustrative rather than restrictive, as details of the structure may be modified or changed wihout departing from the spirit or scope of the invention. Accordingly, We do not desire to be restricted to the exact construction described.

We claim:

1. A hygienic apparatus for use on a toilet bowl having a surface at its rear side, comprising a mounting plate secured to said surface and including upstanding hinge journals, a toilet seat hingedly connected to said hinge journals and adaptable to support a person seated thereon, and a removably secured housing nested on said mounting plate, said housing including a water dispensing element for projecting a jet of water from said housing toward the toilet seat, valve and delivery means for delivering water under pressure to said Water dispensing element, and electrically operated means for selectively actuating said valve and delivery means.

2, The hygienic apparatus recited in claim 1, which 4 includes an air duct in said housing terminating in an outlet adjacent said water dispensing element.

3. The hygienic apparatus recited in claim 1, which includes a cover for said toilet seat hingedly connected to said hinge journals.

4. The hygienic apparatus recited in claim 2, in which the seat is recessed to direct air flowing from said outlet toward the toilet bowl.

5. The hygienic apparatus recited in claim 1, in which the housing contains a water heating element, an air blower, an air duct terminating in an outlet in the front wall of the housing, heater means for air discharged by said blower, and a solenoid controlled water valve.

6. The hygienic apparatus recited in claim 1, in which means is provided in the housing to heat water passing through the water dispensing element.

7. The hygienic apparatus recited in claim 1, in which the mounting plate includes flange means engageable with said housing.

8. The hygienic apparatus recited in claim 3, wherein a wall of the housing is tapered rearwardly upwardly, and the toilet seat and cover may be pivotally moved into an inclined position lying against said tapered wall.

'9. The hygienic apparatus recited in claim 5 in which the housing includes spaced apart opposed walls and all of said components are mounted on the inside surface of one wall, and the other Wall is removable from said housing.

10. The hygienic apparatus recited in claim -1 in which mating members are provided on the housing and mounting plate to removably nest and locate the housing on said plate relative to the toilet seat.

'11. The hygienic apparatus recited in claim 1 in which the mounting plate has a plurality of pairs of apertures and one pair of said apertures is selectively utilized to secure said plate to the toilet bowl.

12. The hygienic apparatus recited in claim 2 in which an electrically operated blower is connected to said air duct and means is provided to heat air passing therethrough.

13. 'In a plate for mounting a hygienic apparatus to a toilet bowl, said plate comprising a body having a flat surface on at least one face thereof, a plurality of mounting means each selectively adaptable for securing said body to said toilet bowl, an upstanding flange on said surface, and journals spaced apart from said flange extending from said body.

14. The mounting plate recited in claim 13 in combination with a housing for operating components removably nested in a predetermined position on said plate between said flange and journals, and a toilet seat pivotally secured to said journals.

References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 205,490 7/1878 Kuessner et al. 4-7 535,967 3/1895 Viale 4-7 1,088,696 3/ 1914 Goverts 4--7 1,187,759 6/1916 Manahan 4-7 1,668,048 5/1928 Campus 4-7 1,752,782 4/1930 Burton 47 1,977,758 10/1934 Epler 47 2,070,622 2/ 1937 Salvoni 4-7 2,875,450 3/1959 Umann 4-7 3,247,524 4/ 1966 Umann 47 3,358,747 12/1967 Lesher et al. 4-1

FOREIGN PATENTS 18,723 3/ 1910 Great Britain 47 596,344 4/1932 Germany 4-7 LAVERNE D. GEIGER, Primary Examiner D. :B. MASSENBERG, Assistant Examiner

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