This disclosure relates generally to portable toilets.
The use of a supportive toilet seat as found in bathrooms greatly aids in comfort during defecation. However, people who spend long periods of time in remote wilderness areas, such as hunters and campers, are confronted with the absence of bathroom facilities in nature and forego the benefits of supportive toilet seats.
A toilet seat apparatus is provided for use in remote areas that do not have bathroom facilities. The toilet seat apparatus includes a toilet seat and a clamp. The toilet seat includes a plurality of segments that define a slot or opening. The clamp assembly includes first and second jaw members that are spaced a distance apart from one another and configured to engage a tree or other vertically-oriented structure to support the toilet seat above the ground. The clamp assembly also includes a drive mechanism that is operatively connected to the first and second jaw members and configured to vary the distance between the first and second jaw members.
The drive mechanism and first and second jaw members are coplanar about a first plane, and the segments of the toilet seat are coplanar about a second plane. The toilet seat is pivotably connected to the clamp such that the clamp is rotatable relative to the toilet seat between a compact position and an extended position. In the compact position, the clamp assembly and the toilet seat are in juxtaposition with one another and the first and second planes are substantially parallel to one another. Accordingly, the toilet seat apparatus improves upon the prior art by minimizing its length dimension when the toilet seat is in the compact position, thereby making transportation of the toilet seat apparatus more convenient, which is very important when travelling to remote areas where the toilet seat apparatus may be used.
Furthermore, in one embodiment, the drive mechanism is a screw drive mechanism having a drive screw and a drive nut. The drive nut is mounted with respect to the first clamp member for unitary movement therewith. The drive screw is engaged with the drive nut such that rotation of the drive screw causes linear translation of the drive nut and the first clamp member, thereby altering the distance between the first and second clamp members.
Thus, the toilet seat assembly provided herein also improves upon the prior art by enabling the device to be securely mounted to trees of various diameters with a simple action (i.e., rotating the handle). Furthermore, the use of the screw drive eliminates the need for the complexity and added mass of a locking mechanism to retain the jaws in their desired positions, because the screw drive is self-locking, i.e., the screw drive will only permit movement of the jaws relative to one another through the rotation of the screw/handle.
Accordingly, the toilet seat assembly provided herein is easily transportable, lightweight, easy to use, and is mountable to trees of varying sizes.
A corresponding method of using the toilet seat apparatus is also provided.
The above features and advantages and other features and advantages of the present disclosure are readily apparent from the following detailed description of the best modes for carrying out the disclosure when taken in connection with the accompanying drawings.
Referring to the Figures, wherein like reference numbers refer to like components throughout, a portable toilet seat assembly 10 is schematically depicted. The portable toilet seat assembly 10 includes a toilet seat 14. In the embodiment depicted, the toilet seat 14 includes a first segment 18, a second segment 22, and a third segment 26. The second segment 22 and the third segment 26 are spaced apart from one another and substantially parallel to one another. Each of the second segment 22 and the third segment 26 extends perpendicularly from the first segment 18. Accordingly, the toilet seat 14 is generally U-shaped, with the first, second, and third segments 18, 22, 26 cooperating to define a slot or opening 30. In the embodiment depicted, the assembly 10 also includes a support member 34 that is rigidly connected to the toilet seat 14 and, more specifically, extends parallel to the first segment 18.
Although a U-shaped toilet seat 14 is employed in the embodiment depicted, those skilled in the art will recognize a variety of toilet seat configurations that may be employed within the scope of the claimed invention. For example, and without limitation, the toilet seat 14 may be annular, an oblong annulus, etc.
The portable toilet seat assembly 10 also includes a clamp assembly 36. The clamp assembly 36 includes a first jaw member 38, a second jaw member 42, and a drive screw mechanism 46 that is configured to translate one of the jaw members 38, 42 so that the distance 50 between the jaw members 38, 42 is selectively variable. More specifically, the first jaw member 38 is substantially parallel with the first segment 18 of the toilet seat 14. The second jaw member 42 extends substantially parallel to the first jaw member 38.
In the embodiment depicted, each of the jaw members 38, 42 has a respective serrated surface 56, 58 that partially defines the open space 54 between the jaw members 38, 42. The serrated surfaces 56, 58 are positioned such that when a tree 66 extends through the open space 54, as shown in
The drive screw mechanism 46 further includes a drive screw (as shown in phantom at 74 in
The drive screw mechanism 46 further includes a drive nut member (as shown in phantom at 86 in
The drive nut member 86 defines a cylindrical hole or bore 90 having the axis 82 at its centerline. The member 86 defines internal helical threads 94 inside the bore 90. The drive screw 74 extends into the bore 90 such that the external threads 78 of the drive screw 74 engage the internal threads 94 of the drive nut member 86. Accordingly, rotation of the drive screw 74 about axis 82 causes linear translation of the drive nut member 86 relative to the housing 70 and the first jaw member 38, which is mounted with respect to the housing 70.
The second jaw member 42 is mounted to the drive nut member 86 for movement therewith, and thus rotation of the drive screw 74 also causes linear translation of the second jaw member 42 relative to the housing 70 and the first jaw member 38. Accordingly, the distance 50 between the jaw members 38, 42 is variable by rotating the drive screw 74. The clamp assembly 36 includes a handle 98 mounted to the drive screw 74 outside of the housing 70 to facilitate rotation of the drive screw 74 by a user of the toilet seat assembly 10.
The clamp assembly 36 and the toilet seat 14 are rotatably connected to each other, such as by hinges 102. More specifically, in the embodiment depicted, the hinges 102 interconnect the toilet seat support member 34 and the second jaw member 42 such that the clamp assembly 36 is rotatable relative to the toilet seat 14 about an axis 106. Axis 106 in the embodiment depicted is substantially perpendicular to axis 82.
The toilet seat 14 is rotatable relative to the clamp assembly 36 between an extended position, as shown in
Accordingly, the coplanar arrangement of the toilet seat 14 and the coplanar arrangement of the major portions of the clamp assembly 36, combined with the positioning of the hinges 102, permit a compact configuration of the toilet seat assembly 10 as shown in
In one method of using the toilet seat apparatus 10, a user will transport the toilet seat apparatus 10 in its compact configuration as shown in
The method will also include rotating the clamp assembly 36 relative to the toilet seat 14 such that the toilet seat assembly 10 is in an extended configuration, such as the one shown in
In the event that the tree 66 is wider than the distance 50 between the first and second jaw members 38, 42, the method may also include rotating the drive screw 74, such as by rotating the handle 98, about axis 82 in a direction that will result in the distance 50 being greater than the width of the tree 66. The method further includes moving the assembly 10 such that the tree 66 is within the open space 54 between the first and second jaw members 38, 42, as shown in
The user may also remove the toilet seat assembly 10 from the tree 66 by rotating the handle 98 to eliminate the clamping force exerted on the tree 66 and then rotate the clamping assembly relative to the toilet seat such that the assembly 10 is in the compact configuration for easy transport home.
While the best modes for carrying out the disclosure have been described in detail, those familiar with the art to which this disclosure relates will recognize various alternative designs and embodiments for practicing the disclosure within the scope of the appended claims.
This application claims the benefit of U.S. Provisional Patent Application No. 63/225,478, filed Jul. 24, 2021, and which is hereby incorporated by reference in its entirety.
Number | Name | Date | Kind |
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5083324 | Strong | Jan 1992 | A |
6125480 | Soffar et al. | Oct 2000 | A |
6546569 | Figueras | Apr 2003 | B2 |
10827887 | Gombar | Nov 2020 | B2 |
Number | Date | Country | |
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20230025297 A1 | Jan 2023 | US |
Number | Date | Country | |
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63225478 | Jul 2021 | US |