Toilet Installation Tool with Integrated Light for Bolt Alignment
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Solution Overview
Problem
The installation of toilets is challenging due to difficulty in aligning closet bolts with toilet mounting holes, especially in low-light conditions, and the use of taller wax rings or non-standard bolts can lead to misalignment or damage, causing leakage and cosmetic issues.
Innovation Solution
A toilet installation tool with a sleeve and integrated light source that removably mounts on closet bolts, allowing for alignment of toilet mounting holes with the light's guidance, and optionally varying sleeve lengths to facilitate easier alignment.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Measurement precision
If the toilet is manually lifted and positioned over the wax ring to align mounting holes with closet bolts, then the toilet can be installed, but it is difficult to see the closet bolts during alignment because the toilet blocks overhead light
Solution Approach 1:
The patent introduces an intermediary alignment tool consisting of a rod with a light source and reflective surfaces. This tool is positioned between the toilet and the closet bolts to provide illuminated alignment references. The light source illuminates the area around the closet bolts, and the reflective surfaces create visible alignment indicators that help the installer see and align the mounting holes with the bolts, directly resolving the visibility problem during alignment.
2Strength
If the toilet is heavy, then it provides structural stability, but it is difficult to lower the toilet onto closet bolts while maintaining alignment
Solution Approach 1:
The patent applies preliminary action by providing alignment indicators and light sources before the toilet is lowered. The alignment tool is set up in advance with visible markers and illumination, allowing the installer to position the toilet accurately as it is being lowered. This preliminary preparation of alignment references makes it easier to maintain alignment during the lowering process, reducing the need for difficult adjustments afterward.
Solution Approach 2:
The alignment tool provides real-time visual feedback through reflective surfaces and light indicators that show whether the mounting holes are aligned with the closet bolts. As the toilet is lowered, the installer can continuously monitor the alignment status through the feedback from the alignment tool, allowing for minor adjustments to be made during the lowering process rather than after the toilet is in place.
3Reliability
If taller double wax rings are used, then better sealing is achieved, but standard closet bolts are too short in relation to the wax ring, causing misalignment or damage
Solution Approach 1:
The alignment tool serves as an intermediary reference system that is independent of the bolt-wax ring interaction. By providing external visual alignment indicators, the tool allows the installer to properly position the toilet relative to the closet bolts and wax ring assembly, ensuring correct alignment without being constrained by the length mismatch between standard bolts and taller wax rings.
4Measurement precision
If non-standard closet bolts are used to extend through taller wax rings, then alignment is improved, but the top end of each closet bolt may extend up too far through the corresponding mounting hole such that a cosmetic cover cannot be placed
Solution Approach 1:
The alignment tool provides preliminary visual guidance during installation, ensuring that the toilet is positioned correctly on the first attempt. This reduces the need for post-installation adjustments or extensions of the bolts. By achieving proper alignment through the visual feedback from the alignment tool, the installer can use standard-length bolts that will not extend too far through the mounting holes, allowing cosmetic covers to be properly installed.
Applied Scientific Principles
This section explains which scientific principles are used to turn an abstract innovation direction into a practical engineering solution.
Function Achieved in This Case
The tool enables precise alignment of toilet mounting holes with closet bolts, reducing the risk of misalignment, damage, and leakage, making the installation process more efficient and safer for both professionals and DIY installers.
Implementation Method 1
a light source attached to a top end of the sleeve
Data Source
AI summary
A toilet installation tool for assisting an installer in aligning a toilet mounting hole in a base of a toilet with a closet bolt projecting upward from a bathroom floor includes a sleeve configured to removably mount on the closet bolt in alignment with a vertical axis of the closet bolt, and a light source attached to a top end of the sleeve. The sleeve and the light source are sized to pass through the toilet mounting hole and are removable from the closet bolt after a toilet has been lowered onto the bathroom floor. The invention may be embodied as a kit having two light sources and two or more interchangeable sleeves of different lengths. A method of mounting a toilet on a pair of closet bolts using the toilet installation tool is also disclosed.