TOILET SEAT ARRANGEMENT

Abstract

A toilet seat assembly including a seat or a seat and a lid, where the seat or the seat and the lid are made of a polymer material, wherein the polymer material includes to an extent of 40-99.5 wt % at least one biopolymer, the polymer material including fibers and/or at least one organic or inorganic particulate filler, the fraction of the fibers and/or of the filler being between 0.5-60.0 wt %.

Claims

1. A toilet seat assembly comprising a seat or a seat and a lid, where the seat or the seat and the lid are made of a polymer material, wherein the polymer material consists to an extent of 40- 99.5 wt % of at least one biopolymer, the polymer material comprising fibers and/or at least one organic or inorganic particulate filler, the fraction of the fibers and/or of the filler being between 0.5-60.0 wt %.

2. The toilet seat assembly according to claim 1, wherein the biopolymer is a biopolymer of lignin, polylactides, polycaprolactone, natural resins, bio-polyethylene, natural rubber, shellac, gutta percha, cellulose, mastic, starch, proteins, natural fatty acids, or a mixture thereof, or a copolymer of the aforementioned substances.

3. The toilet seat assembly according to claim 1, wherein a mixture of two or more different biopolymers is present.

4. The toilet seat assembly according to claim 1, wherein the fibers are fibers of a natural substance.

5. The toilet seat assembly according to claim 4, wherein the fibers are wood, bamboo, sisal, flax, coir or corn fibers.

6. The toilet seat assembly according to claim 1, wherein the fibers are glass, carbon, or polymer-based textile fibers.

7. The toilet seat assembly according to claim 1, wherein a mixture of different fibers is present.

8. The toilet seat assembly according to claim 1, wherein filler present comprises glass, more particularly spherical glass, lime, quartz, dolomite, feldspar, silicon carbide, aluminum oxide, aluminum hydroxide, calcium silicate, magnesium silicate, zirconium oxide, titanium oxide, aluminum trihydrate, perlite, hollow glass spheres or hollow glass beads, or carbon black.

9. The toilet seat assembly according to claim 1, wherein a mixture of different fillers is present.

10. The toilet seat assembly according to claim 1, wherein at least one organic or inorganic pigment is present at 0.5-5.0 wt %.

11. The toilet seat assembly according to claim 10, wherein the organic pigment is indigo, chlorophyll, and synthetically produced organic colors, or the inorganic pigment is a pigment based on oxides, oxyhydroxides, sulfides, silicates, sulfates or carbonates.

12. The toilet seat assembly according to claim 10, wherein a mixture of different organic or inorganic pigments or a mixture of organic and inorganic pigments is present.

13. The toilet seat assembly according to claim 1, wherein at least one adjuvant with antibacterial quality is present at 0.1-5.0 wt %.

14. The toilet seat assembly according to claim 13, wherein the adjuvant comprises metal ions, more particularly silver, copper, tin or zinc ions.

15. The toilet seat assembly according to claim 1, wherein the seat or the lid has a coating.

16. The toilet seat assembly according to claim 15, wherein the coating is a varnish, powder coating, gel coat, topcoat or foil.

17. The toilet seat assembly according to claim 15, wherein the coating has antibacterial qualities.

18. A sanitary installation comprising a toilet and a toilet seat assembly according to claim 1.

Description

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWING

[0033] In the drawings:

[0034] FIGS. 1-10 show various schematic representations, in section, as partial views of a toilet seat assembly or, respectively, a seat or lid, in each case consisting of different materials.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0035] Indicated below in tables 1 and 2, to start with, are various compositional variants of the material forming the seat or the lid, comprising either just the polymer material or else additional constituents.

TABLE-US-00001 TABLE 1 wt % Variant 4 Variant 1 Variant 2 Variant 3 with filler, fibers, no filler/ with with fillers/ pigments, Component adjuvant pigments fibers adjuvant Biopolymer 60-100 55-99  40-99  40-99 Conventional 0-40  0-40 .sup. 0-40 .sup. 0-40 polymer Inorganic filler — — 0.5-60 0.5-60 Organic filler — — 0.5-60 0.5-60 Fibers 0.5-60 0.5-60 Pigments — 1-5 0.5-5  0.5-5  Adjuvant with — — — 0.1-2  antibacterial effect

TABLE-US-00002 TABLE 2 wt % Variant 4 with filler, fibers, Variant 1 Variant 2 Variant 3 optionally no filler/ with with fillers/ pigments, Component adjuvant pigments fibers adjuvant Biopolymer 60-99 55-99 40-98 40-98 Conventional  0-49  0-39  0-40  0-40 polymer Inorganic filler — — 0.5-60  0.5-60  Organic filler — — 0.5-60  0.5-60  Fibers 0.5-60  0.5-60  Pigments — 0-5 0-5 0-5 Adjuvant with — — — 0-2 antibacterial effect Coating 1-5 1-5 1-5 1-5

[0036] Table 1 indicates the components forming the seat or lid material. Indicated in addition are four variants 1-4, each having different constituents. The respective amounts are in wt %.

[0037] As components forming the material, firstly the biopolymer is indicated, which may be either only one biopolymer, or a mixture of two or more biopolymers.

[0038] As a further, optional polymer component, a conventional polymer, i.e., a petroleum-based polymer, is indicated, which, however, need also not be present, if the polymer material is formed exclusively by the biopolymer.

[0039] Listed furthermore as an option is an inorganic filler and also an organic filler as components. The fillers are optional as well.

[0040] The same is also true of the fibers, which may be introduced for reinforcement.

[0041] Also indicated are optional adjuvants in the form of color pigments, and also an optional adjuvant with antibacterial effect.

[0042] In the case of variant 1 from table 1, only the polymer material is present, and it may consist either just of 100% biopolymer, or else, additionally, of conventional polymer, in other words of a polymer mixture of biopolymer and conventional polymer. The fraction of conventional polymer here is not more than 40 wt % and the fraction of biopolymer here is not less than 60 wt %. No further components are present.

[0043] Variant 2 is distinguished by the fact that, in addition to the biopolymer and the optional conventional polymer, a pigment is present, and the pigment fraction may be 1-5 wt %.

[0044] According to variant 3, again, either only biopolymer or additionally conventional polymer as well are present for forming the polymer material, and also present, as already known from variant 2, is a pigment. Additionally indicated are three different filling agents, these being inorganic filler, organic filler, and fibers; in the exemplary embodiment shown, all three are present, but they are correspondingly highly variable in terms of the amount in which they are added. In the example shown, all three are present at not less than 0.5 wt %. This, however, is not absolutely mandatory, but is only the case in the example. It is of course conceivable, for example, also to introduce only inorganic fillers and no organic fillers, and additionally any fibers or the like.

[0045] According to variant 4, lastly, which builds on variant 3, there is additionally an adjuvant with antibacterial effect present, specifically at 0.1-2 wt %, in order to endow the seat or lid material overall with an antibacterial quality.

[0046] According to table 2, which is constructed like table 1, likewise four different variants of different component compositions are indicated in wt %. These variants 1-4 correspond ultimately to the variants 1-4 from table 1. Here, however, there is additionally indicated a coating as a further component, which covers the base material on the completed seat or lid. The coating, as observed, may be a varnish, a power coating, a topcoat, a gel coat, or a foil applied by lamination. In all variants 1-4 such a coating is provided here, by way of example. Given that this coating as well of course accounts for a certain wt % fraction, there is necessarily a slight variation in the fractions of the other components, since in each variant from tables 1 and 2, of course, the sum total of the respective component fractions is 100 wt %.

[0047] FIGS. 1-10 show different schematic representations as sectional views through a seat or through a lid. Below, fundamentally, the starting point is a seat 1 as the article shown, with the same, of course, being valid for a lid.

[0048] According to FIG. 1, the seat 1 consists of a cured polymer material 2, which is either a material consisting of 100% of a biopolymer or of a biopolymer mixture, in which case biopolymers as described in the introduction may be used. Alternatively it is conceivable for the polymer material 2 or the cured polymer matrix also to consist of a mixture of one or more biopolymers and one or more conventional plastics.

[0049] In the exemplary embodiment of FIG. 1, the seat 1 consists only of this polymer material 2; there are no further additions present.

[0050] In the case of the exemplary embodiment of FIG. 2, fibers 3 are introduced or embedded into the polymer material 2, and serve for reinforcement. The fibers may be wood fibers, bamboo fibers, coir fibers or the like.

[0051] In the example shown, there are additionally one or more fillers 4 introduced, which may be the organic or inorganic fillers described, examples being quartz particles, dolomite particles, etc., or else may be hollow glass beads or the like—reference is made to the introductory observations regarding the organic/inorganic fillers which can be used and their function. Although in the example of FIG. 2 there are both fibers 3 and filler 4 present, it is conceivable to introduce only fibers 3 or only fillers 4, in each case of whatever kind. It is of course also conceivable to introduce mixtures of different fibers 3 and/or mixtures of different fillers 4.

[0052] In the case of the exemplary embodiment of FIG. 3, the seat 1 consists in turn of the polymer material 2, which in the example shown comprises an adjuvant 5 with an antibacterial effect, thus containing metal ions which exhibit antibacterial effect, such as silver, copper, tin or zinc ions. This adjuvant 5 is introduced in the form of corresponding metal particles or metal-alloy particles.

[0053] In the case of the exemplary embodiment of FIG. 4, finally, there are both fibers 3 and fillers 4, and also the adjuvant 5 or the metal ions, present in the polymer material 2, which again may consist 100% of biopolymer or of a mixture of biopolymer and conventional polymer.

[0054] FIGS. 5-7 show exemplary embodiments of a seat 1, which again consists of a cured polymer material 2, i.e., a polymer matrix. In the case of the example as per 5, only this polymer material 2 is provided, comparably with FIG. 1. In the case of this exemplary embodiment, however, in addition to the polymer material 2, the seat 1 is provided on both sides or faces with a coating 6, as for example a varnish, a powder coating, a gel coat, a topcoat, or a colored or surface-textured foil applied by lamination or adhesive bonding. In the case of the examples of FIGS. 5-7, this coating 6 exclusively defines or influences the appearance, i.e., ultimately, the look and the color or texture or the like. In these exemplary embodiments, the coating 6 lacks other, specific properties.

[0055] FIG. 6 shows a variant of a seat 1, again consisting of a polymer material 2, in which here, again, similarly to FIG. 2, fibers 3 are embedded, these fibers, again, being able to be any desired plant fibers or else glass or carbon or textile fibers. Furthermore, in this case there are also fillers 4 of organic and/or inorganic nature present, similarly to the exemplary embodiment of FIG. 2. In contrast to FIG. 2, here, again, a coating 6 is applied on both sides, similarly as described for FIG. 5, but having no specific effect other than io influencing the exterior or the design.

[0056] FIG. 7, finally, shows a seat 1 consisting of a polymer material 2 having embedded fibers 3 and also embedded organic and/or inorganic fillers 4. Here in addition, similarly to FIG. 4, there is an adjuvant 5 in the form of metal ions present, in order to give the base material an antibacterial quality.

[0057] In line with the examples of FIGS. 5 and 6, here again, on top and bottom sides, there is a coating 6 in each case, applied in the form of a varnish, gel, topcoat or foil.

[0058] FIGS. 8-10, lastly, show a third variation of a seat 1, which again consists of a polymer material 2, which may consist 100% of biopolymer or of a mixture of biopolymer and conventional polymer. Here as well there is a coating applied on the top and bottom sides, but this coating 7—in contrast to the coating 6—additionally has an antibacterial effect. This means that in the varnish or gel coat or topcoat or foil that is used, there is a corresponding adjuvant with antibacterial effect incorporated, this being a particulate substance which contains corresponding metal ions, distributed respectively in the corresponding matrix. By means of this adjuvant, then, the surface in each case is furnished antibacterially.

[0059] In the case of the exemplary embodiment of FIG. 9, the polymer material 2 again contains the embedded fibers 3 and also the embedded fillers 4, either organic or inorganic fillers. In addition, here again, there is also a coating 7, having antibacterial properties, applied on both sides to the base material.

[0060] The exemplary embodiment of FIG. 10, lastly, shows a seat 1 made of a polymer material 2, in which not only fibers 3 but also fillers 4 and also the adjuvant 5, which imparts the antibacterial quality, or provides the metal ions, are embedded, in accordance with the exemplary embodiments of FIGS. 4 and 7. In line with the exemplary embodiments of FIGS. 8 and 9, the polymer material 2 here as well is provided on top and bottom sides with a coating 8 having antibacterial quality. The advantage of the embedding of the adjuvant 8 with the antibacterial quality into the polymer material 2 itself, meaning that the base material in total has antibacterial qualities, is that, should the likewise antibacterial coating 8 become damaged at any point, the surface still has antibacterial qualities, which in that case are, however, provided locally in the region of the damage by the base material or the adjuvant 5 there.

[0061] According to the components used, and/or to the nature of the starting materials, different production processes are conceivable. It is possible, for instance, to produce the seat or lid using particulate starting materials, hence in the form of corresponding pellets or the like, in a compression molding process with metal molds made, for example, of stainless steel, nickel or aluminum, in which case the particulate components are first melted by heating and then shaped.

[0062] As an alternative to this, it is also conceivable to produce the seat or lid using corresponding particulate components in an injection-molding process, in which case, of course, the polymer material or its starting components are first melted, to form an injectable composition comprising the other particulate components in bound form.

[0063] A further possibility is to produce the seat or the lid from a prefabricated semifinished product, such as a sheet or a plate, by thermoforming. This prefabricated semifinished product consists of all the necessary components forming the base material. The thermoforming process merely gives this semifinished product the appropriate final shape.

[0064] It is conceivable, furthermore, to produce the seat or lid from a suitable molding compound, produced on the basis of the particulate components, in a sheet molding compound (SMC) process using compression molds.

[0065] After the corresponding molding has been produced, it may either be already complete, or else an additional coating may be applied, which either has visual qualities only, or may additionally have been furnished antibacterially as well.

[0066] While specific embodiments of the invention have been shown and described in detail to illustrate the inventive principles, it will be understood that the invention may be embodied otherwise without departing from such principles.