GB2396806A - Urinal for boys - Google Patents

Abstract

A urinal for toilet training a male child comprises a rear wall 1, with side 3 and base 2 walls extending outwardly therefrom to form a bowl 6 open to the front and above. The rear wall 1 may be detachably attached to a substantially vertical surface such as a wall by means of suckers 5 or hook and loop fasteners so that the position of the urinal can be altered. The urinal is made from moulded plastics . The urinal functions like a potty in that it functions independently from plumbing connections.

Description

1 2396806

STAND-UP TOILET TRAINER

The present invention relates to an apparatus for toilet training a male child. More particularly, but not exclusively, it relates to an apparatus by which a male child may practice the use of a stand-up urinal as used in public conveniences.

Conventionally, toilet training of a young child progresses from sitting on a potty or the like through to the use of an adult toilet, optionally via the use of auxiliary toilet seats sized to suit a child. I his sequence is generally perfectly satisfactory for a female child.

However, this does not introduce a male child to the concept of urinating while standing.

When a young boy encounters a public urinal for the first time, he may be completely disconcerted and unable to deal with the situation. Neither the traditional urinal with a ceramic wall extending upwardly from a collecting gutter, nor the individual form of a wall- mounted urinal with a separate drain, are commonly present in a domestic setting. The young boy will therefore probably encounter such urinals for the first time in a public or quasi-public setting, for example when out with his parents or in a school facility. This may well add to his consternation.

It would therefore be of benefit if the boy had previously had access to some form of training device, so that his parents could coach him appropriately in a private, domestic setting. Such a device should ideally be simple to set up for use, and easy to iemove, empty and clean after use. Like a potty, it should function independently from plumbing connections, and should be usable other than in a dedicated bathroom or the like. It should also be so adjustably fixable to a wall or the like as to be at a height comfortable to the boy.

It is hence an object of the present invention to provide an apparatus by means of which a male child may be trained in how to go about urinating in a standing position said apparatus further having the additional benefits referred to above.

According to the present invention, there is provided a device for toilet training a male child, the device comprising a rear wall, side and base walls so extending outwardly therefrom as to form a bowl means open to the front and above, and means to attach said rear wall detachably to a substantially vertical surface, such as a wall, at any height suitable for the child.

Preferably, the walls of the device comprise an integral moulding of plastics material.

The attachment means may comprise a plurality of suckers.

An embodiment of the present invention will now be more particularly described by way of example and with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which: Figure 1 is a perspective view of a training urinal embodying the invention; Figure 2 is a frontal elevation of the urinal of Figure 1; Figure 3 is a rear elevation of the urinal of Figure 1; and Figure 4 is a cross-sectional view of the urinal of Figure 2, taken along the line IV- IV.

Referring now to the Figures, and to Figure I in particular, a training urinal comprises a generally oval back wall 1, disposable substantially vertically in use, with a floor 2 extending outwardly and upwardly from a lower part of its periphery. The urinal is provided with two side shields 3, each extending outwardly and slightly inwardly, one towards the other, from opposite sides of the periphery of the back wall 1. The side shields 3 and floor 2 form a continuous curved surface which conforms sealingly to the periphery of the back wall I all along an edge of the shields 3 and floor 2 adjacent the back wall 1.

As is shown in Figure 2, the upwardly inclination of the floor 2 and the inwardly inclination of the side shields 3 lead to the connation of a frontal aperture 4, defined by edges of the floor 2 and shields 3 remote from the back wall 1, which is smaller in area than a corresponding portion ofthe back wall 1.

On a face of the back wall I remote from the floor 2 and side shields 3, the urinal is provided with a plurality of suckers 5 (conveniently three suckers 5, as shown in Figure 3). The suckers 5 are used to attach the urinal temporarily to a convenient substantially vertical surface, such as a wall or a door. The urinal can thus be positioned on the wall, etc. at a height selectably convenient for a particular child.

Other temporary attachment means are possible, such as patches of repositionable adhesive or patches of hook-and-loop fastening fabric, but suckers of rubber or the like are particularly suitable for attaching the training urinal to a tile bathroom wall.

Figure 4 shows how the back wall 1 and the floor 2 and the side shields 3 extending therefrom form a bowl 6 in which liquids may collect.

In use, the urinal is mounted to a convenient wall etc. using the suckers, at a height convenient to the boy being trained. The boy is encouraged to stand adjacent the aperture 4 and urinate thereinto to impact the back wall I and flow into the bowl 6, any splashing therefrom being prevented by the side shields 3. Once the boy has finished, an adult can detach the urinal from the wall, etc. carry it to a conventional toilet bowl, for example, and pour out the contents. It is then straightforward to wash out and optionally sterilise the urinal after use. It can be reattached to the wall immediately after cleaning, or stored until next needed, as desired.

The urinal can conveniently be moulded from plastics materials, such as high-density polyethylene, polypropylene or nylon, which would give the requisite combination of sturdiness, light weight, cheapness and ease of cleaning.

After a number of uses of the training urinal described, the boy should be prepared to use a conventional public urinal without apprehension, being by then used to urinating in a standing position and accurately directing his flow.

Claims (6)

1. A device for toilet training a male child, the device comprising a rear wall, and side and base walls so extending outwardly therefrom as to form a bowl means open to the front and above, and means to attach said rear wall detachably to a substantially vertical surface, such as a wall, at any height suitable for the child.

2. A device as claimed in claim 1, wherein the walls of the device comprise an integral unit.

3. A device as claimed in claim 2, wherein the unit comprises a moulding of plastics material.

4. A device as claimed in any one of claims I to 3, wherein the attachment means comprises a plurality of suckers.

5. A device as claimed in any one of claims I to 3, wherein the attachment means comprises patches ol hook-and-loop fastening fabric.

6. A device for toilet training a male child substantially as described herein with reference to the Figures of the accompanying drawings.