Claims
- 1. A sanitary toilet seat assembly for advancing tubular plastic around a toilet seat, said assembly comprising:a toilet seat having a first end and a second end; a base member to which the toilet seat is operatively connected; a top cover covering at least a portion of the base member, thereby forming a housing; a dispenser shaft proximate said first end; a take-up shaft proximate said second end; tubular plastic forming a roll around said dispenser shaft, extending around said toilet seat, and forming a roll around said take-up shaft; a counter shaft; a motor within said housing for operatively driving said take-up shaft to advance said tubular plastic in a travel direction; and a unitary pressure member for forcing the tubular plastic against said counter shaft, said pressure member extending continuously in a unitary construction downward from an upper internal surface of said top cover to a stationary pressure edge, said pressure edge having a long axis and a short axis defining a contact area with the tubular plastic, said long axis substantially transverse to said travel direction, whereby contact between said tubular plastic and said counter shaft is improved.
- 2. The assembly of claim 1, wherein said pressure member is integrally permanently and unitarily formed with the top cover.
- 3. The assembly of claim 1, wherein said pressure member engages said tubular plastic to produce a deflection of said tubular plastic having a component substantially transverse to said travel direction.
- 4. The assembly of claim 1, wherein said counter shaft is attachable to at least one magnet and positioned within said housing proximate to said take-up shaft and a control system for controlling advancement of said tubular plastic through said take-up shaft responsive to rotation of said counter shaft, andwherein said pressure member extends substantially downwardly from said top cover and engages said tubular plastic for deflecting said tubular plastic under tension in a substantially downward direction, said tubular plastic contacting and rotating said counter shaft as it advances to said take-up shaft, said pressure plate increasing contact of said tubular plastic with said counter shaft.
- 5. The assembly of claim 4, wherein said control system includes electronic circuitry on a printed circuit board to detect resistance in the advancement of said tubular sheet by monitoring counter shaft rotation.
- 6. The assembly of claim 5, wherein said electronic circuitry halts operation of said motor upon detecting a specified resistance limit in the advancement of said tubular sheet.
- 7. The assembly of claim 1, further comprising a heat shrinkable plastic wrapped around said motor.
- 8. The assembly of claim 1, wherein said motor is initially activated by an activation button.
- 9. An improved cover for a sanitary toilet seat assembly for advancing tubular plastic from a roll around a dispenser shaft, around a toilet seat, and onto a roll around a take-up shaft in a travel direction driven by a motor initiated by an activation button, the toilet assembly having a base for supporting the dispenser shaft, the take-up shaft and the toilet seat, said cover comprising:a cover body defining an upwardly concave interior cavity having an open bottom terminating at a rim, said rim having length and a transverse width, said body having two openings along said length of said rim for passage of the tubular plastic during use; said cover body having an aperture for receiving the activation button; said cover body providing a unitary pressure member for forcing the tubular plastic downward, said pressure member extending continuously downward in a unitary construction within said cavity from said cover body to a stationary pressure edge directed toward said open bottom, said pressure edge having a long axis and a short axis defining a contact area to contact the tubular plastic, said long axis having substantially transverse to the travel direction of the tubular plastic, said pressure member being aligned along said length with one of said openings, wherein said cover, when mounted on said base member, covers said dispenser shaft, said take-up shaft and said motor and permits passage of said tubular plastic out of said cover, around said toilet seat and back into said cover through said openings and provides the pressure edge for engaging and deflecting the tubular plastic.
CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATION
This application is a continuation of Ser. No. 09/156,588, filed Sep. 18, 1998, now U.S. Pat. No. 5,937,448.
US Referenced Citations (5)
Continuations (1)
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Number |
Date |
Country |
Parent |
09/156588 |
Sep 1998 |
US |
Child |
09/376166 |
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US |