Note: Descriptions are shown in the official language in which they were submitted.
A8143230CA
DISPOSABLE TOILET-SEAT COVER AND METHOD OF USING SAME
CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS
This application claims the benefit of US Provisional Patent Application
Serial
No. 62/844,414, filed May 07, 2019.
FIELD OF THE DISCLOSURE
The present disclosure relates generally to a sanitary apparatus, and in
particular to a
disposable toilet seat and a disposable toilet-seat cover.
BACKGROUND
Toilets and in particular public toilets face various sanitary issues.
Generally, a sitting
toilet comprises a toilet seat for a user to sit thereon. While the toilet
seat may be periodically
sanitized, sanitizing toilet seats may only be practically applicable for
private toilets such as
home-use toilets or toilets in hotel guest-rooms. Public toilets such as those
in public areas
(e.g., coffee shops, stores, malls, public areas of hotels, and the like) are
generally used in high
frequencies and it is usually difficult or even impossible to sanitize toilet
seats of public toilets
before every use.
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Sanitarily protective toilet-seat covers are known. For example, US Patent
No. 4,979,237 teaches a disposable protector for toilet seats having a cover
of paper or similar
material with a center cut-out generally conforming to the opening in the
seat. The cover has
a retainer member which may be in the form of a flange or tab which engage the
inner edge
of the seat to temporarily secure the protector in place during use. The
underside of the cover
may also have a frictional material such as latex or a low-tack adhesive. The
cover may be
treated with a suitable anti-bacterial agent and may be provided to the
consumer in a dispenser
or in individualized packages that may be conveniently carried by the user.
However, such a cover has issues such as the burden to the user to manually
put the
cover onto the toilet seat before each use, and the need of sufficient
alignment between the
cover and the toilet seat. Any misalignment between the cover and the toilet
seat may lead to
direct contact between the user's skin and the toilet seat thereby causing
health risks to the
user.
US Patent Publication No. 2005/0144710 teaches a toilet-seat cover device for
automatically laying toilet-seat cover. In particular, US 2005/0144710 teaches
a clean toilet
seat capable of covering the toilet seat with a toilet-seat cover sheet
automatically, securely
and quickly, with such a cover sheet being replaced at each time of use so
that people can
always avoid contact with skin of others. In a thing having a toilet seat body
placed on a
surface of a toilet stool body, and an opening and closing lid pivotally
mounted to the toilet
seat body and covering a surface of the toilet seat, a plurality of cover
sheets are housed in the
above-described opening and closing lid, and on an occasion of movement to
close the
opening and closing lid, the cover sheet covers the surface of the toilet seat
body.
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However, such a toilet-seat cover device has issues such as the burden to the
user to
manually put down the toilet lid and press it against the toilet seat to stick
a toilet-seat cover
sheet onto the toilet seat. As the unused toilet-seat cover sheets are stored
in the toilet lid and
the sticky surface of the front-most sheet is exposed to the air, any
contamination of the sticky
surface of the front-most sheet may cause the front-most sheet unable to stick
to the toilet seat.
Moreover, such a toilet-seat cover device may not allow the toilet-seat cover
sheet to
sufficiently align with the toilet seat if the toilet lid is loose. Any
misalignment between the
cover and the toilet seat may lead to direct contact between the user's skin
and the toilet seat
thereby causing health risks to the user.
SUMMARY
According to one aspect of this disclosure, there is provided a disposable
toilet-seat
cover for attaching to a toilet seat of a toilet. The disposable toilet-seat
cover comprises: a
plurality of seat-cover sheets stacked together and separably coupled to each
other via a first
adhesive. Each seat-cover sheet has a shape for completely covering the toilet
seat and has a
central opening matching and alignable with a central opening of the toilet
seat for access to
a bowl of the toilet.
According to one aspect of this disclosure, there is provided a disposable
toilet-seat
cover for attaching to a toilet bowl of a toilet. The disposable toilet-seat
cover comprises a
plurality of seat-cover sheets stacked together and separably coupled to each
other via a first
adhesive. Each seat-cover sheet comprises a body having a shape for completely
covering the
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toilet bowl and having a central opening matching a central opening of the
toilet bowl for
accessing thereto.
In some embodiments, the body of each seat-cover sheet has a shape for
matching and
completely covering a toilet seat of the toilet.
In some embodiments, each seat-cover sheet is coated with a waterproof, water-
repellant, impermeable, or water-resistant material on a top surface thereof.
In some embodiments, each seat-cover sheet is coated with the first adhesive
on a
bottom surface thereof.
In some embodiments, each seat-cover sheet comprises a tab extending from the
body
for peeling off the seat-cover sheet from the plurality of seat-cover sheets.
In some embodiments, the tab of each seat-cover sheet extends from a rear
portion of
the body and has an edge smoothly transmitting into the edge of the rear
portion of the seat-
cover sheet.
In some embodiments, the first adhesive is only coated on the bottom surface
of the
body of each seat-cover sheet.
In some embodiments, the disposable toilet-seat cover further comprises a
substrate
separably coupled to the bottom of the stacked plurality of seat-cover sheets.
In some embodiments, the substrate comprises one or more detachable hinges
engageable with one or more corresponding detachable hinges adjacent the toil
bowl.
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In some embodiments, the substrate is made of a paperboard, a plastic board,
or a metal
board.
In some embodiments, the substrate is coated with a second adhesive on a
bottom
surface thereof.
In some embodiments, the disposable toilet-seat cover further comprises a
protective
sheet separably coupled to the bottom of the substrate.
In some embodiments, the first and second adhesives are different adhesives.
In some embodiments, the first and second adhesives are a same adhesive.
In some embodiments, at least one of the first and second adhesives is a
pressure-
.. sensitive adhesive or a low-tack adhesive.
In some embodiments, the disposable toilet-seat cover further comprises a
substrate
separably coupled to the bottom of the stacked plurality of seat-cover sheets.
Each seat-cover
sheet comprises a tab extending from the body for peeling off the seat-cover
sheet from the
plurality of seat-cover sheets; and the substrate comprises a tab extending
from the body at a
location corresponding to that of the tab of each seat-cover sheet for
receiving the tabs of the
plurality of seat-cover sheets stacked thereabove.
In some embodiments, the toilet-seat cover has a cross-section with curved
upper and
lower sides.
In some embodiments, the toilet-seat cover has a cross-section of a trapezoid
shape.
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In some embodiments, edges of each seat-cover sheet is wrapped about edges of
one
or more seat-cover sheets thereunder.
In some embodiments, the body of each seat-cover sheet has a ring shape or a U-
shape.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a disposable toilet-seat cover, according to
some
embodiments of this disclosure;
FIG. 2 is a plan view of a seat-cover sheet of the disposable toilet-seat
cover shown in
FIG. 1;
FIG. 3 is a plan view of a substrate of the disposable toilet-seat cover shown
in FIG. 1;
FIGs. 4A to 4C are cross-sectional views of the disposable toilet-seat cover
shown in
FIG. 1 along cross-sectional lines A-A, B-B, and C-C, respectively;
FIGs. 5A and 5B illustrate a process of installing the disposable toilet-seat
cover
shown in FIG. 1 onto a toilet seat;
FIGs. 6A and 6B illustrate a process of preparing the installed disposable
toilet-seat
cover shown in FIG. 1 before a use of the toilet;
FIG. 7 is a cross-sectional view of the disposable toilet-seat cover shown in
FIG. 1,
according to some embodiments of this disclosure;
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FIG. 8 is a perspective view of a disposable toilet-seat cover, according to
some
embodiments of this disclosure;
FIG. 9 is a plan view of a seat-cover sheet of the disposable toilet-seat
cover shown in
FIG. 8;
FIG. 10 is a plan view of a substrate of the disposable toilet-seat cover
shown in FIG. 8;
FIG. 11 is a perspective view of a disposable toilet-seat cover having a
housing
receiving therein a roll of seat-cover sheets, according to some embodiments
of this disclosure,
wherein;
FIG. 12 is a cross-sectional view of the disposable toilet-seat cover shown in
FIG. 11
along the cross-sectional line D-D;
FIG. 13 is a perspective view of the disposable toilet-seat cover shown in
FIG. 11 with
a seat-cover sheet being pulled out of the housing;
FIG. 14 is a perspective view of a "tank-less" toilet;
FIG. 15 illustrate a process of installing the disposable toilet-seat cover
shown in
.. FIG. 11 onto a toilet seat of the toilet shown in FIG. 14; and
FIGs. 16A and 16B illustrate a process of preparing the installed disposable
toilet-seat
cover shown in FIG. 11 before a use of the toilet shown in FIG. 14.
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DETAILED DESCRIPTION
Embodiments herein disclose a disposable toilet-seat cover for attaching onto
a toilet
for providing users with sanitary protection during their use of the toilet.
Herein, the toilet
may be a toilet permanently installed in a public washroom, a private
washroom, a vehicle, or
the like. The toilet may also be a portable toilet or a toilet temporarily
installed at a site. In
some embodiments, the disposable toilet-seat cover disclosed herein may be
used as a cover
attachable to a toilet seat preinstalled on the toilet. In some alternative
embodiments, the
disposable toilet-seat cover disclosed herein may be used as a toilet seat
demountably
attaching to a toilet without a preinstalled toilet seat.
Turning now to FIG. 1, a disposable toilet-seat cover is shown and is
generally
identified using reference numeral 100. The disposable toilet-seat cover 100
in these
embodiments is in the form of a disposable toilet-seat-cover stack and
comprises a plurality
of disposable seat-cover sheets 102 stacked on top of a substrate 104.
Each seat-cover sheet 102 comprises a body having a shape similar to or
substantively
the same as that of a toilet seat. For example, as shown in FIG. 2, the body
of the toilet-seat-
cover sheets 102 have a ring shape and comprise a longitudinally widened rear
portion 108
with a tab 110 extending rearwardly from a rear portion 108 of the body for
facilitating peeling
off the topmost seat-cover sheet 102 before each use. For lowering the risk of
tearing the
tab 110 off the seat-cover sheet 102, the tab 110 has a sufficient lateral
width and the edge
thereof smoothly transits into the edge of the rear portion 108.
The body of each seat-cover sheet 102 also comprises two arms 112 extending
from
two laterally opposite sides of the rear portion 108 and merging into a front
portion 114 to
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form a ring shape enclosing a central opening 116 substantively matching and
aligning with
the central opening of a toilet seat (not shown) and accessible to the toilet
bowl when the
disposable toilet-seat cover 100 is attached onto the toilet seat.
As shown in FIG. 3, the shape of the substrate 104 is similar to that of the
seat-cover
sheet 102 except that the substrate 104 may not comprise a tab 110 extending
rearwardly from
the rear portion 108 thereof.
FIGs. 4A to 4C are cross-sectional views of the disposable toilet-seat cover
100 along
cross-sectional lines A-A, B-B, and C-C, respectively. As can be seen, each of
the seat-cover
sheets 102 and the substrate 104 has a slightly curved cross-section such that
the seat-cover
stack formed by the seat-cover sheets 102 has a cross-section with slightly
curved upper and
lower sides for adapting to the profile of the top surface of the toilet seat.
In these embodiments, the substrate 104 is made of a material with a
sufficient strength
for maintaining the shape thereof during handling and for supporting the seat-
cover sheets 102
stacked thereabove under pressure when use. For example, the substrate 104 may
be made of
a paperboard, a plastic board, a metal board, and/or the like. The bottom
surface of the
substrate 104 is coated with a layer of a first adhesive such as a pressure-
sensitive adhesive, a
low-tack adhesive, and/or the like, for separably or demountably attaching to
a toilet seat.
Each seat-cover sheet 102 is a thin layer of a disposable material such as
paper. The
bottom surface of each seat-cover sheet 102 (except the tab 110 thereof) is
coated with a layer
of a second adhesive such as a pressure-sensitive adhesive, a low-tack
adhesive, and/or the
like, for separably or demountably attaching to the seat-cover sheet 102
thereunder or to the
substrate 104. In various embodiments, the first and second adhesives may be
different
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adhesives or may be the same adhesive, depending on the design requirements
and
implementation.
In these embodiments, the tab 110 of each seat-cover sheet 102 is not coated
with any
adhesive to allow a user to hold and peel the seat-cover sheet 102 off from
the stack.
In some embodiments, the top surface of each seat-cover sheet 102 is coated
with a
suitable waterproof, water-repellent, impermeable, and/or water-resistant
material for
preventing water-based liquid (such as urine) from seeping or penetrating
through the topmost
seat-cover sheet 102 to the seat-cover sheet 102 thereunder when the water-
based liquid is
spilled onto the disposable toilet-seat cover 100.
FIGs. 5A and 5B illustrate a process of installing the disposable toilet-seat
cover 100
onto a toilet seat 202.
As shown in FIG. 5A, to install the disposable toilet-seat cover 100, the
toilet seat 206
of the toilet 202 is first lowered onto the toilet bowl 204. Then, the
disposable toilet-seat cover
100 is put onto the toilet seat 206 as indicated by the arrow 208 with the
substrate 104 facing
the top surface of the toilet seat 206.
As shown in FIG. 5B, a downward pressure 210 is applied to the disposable
toilet-seat
cover 100 at multiple positions thereof against the toilet seat 206 to
demountably attach the
disposable toilet-seat cover 100 to the toilet seat 206. The disposable toilet-
seat cover 100 is
then installed onto the toilet seat 206. After installation, the toilet seat
206 and the disposable
toilet-seat cover 100 attached thereto may be turned to an upright position or
may be lowered
onto the toilet bowl 204 as needed.
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FIGs. 6A and 6B illustrate a process of preparing the disposable toilet-seat
cover 100
before a use of the toilet 202.
As shown in FIG. 6A, a user (not shown) may grab the tab 110 of the topmost
seat-
cover sheet 102-1 and pull it upward as indicated by the arrow 242 to overcome
the adhesion
of the adhesive between the topmost seat-cover sheet 102-1 and the seat-cover
sheet 102
thereunder.
As shown in FIG. 6B, the topmost seat-cover sheet 102 is then peeled off from
the
disposable toilet-seat cover 100 and may be disposed.
As shown in FIG. 6C, the next seat-cover sheet 102-2 is then at the topmost
and the
toilet 202 is ready for use.
As the top surface of each seat-cover sheet 102 is coated with a suitable
waterproof,
water-repellent, impermeable, and/or water-resistant material, contamination
to the topmost
seat-cover sheet 102 would not seep or penetrate therethrough to the seat-
cover sheet 102
thereunder. Therefore, if the topmost seat-cover sheet 102 is contaminated,
the user may
simply peel off the contaminated seat-cover sheet 102 and use the
uncontaminated one
thereunder.
Those skilled in the art will appreciate that various embodiments are readily
available.
For example, while in above embodiments, the seat-cover sheets 102 of a
disposable toilet-
seat cover 100 are of a substantively same size, in some alternative
embodiments, the widths
of the rings of the seat-cover sheets 102 may successively increase from the
bottom layer to
the top layer, as shown in FIG. 7. Therefore, the cross-section of the
disposable toilet-seat
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cover 100 at any position thereof has a trapezoid shape with the upper edge
longer than the
lower edge (both slightly curved) thereof such that any fluid spilled onto the
top of the
disposable toilet-seat cover 100 may drop off from the inner and/or outer
edges of the topmost
seat-cover sheet 102 without contacting the seat-cover sheets thereunder.
In some embodiments, the body of each seat-cover sheet may have a size greater
than
that of the seat-cover sheets thereunder and the edges of each seat-cover
sheet may be wrapped
about the edges of one or more seat-cover sheets thereunder such that any
fluid spilled onto
the top of the disposable toilet-seat cover 100 may drop off from the inner
and/or outer edges
of the topmost seat-cover sheet 102 without contacting the seat-cover sheets
thereunder.
Although in above embodiments, the seat-cover sheets 102 and the substrate 104
have
a ring shape, in some alternative embodiments as shown in FIGs. 8 to 10, the
seat-cover sheets
102 and/or the substrate 104 may have a U-shape that has a gap or opening 302
at the front
side thereof.
In some alternative embodiments, the substrate 104 may also comprise a tab 110
at a
location corresponding to the tabs 110 of the seat-cover sheets 102 for
receiving the tabs 110
of the seat-cover sheets 102 stacked thereabove.
Although in above embodiments, each seat-cover sheet 102 comprises a tab 110
at a
rear end thereof, in some alternative embodiments, at least some of the seat-
cover sheets 102
may each comprise a tab 110 at any other suitable position.
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Although in above embodiments, each seat-cover sheet 102 comprises a tab 110,
in
some alternative embodiments, at least some of the seat-cover sheets 102 may
not comprise
any tab 110.
Although in above embodiments, the disposable toilet-seat cover 100 comprises
a
substrate 104, in some alternative embodiments, the disposable toilet-seat
cover 100 may not
comprise any substrate 104.
In above embodiments, the disposable toilet-seat cover 100 is used for
attaching to a
toilet seat. In some alternative embodiments, the above-described disposable
toilet-seat
cover 100 may be used as a disposable toilet seat. In these embodiments, the
substrate 104
may be made of a rigid material such as plastic, metal, and/or the like, such
that the disposable
toilet-seat cover 100 may be directly put onto the rim of a toilet bowl and
the adhesive on the
bottom surface of the substrate 104 may removably attach the disposable toilet-
seat cover 100
thereto. Therefore, the disposable toilet-seat cover 100 in these embodiments
may be used as
a disposable toilet seat.
In some related embodiments, the bottom surface of the substrate 104 may not
comprise any adhesive layer. Rather, the substrate 104 may comprise one or
more detachable
hinges engageable with one or more corresponding detachable hinges adjacent
the toil bowl.
Thus, the disposable toilet-seat cover 100 may be removably attached to the
toilet by engaging
the detachable hinges thereof. In use, such a disposable toilet-seat cover 100
may be turned to
an upright position and lowered onto the toilet bowl as needed. Moreover, a
used seat-cover
sheet 102 of the disposable toilet-seat cover 100 may be peeled off as
described above.
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The toilet-seat cover 100 may be packaged for shipping and sales. In use, a
user may
remove the package of a toilet-seat cover 100 and then attaching the toilet-
seat cover 100 to a
toilet or toilet seat. In some embodiments wherein the substrate 104 is coated
with a layer of
an adhesive, the packaging may comprise a protective layer attached to the
bottom surface of
the substrate 104 for protecting the adhesive layer thereof. The protective
layer may be a
release liner made of a coated paper or film.
FIGs. 11 to 13 show a disposable toilet-seat cover 400 in some alternative
embodiments. In these embodiments, the disposable toilet-seat cover 400
comprises a
housing 402 receiving therein a roll of seat-cover sheets 404. The housing 402
comprises an
opening 406 at a front side 408 thereof for pulling out the seat-cover sheets
406. The bottom
surface 410 of the housing 402 is coated with a suitable adhesive (not shown)
and the
adhesive-coated bottom surface 410 may be protected by a removable or
separable protective
sheet (not shown) before the disposable toilet-seat cover 400 is attached to a
toilet.
Each seat-cover sheet 406 may be pulled out of the housing 402 through the
opening 406. As shown in FIG. 13, each seat-cover sheet 406 may be in any
suitable shape
such as a rectangle, a shape matching that of a toilet seat, or the like, and
comprises a central
opening 412 substantively matching and aligning with the central opening of a
toilet seat (not
shown) and accessible to the toilet bowl when the disposable toilet-seat cover
100 is attached
onto a toilet seat.
In these embodiments, the bottom surface of each seat-cover sheet 406 is
coated with
a layer of adhesive such as pressure sensitive adhesive, low-tack adhesive,
and/or the like, for
demountably attaching to the toilet seat. Moreover, each seat-cover sheet 406
is coupled to
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adjacent seat-cover sheets and is separable along a tearing line 414 formed
by, e.g., a row of
punch holes.
The disposable toilet-seat cover 400 may be used with a "tank-less" toilet 440
as
shown in FIG. 14. As shown, the toilet 440 comprises a bowl 444 and a
receiving surface 446
adjacent a rear end thereof. The bowl 444 receives thereon a toilet seat 448
having a central
opening 450. The toilet 440 does not comprise an attached water tank. Rather,
the bowl 444
of the toilet 440 is fluidly connected to a detached flushing system (not
shown) via necessary
piping.
As shown in FIG. 15, the disposable toilet-seat cover 400 may be easily
installed onto
a toilet 440 by first removing the protective sheet (not shown) from the
bottom surface of the
disposable toilet-seat cover 400, and then removably attaching the disposable
toilet-seat
cover 400 to the receiving surface 446 of the toilet 440 with the opening 406
facing front.
FIGs. 16A and 16B show a process of preparing the disposable toilet-seat cover
404
before a use of the toilet 440.
First, if the toilet seat 448 is covered with a used toilet-seat cover 404,
the used toilet-
seat cover 404 is removed from the toilet seat 448 and is disposed.
As shown in FIG. 16A, a toilet-seat cover 404 is then pulled out of the
housing 402
through the opening 406, and is separated from the roll of toilet-seat covers
by tearing along
the tearing line 414.
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As shown in FIG. 16B, the separated toilet-seat cover 404 is attached to the
toilet
seat 448 with the opening 412 of the separated toilet-seat cover 404 aligning
with the opening
450 of the toilet seat 448. The toilet 440 is then ready for use.
Although embodiments have been described above with reference to the
accompanying drawings, those of skill in the art will appreciate that
variations and
modifications may be made without departing from the scope thereof as defined
by the
appended claims.
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