US20110138529A1

US20110138529A1 - Combinative Toilet Chair

Info

Publication number: US20110138529A1
Application number: US12/635,789
Authority: US
Inventors: Fang-Jung Hsiao
Original assignee: Individual
Current assignee: Individual
Priority date: 2009-12-11
Filing date: 2009-12-11
Publication date: 2011-06-16

Abstract

A combinative toilet chair includes left and right armrest frames, a seat frame provided between the armrest frames and configured to support a vessel, and a backrest frame provided behind the armrest frames. The seat frame and the backrest frame have connecting ends provided with retractable pins and engageably insertable into insertion portions of the armrest frames. The insertion portions at rear sides of the armrest frames are threadedly provided with fasteners for pressing against and thereby securing the seat frame. Each armrest frame has lower ends connected with telescoping legs linked to the armrest frame by elastic bands. The legs can be secured to the armrest frames or detached therefrom so as to fold against the armrest frames. When assembled, the toilet chair is stable and unlikely to disintegrate or wobble; when disassembled, the toilet chair is significantly downsized by folding the legs and stacking up the other components.

Description

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

1. Technical Field
The present invention relates to a toilet chair which can be disassembled into left and right armrest frames with telescoping legs, a backrest frame, and a seat frame holding a vessel at the center, wherein the telescoping legs of the armrest frames are foldable to substantially reduce the package volume of the toilet chair, and wherein the toilet chair, when assembled, can be sat on stably without wobbling.
2. Description of Related Art
Toilet chairs are well known in the art, as disclosed by Chinese Patent Nos. CN01215703.1, CN02271193.7, and CN200510065551.7. The toilet chairs in the afore-cited patents generally include left and right armrest frames, a seat frame provided astride the two armrest frames, and a backrest frame provided astride and behind the two armrest frames. In order to enable convenient assembly and disassembly of the toilet chairs, resiliently retractable pins are provided at the two connecting ends of each of the front and rear supporting members of the seat frame, as well as at the two connecting ends of the backrest frame, and positioning holes engageable with the resiliently retractable pins are provided at insertion portions configured to be inserted by the connecting ends of the supporting members and of the backrest frame. When the armrest frames, the seat frame, and the backrest frame of an aforesaid toilet chair are detached from one another, they can be stacked up to reduce the space occupied by the disassembled toilet chair and thus facilitate packaging, storage, and transportation.
However, while the foregoing toilet chairs are substantially downsized after disassembly, the legs at the two ends of each armrest frame still take up a lot of space. Even after the legs are retracted to their shortest lengths, the total length of each armrest frame and the corresponding legs is still considerably large, which increases the costs of storage and transportation.
Besides, the connection between the seat frame, the backrest frame, and the armrest frames is accomplished by inserting one tube into another. To facilitate insertion, each two corresponding tubes must be configured for a loose fit with relatively large tolerances. Therefore, when each pair of the tubes are coupled together by insertion, the connection therebetween is not tight but very likely to get loose. When the toilet chair is sat on by a user, the loose connections become more apparent and may even cause the entire toilet chair to wobble, thus raising safety issues.
In addition, according to the disclosure of the aforementioned Chinese Patent No. CN200510065551.7, the front supporting member of the seat frame is connected to fixing plates which are provided at front sides of the two armrest frames and have downwardly facing openings, so as to facilitate the folding of the toilet chair. However, when a user sits on the vessel supported by the seat frame, the user's body weight is borne entirely by the front and rear supporting members of the seat frame. Since the weight supported by the front supporting member acts completely on its resiliently retractable pins, which are very likely to retract or even slip off due to the slightest compression, the user stands a high risk of falling to the ground unexpectedly.

BRIEF SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

In order to overcome the aforesaid shortcomings of existing toilet chairs, namely the incapability of stably supporting a user's body weight without wobbling, the present invention provides a combinative toilet chair which not only features easy assembly and disassembly, but also can support a user's body weight in the assembled state without getting loose or wobbling.
The technical solution of the present invention is embodied as a toilet chair including left and right armrest frames, a seat frame, and a backrest frame, wherein each of front and rear supporting members of the seat frame, as well as the backrest frame, has two ends provided with resiliently retractable pins, and insertion portions insertable by and engageable with the resiliently retractable pins are provided at corresponding positions on the left and right armrest frames. The insertion portions at rear sides of the two armrest frames are threadedly provided with fasteners configured to press against and thereby secure the rear supporting member of the seat frame. The insertion portions at front sides of the two armrest frames are tubular and are configured to support the front supporting member of the seat frame. In addition, each armrest frame has a front lower end and a rear lower end, wherein each of the front and rear lower ends is connected with a telescoping leg linked to the corresponding armrest frame by an elastic band inside the telescoping leg. The elastic bands allow the legs to be disengaged from but stay attached to the armrest frames so as to be folded against the armrest frames.
The present invention at least provides the following advantageous effects. Firstly, when the toilet chair is fully assembled, the rear supporting member of the seat frame is secured in position with enhanced strength, and the front supporting member is well supported, such that the toilet chair can be sat on stably without getting loose or wobbling. Secondly, when the left and right armrest frames, the seat frame, and the backrest frame of the toilet chair are detached from one another, the telescoping legs at the two lower ends of each of the left and right armrest frames can be folded to significantly reduce the package, storage, or transportation volume of the disassembled toilet chair.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE SEVERAL VIEWS OF THE DRAWINGS

The present invention will be best understood by referring to the following detailed description of an illustrative embodiment in conjunction with the accompanying drawings, in which:

FIG. 1 is an assembled perspective view of the present invention;

FIG. 2 is a partially exploded front perspective view of the present invention;

FIG. 3 is a partially exploded rear perspective view of the present invention;

FIG. 4 is a partial enlarged side sectional view of a leg according to the present invention;

FIG. 5 is an enlarged sectional view of the circled area A in FIG. 4; and

FIG. 6 is an enlarged sectional view of the circled area B in FIG. 1.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

Referring to FIG. 1, a toilet chair according to the present invention essentially includes left and right armrest frames 1, a seat frame 2 provided astride the two armrest frames 1, and a backrest frame 4. Referring also to FIGS. 2, 3 and FIGS. 4, 5, each armrest frame 1 has a front lower end and a rear lower end, wherein each of the front and rear lower ends is connected with a telescoping leg 11, and wherein the armrest frames 1 are connected with the legs 11 by threaded connecting devices 2. In addition, an armrest 10 is provided at a top end of each armrest frame 1. Each leg 11 includes a tubular leg member 111 which has an end provided with a resiliently retractable pin 112 and which is insertable into a telescoping tubular leg member 114 having an outer surface formed with a plurality of positioning holes 115, such that the telescoping tubular leg member 114 can move back and forth along and fixed in position to the tubular leg member 111. Also, each tubular leg member 111 has an upper end internally provided with a projection 113, while each of the front and rear lower ends of each armrest frame 1 is formed as an insertion end 123 provided with a recess 124 corresponding in position to the projection 113 of the corresponding tubular leg member 111. Thus, when the insertion ends 123 are inserted into the corresponding tubular leg members 111, the recesses 124 are engaged with the corresponding projections 113, thereby ensuring that the legs 11 are assembled to the armrest frames 1 in the correct directions. Each threaded connecting device 2 includes an upper threaded element 21 and a lower threaded element 22, wherein the upper threaded element 21 is fixedly provided at the corresponding front or rear lower end of the corresponding armrest frame 1, and the lower threaded element 22 is mounted around the upper end of the corresponding tubular leg member 111. Therefore, after the tubular leg members 111 are inserted into the front and rear lower ends of the armrest frames 1, respectively, and the corresponding upper and lower threaded elements 21, 22 are threadedly coupled together, the legs 11 are securely connected to the armrest frames 1 and are unlikely to get loose.
An elastic band 17 is provided inside the tubular leg member 111 of each leg 11 and the corresponding armrest frame 1. Each elastic band 17 has two ends fixed in position to the corresponding armrest frame 1 and the corresponding tubular leg member 111, respectively. Thus, when the corresponding upper and lower threaded elements 21, 22 are loosened and disengaged from each other, the legs 11 can be taken out of the front and rear lower ends of the armrest frames 1 but, due to the connection provided by the elastic bands 17, stay attached to the armrest frames 1.
Each armrest frame 1 has a front side fixedly provided with a tubular front insertion connector 14 formed with a positioning hole 141. Each armrest frame 1 also has a rear side pivotally provided with a rotatable rear insertion connector 12 between a sleeve 18 fixed on the armrest frame 1 and the corresponding upper threaded element 21. Each rear insertion connector 12 has a rear side provide with a rear insertion portion 13, which is insertable by a corresponding end of the backrest frame 4 and formed with a positioning hole 131 engageable with a corresponding resiliently retractable pin 41 provided at the corresponding end of the backrest frame 4. Likewise, each rear insertion connector 12 has an inner side provided with a lateral insertion portion 121 having a positioning hole 125, wherein the lateral insertion portion 121 has a rear side threadedly provided with a fastener 15 which is prevented from falling off by a screw 16 (as shown more clearly in FIG. 6).
The seat frame 2 includes a front supporting member 31 and a rear supporting member 32. A holding frame 33 for holding a vessel 34 is connected between the front and rear supporting members 31, 32. The front supporting member 31 has two ends provided with resiliently retractable pins 311, while the rear supporting member 32 has two ends provided with resiliently retractable pins 321. When the two ends of the front supporting member 31 are inserted respectively into the front insertion connectors 14 provided at the front sides of the armrest frames 1, and the two ends of the rear supporting member 32 are inserted respectively into the lateral insertion portions 121 of the rear insertion connectors 12 provided at the rear sides of the armrest frames 1, the resiliently retractable pins 311, 321 are respectively engaged with the corresponding positioning holes 141, 125 such that the seat frame 3 is connected between the two armrest frames 1. Moreover, when the fasteners 15 are tightened, the rear supporting member 32 is further secured by the fasteners 15, thus strengthening the connection between the seat frame 3 and the two armrest frames 1 and preventing the connected frames from getting loose or wobbling.
Therefore, according to the configuration described above, the toilet chair of the present invention not only features convenient assembly and disassembly, but also has a robust and stable assembled structure due to the strengthened connection between the frames, thus providing enhanced safety and comfort to a user sitting on the toilet chair. Apart from that, when the toilet chair is disassembled, the telescoping tubular leg members 114 of the legs 11 can be retracted to their shortest lengths, or more desirably, the entire legs 11 can be folded against the armrest frames 1 after the corresponding upper and lower threaded elements 21, 22 are loosened and disengaged from each other, while the elastic bands 17 prevent the legs 11 from separating from the armrest frames 1. In the latter case, the combined length of each armrest frame 1 and its legs 11 is significantly reduced. Therefore, when the toilet chair is disassembled, the detached armrest frames 1 (along with the folded legs 11), seat frame 3, and backrest frame 4 can be stacked up to further reduce the package volume of the toilet chair.

Claims

1. A combinative toilet chair, comprising left and right armrest frames, a seat frame provided between the two armrest frames and configured to support a vessel, and a backrest frame to be leaned against by a user, the combinative toilet chair being characterized in that:

each said armrest frame has a front lower end and a rear lower end, wherein each of the front and rear lower ends is connected with a telescoping leg by a threaded connecting device, and an elastic band is connected inside and between each said leg and a corresponding said armrest frame, each said armrest frame having a front side fixedly provided with a tubular front insertion connector having a positioning hole, each said armrest frame further having a rear side pivotally provided with a freely rotatable rear insertion connector, wherein the rear insertion connector has an inner side and a rear side, each provided with an insertion portion having a positioning hole, and the insertion portion at the inner side of the rear insertion connector is threadedly provided with a fastener;

the seat frame comprises a front supporting member and a rear supporting member, and a holding frame is connected between the front and rear supporting members, wherein each of the front and rear supporting members has two ends, and each said end is provided with a resiliently retractable pin, the two ends of the front supporting member being insertable into the front insertion connectors of the armrest frames, respectively, the two ends of the rear supporting member being insertable into the insertion portions at the inner sides of the rear insertion connectors of the armrest frames, respectively; and

the backrest frame has two ends which are provided with resiliently retractable pins and are insertable into the insertion portions at the rear sides of the rear insertion connectors of the armrest frames, respectively.

2. The combinative toilet chair of claim 1, wherein each said threaded connecting device comprises:

an upper threaded element fixed at a corresponding said front or rear lower end of a corresponding said armrest frame; and

a lower threaded element mounted around an upper end of a corresponding said leg,

wherein each of the front and rear lower ends of the armrest frames is formed as an insertion end having a recess, and the upper end of each said leg is internally provided with a projection, such that after the insertion ends are respectively inserted into the legs, the recesses are respectively engaged with the projections, and the legs are securely connected to the armrest frames by threadedly coupling the corresponding upper and lower threaded elements together.

3. The combinative toilet chair of claim 1, wherein each said leg comprises:

a tubular leg member having an end provided with a resiliently retractable pin; and

a telescoping tubular leg member which is insertable by the tubular leg member and has a plurality of positioning holes.