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US 4,391,001 AGranted
Soft toilet seat and hinge connector
AssigneeBeatrice Foods Co.
InventorDavid E. Harrison
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
A toilet seat hinge has elongated male connector portions provided with saw-toothed shaped upper and lower surfaces which are inserted in female openings in the rear surface of a soft toilet seat and a soft toilet seat cover. The male connector portions lockingly engage with lock lugs provided in a rigid molded bed plate in the seat and cover to prevent retention so that the hinge is permanently connected to the seat and cover following insertion of the male connector member. Another aspect of the invention resides in a novel molding method in which two movable mold components provide openings extending both vertically and horizontally in a molded item.
Claims25
A toilet seat component and hinge combination comprising:
- a hinge member including an elongated connector spike having an upper sawtooth-shaped surface and a lower sawtooth-shaped surface;
- and
- a toilet seat component including a female coupling means provided adjacent the rear edge of the toilet seat component for receiving and retaining said elongated connector spike to provide a permanent and secure attachment thereto, said female coupling means including:
- a plurality of horizontally aligned upper lock lugs;
- a plurality of horizontally aligned lower lock lugs positioned below and spaced from said upper lock logs;
- and
- said upper lock lugs and said lower lock lugs defining the upper extent and the lower extent of a coupling opening extending inwardly from the rear extent of said female coupling means, said coupling opening being dimensioned to matingly receive said elongated connector spike with the sawtoothed-shaped upper surface of the elongated connector spike lockingly engaging the upper lock lugs and the sawtooth-shaped lower surface of the elongated connector spike lockingly engaging the lower lock lugs for effecting automatic locked retention of the elongated connector spike in the female coupling in response to the insertion of the elongated connector spike into the female coupling opening.
4 more elements
A toilet seat component, a toilet seat cover component, and hinge combination comprising:
- a hinge member including first and second elongated connector spikes each mounted for pivotal movement on a hinge base and each having an upper sawtooth-shaped surface and a lower sawtooth-shaped surface;
- a toilet seat component including a female coupling means provided adjacent the rear edge of the toilet seat component for receiving and retaining said first elongated connector spikes to provide a permanent and secure attachment thereto;
- a toilet seat cover component including a female coupling means provided adjacent the rear edge of the toilet seat cover component and including a female opening in the rear surface of the cover component for receiving and retaining said second elongated connector spike to provide a permanent and secure attachment thereto;
- each of said female coupling means including:
- a plurality of horizontally aligned upper lock lugs;
- a plurality of horizontally aligned and spaced lower lock lugs positioned below said upper lock logs;
- said upper lock lugs and said lower lock lugs defining the upper extent and the lower extent of a female coupling opening extending inwardly from the rear extent of said female coupling means dimensioned to matingly receive its respective elongated connector spike with the sawtoothed-shaped upper surface of the respective elongated connector spike lockingly engaging the upper lock lugs and the sawtooth-shaped lower surface of the respective elongated connector spike lockingly engaging the lower lock lugs for effecting automatic locked retention of the elongated connector spike in the female coupling in response to the insertion of the elongated connector spike into the female coupling opening.
4 more elements
A toilet seat component, a toilet seat cover component, and hinge combination comprising:
- a hinge member including first and second elongated male connector members each mounted for pivotal movement on a hinge base;
- a toilet seat component including a female compling means provided adjacent the rear edge of the toilet seat component for receiving and retaining said first elongated connector members to provide a permanent and secure attachment thereto;
- a toilet seat cover component comprising a rigid plastic bed plate having a flat bottom surface and including a female coupling means provided adjacent the rear edge of the toilet seat cover component and including a female opening in the rear surface of the cover component for receiving and retaining said second elongated connector member to provide a permanent and secure attachment thereto;
- each of said female coupling means including locking and retention means for permitting the insertion of a male connector member therein while precluding the withdrawal of the male connector member therefrom whereby the flat bottom surface of the cover component facingly rests on the upper surface of the seat component when in a closed position.
1 more element
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.