Toilet seat hinge assembly with air cleaner
AssigneeKohler Co.
InventorJeffrey T. Laundre
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
A toilet seat assembly encloses a toilet bowl. The toilet seat assembly includes a toilet seat, a fan, a wick compartment, an atomizer, and at least one baffle. The toilet seat rotatably is connected to the toilet bowl via a hinge. The fan is configured to direct a flow of air into a hinge structure. The wick compartment in the hinge structure includes a sanitizing fluid. The atomizer is configured to spray fine particles of the sanitizing fluid into the flow of air from the fan. The at least one baffle is configured to direct the flow of air including the fine particles of the sanitizing fluid toward a surface of the toilet seat.
Claims20
A toilet seat assembly configured to enclose a toilet bowl, the toilet seat assembly comprising:
- a toilet seat rotatably connected to the toilet bowl via a hinge;
- a tank coupled to the hinge;
- a hinge seal configured to seal a space between the toilet seat and a rim of the toilet bowl, the hinge seal connected to the hinge;
- a valve operable in a first position to at least partially prevent a sanitizing material from exiting the tank and a second position to release the sanitizing material into the toilet bowl;
- at least one ridge defining a path for the sanitizing material between the hinge and the toilet bowl;
- and
- at least one channel defining the path for the sanitizing material between the hinge and the toilet bowl.
A toilet comprising:
- a toilet bowl;
- a toilet seat rotatably connected to the toilet bowl via a hinge;
- a tank coupled to the hinge and containing a sanitizing material;
- a valve operable in a first position to at least partially prevent the sanitizing material from exiting the tank and a second position to release the sanitizing material into the toilet bowl;
- at least one ridge defining a path for the sanitizing material between the hinge and the toilet bowl;
- and
- at least one channel defining the path for the sanitizing material between the hinge and the toilet bowl.
A toilet seat assembly configured to enclose a toilet bowl, the toilet seat assembly comprising:
- a toilet seat rotatably connected to the toilet bowl via a hinge;
- a hinge seal configured to seal a space between the toilet seat and a rim of the toilet bowl, the hinge seal connected to the hinge;
- a protrusion to release a sanitizing material into the toilet bowl;
- and
- a valve operable configured at least partially prevent the sanitizing material from exiting the hinge until the protrusion engages the valve to release the sanitizing material into the toilet bowl.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.