Water closet bolt
AssigneeShurset Corp.
InventorsCharles W. Johnson, Andrew R. Johnson
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
A water closet bolt comprises an upper end and a lower end with a threaded body extending therebetween. The lower end includes an oblong foot and the upper end includes a male or female notch for visually indicating the orientation of the long axis of the oblong foot. The notch also serves as a gripping surface to aid the installer in the installation of the toilet. Furthermore, the bottom of the notch acts as a break-off point to aid the installer in removing an excess portion of the bolt after the completing the installation.
Claims13
A water closet bolt for use in installing a toilet comprising:
- A. an elongated bolt having an upper end and a lower end and having a threaded body extending therebetween;
- B. a substantially oblong foot on the lower end of the bolt;
- and
- C. a notch, extending downwardly from the upper end of the bolt, for visually indicating the orientation of a long axis of the oblong foot, wherein
- i. the notch forms a non-threaded surface that extends downwardly from the upper end of the bolt and into the threaded body to a location well above the oblong foot, the non-threaded surface serving as an at least substantially vertical hold back to aid in the installation of the toilet,
- ii. the notch terminates in a break-off point located at the bottom of the notch, the bolt being thicker and stronger immediately beneath the break-off point than at the break-off point, and wherein
- iii. the non-threaded surface is configured for gripping the bolt to enable tightening of a nut onto the water closet bolt.
A toilet assembly comprising:
- A. a toilet having a base, said base having apertures therein;
- B. a closet collar positioned underneath the base of the toilet and configured to rest on a floor, said closet collar having slots for communication with the apertures of the base of the toilet;
- C. water closet bolts each having an upper end, a lower end, and an elongated threaded body extending at least part way therebetween, the bolts each having an oblong foot on the lower end, wherein a long axis of each oblong foot is configured to engage a lower surface of a corresponding slot of the closet collar and the upper end of each bolt is configured to extend through one of the apertures of the base of the toilet, each of the closet bolts additionally having a notch, extending downwardly from the upper end of the bolt and into the threaded body, for visually indicating the orientation of the long axis of the oblong foot, wherein each notch further provides a surface to provide a hold back for an installer during installation and a break-off point, located at a bottom of the notch, at which the bolt can be broken to remove the notched upper end of the bolt, each bolt being thicker and stronger immediately beneath the break-off point than at the break-off point;
- and
- D. nuts that are threaded onto the bolts and that hold the base in place, each nut having a top surface located beneath the break-off point;
- wherein the notch of each water closet bolt terminates at a location above a top surface of the associated nut and is configured for gripping the bolt at a location above the nut to enable tightening of the corresponding nut onto to the threaded body of the water closet bolt.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.