Opening and closing device for Western-style toilet

Abstract

To provide a Western style toilet bowl opening / closing device which employs a common attachment member to a toilet seat and a toilet lid, for eliminating an attachment member dedicated for the toilet seat and an attachment member dedicated for the toilet lid.SOLUTION: There is provided a Western style toilet bowl opening / closing device which opens and closes a toilet seat or a toilet lid supported pivotally to a toilet bowl main body, without touching the toilet seat or toilet lid, the Western style toilet bowl opening / closing device comprises: a base installed on a floor; a pedal member which is pivotally supported to the base, has a lifting operation stepping part on a pivotally supported near side, and has a lowering operation stepping part on a pivotally supported depth side; a link member whose lower end is pivotally supported to the pedal member using a lower end shaft, on the depth side of the lowering operation stepping part; and an attachment member which can be attached to the toilet seat and toilet lid, and is pivotally supported to an upper end of the link member using an upper end shaft. The attachment member is detachably attached to the upper end of the link member and an orientation thereof in an axial direction can be inverted, and the orientation in the axial direction when attaching the same to the toilet lid, is opposite to an orientation in the axial direction when attaching to the toilet seat.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 4

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present invention relates to an opening / closing device for a Western-style toilet that allows a user to open and close a toilet seat or lid without touching their hands by stepping on a pedal mechanism with their foot, for example, from the perspective of preventing the spread of infectious diseases.

Background Art

[0002] In a Western-style toilet with a seat, a toilet seat pivotally supported on the upper surface of the toilet body is provided so as to be openable and closable, and a toilet lid pivotally supported on the upper surface of the toilet body covering the closed toilet seat on the upper surface of the toilet body is provided so as to be openable and closable. With the recent COVID-19 pandemic, in such Western-style toilets with seats, there is a demand for an opening / closing device that can individually open and close the toilet seat and lid without directly touching the toilet seat and lid in order to prevent the spread of the COVID-19 virus through the toilet seat and lid. In addition, several proposals have been made for pedal-type opening / closing devices for toilet seats and lids even before the recent COVID-19 pandemic (Patent Documents 1 and 2).

[0003] The opening / closing devices for Western-style toilets described in Patent Documents 1 and 2 can open and close the toilet seat by operating a first pedal mechanism and can open and close the toilet lid by operating a second pedal mechanism. Further, in FIG. 6 of Patent Document 2, there is provided an opening / closing device that opens and closes the toilet seat by raising and lowering a first link member (push rod) connected to the toilet seat using a first attachment member, and opens and closes the toilet lid by raising and lowering a second link member (push rod) connected to the toilet lid using a second attachment member.

Prior Art Documents

Patent Documents

[0004]

Patent Document 1

Patent Document 2

Summary of the Invention

Problems to be Solved by the Invention

[0005] Since replacing the entire Western-style toilet incurs significant construction costs, there is a need for an opening and closing device for a Western-style toilet that can be retrofitted to an existing wall-mounted Western-style toilet for use. In such an opening and closing device, there may be a mechanism that uses dedicated mounting members to connect link members to an existing toilet seat or lid, and the link members are raised and lowered by stepping on a pedal with the foot to open and close the toilet seat or lid.

[0006] In such an opening and closing device for a Western-style toilet, a dedicated mounting member for the toilet seat and a dedicated mounting member for the toilet lid are required. Therefore, an object of the present invention is to provide an opening and closing device for a Western-style toilet that employs a common mounting member for the toilet seat and the toilet lid, eliminating the need for a dedicated mounting member for the toilet seat and a dedicated mounting member for the toilet lid.

Means for Solving the Problems

[0007] In order to solve the above problems, the opening and closing device for a Western-style toilet according to claim 1 of the present invention is an opening and closing device for a Western-style toilet that opens and closes a toilet seat or lid pivotally supported on a toilet body without touching it by hand, comprising a base installed on the floor, a pedal member pivotally supported on the base so as to be swingable in the vertical direction, having a rising operation stepping portion provided on the front side of the pivotally supported portion and a falling operation stepping portion provided on the rear side of the pivotally supported portion, a link member pivotally supported at its lower end side via a snap-fit bearing that pivotally supports the lower end side shaft movably on the rear side of the falling operation stepping portion, and a mounting member that can be attached to either the toilet seat or the toilet lid and is pivotally supported at the upper end portion of the link member using an upper end side shaft, wherein the mounting member is detachably attached to the upper end portion of the link member and can be attached in a direction opposite to the axial direction when attaching the toilet lid and the axial direction when attaching the toilet seat Together with this, the attachment member has a toilet seat attachment plate portion that can be attached by overlapping it on the lower surface of the toilet seat, and when the toilet lid is attached, it avoids interference of the toilet seat attachment plate portion with respect to the rotation region of the toilet seat by reversing the axial direction. is characterized by this.

[0008] Also, Claim 2 In the opening and closing device according to, the toilet seat mounting plate portion is characterized in that it can be adhered to the lower surface of the toilet seat using a double-sided adhesive tape.

[0009] Also,Claim 3 In the opening / closing device described in , there is a snap-fit bearing portion that movably holds the lower-end side shaft at a rotational position located at the center of the pivotal support of the lower end portion of the link member and at a retracted position deviated from this rotational center, and in the retracted position, the lower-end side shaft is held more loosely than in the rotational position.

[0010] Also, Claim 4 In the opening / closing device described in , the retracted position is located outside the center of the pivotal support of the lower end portion on a straight line connecting the center of the pivotal support of the lower end portion of the link member and the center of the pivotal support of the upper-end side shaft.

[0011] Also, Claim 5 The Western-style toilet described in is characterized in that the opening / closing device described in any one of claims 1 to 4 is attached to the toilet seat or the toilet lid.

Advantages of the Invention

[0012] In the opening / closing device described in claim 1, the attachment member is detachably attached to the upper end portion of the link member and can be attached so that the axial direction can be reversed, and the axial direction when attaching the toilet lid is opposite to the axial direction when attaching the toilet seat. Therefore, by reversing the axial direction, it is possible to avoid a part of the attachment member interfering with the toilet seat when the toilet lid is rotated. Therefore, it is possible to provide an opening / closing device in which the attachment member attached to the toilet seat can be directly attached to the toilet lid.

[0013] Furthermore, Claim 1 In the opening / closing device described in , specifically, when the attachment member is attached to the toilet lid, interference between the toilet seat attachment plate portion and the rotation region of the toilet seat is avoided. Therefore, it is possible to provide an opening / closing device that uses an attachment member that can be compatible with both a toilet seat and a toilet lid having a large-area toilet seat attachment plate portion. Here, the attachment member can have a shaft support portion provided adjacent to the toilet seat attachment plate portion and a tightening mechanism attachment portion provided so as to overlap with this shaft support portion and to which a tightening mechanism for tightening and fixing the lower end portion of the edge of the toilet lid can be attached.

[0014] Claim 2 In the opening / closing device described in [reference], by using a double-sided adhesive tape, the attachment member can be easily attached to various types of toilet seats.

[0015] Claim 3 In the opening / closing device described in [reference], when a user directly lifts the toilet seat or the toilet lid by hand, at the snap-fit bearing portion, the lower-end shaft moves from the rotational position to the retracted position, and the lower-end shaft is held more loosely than in the rotational position. For this reason, the force exerted by the link member on the attachment member is suppressed, and it is difficult for a part of the toilet seat or the toilet lid to be damaged or for the attachment member to fall off from the toilet seat or the toilet lid. Therefore, it is possible to provide an opening / closing device for a Western-style toilet that reduces the force applied to the attachment member when the toilet seat or the toilet lid is directly lifted by hand.

[0016] Claim 4 In the opening / closing device described in [reference], when an upward force acts on the lower-end shaft via the link member, at the snap-fit bearing portion, the lower-end shaft moves from the rotational position to the retracted position.

[0017] Claim 5 In the Western-style toilet described in [reference], by using a compact and simple opening / closing device, an existing Western-style toilet can be modified into a Western-style toilet that opens and closes the toilet seat or the toilet lid without touching it by hand. By providing the opening / closing device, even in an existing Western-style toilet, the chance of directly touching the toilet seat and the toilet lid by hand can be reduced, and various infectious diseases transmitted through the toilet seat and the toilet lid can be prevented.

Brief Description of the Drawings

[0018]

Figure 1

Figure 2

Figure 3

Figure 4

Figure 5

Figure 6

Figure 7

Figure 8

Figure 9

Figure 10

Embodiments for Carrying Out the Invention

[0019] Hereinafter, an opening and closing device for a Western-style toilet as an embodiment of the present invention and a Western-style toilet as an embodiment of the Western-style toilet with this opening and closing device attached will be described in detail based on the attached drawings.

[0020] <Embodiment 1> As shown in Fig. 1, the Western-style toilet 1 is a flushing type in which a tank 5 is connected to the rear of the toilet body 2, and is a sitting type in which the user sits from the front side and uses it. The Western-style toilet 1 has a toilet seat 3 provided on the upper surface of the toilet body 2 so as to be openable and closable using an opening and closing shaft 3a. Further, a toilet lid 4 is provided on the upper surface of the toilet body 2 so as to cover the closed toilet seat 3 and be openable and closable using an opening and closing shaft 4a. The opening and closing shafts 3a and 4a may incorporate a spring mechanism that generates torque to lift the toilet seat 3 and the toilet lid 4.

[0021] The Western-style toilet 1 is equipped with an opening / closing device 10 for opening and closing the toilet seat 3 without directly touching the toilet seat 3 with hands. As shown in Fig. 2(a), the user can open the toilet seat 3 by stepping on the ascending operation stepping portion 15d of the pedal member 15b in the direction of arrow R1, thereby raising the link member 12 in the direction of arrow R2. Also, as shown in Fig. 2(b), the user can close the toilet seat 3 by stepping on the descending operation stepping portion 15e of the pedal member 15b in the direction of arrow R3, thereby lowering the link member 12 in the direction of arrow R4.

[0022] As shown in Fig. 3, the opening / closing device 10 is assembling a Western-style toilet 1 equipped with the opening / closing device 10 of the toilet seat 3 by attaching the attachment member 11 to the toilet seat 3 of the Western-style toilet 1. The attachment member 11 has a toilet seat attachment plate portion 11b that can be attached to the lower surface 3b of the toilet seat 3 using a double-sided adhesive tape 11a.

[0023] As shown in Fig. 1, the opening / closing device 10 opens and closes the toilet seat 3 or the toilet lid 4 pivotally supported on the toilet body 2 of the Western-style toilet 1 without touching it with hands. As shown in Fig. 4, the base 15a is installed on the floor. The pedal member 15b is pivotally supported on the base 15a, with an ascending operation stepping portion 15d provided on the front side of the pivotal support and a descending operation stepping portion 15e provided on the rear side of the pivotal support. The link member 12 has its lower end pivotally supported on the pedal member 15b using the lower end side shaft 14 on the rear side of this descending operation stepping portion 15e. The attachment member 11 is pivotally supported on the upper end portion of the link member 12 using the upper end side shaft 13. The attachment member 11 has a toilet seat attachment plate portion 11b that can be attached by overlapping it on the lower surface 3b of the toilet seat 3, and the toilet seat attachment plate portion 11b is attached to the lower surface 3b of the toilet seat 3 using a double-sided adhesive tape 11a.

[0024] The pedal mechanism 15 is configured in a simple seesaw type using a base 15a and a pedal member 15b. The pedal mechanism 15 can rotate and lift the toilet lid 4 or the toilet seat 3 by stepping on the upward operation stepping portion 15d, and can rotate and close the toilet lid 4 or the toilet seat 3 by stepping on the downward operation stepping portion 15e. The pedal mechanism 15 has a base 15a and a pedal member 15b formed of a resin material, and the lower end side shaft 14 is pivotally supported at the rotating end of the pedal member 15b. The base 15a has a fulcrum 15c of a metal shaft and is installed on the floor 6 using a double-sided adhesive tape. The fulcrum 15c may be replaced with one that forms a rotation center without using a shaft.

[0025] As shown in FIG. 1, the attachment member 11 is fixed at a position separated from the opening and closing shaft 3a of the toilet seat 3. The upper end portion 12a of the link member 12 is pivotally supported by the attachment member 11 using the upper end side shaft 13. The toilet seat 3 and the attachment member 11 pivotally supported by the toilet body 2, the link member 12 pivotally supported by the upper end side shaft 13 and the lower end side shaft 14, and the pedal member 15b pivotally supported by the base 15a form a four-bar link mechanism and interlock. In FIGS. 4 to 6, what is indicated by the reference symbol 12b is the lower end portion of the link member 12.

[0026] As shown in FIG. 1, the Western-style toilet 1 is equipped with an opening and closing device 10 for the toilet seat 3 by attaching the attachment member 11 to the toilet seat 3. As shown in FIGS. 3 to 4, the attachment member 11 has a positioning plate portion 11c that abuts against the side surface of the toilet seat 3 for positioning, and a toilet seat attachment plate portion 11b that can adhere to the lower surface 3b of the toilet seat 3 using a double-sided adhesive tape 11a.

[0027] As shown in FIG. 2(a), the user can open the toilet seat 3 by stepping on the upward operation stepping portion 15d of the pedal member 15b in the direction of arrow R1 to raise the link member 12 in the direction of arrow R2. When the upward operation stepping portion 15d is stepped on, the pedal member 15b rotates in a direction to lift the lower end side shaft 14 around the fulcrum 15c. As a result, the link member 12 rises, and the toilet seat 3 is lifted from the toilet body 2 via the attachment member 11 from the upper end side shaft 13, and the toilet seat 3 opens from the toilet body 2.

[0028] As shown in Fig. 2(b), the user can close the toilet seat 3 by stepping on the downward operation stepping portion 15e of the pedal member 15b in the direction of arrow R3, thereby lowering the link member 12 in the direction of arrow R4. When the downward operation stepping portion 15e is stepped on, the pedal member 15b rotates about the fulcrum 15c in a direction to pull down the lower end side shaft 14. As a result, the link member 12 descends, and the toilet seat 3 is pulled down from the upper end side shaft 13 via the attachment member 11 and overlapped on the toilet body 2.

[0029] The upper end side shaft 13 is formed of stainless steel, has a head portion 13a on the rear end side, and has a ring groove 13b on the front end side. The rear end side of the upper end side shaft 13 abuts against the head portion 13a and is inserted into the bearing hole 13c of the attachment member 11. The front end side of the upper end side shaft 13 is inserted into the bearing hole 13d of the link member 12, and a retaining ring 13e is fitted into the ring groove 13b.

[0030] The lower end side shaft 14 is formed in a tubular shape of resin, has a head portion 14a on the rear end side, and has a snap-fit engaging portion 14b on the front end side. The lower end side shaft 14 has a small elastic modulus and is designed to elastically deform more than the link member 12 and the pedal member 15b. The lower end side shaft 14 passes through the bearing holes 14c, 14c of the pedal member 15b and the snap-fit bearing portion 17 of the link member 12, and engages the head portion 14a and the snap-fit engaging portion 14b with the side surface of the pedal member 15b.

[0031] Incidentally, the user may directly lift the toilet seat 3 by hand and open it from the toilet body 2 without noticing or ignoring the pedal mechanism 15. At this time, the four-bar link mechanism constituted by the pedal member 15b pivotally supported on the base 15a, the toilet seat 3 pivotally supported on the toilet body 2, and the link member 12 does not prevent the toilet seat 3 from being opened following it. However, in this case, a large force acts on the mounting member 11 having a smaller radius of rotation compared to the toilet seat 3. Also, when the user operates the pedal mechanism 15 to close the toilet seat 3 and strongly presses the downward operation depression portion 15e too much, similarly, a large force acts on the mounting member 11. When a large force acts on the mounting member 11, the double-sided adhesive tape 11a may peel off and the mounting member 11 may fall off from the toilet seat 3. Also, a force may be transmitted from the upper-end side shaft 13 to the lower-end side shaft 14 via the link member 12, and the lower-end side shaft 14 may be plastically deformed.

[0032] Therefore, as shown in FIG. 5(a), the opening / closing device 10 of the first embodiment is provided with a snap-fit bearing portion 17 at the lower end portion of the link member 12. The snap-fit bearing portion 17 movably holds the lower-end side shaft 14 at a rotational position P1 located at the center of rotation of the pivotal support at the lower end portion of the link member 12 and at a retracted position P2 deviated from this center of rotation. The snap-fit bearing portion 17 makes the radius of the bearing portion 17a at the rotational position P1 equal to the radius of the lower-end side shaft 14, while making the radius of the bearing portion 17b at the retracted position P2 larger than the radius of the lower-end side shaft 14. For this reason, at the retracted position P2, the lower-end side shaft 14 is held more loosely than at the rotational position P1.

[0033] The retracted position P2 is provided outside the center of the pivotal support at the lower end portion of the link member 12 (the center of the rotational position P1) on the straight line connecting the center of the pivotal support at the lower end portion of the link member 12 (the center of the rotational position P1) and the center of the pivotal support of the upper-end side shaft 13. For this reason, when the toilet seat 3 is lifted and the link member 12 is pulled upward, or when the downward operation depression portion 15e is strongly pressed and the lower-end side shaft 14 is pulled downward, the lower-end side shaft 14 moves from the rotational position P1 to the retracted position P2, and the load on the link member 12 is released.

[0034] As shown in Fig. 5(a), the snap-fit bearing portion 17 is provided with claw portions 17c, 17c made of a resin material so as to be elastically deformable between a rotational position P1 and a retracted position P2. As shown in Fig. 5(b), the snap-fit bearing portion 17 is provided with a pair of claw portions 17c, 17c having an L-shaped cross section on both the front and back surfaces to restrict the movement of the lower-end shaft 14. Therefore, when a large force acts on the mounting member 11, the claw portions 17c, 17c are elastically deformed and the snap-fit bearing portion 17 comes off, so that the lower-end shaft 14 moves from the rotational position P1 to the retracted position P2. The snap-fit bearing portion 17 keeps the lower-end shaft 14 held at the rotational position P1 as long as the load is within the allowable range, but when the load exceeds the allowable range, the claw portions 17c, 17c are elastically deformed to move the lower-end shaft 14 from the rotational position P1 to the retracted position P2. The claw portions 17c, 17c can engage with the lower-end shaft 14 to hold the lower-end shaft 14 at the rotational position P1 and can move the lower-end shaft 14 relative to each other with elastic deformation between the rotational position P1 and the retracted position P2. The snap-fit bearing portion 17 has a pair of claw portions 17c, 17c opposing in the circumferential direction to restrict the position of the lower-end shaft 14 with elastic deformation between the rotational position P1 and the retracted position P2 and to enable movement in both directions thereof. Therefore, a snap-fit bearing portion having a simple structure and reliable operation can be configured.

[0035] Also, the snap-fit bearing portion 17 automatically returns during normal operation by the user. As shown in Fig. 6(a), when the lower-end shaft 14 is at the rotational position P1 and a force in the direction of arrow R5 acts, as shown in Fig. 6(b), the lower-end shaft 14 moves to the retracted position P2 to relieve the force acting on the lower-end shaft 14 and the link member 12. Then, as shown in Fig. 6(b), when the lower-end shaft 14 is at the retracted position P2 and a force in the direction of arrow R6 acts, as shown in Fig. 6(a), the lower-end shaft 14 moves to the rotational position P1 and the function of the lower-end shaft 14 and the link member 12 to transmit force is restored.

[0036] Therefore, the lower-end shaft 14 that the user directly lifts by hand and moves to the retracted position P2 returns to the rotational position P1 by stepping on the upward operation stepping portion 15d of the pedal mechanism 15. Even when the lower-end shaft 14 is in the retracted position P2, although the looseness in the operating feel increases, the raising / lowering and opening / closing of the toilet seat 3 that the user performs by operating the pedal mechanism 15 still function properly.

[0037] Incidentally, as shown in FIG. 8, the mounting member 11 can also be attached to the toilet lid 4. However, the mounting member 11 is provided with a toilet seat mounting plate portion 11b having a large support area and support length of the toilet seat 3 so as not to fall off from the toilet seat 3 under the weight of the user. For this reason, when the mounting member 11 is attached to the toilet lid 4, it is necessary to prevent the toilet seat mounting plate portion 11b from interfering with the toilet seat 3 in order to enable independent opening and closing of the toilet seat 3. Therefore, in the opening / closing device 10, the mounting member 11 is detachably attached to the upper end portion of the link member 12 and can be attached so that the axial direction can be reversed. As shown in FIG. 8, the axial direction of the upper-end shaft 13 when attaching the toilet lid 4 is opposite to the axial direction when attaching the toilet seat 3 as shown in FIG. 3. That is, when the toilet lid 4 is attached, the mounting member 11 avoids interference of the toilet seat mounting plate portion 11b with the rotation region of the toilet seat 3 by reversing the axial direction.

[0038] The mounting member 11 of the opening / closing device 10 shown in FIGS. 2 to 4 can be commonly used for both the toilet seat 3 and the toilet lid 4 by attaching it with different axial directions as shown in FIGS. 7 to 10. In FIGS. 7 to 10, in the Western-style toilet 1 of FIGS. 2 to 4, the toilet lid 4 is attached to the opening / closing device 10 instead of the toilet seat 3.

[0039] Here, the attachment member 11 has a shaft support portion 11n provided adjacent to the toilet seat attachment plate portion 11b, and a tightening mechanism attachment portion 11e provided overlapping the shaft support portion 11n and capable of attaching a tightening mechanism 11d for clamping the lower end portion 4b of the edge of the toilet lid 4 to fix the toilet lid 4. As shown in FIG. 7, the Western-style toilet 1 is equipped with an opening / closing device 10 for the toilet lid 4 by attaching the attachment member 11 to the toilet lid 4. As shown in FIG. 8, the attachment member 11 is fixed to the toilet lid 4 by clamping the lower end portion 4b of the edge of the toilet lid 4 using the tightening mechanism 11d. As shown in FIGS. 9 to 10, the tightening mechanism 11d is assembled to a tightening mechanism attachment portion 11e provided on the same surface side as the toilet seat attachment plate portion 11b of the attachment member 11. The tightening mechanism attachment portion 11e rotatably holds and retains a nut 11i inserted from above. The tightening mechanism attachment portion 11e is a nut holding portion capable of holding a nut 11i for clamping the lower end portion 4b of the edge of the toilet lid 4.

[0040] One end of the attachment member 11 is bent into an L shape to form a fixing plate 11f, a moving plate 11g is arranged opposite to the fixing plate 11f, and rubber plates 11h, 11h are attached to the opposing surfaces of the fixing plate 11f and the moving plate 11g. The tip of an attachment screw 11j screwed into the nut 11i through an opening 11m of the tightening mechanism attachment portion 11e is rotatably inserted into a screw holding portion 11k of the moving plate 11g. Therefore, by rotating the attachment screw 11j, the tightening mechanism 11d clamps the lower end portion 4b of the edge of the toilet lid 4 through the rubber plates 11h, 11h by the fixing plate 11f and the moving plate 11g. Thereby, the attachment member 11 is firmly fixed to the lower end portion 4b of the edge of the toilet lid 4.

[0041] The opening / closing device 10 can be attached to the toilet seat 3 and the toilet lid 4 of the Western-style toilet 1 using the same attachment member 11. Therefore, a Western-style toilet manufacturer or retailer can provide, as part of the lineup of the Western-style toilet 1, a Western-style toilet 1 equipped only with the opening / closing device 10 for the toilet seat 3 and a Western-style toilet 1 equipped only with the opening / closing device 10 for the toilet lid 4 in a unified design. Also, they can be sold in the same package without parts (attachment member 11) for discarding the opening / closing device 10 for the toilet seat 3 and the opening / closing device 10 for the toilet lid 4.

[0042] As shown in Fig. 1, a mark 17d indicating that the toilet seat 3 is open is formed on the upward operation stepping portion 15d of the pedal mechanism 15. A mark 17e indicating that the toilet seat 3 is closed is formed on the downward operation stepping portion 15e of the pedal mechanism 15. Therefore, the user can surely select the stepping portion to be stepped on by comparing the states of the toilet body 2 and the toilet seat 3 with the marks 17d and 17e. The user can accurately and promptly select and operate the toilet lid 4 or the toilet seat 3 correctly in light of the purpose of the operation.

Industrial Applicability

[0043] As described above, since the present invention is configured as described above, as a lineup of Western-style toilets with a unified design, it is possible to prepare a Western-style toilet model equipped only with a toilet lid opening / closing device and a Western-style toilet model equipped only with a toilet seat opening / closing device. In addition, it is possible to provide an opening / closing device that can cope with both the toilet seat and the toilet lid. The present invention can be implemented not only for an opening / closing device that is later attached and used for an existing Western-style toilet with a seat, but also for a new Western-style toilet equipped with an opening / closing device. Since the opening / closing device of Embodiment 1 is symmetrically configured when viewed from the front side, it can be attached to either the left or right side of the toilet body. Since the attachment member is arranged at a position away from the opening / closing shaft, there is no need to replace the existing opening / closing shaft or mechanism. It is also possible to separately attach the opening / closing device for the toilet seat and the opening / closing device for the toilet lid on the left and right. More parts can be commonly used between the opening / closing device for the toilet lid and the opening / closing device for the toilet seat.

Explanation of Reference Numerals

[0044] 1 Western-style toilet 2 Toilet body 3 Toilet seat 3a Opening / closing shaft 3b Lower surface 4 Toilet lid 4a Opening / closing shaft 4b Lower end portion 5 Tank 6 Floor 10 Opening / closing device 11 Attachment member 11a Double-sided adhesive tape 11b Toilet seat attachment plate portion 11c Positioning plate part 11d Tightening mechanism 11e Tightening mechanism mounting part 11f Fixed plate 11g Movable plate 11h Rubber plate 11i Nut 12 Link member (link member) 12a Upper end part 12b Lower end part 13 Upper end side shaft 14 Lower end side shaft 15 Pedal mechanism 15a Base 15b Pedal member 15c Fulcrum 15d Ascending operation stepping part 15e Descending operation stepping part

Claims

1. A closing and opening device for a Western-style toilet that opens and closes a toilet seat or lid pivotally supported on a toilet body without being touched by a hand, comprising: a base installed on the floor side; a pedal member pivotally supported on the base so as to be swingable in the vertical direction, having a rising operation stepping portion provided on the front side thereof that is pivotally supported and a descending operation stepping portion provided on the rear side thereof that is pivotally supported; a link member pivotally supported at its lower end side via a snap fit bearing that pivotally supports the lower end side shaft movably on the rear side of the descending operation stepping portion; an attachment member that can be attached to either the toilet seat or the lid and is pivotally supported at the upper end portion of the link member using an upper end side shaft; The attachment member is detachably attached to the upper end portion of the link member and can be attached so as to reverse the axial direction. The axial direction when attaching the lid is opposite to the axial direction when attaching the toilet seat. The attachment member has a toilet seat attachment plate portion that can be attached by overlapping it on the lower surface of the toilet seat. When the lid is attached, the axial direction is reversed to avoid interference of the toilet seat attachment plate portion with the rotation area of the toilet seat. The closing and opening device is characterized by this.

2. The closing and opening device according to claim 1, wherein the toilet seat attachment plate portion can be attached to the lower surface of the toilet seat using a double-sided adhesive tape.

3. The closing and opening device according to claim 1, further comprising a snap fit bearing portion that movably holds the lower end side shaft at a rotational position located at the center of the pivotal support of the lower end portion of the link member and a retracted position outside the center of the pivotal support. In the retracted position, the lower end side shaft is held more loosely than in the rotational position.

4. The closing and opening device according to claim 3, wherein the retracted position is outside the center of the pivotal support of the lower end portion on a straight line connecting the center of the pivotal support of the lower end portion of the link member and the center of the pivotal support of the upper end side shaft.

5. A Western-style toilet characterized by having the closing and opening device according to any one of claims 1 to 4 attached to a toilet seat or a lid.

Images