Toilet Lifting Apparatus with Alignment Tubes
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing lifting devices for toilets are bulky, cumbersome, difficult to transport, and lack alignment capabilities, making it inefficient and unsanitary to lift, move, and lower toilets during maintenance, while also risking human injury and spillage of toilet contents.
Innovation Solution
A lifting apparatus with a base frame, pivotally attached lift frame, and jack means, including a U-shaped member and hydraulic or pneumatic jacking system, along with alignment tubes and railings to securely lift, align, and lower toilets, preventing forward and backward movement and ensuring balanced lifting and alignment.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Ease of operation
If prior art lifting devices are used to lift and move toilets, then the toilet can be removed from the foundation, but the devices are bulky and cumbersome making them difficult to transport
Solution Approach 1:
The lifting device is divided into separate functional components: a base frame with wheels for mobility, a lift frame with jack means for lifting, and alignment means with tubes for positioning. This segmentation allows each component to be optimized independently and facilitates easy assembly and disassembly for transport.
Solution Approach 2:
The device incorporates movable elements including wheels on the base frame for transport, pivotal connections between frames for adaptive positioning, and adjustable alignment tubes. These dynamic features enable the device to adapt to different toilet positions and facilitate easy movement without requiring the entire device to be bulky.
2Ease of operation
If prior art lifting devices are used, then the toilet can be lifted, but lowering the toilet back onto the foundation is very difficult
Solution Approach 1:
The device provides symmetric functionality for both lifting and lowering operations. The jack means can selectively extend to lift or retract to lower the toilet, and the alignment tubes can guide the toilet during both removal and reinstallation. This inverted approach to the lifting mechanism enables equally easy lowering without requiring a separate complex mechanism.
3Manufacturing precision
If prior art devices are used for lifting toilets, then the toilet can be moved, but alignment capability is lacking for first time every time alignment
Solution Approach 1:
Alignment tubes serve as intermediary elements between the lift frame and the toilet base flange. These tubes fit through the flange openings and engage with the foundation bolts, providing a guiding mechanism that ensures precise alignment during toilet reinstallation without requiring complex adjustment mechanisms.
Solution Approach 2:
The alignment tubes are positioned and prepared in advance before the toilet is lowered. The tubes are attached to the lift frame and extend through the flange openings, establishing the correct alignment position beforehand. This preliminary alignment action ensures that when the toilet is lowered, it automatically positions itself correctly relative to the foundation bolts.
4Object-affected harmful factors
If manual lifting methods are used, then no special equipment is needed, but the process is unsanitary and risks human injury
Solution Approach 1:
The lift frame and arm assembly serve as intermediary elements between the operator and the toilet. The jack means provides mechanical advantage to lift the heavy toilet without requiring direct manual handling, and the arm with railings provides secure engagement points. This intermediary mechanism eliminates direct contact with the unsanitary toilet while distributing the mechanical load safely.
Solution Approach 2:
The jack means utilizes hydraulic or pneumatic principles to generate sufficient lifting force through fluid pressure. This allows a relatively small input force from the operator to be amplified into the large forces needed to lift and lower the heavy toilet, reducing physical strain and injury risk while maintaining sanitation through minimal direct contact.
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 apparatus provides a sanitary, efficient, and dependable method for lifting, moving, and aligning toilets, preventing spillage and ensuring accurate repositioning without human injury, with features like hydraulic or pneumatic jacking and alignment tubes for precise alignment and easy transport.
Implementation Method 1
jack means, operatively attached to the lift frame, for selectively lifting and lowering the lift frame. In one preferred embodiment, the jack means comprises a jack cylinder, a piston concentrically disposed within the jack cylinder
Implementation Method 2
a lift frame pivotally attached at a first end to the base frame. as the piston extends from the jack cylinder, the lift frame is moved in a balance left and right plane
Implementation Method 3
The aligning means may comprise a first tube attached to the first side of the base frame and a second tube attached to the second side of the base frame. The alignment tubes are generally configured to fit through the openings in the flange and onto the bolts in the toilet foundation.
Data Source
AI summary
An apparatus and method for lifting, moving, aligning and lowering a toilet. The apparatus comprises a base frame having three sides, and a lift frame pivotally attached at a first end to the base frame. The apparatus further comprises a jack device, operatively attached to the lift frame, for selectively lifting and lowering the lift frame, and an arm pivotally attached to the lift frame. In one preferred embodiment, the jack device includes a jack cylinder, a piston concentrically disposed within the jack cylinder, and a U-shaped member. In the most preferred embodiment, the U-shaped member is attached at a first point to the piston, and wherein the U-shaped member is pivotally attached to the lift frame at a second point, so that as the piston extends from the jack cylinder, the lift frame is moved. A total of three (3) pivot point sets are included in the most preferred embodiment. Left and right side alignment tubes may also be included.