BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

This invention relates to a sanitary toilet seat ring lift which permits the user to lift the toilet seat ring without touching the bowl or its spattered contents.

In addition to statutes requiring sanitary toilet seat ring lifts in public restrooms, the desirability of a lift which permits a person to raise a toilet seat ring without soiling his hand has long been recognized. Representative prior art includes U.S. Pat. No. 1,999,555 to Adams.

Typically, lifts have a gripping portion which extends laterally from a member attached to the underside of a toilet seat. Most of these lifts have one fault in common, the susceptibility of their gripping portions to be soiled by the spattered contents of the toilet bowl. This common fault defeats their intended purpose as a sanitary precaution.

Adams U.S. Pat. No. 1,999,555 attempted to overcome this fault by adding a depending flange in forming part of the gripping portion. However, the flange only protects a certain segment of the gripping portion as its bottom edge curves upwardly toward the underside of the gripping portion near the ear portion which is attached to the underside of the toilet seat. This curvature permits the spatter to pass through the space between the seat and the bowl onto the upwardly curved bottom edge of the flange. The bottom edge can spray the spatter onto the gripping portion.

Moreover, the handle extends laterally and is offset upwardly from the ear portion to leave a gap between the handle and the peripheral edge of the seat. The combination of the longitudinally extending handle and gap presents a hazard to the user and his clothing. Inadvertently, the user could easily impale his leg on the protruding handle lip when standing up or moving to the side of the toilet. A further inadvertency by the user could result in snagging his clothing on the handle.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

The present invention provides a toilet seat ring lift which avoids unsanitary conditions or possible injury to the user.

It is a primary object of the present invention to provide a sanitary toilet seat lift which protects the gripping portion from being spattered by the contents of the toilet bowl.

It is another object of the present invention to provide a sanitary toilet seat lift that prevents the fingers of the user from touching the toilet bowl when gripping it.

A further object of the present invention is to provide a sanitary toilet seat lift which can be attached to the toilet ring with or without mechanical fasteners.

A still further object of the present invention is to provide a sanitary toilet seat lift without obstructing fingers, sharp edges, ridges and corners which result in snagged clothing and difficult surfaces to clean.

Another object of the present invention is to provide a sanitary toilet seat lift that, when attached to the flat underside of the toilet seat, has members which are all below the toilet seat and close to the toilet bowl for avoiding injury to the user where derriere and lower extremities might otherwise come into contact or even break off a member of the toilet seat lift.

Yet another object of the present invention is to provide a toilet seat lift of the above mentioned type which can be incorporated into the molding of a toilet seat ring.

In accordance with the present invention, a sanitary toilet seat ring lift which eliminates a soiled gripping portion and an obstruction to cleaning, clothing and the user includes a generally rectangular base member of flat sheet material with a curved side. The curved side approximately matches the outer curvature of the flat underside of a toilet seat ring. A plastic adhesive tape or screws are used separately or together for securing the member to the underside of the toilet seat ring. A trapezoidal shield member of flat sheet material bows outwardly from the toilet bowl and it depends from the curved side a sufficient distance and at substantially a right angle to the base so that it spans the gap between the toilet seat ring and bowl. A lift member of flat sheet material projects laterally from a point intermediate the parallel sides and surface of the shield member which faces away from the toilet bowl. The three members form an integral toilet seat lift with at least a digit between the lift member and bottom edge of the shield member to shield the lift member from being spattered by the contents of the toilet bowl and to prevent the user's fingers from contacting the toilet bowl.

According to another embodiment of the invention, the aforementioned sanitary toilet seat lift is incorporated into the toilet seat ring where the shield and lift members are substantially the same size and shape as the previously described toilet ring lift and the toilet seat ring itself serves as the base member.

Preferably, a sanitary toilet seat ring lift made according to the invention is molded out of a suitable plastic material which may vary in flexibility or is molded out of the toilet seat ring material if molded integral therewith.

Other objects and advantages of the invention will become apparent in the following specification taken in connection with the accompanying drawing.

DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWING

FIG. 1 is a plan view of a toilet seat ring lift embodying the invention, illustrating the attachment location on a toilet seat ring;

FIG. 2 is an end view thereof, taken along line 1--1 of FIG. 1, illustrating spatter from the toilet bowl;

FIG. 3 is an end view of another embodiment thereof;

FIG. 4 is a bottom view of the lift of FIG. 1;

FIG. 5 is a perspective view thereof; and

FIG. 6 is an elevation thereof.

DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT

One embodiment of the toilet seat ring lift with an improved sanitary shield made according to the invention is illustrated in FIGS. 1-2 and 4-6, and includes a one-piece molded part 10 of several elements. The elements of the lift 10 include a generally rectangular base member 12 of 3 inches in length, 1-1/16 inches in width and a curved side 14 on one of the 3 inch sides with a 10 inch radius of curvature. The base member 12 consists of a plastic flat sheet material approximately 7/64 inch thick. The base member 12 has a 1 × 3 inch strip 16 of plastic adhesive tape with a protective covering 18 bonded to the surface as seen in FIG. 5. The base member 12 also has a pair of screw holes 20 and 22 which are spaced 2 inches apart and 1/2 inch from the corners. The holes 20 and 22 are provided with beveled lips 24 and 26, respectively, for receiving a flat screw head with a taper as shown in FIG. 4.

A bowed trapezoidal shield member 28 of a flat sheet material similar to the base member 12 depends closely adjacent to a toilet bowl from a rounded edge connection with the curved side 14 of the base member 12. The curved parallel upper side 30 of the trapezoidal shield member 28 corresponds in length and curvature with the curved side 14 of the base member 12. The nonparallel sides 32 and 34 of the trapezoidal shield member 28 extend downwardly 11/2 inches in length and inwardly at a 5° taper to the other parallel side 36 of 2-11/16 inches in length. The bottom edge 36 of the trapezoidal shield member 28 has round corners 38 and 40 to avoid any obstruction to cleaning or clothing. An apex 42 on the bowed portion of the trapezoidal shield member 28 faces outwardly from a toilet bowl 44 when the base member 12 is attached to the flat underside of a toilet seat ring 46 pivoted on the bowl 44 and has a curvature 48 with a radius of 10-3/16 inches relative to the curved side 14 of the base member 12.

A finger-gripping lift member 50 of identical material as the shield member 28 projects laterally from the apex 42 approximately 11/4 inches to a curved edge 52 which has a radius of 11-7/16 inches relative to the curved side 14 of the base member 12 and a longitudinal extension of 2-11/16 inches. The lift member 50 has sides 54 and 56 which taper inwardly toward the curved edge 52. The lift member 50 has a thickness which tapers from the apex 42 to the curved edge 52. The corners 58 and 60 of the lift member 50 are likewise round for protection against injury to a user 62 and damage to his clothing. A space of 5/8 inch extends from the underside 64 of the lift member 50 to the bottom edge 36 of the shield member 28.

Preferably, the members 12, 28 and 50 form a one-piece molded toilet seat ring lift 10 which is made out of a plastic material. The toilet seat ring lift 10 can be made of a material which varies in flexibility and in color according to its application.

FIg. 3 is another embodiment of the invention. Here, the toilet seat ring 46 is substituted for the base member 12 but the shield and lift members 28 and 50, respectively, remain unchanged in size and shape from the first embodiment. This permits the toilet seat ring lift 10 of the present invention to be incorporated in the manufacturing process of the toilet seat ring 46.

Turning now to FIGS. 1, 2 and 5, the protective covering 18 is removed from the tape 16 on the base member 12 exposing the adhesive surface. The adhesive surface of the tape 16 is attached to the flat underside 66 of the toilet seat ring 46 so that the radius of the curved base member 14 corresponds to the radius of the curved outer edge 68 on the toilet seat ring 46. In addition to the adhesive tape 16, a further mechanical fastening is often desirable for use in a public restroom to make difficult the removal of the toilet seat ring lift 10. A screw connection, as depicted in FIG. 2, is used. Preferably, a flat head screw 70 with a taper corresponding to the beveled lips 24 and 26 of the screw holes 20 and 22, respectively, is used as the fastener to maintain a flush surface on the flat underside of the rectangular base member 12.

In summary, the toilet seat ring lift 10 provides a sanitary and safe means for lifting a toilet seat ring. The design of the lift 10 eliminates any contact with the derriere or lower extremities of the user 62 as well as any possible injury thereto because the lift 10 is attached to the underside of the toilet seat ring 46 with its curved side 14 flush with the outer peripheral edge 68 of the toilet seat ring so that the depending shield member 28 is closely adjacent the outside of the toilet bowl 44. The only protruding member of the toilet seat ring lift 10 is its lift member 50 which projects laterally a short distance from the depending trapezoidal shield member 28 at a safe distance below the top surface of the toilet seat ring 46. The shield member 28 of the lift 10 also spans the gap between the toilet ring 46 and bowl 44 to provide a shield for the lift member 50 so that it is impossible for any spatter 72 from the water 74 in the bowl 44 to soil the lift member 50 which is located above the bottom edge of the shield member 28. The shield member 28 also prevents the fingers 76 of the user from accidentally contacting the bowl 54 when operating the lift 10 since the gripping portion of the lift member 50 projects laterally at a point intermediate the parallel sides of the trapezoidal shield member 28 which leaves a space of at least a digit between the underside 64 of the lift member 50 and the bottom edge 36 of the shield member 28.

Moreover, the round corners and the smooth surfaces of the lift 10 as well as the round edge connections between each element provide an obstruction-free toilet seat ring for clothing, cleanliness and safety.