GB2324291A - Fluid container especially for urine - Google Patents

Abstract

In one embodiment, a container 100 for liquid, especially a urine bag, has a pair of walls whose upper portions 104 are made of a springy material, such as cardboard, and define a mouth portion 102 which can stably occupy a closed position and an open position. In the closed position, the upper portions may be held together by a weak contact adhesive. The upper portions may be provided with pull strips 106 to assist opening. The container may have inner walls 204 defining an inner space for receiving liquid and an outer space between the inner and outer walls containing a superabsorbent material 206 such as sodium polymethacrylate. The inner walls permit liquid flow from the inner to the outer space but prevent any reverse flow. In another embodiment, a container for liquid has impermeable outer walls and inner walls made of a one-way permeable material such as a laminate of polypropylene and EVA. In a third embodiment, a liquid container may have a pair of flaps (304,305 fig 5) around its mouth which can snap over outwardly to keep the container open for ease of filling.

Description

FLUID CONTAINER This invention relates to a container capable of receiving liquid or semiliquid waste, and containing that waste prior to disposal. Such a container may be used for receiving and storing urine. Alternatively, such a container is suitable for receiving and containing liquid or largely-liquid kitchen waste and the like.

A device for facilitating female urination is disclosed in Europe Patent Application No. 763 352A.

There is shown in British Patent Application No. 2304577A a disposable urine bag for use by females. A bracket and packing rubber secures the top end of a polybag to a loop-shaped handle. In EP No. 763 352A there is shown a socalled "sanitary canaliser" designed to conduct urine away from the female using it.

Conventional liquid storage containers are either made from semi-rigid or rigid materials such as plastic or glass or have at least part of their structures (such as the mouth region) made from such materials. The profile of the semirigid or rigid parts of such containers can make it difficult to store large numbers of containers and can cause difficulties should people need to carry the containers on their person (e.g. in handbags or pockets). These difficulties are sometimes acute for persons using containers to store urine.

A further disadvantage of conventional containers used to receive and store liquid waste (such as urine) is that the mouth opening often provides a small target to discharge the waste into. This is of concern in the case of a urine container or bag as this can result in spillage; spillage may mean the bag cannot be filled sufficiently (for sampling purposes) and may be unhygienic for the person using the container. In addition, some methods of opening and closing the mouth of conventional containers may require considerable dexterity.

Manipulation may not be possible if the person is in a confined space or disabled in some way. This increases the chances of spillage and unhygienic contamination.

Conventional containers, whether of glass or plastics, are also difficult to hold whilst urinating. They usually require two hands and this can render awkward the process of filling the container. Breakage of a container will result in spillage and contamination. Filled containers must be transported particularly carefully which increases the cost and handling problems.

The present invention in one aspect has been devised to solve or mitigate these problems by providing a container capable of springing open to change the shape of a flexible mouth which is thus caused to open and allow liquid into the container. The action of the mouth springing open considerably reduces the dexterity required to open the container for use.

According to another aspect of the invention, there is provided a container for liquids having a pair of walls an upper portion of each of which defines a mouth portion through which liquid can pass into the container, said upper portions being of springy material which can stably occupy either a first position wherein the upper portions are separated so providing an open mouth of the container or a second position in which the upper portions are in contact with one another and the container mouth is closed.

In a preferred embodiment of the invention, the open mouth region defines a large area to receive fluid or waste (which makes it particularly suitable to urinate into), which minimises the chances of spillage/unhygienic contamination. In one preferred embodiment the container is a urine bag and the bag and mouth are substantially planar until the mouth is opened. The planar profile of the bag facilitates easy storage and transport. A preferred embodiment of the invention can easily be wrapped up and held in a pocket or in a handbag.

According to a further aspect of the invention, there is provided a container including an outer impervious wall, an inner wall which allows liquid but not solid materials to pass through it and an absorbent material located between the outer and inner walls.

The bag may be designed so that the absorbent material is capable of absorbing the majority of fluid in the container. The advantage of this is that once the bag has received all the fluid it is capable of receiving, the absorbent material will have expanded to a "spongy" state and substantially no fluid will remain in the bag itself. This facilitates transport, eliminates the need for closing the bag (using a closure device requiring dexterity) and generally reduces the chances of spillage and consequent unhygienic contamination.

Preferred embodiments of the invention will now be described by way of example only with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which: Figure 1 shows an oblique view of a first embodiment in which the bag mouth is open; Figure 2 shows a cross-section of the preferred embodiment of Figure 1; Figures 3 and 4 are isometric views of a second embodiment of the invention, Fig.3 showing a closed bag just prior to being squeezed open, and Figure 4 showing the same bag in open condition; and Figure 5 is a front elevation of a bag similar to that show in Figures 3 and 4.

Figure 1 shows a urine bag 100 in an open position ready to receive urine through mouth region 102. The upper parts 104 of the walls of the bag are substantially flat and in contact with each other when the mouth region 102 is closed. The flat configuration facilitates storage. Each of the walls has at least one strip-like element 106 attached at one end to a respective part 104 and having a free end . When gentle force is applied to the elements 106 in a direction transverse to the plane of walls, the mouth 102 springs open to a position as shown in Figure 1. The elements 106 may be contiguous with the wall parts 104 along surfaces 108 and 110 when the bag mouth 102 is closed and the upper parts 104 are first manufactured. Alternatively a line of weakening (e.g.

perforations) may enable each element 106 to be torn partly free so that it can be grasped, to facilitate opening the bag mouth. When the bag mouth is closed, the parts 104 and the bag walls are generally planar. The upper parts of the walls 104 may be made from a flat springy material, e.g. cardboard. When opposed forces are applied to the elements 106, the upper walls 104 spring apart and open the bag mouth. Alternatively, the walls 104 could be made from a springy material held together by some means such as a weak contact adhesive on one or both walls. The contact adhesive would be chosen to be sufficient to ensure the walls 104 remain closed and do not spring open in the absence of an applied force, but would have sufficiently low adhesion to permit the walls to spring open to define mouth region 102 when gentle force is applied to elements 106.

When the bag is in the open position it provides a large open region to receive liquid. The bag may be conveniently held by grasping the elements 106 with one or both hands.

Figure 2 shows a cross-section of the bag illustrating an outer impervious wall 202 and an inner wall 204 which is pervious to the flow of fluid but not to solids. The outer impervious wall 202 may be made from a liquid-impermeable plastics material and the inner wall 204 may be a non-woven laminate, for example, of polypropylene on the (radially) outermost side, and ethylenevinyl acetate (EVA) on the (radially) innermost side. Such a laminate has a directional permeability, and allows liquid flow through the wall in one direction (from the central inner compartment to the outer compartment), but prevents liquid flow in the opposite direction. Any suitable material may be used instead for the wall 204, preferably (although not necessarily) having a directional permeability. The compartment between outer wall 202 and inner wall 204 is designed to contain superabsorbent material 206 such as sodium polymethacrylate. The superabsorbent material 206 is capable of absorbing the fluid received in the bag.

Thus, once the bag has received substantially all the fluid it is capable of receiving, the absorbent material 206 expands to partly fill or fill the bag but is held in place by the impervious outer wall 202 and the semi-permeable wall 204.

As a result, when the bag is "full" it contains a semi-solid mass of absorbent material which has absorbed the liquid. The bag is consequently much easier to handle or transport than a bag of fluid waste or urine.

Another embodiment of the invention is illustrated in Figs. 3-5. A bag 300 has a mouth 302 (Figure 5)-defined by first and second flat members 304 and 306. Each of these members may be of cardboard and comprises a first portion 305 secured to the material of the bag 300 and a second portion 307 joined to the portion of 305 by a fold line 309. As will be seen in Figure 3, when opposed forces (as indicated by the arrows in Fig 3) are applied to opposite ends of the bag mouth region when the bag is flat, top flaps 305 on the bag snap over outwardly. The bag walls may be made of any material effective to containing urine, for example a PE/paper laminate known under the trade name MEDICACE. The bag shown in Figures 3 -5 may have a two-compartment structure such as has been described with reference to Figure 2 herein.

Although preferred embodiments have been specifically described, the skilled man would appreciate that various modifications could be made within the scope of the invention.

While features and aspects believed to be of particular importance have been identified in the claims and specification, the applicant claims protection for any novel feature or combination of features described herein and/or illustrated in the drawings irrespective of whether emphasis has been placed thereon.

Claims (17)

1. A container for liquids having a pair of walls an upper portion of each of which defines a mouth portion through which liquid can pass into the container, said upper portions being of springy material which can stably occupy either a first position wherein the upper portions are separated so providing an open mouth of the container or a second position in which the upper portions are in contact with one another and the container mouth is closed.

2. A container according to claim 1 in which each of the upper portions comprises a strip-like element whereby the upper portions can be shifted from the second to the first position.

3. A container according to claim 1 or 2 including inner walls defining a space for receiving liquid, said inner walls also defining with the said pair of walls a second space which contains superabsorbent material, the inner walls being such as to prevent liquid flow from the second to the first space and to permit liquid flow from the first to the second space.

4. A container as claimed in claim 1 or 2 wherein the mouth of the container is made from cardboard.

5. A container as claimed in claim 3 or 4, wherein the superabsorbent is sodium polymethacrylate.

6. A container including an outer impervious wall, an inner wall which allows liquid but not solid materials to pass through it and an absorbent material located between the outer and inner walls.

7. A container as claimed in claim 6 wherein the absorbent material is chosen to be capable of absorbing substantially all the liquid the container is capable of receiving.

8. A container as claimed in claim 6 or 7 wherein the inner wall is made from a laminate of polypropylene and ethylenevinylacetate (EVA).

9. A container as claimed in any one of claims 1 to 8 wherein the absorbent material is a superabsorbent.

10. A container as claimed in any one of claims 6-9 having a mouth which includes a pair of flaps, the two flaps being capable of springing open in response to applied forces, so as to change its shape to a shape that remains open thereby permitting liquid to enter the container.

11. A container as claimed in any of claims 6-10 in which the superabsorbent is sodium polymethacrylate.

12. A urine bag containing a liquid-absorbing material located between inner and outer walls, the inner walls being permeable to liquid travel in an outward direction but impermeable to liquid travel in an inward direction.

13. A container for liquid, comprising an outer wall of said impervious material, and an inner wall separating first and second compartments of the container, the inner wall being of material which is permeable to liquid flow in a first direction from the first compartment of the container to the second compartment, and which prevents liquid flow from the second compartment to the first compartment.

14. A container for liquids substantially as herein particularly described and illustrated.

15. A bag for body waste liquid and part-liquid substances which includes a superabsorbent substantially as herein described and illustrated in Figs 1 and 2.

16. A bag for body-waste liquid and part-liquid substances and which has a pair of flaps in its mouth region, said flaps flipping to an open condition in response to opposing forces applied to end of the bag mouth, substantially as herein described and illustrated.

17. A bag for body-waste liquid and part-liquid substances substantially as herein described and illustrated in Figs. 3 - 5.