Automatic toilet bowl cleaner

Abstract

This disclosure describes automatic toilet bowl cleaning devices and systems. An automatic toilet bowl cleaner may include a toilet bowl hanger configured to attach to a toilet bowl rim; a motor operated by the toilet bowl hanger; and an automatic lengthener operably attached to the motor and able to move a pumice stone along an interior surface of a toilet bowl based on operation of the motor.

Description

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATION(S)

[0001] This application claims the benefit of U.S. Provisional Application No. 63 / 626,423, filed Jan. 29, 2024, the disclosure of which is incorporated herein by reference as if set forth in full.TECHNICAL FIELD

[0002] Embodiments of the present invention generally relate to devices and systems for automated cleaning of a toilet bowl.BACKGROUND

[0003] Cleaning toilet bowls can be difficult and undesirable for people. For example, people may not be able to, or may not want to, manually scrub a toilet bowl.SUMMARY

[0004] An automatic toilet bowl cleaner may include a toilet bowl hanger configured to attach to a toilet bowl rim; a motor operated by the toilet bowl hanger; and an automatic lengthener operably attached to the motor and configured to move a pumice stone along an interior surface of a toilet bowl based on operation of the motor.

[0005] An automatic toilet bowl cleaner may include a toilet bowl hanger configured to attach to a toilet bowl rim; a motor operatively connected to the toilet bowl hanger; and an automatic lengthener operably attached to the motor and configured to move a pumice stone along an interior surface of a toilet bowl based on operation of the motor.

[0006] An automatic toilet bowl cleaner may include a toilet bowl hanger configured to attach to a toilet bowl rim; a motor operatively connected to the toilet bowl hanger; and an automatic lengthener operably attached to the motor and configured to move a cleaning material along an interior surface of a toilet bowl based on operation of the motor.BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0007] FIG. 1 illustrates an example perspective view of an automatic toilet bowl cleaner in accordance with one embodiment.

[0008] FIG. 2A illustrates an example front view of the automatic toilet bowl cleaner of FIG. 1 in accordance with one embodiment.

[0009] FIG. 2B illustrates an example front view of a portion of the automatic toilet bowl cleaner of FIG. 1 in accordance with one embodiment.

[0010] FIG. 3A illustrates an example top view of the automatic toilet bowl cleaner of FIG. 1 in accordance with one embodiment.

[0011] FIG. 3B illustrates an example top perspective view of the automatic toilet bowl cleaner of FIG. 1 and a perspective view of the pumice stone of the automatic toilet bowl cleaner of FIG. 1 in accordance with one embodiment.

[0012] FIG. 4 illustrates an example top perspective view of the automatic toilet bowl cleaner of FIG. 1 in accordance with one embodiment.

[0013] FIG. 5 illustrates an example perspective view of the automatic toilet bowl cleaner of FIG. 1 when activated in accordance with one embodiment.

[0014] FIG. 6 an example top view of the automatic toilet bowl cleaner of FIG. 1 with a locking mechanism in accordance with one embodiment.

[0015] FIG. 7 is a diagram illustrating an example of a computing system that may be used in implementing embodiments of the present disclosure.DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0016] Aspects of the present disclosure involve an automated toilet bowl cleaner.

[0017] In one or more embodiments, an automated toilet bowl cleaner may attach to a portion of a toilet using a toilet bowl hanger. The toilet bowl hanger may include one or more refillable openings for deodorizing materials, and openings to release fragrance from the deodorizing materials. The toilet bowl hanger may attach to and rotate an automatic lengthener (e.g., via a motor), which may attach at its distal end (e.g., distal to the toilet bowl hanger) to a pumice stone. The automatic lengthener may rotate to cause the pumice stone to rotate around the interior surface of the toilet bowl. The rotation of the pumice stone along the interior surface of the pumice stone may clean the interior surface of the toilet bowl due to the pumice stone being in contact with the interior surface of the toilet bowl as the pumice stone moves (e.g., performing a scrubbing operation). The pumice stone may be removable from the automatic lengthener (e.g., via a clamp or other connection mechanism) to allow for replacement pumice stones.

[0018] In one or more embodiments, the toilet bowl hanger and / or the automatic lengthener may include one or more sensors to detect when a toilet lid is closed or open so that the rotation of the automatic lengthener for the scrubbing process may activate when the toilet lid is closed and stop when the toilet lid is open (e.g., when a person may use the toilet). The toilet bowl hanger may include one or more buttons to allow a user to manually activate and deactivate the automatic lengthener for the scrubbing process.

[0019] In one or more embodiments, the toilet bowl hanger may power the motor controlling activation of the automatic lengthener by using a battery housed within the toilet bowl hanger. The battery may be rechargeable due to a charging port of the toilet bowl hanger. A power cord may attach to the charging port at one end and a power source (e.g., wall receptacle) on the other end to charge the battery. The toilet bowl hanger may deactivate the automatic lengthener when a power cord is connected to the charging port. The toilet bowl hanger may include one or more visual and / or audio indicators to indicate a power level of the battery and / or whether the battery power is below a threshold level indicating a need to recharge the battery. For example, one or more lights and / or one or more speakers presenting a sound or voice indicator may indicate the power level of the battery. The one or more speakers also may present a sound indicating when the cleaning has started and / or ended.

[0020] In one or more embodiments, the toilet bowl hanger may include a locking mechanism with a key lock to prevent the toilet bowl hanger from being removed from the toilet when locked. The lock may include a latch that can move laterally to lock and unlock the toilet bowl hanger.

[0021] In one or more embodiments, the toilet bowl hanger may include circuitry to control the timing of the actuation of the automatic lengthener. For example, the scrubbing process may last for a time period (e.g., 15 minutes, 30 minutes, etc.), so when the actuation of the automatic lengthener begins, the timer may activate. When the scrubbing time period defined by the timer expires, the automatic lengthener may be deactivated and returned to its original position (e.g., proximate to the toilet bowl hanger).

[0022] In one or more embodiments, to control movement of the automatic lengthener, a motor of the toilet bowl hanger may actuate. The automatic lengthener may be operatively attached to the motor so that actuation of the motor causes actuation of the automatic lengthener. The automatic lengthener may be curved in shape so that actuation of the automatic lengthener may allow the automatic lengthener to lengthen by partially straightening (e.g., extending). Extension and contraction of the automatic lengthener may be facilitated by one or more rotatable joints of the automatic lengthener. For example, actuation may cause movement of one or more portions of the automatic lengthener, and rotation of the one or more portions may cause movement of one or more additional portions of the automatic lengthener (e.g., based on respective rotatable connections to portions of the automatic lengthener). Alternatively or in addition, actuation may case extension and contraction of one or more portions that, when extending, cause extension of the automatic lengthener, and when contracting, allow the automatic lengthener to return to a curved position.

[0023] In one or more embodiments, the pumice stone or other cleaning mechanism may include a colored dye or cleaning solution that can cause the toilet water to change colors (e.g., blue) during and after the cleaning operation, allowing for further cleaning even when the automatic lengthener is not activated.

[0024] The above descriptions are for purposes of illustration and are not meant to be limiting. Numerous other examples, configurations, processes, etc., may exist, some of which are described in greater detail below. Example embodiments will now be described with reference to the accompanying figures.

[0025] FIG. 1 illustrates an example perspective view of an automatic toilet bowl cleaner 100 in accordance with one embodiment.

[0026] Referring to FIG. 1, the automatic toilet bowl cleaner 100 may include a toilet bowl hanger 102 that may attach to and detach from a toilet bowl rim 104 of a toilet bowl 106. The toilet bowl 106 may attach to a toilet lid 108 that, when closed, may result in or allow activation of the automatic toilet bowl cleaner 100 as further described herein. The toilet lid 108 is shown as open in FIG. 1 to reveal the automatic toilet bowl cleaner 100. The automatic toilet bowl cleaner 100 may include one or more sensors (e.g., sensor 110) for detecting when the toilet lid 108 is open or closed (e.g., an infrared or other sensor), and may include one or more buttons (e.g., button 112) with which to activate and deactivate the automatic toilet bowl cleaner 100 (e.g., by touching / pushing the button 112). The automatic toilet bowl cleaner 100 may include or attach to a cleaning sponge 114.

[0027] Still referring to FIG. 1, the automatic toilet bowl cleaner 100 may include at least one motor (e.g., motor 116), which may operatively attach to and control movement of an automatic lengthener 118. The automatic lengthener 118 may operatively attach to the motor 116 at one end (e.g., proximate to the toilet bowl hanger 102), and may attach to a cleaning material (e.g., a pumice stone 120) at an opposite end (e.g., distal to the toilet bowl hanger 102). The pumice stone 120 may detach from the automatic lengthener 118 via a release button 122 that, when pushed, releases the pumice stone 120 from the automatic lengthener 118. The automatic toilet bowl cleaner 100 may include openings 124 through which fragrances may be released from inside of the toilet bowl hanger 102. As shown, the pumice stone 120 may contact an interior surface 130 of the toilet bowl 106 so that as the pumice stone 120 moves along the interior surface 130 (e.g., based on activation of the motor 116 causing movement of the automatic lengthener 118), the movement and force of the pumice stone 120 against the interior surface 130 provides a scrubbing operation that may clean the interior surface 130. The toilet bowl hanger 102 also may include an optional power status indicator 132 to indicate battery power level so that a user may be informed of when a battery (e.g., as shown in FIG. 7) of the toilet bowl hanger 102 should be charged.

[0028] FIG. 2A illustrates an example front view of the automatic toilet bowl cleaner 100 of FIG. 1 in accordance with one embodiment.

[0029] Referring to FIG. 2A, the openings 124 are shown on a front portion 202 and side portions 204 of the toilet bowl hanger 102 to allow for fragrances inside of the toilet bowl hanger 102 to be released.

[0030] Still referring to FIG. 2A, the power status indicator 132 is shown in more detail with an example battery image indicating a power level of a battery of the toilet bowl hanger 102 (e.g., shown in FIG. 7). For example, the power status indicator 132 may communicate a power level by showing a portion of a battery that is charged / not charged, or may include one or more bars, numbers, or other indicators of a power level. Alternatively or in addition, the power status indicator 132 may provide a visual or audio indicator signaling that a battery needs to be charged (e.g., when a battery power level is below a threshold power). The power status indicator 132 may include one or more lights that may visually communicate power status.

[0031] FIG. 2B illustrates an example front view of a portion of the automatic toilet bowl cleaner 100 of FIG. 1 in accordance with one embodiment.

[0032] Referring to FIG. 2B, the portion shown includes the motor 116, the automatic lengthener 118, and the pumice stone 120. Also shown is the release button 122 and an attachable portion 252. The attachable portion 252 may attach to and detach from the pumice stone 120. When the release button 122 is pushed, it may cause a retraction of the attachable portion 252, releasing the pumice stone 120 (e.g., because the attachable portion 252 may at least partially protrude through the pumice stone 120 as shown in FIG. 3B).

[0033] FIG. 3A illustrates an example top view of the automatic toilet bowl cleaner 100 of FIG. 1 in accordance with one embodiment.

[0034] Referring to FIG. 3A, the toilet bowl hanger 102 may include a curved portion that may fit over the toilet bowl rim 104 of FIG. 1 to secure the toilet bowl hanger 102 to the toilet bowl rim 104.

[0035] FIG. 3B illustrates an example top perspective view of the automatic toilet bowl cleaner 100 of FIG. 1 and a perspective view of the pumice stone of the automatic toilet bowl cleaner of FIG. 1 in accordance with one embodiment.

[0036] Referring to FIG. 3B, the curved portion 302 of the toilet bowl hanger 102 is shown. Inside of the toilet bowl hanger 102 may be fragrance inserts 352 into which fragrances may be stored. The openings 124 may allow for fragrances in the fragrance inserts 352 to exit the toilet bowl hanger 102. In addition, a cleaning surface 354 of the pumice stone 120 is shown. The cleaning surface 354 may contact the interior surface 130 of the toilet bowl 106 to scrub the interior surface 130. As also shown in FIG. 3B, the attachable portion 252 of the automatic lengthener 118 (not seen in FIG. 3B) may at least partially protrude through the pumice stone 120 to attach the pumice stone 120 to the automatic lengthener 118.

[0037] FIG. 4 illustrates an example top perspective view of the automatic toilet bowl cleaner 100 of FIG. 1 in accordance with one embodiment.

[0038] In one or more embodiments, pushing the button 112 may result in activation of the motor 116 (not shown in FIG. 4 because it may be underneath the toilet bowl hanger 102 in the shown perspective view) and deactivation of the motor 116. Alternatively or in addition, the sensor 110 may detect when the toilet lid 108 is open or closed. When the toilet lid 108 is open (e.g., as shown in FIG. 1), the motor 116 may deactivate so that the scrubbing operation is not performed while someone may be using the toilet. When the toilet lid 108 is closed, the motor 116 may activate to cause performance of the scrubbing operation by moving the automatic lengthener 118 and the pumice stone 120 attached to the automatic lengthener 118. The motor 116 may be active even when the toilet lid 108 is open (e.g., based on a push of the button 112 to manually activate the motor 116).

[0039] FIG. 5 illustrates an example perspective view of the automatic toilet bowl cleaner 100 of FIG. 1 when activated in accordance with one embodiment.

[0040] Referring to FIG. 5, when the automatic toilet bowl cleaner 100 is activated (e.g., when the motor 116 is activated), the motor 116 may rotate and cause movement (e.g., extension, retraction, and / or rotation) of the attached automatic lengthener 118. The motor 116 may include one or more rotational components and / or one or more actuators. For example, and actuator may extend and retract within the automatic lengthener 118 to cause extension and retraction of the automatic lengthener 118. By rotating, extending, and retracting the automatic lengthener 118, the pumice stone 120 may contact the entire interior surface 130 of the toilet bowl 106 to scrub the interior surface 130.

[0041] FIG. 6 is an example top view of the automatic toilet bowl cleaner 100 of FIG. 1 with a locking mechanism in accordance with one embodiment.

[0042] Referring to FIG. 6, the toilet bowl hanger 102 may be secured to the toilet bowl rim 104 as shown in FIG. 1 by using a lock 602. The lock 602 may slide between an unlocked position at a portion 604 of the toilet bowl hanger 102 and a locked position at a portion 606 of the toilet bowl hanger 102. The portion 606 may be lower to the ground (e.g., into the page) than the portion 608, so the portion 606 may be more proximate to the toilet bowl rim 104 below the toilet bowl hanger 102 as shown in FIG. 1, allowing the lock 602 to secure the toilet bowl hanger 102 to the toilet bowl rim 104 when the lock 602 is in the position at the portion 606 of the toilet bowl hanger 102. The lock 602 may be a key latch lock that, when turned with a key (not shown), may secure the lock 602 to a portion of the toilet bowl 106.

[0043] It is understood that the above descriptions are for purposes of illustration and are not meant to be limiting.

[0044] FIG. 7 is a diagram illustrating an example of a computing system 700 that may be used in implementing embodiments of the present disclosure.

[0045] Referring to FIG. 7, the computing system 700 may represent components housed within the toilet bowl hanger 102 to control activation and deactivation of the motor 116.

[0046] The computer system (system) 700 may include one or more processors 702-706 for controlling activation and deactivation of the motor 116, including a timer for limiting the activation. The processors 702-706 may be optional. When not using the processors 702-706, the computing system 700 may include a timer 708 and one or more switches 710 to control activation of the motor 116 (e.g., by closing the switches 710 to allow current to flow from a power source 711, such as a rechargeable battery, to the motor 116, and opening the switches 710 when the timer 708 expires and / or when the toilet lid 108 of FIG. 1 is detected as open and / or when the button 112 is pushed for deactivation).

[0047] The processors 702-706 may include one or more internal levels of cache (not shown) and a bus controller 722 or bus interface unit to direct interaction with the processor bus 712. Processor bus 712, also known as the host bus or the front side bus, may be used to couple the processors 702-706 with the system interface 724. System interface 724 may be connected to the processor bus 712 to interface other components of the system 700 with the processor bus 712. For example, system interface 724 may include a memory controller 518 for interfacing a main memory 716 with the processor bus 712. The main memory 716 typically includes one or more memory cards and a control circuit (not shown). System interface 724 may also include an input / output (I / O) interface 720 to interface one or more I / O bridges 725 or I / O devices with the processor bus 712. One or more I / O controllers and / or I / O devices may be connected with the I / O bus 726, such as I / O controller 728 and I / O device 730, as illustrated.

[0048] I / O device 730 may also include an input device, such as the button 112, for communicating information and / or command selections to the processors 702-706 and / or the switches 710.

[0049] System 700 may include the one or more sensors 110 of FIG. 1 for detecting whether the toilet lid 108 is open or closed. The one or more sensors 110 may signal to the processors 702-706 and / or the switches 710 the status of the toilet lid 108 so that current may flow or not flow to the motor 116.

[0050] System 700 may include a dynamic storage device, referred to as main memory 716, or a random access memory (RAM) or other computer-readable devices coupled to the processor bus 712 for storing information and instructions to be executed by the processors 702-706. Main memory 716 also may be used for storing temporary variables or other intermediate information during execution of instructions by the processors 702-706. System 700 may include a read only memory (ROM) and / or other static storage device coupled to the processor bus 712 for storing static information and instructions for the processors 702-706. The system outlined in FIG. 7 is but one possible example of a computer system that may employ or be configured in accordance with aspects of the present disclosure.

[0051] According to one embodiment, the above techniques may be performed by computer system 700 in response to processor 704 executing one or more sequences of one or more instructions contained in main memory 716. These instructions may be read into main memory 716 from another machine-readable medium, such as a storage device. Execution of the sequences of instructions contained in main memory 716 may cause processors 702-706 to perform the process steps described herein. In alternative embodiments, circuitry may be used in place of or in combination with the software instructions. Thus, embodiments of the present disclosure may include both hardware and software components.

[0052] A machine readable medium includes any mechanism for storing or transmitting information in a form (e.g., software, processing application) readable by a machine (e.g., a computer). Such media may take the form of, but is not limited to, non-volatile media and volatile media and may include removable data storage media, non-removable data storage media, and / or external storage devices made available via a wired or wireless network architecture with such computer program products, including one or more database management products, web server products, application server products, and / or other additional software components. Examples of removable data storage media include Compact Disc Read-Only Memory (CD-ROM), Digital Versatile Disc Read-Only Memory (DVD-ROM), magneto-optical disks, flash drives, and the like. Examples of non-removable data storage media include internal magnetic hard disks, SSDs, and the like. The one or more memory devices 706 may include volatile memory (e.g., dynamic random access memory (DRAM), static random access memory (SRAM), etc.) and / or non-volatile memory (e.g., read-only memory (ROM), flash memory, etc.).

[0053] Computer program products containing mechanisms to effectuate the systems and methods in accordance with the presently described technology may reside in main memory 716, which may be referred to as machine-readable media. It will be appreciated that machine-readable media may include any tangible non-transitory medium that is capable of storing or encoding instructions to perform any one or more of the operations of the present disclosure for execution by a machine or that is capable of storing or encoding data structures and / or modules utilized by or associated with such instructions. Machine-readable media may include a single medium or multiple media (e.g., a centralized or distributed database, and / or associated caches and servers) that store the one or more executable instructions or data structures.

[0054] Embodiments of the present disclosure include various steps, which are described in this specification. The steps may be performed by hardware components or may be embodied in machine-executable instructions, which may be used to cause a general-purpose or special-purpose processor programmed with the instructions to perform the steps. Alternatively, the steps may be performed by a combination of hardware, software and / or firmware.

[0055] Various modifications and additions can be made to the exemplary embodiments discussed without departing from the scope of the present invention. For example, while the embodiments described above refer to particular features, the scope of this invention also includes embodiments having different combinations of features and embodiments that do not include all of the described features. Accordingly, the scope of the present invention is intended to embrace all such alternatives, modifications, and variations together with all equivalents thereof.

Claims

1. An automatic toilet bowl cleaner comprising:a toilet bowl hanger configured to attach to a toilet bowl rim;a motor operated by the toilet bowl hanger; andan automatic lengthener operably attached to the motor and configured to move a pumice stone along an interior surface of a toilet bowl based on operation of the motor.

2. The automatic toilet bowl cleaner of claim 1, further comprising an actuator configured to extend and retract the automatic lengthener.

3. The automatic toilet bowl cleaner of claim 1, wherein the automatic lengthener is attachable to and detachable from the pumice stone.

4. The automatic toilet bowl cleaner of claim 1, further comprising a sensor configured to detect a position of a toilet lid.

5. The automatic toilet bowl cleaner of claim 4, further comprising circuitry configured to activate or deactivate the motor based on data from the sensor indicative of the position of the toilet lid.

6. The automatic toilet bowl cleaner of claim 1, further comprising a button configured to activate or deactivate the motor.

7. The automatic toilet bowl cleaner of claim 1, wherein the toilet bowl hanger comprises a fragrance insert and at least one opening.

8. The automatic toilet bowl cleaner of claim 1, wherein the toilet bowl hanger comprises a battery operatively connected to the motor.

9. The automatic toilet bowl cleaner of claim 8, wherein the toilet bowl hanger further comprises comprising a presentable indicator of a power status of the battery.

10. The automatic toilet bowl cleaner of claim 1, further comprising a lock attachable to the toilet bowl hanger.

11. An automatic toilet bowl cleaner comprising:a toilet bowl hanger configured to attach to a toilet bowl rim;a motor operatively connected to the toilet bowl hanger; andan automatic lengthener operably attached to the motor and configured to move a pumice stone along an interior surface of a toilet bowl based on operation of the motor.

12. The automatic toilet bowl cleaner of claim 11, further comprising an actuator configured to extend and retract the automatic lengthener.

13. The automatic toilet bowl cleaner of claim 11, wherein the automatic lengthener is attachable to and detachable from the pumice stone.

14. The automatic toilet bowl cleaner of claim 11, further comprising a sensor configured to detect a position of a toilet lid.

15. The automatic toilet bowl cleaner of claim 14, further comprising circuitry configured to activate or deactivate the motor based on data from the sensor indicative of the position of the toilet lid.

16. The automatic toilet bowl cleaner of claim 11, further comprising a button configured to activate or deactivate the motor.

17. The automatic toilet bowl cleaner of claim 11, wherein the toilet bowl hanger comprises a fragrance insert and at least one opening.

18. The automatic toilet bowl cleaner of claim 11, wherein the toilet bowl hanger comprises a battery operatively connected to the motor.

19. The automatic toilet bowl cleaner of claim 18, wherein the toilet bowl hanger further comprises comprising a presentable indicator of a power status of the battery.

20. An automatic toilet bowl cleaner comprising:a toilet bowl hanger configured to attach to a toilet bowl rim;a motor operatively connected to the toilet bowl hanger; andan automatic lengthener operably attached to the motor and configured to move a cleaning material along an interior surface of a toilet bowl based on operation of the motor.

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