Back to results
US 8,800,074 B2Granted
Adjustable toilet lift
AssigneeThnk, Inc.
InventorsTrafton Rodgers, Jahan Rasty, Trae Blain, Neal St. Martin, Walter Fagley, Kurt W. Niederer
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
An adjustable toilet seat lift adapted to selectively raise and lower a toilet to meet the needs and desires of the user. The lift includes an actuator which adjusts a top plate relative to a bottom plate, and is powered by an external power source, or, in the alternative, manually activated.
Claims14
An adjustable height toilet, comprising:
- (a) a toilet base plate for being attached to a floor, the base plate having a first end portion, a second end portion, and a hole disposed on the base plate in between the first and second end portions of the base plate;
- (b) a toilet housing carried by the base plate and movable up and down relative thereto, the toilet housing including:
- (i) a tank housing including a water tank;
- (ii) a toilet bowl;
- and
- (iii) a flushing mechanism;
- (c) at least a first and second fluid lifting cylinders, wherein each lifting cylinder has a lower end, the lower end of the first fluid lifting cylinder being attached to the first end portion of the base plate and the lower end of the second fluid lifting cylinder being attached to the second end portion of the base plate such that the base plate hole is disposed in between the lower end of the first fluid lifting cylinder and the lower end of the second fluid lifting cylinder, the at least first and second fluid lifting cylinders being disposed between the base plate and the toilet housing, the lifting mechanism operable to move the toilet housing from a lowered position adjacent to the base plate to a raised position spaced-away from the base plate;
- (d) a lift valve operable to selectively connect the at least first and second fluid lifting cylinders to:
- (i) a supply of pressurized fluid, so as to raise the toilet housing;
- or
- (ii) a drain path to allow the fluid to drain from the at least first and second fluid lifting cylinders, so as to lower the toilet housing, wherein the operation of the lift valve is configured to cause the fluid from the at least first and second lifting cylinders to discharge into the water tank, where the water tank is at least partially empty, in a manner that conserves the fluid for flushing of the toilet in a subsequent flush;
- (e) a drainage pipe assembly connected to the toilet housing, the drainage pipe assembly arranged to allow discharge from the toilet bowl to pass from the toilet housing toward the hole disposed on the base plate regardless of the position of the toilet housing;
- (f) a lid mounted to the toilet bowl and movable between open and closed positions;
- (g) a drain valve connecting the at least first and second fluid lifting cylinders to the drain path to allow the fluid to drain from the at least first and second fluid lifting cylinders;
- and
- (h) a linkage operably connected to the lid such that:
- (i) the flushing mechanism is automatically activated to flush the toilet when the lid is moved to the closed position via a mechanical connection with the linkage, and
- (ii) the drain valve is automatically activated when the lid is moved to the closed position via a mechanical connection with the linkage, the drain valve allows the fluid to drain from the at least first and second fluid lifting cylinders, so as to lower the toilet housing.
15 more elements
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.