Patent Application
20240295111
Ligature resistant products are important features for rooms in healthcare facilities and other environments where there is a danger that an occupant may accidentally injury themselves or try to cause harm to themselves or to others. In particular, surfaces where an occupant may drape or wrap a flexible material, such as clothing, may act as a ligature point and present a risk of ligature to the occupant. In some instances, a toilet may present such a risk to an occupant by presenting ligature points. Therefore, consideration should be given to reducing such a risk. Thus, improvement in this field is desired.
In certain embodiments, a ligature resistant toilet may include a frame that defines a hollow interior and a bowl assembly that is positioned within the hollow interior of the frame. The frame may be rotationally molded so that the frame is seamless and made from a single, unitary piece to help to prevent ligature points. The frame may include a bottom surface, a front surface, ad left surface and a right surface. In some embodiments, the front surface may be curved. A rear surface may be positioned between the left surface and right surface, opposing the front surface. The frame may also include a top surface that defines a seat assembly that is positioned above the bowl assembly.
The top surface may connect to the front, left, right, and rear surfaces of the frame at a transition surface. The transition surface may include a rounded upper transition edge and a rounded lower transition edge. The rounded edges of the transition surface may assist to reduce the possibility of ligature points and sharp edges on the frame.
The seat assembly on the top surface of the frame may include a seat that is integrally formed with the top surface of the frame. In some examples, the seat may be curved to form a horseshoe shape that has a first end and a second end. A lip may be positioned between the first end and the second end of the seat, and the first and second ends of the seat may be raised with respect to the seat. An inner surface of the seat assembly may form a perimeter that defines a bowl opening that allows access to the bowl of the bowl assembly.
The top surface may also include a top surface platform that extends rearwardly from the seat assembly. The top surface platform may be flat and planar. The transition between the seat assembly and the top surface platform may be rounded to avoid ligature points and sharp edges. In some embodiments, the seat may be raised with respect to the top surface platform.
In some examples, a left ridge may extend through the left surface of the frame so that the left surface is tiered with a top portion that extends outward more than a bottom portion. The left ridge may be rounded to reduce the possibility of ligature points. Likewise, in some embodiments, a right ridge may extend through the right surface of the frame so that right left surface is tiered with a top portion that extends outward more than a bottom portion. The right ridge may be rounded to reduce the possibility of ligature points.
The rear surface of the frame may include an outer section and an inner section that are separated by a rear surface ledge. A rear surface opening may be defined through the rear surface, allowing access to the hollow interior of the frame.
The bowl assembly may be positioned within the hollow interior of the frame. The bowl assembly may include a bowl and a trapway attached to the bowl. The trapway may include a pipe opening for attaching the trapway to a pipe or another plumbing component that connects to exterior plumbing. A spray ring may by positioned on a top surface of the bowl and a seal gasket may be positioned in a cavity formed between the spray ring and the frame. In some embodiments, the inner surface of the seat assembly may surround the spray ring to attach the spray ring and the bowl to the frame.
The pipe that is attached to the trapway may exit the hollow interior of the frame either though the rear surface opening or through a bottom surface opening defined through the bottom surface of the frame. The pipe may include a curved section or a bent section within the interior of the frame to allow the pipe to align with the pipe opening of the trapway and to also align with exterior plumbing.
A method of forming a ligature resistant toilet may comprise rotationally molding the frame of the ligature resistant toilet and attaching the bowl assembly to said frame so that said bowl assembly is positioned within the hollow interior defined by said frame. The rotationally molded frame is a seamless surface with rounded corners that lacks ligature points at which a ligature may be tied or attached to the toilet. The method may further include inserting the seal gasket between the spray ring and the seat assembly of the frame. The seal gasket may assist to prevent liquid from entering the hollow interior of the frame.
Further forms, objects, features, aspects, benefits, advantages, and embodiments of the present invention will become apparent from a detailed description and drawings provided herewith.
For the purpose of promoting an understanding of the principles of the invention, reference will now be made to the embodiments illustrated in the drawings and specific language will be used to describe the same. It will nevertheless be understood that no limitation of the scope of the invention is thereby intended. Any alterations and further modifications in the described embodiments, and any further applications of the principles of the invention as described herein are contemplated as would normally occur to one skilled in the art to which the invention relates. One embodiment of the invention is shown in great detail, although it will be apparent to those skilled in the relevant art that some features that are not relevant to the present invention may not be shown for the sake of clarity.
Spatially relative terms such as “lower”, “upper”, “under”, “over”, “above” and the like may be used to describe and element's and/or feature's relationship to another element(s) or feature(s), for example as depicted in the Figures. It will be understood that the spatially relative terms are intended to encompass different operations of the system, device or component in use in addition to the orientation described or depicted in the Figures. For example, if a device or component as depicted in the Figures is inverted, an element that is shown and described as “upper” would then be oriented as “lower”.
As disclosed above, aspects of the present disclosure relate to a toilet, and in particular a ligature-resistant toilet that may have at least a portion that is produced through a rotational molding process.
The frame 110 includes a bottom surface 112, a front surface 116, a left surface 122 (see
The frame 110 also includes a top surface 150 that defines a seat assembly 152 that sits atop the bowl assembly 170. The top surface 150 connects to the front surface 116, the left surface 122, and the right surface 128 at a transition surface 168. A rounded upper transition edge 167 is positioned between the top surface 150 and the transition surface 168. A rounded lower transition edge 169 is positioned between the left surface 122 and the transition surface 168 and between the right surface 128 and the transition surface 168. The rounded transition surface and the rounded upper transition edge 167 and lower transition edge 169 reduce the risk of ligature points on the toilet 100 and eliminates any sharp edges between the top surface 150 and the rest of the frame 110 that could act as a possible source of injury for a user of the toilet 100.
As shown in
As shown in
A top view of the toilet 100 is shown in
The seat assembly 152 includes a seat 153 that is raised with respect to the top surface platform 165. The seat 153 is an integrally formed component of the top surface 150 of the toilet 100 and may not be raised and lowered. In this embodiment, the seat 153 is curved to form a horseshoe shape and has a first end 154 and a second end 155. An inner surface of the seat assembly 152 forms a perimeter that defines a bowl recess 159 that allows access to a bowl 172 of the bowl assembly 170. A lip 158 is positioned between the first end 154 and the second end 155 of the seat 153. As shown in
A rear view of the toilet 100 is shown in
Bowl 172 of the bowl assembly 170 is shown within the hollow interior 180 of the toilet 100. A trapway 176 is positioned beneath and attached to the bowl 172 of the bowl assembly 170. The trapway 176 includes a tube opening 177 for receiving a plumbing tube for connecting the toilet 100 to an exterior plumbing system. In some embodiments, the bowl 172 and the trapway 176 of the bowl assembly 170 may be made from stainless steel. However, in other embodiments, the bowl 172 and the trapway 176 may be made from any other suitable material as desired.
A cross-sectional view of the toilet 100 is shown in
In some embodiments, the inner surface 156 of the seat assembly 152 may wrap around the spray ring 174 and the top surface 173 of the bowl 172 so that no edges of the spray ring 174 or the bowl 172 are exposed to a user. This assists to prevent ligature points or sharp edges that may be created by the bowl 172 or the spray ring 174. Therefore, when the toilet 100 is mounted to a support surface, such as a wall, the only portions of the toilet 100 that are accessible to the user is the outer surfaces of the frame 110 and the surface of a portion of the bowl 172 that is accessible through the bowl recess 159. The rounded corners and the one-piece, seamless design of the frame 110 and the smooth surface of the portion of the bowl 172 accessible through the bowl recess 159 reduce the possibility of ligature points and sharp edges on the toilet 100.
The trapway 176 may be attached to a pipe 190 that removes material from the bowl 172 to an exterior plumbing system or to another desired location. In the embodiment shown, the pipe 190 exits the frame 110 at the rear of the frame out of the rear surface opening 145. As shown, in some embodiments, the pipe 190 may have a bent section 191 to change the position of the pipe 190 if necessary to align the pipe 190 with a plumbing outlet positioned exterior to the hollow interior 180 of the toilet 100. In other embodiments, the pipe 190 may have any suitable shape to allow connection between the trapway 176 and exterior plumbing.
In some embodiments, the frame 110 may include an access panel that allows access to the hollow interior 180 of the frame 110. The access panel may allow easy access to the bowl assembly and other plumbing components within the hollow interior 180 when repairs are necessary. In some embodiments, the access panel may be positioned on the front surface 116 of the frame. In other examples, the access panel may be located on the left surface 122 or on the right surface 128 of the frame 110.
The frame 110 of the ligature resistant toilet 100 may be manufactured using rotational molding. Rotational molding is a manufacturing process that is suitable for creating hollow, one-piece components. The rotational molding process starts with a product material that is usually in powder form, but may be a liquid in some embodiments. Typically, the product material is some variety of polymer or plastic, but other suitable materials may be used as desired. The product material is inserted into a mold that is formed into the shape of the final product. The mold is closed with the product material inside and the mold is rotated about at least two axes. In some embodiments, the mold may also be rotated at varying speeds.
As the mold is rotated, the mold and the product material within the mold is heated. As the mold is rotated, the heated product material is pushed against the walls of the mold through centrifugal force. After the product material has been adhered to the walls of the mold, the mold is cooled to allow the product material to solidify into a final product in the desired shape of the mold. After cooling, the final product is removed from the mold. In some embodiments, the product material will shrink during the cooling process, allowing easy removal of the final product from the mold.
Rotational molding may be beneficial for manufacturing ligature resistant components because rotational molding may be used to creates a seamless product. Therefore, toilet 100 can be produced through rotational molding so that the toilet 100 does not have any seams. A seam may produce a ligature point on a product, so the reduction of seams or the complete elimination of seams on toilet 100 reduces the number of potential ligature points.
The uses of the terms “a” and “an” and “the” and similar references herein (especially in the context of the following claims) are to be construed to cover both the singular and the plural, unless otherwise indicated herein or clearly contradicted by context. Recitation of ranges of values herein are merely intended to serve as a shorthand method of referring individually to each separate value falling within the range, unless otherwise indicated herein, and each separate value is incorporated into the specification as if it were individually recited herein. All methods described herein can be performed in any suitable order unless otherwise indicated herein or otherwise clearly contradicted by context. The use of any and all examples, or exemplary language (e.g., “such as”) provided herein, is intended merely to better illuminate embodiments of the disclosure and does not pose a limitation on the scope of the disclosure unless otherwise claimed. No language in the specification should be construed as indicating any non-claimed element as essential to the practice of the products or methods defined by the claims.
While embodiments of the disclosure have been illustrated and described in detail in the drawings and foregoing description, the same is to be considered as illustrative and not restrictive in character, it being understood that only some embodiments have been shown and described and that all changes and modifications that come within the spirit of the disclosures herein are desired to be protected.
| Number | Date | Country | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 63487738 | Mar 2023 | US |
