Open-Front Toilet Seat Protector With Bowl-Covering Overlay
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Solution Overview
Problem
Public toilets often feature open front toilet seats, which pose hygiene concerns due to direct contact with the seat surface, and existing solutions like disposable covers or protectors may not adequately cover the entire bowl surface when the seat is down, leaving uncovered areas.
Innovation Solution
A toilet seat protector with two passages accommodating both halves of the open front toilet seat, featuring overlays that extend over the toilet bowl surfaces when the seat is down, ensuring comprehensive coverage and hygiene protection.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If existing disposable covers or protectors are used, then some level of hygiene protection is provided, but the entire toilet bowl surface is not adequately covered when the seat is down, leaving uncovered areas
Solution Approach 1:
The protector is divided into multiple functional sections: a seat portion with first and second passages for the open front seat, and overlay portions that extend over the bowl. This segmentation allows each part to serve its specific function while collectively providing complete coverage.
Solution Approach 2:
The protector extends in multiple dimensions beyond just covering the seat surface. The overlay portions extend downward over the bowl's front and side surfaces, adding vertical dimension coverage to ensure complete protection when the seat is down.
2Ease of operation
If open front toilet seats are used to comply with plumbing codes, then installation and cleaning are simplified, but direct contact with the seat surface creates hygiene concerns
Solution Approach 1:
The disposable protector acts as an intermediary layer between the user and the toilet seat surface. It provides a barrier that prevents direct contact with potentially contaminated surfaces while maintaining the ease of use of open front seats.
Solution Approach 2:
The protector is designed as a disposable item that is easily installed and removed. This allows for complete hygiene protection without compromising the ease of operation, as the protector is discarded after single use rather than requiring complex cleaning procedures.
3Reliability
If a comprehensive protector design is implemented to cover the entire bowl surface, then hygiene protection is enhanced, but the device complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The single protector unit performs multiple functions: it covers the open front seat through the passages, protects the bowl's front surface through the overlay portions, and prevents contact with contaminated areas. This multi-functionality achieves comprehensive protection without requiring multiple separate components.
Solution Approach 2:
The seat coverage function and bowl surface coverage function are merged into a single integrated protector structure. The seat portion and overlay portions work together as one unit, simplifying installation while providing comprehensive protection.
Data Source
AI summary
A toilet seat protector includes a seating section. The seating section includes a passage with a passage first end and a passage second end spaced from said first end along a pathway. An open front toilet seat extends into the passage of the seating section. An overlay can extend away from the seating section of said toilet seat protector. The overlay lays over an end wall surface, front side surface, and side side surface of a toilet bowl.