FIELD OF THE INVENTION
The present invention relates generally to a toilet. More specifically, the present invention is a toilet that positions users to be in a forward front-lying position whereby the pelvis of the user is elevated to an approximate elevation of the heart of the user.
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
Toilets have been an essential fixture in human sanitation for centuries, with the basic design remaining largely unchanged. Traditional toilets feature a seat positioned at a height that is lower than the hips, resulting in a sitting posture that applies a relatively high static fluid pressure to the anal region of a user. This seated positioning has led to several issues in the prior art.
Historically, toilet designs have prioritized simplicity and ease of manufacture over user comfort and health considerations. These traditional toilets, commonly found in homes, public restrooms, and workplaces, typically have a bowl positioned at a height that requires users to sit with their knees at an angle greater than 90 degrees and their hips lower than their knees. This sitting posture is not ergonomically sound and can lead to various health issues over time. One of the most significant issues associated with traditional toilet designs is the strain placed on the anus during bowel movements, including the static liquid pressure applied on the veins. In the traditional seated position, this pressure, commonly known as blood pressure, may lead to varicose veins as the veins are susceptible to damage.
The present invention addresses the aforementioned issues of the prior art by introducing a toilet design that elevates a user's pelvis to an approximate similar level as the heart, whereby the angle between the user's torso and a horizontal plane is less than 45°, thereby reducing the blood pressure on the anus of a user, preventing damage to the veins of a user. The present invention provides a front lying toilet including foot supports, knee supports, a chest support, and arm supports to position users comfortably in a forward lying position. An additional objective of the present invention is to reduce the risk of health-related issues resulting from prolonged seated bathroom usage. By facilitating a healthier front lying posture, the elevated pelvis toilet reduces the risk of hemorrhoids and other health issues associated with increased blood pressure in the region surrounding the anus and buttocks. Additionally, the inclusion of various supports in the invention ensures that users can safely and comfortably use the toilet in the front lying position. Foot and knee supports provide stability, while chest and arm supports aid in balance and ease of use. Overall, the present invention represents a significant departure from traditional toilet designs by addressing the inherent issues of the prior art. The present invention, which elevates the user's pelvis and incorporates various support mechanisms, reduces the blood pressure acting on the anal region of a user when using the restroom.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
A front lying toilet having a chest support positioning users in a forward-facing front lying position. The toilet additionally includes arm supports, knee supports, and foot supports. The present invention further includes a cupped bowl to ensure proper containment of waste.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
FIG. 1 is a side view of one embodiment of the present invention.
FIG. 2 is an alternate embodiment of one embodiment of the present invention showing the difference in elevation between portions of the bowl.
FIG. 3 is a top view of one embodiment of the present invention.
FIG. 4 is a side view of an alternate embodiment of the present invention.
FIG. 5 is a side view of one embodiment of the present invention, showing the user in the intended use configuration.
FIG. 6 is a side view of an alternate embodiment of the present invention, showing the user in the intended use configuration.
DETAIL DESCRIPTIONS OF THE INVENTION
All illustrations of the drawings are for the purpose of describing selected versions of the present invention and are not intended to limit the scope of the present invention.
As a preliminary matter, it will readily be understood by one having ordinary skill in the relevant art that the present disclosure has broad utility and application. As should be understood, any embodiment may incorporate only one or a plurality of the above-disclosed aspects of the disclosure and may further incorporate only one or a plurality of the above-disclosed features. Furthermore, any embodiment discussed and identified as being “preferred” is considered to be part of a best mode contemplated for carrying out the embodiments of the present disclosure. Other embodiments also may be discussed for additional illustrative purposes in providing a full and enabling disclosure. Moreover, many embodiments, such as adaptations, variations, modifications, and equivalent arrangements, will be implicitly disclosed by the embodiments described herein and fall within the scope of the present disclosure.
Accordingly, while embodiments are described herein in detail in relation to one or more embodiments, it is to be understood that this disclosure is illustrative and exemplary of the present disclosure, and are made merely for the purposes of providing a full and enabling disclosure. The detailed disclosure herein of one or more embodiments is not intended, nor is to be construed, to limit the scope of patent protection afforded in any claim of a patent issuing here from, which scope is to be defined by the claims and the equivalents thereof. It is not intended that the scope of patent protection be defined by reading into any claim a limitation found herein that does not explicitly appear in the claim itself.
Additionally, it is important to note that each term used herein refers to that which an ordinary artisan would understand such term to mean based on the contextual use of such term herein. To the extent that the meaning of a term used herein—as understood by the ordinary artisan based on the contextual use of such term—differs in any way from any particular dictionary definition of such term, it is intended that the meaning of the term as understood by the ordinary artisan should prevail.
Furthermore, it is important to note that, as used herein, “a” and “an” each generally denotes “at least one,” but does not exclude a plurality unless the contextual use dictates otherwise. When used herein to join a list of items, “or” denotes “at least one of the items,” but does not exclude a plurality of items of the list. Finally, when used herein to join a list of items, “and” denotes “all of the items of the list.”
The following detailed description refers to the accompanying drawings. Wherever possible, the same reference numbers are used in the drawings and the following description to refer to the same or similar elements. While many embodiments of the disclosure may be described, modifications, adaptations, and other implementations are possible. For example, substitutions, additions, or modifications may be made to the elements illustrated in the drawings, and the methods described herein may be modified by substituting, reordering, or adding stages to the disclosed methods. Accordingly, the following detailed description does not limit the disclosure. Instead, the proper scope of the disclosure is defined by the appended claims. The present disclosure contains headers. It should be understood that these headers are used as references and are not to be construed as limiting upon the subjected matter disclosed under the header.
Other technical advantages may become readily apparent to one of ordinary skill in the art after review of the following figures and description. It should be understood at the outset that, although exemplary embodiments are illustrated in the figures and described below, the principles of the present disclosure may be implemented using any number of techniques, whether currently known or not. The present disclosure should in no way be limited to the exemplary implementations and techniques illustrated in the drawings and described below.
Unless otherwise indicated, the drawings are intended to be read together with the specification, and are to be considered a portion of the entire written description of this invention. As used in the following description, the terms “horizontal”, “vertical”, “left”, “right”, “up”, “down” and the like, as well as adjectival and adverbial derivatives thereof (e.g., “horizontally”, “rightwardly”, “upwardly”, “radially”, etc.), simply refer to the orientation of the illustrated structure as the particular drawing figure faces the reader. Similarly, the terms “inwardly,” “outwardly” and “radially” generally refer to the orientation of a surface relative to its axis of elongation, or axis of rotation, as appropriate.
The present disclosure includes many aspects and features. Moreover, while many aspects and features relate to, and are described in the context of a forward-facing front-lying toilet, embodiments of the present disclosure are not limited to use only in this context.
As shown in FIGS. 1-6, the present invention is a forward-facing front-lying toilet comprising a body 10 wherein said body 10 comprises a base 15 and a bowl 11. In the preferred embodiment of the present invention, as shown in FIG. 1, the base 15 is a portion of the body 10 contacting a ground surface. Additionally, in the preferred embodiment of the present invention, the bowl 11 of the forward-facing front-lying toilet is a concave structure forming a cavity wherein the cavity comprises a front-most portion 11a and a rearward portion 11b. In the preferred embodiment of the present invention, as shown in FIG. 2, the front-most portion 11a of the bowl 11 is positioned at an elevation lower than an elevation maintained by the rearward portion 11b of the bowl 11. Additionally, as further shown in FIG. 1, the bowl further comprises a wall 111 and a rim 112, wherein the wall 111 forms the interior surface of the bowl 11 and the rim 112 forms the outer edge of the bowl 11. Additionally, the bowl 11 further comprises a reservoir 12, wherein the reservoir 12 is the portion of the forward-facing front-lying toilet that contains a water basin. In the context of the present invention, it is known and understood that the subject matter of the present invention pertains to the toilet fixtures whereby the plumbing 70 and internal mechanics of the present invention, are understood to be state of the art and thus the present invention is not directed towards the internal mechanics and plumbing of a toilet. The reservoir 12, as is understood to those in the art, is a basin of water filling a portion of the cavity of the bowl 11.
As shown in FIG. 1 and FIG. 3, in the preferred embodiment of the present invention, the forward-facing front-lying toilet further comprises a chest support 20, a plurality of arm supports 30, a plurality of knee supports 40, and a plurality of foot supports 60. In the preferred embodiment of the present invention, the plurality of arm supports 30 comprises a first arm support 30a and a second arm support 30b wherein each of the plurality of arm supports 30 are positioned on opposing lateral sides of the body 10 (i.e. the left and right sides of the base). Furthermore, in the preferred embodiment of the present invention, the plurality of knee supports 40 comprises a first knee support 40a and a second knee support 40b wherein each of the plurality of knee supports 40 are positioned on opposing lateral sides of the body 10. Likewise, in the preferred embodiment of the present invention, the plurality of foot supports 60 comprises a first foot support 60a and a second foot support 60b wherein each of the plurality of foot supports 60 are positioned on opposing lateral sides of the body 10, proximate the base 15 of the forward-facing front-lying toilet. As shown in FIG. 1 and FIG. 3, in the preferred embodiment of the present invention, the chest support 20 is positioned at a front portion 13 of the forward-facing front-lying toilet, at an approximate centric location.
Additionally, as shown in FIG. 1 and FIG. 3, in some embodiment of the present invention, the plurality of arm supports 30 extend outwardly forward from opposing lateral sides of an extended forward portion of the body 10. In the context of the present invention, the forward portion 16 is a protrusion from the body 10, traversing from a location proximate to the bowl 11, forwardly. Additionally, in some embodiments of the present invention, the plurality of knee supports 40 extend outwardly from the body 10 of the forward-facing front-lying toilet. Furthermore, in some embodiments of the present invention, the plurality of foot supports 60 extends outward from opposing lateral sides of the body 10, proximate the base 15. Moreover, in some embodiments of the present invention, the chest support 20 is positioned on an upwardly facing portion of the extended forward portion 16 of the body 10.
Additionally, as shown in FIG. 1 and FIG. 3, in some embodiments of the present invention, the forward-facing front-lying toilet further comprises a chest pad 21, a plurality of arm pads 31, and a plurality of knee pads 61. In the context of the present invention, the chest pad 21 is coupled to the upwardly facing portion of the chest support 20. Likewise, in the preferred embodiments of the present invention, each of the plurality of arm supports 30 comprises an arm pad 31. Furthermore, in the preferred embodiment of the present invention, each of the plurality of knee supports 40 comprises a knee pad 41. In the context of the present invention, the plurality of arm supports 30, the plurality of knee supports 40, and the plurality of foot supports 60, each comprising two in quantity, comprises a first 30a,40a,60a and a second support 30b,40b,60b, wherein the first 30a,40a,60a and second 30b,40b,60b supports are positioned in a mirrored configuration about the body 10 of the forward-facing front-lying toilet. Specifically, the first arm support 30a is mirrored about the body 10 to the second arm support 30b; the first knee support 40a is mirrored about the body 10 to the second knee support 40b; and the first foot support 60a is mirrored about the body 10 to the second foot support 60b. In the context of the present invention, the first arm support 30a comprises a first arm pad 31a; the second arm support 30b comprises a second arm pad 31b; the first knee support 40a comprises a first knee pad 41a; and the second knee support 40b comprises a second knee pad 41b. In the preferred embodiment of the present invention, each of the plurality of foot supports 60 comprise a slip-resistant material 61, wherein the first foot support 60a comprises a first slip-resistant material 61a and the second foot support 60b comprises a second slip-resistant material 61b. In further embodiments of the present invention, the slip-resistant material 61 is a protruded pattern, wherein said pattern in likened to a tread pattern. In said embodiment, the protruded pattern is intended to provide additional friction between the plurality of foot supports 60 and the foot of the user when compared to a flat, untreated surface.
In some embodiments of the present invention, as shown in FIG. 4, the forward-facing front-lying toilet comprises a second structure 2 wherein said second structure 2 is separate from the body 10. In such embodiments, the base 10 of the forward-facing front-lying toilet comprises the bowl 11, the base 15, the plurality of knee supports 40, and the plurality of foot supports 60, wherein the second structure comprises the chest support 20 and the plurality of arm supports 30. In embodiments of the present invention comprising a second structure 2, said second structure 2 comprises a vertical structure 35 wherein said vertical structure 35 is an elongated member comprising two opposing distal ends, whereby the chest mount 20 is positioned at the top-most distal end and the plurality of arm supports 30 are interposed between opposing distal ends of the vertical structure 35.
As shown in FIG. 5 and FIG. 6, in the preferred use of the present invention, the present invention positions a user in a configuration wherein the chest of the user engages the chest support 20 and the feet of the user are engaged on the plurality of foot supports 60. Furthermore, in the preferred embodiment of the present invention, the body 10 comprises a cutout positioned between the plurality of foot supports 60 and the plurality of knee supports 40, traversing the body 10 from left to right. In the preferred embodiment of the present invention, the channel allows for a user's pants to remain worn while the user is positioned on the forward-facing front-lying toilet, as otherwise, the user would be required to fully remove the pants to use the present invention. Additionally, as shown in FIG. 5 and FIG. 6, in the preferred embodiment of the present invention, the user mounts the toilet of the present invention whereby the chest of the user is laying on the chest support 20, the knee of the user engages with the plurality of knee supports 40, the feet of the user engage with the plurality of foot supports 60, and the anus of the anus of the user is situated over the bowl 11 of the body 10 of the forward-facing front-lying toilet whereby the rearward portion 11b of the bowl 11 is elevated above the anus of the user. In the preferred embodiment of the present invention, the rearward portion of the bowl is required to be elevated to prevent fecal matter from being expelled outside of the forward-facing front-lying toilet.
Although the invention has been explained in relation to its preferred embodiment, it is to be understood that many other possible modifications and variations can be made without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention.
Patent Application
20250072673
