Patent Application
20240081587
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The disclosure relates to toilet seat devices and more particularly pertains to a new toilet seat device for increasing the height of a toilet seat to assist a physically limited to sit on and stand up from the toilet seat. The device includes an annular bladder that is positionable on top of the toilet seat and a pump that can be fluidly attached to the annular bladder for inflating the annular bladder to a desired height. The device includes a plurality of straps that are each attached to the annular bladder and which can be wrapped around the toilet seat to secure the annular bladder to the toilet seat.
The prior art relates to toilet seat devices including a chair that has an inflatable cushion for assisting a physically limited user to enter or exit a bathtub. The prior art discloses a toilet seat device that includes an inflatable bladder that is integrated into a toilet seat for increasing or decreasing a height of the toilet seat. The prior art discloses an inflatable seat for wheelchairs. The prior art discloses an inflatable toilet seat for increasing a height of the inflatable toilet seat. The prior art discloses an inflatable toilet seat lifter that includes a pair of inflatable wedges, each positioned beneath a toilet seat, and foot pump for inflating the inflatable wedges and subsequently lifting the toilet seat.
An embodiment of the disclosure meets the needs presented above by generally comprising a toilet seat that is hingedly disposed on a toilet thereby facilitating the toilet seat to be sat upon. An annular bladder is positionable on top of the toilet seat and the annular bladder is inflatable for increasing the total height of the annular bladder and the toilet seat thereby assisting a physically limited user with sitting upon the annular bladder. A plurality of first straps is each of the first straps is attached to the annular bladder and is extendable around the toilet seat. A plurality of second straps is each of the second straps is attached to the annular bladder and is extendable around the toilet seat. An inflation port is integrated into the annular bladder such that the inflation port is in fluid communication with an interior of the annular bladder and a pump is fluidly attachable to the inflation port for inflating the annular bladder.
There has thus been outlined, rather broadly, the more important features of the disclosure in order that the detailed description thereof that follows may be better understood, and in order that the present contribution to the art may be better appreciated. There are additional features of the disclosure that will be described hereinafter and which will form the subject matter of the claims appended hereto.
The objects of the disclosure, along with the various features of novelty which characterize the disclosure, are pointed out with particularity in the claims annexed to and forming a part of this disclosure.
The disclosure will be better understood and objects other than those set forth above will become apparent when consideration is given to the following detailed description thereof. Such description makes reference to the annexed drawings wherein:
With reference now to the drawings, and in particular to
As best illustrated in
The inwardly facing side 28 is continuously arcuate about a center point of the annular bladder 18. Additionally, the annular bladder 18 is elongated along an axis extending through a front end 32 and a back end 34 of the annular bladder 18 such that the inwardly facing side 28 defines an ovoid opening 36 in the annular bladder 18. The outwardly facing side 30 has a planar portion 38 extending between a curved portion 40. The planar portion 38 is positioned on the back end 34 of the annular bladder 18 thereby facilitating the planar portion 38 to be abutted against a tank 42 of the toilet 14 when the annular bladder 18 is positioned on the toilet seat 12 and the curved portion 40 is co-arcuate with the inwardly facing side 28. The bottom wall 24 rests upon the top surface 16 of the toilet seat 12 thereby facilitating the physically limited user 20 to sit upon the top wall 22 of the annular bladder 18. Additionally, the top wall 22 is spaced from the bottom wall 24 a variety of distances corresponding to a degree to which the annular bladder 18 is inflated for accommodating the needs of the physically limited user 20.
A plurality of first straps 44 is each attached to the annular bladder 18 and is extendable around the toilet seat 12. Each of the first straps 44 is attached to and extends away from the bottom wall 24 of the annular bladder 18 and each of the first straps 44 is aligned with the inwardly facing side 28 of the outer wall 26 of the annular bladder 18. A respective one of the first straps 44 is aligned with the back end 34 of the annular bladder 18 and a respective pair of the first straps 44 is positioned between the first strap 44 aligned with the back end 34 and the front end 32 of the annular bladder 18. Each of the first straps 44 has a distal end 46 with respect to the annular bladder 18 and a top surface 48 and a plurality of first mating members 50 is each attached to the top surface 48 of a respective one of the first straps 44. Each of the first mating members 50 is aligned with the distal end 46 of the respective first strap 44 and each of the first mating members 50 may comprise a hook portion of a hook and loop fastener.
A plurality of second straps 52 is each attached to the annular bladder 18 and is extendable around the toilet seat 12. Each of the second straps 52 is releasably matable to a respective one of the first straps 44 for securing the annular bladder 18 to the toilet seat 12. Each of the second straps 52 is attached to and extends away from the bottom wall 24 of the annular bladder 18 and each of the second straps 52 is aligned with the outwardly facing side 30 of the outer wall 26 of the annular bladder 18. A respective one of the second straps 52 is aligned with the back end 34 of the annular bladder 18 and a respective pair of the second straps 52 is positioned between the second strap 52 aligned with the back end 34 and the front end 32 of the annular bladder 18. Each of the second straps 52 has a distal end 54 with respect to the annular bladder 18 and a top surface 56 and a plurality of second mating members 58 is each attached to the top surface 56 of a respective one of the second straps 52. Each of the second mating members 58 is aligned with the distal end 54 of the respective second strap 52 and each of the second mating members 58 is releasably matable to the first mating member 50 on a respective one of the first straps 44. Each of the second mating members 58 may comprise a loop portion of a hook and loop fastener.
An inflation port 60 is integrated into the annular bladder 18 such that the inflation port 60 is in fluid communication with an interior of the annular bladder 18. The inflation port 60 is integrated into the outwardly facing side 30 of the outer wall 26 of the annular bladder 18. Additionally, the inflation port 60 is positioned adjacent to an intersection between the curved portion 40 of the outwardly facing side 30 and the planar portion 38 of the outwardly facing side 30. The inflation port 60 is actuatable into a first condition has the inflation port 60 facilitating air to pass into or out of the annular bladder 18 thereby facilitating the annular bladder 18 to be inflated or deflated. The inflation port 60 is actuatable into a second condition having the inflation port 60 inhibiting air from passing into or out of the annular bladder 18 thereby inhibiting the annular bladder 18 from being inflated or deflated. The inflation port 60 may comprise an air valve that can be manipulated between an open and closed position or the inflation port may include a cap that is removable for either opening or closing the inflation port 60.
A pump 62 is provided that is fluidly attachable to the inflation port 60 for inflating the annular bladder 18. The pump 62 comprises a bellows 64 that has a lower plate 66, an upper plate 68 and a membrane 70 extending between the upper plate 68 and the lower plate 66. The lower plate 66 is positionable on a floor 72 thereby facilitating the upper plate 68 to be stepped upon for collapsing the bellows 64. The pump 62 has an output port 74 that is fluidly integrated into the upper plate 68 thereby facilitating air to be urged outwardly through the output port 74 when the upper plate 68 is urged downwardly toward the lower plate 66. The pump 62 has an air hose 76 that is fluidly coupled to the output port 74 and the air hose 76 is fluidly attachable to the inflation port 60 on the annular bladder 18 thereby facilitating the pump 62 to inflate the annular bladder 18.
In use, the annular bladder 18 is positioned on the top surface 16 of the toilet seat 12 and each of the first straps 44 and the second straps 52 are wrapped around the toilet seat 12, and mated to each other, to secure the annular bladder 18 to the toilet seat 12. The air hose 76 is attached to the inflation port 60 and the pump 62 is actuated to inflate the annular bladder 18 to a desired degree of inflation. In this way the annular bladder 18 increases the total height of the toilet seat 12 to make it easier for the physically limited person to sit on the toilet seat 12 as well as stand up from the toilet seat 12. The annular bladder 18 is deflated to facilitate the annular bladder 18 to be removed from the toilet seat 12 and stored.
With respect to the above description then, it is to be realized that the optimum dimensional relationships for the parts of an embodiment enabled by the disclosure, to include variations in size, materials, shape, form, function and manner of operation, assembly and use, are deemed readily apparent and obvious to one skilled in the art, and all equivalent relationships to those illustrated in the drawings and described in the specification are intended to be encompassed by an embodiment of the disclosure.
Therefore, the foregoing is considered as illustrative only of the principles of the disclosure. Further, since numerous modifications and changes will readily occur to those skilled in the art, it is not desired to limit the disclosure to the exact construction and operation shown and described, and accordingly, all suitable modifications and equivalents may be resorted to, falling within the scope of the disclosure. In this patent document, the word “comprising” is used in its non-limiting sense to mean that items following the word are included, but items not specifically mentioned are not excluded. A reference to an element by the indefinite article “a” does not exclude the possibility that more than one of the element is present, unless the context clearly requires that there be only one of the elements.
