Combined toilet seat and flushing system

Abstract

A toilet assembly 1 comprises a bowl 2, a seat assembly 3 and a cistern 4 having a flush mechanism and an actuator 10 for actuating said flush mechanism. The seat assembly 3 is hingedly mounted to the bowl 2 for pivotal movement between a lowered position in which the seat assembly 3 extends across the bowl 2 and a raised position in which the seat assembly 3 is upstanding from the bowl 2, and the actuator 10 is located so as to be concealed behind the seat assembly 3 when it is in its raised position such that flushing of the toilet 2 is prevented with said seat assembly 3 raised. Furthermore, the seat assembly 3 comprises a seat member 5 and a lid member 6, the seat member 5 being engageable with a rim 7 of the toilet bowl 2 to provide a seat upon which a user can sit, and the lid member 6 being engageable with the seat member 5 so as to overlie it. Additionally, the seat and lid members 5, 6 each have a seal provided on their underside that forms a substantially hermetic seal with the underlying bowl rim 7 and seat member 5 respectively.

1 . A toilet seat assembly comprising a seat member and a lid member, the assembly, in use, being hingedly attached to a toilet bowl such that the seat member is engageable with a rim of the toilet bowl to provide a seat upon which a user can sit, and the lid member being engageable with the seat member so as to overlie it, at least one of the seat member and the lid member having a seal provided on its underside which, in use, forms a substantially hermetic seal with the underlying bowl rim or seat member respectively.  
   
   
       2 . A toilet seat assembly according to  claim 1 , wherein each of the seat member and the lid member has a seal provided on its underside.  
   
   
       3 . A toilet seat assembly according to  claim 1 , wherein the at least one seal is an annular seal which extends entirely around the periphery of the toilet assembly member on which it is provided.  
   
   
       4 . A toilet seat assembly according to  claim 1 , wherein the at least one seal is of unitary construction.  
   
   
       5 . A toilet seat assembly according to  claim 4 , wherein the at least one seal is mounted directly onto the underside of the assembly member on which it is provided.  
   
   
       6 . A toilet seat assembly according to  claim 4 , wherein the at least one seal has recesses for locating moulded stops or feet mounted on the assembly member on which it is provided.  
   
   
       7 . A toilet seat assembly according to  claim 1 , wherein the at least one seal is formed of a plurality of annular segments that extend between moulded stops mounted on the underside of the assembly member on which they are provided.  
   
   
       8 . A toilet seat assembly according to  claim 7 , wherein the plurality of annular segments extend arcuately between the moulded stops or feet.  
   
   
       9 . A toilet seat assembly according to  claim 1 , wherein the at least one seal includes studs for mounting itself, in a preferably removable fashion, to the underside of the assembly member on which it is provided via complementary recesses located therein.  
   
   
       10 . A toilet seat assembly according to  claim 1 , wherein the at least one seal is radially inset from the outer edge of the assembly member on which it is provided.  
   
   
       11 . A toilet seat assembly according to  claim 1 , wherein the at least one seal is substantially adjacent to the inner rim of the underlying bowl rim or seat member with which, in use, it forms a seal.  
   
   
       12 . A toilet seat assembly according to  claim 1 , wherein the at least one seal is manufactured from silicon.  
   
   
       13 . A toilet seat assembly according to  claim 1 , wherein the at least one seal comprises an in-built, longitudinally extending bead and a web, the bead forming a buffer for maintaining a gap between the seat member or lid member it is provided on and the underlying bowl rim or seat member with which, in use, it respectively forms a seal, and the web extending over said bead so as to be upstanding therefrom in an unbiased position.  
   
   
       14 . A toilet seat assembly according to  claim 13 , wherein the web of the at least one seal is flexible and flares laterally upon being compressed towards the bead so as to provide a broader sealing surface with the bowl rim or seat member with which, in use, it forms a seal.  
   
   
       15 . A toilet seat assembly according to  claim 13 , wherein the bead extends along the entire length of the at least one seal.  
   
   
       16 . A toilet seat assembly according to  claim 1 , wherein the at least one seal is tubular.  
   
   
       17 . A toilet seat assembly according to  claim 16 , wherein the at least one tubular seal has a substantially triangular cross-sectional form and a correspondingly shaped tubular cavity.  
   
   
       18 . A toilet seat assembly according to  claim 16 , wherein the lid member is provided with a tubular seal having an engaging face which is inclined to the plane of said lid member, the seal being mounted on the lid member such that, in use, said engaging face engages with the inner rim of the seal member and flares to form a particularly effective seal therewith.  
   
   
       19 . A toilet seat assembly according to  claim 18 , wherein the lid member tubular seal has a substantially right-angled, triangular cross-sectional form and a correspondingly shaped tubular cavity, wherein, in use, the hypotenuse of the triangular cross-section forms the engaging face.  
   
   
       20 . A toilet seat assembly according to  claim 17 , wherein the seat member is provided with a tubular seal wherein, in use, the apex of the triangular cross-section engages with the bowl rim.  
   
   
       21 . A toilet seat assembly according to  claim 1 , wherein the lid member of the toilet seat is made of transparent material.  
   
   
       22 . A toilet seat assembly according to  claim 1 , wherein the lid member of the toilet seat includes a means for mounting an air freshening device to its underside.  
   
   
       23 . A toilet seat assembly comprising a toilet bowl and a seat assembly according to  claim 1  pivotally assembled thereto.  
   
   
       24 . A toilet assembly comprising a bowl, a seat assembly and a cistern having a flush mechanism and an actuator for actuating said flush mechanism, the seat assembly being hingedly mounted to the bowl for pivotal movement between a lowered position in which the seat assembly extends across the bowl and a raised position in which the seat assembly is upstanding from the bowl, and the actuator being located so as to be concealed behind the seat assembly when it is in its raised position such that flushing of the toilet is prevented with said seat assembly raised.  
   
   
       25 . A toilet assembly according to  claim 24 , wherein the actuator is located on a front face of the cistern, the seat assembly extending across said first face when in its raised position so as to overlie said actuator and thereby prevent access to it.  
   
   
       26 . A toilet assembly according to  claim 24 , wherein the actuator is located above the waterline of the flushing system.  
   
   
       27 . A toilet assembly according to  claim 24 , wherein the actuator is a push button.  
   
   
       28 . A toilet assembly according to  claim 27 , wherein the flush mechanism includes a linkage for converting longitudinal movement of the push button into vertical movement for initiating the flush mechanism of the flushing system.  
   
   
       29 . A toilet assembly according to  claim 28 , wherein the linkage includes a cam arrangement that converts the transverse movement of the button to the required vertical movement.  
   
   
       30 . A toilet assembly according to  claim 24 , wherein the actuator is a rotating lever.  
   
   
       31 . A toilet assembly according to  claim 30 , wherein the vertically pivoting lever is located in a recess in the front face of the cistern.  
   
   
       32 . A toilet assembly according to  claim 30 , wherein the arrangement for converting the movement of the lever into vertical movement for initiating the flush mechanism of the flushing system is a simple pivot lever arrangement that converts the rotational movement to the required vertical movement.  
   
   
       33 . A toilet assembly according to  claim 24  including a seat assembly is in accordance with  claim 1.