Patent Application
20240108182
The present Utility Model Patent named ELECTRO-ELECTRONIC DEVICE FOR TOILET LID AUTOMATION (1), which was developed for automation of the operation of lifting and lowering the toilet lid without manual contact by incorporating a device composed of adjustable fixing base (2); lid drive arm (3) seat drive arm (13); arm drive assembly (5) consisting of an electric motor and a gear motor assembly (6), batteries and presence sensor for the driving (7). The activation of the device occurs by approaching one of the feet (right and left) or any other locomotion assistance object to the device (8), which identifies the necessary action, preventing physical contact of the user with the lid and the seat of the toilet, preventing contamination of the users hands.
This Utility Model Patent specification refers to an ELECTRO-ELECTRONIC DEVICE FOR TOILET LID AUTOMATION consisting of a fixation base adjustable to various types of toilets in accordance with Brazilian Standards NBR 15097—Toilet made of ceramic material and NBR 15099—Toilets made of ceramic material—Standard dimensions, which is fixed using the same seat and lid fixing screws and positioning the respective arms on the seat and on the toilet lid.
The application of the ELECTRO-ELECTRONIC DEVICE FOR TOILET LID AUTOMATION focuses on hydraulic facilities (sanitary hydraulic application field) for both residential and industrial applications, health (hospitals, emergency rooms, clinics), public (public offices, government departments, etc.), private (hotels, stores, businesses, offices, gas stations, workshops, etc.) and other places where there are facilities with toilets built and installed in accordance with the Brazilian standards in force.
As the main purpose of the ELECTRO-ELECTRONIC DEVICE FOR TOILET LID AUTOMATION, hygiene must be the first highlight, since, when it is used, manual contact with the lid and seat of the vessel is not necessary, thus preventing contamination with bacteria and viruses that might be present on these appliances.
In addition, the practicality of its activation is another plus, due to the simple fact that the activation occurs by approaching the sensor with the right or left foot, or any object of locomotion support, the user not having to apply any pressure or having any contact with pedals, buttons, etc.
Based on the reading made by the sensor incorporated to the ELECTRO-ELECTRONIC DEVICE FOR TOILET LID AUTOMATION, the motor assembly that lifts the toilet lid is activated and, by means of a new activation, it then lifts the seat (it can also be activated only to lift the lid and the seat concomitantly), enabling the use of the toilet without manual contact.
In accordance with the general knowledge of toilet users, in all uses, in private and/or public locations, it is necessary to handle the lid and the seat, either to lower or lift them. Considering the current prior art of toilets found in Brazil, this operation is done manually, and there is contact with the seat and the lid that, as they are placed in environments susceptible to bacteria proliferation, they may act as contaminating agents.
This problem becomes even greater in hospital and health-care environments in general where, due to the very characteristics of the environment, if all the steps of hygiene and cleaning are not fulfilled, the toilet may, in addition to bacteria, contain viruses and fungi commonly found in contaminated environments (gastrointestinal viruses, enteric pathogens, cutaneous pathogens and dermatophytic fungi, and residual fungi), also specific contaminants due to the presence of patients in various immunocompromising conditions, such as: Klebsiella pneumoniae, Staphylococcus aureus; Pseudomonas aeruginosa; Staphylococcus epidermidis in strains found in nature and in antibiotic-resistant strains, which makes the 30 questions related to the handling of any item susceptible to contamination, a vector for the spreading of infections.
In order to manufacture and place on the market a product with unique characteristics, a prior art research was made in the INPI Database, and the following documents were found to be closer to the object of the claim:
Regarding the analysis of the Prior Art documents found, it can be seen that they diverge significantly from the claimed application, where common problems are found in the research carried out, such as: a) the need for intervention in the toilet, by aggregating equipment that must fit perfectly to the design/shape of the existing toilet and, in case this does not occur, it risks creating cracks where the accumulation of bacteria and pathogenic organisms may occur, further increasing the risk of contamination; b) civil work intervention in the facilities, either through the drilling of the floor for fixing the pedals and rods, as well as the toilet itself; c) activation of the systems through the mechanical action of pedals, levers and other means, therefore depending on the physical strength of the user who, in some cases, due to health conditions, age and disabilities, might not have the necessary physical strength to activate the device; d) they are not universally applicable, that is, they do not apply to all existing toilets on the market.
In view of this explicit analysis, we consider that there are no impediments to the granting of the requested privilege and worthy of all the merits provided for and ensured by the Law of Industrial Property.
The submitted ELECTRO-ELECTRONIC DEVICE FOR TOILET LID AUTOMATION features, as the main technological breakthrough, the fact that the activation of the mechanisms occurs without any contact, only when the feet (or other objects, such as canes and other locomotion support devices) approach the detection sensor, activating the lifting/lowering action of the lid and seat. In addition to this superior advantage, the ELECTRO-ELECTRONIC DEVICE FOR TOILET LID AUTOMATION includes the possibility to be installed in any type of seat complying with the Brazilian Standards (NBR's) in force, due to its mobile adjustment system and slender lift arms, thus enabling its use in previously existing facilities without the need to change the toilet or additional hydraulic systems and civil works.
For a clear view of the parts that make up the ELECTRO-ELECTRONIC DEVICE FOR TOILET LID AUTOMATION, under analysis now and object of this claim, the following illustrative drawings are attached as follows:
In accordance with the drawings that are part of this report, the ELECTRO-ELECTRONIC DEVICE FOR TOILET LID AUTOMATION (1) was designed for the purpose of inhibiting contamination caused by the handling of the lids and seats of toilets and, to achieve this, it uses electronic and electromechanical driving technology without any kind of physical contact between the user and the toilet.
For this, the ELECTRO-ELECTRONIC DEVICE FOR TOILET LID AUTOMATION uses an assembly to be coupled between the seat (13) and the toilet (10), using the same pre-existing fixing systems (11). The ELECTRO-ELECTRONIC DEVICE FOR TOILET LID AUTOMATION consists of an adjustable fixing base (2); a cover drive arm (3) and a seat drive arm (13); an arm drive assembly (5) composed of an electric motor and a gear motor assembly (6), and two rechargeable batteries (7), an electronic control board (8), and a presence sensor module for the driving process (9).
The main purpose of the ELECTRO-ELECTRONIC DEVICE FOR TOILET LID AUTOMATION is to prevent any type of physical contact of the users hands with the seat (13) and cover (14) of the toilet, using the proximity sensor (15) installed under each gear motor assembly (6) that detects the presence of any object using ultrasound and/or infrared technology and, by means of electronic control, it activates the gear motor assembly (6), either to activate the lid drive arm (3) or to activate the seat drive arm (13), depending on the side where the presence of an object was detected (activation caused by the users foot or by a locomotion support device).
The mechanical design of the ELECTRO-ELECTRONIC DEVICE FOR TOILET LID AUTOMATION includes the possibility to install it in any type of seat manufactured in accordance with the standards NBR 15097 (ceramic material toilet appliance) and NBR 15099 (ceramic material toilet appliances—standard dimensions), by using adjustable supports (2a and 2b) that are properly fixed through the adjustment of the supports (2a) and (2b), fixing correctly to the toilet regardless of the type of seat.
The ELECTRO-ELECTRONIC DEVICE FOR TOILET LID AUTOMATION consists of a parallelepiped adjustable fixing base (2) with oblong sides with respective oblong holes (2c and 2d) for the adjustment of the fixing means of the toilet, as well as it serves as a sliding guide between the adjustable bases (2e).
Each support includes the base for the gear motor assembly (2f) as well as the upper cover (2g) of the drive arm support (3). The gear motor assembly is composed of an electric motor (6a) operating on direct current supplied by the rechargeable battery pack (7) and a set of reducing plastic gears (satellite-type gear motor) (6b) directly coupled to the shaft of the electric motor. In order to provide the necessary protection to the satellite gear set and the motor itself, the drive shaft has an elastomer flange (6c) that absorbs the mechanical shocks of the lifting and lowering of the lid and seat, as well as performing mechanical safety in case the lid gets locked (accidentally or on purpose). In addition, the system has a protection delivered by the program of the control board (8) that interrupts the operation of the motor in case both the lid and the seat get locked, canceling the last reading performed and awaiting new communication from the proximity sensor (9).
The power supply of the electric motor (6), is installed below the fixing base of the rechargeable battery pack (7) to drive the gear motor assembly and its respective control board (8), together with the proximity sensor module (9), all arranged in their respective fittings specially built for this purpose on the adjustable base (2f).
To perform the movement of the seat and lid, the ELECTRO-ELECTRONIC DEVICE FOR VESSEL LID AUTOMATION has a lid drive arm (3) and a seat drive arm (13), both have an elongated parallelepiped shape in the torque application region (4a) and they have a cylindrical shape in the seat and vessel drive region (4b), thus providing the perfect spin of the drive region of the toilet lid and seat. In order to cover and give protection to the moving and electronic parts, the assembly is provided with the upper (2g) and lower covers (2h), in a half-cylinder shape, each one of them providing a compact assembly and with the proper protection against moisture, dust and chemicals found in toilet environments, in addition to having between the fittings of its lids a nitrile rubber ring that provides the perfect seal (IP64 protection grade), not allowing the entry of moisture or contaminants in the gear motor assembly (6), battery (7), sensor (9) and control board (8).
The operation of the ELECTRO-ELECTRONIC DEVICE FOR TOILET LID AUTOMATION—object of this application—is based on sensing without any type of user contact with any moving or fixed part of the toilet or any additional element to it, which makes it significantly different from existing solutions, as well as when considering its flexibility of use. It can be installed in any toilet seat assembly complying with NBR 15097 (ceramic material toilet appliance) and NBR 15099 (ceramic material toilet appliances—standard dimensions).
The installation of the ELECTRO-ELECTRONIC DEVICE FOR TOILET LID AUTOMATION in the toilet is simple and intuitive, if at the time of installation of the lid/seat assembly, the ELECTRO-ELECTRONIC DEVICE FOR TOILET LID AUTOMATION is incorporated between the assembly and the toilet.
After installation, connection and charging of the rechargeable batteries (7) the ELECTRO-ELECTRONIC DEVICE FOR TOILET LID AUTOMATION is ready to be used, simply by approaching the foot or any object of locomotion support in the vicinity of the right or left sensors (9) so that it activates the respective gear motor assemblies (6) and performs the movement of the lid (14) and seat (13). In order to return to the closed position, a new approach to the sensor (9) is sufficient and it will perform a new activation of the gear motor assembly (6) to take the seat and lid (14) to the closed position.
| Number | Date | Country | Kind |
|---|---|---|---|
| 20 2021 009473 2 | May 2021 | BR | national |
| Filing Document | Filing Date | Country | Kind |
|---|---|---|---|
| PCT/BR2021/050461 | 10/21/2021 | WO |
