Portable folding toilet seat for backpacking, camping and travel

• US 6,986,173 B1
• Filed: 03/30/2005
• Issued: 01/17/2006
• Est. Priority Date: 03/30/2005
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Thomas D. Hickey
• Original Assignee: Thomas D. Hickey
• Inventors: Hickey, Thomas D.
• Primary Examiner(s): Yu, Justine R.
• Assistant Examiner(s): LE, HUYEN D
• Application Number:
  US11/094,686
• Time in Patent Office: 293 Days
• Field of Search: 446/0, 448/3, 423/7, 423/9, 424/0
• US Class Current: 4/460
• CPC Class Codes: A47K 11/02 Dry closets, e.g. incinerator closets
• CPC Class Codes: A47K 13/005 Auxiliary or portable seats for children A47K13/06
• CPC Class Codes: Y02A 50/30 Against vector-borne diseases, e.g. mosquito-borne, fly-borne, tick-borne or waterborne diseases whose impact is exacerbated by climate change

Abstract

An ultra-light weight portable toilet seat and supporting leg assemblies for backpacking, camping and travel use, comprised of a folding seat and multiple adjustable legs for height variation. The seat is comprised of a top surface and a bottom surface, a back section and a front section, and an open center. The multiple legs attach into the bottom section and angle downward to meet the ground. The bottom section of the seat has an interior space designed to receive the adjustable legs which when fully retracted will friction fit into place by the designed form. The back section and the front section are held together by a center axis to allow the seat to close, concealing the legs in a clamshell fashion. The portable toilet assembly can be used over a pre-dug hole or with the waste container.

Claims

1. A portable folding toilet seat that is so ultra light weight and compactable, that it can be carried in a back pack, luggage compartment or other packable means for use in the wilderness areas or for overseas travel;

comprising of a curved seat section with a top surface, a bottom surface, a back section, a front section and an open middle;

the front section and the back section are connected by a molded center pivot axis, which allows the front and back sections to pivot open and closed;

when the seat section folded joins the bottom surfaces of the front and back sections;

the top surfaces of the front and back sections are facing in opposite directions and exposed outwardly;

when fully closed, the seat has a clam shell appearance and two flat surfaces being exposed with the molded center pivot axis in between;

extending from one surface on either side of the center pivot axis is a molded extension with a small protrusion at the end of the extension;

on the opposing flat surface, a molded groove with a small recess receives the extension with the small protrusion with a snap fit locking the sections of the seat into a rigid position when the seat is fully opened.

2. The portable folding toilet seat of claim 1, wherein said bottom surface is comprised of an intricate series of supporting molded ribs giving the said curved seat section strength while reducing weight.

3. The portable folding toilet seat of claim 1, wherein said bottom surface with the intricate series of supporting molded ribs are partially carved out to form an interior storage space;

the interior space is the full length of the retracted leg assembly and the width is just wide enough to allow for a friction fit or snap fit for storage of the leg assemblies on the bottom surface.

4. The portable folding toilet seat of claim 3, wherein said interior storage space of the partially carved out supporting molded ribs stores a plurality of leg assemblies;

the carved out storage space forms a friction fit to allow the leg assemblies to snap into position to be stored;

when the folding toilet seat is fully folded the leg assembly is nested in the friction fit interior storage space and only the clam shell appears.

5. The portable folding toilet seat of claim 1, wherein said bottom surface has a plurality of carved out interior spaces to allow a plurality of leg assemblies to friction fit into these interior spaces.

6. The portable folding toilet seat of claim 5;

wherein the leg assemblies consist of two tubes that are able to fully retract to be stored in the interior space;

the leg assembly then is able to be snapped out of the friction fit interior space to be extended to a height for child use or fully extended for adult use.

7. The portable folding toilet seat of claim 1, wherein said bottom surface has a plurality of molded projections extending from the bottom surface;

the molded projections consisting of a base, a wall, a lip and an open center;

the molded projection is broader at the base and taper as the wall extends to the lip which is thinner.

8. The portable folding toilet seat of claim 1, wherein said bottom surface containing the molded projections consisting of a base, a wall a lip and an open center;

the wall is of sufficient length and the open center is of sufficient width to create a receptacle to receive the end of the leg assembly;

the upper end of the leg assembly friction fits into the open center and be supported by the wall of the molded projection;

once all of the leg assemblies are friction fitted in the openings and supported by the wall, the portable folding toilet seat is supported to be a stand alone portable toilet.