Patent Application
20230383514
The following includes information that may be useful in understanding the present disclosure. It is not an admission that any of the information provided herein is prior art nor material to the presently described or claimed inventions, nor that any publication or document that is specifically or implicitly referenced is prior art.
The present invention relates generally to the field of toilets of existing art and more specifically relates to accessories for leveling toilets for installation over a high or otherwise unlevel toilet flange.
A toilet is a plumbing fixture that is installed in line with an opening in a floor and connected to a piping system, enabling the toilet to carry waste therethrough. Commonly, a toilet flange is installed in the opening prior to installation of the toilet. The toilet flange is configured for connection with a base of the toilet. It is important that this connection be a strong and watertight connection so as to prevent any waste and/or water from leaking therefrom. However, many times it is difficult to create a proper connection between the toilet flange and the toilet. For example, the flooring around the toilet flange may be unlevel, meaning that the toilet flange may sit too high to create a proper connection with the toilet. This often results in a complete redo of the flooring and piping system, resulting in an unreasonable amount of time and money spent on the simple task of installing a toilet. Thus, a suitable solution is desired.
In view of the foregoing disadvantages inherent in the known toilet accessory art, the present disclosure provides novel toilet leveling clips. The general purpose of the present disclosure, which will be described subsequently in greater detail, is to provide a system used for leveling a toilet atop a toilet flange, thereby fixing flange height issues and uneven flooring/tiles and preventing a need to redo previous work on flooring and pipes.
A system for leveling a toilet atop a toilet flange is disclosed herein. The system may include at least one device. The at least one device may include a plate portion and a lip portion. The plate portion may be configured to raise a base of the toilet. The plate portion may include a front edge opposite a rear edge, a length therebetween and a thickness. The length may be substantially parallel to a floor surface (when the at least one device is installed). The lip portion may be attached about the rear edge of the plate portion and may extend at least substantially perpendicular to the plate portion.
According to another embodiment, a method of leveling a toilet atop a toilet flange is also disclosed herein. The method may include the steps of providing the system as above wherein the at least one device includes a set of devices each including the plate portion and the lip portion; and installing each device from the set of devices between a floor surface and a base of the toilet where needed, front edge first, thereby raising a height of the toilet relative to the toilet flange.
For purposes of summarizing the invention, certain aspects, advantages, and novel features of the invention have been described herein. It is to be understood that not necessarily all such advantages may be achieved in accordance with any one particular embodiment of the invention. Thus, the invention may be embodied or carried out in a manner that achieves or optimizes one advantage or group of advantages as taught herein without necessarily achieving other advantages as may be taught or suggested herein. The features of the invention which are believed to be novel are particularly pointed out and distinctly claimed in the concluding portion of the specification. These and other features, aspects, and advantages of the present invention will become better understood with reference to the following drawings and detailed description.
The figures which accompany the written portion of this specification illustrate embodiments and methods of use for the present disclosure, toilet leveling clips, constructed and operative according to the teachings of the present disclosure.
The various embodiments of the present invention will hereinafter be described in conjunction with the appended drawings, wherein like designations denote like elements.
As discussed above, embodiments of the present disclosure relate to toilet accessories and more particularly to toilet leveling clips. The toilet leveling clips may include a set of small clips that may be attached under a base of a toilet prior to installation of the toilet over a toilet flange. The set of small clips may raise the toilet up between ½-1 inch, thereby creating distance for the toilet to have a proper connection to the toilet flange without disrupting a current pipe system and/or existing flooring. As such, the toilet leveling clips may fix toilet flange height issues in a short amount of time, may prevent a redo of the existing flooring and tiles, and may save cost and time.
Referring now more specifically to the drawings by numerals of reference, there is shown in
The system 100 may include at least one device 200. Preferably, as shown in
Further, the devices 200 may be configured to withstand a weight of the toilet 5 and resist breakage or damage thereto. For example, in some embodiments, the device 200 may be made from a sturdy and durable plastic material. However, it should be appreciated that the devices 200 are not limited to the plastic material.
As shown particularly in
Further, as shown, the length 116 of the plate portion 110 may be substantially parallel to the floor surface 10 (
As shown in
Further, the devices 200 may also include a fastener means 131 configured to fasten the device 200 to the base 6 of the toilet 5. For example, in some embodiments, the fastener means 131 may include an adhesive 132. In some embodiments, as shown in
Referring now to
It should be noted that certain steps may be optional steps and may not be implemented in all cases. Optional steps of method 300 are illustrated using dotted lines in
The embodiments of the invention described herein are exemplary and numerous modifications, variations and rearrangements can be readily envisioned to achieve substantially equivalent results, all of which are intended to be embraced within the spirit and scope of the invention. Further, the purpose of the foregoing abstract is to enable the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office and the public generally, and especially the scientist, engineers and practitioners in the art who are not familiar with patent or legal terms or phraseology, to determine quickly from a cursory inspection the nature and essence of the technical disclosure of the application.
