Assembly for automatically closing a water closet cover in a controlled manner

Claim 2

An assembly for automatically lowering a toilet bowl cover in a controlled manner comprising: A) a toilet bowl having a rim, a forward location and a tank mounted thereon at a rear location on said bowl; B) a toilet flush system which includes a flush handle mounted on said tank; C) a hinge unit mounted on said toilet bowl adjacent to said tank and including (1) a first shaft mount having a first shaft rotatably mounted therein, said first shaft being cylindrical and having a longitudinal axis extending parallel to a plane containing said toilet bowl rim and rotating about said longitudinal axis, (2) a second shaft mount having a second shaft rotatably mounted therein, said second shaft being cylindrical and having first and second ends and a longitudinal centerline which is aligned with said first shaft longitudinal axis, said second shaft rotating about said second shaft longitudinal centerline; D) a toilet bowl cover fixed to said first and second shafts for movement therewith between an upright bowl uncovering position and a bowl covering position; and E) a mechanism for automatically lowering said toilet bowl cover from said bowl uncovering position to said bowl covering position and for controlling and retarding such movement as said cover moves, said mechanism including (1) a torsion spring on said second shaft near said second shaft one end, said torsion spring being fixed to said second shaft at one end of said spring and being fixed to said second shaft mount at another end of said spring and applying force to said second shaft to bias said second shaft to rotate in a forward direction which moves said cover from said bowl uncovering position towards said bowl covering position, (2) a cover pushing unit which includes (a) a trip wire connected at a top end thereof to said toilet flush handle to move when said flush handle is operated to flush said toilet, (b) a pusher bar attached to said trip wire at a bottom end of said trip wire for movement therewith, said pusher bar being located to be in abutting contact with said second shaft when said cover is in said upright bowl uncovering position, (c) a trip wire mount which orients said pusher bar and said trip wire to move in a trip wire forward direction towards said cover and to force cover forward when said flush handle is operated to flush said toilet with said abutting contact between said pusher bar and said toilet bowl second shaft causing said cover to move out of said upright position towards said bowl covering position when said flush handle is operated to flush said toilet, and (3) a cover movement controlling unit for controlling and retarding forward movement of said cover from said upright position toward said bowl covering position, said cover movement controlling unit including (a) a spring-loaded shock absorber mounted on said second shaft mount and including a shock absorber arm connected to said second shaft, (b) a spring in said shock absorber and connected to said shock absorber arm, said shock absorber spring acting in opposition to said torsion spring and in opposition to the force gravity exerts on said cover to control and retard forward movement of said toilet bowl cover from said upright position towards said bowl covering position.

Claim 3

The assembly defined in claim 1 wherein said cover movement controlling unit further includes (c) a cam mounted on said second shaft for rotation therewith, and (d) a cam follower mounted on said shock absorber arm to engage said cam as said cam rotates.

Claim 4

The assembly defined in claim 2 wherein said cam includes a first arcuate surface and a concavo-convex surface in engagement with said cam follower.

Claim 5

The assembly defined in claim 3 wherein said concavo-convex surface includes a convex section located between two concave sections.

Claim 6

The assembly defined in claim 4 wherein said cam further includes an edge connected to a first section of said two concave sections and a ridge connected to a second section of said two concave sections.

Claim 7

The assembly defined in claim 5 wherein said ridge and said edge have radii of curvature, with said ridge having a greater radius of curvature than said edge.

Claim 8

The assembly defined in claim 6 wherein said cam follower is circular in peripheral shape and is mounted at the center thereof.

Claim 9

The assembly defined in claim 1 wherein said shock absorber arm is connected to said second shaft at a location spaced from said longitudinal centerline, and said shock absorber is pivotally mounted on said second shaft mount.

Claim 10

The assembly defined in claim 7 further including a bushing on said second shaft on which said pusher bar rides.

Claim 11

The assembly defined in claim 9 further including a sleeve containing said trip wire.

Claim 12

An assembly for automatically lowering a toilet bowl seat in a controlled manner comprising: A) a toilet bowl having a rim, a forward location and a tank mounted thereon at a rear location on said bowl; B) a toilet flush system which includes a flush handle mounted on said tank; C) a hinge unit mounted on said toilet bowl adjacent to said tank and including (1) a first shaft mount having a first shaft rotatably mounted therein, said first shaft being cylindrical and having a longitudinal axis extending parallel to a plane containing said toilet bowl rim and rotating about said longitudinal axis, (2) a second shaft mount having a second shaft rotatably mounted therein, said second shaft being cylindrical and having first and second ends and a longitudinal centerline which is aligned with said first shaft longitudinal axis, said second shaft rotating about said second shaft longitudinal centerline; D) a toilet bowl seat fixed to said first and second shafts for movement therewith between an upright bowl uncovering position and a bowl covering position; and E) a mechanism for automatically lowering said toilet bowl seat from said bowl uncovering position to said bowl covering position and for controlling and retarding such movement as said seat moves, said mechanism including (1) a torsion spring on said second shaft near said second shaft one end, said torsion spring being fixed to said second shaft at one end of said spring and being fixed to said second shaft mount at another end of said spring and applying force to said second shaft to bias said second shaft to rotate in a forward direction which moves said seat from said bowl uncovering position towards said bowl covering position, (2) a seat pushing unit which includes (a) a trip wire connected at a top end thereof to said toilet flush handle to move when said flush handle is operated to flush said toilet, (b) a pusher bar attached to said trip wire at a bottom end of said trip wire for movement therewith, said pusher bar being located to be in abutting contact with said second shaft when said seat is in said upright bowl uncovering position, (c) a trip wire mount which orients said pusher bar and said trip wire to move in a trip wire forward direction towards said seat and to force seat forward when said flush handle is operated to flush said toilet with said abutting contact between said pusher bar and said second shaft causing said seat to move out of said upright position towards said bowl covering position when said flush handle is operated to flush said toilet, and (3) a seat movement controlling unit for controlling and retarding forward movement of said seat from said upright position toward said bowl covering position, said seat movement controlling unit including (a) a spring-loaded shock absorber mounted on said second shaft mount and including a shock absorber arm connected to said second shaft, (b) a spring in said shock absorber and connected to said shock absorber arm, said shock absorber spring acting in opposition to said torsion spring and in opposition to the force gravity exerts on said seat to control and retard forward movement of said toilet bowl seat from said upright position towards said bowl covering position.

Claim 13

An assembly for automatically lowering a toilet bowl seat in a controlled manner comprising: A) a toilet bowl having a rim, a forward location and a tank mounted thereon at a rear location on said bowl; B) a toilet flush system which includes a flush handle mounted on said tank; C) a hinge unit mounted on said toilet bowl adjacent to said tank and including (1) a first shaft mount having a first shaft rotatably mounted therein, said first shaft being cylindrical and having a longitudinal axis extending parallel to a plane containing said toilet bowl rim and rotating about said longitudinal axis, (2) a second shaft mount having a second shaft rotatably mounted therein, said second shaft being cylindrical and having first and second ends and a longitudinal centerline which is aligned with said first shaft longitudinal axis, said second shaft rotating about said second shaft longitudinal centerline; D) a toilet bowl seat fixed to said first and second shafts for movement therewith between an upright bowl uncovering position and a bowl covering position; and E) a mechanism for automatically lowering said toilet bowl seat from said bowl uncovering position to said bowl covering position and for controlling and retarding such movement as said seat moves, said mechanism including (1) a torsion spring on said second shaft near said second shaft one end, said torsion spring being fixed to said second shaft at one end of said spring and being fixed to said second shaft mount at another end of said spring and applying force to said second shaft to bias said second shaft to rotate in a forward direction which moves said seat from said bowl uncovering position towards said bowl covering position, (2) a seat pushing unit which includes (a) a trip wire connected at a top end thereof to said toilet flush handle to move when said flush handle is operated to flush said toilet, (b) a pusher bar attached to said trip wire at a bottom end of said trip wire for movement therewith, said pusher bar being located to be in abutting contact with said second shaft when said seat is in said upright bowl uncovering position, (c) a trip wire mount which orients said pusher bar and said trip wire to move in a trip wire forward direction towards said seat and to force seat forward when said flush handle is operated to flush said toilet with said abutting contact between said pusher bar and said second shaft causing said seat to move out of said upright position towards said bowl covering position when said flush handle is operated to flush said toilet, and (3) a seat movement controlling unit for controlling and retarding forward movement of said seat from said upright position toward said bowl covering position, said seat movement controlling unit including (a) a spring-loaded shock absorber mounted on said second shaft mount and including a shock absorber arm connected to said second shaft, (b) a spring in said shock absorber and connected to said shock absorber arm, said shock absorber spring acting in opposition to said torsion spring and in opposition to the force gravity exerts on said seat to control and retard forward movement of said toilet bowl seat from said upright position towards said bowl covering position.

Claim 14

An assembly for use with a toilet comprising: A) a toilet bowl having a rim, a forward location and a tank mounted thereon at a rear location on said bowl; B) a toilet flush system which includes a flush handle mounted on said tank; C) a hinge unit mounted on said toilet bowl adjacent to said tank and including (1) a first shaft mount having a first shaft rotatably mounted therein, said first shaft being cylindrical and having a longitudinal axis extending parallel to a plane containing said toilet bowl rim and rotating about said longitudinal axis, (2) a second shaft mount having a second shaft rotatably mounted therein, said second shaft being cylindrical and having first and second ends and a longitudinal centerline which is aligned with said first shaft longitudinal axis, said second shaft rotating about said second shaft longitudinal centerline; D) a toilet bowl seat fixed to said first and second shafts for movement therewith between an upright bowl uncovering position and a bowl covering position; E) a toilet bowl cover fixed to said first and second shafts for movement therewith between an upright bowl uncovering position and a bowl covering position F) a mechanism for automatically lowering said toilet bowl seat and said toilet bowl cover from said bowl uncovering positions to said bowl covering positions and for controlling and retarding such movement as said seat and said cover move, said mechanism including (1) a torsion spring on said second shaft near said second shaft one end, said torsion spring being fixed to said second shaft at one end of said spring and being fixed to said second shaft mount at another end of said spring and applying force to said second shaft to bias said second shaft to rotate in a forward direction which moves said seat from said bowl uncovering position towards said bowl covering position, (2) a seat and cover pushing unit which includes (a) a trip wire connected at a top end thereof to said toilet flush handle to move when said flush handle is operated to flush said toilet, (b) a pusher bar attached to said trip wire at a bottom end of said trip wire for movement therewith, said pusher bar being located to be in abutting contact with said second shaft when said seat and said cover are in said upright bowl uncovering positions, (c) a trip wire mount which orients said pusher bar and said trip wire to move in a trip wire forward direction towards said seat and said cover and to force seat and said cover forward when said flush handle is operated to flush said toilet with said abutting contact between said pusher bar and said second shaft causing said cover and seat to move out of said upright positions towards said bowl covering positions when said flush handle is operated to flush said toilet, and (3) a cover and seat movement controlling unit for controlling and retarding forward movements of said cover and said seat from said upright position toward said bowl covering position, said cover and seat movements controlling unit including (a) a spring-loaded shock absorber mounted on said second shaft mount and including a shock absorber arm connected to said second shaft, (b) a spring in said shock absorber and connected to said shock absorber arm, said shock absorber spring acting in opposition to said torsion spring and in opposition to the force gravity exerts on said cover and seat to control and retard forward movements of said toilet bowl cover and seat from said upright positions towards said bowl covering positions.

Claim 15

An assembly for use with a toilet comprising: A) a toilet bowl having a rim, a forward location and a tank mounted thereon at a rear location on said bowl; B) a toilet flush system which includes a flush handle mounted on said tank; C) a hinge unit mounted on said toilet bowl adjacent to said tank and including (1) a first shaft mount having a first shaft rotatably mounted therein, said first shaft being cylindrical and having a longitudinal axis extending parallel to a plane containing said toilet bowl rim and rotating about said longitudinal axis, (2) a second shaft mount having a second shaft rotatably mounted therein, said second shaft being cylindrical and having first and second ends and a longitudinal centerline which is aligned with said first shaft longitudinal axis, said second shaft rotating about said second shaft longitudinal centerline; D) a toilet bowl seat fixed to said first and second shafts for movement therewith between an upright bowl uncovering position and a bowl covering position; E) a toilet bowl cover fixed to said first and second shafts for movement therewith between an upright bowl uncovering position and a bowl covering position F) a mechanism for automatically lowering said toilet bowl seat and said toilet bowl cover from said bowl uncovering positions to said bowl covering positions and for controlling and retarding such movement as said seat and said cover move, said mechanism including (1) a torsion spring on said second shaft near said second shaft one end, said torsion spring being fixed to said second shaft at one end of said spring and being fixed to said second shaft mount at another end of said spring and applying force to said second shaft to bias said second shaft to rotate in a forward direction which moves said seat from said bowl uncovering position towards said bowl covering position, (2) a seat and cover pushing unit which includes (a) a trip wire connected at a top end thereof to said toilet flush handle to move when said flush handle is operated to flush said toilet, (b) a pusher bar attached to said trip wire at a bottom end of said trip wire for movement therewith, said pusher bar being located to be in abutting contact with said second shaft when said seat and said cover are in said upright bowl uncovering positions, (c) a trip wire mount which orients said pusher bar and said trip wire to move in a trip wire forward direction towards said seat and said cover and to force seat and said cover forward when said flush handle is operated to flush said toilet with said abutting contact between said pusher bar and said second shaft causing said cover and seat to move out of said upright positions towards said bowl covering positions when said flush handle is operated to flush said toilet, and (3) a cover and seat movement controlling unit for controlling and retarding forward movements of said cover and said seat from said upright position toward said bowl covering position, said cover and seat movements controlling unit including (a) a spring-loaded shock absorber mounted on said second shaft mount and including a shock absorber arm connected to said second shaft, (b) a spring in said shock absorber and connected to said shock absorber arm, said shock absorber spring acting in opposition to said torsion spring and in opposition to the force gravity exerts on said cover and seat to control and retard forward movements of said toilet bowl cover and seat from said upright positions towards said bowl covering positions.