Self-closing mechanism

Abstract

Automatic self-close mechanism, in particular for closing a toilet bowl seat and/or a toilet bowl lid, where said closing of the seat and/or lid may be separated into two movements, a first movement bringing the seat and/or lid from a position resting against a back stop into a position where gravity will propel the seat and/or Hd downwards, and a second movement where gravity propels the seat and/or lid towards the toilet bowl, where the energy necessary for the first movement is stored in a resilient member during the opening of the seat/lid, and that the energy is released by releasing a locking arrangement, where said locking arrangement is actuated by an actuating wire, said wire pulling the locking arrangement out of locking engagement, where said wire is actuated by electrical means.

1 . An automatic self-close mechanism, in particular for closing a toilet bowl seat and/or a toilet bowl lid, where said closing of the seat and/or lid is separated into two movements, a first movement bringing the seat and/or lid from a position resting against a back stop into a position where gravity will propel the seat and/or lid downwards, and a second movement where gravity propels the seat and/or lid towards the toilet bowl, where the energy necessary for the first movement is stored in a resilient member during the opening of the seat/lid, and that the energy is released by releasing a locking arrangement, where said locking arrangement is actuated by an actuating wire, wherein the actuating wire is a shaped memory alloy, and that an electrical source activates the wire, causing the wire to contract, thereby pulling the locking arrangement out of locking engagement, where said wire is actuated by electrical means. 
   
   
       2 . (canceled) 
   
   
       3 . The mechanism according to  claim 1  wherein an electronic circuitry is arranged on a printed circuit board, and that means for fastening the wire to the circuit board in electrical contact with the source of energy is provided, and furthermore that the wire is arranged around a pulley in the locking arrangement and back to the printed circuit board, such that the length of the wire is substantially twice or more of the length between the wire fastening point on the printed circuit board and the locking arrangement. 
   
   
       4 . The mechanism according to  claim 1  further comprising a housing, where said housing comprises means for attaching the housing to a toilet bowl, and that further a first damper is arranged inside said housing for dampening the movement of the toilet seat, and a second damper also arranged inside the housing is provided for dampening the movement of the toilet bowl lid, where engagement means are provided in either end of the housing for attaching said toilet bowl seat and lid to said dampeners, and that the releasable locking arrangement is provided between the second dampener and the toilet bowl lid. 
   
   
       5 . The mechanism according to  claim 1  wherein a time delay circuit is included in the electronic circuitry, whereby a predefined time may pass between activation of the locking arrangement and release of said locking arrangement. 
   
   
       6 . The mechanism according to  claim 5  wherein a proximity sensor is provided, which sensor may detect the presence of a user in the vicinity of the mechanism, and where said sensor is connected to the circuitry in such a manner that the activation of the time delay, causing the locking arrangement to release, is activated by input from said sensor. 
   
   
       7 . A method for controlling the closing of a toilet bowl seat an lid, where the seat and lid are engaged in a closing mechanism, where said mechanism comprises a first dampener which dampener is engaged with the seat such that the dampener will slow down the closing movement of the seat, and a second dampener engaged with the lid such that the second dampener will slow down the movement of the lid, and where the opening of the lid will increase the torsional force in a torsion member, and furthermore that a releasable locking mechanism is provided which locking mechanism will, until released maintain the lid in its open position, and after release transfer the stored energy in the torsion member to the lid for moving the lid towards its closed position in contact with the seat, where the locking mechanism has access to a source of electrical energy, such that the release of the locking mechanism is achieved by electrically heating a shaped memory alloy wire, which thereby contracts and pulls the locking mechanism out of locking engagement. 
   
   
       8 . The method according to  claim 7  wherein a time delay circuitry is provided, such that the locking mechanism will release and allow the torsion member to initiate the closing of the lid after a predetermined time period. 
   
   
       9 . The method according to  claim 7  wherein the locking mechanism has access to a source of electrical energy, and that a sensor is provided, whereby the sensor may detect the presence of a user in the vicinity, and only release the locking mechanism after a user has left the vicinity or after a predetermined time period has lapsed after a user has left the vicinity. 
   
   
       10 . A locking mechanism for use in a self-close mechanism according to any preceding claims, wherein said mechanism is particular in that:
 means for mounting a toilet seat and/or lid are provided, where said means are arranged in a substantially tubular member, defining an axis of rotation for the seat and/or lid;   the means for mounting the toilet seat and/or lid are arranged separately such that means in one end of the tubular member by means of a torsional connection with a first dampener is provided for dampening the movement of the seat, and that means in the opposite end of said tubular member by means of a torsional connection with a second dampener is provided for dampening the movement of the lid;   the means in one end comprises a locking mechanism, where said locking mechanism comprises a hollow cylindrical section, where said cylindrical section is integral with the means for mounting the seat or lid;   inside the cylindrical section a piston having a cone shaped section is moveably arranged such that the piston may move along the axis of rotation;   one or more balls are arranged in one or more slits in the cylindrical section, such that the balls may move radially relative to the axis of rotation in or out of engagement with the tubular member, depending on the position of the piston, optionally locking recesses may be provided on the inner surface of the tubular member corresponding to the balls;   the piston is moved by activating a shaped memory alloy pulling the piston in one direction and a resilient member biasing the piston in the opposite direction along the axis of rotation.   
   
   
       11 . The locking mechanism according to  claim 10  wherein the shaped memory alloy is in the shape of a wire, and that the wire is mounted fastened to an interior part of the cylindrical section in one end, threaded around a pulley arranged in the piston and the other end of said wire being mounted to an interior part of the cylindrical section adjacent the mounting of the first end. 
   
   
       12 . The locking mechanism according to  claim 9  wherein the wire is mounted to flanges on a circuit board, where said board further comprises a source of energy and a proximity sensor, where an aperture through the tubular member and said cylindrical section allows the proximity sensor to sense if a user is present in the proximity of the locking mechanism, and that the circuitry on the board comprises a time delay circuit, such that a predetermined delay time may be programmed into the circuitry whereby input from the sensor, after the predetermined period, will activate the self-close mechanism, by inducing a current I the wire which thereby contracts and retracts the cone shaped part of the piston, allowing the balls to disengage from the cylindrical section, allowing the cylindrical section to rotate, and thereby close the seat and lid.