AU649967B2 - Fluid containment bag - Google Patents

Description

WO 92/03994 PC/US90/05178 -1- 1 "FLUID CONTAINMENT BAG" 2 3 CROSS-REFERENCES TO RELATED APPLICATION 4 This application is a continuation-in-part of application Serial No. 07/003,848, which was filed on 6 January 14, 1987.

7 8 FIELD OF THE INVENTION 9 The present invention relates to fluid containment bags and particularly to a disposable bag for collection of human 11 bodily fluids such as urine, blood and vomit.

12 13 BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 14 This invention addresses the problem of providing for the collection and disposal of bodily fluid, especially 16 waste liquids, other than with conventional bathroom, 17 collection or sanitary facilities.

18 There are many situations in which a person finds 19 himself or herself with a need to urinate but without any conventional bathroom facilities readily available.

21 Telephone and electrical cable splicers and installers may 22 work in underground manholes and tunnels and have no access 23 to bathroom facilities without leaving the job site and 24 traveling to a public restroom. Similarly, workers in the field such as telephone and electrical workers are often 26 working at a location remote from bathroom facilities and 27 also must stop work and travel to distant remote facilities 28 several times a day to relieve themselves. In the past it 29 has often been the practice that a person working in a remote or confined location would have no choice but to find 31 a reasonably private location at the job site and urinate 32 there. Such is a highly unsatisfactory situation, however, 33 since it is in violation of many health and environmental 34 regulations, particularly in more recent years when such WO 92/03994 PCT/US90/05178 -2- 1 regulations have become more prevalent.

2 Similarly, pilots and passengers in many types of 3 private and military planes do not have regular bathroom 4 facilities available to them during long flights. The problem is particularly acute in the case of military pilots 6 who must fly long missions in extremely cramped surroundings 7 and yet must be sufficiently alert to be able to respond 8 instantly to hostile action. The military have, of course, 9 been aware of the problem and the Navy and Air Force have provided pilots with a type of urine collection bag 11 containing a sponge-like material intended to entrap the 12 liquid. It has been found, however, that leakage of 13 significant amounts of urine from such bags is very common, 14 particularly when the pilots perform aerial maneuvers.

The need for a convenient manner of safely and securely 16 collecting and retaining waste liquids for disposal is also 17 apparent in other situations. Those who suffer from motion 18 sickness in vehicles such as cars and airplanes need a 19 satisfactory container to collect and dispose of vomit which results from their motion sickness.

21 In a different setting, medical personnel must often 22 dispose of significant quantities of patients' blood in 23 surgery, trauma centers or emergency rooms where patients 24 may be bleeding profusely. The current practice of using open containers to collect the blood has proven quite 26 unsatisfactory.

27 Further, there are circumstances which do not actually 28 involve bodily "waste" but where bodily fluid collection is 29 performed, such as where one may wish to collect a bodily fluid for analysis or examination, as with collection of a 31 urine or blood specimen.

32 There is therefore clearly a need for a convenient and 33 practical fluid collection and containment bag which may be 34 easily used even in a confined environment, which provides WO 92/03994 PCT/US90/05178 -3- 1 secure and complete absorption and retention of the fluids 2 even under external forces which would otherwise tend to 3 disperse the liquid and which can be conveniently and safely 4 disposed of.

6 SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 7 In its broadest form, the invention herein is a 8 containment and disposal bag for human bodily fluids which 9 comprises: a bag having a hollow interior defined by two sides meeting at opposite edges, a bottom and a top, with 11 the edges and bottom sealed and the top at least partially 12 open to receive the bodily fluids; a hydrophilic material 13 within the bag, the material being rapidly gellable upon 14 contact with the bodily fluids when the bodily fluids are deposited in the bag, the gellation serving to esse-tially 16 completely sequester the bodily fluids and preve.lt the 17 bodily fluids from thereafter being expelled from the bag; 18 and closure means to close the top of the bag after 19 introduction of the bodily fluids into the bag.

Preferably there are also means disposed within the bag 21 for channeling the bodily fluids into the interior and for 2 restricting expulsion of the ,odily fluids from the interior 23 prior to sequestration of the bodily fluids.

24 Preferably the hydrophilic material comprises a gellable material, commonly a polymer, which is activated 26 upon contact with water or a water-based liquid the 27 bodily fluids) and which gels rapidly (normally within 28 thirty seconds or less) to sequester the bodily fluids.

29 More preferably, the hydrophilic material is part of a mixture of materials which also may contain enzymes, 31 deodorants, fragrances, human body abnormality indicators 32 and/or pregnancy indicators. The material may be in any of 33 a variety of physical forms, such as powder, granules, 34 fibers, mats or foam.

WO 92/03994 PCT/US90/05178 -4- 1 In its various embodiments, the bag may be rectangular 2 or otherwise shaped to accommodate the user's needs, as for 3 instance the L shape which is conveniently used by aircraft 4 pilots. It may also be adapted to be worn by the user, as by being strapped to the user's leg with a catheter to the 6 user's urinary organs, such that medical patients or 7 incontinent persons can be ambulatory.

8 The rapid and complete sequestration of the bodily 9 fluids permits the bag to be easily and conveniently used in a variety of circumstances without any possibility that the 11 bodily fluids will become spilled or otherwise expelled from 12 the bag, even under severe external forces such as aircraft 13 maneuvers.

14 BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 16 Figure 1 is a perspective view of a bag in accordance 17 with the invention.

18 Figure 2 is a top view of the bag of Figure 1 in the 19 open position.

Figure 3 is a sectional view taken on Lines 3-3 of 21 Figure 1.

22 Figure 4 is a partial side view showing an alternate 23 construction of a portion of the bag.

24 Figure 5 is a sectional view taken on Line 5-5 of Figure 4.

26 Figure 6 is an enlarged perspective detail view showing 27 a closing device for the bag of Figure 1.

28 Figure 7 is a partial perspective view showing both the 29 closure member of Figure 6 in use and a configuration of the bag for use with a catheter.

31 Figure 8 is a side view of another embodiment of the 32 bag of the present invention, also showing an alternate 33 means of closure of the bag.

34 Figure 9 is sectional view taken on Line 9-9 of Figure WO 92/03994 PC/US90/ 05178 1 8, also showing in phantom an alternate position.

2 Figure 10 is a top view of the bag of Figure 8 in the 3 open position.

4 Figure 11 is a fragmentary side view, partially in section, showing an alternate closure means of the 6 invention.

7 Figure 12 is a sectional view taken on Line 12-12 of 8 Figure ii.

9 Figure 13 is a side view of another embodiment of the bag of the present invention, particularly adapted to be 11 strapped to the user's leg.

12 13 DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS 14 The invention herein will be best understood by reference to the drawings, beginning with Figure 1.

16 The embodiment shown in Figure 1 is a typical 17 embodiment of the bodily fluids disposal bag of this 18 invention, designated, generally, by the numeral 10. This 19 bag is preferably constructed of a lightweight flexible plastic material that is impermeable and sufficiently thick 21 and tough to resist accidental puncture under normal 22 handling. The bag in its preferred embodiment as 23 illustrated is a generally rectangular bag formed of a sheet 24 of plastic or a pair of sheets of plastic, such as polyethylene, vinyl, mylar, or the like. The two-sheet 26 embodiment comprises opposing rectangular sheets 12 and 14 27 secured or bonded together around three peripheral edges 28 such as by heat sealing or other form of adhesive, forming 29 seams along side edges 16 and 18 and bottom edge 20, leaving a top opening 21 as shown in Figures 2 and 3. The bag may 31 also be formed of a single sheet cut and folded such along 32 one side and the bottom with the sides subsequently sealed 33 to leave the top opening 21.

34 Disposed within the incerior of the bag, as shown in WO 92/03994 PCT/US90/05178 -6- 1 Figures i, 8, and 13, is a funnel comprising a pair of 2 opposed sheets 22 and 24 connected together along seams 26 3 and 28 and extending downwardly from the top opening of the 4 bag to an opening 30 that opens into the interior chamber 31 of the bag. Alternatively the funnel may be formed of a 6 single sheet of appropriate shape folded and sealed to have 7 a top opening 33 and a bottom opening 30. Whether a funnel 8 is formed of separate sheets or a single sheet, the top 9 opening 33 is coextensive with the top opening 21 of the bag.

11 If desired, the sheets 22 and 24 may be extensions of 12 the side panels 12 and 14 so that the panels forming the 13 sides and funnel are formed of a single sheet cut to the 14 configuration of a pair of rectangular side panels 12 and 14 positioned side by side with generally triangular panels 22 16 and 24 extending from the top thereof. The panels are then 17 folded alongside edges 16 and 18 and the panels 22 and 24 18 folded over the stiffener member 32 and the panels are heat 19 sealed along the edges 18 and 20 below the stiffener and along the edges 26 and 28 of the panels 22 and 24.

21 While the lower funnel opening 30 into the interior 31 22 of the bag 10 is shown in Figure 1 to be centrally located, 23 it may be positioned at any point between sides 16 and 18.

24 For instance, in Figure 8 the opening 30 is at one side of the bag. Normally for general use by both males and females 26 the opening 30 will be at the center of the bag, but 27 embodiments of the bag designed for specific situations or 28 to be used exclusively by one or the other of the sexes may 29 have the opening 30 offset accordingly.

Disposed around the periphery of opening 21 at the top 31 of bag 10 is a stiffener 32 which is generally in the form 32 of a bow or loop. A bow, as illustrated in Figure 2 is an 33 elongated member made, for example, of a suitable piece of 34 flexible plastic having sufficient memory such that when WO 92/03994 PCr/US90/05178 -7- 1 bent in the form of a bow as shown in Figure 2, will tend to 2 bias the top edges of the panels forming the sides of the 3 panels outward, thus acting as a toggle and forcing the bag 4 open. The bowed stiffener 32 also aids in support the bag.

The stiffener 32 is conveniently retained in place by having 6 the top edges of the bag be folded over to form elongated 7 cylindrical sleeves 35 into which the stiffener 32 can be 8 placed. For many embodiments the stiffener 32 will be 9 sealed in place by closure of the open ends of sleeves 35 as by heat sealing. Alternatively, however, as shown in Figure 11 8, the stiffener 32 may be in two separate pieces, each 12 having a generally U shape. The two pieces are inserted 13 respectively at opposite ends of the sleeves 35 and extend 14 toward each other, either touching or being closely adjacent at their interior ends 37. This permits the 16 Etiffeners 32 to be removed if the user so chooses. It also 17 permits a stiffener which may be broken to be replaced prior 18 to use of the bag.

19 A convenient holding means in the form a metal eyelet or grommet 44 may be placed in an upper corner of the bag 21 adjacent to the top to enable grasping and holding the bag 22 while a clamp is secured thereto or while the bag is being 23 used. The grommet 44 is securely attachea to the bag and 24 forms a firm or rigid structure for grasping.

One means of closure of the bag comprises a clamp 34 26 which extends along the upper opening 21 of the bag just 27 below the upper rim -ormed by sleeves 35. The clamp 34 is 28 an elongated plastic or metal tube which is formed with a 29 slot 39 extending longitudinally for the entire length of the clamp and being defined by opposed jaws 36 and 38 for 31 engaging and biasing the two sides of the bag together in a 32 sealed configuration. The ends of the slot 39 are notched 33 P- shown at 40 to provide ease of sliding the clamp 34 onto 34 the top edge of the bag 10. The clamp 34 is placed on the WO 92/03994 PCT/US90/05178 -8- 1 bag 10 by engaging an edge 16 or 18 at notch 40 just below 2 the sleeves 35 and stiffener 32 and sliding the clamp 34 3 across the top of the bag 4 Wherever possible, and particularly along the top 21, it will be desirable to have the edge seams rounded to 6 provide comfort in use and to prevent chafing the user's 7 skin during contact with the bag.

8 An alternate form tkie bag 10 and means of closure is 9 shown in figure 8. This configuration is in the general form of an L shape with a distinct notch 11 formed in the 11 edge 18, with the other edge 16 disposed at an angle to form 12 the L shape. This shape of bag would be conveniently used 13 for instance by military pilots who are restricted in their 14 movements within the close confined spaces of the aircraft cockpit. Also shown in the configuration of Figure 8 is an 16 alternative form of closure of the bag which is in the form 17 of a snap-and-seal zipper closure structure 43 formed by 18 longitudinal rib 45 which interfits between two opposed 19 longitudinal ribs 47 in a releasable fashion to form a seal.

This type of seal, which does not require the use of clamp 21 34, is particularly useful in bags intended for use by 22 persons in vehicles, particularly aircraft, for it 23 integrates the sealing means directly into the bag structure 24 and avoids the presence of a separate clamp. This is particularly desirable with military aircraft, where the 26 pilot's attention should not be distracted by the need to 27 keep track of a separate bag and clamp.

28 Also shown in Figures 8-10 is an alternate means of 29 gripping the bag by the user which comprises adjacent extended flaps 51 and 53. These in turn are upwardly 31 disposed extensions of sheets 22 and 24 which extend 32 upwardly and outward of opening 21. These flaps 51 and 53 33 can be folded over and downward as shown in phantom in 34 Figure 9 (as 51' and 53' respectively). The large flaps 51 WO 92/03994 PCT/US90/05178 -9- 1 and 53 provide a large surface which may be easily grasped 2 by users in situations where it might not otherwise be 3 convenient or easy to hold the bag. For instance, military 4 pilot with their hands encased in flying gloves will find these extended surfaces more easily grasped than other 6 alternate grasping means such as grommet 44. It is also 7 anticipated that these large surfaces may be more convenient 8 for use by children, women or those with physical 9 infirmities such as arthritis of the hands.

Another embodiment of clamp 34 is shown in Figures 11 11 and 12. This version of the clamp 34 includes an internal 12 tang 49 which extends downwardly inside the hollow barrel of 13 clamp 34 and engages the edge 16 or 18 and the outer curve 14 of stiffener 32 when the clamp 34 is pulled to one side of the bag. This prevents the clamp from being pulled off of 16 the bag and it also provides an effective handle in its 17 extended position which the user may grasp during use of the 18 bag.

19 A further embodiment of the bag 10 is shown in Figure 13 in which all sides 16, 18, and 20 are sealed and top 21 21 is sealed across most of its extent leaving only a small 22 opening, preferably centrally located, to accommodate tube 23 57 (which normally contains one-way valve 59) and which at 24 its upper end 61 is connected to or integratod with a catheter (not shown) which extends into a person's urinary 26 tract. The bag 10 of Figure 13 can then be attached by 27 means of straps 63 and 65 to the person's leg. Thus a 28 person who is incontinent or because of surgery other 29 medical procedures must be able to accommodate urinary drainage can still be ambulatory.

3 TVe bag preferably has c capacity to hold on the order 32 of between ten to twenty fluid ounces (300-600 cc) of bodily 33 fluids. This is more than adequate to accommodate the 34 relief needs of one individual on single occasion. The WO 92/03994 PCT/I IS90/05178 1 bags can of course be made larger if desired, but if made 2 too large will be difficult for the user to handle. Smaller 3 sizes of bags are not recommended, since they do not have 4 sufficient volume to be adequate for a person's relief needs, except perhaps in the case of bags intended for use 6 Ly infants or small children., 7 The bags 10 as noted above are normally made of an 8 impervious flexible plastic material. commonly, they will 9 be of an opaque nature, either because of the material itsel;, or by means of a colorant added to the plastic 11 formulation. Alternatively, however, as shown in the 12 configuration of Figure 9, the bag may be made of a clear 13 plastic so that the contents can be viewed. This would be 14 particularly advantageous in a medical situation where a physician or other medical attendant needs to be able to 16 observe the patient's urine for signs of abnormalities. It 17 is also of great significance for military pilots whb would 18 need to be able to detect blood in the urine signifying 19 internal injuries after combat. In addition, it may be convenient to have the outer sides of the bag be of a soft 21 or otherwise comfortable feeling material for comfort in 22 those circumstances such as with use of the bag of Figure 13 23 where the user must keep the bag against his or her skin for 24 a prolonged period.

Enclosed within the bag anr( critical to the function of 26 the present invention is a quantity of an absorbent material 27 42 for absorbing the liquid contained within the bag. This 28 absorbent material 42 contains a hydrophilic gellable 29 material, usually a polymer, which is water activated and which gels very rapidly (normally within 30 seconds, and 31 often much less than that) upon contact with a water-based 32 liquid (such as urine or blood) and which by gelling 33 completely absorbs and encapsulates all of the fluid. Such 34 polymers are commercially available and are commonly found WO 92/03994 PCT/US90/05178 -11- 1 in a variety of known products, including disposable diapers 2 and cleaning compositions. Typical examples include the 3 acrylonitrile-based polymers described in Elias, Mega 4 Molecules. pp. 157-158 (1987). The mixture 42 is preferably a complex mixture including not only the gellable material 6 but also a material ch as a protease enzyme to attack and 7 break down the urine, blood or other bodily fluid to enhance 8 the operation of the gellable material. Also included in 9 the mixture 42 can be deodorants and fragrances. It is also possible to incorporate a biocide or antiviral material 11 where it is expected that the bodily fluids may be 12 contaminated as in the case of collection of blood from a 13 surgery or medical procedure patient. The mixture 42 may by 14 in any convenient physical form which can be placed into the bag 10; granular, powdered, foamed, matted, woven and 16 fibrous forms are all suitable. We have successfully used a 17 granular material commercially available under the trade 18 name "Sanwet IM-5600" from Hoechst Celanese, Superabsorbent 19 Material Division, of Portsmouth, Virginia. which is described as containing a starch grafted sodium 21 polyacrylate. This product is a proprietary product and the 22 exact identification of the components and formula is not 23 available to applicants. The product has shown the property 24 in our tests of gelling and sequestering all bodily fVzds placed into test bags within no more than twenty second-.

26 In the case of blood collection, it may be desirable to 27 incorporate within the mixture 42 one or more testing 28 materials which upon contact with the blood will show 29 visible color changes indicative of specific blood disorders or the presence in the blood of specific organism.

31 Similarly, in the case of urine collection, it is also 32 possible to incorporate within the mixture 42 materials 33 which with a similar color change will also indicate urinary 34 tract infections, internal disorders which manifest signs in WO 92/03994 PCr/US90/05178 -12- 1 the urine or the presence of organism, ach as bacteria or 2 viruses in the urine. It is also contemplated to 3 incorporate known pregnancy detectors of the type commonly 4 used in home pregnancy test kits such that the bag when used by a female for urination, will provide an indication of 6 whether or not the female is pregnant. Naturally in all 7 of these cases the bag material will be transparent so that 8 the desired indicators can be readily observed. Also, of 9 course, the various indicators must be compatible with the geliable absorption material and any enzyme present, so that 11 the functions of all of the components will not be impaired 12 by the presence of any other component.

13 Referring now to Figure 4, there is illustrated a 14 modification of the front structure of the bag 10 to accommodate it for use as an air sickness or other motion 16 sickness bag into which the susceptible person can vomit.

17 Such a modification could replace the existing bags 18 currently carried on airlines and provide for easier 19 disposal. The construction of the bag of Figure 4 is basically the same as that of Figure 1 with the exception 21 that the walls of the funnel 22' end 24' are connected along 22 seams which stop at points 46 and 48, but the sides extend 23 downwardly forming flaps 50 and 52. These flaps each have a 24 stiffener at edges 54 and 56 respectively extending from the edge of the seam and forcing the excess material of one flap 26 to curl over the other flap, thus forcing the flaps to close 27 together. This forms a self seaL .g one-way valve such that 28 bask breathing or inhalation of the material 42 or the 29 expelled vomit by the person is prevented.

Figure 7 illustrates means for adapting the bag to 31 hospital use with a catheter. This system includes a plug 32 58 which has a generally teardrop shaped cross section and 33 has a curved surface 60 for engaging and sealing to the 34 curved portion of the opening 21 of the bag 10. The clamp WO 92/03994 PC'/US90/05178 -13- 1 34 clamps against the plug 58 and holds it in the sealed 2 position. The plug includes a central bore 62 through which 3 is placed a catheter tube 64.

4 The bag is shown in the drawings as having a generally rectangular shape, whether straight or in the L shaped 6 configuration. It will be evident that it may also be 7 tapered, have a rounded or pointed bottom edge or have some 8 other desired configuration, as long as the containment and 9 disposal functions are adequately maintained.

The advantage of the present invention is over existing 11 types of urine and other waste collection and disposal bags 12 is evident. The presence of the rapidly gelling material 13 allows for the completed collection and sequestration of the 14 bodily fluids within a matter of seconds such that the bag of collected bodily fluids almost immediately becomes 16 completely free of the possibility of leakage or spillage of 17 any of the bodily fluids. Thus, the bag can be immediately 18 closed as with the clamp 34 or the zipper closure 43 and be 19 set aside for subsequent safe and convenient disposal. In this condition the bag is virtually impervious to accidental 21 spillage of the contents. Thus, for instance, a pilot or 22 airplane passenger can use the bag, seal it and within 23 seconds set it aside with no concern that subsequent aerial 24 maneuvers will cause any of the collected bodily fluids to be spilled within the interior of the aircraft. Similarly, 26 a field worker can use the bag and a .in immediately seal it 27 and set it aside with no concern that subsequent jostling or 28 dropping of the bag will cause any spillage of the contents.

29 It will be evident that there are numerous embodiments of the present invention which, not specifically described 31 above, are clearly within the scope and spirit of the 32 invention. Consequently, the above description is 33 considered to be exemplary onI and the full scope of the 34 invention is to be determined solely by the appended claims.

Claims (18)

1. A containment bag for a fluid comprising we ar or 2 water-based liquid such as bodily fluids which comprises: a bag having a hollow interior defined by two sides 4 meeting at opposite edges, a bottom and a top, with said edges and bottom sealed and said top at least partially 6 open'to receiving said: gellable hydrophilic material within said bag, said 8 material becoming fully gelled within thirty seconds of said contact with said fluid when said bodily fluids is deposited in said bag, said gellation serving to essentially completely sequester said fluids and prevent 12 said fluid from thereafter being expelled from said bag; funnel means within said interior and I Lng an open 14 top, said funnel means being secured to said bag at said top of said bag, and extending downwardly within said 16 interior to a narrower open bottom for conduction of fluid entering said open top through said funnel means and into 18 said bag, with the open bottom of said funnel being disposed intermediate between said top and bottom of said bag, said open bottom being free from attachment to said i 'sides of said bag such that flow of any unseqi:estered fluid 22 within said bag back toward said funnel mean', acts to close said funnel means to prevent escape of said unsequestered 24 fluid from said bag; and S closure means for closing the top of said bag after 26 introduction of said fluid into said bag.

2. A containment bag as in Claim 1, wherein said 2 gellable material is a polymer.

3. A containment bag as in Claim 1, wherein said 2 hydrophilic material is part of a mixture of materials which also contains at least one material selected from the 4 group consisting of enzymes, deodorants, fragrances, human body abnormality indicators and pregnancy indicators.

4. A containment bag as in Claim 1 wherein said 2 hydrophilic material is in a powdered, ma'ted, granular, fibrous, foamed, or woven physical form.

A containment bag is in Claim 4 wherein said 2 hydrophilic material is a powdered or granular form and has at least about 80% with particle sizes in the range of 4 -40+120 mesh U.S. Sieve Series.

6. A containment bag is in Claim 5 wherein said 2 hydrophilic material also has at least about 80%-90% with particle sizes in the range of -40+20 mesh U.S. Sieve 4 Series.

7. A containment bag as in Claim 6 wherein said 2 hydrophilic material also has at least about 50% with particle sizes in the range of -40+80 mesh U.S. Sieve 4 Series.

8. A containment bag as in Claim 1 further 2 comprising gripping means attached to said bag for gripping of said bag by the user thereof during use.

9. A containment bag as in Claim 8 wherein said 2 gripping means comprises a grommet disposed in the sides of said bag.

A containment bag as in Claim 8 wherein said 2 gripping means comprises flaps extending outwardly from said top of said bag.

11. A containment bag as in Claim 1 wherein said 2 closure means comprises an elongated closure member which fits across said top of said bag and contains opposed jaws 4 which contact the sides of said bag adjacent said top and bias said sides into contact to close the top opening. -16-

12. A containment bag as in Claim 11 wherein said elongated closure member is moveable to one side of said top of said bag to serve as a handle by which the user of said bag can grip the bag during use.

13. A containment bag as in Claim 12 wherein said elongated closure member contains a tang on the inside thereof and projecting into the interior of said bag, said tang when said member is moved to one side of said top contacting the inside edge of the top opening of said bag and preventing said member from becoming disengaged from said bag.

14. A containment bag as in Claim 1 wherein said closure means comprises cooperating ribs on the inside surfaces of the sides of said bag adjacent which ribs interfit to close the top opening of said bag.

15. A containment bag as in Claim 1 wherein said bag further comprises means for attachment to the body or limb of a user and conduit means comprising a catheter adapted for enabling said user to use said bag for urine collection while said user is ambulatory.

16. A containment bag as in Claim 1 wherein said funnel means has its bottom opening in the form of a self sealing one-way valve.

17. A containment bag as in Claim 1 wherein said bag has the form of an L shape.

18. A containment bag for bodily fluids substantially as described herein, and with reference to any one of the accompanying drawings. Dated this llth day of April 1994 7 AMERICAN INNOTEK, INC '''IBy their Patent Attorneys SK MADDERN ASSOCIATES r. 9