Elevated seat assembly and method

Abstract

An elevated seat assembly for a toilet bowl has a stiff platform adapted to (a) rest atop said bowl, and (b) attach to the rear of the bowl. The assembly also has a compressible, raised seat that is releasably attached to the stiff platform. The raised seat has a flexible upper surface. The raised seat and platform can be installed together on the bowl. The raised seat can then be removed from the platform, leaving the platform installed on the bowl. In some cases the raised seat is horseshoe-shaped and its front to back orientation can be reversed before reinstalling it on the platform.

1 . An elevated seat assembly for a toilet bowl with a front and rear, said seat assembly comprising
 a stiff platform adapted to (a) rest atop said bowl, and (b) attach to the rear of said bowl; and   a compressible, raised seat releasably attached to said stiff platform, said raised seat having a flexible upper surface.   
     
     
         2 . An elevated seat assembly according to  claim 1  wherein said raised seat has a thickness exceeding 3 inches. 
     
     
         3 . An elevated seat assembly according to  claim 1  wherein said raised seat has a foam core and a flexible cover. 
     
     
         4 . An elevated seat assembly according to  claim 1  wherein said raised seat comprises:
 a compressible core; 
 a rigid panel mounted under said compressible core; and 
 a flexible cover encompassing said core and panel. 
 
     
     
         5 . An elevated seat assembly according to  claim 4  wherein said raised seat comprises:
 a fastener for fastening together said rigid panel and said platform. 
 
     
     
         6 . An elevated seat assembly according to  claim 5  wherein said fastener comprises a threaded coupling affixed to said rigid panel and extending into said platform. 
     
     
         7 . An elevated seat assembly according to  claim 1  wherein said platform has a rear edge, said seat assembly comprising:
 a backplate mounted upright at the rear edge of said platform. 
 
     
     
         8 . An elevated seat assembly according to  claim 7  wherein said backplate has a top edge, said seat assembly comprising:
 a lid pivotally mounted at the top edge of said backplate. 
 
     
     
         9 . An elevated seat assembly according to  claim 1  comprising:
 a hinge connecting said platform to said bowl. 
 
     
     
         10 . An elevated seat assembly according to  claim 1  wherein said platform has a sidewall encompassing said raised seat on its outside, said raised seat extending higher than said sidewall. 
     
     
         11 . An elevated seat assembly according to  claim 2  wherein said raised seat has an upper surface at an elevation of about 17 inches. 
     
     
         12 . An elevated seat assembly according to  claim 1  comprising:
 a disposable sheath for temporarily encompassing said raised seat above and below. 
 
     
     
         13 . An elevated seat assembly according to  claim 1  wherein said raised seat is releasably attached to said platform by either one of a dovetail joint or snap joint. 
     
     
         14 . An elevated seat assembly according to  claim 1  wherein said platform comprises:
 a bottom panel resting atop said bowl; 
 an intermediate panel slidably mounted on said bottom panel; and 
 a top panel hingedly connected to said intermediate panel, said raised seat being releasably attached to said top panel. 
 
     
     
         15 . An elevated seat assembly according to  claim 1  wherein said raised seat is releasably attached to said platform by either one of a dovetail joint or snap joint. 
     
     
         16 . An elevated seat assembly according to  claim 1  wherein said raised seat is releasably attached to said platform by either one of a dovetail joint or snap joint. 
     
     
         17 . An elevated seat assembly according to  claim 1  wherein said raised seat is horseshoe-shaped, has a gap, and is adapted to be mounted on said platform with said gap located at the rear of said bowl. 
     
     
         18 . An elevated seat assembly according to  claim 1  wherein said raised seat is horseshoe-shaped, has a gap, and is adapted to be reversibly mounted on said platform with said gap located either at the rear or the front of said bowl. 
     
     
         19 . An elevated seat assembly according to  claim 18  wherein said platform has a rear edge, said seat assembly comprising:
 a backplate mounted upright at the rear edge of said platform. 
 
     
     
         20 . An elevated seat assembly according to  claim 19  wherein said raised seat comprises:
 a compressible core; 
 a rigid panel mounted under said compressible core; and 
 a flexible cover encompassing said core and panel. 
 
     
     
         21 . An elevated seat assembly according to  claim 18  wherein said platform has a central opening with a rear corridor for enhancing manual access. 
     
     
         22 . A method for raising the seating on a toilet bowl and employing a stiff platform and one or more compressible, raised seats, the method comprising the steps of:
 installing together on the bowl the platform and an original one of the one or more raised seats; and   removing the original one of the raised seats from the platform, leaving the platform installed on the bowl.   
     
     
         23 . A method according to  claim 22  comprising the step of:
 attaching to the platform a replacement one of the one or more raised seats. 
 
     
     
         24 . A method according to  claim 22  comprising the step of:
 cleaning the original one of the one or more raised seats; and 
 reattaching to the platform the original one of the one or more raised seats. 
 
     
     
         25 . A method for raising the seating on a toilet bowl and employing a stiff platform and at least one compressible, horseshoe-shaped raised seat, the method comprising the steps of:
 installing together on the bowl the platform and the at least one raised seat; and   removing from the platform the at least one raised seat, and reversing its front to back orientation before reinstalling it on the platform.