Toilet covering hinge assembly

Claim 2

A toilet covering hinge assembly, comprising: a pair of spaced apart hinge receiving elements, each said hinge receiving element having a bore which is alignable with a hinge axis; a pair of hinge post elements, one corresponding to each hinge receiving element, each of said hinge post elements being axially insertable into the bore of the corresponding hinge receiving element; two of said elements being suitable to be connected to the rearward portion of a toilet, and the other two of said elements being suitable to be connected to the rearward portion of a first covering member; a carriage; at least one of said elements being fixed to the carriage, said carriage being slidable along the hinge axis to restrain said one of said elements against rotation; and said elements and bores being fashioned so as to permit a key-in-slot type connection between each hinge post element and the corresponding hinge receiving element to capture the first covering member on the toilet and to capture the slidable element and carriage axially by inserting the hinge post elements into the corresponding hinge receiving elements and rotating the covering member about the hinge axis, thereby locking the hinge post elements and the hinge receiving elements together; wherein the carriage is slidable along the hinge axis to assemble or disassemble the key in slot connection associated with the carriage only when the covering member is in an assembly position in which the key and slot associated with the carriage are in angular registration with one another.

Claim 3

The assembly of claim 1, wherein: each of the hinge post elements has a free end extending outwardly away from the other; a foundation mountable to the toilet; and the carriage is slidable in a track formed in the foundation.

Claim 4

A hinge assembly as in claim 2 further comprising: a second covering member having a pair of ears spaced apart to straddle the outer sides of the hinge receiving elements, each ear having a bore which opens inwardly and is alignable with the hinge axis; wherein each hinge post is extendable into the bore of the adjacent ear to capture the second covering member.

Claim 5

A hinge assembly as in claim 3, wherein: each hinge post has a radially extending lug; and a reserved space is provided to house and conceal each lug between each hinge receiving element and the corresponding ear when the first and second covering members are in the assembled position.

Claim 6

A toilet covering hinge assembly, comprising: a pair of spaced apart hinge receiving elements, each said hinge receiving element having a bore which is alignable with a hinge axis; a pair of hinge post elements, one correpsonding to each hinge receiving element, each of said hinge post elements being axially insertable into the bore of the corresponding hinge receiving element; two of said elements being suitable to be connected to the rearward portion of a toilet, and the other two of said elements being suitable to be connected to the rearward portion of a first covering member; a carriage; at least one of said elements being fixed to the carriage, said carriage being slidable along the hinge axis to restrain said one of said elements against rotation; and said elements and bores being fastened so as to permit a key-in-slot type connection between each hinge post element and the corresponding hinge receiving element to capture the first covering member on the toilet and to capture the slidable element and carriage axially by inserting the hinge post elements into the corresponding hinge receiving elements and rotating the covering member about the hinge axis, thereby locking the hinge post elements and the hinge receiving elements together; wherein each of the hinge post elements has a free end extending outwardly away from the other; a foundation is mountable to the toilet; the carriage is slidable in a track formed in the foundation; the slidable element fixed to the carriage is a hinge post element; and the hinge receiving elements are mounted on the first covering member.

Claim 7

A toilet covering hinge assembly, comprising: a pair of spaced apart hinge receiving elements, each said hinge receiving element having a bore which is alignable with a hinge axis; a pair of hinge post elements, one correpsonding to each hinge receiving element, each of said hinge post elements being axially insertable into the bore of the corresponding hinge receiving element; two of said elements being suitable to be connected to the rearward portion of a toilet, and the other two of said elements being suitable to be connected to the rearward portion of a first covering member; a carriage; at least one of said elements being fixed to the carriage, said carriage being slidable along the hinge axis to restrain said one of said elements against rotation; and said elements and bores being fastened so as to permit a key-in-slot type connection between each hinge post element and the corresponding hinge receiving element to capture the first covering member on the toilet and to capture the slidable element and carriage axially by inserting the hinge post elements into the corresponding hinge receiving elements and rotating the covering member about the hinge axis, thereby locking the hinge post elements and the hinge receiving elements together; wherein each of the hinge post elements has a free end extending outwardly away from the other; a foundation is mountable to the toilet; the carriage is slidable in a track formed in the foundation; the slidable element fixed to the carriage is a hinge post element; and the hinge receiving elements are mounted on the first covering member.