Toilet seat assembly having an upright position lock
First Claim
1. A toilet seat assembly comprising:
- a seat for permitting a user to sit over a toilet bowl of a toilet apparatus; and
a hinge for pivotally attaching the seat to the toilet apparatus so that the user can manually pivot the seat relative to the toilet bowl between a vertical-upright position and a horizontal-down position, the hinge having a base for attachment to the toilet bowl and a lock which automatically engages when the seat is manually pivoted into the vertical-upright position to prevent the seat from inadvertently pivoting back to the horizontal-down position, the lock including a cam element and a bead which coacts with the cam element to form a detent mechanism, the bead disposed on a horizontal upper surface of the base.
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Accused Products
Abstract
A toilet seat assembly comprising a seat for permitting a user to sit over a toilet bowl of a toilet apparatus and a hinge pivotally attaching the seat to the toilet apparatus so that the user can manually pivot the seat relative to the toilet bowl between a vertical-upright position and a horizontal-down position. The hinge has a lock which automatically engages when the seat is manually pivoted into the vertical-upright position to prevent the seat from inadvertently pivoting back to the horizontal-down position. The toilet seat assembly can be further provided with a lid for selectively covering the toilet seat. The hinge lock can be adapted to automatically engage when the lid is manually pivoted into the vertical-upright position to prevent the lid from inadvertently pivoting back to the horizontal-down position.
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Citations
19 Claims
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1. A toilet seat assembly comprising:
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a seat for permitting a user to sit over a toilet bowl of a toilet apparatus; and
a hinge for pivotally attaching the seat to the toilet apparatus so that the user can manually pivot the seat relative to the toilet bowl between a vertical-upright position and a horizontal-down position, the hinge having a base for attachment to the toilet bowl and a lock which automatically engages when the seat is manually pivoted into the vertical-upright position to prevent the seat from inadvertently pivoting back to the horizontal-down position, the lock including a cam element and a bead which coacts with the cam element to form a detent mechanism, the bead disposed on a horizontal upper surface of the base. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5)
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6. A toilet seat assembly comprising:
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a seat for permitting a user to sit over a toilet bowl of a toilet apparatus;
a lid for selectively covering the toilet seat; and
a hinge for pivotally attaching the seat and the lid to the toilet apparatus so that the user can manually pivot the lid, the seat or the lid and seat together relative to the toilet bowl between a vertical-upright position and a horizontal-down position, the hinge having a base for attachment to the toilet bowl and a lock which automatically engages when at least the seat is manually pivoted into the vertical-upright position to prevent the seat from inadvertently pivoting back to the horizontal-down position, the lock including a cam element and a bead which coacts with the cam element to form a detent mechanism, the bead disposed on a horizontal upper surface of the base. - View Dependent Claims (7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12)
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13. A toilet apparatus comprising:
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a toilet bowl;
a seat for permitting a user to sit over the toilet bowl; and
a hinge pivotally attaching the seat to the toilet bowl so that the user can manually pivot the seat relative to the toilet bowl between a vertical-upright position and a horizontal-down position, the hinge having a base for attachment to the toilet bowl and a lock which automatically engages when the seat is manually pivoted into the vertical-upright position to prevent the seat from inadvertently pivoting back to the horizontal-down position, the lock including a cam element and a bead which coacts with the cam element to form a detent mechanism, the bead disposed on a horizontal upper surface of the base. - View Dependent Claims (14, 15, 16, 17, 18, 19)
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Specification