Soft close hinge for a toilet seat

Abstract

 The present invention relates to a hinge for mounting a toilet seat (61) and/or lid (62) onto a toilet bowl, said hinge comprising a shaft (3) with a bore (31) for insertion of a peg (11), a damping means (4) with a core (42) and a casing (41), wherein the casing (41) is rotatably connected to the core (42), which in turn is coaxially affixed to the shaft (3). The hinge according to the invention is characterised in that the core (42) is installed within the casing (41) and the casing (41) encases the entire lateral area of both the core (42) and the shaft (3), wherein the casing (41) features an elongated opening (411) at its long side, the opening (411) being aligned with the bore (31), having a width at least corresponding to that of the bore (31) and radially extending around the casing (41) along at least one quarter of a circumference.

Description

TECHNICAL FIELD

[0001] The present invention relates to a hinge for pivotably mounting a toilet seat and/or seat lid onto a toilet bowl. More specifically the invention pertains to a hinge comprising a damping means for slowing down the lowering motion of the toilet seat and/or seat lid.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

[0002] Toilet seat assemblies typically comprise a toilet seat, a seat lid or cover together with a hinge which is connectable to an appropriate fixture in order to attach the seat and lid to the toilet bowl - where in some cases the lid may be omitted. The hinge enables easy opening and closing of the lid as well as pivoting of the seat to uncover the brim of the bowl. Advanced toilet seat assemblies incorporate a soft close mechanism that slows down the lowering motion of the seat and/or lid, hence ensuring a soft landing of the seat on the brim of the bowl and of the seat lid on the seat. Consequently, slamming of the seat onto the brim of the bowl and of the seat lid onto the seat is avoided, thus preventing loud banging sounds as well as reducing or entirely eliminating the strain imposed on the seat, lid and bowl when clashing onto one another. This relieves the user to some degree from having to handle the toilet seat and/or lid, which is often preferable for hygienic reasons. Furthermore, the lack of loud noise being produced by these toilet seat assemblies is particularly helpful for people how have a propensity for losing their grip when closing toilet seats. In particular small children have problems in this respect.

[0003] Known soft close mechanisms employing damping means are disclosed for instance in US 6,687,921 B1, DE 37 01 720 A1, US 5,768,718 and EP 1 199 020 B1. The damping apparatus according to US 6,687,921 B1 includes a hinged frame, which is attached as an entire unit to the toilet bowl, with a pair of dampers disposed in the frame for coupling with the toilet seat and lid, wherein the coupling is achieved by means of a key extending outwardly from each damper. According to DE 37 01 720 A1 two hydraulic damping elements are arranged in fastening elements, which are each individually attached to the toilet bowl. The axles of the damping elements are connected at their free, outwardly pointing end to the seat on one side and to the lid on the other side. In opposition to this arrangement, US 5,768,718 shows a hinge mechanism employing fluidic damping, where the hinge mechanism comprises a bracket fixedly mounted on the toilet bowl, an inwardly pointing shaft having one end fixedly supported by the bracket and a rotary drum of the damping element coaxially and rotatably mounted on the free portion of the shaft, where the rotary drum holds the seat or lid. In EP 1 199 020 B1 it is proposed to connect the damping means with the fastening means of the seat and cover via an adapter member, wherein the adapter member and the damping means form the rotation axis for the seat and cover. A problem associated with all these prior art solutions is that the seat and lid are held by an inwardly or outwardly facing part protruding from the damping means, where this part holding the seat or lid is relatively narrow. This renders the holding of the seat and lid rather unstable, such that the seat may even slip sideways from the brim of the bowl, especially when a lateral force is applied to the front portion of the seat opposite to the hinge, for instance when a person sits down on the seat. This problem is somewhat alleviated by the solution according to EP 1 199 020 B1, where the seat is partly also supported by the outer surface of the adapter member and the stationary, i.e. non-pivoting (with respect to the bowl), part of the damping means in the sense of a brush bearing.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

[0004] It is an object of the present invention to provide a soft close hinge for a toilet seat and/or lid offering improved stability over prior art solutions.

[0005] This object is achieved by the features recited in the characterizing part of claim 1. Preferred embodiments are stated in the dependent claims.

[0006] The present invention provides a hinge for mounting a toilet seat and/or lid onto a toilet bowl, said hinge comprising a shaft with a bore for insertion of a peg, a damping means with a core and a casing, wherein the casing is rotatably connected to the core, which in turn is coaxially affixed to the shaft, characterised in that the core is installed within the casing and the casing encases the entire lateral area of both the core and the shaft, wherein the casing features an elongated opening at its long side, the opening being aligned with the bore, having a width at least corresponding to that of the bore and radially extending around the casing along at least one quarter of a circumference.

[0007] The elongated opening in the casing is formed such that the casing can rotate about the shaft and core when the seat and/or lid is opened and closed without being hindered in this movement by the peg, which is inserted into the hole in the bore of the shaft and thus attaches the seat and lid to the bowl.

[0008] Thus the casing of the damping means forms a broad contact area which acts as a pivoting axle across its entire length for supporting and/or connecting with the bearings of the seat and lid. Consequently, the seat and lid are held very firmly by the hinge so that particularly the seat cannot slip sideways off the bowl rim even under the pressure of a heavy person sitting and possibly swaying on the toilet set. Furthermore, since the casing extends on both sides of the hole, into which the peg is inserted to secure the seat and lid on the bowl, the force applied to the hinge is more evenly distributed across its entire length, thus reducing the radial stress at the ends. This solution therefore provides a much more stable mounting of the toilet assembly onto the toilet bowl than was previously possible with prior art approaches.

[0009] In one embodiment of the present invention, the hinge is characterised in that the casing comprises a first section for engaging with a toilet seat lid and a second section for engaging with a toilet seat, wherein the linear extension of the second section is at least four times as long as the linear extension of the first section.

[0010] In order to provide an independent damping for the seat and lid the left-hand and right-hand side bearings of the seat and lid are implemented differently. For instance on one side the lid bearing is provided such that it positively engages with the outer end section of the casing so that a damping force can be applied to this bearing. On the same side the seat bearing is provided in the form of a brush bearing which merely rests on the inner section of the casing and can freely rotate around it, thus not being affected by the damping force possibly applied to the lid. The situation is reversed on the other side, where the seat bearing positively engages with the casing and the lid bearing rests on the casing in the form of a brush bearing.

[0011] Choosing a larger area to support or engage the seat bearing with the casing is beneficial since the force imposed on the seat in use is typically much greater than that which is inflicted upon the lid. Moreover, the lid is additionally secured by the seat when the two are in contact with one another since often the rim of the lid is formed such that it embraces the seat along its periphery. In this way the seat and its bearings are in fact further burdened with an extra load from the lid.

[0012] In a further embodiment of the present invention, the hinge is characterised in that it further comprises a locking mechanism mounted at an end of the shaft opposite to the damping means and having a retention element for releasably engaging with a peg inserted in the bore, wherein the retention element is moveable between a position where it is intersecting with the bore and a non-intersecting position.

[0013] Providing a locking mechanism ensures that the hinge together with the seat and lid cannot be unintentionally disconnected from the bowl by firmly securing the peg in the bore of the shaft with a retention element.

[0014] In a further embodiment of the present invention, the hinge is characterised in that the retention element of the previous embodiment is operatively connected to a push member, wherein the push member is arranged coaxially with the shaft and is operatively connected to a biasing means which forces the push member away from the shaft and thus forces the retention element to the position where it is intersecting with the bore.

[0015] With this embodiment the locking mechanism can be released by pressing the push member in the axial direction of the hinge, thus disengaging the retention element from the peg and hence allowing to pull the hinge together with the seat and lid off the peg and away from the bowl. Such a quick release mechanism is very convenient for the user since it allows to install and deinstall the toilet seat and lid together with the hinge in a very quick and simple manner, for instance for cleaning purposes.

[0016] In a further embodiment of the present invention, the hinge is characterised in that the shaft and the core of the damping means are formed integrally.

[0017] With this embodiment manufacturing of the hinge is simplified and a high structural stability of achieved.

[0018] In a further embodiment of the present invention, the hinge is characterised in that the shaft and the core of the damping means are connected with a splice joint.

[0019] With such an embodiment it is possible to combine various shafts with different damping means depending on the specific requirements of the application at hand. For instance shafts with different lengths and different bore sizes or possibly different locking mechanisms can be combined with damping means with different characteristics or which are adapted for engaging in different ways with the bearings of the toilet seat and/or lid. Furthermore, this allows rapid exchange of the shaft or the damping means in case of a defect of one of these.

[0020] It is expressly pointed out that any combination of the above-mentioned or hereafter described embodiments is feasible. Whereas of course, those combinations of embodiments that would result in contradictions are excluded.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0021] For the purpose of facilitating the understanding of the present invention, a preferred embodiment thereof is illustrated in the accompanying drawings which are to be considered in connection with the following description. Thus, the present invention may be more readily appreciated. What is shown in the drawings is the following:

Fig. 1

is a perspective view of the hinge according to an embodiment of the invention mounted on a fixture;

Fig. 2

is a sectional longitudinal view of the hinge according to an embodiment of the invention mounted on a fixture;

Fig. 3

is a perspective, exploded view of the hinge according to an embodiment of the invention mounted on a fixture; and

Fig. 4

is a sectional longitudinal rear view of a left and right hinge according to an embodiment of the invention mounted on respective fixtures together with a toilet seat and lid.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0022] Fig. 1 shows a hinge according to an embodiment of the invention mounted on a fixture 1 which can be attached to a toilet bowl. The hinge comprises a shaft 3 and a damping means 4, where the shaft is connected to the fixture 1 by means of the peg 11 that protrudes perpendicularly upward from a disc-shaped support plate of the fixture 1 and is inserted into a bore 31 in the shaft 3. The hinge further comprises a locking mechanism 2 mounted at the "inward-looking", viz. left end of the hinge intended to be attached to the right-hand side of the toilet bowl (viewed from the rear-side as in Fig. 4).

[0023] As shown in the sectional view of Fig. 2 the damping means 4 comprises a core 42 which is installed within a casing 41. The casing 41 is rotatably connected to the core 42 and the core 42 is coaxially affixed to the shaft 3. The casing 41 of the damping means 4 encases the entire lateral area of both the core 42 and the shaft 3, i.e. merely leaving open the inward-looking end surface (on the left in Figs. 1 & 2) where the locking mechanism is mounted. The casing 41 features an elongated opening 411 at its long side, wherein this opening 411 is aligned with the bore 31, has a width which at least corresponds to the size of the bore diameter and radially extends around the casing 41 along at least one quarter of its circumference. This is to allow rotation of the casing 41 around the connected shaft 3 and core 42 without being hindered by the peg 11 which is inserted into the bore 31 and extends through the elongated opening 411.

[0024] As can be seen in the exploded view of Fig. 3 a locking mechanism comprising a retention element 21 such as a hook, capable of engaging with a grove in the upper part of the peg 11, a spring 5, for biasing the retention element 21 towards the bore and therewith into the groove of the peg 11, and a push member 22 such as a disc-shaped press button, for pushing the connector element 2 to which the retention element 21 is attached inwardly in axial direction of the hinge against the force of the spring 5, therewith enabling removal of the retention element 21 from the peg 11 and thus providing a quick release mechanism for the toilet seat assembly 6 from the fixture 1.

[0025] Finally, Fig. 4 illustrates how a hinge pair consisting of a left and right hinge (as viewed from the rear-side of the toilet) engages with the toilet seat 62 and seat lid 61. In order to effect the desired damping action independently on the seat 62 and lid 61 one of the damping means 4 must fixedly engage with the seat 62 whilst allowing free, supported movement of the lid 61 and vice-verse for the other damping means 4 on the other side. As can be seen in Figs. 1 to 3 a first section of the casing on the right-hand (i.e. "out-ward-looking") side of the hinge features a smaller diameter and is provided with one or several bevels or recesses with which the lid bearing on the right-hand side can be positively engaged. At the same time an adjacent second, purely cylindrical section of the casing 41 extending towards the left of the hinge extends through the seat bearing on the right-hand side in the sense of a brush bearing, i.e. the seat merely rests on the casing and is thus supported by the damping means 4, but no damping action is effected on the seat 62 when present on the lid 61. The exact reverse is the case for the hinge on the left-hand side. Here the first section on the left, outward-looking end of the damping means 4 merely supports the lid 61 and provides no damping effect, whilst the second section on the right, inward-looking side of the damping means 4 is positively engaged with the seat, thus being able to provide a damping action to it. The linear extension of the second section should be chosen to be at least four times that of the first section. In this way, a very stable support and holding of the seat 61 can be achieved even when applying lateral forces to the seat 61, for instance when the person sitting on the seat 61 performs swaying movements. Consequently, the seat 61 is held firmly in its position on the brim of the toilet bowl. Moreover, a broad second section of the damping means 4 makes feasible a reliable force fitting with the bearing of the toilet seat 61, even if the second section has a purely cylindrical form without any additional interlockable form features such as bevels or recesses. In this way, both a force fitting as well as a brush bearing can be achieved with the same hinge design depending on the size of the bearings of the toilet seat 61.

LIST OF REFERENCE SYMBOLS

[0026] 

1

fixture

2

connector element of the locking mechanism

3

shaft

4

damping means

5

spring (biasing means) of the locking mechanism

6

toilet seat assembly

11

peg

21

hook / retention element

22

push member

31

bore

41

casing of the damping means

42

core of the damping means

61

toilet seat

62

toilet lid/cover

411

elongated opening in the casing

Claims

1. A hinge for mounting a toilet seat (61) and/or lid (62) onto a toilet bowl, said hinge comprising a shaft (3) with a bore (31) for insertion of a peg (11), a damping means (4) with a core (42) and a casing (41), wherein the casing (41) is rotatably connected to the core (42), which in turn is coaxially affixed to the shaft (3), characterised in that the core (42) is installed within the casing (41) and the casing (41) encases the entire lateral area of both the core (42) and the shaft (3), wherein the casing (41) features an elongated opening (411) at its long side, the opening (411) being aligned with the bore (31), having a width at least corresponding to that of the bore (31) and radially extending around the casing (41) along at least one quarter of a circumference.

2. The hinge according to claim 1, characterised in that the casing (41) comprises a first section for engaging with a toilet seat lid (62) and a second section for engaging with a toilet seat (61), wherein the linear extension of the second section is at least four times as long as the linear extension of the first section.

3. The hinge according to claim 1 or 2, characterised in that the hinge further comprises a locking mechanism mounted at an end of the shaft opposite to the damping means (4) and having a retention element (21) for releasably engaging with a peg (11) inserted in the bore (31), wherein the retention element (21) is moveable between a position where it is intersecting with the bore (31) and a non-intersecting position.

4. The hinge according to claim 3, characterised in that the retention element (21) is operatively connected to a push member (22), wherein the push member (22) is arranged coaxially with the shaft (3) and is operatively connected to a biasing means (5) which forces the push member (22) away from the shaft (3) and thus forces the retention element (21) to the position where it is intersecting with the bore (31) .

5. The hinge according to one of the claims 1 to 4, characterised in that the shaft (3) and the core (42) of the damping means (4) are formed integrally.

6. The hinge according to one of the claims 1 to 4, characterised in that the shaft (3) and the core (42) of the damping means (4) are connected with a splice joint.

Drawing