GB2353475A

GB2353475A - Urine collection vessel

Info

Publication number: GB2353475A
Application number: GB9914852A
Authority: GB
Inventors: Leonard Thomas Lloyd; Kenneth P Davis
Original assignee: INNOVATIVE MEDICAL PRODUCTS LT
Current assignee: INNOVATIVE MEDICAL PRODUCTS LT
Priority date: 1999-06-24
Filing date: 1999-06-24
Publication date: 2001-02-28
Also published as: GB9914852D0

Abstract

The vessel is provided with a specimen cavity 8 disposed at a level substantially below that of its upper rim and reclosable sealing means, such as flanged cover 30, is arranged to seal the cavity below said rim, thereby allowing for secure collection and transportation of urine. Alternatively, the collection vessel may comprise an outlet port in its base (Fig.3). In either embodiment, the upper rim of the vessel may be shaped to allow placement of the vessel in close proximity to or against a supine human female.

Description

2353475 Urine Collection Vessel The present invention relates to a urine

collection vessel or urinal for use in collecting urine from humans and in particular supine human females.

More particularly, the present invention provides a urinal for use by supine females which provides a sealable compartment in order for safe and secure collection and transport of any collected urine.

Various urine collection vessels are known in the art specifically adapted for collecting urine samples from human females for medical analysis, and also to allow bedridden female patients to urinate in a hygienic manner. One specific example of such a prior art urine collection and specimen container is that disclosed in US 5129892 (McCarthy). Herein, a reclosable urine collection container has an oval shape and includes a rim around an opening forming the top which has contoured surfaces formed for conforming to the contour of the external genitalia of a female patient from whom a urine specimen is to be collected. The container is farther provided with a lid also having an oval shape arranged to fit around the rim in order to close the opening and thus securing the container closed. It will be. appreciated that the particular prior art container discussed above is merely indicative of the state of the art, and that many other prior art urine collection vessels are also known.

The present invention provides a further urine collection vessel which may be sealed at a level below the outer opening of the vessel formed by an upper rim in order to allow for secure transport of the urine specimen collected, and thereby reduce the risk of infection or contamination of any personnel who may be required to collect, transport, and/or analyse the collected sample.

According to the present invention, there is provided a urine collection vessel characterised in that the vessel is provided with a specimen cavity having an opening into the main body of the vessel, the opening being arranged below an upper opening of the vessel formed by the upper rim of the vessel walls, 2 reclosable sealing means being further provided to seal the specimen cavity opening.

The upper rim of the vessel is preferably shaped so as to conform to the contour of the vulva and accompanying areas surrounding the external genitals of a human female to encompass the urethral opening. Such contouring of the upper rim allows the vessel to be placed in close contact with the subject in order to allow for simple and hygienic collection of urine for analysis purposes, or to allow the female subject merely to void when the need arises.

The vessel is preferably provided with a handle to allow manipulation of the vessel into the correct position, the handle preferably being provided integral with the vessel at the same level as the upper rim. Furthermore, the handle is provided at the front of the collection vessel in relation to the subject.

In addition, a pouring spout may be provided in the upper rim to enable the urine collected in the vessel to be decanted. The pouring spout is preferably positioned at the rear of the collection vessel in relation to the subject.

The specimen cavity is preferably of such a depth as to accommodate a sufficient volume of urine such that the possibility of overflow is minimised.

The primary advantage of the present invention is that it allows for simple and hygienic collection of urine from a female patient, and in particular from a bedridden female patient, and further provides a resealable vessel for safe and secure transport of the collected urine without risk of infection to any personnel who may handle the sample. In particular, the provision of the resealable cover over the specimen cavity at a level below the upper rim of the vessel particularly allows for safe handling, and minimises the risk that the specimen may be lost or itself contaminated.

Further features and advantages of the present invention will become apparent from the following descriptions of a number of embodiments thereof, presented by way of example only, and by reference to the accompanying 3 drawings, in which:

Fig. 1 illustrates a diagrammatic cross-sectional representation of a urine collection vessel according to a first embodiment of a present invention; Fig. 2 shows a diagrammatic cross-sectional representation of a urine collection vessel according to a second embodiment of the present invention; and Fig. 3 illustrates a diagrammatic cross-sectional representation of a further urine collection vessel which shares many common features with the urine collection vessels of the present invention.

A first embodiment of the present invention will now be described with reference to Fig. 1.

A urine collecting vessel 2 is provided with a upper rim 4 which is turned over to provide a flange for contacting the body around the urethral opening. The rim is further provided with a pouring spout 12 to enable any urine collected in the vessel to be decanted. The interior walls of the vessel are provided with a lip 6 extending around an inner circumference of the walls at a height below the upper rim 4, and a one piece cover 10 made from a deformable material is further provided in order to seal the urine collection vessel at the level of the lip 6 in order to create a specimen cavity 8 in which collected urine is stored. The cover 10 is provided with a flange 7 extending around the perimeter of the cover for engagement with the lip 6 in order to seal the specimen cavity 8.

As Fig. I is a cross-sectional view of the first embodiment, it is not apparent therefrom as to the actual shape of the vessel when viewed from above or below. It will be understood, however, that the vessel may take any number of convenient shapes and in particular that of a circle, an oval, or a rectangle.

Vafichever shape is chosen, it will be understood that the lip 6 extends around an entire perimeter of the inner walls of the vessel to form a continuous lip.

Furthermore, the one piece cover 10 is shaped so as to complement the shape of the vessel to allow for engagement with the lip 6 in order to seal the specimen cavity 8.

4 In addition to the above, although Fig. 1 has shown the vessel as being of greater diameter at the top opening formed by the rim 4 than at the base, this need not necessary be the case, and it may be possible for the vertical walls to be substantially parallel, or even to reverse the slopes of the walls to that shown in Fig. 1 such that the base of the vessel is wider than the opening formed by the rim 4.

A second particularly preferred embodiment of the present invention will now be described with reference to Fig. 2.

In Fig. 2, a urine collection vessel 20 is provided with an upper rim 22 which is contoured so as to conform to that part of the female anatomy surrounding the external genitals and in particular to encompass the urethral opening. The upper rim 22 is preferably turned over to form a flange to allow the upper rim to be placed comfortably against the body. A handle 26 is provided integral with the vessel at the level of the upper rim at what could be considered the front of the vessel in relation to the subject when in use. The handle 26 is preferably of such a size to permit the handle to be gripped between a finger and thumb, but may be larger if required. Furthermore, the handle is not 1 imited to the position shown, and may be provided at other convenient locations on the vessel if desired. A pouring spout 24 is also provided as part of the upper rim 22 at the opposite end of the vessel to the handle, at what could be considered to be the rear end of the vessel in relation to the subject when in use. The pouring spout is provided to allow the collected urine specimen to be decanted from the vessel.

The vessel itself is preferably of one part construction but may be considered to comprise two distinct sections. A first upper section 21 is preferably of substantially "gravy-boat" shape and has as its upper boundary a primary opening formed by the upper rim 22. The lower boundary of the upper section may be considered to be an inner opening formed by the walls of the vessel projecting slightly inwards on all sides to form a lip 28 extending around an internal perimeter of the vessel at a level below the upper rim 22. The lip 28 is formed as a continuous lip around the internal walls of the vessel. A second lower portion 23 of the vessel can be considered to be formed preferably by substantially straight walls extending downwards from the lip 28 and sealed by a flat bottom 25 to form a specimen cavity 8. A one piece cover 30 made from deformable material is further provided, the cover having a flange 32 extending around the circumference thereof and arranged to engage the internal lip 28 so as to secure the cover within the internal opening of the vessel to seal the specimen cavity 8. The cover 30 may be provided with a handle means such as a ring or the like on the upper surface to enable the cover to be removed once in place. The cover may then be used as many times as required to allow the specimen cavity 8 to be resealed as many times as required.

Whilst Fig. 2 shows a cross-sectional representation of the vessel in one plane, it is not apparent therefrom as to the shape of the vessel in the orthogonal plane. It will be understood, however, that any convenient shape may be used, such as that shown in Fig. I in which case Fig. I may be considered to be a cross-section of the embodiment of Fig. 2 along the line AA and viewed in the direction of the arrows shown. Alternatively, further cross-sectional shapes may be used, and in particular the upper portion 21 need not have the same cross sectional shape along the line AA as the lower portion 23. More particularly the upper section 21 may have a cross-sectional shape substantially equivalent to a "gravy-boat" in which the side walls are curved, or alternatively may have substantially straight sidewalls as shown in Fig. 1. With respect to the lower portion 23, preferably the side walls of portion 23 are substantially straight, although they may be angled as shown such that the diameter of the base 25 is less than that of the inner opening, or may alternatively be substantially parallel, or may alternatively be angled such that the diameter of the inner opening is less than that of the base 25. Whichever configuration is chosen for the lower portion, it will be understood that the volume of the specimen cavity 8 should be sufficient to accommodate an amount of urine large enough to minimise the risk of overflow 6 from the vessel during use, thereby allowing a female patient to urinate or to provide a specimen in a safe and hygienic manner.

A urine collection vessel incorporating many of the features of the previous embodiments of the present invention will now be described with reference to Fig. 3.

In Fig. 3, a urine collection vessel 40 incorporates many of the features of the particularly preferred second embodiment of the present invention previously described and shown in Fig. 2, and in particular the upper rim 22, the pouring spout- 24, and the handle 26. These features will not therefore be described in detail. Similar to the embodiment of Fig. 2, the vessel of Fig. 3 can be considered to be of two portions, an upper portion shaped substantially similar to a "gravy-boat" and a lower portion of straight walled construction provided with a flat bottom. The shape of the vessel in the orthogonal cross-section to that shown may be subject to the same limitations as described earlier for the particularly preferred second embodiment of the present invention.

The main difference between the vessel of Fig. 3, and the previously described second embodiment is that the vessel of Fig. 3 is provided with an output port 42 in the bottom surface of the lower portion. The output port 42 is arranged to receive a specimen phial for collection of a urine specimen and is therefore preferably flanged or threaded to enable a suitable phial to be releasably engaged with the port. The port 42 is preferably of one way construction such that liquid may flow from the interior of the vessel out of the port, but not vice versa, and is also preferably self sealing. Various suitable valves which have these properties are known in the art which may be used as the port 42 in the presently described vessel. The specimen phial itself is also preferably self sealing, although this need not necessarily be the case, and it is permissible for a specimen phial requiring manual sealing to be used provided that the specimen phial is suitable for engagement with the output port 42.

Another difference between the presently described vessel and that 7 of the second preferred embodiment of the present invention, is that the lower portion forming the specimen cavity 8 may be of less internal volume than that of the second embodiment, as the urine specimen to be collected is not to be stored therein. This allows the lower portion and the specimen cavity 8 to be of reduced depth when compared with the previously described second embodiment.

It will be understood from the above described embodiments of the present invention that the main thrust of the present invention is to provide a urine collection vessel which allows the collected urine specimen to be sealed within a specimen cavity provided within the vessel at a level much lower than the upper rim of the vessel. Such an arrangement allows for safe and secure collection and transport of a urine specimen without risk of infection or contamination to any medical staff.

Preferably, the urine collection vessels are made of a material which is resistant to sterilisation, in order to allow the vessel to be sterilised after use and hence reused. Furthermore, the material used may be suitable for impregnation with antimicrobial agents such as that sold under the trade name of Triclosan, to provide an antimicrobial resistant material similar to the range of materials sold under the trade name of Microban. It will however be understood that such an antimicrobial material is only suitable in the case where the vessel is to be used purely as a urinal, and cannot be used where urine is being collected for pathological analysis.

It will also be understood that the vessel may be produced in a range of sizes so that the vessel may be used with people of all ages from infants to adults.

8

Claims

CLAIMS:

A urine collection vessel having an upper opening therein formed by C. 1 an upper run of the vessel walls, the vessel being characterised by further comprising reclosable scaling means arranged to seal the vessel at a level below the upper rim of the vessel walls.
2. A urme collection vessel according to claim 1, wherein the vessel comprises a main body portion into which the upper opening opens, and a specimen cavity arranged to open into the main body portion, wherein the reclosable scaling means are arranged to seal the specimen cavity from the main body portion of the vessel.
3. A vessel according to claim 2, wherein the specimen cavity is of sufficient volume to contain substantially all urine collected in the vessel in any one instance of use.
4. A urine collection vessel having an upper opening therein formed by an upper run of the vessel walls, the vessel being characterised by further comprising an outlet port provided in the base of the vessel.
5. A vessel according to claim 4, wherem the outlet port is arranged to receive a specimen container releasably engagable thereto.
6. A vessel according to claim 5, wherein the outlet port comprises a one-way valve arranged to allow liquid.to flow from the vessel into the specimen container when the specimen container is engaged with the outlet port.
7. A urine collection vessel according to any of the preceding claims, 9 wherein the upper rim of the vessel is shaped to substantially conform to the external anatomy of a subject human female so as to allow the upper rim to be placed in close proximity or contact with the subject when in use.
8. A urine collection vessel according to any of the preceding claims, and further comprising a handle
9. A urine collection vessel according to claim 8, wherein the handle is formed integral with the vessel at the same level as the upper rim.
10. A vessel according to claim 8 or 9, wherein the handle is provided at a front end of the vessel, in relation to a subject when m use.
A vessel according to any of the preceding claims and further comprising a pouring spout provided m the upper rim of the vessel.
12. A vessel according to claim 11, wherein the pouring spout is provided at a rear end of the vessel, in relation to a subject when in use.
13. A vessel according to any of the preceding claims, constructed from a material containing an antimicrobial agent.
14. A urine collection vessel substantially as hereinbefore described with reference to the accompanying drawings.