Note: Descriptions are shown in the official language in which they were submitted.
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LAVATORY ACCESSORY
DESCRIPTION
The present invention relates to a lavatory accessory to be used in homes and
public
conveniences to facilitate and provide comfort, support and stability in the
act of sitting
on and rising from the lavatory.
The accessory according to the present invention is designed to be adapted to
the
different configurations of lavatories available on the market. The accessory
according to
the present invention is also designed to integrate harmoniously in its
intended
surroundings, incorporating a novel concept of comfort in the use of the
lavatory by
offering comfort to the user through the adoption of a correct and natural
posture by
supporting the back with the back piece and the arms with the arm rests.
The accessory according to the present invention is designed to allow its use
by persons
of differing physiques and statures, of any age, even children.
Comfort in an environment is influenced by the user's sensation of well-being.
This
sensation is influenced by the architectural treatment applied to the space,
and also by the
fittings, objects and organisation systems integrated therein. Bearing in mind
the need for
integration in order to achieve the desired comfort, bathrooms are currently
receiving
high levels of attention. This translates not only into the practical aspects
(ease of use, of
cleaning etc.) but also quality, functionality and harmoniousness.
The accessory according to the present invention is intended to be integrated
with the
metal parts and other elements of bathrooms, adding aesthetics to these
environments.
Document WO 2007/012678 Al, of the present inventor, discloses a lavatory
support
3o accessory, which allows its retrofitting on lavatories that have already
been installed in
homes and public spaces. Said accessory incorporates ergonomic and aesthetic
functions
in relation to bathroom surroundings and provides adequate support for the
user during
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the phases of sitting on and rising from the lavatory, whilst at the same time
providing
comfort during the use thereof.
Said accessory comprises a structure for supporting the user on the lavatory,
having a back
piece with an anchoring system to fix the lavatory lid and the seat of the
lavatory lid when
both are in the raised position. This novel anchoring system is characterised
in that the back
piece of the accessory presents a flexible fold to produce interference with
the lifting
movement of the lid in such a way that the fold must be deformed for the lid
to make contact
with the back piece. Since it must be deformed, the fold produces interference
which
facilitates the fixing of the lid when it is raised.
More particularly, the present invention provides an accessory for the support
of a user on a
lavatory, comprising a structure to support the user of the lavatory, said
structure comprising
a back piece to support the back of the user and to support a lavatory lid in
a raised position,
characterised in that said back piece has an anchoring system to prevent the
lavatory lid from
falling when it is in said raised position, said anchoring system comprising a
set of two
opposed resilient folds separated by a back portion of the back piece, said
resilient folds
causing interference with the lavatory lid when the lavatory lid is raised in
said raised
position, so that the lavatory lid deforms said resilient folds when the
lavatory lid is raised
and brought between the two resilient folds and into contact with said back
portion of the
back piece.
Preferably, the back piece will also have at least a second fold (or, more
preferably, a set of
two flanges) to produce interference with the seat of the lavatory lid when
the latter is raised,
in such a way that said second fold has to be deformed for the seat of the
lavatory lid to
make contact with the back piece.
In other words, the anchoring system preferably comprises a second set of two
opposed
resilient folds, said second set of folds causing interference with a seat of
the lavatory when
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the seat is raised, so that the seat deforms said second set of resilient
folds when the seat is
raised and brought between the second set of folds and next to the lid which
is in contact
with said back portion of the back piece.
The accessory according to the present invention can be connected to any type
of lavatory.
To do this, according to another aspect of the present invention, the
accessory has a thin
rectangular steel plate with two apertures, to allow the seat of the lavatory
lid and the
accessory to be attached to the lavatory, one of the apertures being circular
and the other
oblong or grooved, in order to allow adapting adjustments when the holes in
lavatories are
io separated from each other by different distances, according to the models
available on the
market.
The accessory according to the present invention is easily removable and
transportable.
The present invention provides for the possibility of introducing a new
concept in relation to
lavatories, the concept of a lid/back piece. Thus, it will be possible to
produce lavatory lids
which act as comfortable back pieces, suitable for supporting the back.
For a better understanding, the accompanying drawings are given as an
explanatory but not
20 limiting example of an embodiment of the lavatory accessory according to
the
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present invention.
Fig. 1 is a perspective view of an accessory according to the present
invention, applied to
a lavatory.
Fig. 2 is a perspective view of said accessory.
Fig. 3 is a perspective view of the portions that. make up the accessory of
Figs. 1 and 2.
Fig. 4 is a view in front elevation of a back piece of an accessory according
to the present
invention, in which the anchoring system for the lid/back piece and the seat
of the
lavatory lid can be seen.
Fig. 5 is a plan view of the back piece with the anchoring system for the
lid/back piece
and the seat of the lid.
Fig. 6 is a view in front elevation of the rear of the back piece.
Figs. 7 and 8 show a diagrammatic plan view of a back piece and the
interaction caused
by the anchoring system between the lid and the seat of the lavatory lid with
the back
piece of the accessory.
Fig. 9 is a view in side elevation of an embodiment of the accessory,
according to the
present invention, in which the tubular structure can be seen.
Fig. 10 is a view in side elevation of a second embodiment of the accessory
according to
the present invention, which has an option of angling the upper tube upwards
by about
45 to prevent interference between the structure of the accessory and the
lavatory
cistern.
Fig. 11 is a detail of a finishing stopper of the side structures of an
accessory according to
the present invention.
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Fig. 12 is a view in detail of a rectangular plate for the connection of the
accessory to the
lavatory and to the seat of the lavatory lid according to the present
invention, the plate
having one oblong or grooved hole and another round hole.
Fig. 13 is a detailed view of the rear tubular structure of an accessory
according to the
present invention, useful for lavatories without a connected cistern.
Fig. 14 is a detail of a rear connection and reinforcement bar of an accessory
according to
lo the present invention.
Fig. 15 is a detail of the upper portion of a height adjustment screw of an
accessory
according to the present invention.
Fig. 16 is a detail of the lower portion of a height adjustment screw of an
accessory
according to the present invention.
Fig. 17 is a perspective view of the upper and lower portions of the height
adjustment
screw shown in Figs. 15 and 16.
The accessory consists basically of curved tubes of a metallic or acrylic
material or other
material, which may be tubular, cubic or flattened, connected by means of
different
connections. Said tubes form a structure for supporting the user on a lavatory
-100-.
When the accessory is produced in metal, an important object to be achieved,
in some
preferred embodiments, is to obtain finishes that allow its integration with
the rest of the
metal parts in a bathroom. The device consists of two tubular side structures -
30-, -31-,
-311-, a rear connection bar -23-, a rectangular plate -21- for connection to
the lavatory,
four screws -24-, -25- for the height adjustment of the device, two finishing
stoppers
-26-, a rear tubular structure -22-, and a back piece -1- for supporting the
lavatory lid in
the raised position, together with different types of nuts and bolts and other
commercial-
type connection devices, for example. In a manner characteristic of the
invention, the
accessory shown has a back piece -1- for supporting both the lavatory lid -101-
and seat
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-102- of the lavatory lid when they are raised. To prevent the seat -102- of
the lavatory
lid when it is raised from falling while the user is using the lavatory, the
back piece -1- of
the accessory has two sets of two folds -2-, -2'-, -3-, -3'- for attaching the
lid -101- and
the seat -102-. Moreover, when the lid is anchored, the accessory ensures that
the lid
remains in the most comfortable position for the user's back. As can be seen
in Figs. 7
and 8, if the lid -101- is to make contact with the back piece -5-, it must
deform the folds
-2-, -2'-. When they are deformed, said folds -2-, -2'- prevent the lid from
returning to its
closed position. The same applies to the seat -102- of the lavatory lid and
the pair of folds
-3-, -3'-. In addition, in the example shown, the back piece -1- has other
folds -4-, -4'- for
its connection to the structure of the accessory. The accessory may also
consist of tubes
connected by nuts and bolts or soldered, without preference. Thus, the
accessory may be
detachable or not detachable or may be fixed (in the case of soldered tubes,
for example).
For better performance of the invention, the use of lavatory lids produced in
materials
with resilient properties and/or optimised weight may be advisable, although
this is not
essential to implement the present invention.
A detail of a preferred embodiment of the rectangular plate -21- for
connecting the
accessory to the lavatory and to the seat of the lavatory lid can be seen in
Fig. 12. The
plate is thin, rectangular and made of steel and has apertures -213-, -214- at
its ends for
its connection with a connection zone -219- of the accessory and two apertures
-211- and
-212- for its connection in the connection zone: of the seat of the lavatory
lid -102- to the
lavatory -100-. One of the apertures -212- is oblong or grooved, which allows
the
accessory to be connected to different types of lavatory, having different
distances
between the centres of the holes.
As can be seen in the figures, each of the structures that forms part of the
accessory has a
curved tube -31- which facilitates the user's tasks of sitting / rising. Said
tube may
terminate in a straight zone -311- or in an angled zone -312- which provides
protection
for the cistern of lavatories -100- that have an integrated cistern.
It may also, optionally, have a rear reinforcement bar -23-, although
embodiments
without this bar may, in some cases, be preferable, as they facilitate front
installation, for
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example, in the case where the structure is made up of tubes soldered to each
other. In
other cases, however, this rear bar provides the functional stability of the
accessory.
Although the invention has been described with regard to examples of preferred
embodiments, these should not be considered as limiting the invention, which
will be
defined by the widest interpretation of the following claims.
