GB2326597A - Urine collection system - Google Patents

Description

URINE COLLECTION SYSTEM This invention relates to a urine collection system.

Urine collection systems are known. For example an incontinence bag was disclosed in 1982 (U.S. Patent Application No. 2,084,879) by H.G. Wallace Limited. Other generally similar devices were shown in U.S. Patent No.

5,032,118 and in International Application PCT W096/06646. An arrangement involving an openable holder which can securely carry a leg bag is shown in U.K. Patent No. 2,296,665.

These devices, although more or less effective for the purpose desired, lack simplicity and are relatively expensive to manufacture. It is a principal aim of the present invention to provide a simple, yet cheap and effective, urine collection system.

According to one aspect of the invention, there is provided a urine collection system comprising a bag, e.g. made of plastics material, having a hole in its upper region, in combination with an inflow pipe having at its exit end a releasable annular member, the latter being designed and dimensioned to cooperate with an adhesive annul us surrounding the hole.

According to another aspect of the invention, there is provided a urine collection system comprising a bag having a hole in a region which is uppermost when the bag is being worn, and an inflow pipe having at its exit end a releasable annular connection member, the latter comprising a partly-tapered ring having a radially outwardly-facing groove therein.

In one preferred embodiment of the invention at least part of the inflow pipe takes the form of a spiral-wound tube. Such a tube may be moulded in the desired manner to embody reinforcing windings, or may be a plain tube around which one or more reinforcing bands have been wound. The entry end of this tube may be provided with a connector, so that the tube can be connected to a urine collecting appliance fitted to a man or woman.

An advantageous feature of the invention, in one embodiment, includes an annular connection member of relatively rigid plastics. This may have a reentrant annular groove positioned and dimensioned to receive a counterpart fitting located on one wall of the bag.

The invention will be better understood from the following particular description given by way of example and with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which: Figure 1 is a general view of a person wearing a garment such as elasticated stretch briefs (e.g. Lycran having bag-receiving pocket, and showing the reinforced inflow pipe and an incontinence appliance; Figure 2 illustrates one example of bag and releasable tube according to the invention; Figure 3 is a cross-sectional view of the bag, in a vertical plane, showing a releasable coupling about to be attached thereto; Figure 4 is a view, looking in the direction of the arrow A in Figure 3, of the coupling which can be adhesively joined to the bag; Figure 5 is a view similar to Fig 1 but showing an alternative embodiment of the invention; Figure 6 is a cross-sectioned view illustrating a collection bag and an annular connection member which may be coupled to a coupling ring on the bag; and Figure 7 is a cross-sectioned view on a larger scale than Figure 6 illustrating the manner of coupling the annular collection member to the bag.

Referring firstly to Figures 1 and 2, a bag 10 has a support ring 12 which may be of card and an adhesive annul us 14 which surrounds a hole 16. The bag may have its front and rear walls lOA, lOB made of tissue/PE laminated 50 micron film. Other materials however may be used. The bag 10 preferably contains a superabsorbent pad or strip 18 capable of absorbing many times its own weight of liquid. Sodium polymethacylate is one example of a superabsorbent material which may be used.

An inflow pipe 20 carries at its free (lower) end housing 26 carrying a flat annular member 22 upon one side 22A of which an adhesive annulus is provided.

A tapering push-in type connector 28 (Fig3) forms part of the member 22. The annulus is preferably of substantially the same size as the adhesive annulus 14.

The inflow pipe has a reinforcing winding 24. The main purpose of this winding is to give the pipe 20 sufficient stiffness that the annular member 22 makes good face-to-face contact with the annulus 14 when the parts are coupled, and to permit these annuli to be separated when a force is applied to the pipe in the direction B (Fig. 2).

The bag 10 as seen in Figure 3 has front and rear walls 10A, 10B, and contains a superabsorbent material 18, such as an alkali metal polyacrylate.

Other superabsorbents may be used. The annulus 22 is joined to a housing 26 which carries a tapering fitting 28. The lower end of the pipe 20 is constructed to receive this fitting 28. A connector 30 at the other end of the pipe 20 enables a connection to be made to the urine-receiving appliance 32 (Fig. 1).

An alternative embodiment of the invention is shown in Figs 5-7. A holster 50 receives a bag 52 for containing urine. A reinforced tube 54 has a tapered end 56 for connection to an incontinence appliance at one end, and an annular connection member 58 at the other end. This tube conveys urine from the appliance to the bag 52. A second annular connection member 60 is located on one wall of the bag and surrounds an entry hole in that wall. The connection member 60 comprises a flange 62 which may be welded or otherwise secured to the bag wall 52A. The hole in the flange is located to be generally aligned with the entry hole into the bag. Integral with the flange 62 is an encircling wall 64 having a groove 66 in its radially outer surface and a deflectable sealing member 68 attached to the wall. The annular connection member 58 has an annular recess 70 in part defined by an inturned rim 72 which engages over a step 74 bounding the groove 66, in the mutually coupled condition of the parts. The wall 64 is made of a plastics material so that it can be deformed inwardly when the members 58, 60 are completed, and can then spring back to the position shown in Fig 7 to achieve a secure coupling between the connection member 58 and the wall 64. The seal member 68 prevents liquid leakage. The flange 60 could be made of a bio-degradable polymer or a starch-based composition. The pouch walls are preferably made of a PE/tissue laminate.

It will be seen that the preferred embodiment illustrated herein provides a simple and easy way of connecting and disconnecting a bag from a urinereceiving appliance.

While features of the invention have been emphasised in the description and appended claims, the applicant claims protection for any novel feature or combination of features described herein or illustrated in the drawings irrespective of whether emphasis has been placed thereon.

Claims (12)

1. A urine collection system comprising a bag having a hole in a region which is uppermost when the bag is being worn and an inflow pipe having at its exit end a releasable annular member, the latter being designed and dimensioned to co-operate with an annular connection member on the bag surround the hole.

2. A system according to claim 1 in which the annular connection member comprises an adhesive annulus.

3. A system according to claim 1 in which the annular connection member comprises a partly-tapered ring having a radially outwardly-facing groove therein.

4. A system according to claim 1 or 3 in which the annular connection member comprises a ring having extending radially inwardly therefrom a deflectable annular sealing member.

5. A system according to any preceding claim in which the inflow pipe is in the form of a spiral-wound tube.

6. A system according to any of claims 1 to 5 in which the inflow pipe is made of a mouldable material and embodies moulded spiral reinforcement.

7. A system according to claim 2 in which the bag carries a guide ring which surrounds the adhesive annulus on the bag

8. A system according to any preceding claim in which one end of the inflow pipe carries a housing and the releasable annular member and the other end carries a connector.

9. A system according to claim 1 or 8 which includes a urine-receiving appliance capable of receiving the connector.

10. A system according to claim 2 or any claim dependent thereon, having a re-entrant groove in the annular connection member positioned and dimensioned to receive a counterpart fitting located on one wall of the bag.

11. A urine collection system substantially as herein described and illustrated in the accompanying drawings.

12. Any novel combination or sub-combination of features disclosed and/or illustrated herein.