IP Library Patent Application 16963490
Patent Application
App. No. 16/963,490

TOILET DEVICE

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Quick Facts
Patent No.
US None
App. No.
16/963,490
Abstract

A toilet device disposed at a toilet bowl has a main body fixed to an upper surface of the toilet bowl, a toilet seat supported by the main body, and a reflection-type optical sensor disposed at the toilet seat, the optical sensor having a light emitter configured to emit light from a surface of the toilet seat, and a light receiver configured to receive reflection light of the light.

Claims (36)

1 . A toilet device disposed at a toilet bowl, comprising:

a main body fixed to an upper surface of the toilet bowl;

a toilet seat supported by the main body; and

a reflection-type optical sensor disposed at the toilet seat, the optical sensor having

a light emitter configured to emit light from a surface of the toilet seat, and

a light receiver configured to receive reflection light of the light.

2 . The toilet device of claim 1 ,

wherein the toilet seat has a sitting portion to which an user sits and an extending portion extending backward from the sitting portion toward the main body to cover the main body, and

wherein the optical sensor is disposed at the extending portion.

3 . The toilet device of claim 2 ,

wherein the extending portion has:

an inclination portion smoothly connected to the sitting portion and inclined backward from the sitting portion with an upward slope; and

a flat portion being substantially flat and extending backward from an upper end of the inclination portion, and

wherein the optical sensor is disposed at the inclination portion.

4 . The toilet device of claim 2 , further comprising a hinge extending from a central side in a width direction so as to extend from the toilet seat toward the main body, the hinge fitting into a concave portion formed at the main body to be pivotally supported, and being configured to rotatably support the toilet seat.

5 . The toilet device of claim 4 ,

wherein the hinge is supported by a hinge shaft having a hollow shaft shape, and

wiring of the optical sensor is drawn through the hinge shaft to pass through an interval between the toilet seat and the main body.

6 . The toilet device of claim 4 ,

wherein the toilet seat is rotatably supported by the main body at two end sides in the width direction, and

the toilet device comprises a damper which is configured to apply rotational resistance with respect to the toilet seat at least two positions among the positions where the toilet seat is supported by the main body at the two end sides and the positions where the hinge is pivotally supported by internal walls at the two sides of the concave portion.

7 . The toilet device of claim 4 ,

wherein the toilet seat is rotatably supported by the main body at two end sides in the width direction, and

the toilet device comprises a damper which is configured to apply rotational resistance with respect to the toilet seat at three positions among the positions where the toilet seat is supported by the main body at the two end sides and the positions where the hinge is pivotally supported by internal walls at the two sides of the concave portion.

8 . The toilet device of claim 1 , wherein the toilet device has a toilet-lid-less structure without providing a toilet lid for covering the toilet seat.

9 . The toilet device of claim 1 , wherein the optical sensor is a sitting sensor configured to detect a sitting motion of the user to the toilet seat.

10 . The toilet device of claim 2 , further comprising a hinge extending from a central side in a width direction so as to extend from the main body toward the toilet seat, the hinge fitting into a concave portion formed at the toilet seat to be pivotally supported, and being configured to rotatably support the toilet seat.

11 . The toilet device of claim 10 ,

wherein the hinge is pivotally supported by a hinge shaft having a hollow shaft shape, and

wiring of the optical sensor is drawn through the hinge shaft to pass through an interval between the toilet seat and the main body.

12 . The toilet device of claim 10 ,

wherein the toilet seat is rotatably supported by the main body at two end side in the width direction, and

the toilet device comprises a damper which is configured to apply rotational resistance with respect to the toilet seat at least two positions among the positions where the toilet seat is supported by the main body at the two end side and the positions where the hinge is pivotally supported by internal walls at two sides of the concave portion.

13 . The toilet device of claim 10 ,

wherein the toilet seat is rotatably supported by the main body at two end side in the width direction, and

the toilet device comprises a damper which is configured to apply rotational resistance with respect to the toilet seat at three positions among the positions where the toilet seat is supported by the main body at the two end side and the positions where the hinge is pivotally supported by internal walls at two sides of the concave portion.

Assignments (3)
CHANGE OF NAME Recorded Apr 21, 2021
From: LIXIL GROUP CORPORATION
To: LIXIL CORPORATION
Reel/Frame 055985/0215 →
MERGER Recorded Apr 19, 2021
From: LIXIL CORPORATION
To: LIXIL GROUP CORPORATION
Reel/Frame 056875/0001 →
ASSIGNMENT OF ASSIGNOR'S INTEREST Recorded Sep 4, 2020
From: ISOMURA, TAKAHIDE; HORIUCHI, KEISHI; KATAYAMA, TORU; TAKEMURA, KENJI; TORIKAI, YU; TANAKA, NOBUYUKI
To: LIXIL CORPORATION
Reel/Frame 053700/0106 →