GB2166346A - Urinal utensil for females - Google Patents

Abstract

A portable urinal utensil for self-use by females in sitting or supine position comprises a receptacle with shaped walls and an oval opening 14 in its front shaped wall to provide a comfortable, natural seal for the urinal when in use. The front wall of the receptacle beneath its opening drops steeply rearwardly to the base. The bulbous lower side walls 10 curve into concave upper side walls 12 which are inwardly inclined in the upward direction. The utensil further comprises a handle 24 secured to the top of the receptacle and may be provided with a disposable, impermeable collapsible inner liner removably fitted within the chamber. <IMAGE>

Description

SPECIFICATION Urinal utensil for females The present invention relates to a urinal utensil for self-use by females in sitting or supine position, for example when in a bed or wheelchair.

For a disabled woman, there exist few if any effective, comfortable urinal devices. Thus, a woman confined to a wheelchair finds it hard to go out in public, as she needs aid in getting onto a toilet.

Hospitals currently use bedpans or slipper pans which require lifting the woman to place her on the bedpan or slipper pan. A bedridden woman at home also requires someone to assist her with a bedpan or slipper pan. As an alternative, the use of catheters is uncomfortable and undignified and runs the additional risk of infection to a woman's urinary tract.

Portable urinals for men have been in commen use over a long period of time in hospitals and the like, the design of such devices no doubt being facilitated by the male anatomy which results in a more directed and directionable flow or urine during voiding. Portable urinal devices, designed primarily for male use, are described for example in Johnson Canadian Patent No. 687,135 issued May 26, 1964; Johnson Canadian Patent No. 749,591 issued December 6, 1966; Gouget Canadian Patent No. 940,654 issued January 29, 1964; Johnson Canadian Patent No. 1,093,760 issued January 20, 1981; Nugent U.S. Patent No. 2,594,339 issued April 29, 1952 and DeBurgh U.S. Patent No.

4,091,476 issued May 30, 1978.

While the female anatomy permits voiding of urine more quickly than a male, the voiding is not as directed, with the consequence that the opening for a portable urinal for females must of necessity be larger than that for a male. To prevent leakage or spillage from a portable urinal for females, therefore, considerable care and attention to detail in the shape and form of the opening for the urinal must be taken.

Prior art portable urinal devices require filling from the top, like a bottle and which consequently are essentially unsuitable for use by a female unless in standing position, are described and illustrated in Canadian Patent No. 683,127 of Deslauriers issued March 31, 1964 and U.S. Patent Nos. 137,214 of Knight et al issued March 25, 1873; 1,928,170 of Dwork issued September 26, 1933; 3,432,866 of Schwartz issued March 18, 1969; 3,556,102 of Davis issued January 19, 1971 and 3,629,873 of Long issued December 28, 1971. Such devices would tend to spill in use, as they must be tipped to the correct angle for use by a woman in sitting or supine position.

Burnham U.S. Patent No. 4,045,828 describes and illustrates a portable receptacle which, although it has a side opening, would similarly require tipping when in use by a woman in sitted or supine position such that urine could readily spill.

While the device is disclosed as being designed for use by recumbent females, its construction and in particular the location of its opening with respect to its base would appear to require the device to be placed in a hole or depression in the bed or surface upon which the female is lying for proper use.

Other prior art female urinals designed for side filling are described and illustrated in U.S. Patent Nos. 2,582,398 of Siegenthal issued January 15, 1952; 2,731,648 of Clement issued January 24, 1956; 3,030,636 of Evans issued April 24, 1962 and 3,473,172 of Friedman et al issued October 21, 1969. The entrance spouts for many of these receptacles are constructed so that they would appear to fit against the groin (Siegenthal) or anterior wall of the vagina (Clement and Siegenthal) thus being uncomfortable to use. All of such devices, in use, would require tipping of the device towards the opening so that urine would tend to spill out unless the device was moved from operative position with great care.

Other references, of general background interest, include U.S. Patent Nos. 2,382,276 of Wells issued August 14, 1945; 3,432,863 of Schwartz issued March 18, 1969 and 3,432,865 of Schwartz issued March 18, 1969 describing and illustrating collapsible bag-type urinals secured to rigid entrance spouts; U.S. Patents Nos. 4,202,057 of Ibarra issued May 13, 1980 and 4,202,058 of Anderson issued on the same date describing respectively a slipper pan-type urinal and a urinal receptacle with a pump attached thereto to remove urine; U.S.

Patent No. 4,187,562 of Mioduski issued February 12, 1980 describing a semi-rigid type cup-type urinal and French Patent No. 1,163,130 of Kaye Chemical Company granted April 21, 1958 describing and illustrating a male urinal containing a disposable liner.

Few if any urinals for female use, including those described above, are currently available in the marketplace today suggesting the above-mentioned shortcomings of these prior art devices are sufficiently serious to prevent them from being successfully or widely marketed.

It is intended by the present invention to provide a portable urinal device for self-use by a female in either sitting or recumbent position, which is both comfortable to use and which doesn't spill or leak in normal use, unlike such prior art devices which would result in leakage or spillage when in use.

Summary of the invention According to the present invention, there is provided a portable urinal utensil for self-use by females which achieves such objects. The device comprises a receptacle having rigid side, front and back walls, top and flat base enclosing a central, urine receiving chamber. Bulbous lower side walls curve into concave upper side walls, the latter being inwardly inclined in the upward direction.

The receptacle has an oval-shaped opening in its front wall. The opening is oriented generally normal to the base with the longitudinal axis of the oval-shaped opening in the top to bottom direction. Rounded, circumscribing edges of the opening extend outwardly from the front wall of the receptacle. The peripheral contour of the edges of the opening conform to the shape and location of a user's pubic bone and outer labia to provide a comfortable, natural seal for the urinal when in use and to provide even pressure of the urinal utensil against the corresponding parts of the user's body when in operative position.The opening is positioned with respect to the base so that the circumscribing edges of the opening abut these corresponding parts of a user's body while the utensil is held in place by user's hand on handle, and/or pressure of the thighs which conform to the concave sides of the urinal. The lower front wall of the receptacle drops steeply rearwardly from the bottom of the opening to the base. The utensil further comprises a handle secured to the top of the receptacle.

The advantages of the device according to the present invention are many. It may be readily used, without assistance, by a woman sitting in a bed or in a wheelchair. When the user is in recumbent position in a bed, she may urinate into the utensil without having to get out of bed or be lifted up onto a bedpan. The concave curves at the sides of the device and the contour of the edges of the opening are designed to enable the urinal to fit easily in place between the patient's thighs and provide a comfortable natural, snug seal for the urinal between the edges of the opening and the outer labia of the user, thereby preventing leaking.

The opening to the urinal is wide enough to facilitate washing its interior chamber. Because of its design, as it is being removed from the body after use, it does not spill. Moreover it does not tip when placed on a bedside table. When a liner is used, since the edge of the liner overlaps the edges of the opening of the receptacle, the utensil is kept fresh from contact with the body. Such liner is particularly useful for a person in a wheelchair, as the urinal can be kept clean this way and carried in a large handbag. Similarly, when a patient is left alone for any time, she can easily empty it by simply removing the liner and placing it, for example, in a bedside pail with a lid.

A woman in a wheelchair can carry a urinal utensil according to the present invention, in a handbag when out in the public and then not worry about requiring assistance in getting onto a toilet. She thus becomes more independent. This independence for such a person or even a hospital patient helps that person's morale and helps her keep her modesty by permitting her to attend to her own needs. She can be left alone for longer periods and doesn't have to bother other people.

Women with spinal trouble will find the invention extremely helpful because of the saving of physical movement of the body which is associated with its use, thereby facilitating comfort and recovery.

Brief description of the drawings These and other objects and advantages of the invention will become apparent upon reading the following detailed description and upon referring to the drawings in which: Figure 1 is a side view of a preferred embodiment of a portable urinal utensil for females according to the present invention illustrating the manner in which it would be grasped by a user for use; Figures 2, 3 and 4 are respectively front, top and rear views of the urinal utensil according to Figure 1; and Figure 5 is a partial cross-section view of the opening of the utensil according to claim 1 showing the manner in which the liner may be attached in place.

While the invention will be described in conjunction with an example embodiment, it will be understood that it is not intended to limit the invention to such embodiment. On the contrary, it is intended to cover all alternatives, modifications and equivalents as may be included within the spirit and scope of the invention as defined by the appended claims.

Detailed description of the invention In the following description, similar features in the drawings have been given similar reference numerals.

Turning to Figure 1, there is shown a portable urinal utensil 2 according to the present invention, for self-use by females in sitting or supine position.

The utensil is a receptacle having rigid side, front and back walls 4, top 6 and a flat base 8 enclosing a central urine receiving chamber. Bulbous lower side walls 10 curve into concave upper side walls 12 which are inwardly inclined in the upward direction (Figure 4). At the front of the receptacle is oval-shaped opening 14 (Figure 2). This opening is oriented generally normal to base 8, with its longitudinal axis, as can be seen, in a vertical, top to bottom direction. The circumscribing edges 16 of the opening are curled (see cross-section view of Figure 5) in the outward direction to provide a rounded external surface and a rim about which the outer edge of a disposable impermeable collapsible inner liner 18 may be secured by means of an elastic loop, such as band 20. The main part of liner 18 is removably fitted within the chamber of utensil 2.

The peripheral contour of circumscribing edges 16 of opening 14 conform to the shape and location of a user's pubic bone region and outer labia to provide a comfortable, natural seal against these parts and circumscribing the uretheral orifice for the urinal when in use, and to provide even pressure of the urinal utensil the user's pubic bone region and outer labia when the device is placed in operative position. Comfort is further enhanced by the manner in which edges 16 extend outwardly from the front wall of the receptacle (this can be seen clearly from Figure 3) and from the manner in which the side walls are concavely curved, to enable the device to fit snugly between the user's legs when in sitted or recumbent position.

The oval opening 14 is positioned with respect to base 8 so that the circumscribing edges 16 of the opening will abut the corresponding parts of the user's body while the utensil base rests on the supporting surface and the user is in sitting position on that surface. This feature avoids the prob lem found in many of the prior art female urinal devices requiring the urinal to be placed in a hole or depression in a bed to fit into operative position for a recumbent user. If the user is in supine position, for example in a hospital bed, the base of the utensil will normally be a little above the bed surface when in use. It would then be held in place by the user's hand on the handle and/or pressure of the user's thighs on the sides of the utensil, the concave sides conforming to the curves of the thighs.

It will be noted that lower front wall 22 of the receptacle drops steeply rearwardly from the bottom of the opening to base 8. This steep internal inclination draws the flow of urine quickly to the floor of the chamber thus minimizing spillage of urine either when in use or when being removed from operative position after use. This feature, combined with the carefully and specifically contoured and rounded edges 16 of the opening of the device, provides a urinal device which may be used with minimal spillage or leakage.

Finally, handle 24, which is shown in the drawing to be an integral part of the utensil, is provided at the top 6 of the device, to facilitate self-use of the urinal utensil. Indentation 26 at the rear of handle 24 further assists a firm grasping of the device by the user.

Thus there has been provided a portable urinal utensil for self-use by females that fully satisfies the objects, aims and advantages set forth above.

While the invention has been described in conjunction with a preferred embodiment thereof, it is evident that many alternatives, modifications and variations will be apparent to those skilled in the art in light of the foregoing description. For example graduations might be marked on the utensil to give a reading of the volume of liquid contained therein. Accordingly, it is intended to embrace all such alternatives, modifications and variations as fall within the spirit and broad scope of the invention.

Claims (5)

1. A portable urinal utensil for self-use by females supported in sitting or supine position on a surface, comprising a receptacle having rigid side, front and back walls, top and flat base enclosing a central, urine receiving chamber; bulbous lower side walls curving into concave upper side walls inwardly inclined in the upward direction; the receptacle having an oval-shaped opening in its front wall, the opening being of oriented generally normal to the base with the longitudinal axis of the oval-shaped opening in the top to bottom direction, the circumscribing edges of the opening being outwardly extending from the front wall of the receptacle and rounded, the peripheral contour of the edges of the opening conforming to the shape and location of a user's pubic bone and outer labia to provide a comfortable, natural seal for the urinal when in use and provide even pressure of the urinal utensil against these corresponding parts of the user's body when placed in operative position, the opening being positioned with respect to the base so that the circumscribing edges of the opening abut these corresponding parts of a user's body while the utensil base rests on the supporting surface and the user is in a sitting position on that surface; the lower front wall of the receptacle dropping steeply rearwardly from the bottom of the opening to the base; and a handle secured to the top of the receptacle.

2. A urinal utensil according to claim 1 wherein the circumscribing edges of the opening are curled back outwardly.

3. A urinal utensil according to claim 2 further provided with a disposable impermeable collapsible inner liner removably fitted within the chamber, the liner having an opening the peripheral edges of which are releasably secured, in turned back fashion, over the edges of the opening of the urinal utensil.

4. A urinal utensil according to claim 3 wherein an elastic loop means releasably secures the peripheral edges of the liner opening in place over the edges of the opening of the urinal utensil.

5. A urinal utensil substantially herein as described with reference to the accompanying drawings.