Method and device for the automatic cleaning of a toilet seat

A toilet with an automatically cleanable toilet seat comprising:

• a toilet bowl;
• a flush water cistern;
• a substantially ring-shaped toilet seat, said toilet seat being rotatable in a circumferential direction;
• mounting means for mounting said toilet seat on said toilet bowl for relative rotation therebetwen in said circumferential direction;
• a water inlet pipe, connected to said flush water cistern, for supplying water to said flush water cistern;
• first valve means, connected to said water inlet pipe, for controlling the flow of water through said water inlet pipe to maintain a predetermined water level in said flush water cistern;
• lever-actuated second valve means for fluidically connecting said toilet bowl and said flush water cistern and for controlling the flow of water from said flush water cistern to said toilet bowl, said lever-actuated second valve means including a manually actuable lever movable between a valve closed position and a valve open position;
• a slide housing means slidingly movable between a neutral position adjacent said toilet seat and an operative position disposed above a segment of said toilet seat, for housing spray means for applying a cleaning liquid to said toilet seat when said slide housing means is in said operative position and drying means for drying said toilet seat after application of said cleaning liquid;
• first motor means, responsive to a power input, for moving said slide housing means between said neutral position and said operative position;
• second motor means, responsive to a power input, for rotating said toilet seat in said circumferential direction, relative to said toilet bowl;
• power supply means, responsive to actuation of said manually actuable lever, for providing power to said first motor means and said second motor means;
• control electronics means, operably connected to said first motor means, said second motor means and said power supply means, for controlling the distribution of power from said power supply means to said first motor means and said second motor means;
• whereby upon movement of said manually actuable lever from said valve closed position to said valve open position, said water in said flush water cistern is released into said toilet bowl and said first valve means opens to allow water to flow into said flush water cistern through said water inlet pipe and said power supply means provides power to said control electronics means and said control electronics means causes said first motor means to move said slide housing means from said neutral position into said operative position and said spray means applies said cleaning liquid to said toilet seat, while also causing said second motor means to rotate said toilet seat through at least 360.degree. while said drying means dries said toilet seat after application of said cleaning liquid.

A device suitable for automatically cleaning a substantially ring-shaped toilet seat, comprising:

• mounting means for mounting said toilet seat on a toilet bowl for relative rotation therebetween in a circumferential direction;
• spray means for applying a cleaning liquid to said toilet seat;
• slide housing means for housing said spray means, said slide housing means being slidingly movable between a neutral position adjacent said toilet seat and an operative position disposed above a segment of said toilet seat, said cleaning liquid beign sprayable by said spray means onto said toilet seat when said slide housing means is in said operative position;
• drying means for drying said toilet seat after application of said cleaning liquid;
• first motor means, responsive to a power input, for moving said slide housing means between said neutral position and said operative position;
• second motor means, responsive to a power input, for rotating said toilet seat in said circumferential direction, relative to said toilet bowl;
• power supply means, responsive to actuation of a manually actuable lever, for providing power to said first motor means and said second motor means;
• control electronics means, operably connected to said first motor means, said second motor means and said power supply means, for controlling the distribution of power from said power supply means to said first motor means and said second motor means, actuation of said power supply means providing power to said control electronics means to cause said first motor means to slidingly move said slide housing means from said neutral position into said operative position and said spray means to apply said cleaning liquid to said toilet seat, while also causing said second motor means to rotate said toilet seat through at least 360.degree. while said drying means dries said toilet seat after application of said cleaning liquid.