Disinfecting toilet seat system

• US 6,076,197 A
• Filed: 12/28/1998
• Issued: 06/20/2000
• Est. Priority Date: 01/22/1998
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Shu-Ki Yeung
• Original Assignee: Shu-Ki Yeung
• Inventors: Yeung, Shu-Ki
• Primary Examiner(s): Phillips, Charles E.
• Application Number:
  US09/222,292
• Time in Patent Office: 540 Days
• Field of Search: 4/233
• US Class Current: 4/233
• CPC Class Codes: A47K 13/247 Covers with sliding wings or wings pivoting around a vertical axis
• CPC Class Codes: A47K 13/302 Seats with cleaning devices apparatus for cleaning toilet bowls or whole toilets E03D9/002

Abstract

The disinfecting toilet seat system comprises a toilet seat with at least one seat surface, disinfecting means for disinfecting said toilet seat, containing means to hold said disinfecting means, means to trigger disinfection, means mounting said toilet seat for pivoting movement and/or seat surface sequencing relative to said containing means, and means mounting said containing means for pivoting movement relative to said toilet seat and/or mounting said containing means between said toilet seat and a toilet bowl, wherein said containing means comprises at least one element generally matching said at least one seat surface, and maintains said toilet seat disinfecting means in orientation to facilitate application of disinfection to said toilet seat when said containing means and said toilet seat are within predetermined proximity of each other.

Claims

1. A disinfecting toilet seat system comprising:

a toilet seat with at least one seat surface,

disinfecting means for disinfecting said toilet seat,

at least one containing means to hold said disinfecting means,

trigger means to trigger disinfection of said toilet seat,

means mounting said toilet seat for pivoting movement and/or seat surface sequencing relative to said at least one containing means, and

means mounting said at least one containing means for pivoting movement relative to said toilet seat and/or mounting said at least one containing means between said toilet seat and a toilet bowl, wherein

said containing means comprises at least one element generally matching said at least one seat surface, and maintains said disinfecting means in orientation to facilitate application of disinfection to said toilet seat when said containing means and said toilet seat are within predetermined proximity of each other.

2. The disinfecting toilet seat system of claim 1, wherein said at least one containing means comprises a seat cover.

3. The disinfecting toilet seat system of claim 1, wherein said at least one containing means comprises an intermediate layer between said toilet seat and a toilet rim.

4. The disinfecting toilet seat system of claim 1, wherein said at least one containing means constitutes part of a toilet rim.

5. The disinfecting toilet seat system of claim 3 or 4, further comprising a seat cover.

6. The disinfecting toilet seat system of claim 1, wherein said toilet seat is orientable to render successive seat surfaces for disinfection.

7. The disinfecting toilet seat system of claim 6, wherein said toilet seat further comprises a ball joint for rotational movement.

8. The disinfecting toilet seat system of claim 1, wherein said toilet seat further comprises communication means to facilitate passing through of disinfecting agent toward said at least one seat surface.

9. The disinfecting toilet seat system of claim 1, further comprising means to disinfect a toilet bowl.

10. The disinfecting toilet seat system of claim 9, wherein said trigger means further triggers toilet bowl disinfection.

11. The disinfecting toilet seat system of claim 1, further comprising coupling means for coupling to toilet water delivery system in a manner that said trigger means further triggers toilet cleaning water.

12. The disinfecting toilet seat system of claim 1, wherein said trigger means is manually operated and/or remote control operated.

13. The disinfecting toilet seat system of claim 1, further comprising sensing means to detect said predetermined proximity between said toilet seat and said containing means, and, in response to said predetermined proximity detected, triggers to disinfect said toilet seat.

14. The disinfecting toilet seat system of claim 13, wherein that said sensing means is sensitive to pressure and/or light and/or sound and/or radio wave and/or magnetism.

15. The disinfecting toilet seat system of claim 1, further comprising means to detect approaching and/or departing objects, and, in response to approaching and/or departing objects detected, triggers to disinfect said toilet seat and/or a toilet bowl.

16. The disinfecting toilet seat system of claim 1, wherein said disinfecting means comprises at least one of liquid disinfecting agent, solid disinfecting agent, vapour disinfecting agent, freezing agent, heat generator, light generator, supersonic generator, laser, microwave generator, wiping means and brushing means.

17. The disinfecting toilet seat system of claim 1, wherein disinfection involves at least one of direct contact, conduction, spraying, diffusion, vaporization, radiation, light transmission, wave transmission, surface tension, capillary attraction and mechanical manipulation of said disinfecting means.

18. The disinfecting toilet seat system of claim 1, wherein disinfection discontinues automatically after a predetermined duration of time and/or after a predetermined amount of disinfectant applied.