Family toilet seat and cover assembly having fluid damped slow-close hinges for all hinged components

Abstract

An improved family toilet seat and cover assembly has easy-open, slow-close, fluid-damped hinges for all hingeable components, including the adult toilet seat, the cover for the adult toilet seat which also incorporates a child toilet seat, and a lid for the child toilet seat, which is hinged to the cover for the adult toilet seat. The adult toilet seat and adult toilet seat cover are hingeably attached to a pair of hinge posts, which are attached with bolts to the toilet bowl. Each hinge post contains one fluid-filled rotational dampener that is rotationally coupled to either the adult seat or adult seat cover/child seat. The child seat lid is rotationally coupled to a fluid-filed rotational dampener that is installed within a dampener housing molded into either the child toilet seat or the child toilet seat lid.

1 . A toilet seat and cover assembly comprising: 
 an adult toilet seat;    a cover for said adult toilet seat formed of molded material and provided with an opening therein for accommodating the seating of a child thereover;    a lid for said cover opening also formed of molded material, said lid being hingeably coupled to said adult toilet seat cover at a hinge axis positioned below both an upper surface of said lid and an upper surface of said cover; and    a first fluid-filled rotational dampener rotatably coupled to said lid and having an axis of rotation coaxial with said hinge axis, such that said first rotational dampener providing greater resistance to rotary motion when said lid is lowered to a closed position than when it is raised to an open position.    
   
   
       2 . The toilet seat and cover assembly of  claim 1 , which further comprises: 
 a second fluid-filled rotational dampener rotatably coupled to said adult toilet seat, and providing greater resistance to rotary motion when said adult toilet seat is lowered to a closed position than when it is raised to an open position; and    a third fluid-filled rotational dampener rotatably coupled to said adult toilet seat cover, and providing greater resistance to rotary motion when said adult toilet seat cover is lowered to a closed position than when it is raised to an open position.    
   
   
       3 . The toilet seat and cover assembly of  claim 2 , wherein each of said rotational dampeners is filled with a silicon-based oil.  
   
   
       4 . The toilet seat and cover assembly of  claim 2 , wherein said second and third rotational dampeners are each located within one of a pair of mounting supports that anchor the toilet seat and cover assembly to a toilet bowl.  
   
   
       5 . The toilet seat and cover assembly of  claim 1 , wherein said first rotational dampener includes a case containing a rotatable core, said first rotational dampener is installed within a dampener housing molded beneath and unitary with said adult toilet seat cover, and said rotatable core is rotatably locked to a hinge pivot pin that rotates with said lid and within at least one bearing aperture in said adult toilet seat cover.  
   
   
       6 . The toilet seat and cover assembly of  claim 1 , wherein said first rotational dampener includes a case containing a rotatable core, said first rotational dampener is installed with a dampener housing molded beneath and unitary with said lid, and said rotatable core is rotatably locked to a hinge pivot pin that is non-rotatably affixed to the adult toilet seat cover so that the dampener housing and dampener case are rotatable with said lid.  
   
   
       7 . The toilet seat and cover assembly of  claim 1 , wherein said adult toilet seat cover has a recess and an adjacent cutout, said lid comprises a cover and a rear extension, said rear extension being unitary with said cover portion, said rear extension fitting within said recess and above said adjacent cutout when said lid is in a lowered position, closed, and a portion of said rear extension fitting within said adjacent cutout when said lid is in a raised position.  
   
   
       8 . The toilet seat and cover assembly of  claim 7 , wherein said rear extension is of generally rectangular shape.  
   
   
       9 . The toilet seat and cover assembly of  claim 1 , wherein said adult toilet seat, said cover for said adult toilet seat and said lid are molded of at least one polymeric material selected from the group consisting of polypropylene, polyethylene, polyamides, acrylonitrile butadiene styrene, polyvinyl chloride, polyesters, polycarbonate, and poly(methyl methacrylate).  
   
   
       10 . A toilet seat and cover assembly comprising: 
 an adult toilet seat;    a cover for said adult toilet seat formed of molded material and provided with an opening therein for accommodating the seating of a child thereover;    a lid for said cover opening also formed of molded material, said lid being hingeably coupled to said adult toilet seat cover at a hinge axis positioned below both an upper surface of said lid and an upper surface of said cover; and    first, second and third fluid-filled rotational dampener rotatably coupled, respectively, to said lid, said adult toilet seat and said adult toilet seat cover, each rotational dampener providing to its coupled component, greater resistance to rotary motion when said component is lowered to a closed position than when it is raised to an open position.    
   
   
       11 . The toilet seat and cover assembly of  claim 10 , wherein said second and third rotational dampeners are each located within one of a pair of mounting supports that anchor the toilet seat and cover assembly to a toilet bowl.  
   
   
       12 . The toilet seat and cover assembly of  claim 11 , wherein said first rotational damper includes a case containing a rotatable core, said first rotational dampener is installed within a dampener housing molded beneath and unitary with said adult toilet seat cover, and said rotatable core is rotatably locked to a hinge pivot pin that rotates with said lid and within at least one bearing aperture in said adult toilet seat cover.  
   
   
       13 . The toilet seat and cover assembly of  claim 11 , wherein said first rotational dampener includes a case containing a rotatable core, said first rotational dampener is installed with a dampener housing molded beneath and unitary with said lid, and said rotatable core is rotatably locked to a hinge pivot pin that is non-rotatably affixed to the adult toilet seat cover so that the dampener housing and dampener case are rotatable with said lid.  
   
   
       14 . The toilet seat and cover assembly of  claim 10 , wherein said adult toilet seat cover has a recess and an adjacent cutout, said lid comprises a cover and a rear extension, said rear extension being unitary with said cover portion, said rear extension fitting within said recess and above said adjacent cutout when said lid is in a lowered position, closed, and a portion of said rear extension fitting within said adjacent cutout when said lid is in a raised position.  
   
   
       15 . The toilet seat and cover assembly of  claim 14 , wherein said rear extension is of generally rectangular shape.  
   
   
       16 . The toilet seat and cover assembly of  claim 10 , wherein said adult toilet seat, said cover for said adult toilet seat and said lid are molded of polymeric material selected from the group consisting of polypropylene, polyethylene, polyamides, acrylonitrile butadiene styrene, polyvinyl chloride, polyesters, polycarbonate, and poly(methyl methacrylate).  
   
   
       17 . The toilet seat and cover assembly of  claim 10 , wherein each of said rotational dampeners is filled with a silicon-based oil.