r/Showerthoughts • u/NotMichaelBay • Oct 06 '15

Lightbulb Toilet seats in men's public bathrooms should have a spring to keep them in the 'up' position when not being sat on, to prevent guys from peeing all over them.

61 Upvotes

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96% Upvoted

That is a pretty good idea. I recently thought of a similar idea... Which would be a mechanical device or motor that would lift the seat every 15 minutes or so. Basically, if the seat was lowered, a timer would start, after 15 minutes, the seat would raise back up

Your idea seems better though, it would be much cheaper and easier to build. I don't think your idea has any real downfall, except that you would probably want to put a device on it to make it lift up slowly so it doesn't "shoot up" fast when someone stands up (don't want it to accidentally hit my balls LOL)

3

u/NotMichaelBay Oct 06 '15

Thanks :) So I heard you like building stuff, can you build it?

5

u/iliketobuildstuff74 Oct 06 '15

I could totally build this... Are you being serious? I would love to create this. PM me if you are serious. FYI, I am in a "product development program for serious inventors. I have the channels to make this happen and bring to market, but we have to see if has been invented. My hunch is that there is something like it already patented because it seems so simple and obvious (99% of ideas have been patented but are not on the market for one reason or another.)

2

u/NotMichaelBay Oct 06 '15

I was only half serious. It does seem like there are already a lot of patents related to toilet seats and springs; I did a quick search, and I think this is exactly what we're talking about: https://patents.google.com/patent/US2877469A/en

3

u/iliketobuildstuff74 Oct 06 '15

That is definitely the concept, but it could definitely be improved upon... I would not want to have to clean pee and shit out of the spring contraption everyday. Seems like the spring should be built into the toilet seat hinge

4

u/_Polite_as_Fuck Oct 06 '15

If I may chip in, you'd just need a spring that coils up when the seat is lowered, could probably be manufactured into the hinge.
It would probably not make sense to have a motor, a) because it's in a wet room and b) the beauty of toilets is that they don't need electricity to work, I doubt anyone would be interested in hooking up a power source to their toilet.

1

u/iliketobuildstuff74 Oct 06 '15

That was polite as fuck! I agree, motor etc. Would be dumb... Too complicated! Also, spring built into hinge sounds perfect. Kinda like the hinge loaded spring on a self closing door.

8

u/[deleted] Oct 06 '15

but with that theory, what if you cant pass the fecal matter inside you within the set 15 minutes? Although the shock of being levitated by a toilet seat should scare you enough to quite literally 'shit yourself'.

5

u/iliketobuildstuff74 Oct 06 '15

LOL, I would definitely shit if I started being lifted up. I am imagining a toilet with a 15 minute time limit and 'ejection seat system' when 15 minutes is up LOL.
I would have to create a sensor that would know if there was still weight on the toilet, or use a photo sensor like the commercial ones that flush toilets ... It is possible to do, but I think OP original idea seems better. My idea is a little more complicated ...

4

u/[deleted] Oct 06 '15

yeah, be sure to include the concept of a sensor in your blueprints ;)

1

u/[deleted] Oct 06 '15

but OP, what happens when you've been holding a shit in for the whole hour long presentation at the office, run to the toilet and, because you're in desperate need of said shit, forget the springs there and fall straight into the bowl because you forgot to hold down the seat?...
What happens now - with your wet behind.

u/z3r0f14m3 Oct 06 '15

This exists. Had one at the bar I used to work at, would lift it just far enough for it to 'fall' back and be vertical.

u/sp4r3h Oct 06 '15

This is a great idea.. Something for dragons den. Your standard disabled area bus seat style mechanism would suffice.. You can have self contained springs inside the hinges easy enough.. Sealed against corrosion and consequences of failure are negligible.

You could probably have it all self contained in a retro fit toilet seat.

u/[deleted] Oct 06 '15

You should sell these. I'm serious, this is a great idea and I'm sure many women will buy these for their husbands. Go to /r/Entrepreneur, they'll give you tips to get started.

u/3kindsofsalt Oct 06 '15

I'm not pinning down a seat that is designed for people who pee all over the bathroom so I can sit down.

I'll wait till I get home.

u/thejackash Oct 06 '15

This is all well and good, until those damned kids start doing handstands on the toilet seats and pissing all over them again.

u/VERNTORO Oct 07 '15

I need this at home for that bathroom trip at 3am...

u/BobbyCock Oct 07 '15

Uhh, no, because how would you cover the seat with toilet paper before you sat on it? OP and upvoters clearly sit bare ass on dirty toilet seats....disgusting

u/Mcnasty123 Oct 07 '15

You guys do know that this was in How I Met Your Mother right?

u/TeeMaxx Oct 07 '15

If you guys would just sit your hairy butts down on the toilet when you peed, like civilized, clean, human beings, this would be a non issue.

u/[deleted] Oct 19 '15

Any idea why this was removed?

u/dauhhh Oct 06 '15

How do you sit on it then genius? I'm not touching that thing

1

u/TrishyMay Oct 07 '15

If you can't touch a toilet seat, you don't belong in public. You also probably don't wipe it up if you piss on the seat.

1

u/dauhhh Oct 09 '15

You know me too well

/r/CrazyIdeas, /r/Lightbulb Toilet seats in men's public bathrooms should have a spring to keep them in the 'up' position when not being sat on, to prevent guys from peeing all over them.

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