GB2407974A

GB2407974A - Urinary splash collector

Info

Publication number: GB2407974A
Application number: GB0325984A
Authority: GB
Inventors: Andrew Lewis Spurway; Simon Lord Jones
Original assignee: Individual
Current assignee: Individual
Priority date: 2003-11-07
Filing date: 2003-11-07
Publication date: 2005-05-18
Also published as: GB0325984D0

Abstract

A urinary splash collector for use in front of a male urinal. The collector comprises an inclined plate down which a liquid will flow and a reservoir 19 for that liquid. The reservoir 19 is adapted to receive liquid flowing down the upper surface of the plate. There is further provided a pump arrangement 20 to draw liquid from the reservoir 19 and pump the liquid onto the plate at or adjacent the upper end 18, and a platform 22 overlying the inclined plate to permit the through-flow of urine onto the inclined plate. Splashes of urine become entrained in the liquid, which may include a chemical deodorant, so do not dry and cause an unpleasant odour.

Description

- 1 - 2407974 Urinarv Splash Collect", The present invention relates to a

urinary splash collector for use in front of a male urinal, and in particular such a urinary splash collector which contains a circulating flowing liquid.

In a public or private building that has one or more urinal, unpleasant smells can occur due to urine spilt around that urinal. It is quite often the case that upon entering a male lavatory, the initial smell of urine can be very powerful.

It is obvious that this is not acceptable in public places and far from desirable in private. Currently, the methods employed to counter the problem include placing deodorising blocks in the urinal bowl, placing air conditioning/deodorising units and fans onto the walls, and using airfreshening sprays. Whilst reasonably effective at covering or mitigating the smell, none of the aforementioned practices have addressed the actual cause of the smell, which is urine that has been spilt and possibly gone stale.

It is often the case when a man urinates there may be a certain amount of urine that misses the urinal or other receptacle and falls to the floor. This may be caused by "splash-back", where the urine hits the bowl of the urinal with sufficient speed to cause some of the urine to rebound and fall outside the bowl. In addition to this splash-back, about which little can be done, a further problem can occur when drips of urine fall directly to the floor. Also in some situations, for example in places where alcohol is served, there is a tendency for a man's aim to - 2 be so poor that more urine than normal is spilt and on occasion for the urinal to be missed entirely.

It is a common feature for urinals to flush, either on a timed basis, manually, or automatically by the implementation of infra-red sensors. This removes the urine in the bowl of the urinal, but not that which ends up on the floor, where it evaporates and causes the smell. The only way of removing such spilt urine is by regular cleaning of the floor. Although essential, this is often time consuming and needs to be done on a very regular basis in order to have an effect, especially in pubs or nightclubs where there are often many users.

Further, to clean such places often enough to prevent smells is not practical because it cause would obstruct their normal use.

The present invention aims to provide an effective, simple and cheap solution to this problem and to provide a mechanism by which urine falling outside the urinal can be dealt with to keep the location in which urinals are provided clean and reduce the odour.

Therefore, according to the present invention there is provided a urinary splash collector for use in front of a male urinal, which collector comprises an inclined plate down which a liquid will flow, a reservoir for that liquid, the reservoir being adapted to receive liquid flowing down the upper surface of the plate; a pump arrangement to draw liquid from the reservoir and pump the liquid onto the plate at or adjacent an upper end thereof; and a platform overlying the inclined plate which platform permits the through-flow of urine onto the inclined plate. - 3

The term urinal as used herein encompasses all male sanitary wear at which a man or men will urinate whilst standing. Typical examples include individual bowls suspended from the wall, a plurality of such bowls, or larger multi-user troughs that may cover an entire wall where many men may stand to urinate. The term lavatory as used herein defines the building or room containing one or more such urinals.

The inclined plate may be mounted in a tray and the plate may extend some, most or all of the way across the tray either widthways or lengthways. The tray may be movable and may be placed on the floor in front of a urinal. The tray may be adapted to contain or support most if not all of the other components, and the inclined plate can separate the tray into an upper section and a lower section.

The lower section or a part thereof can form the reservoir and house some or all of the pump arrangement. The reservoir can also be formed on the plate at the lower end thereof, below or adjacent the end of the plate, in part of any pipes leading from the lower end of the plate to the pump, or in a sump connected thereto.

It is preferred that the urinary splash collector is of sufficient size such that a person or persons may stand on it safely in front of the urinal, or may stand adjacent it with it between them and that urinal. Clearly it should not be so big that it cannot be placed in most lavatories, although it will be apparent that the present invention could with appropriate design be adapted to a myriad of different potential shapes and situations. For example a urinary splash collector - 4 according to the present invention could be custom built for a lavatory's individual requirements.

The platform needs to permit the passage of urine that falls thereon through to the inclined plate such that it can become entrained in the circulating liquid that flows thereon. To achieve this, the platform needs to have openings therethrough, that are suitably large as to permit that passage, but they should preferably be sized that they do not present a danger to the users of the urinal from tripping or otherwise. Also in most public lavatories it is desirable that the platform's openings are sufficiently small so that foreign objects of too great a size cannot be inserted within. It is particularly preferred that the platform is formed from a mesh screen or grille, as these provided the necessary strength and through flow characteristics.

It is preferred that the urinary splash collector is placed under the urinal to catch any urine that fails to the side and in front of the urinal, and that it extends far enough outwards from the urinal so that the person or persons urinating can stand safely on it without having to be too close to the urinal.

The liquid contained within the circulatory system, which is preferably water, will flow down the inclined plate under the influence of gravity, although impetus may be imparted to the liquid to speed that passage. The liquid will then be returned to the top of the plate by the pump arrangement to complete the circulation cycle. As the device is used, urine will become entrained in the liquid, rather than falling on to the floor drying and causing a smell. Any volume of liquid will tend to be able to hold a certain amount of urine before the concentration of - 5 urine therein becomes so high that an unacceptable odour level will still occur.

Therefore, the circulating liquid may be replaced at regular intervals by flushing the liquid out and introducing fresh liquid. The collector may be provided with supply connection means that permit connection to a liquid supply such as mains water, and it may be further provided with discharge connection means such that it may be connected to a waste system, such a mains sewage pipe.

The collector may be further provided with means to permit the introduction of deodorising and/or disinfecting component into the liquid either as it circulates or in doses when the liquid is changed. The deodorising and or disinfecting component may be a suitable chemical additive. The device may include an additive storage bottle that may be connected to the pump arrangement such that additive may be introduced in the circulating liquid automatically or selectively.

The liquid will tend to flow at a sufficient rate to maintain a sufficient gradient between the concentration of urine in the liquid and the concentration of urine related odour in the air. This help to dissolve any volatilised odour in the air thus reducing odour further. The circulation will also help mixing of the liquid components.

The urinary splash collector according to the present invention may be a separate item that is placed directly onto the floor of an existing lavatory, and so the platform will be higher that the floor so causing a slight step. Alternatively the device may be mounted in a recess in the floor or otherwise sunken into the ground so that the top of the platform is level with the floor. - 6

In order that it may be better understood, but by way of example only, one embodiment of the present invention will now be described in more detail with reference to the accompanying drawings in which: Figure 1 is an isometric view of the embodiment of a urinary splash collector; Figure 2 is a cross-sectional side view of the urinary splash collector of Figure 1; and Figure 3 is a underside view of that embodiment of collector.

Referring to all Figures, there is shown a urinary splash collector generally indicated 10 for use in front of a male urinal, which collector comprises a main body 9 for containing a liquid, an inclined plate 11 dividing the main body into an upper section 18 and a lower section 19. As best shown in Figures 2 and 3, pumps 20 and 21 draw liquid from the lower end of the plate 11 through holes 17 and suction pipes 29, 30, 31 and pump it to the top of the plate 11 through a outflow pipes 28 such that it emerges from openings 16 that extend through the inclined plate at the upper end thereof. The liquid, which in this embodiment would be water, then flows back down the plate 11 to pass back through the holes 17 into the suction pipes and thence the pumps. A platform 22 overlies the main body and is in the form of a grille. The urinary splash collector 10 can either be placed on or sunken into the floor (not shown). The main body 9 is generally rectangular in shape, with in this particular embodiment the dimensions 120cm x 60cm X 12.5 cm (4' x 2' x 5"). It has two relatively shorter faces 12, 13 and two relatively longer faces 14,15. - 7

The inclined plate 11 is contained within the main body 9 and is orientated at a slight angle with respected to the length of the main body, so that the upper end of the plate 11 is positioned nearer the platform than is the lower end. The angle of plate 11 need not be that steep, but should generally be enough that liquid can flow across the surface under the influence of gravity at a sufficient rate to entrain the urine falling therein and maintain a suitable dissolved/airborne urine gradient.

The pumps 20 and 21 as well as the pipes 28, 29, 30, 31 and 38 are located in the lower section 19 and so are not visible to a person standing on or adjacent the urinal.

The platform, generally indicated 22, is located above the plate 11 and is supported by the upper edges of the main body 9. The platform can take any form that allows urine to efficiently pass therethrough whilst providing a surface strong enough that one or more people can stand upon safely, but in this embodiment, the platform is a network of struts, in the form of a grille. The platform 22 is composed of at least four short widthwise struts 23. Secured to these are several long lengthwise struts 25. The lengthwise struts 25 are secured to the widthwise struts 23 with enough gap between each to allow urine to pass through, but not so wide that they are dangerous to stand upon. The widthwise struts 23 at the ends rest on the short sides 12 and 13 of the main body 9. The intermediate widthwise struts 23 rest on supports 26 that are attached to the plate 11. The platform in this embodiment is removably located on the main body such that it may be removed for cleaning and servicing of the - 8 collector. In an alternative the platform could be in two or more sections and some or all of these could be hingedly attached to the main body.

In normal operation, the platform will be placed lengthways beneath a urinal, probably but necessarily against a wall. The user will stand on or adjacent the platform 22 and urinate into the bowl of the urinal. Urine that misses the bowl will end up falling between the gaps between the struts 22 and 23. The urine will then fall into the liquid running down the plate 11 and be washed down through the holes 17. Whilst this liquid and the entrained urine will be recirculated, the fact that the urine is in the water means it will not dry out and will not start to smell.

To assist in deodorising the lavatory, the liquid may contain a chemical that is deodorising and disinfectant in nature. Such a chemical is stored in a bottle 26 that is secured to the underside of plate 11 in the lower section 19 and enters the system of circulating liquid through a pipe 27. The chemical may be introduced into the liquid continually or may be introduced in batches after each flushing process each time the liquid is changed. It is an option to colour the liquid.

Further outlets 36 are provided in the middle of the plate 11, and these provide an additional point from which liquid will be pumped onto the upper surface of the plate 11. Liquid is pumped to the further outlets 36 through pipes 37 and 38. This additional outflow into the downward flow from the holes 16 will create a rapids" effect, and will help mix the urine, chemical and water, in order to help maintain efficient operation. - 9 -

It is preferable that to ensure maximum economy, a sensor will be provided to control the operation of the circulatory pumping system. When a user walks into the lavatory, such a sensor (not shown) which may be in the device or remote therefrom sends a signal to a control box 33 attached to plate 11. This in turn starts the pumps 20 and 21. The pumps will then be in operation for a preset period, such as 5 minutes, before shutting off. A remote sensor could be provided on the door of the lavatory to activate the pump when a person enters.

Other sensors such as pressure sensors on the piafform could be used.

It is also preferred that the pumps operate alternatively. In some places, such as busy nightclubs, there is a constant stream of people entering the lavatory. In situations such as these, the pumps could be programmed to work continuously, or to turn off a preset time after the sensor had last been activated.

At certain times, such as after busy periods, it may be desirable to replace the circulating liquid, or merely to empty the main body for cleaning. In order that this may happen, there is inflow pipe 39 attached to the suction pipe 30, which inflow pipe may be connected to a mains water supply (not shown). There is also an outflow pipe 40 attached to the suction pipe 30 which is connected to external drainage (not shown). The inflow and outflow pipes may be provided with valves (not shown) and the flushing action way be controlled by the control box 33 by operation of those valves. When fresh liquid enters the system, chemical from bottle 26 may be injected in the stream via pipe 27, or may be automatically drawn therein by circulation of the liquid, such as by a venturi pump. -

Claims

Claims 1. A urinary splash collector for use in front of a male urinal,

which collector comprises an inclined plate down which a liquid will flow, a reservoir for that liquid, the reservoir being adapted to receive liquid flowing down the upper surface of the plate; a pump arrangement to draw liquid from the reservoir and pump the liquid onto the plate at or adjacent an upper end thereof; and a platform overlying the inclined plate which platform permits the through-flow of urine onto the inclined plate.
2. A urinary splash collector as claimed in claim 1, wherein the inclined plate is mounted in and extends across a tray.
3. A urinary splash collector as claimed in claim 2, wherein the inclined plate separates the tray into an upper section and a lower section.
4. A urinary splash collector as claimed in any of the preceding claims wherein the reservoir is formed at the lower end of the plate.
5. A urinary splash collector as claimed in claim any of claims 1 to 3, wherein the reservoir is formed below the inclined plate and liquid falls off the end of the plate or through apertures therein to enter the reservoir.
6. A urinary splash collector as claimed in any of the preceding claims, wherein the liquid contains a deodorising and / or disinfectant chemical.
7. A urinary splash collector as claimed in claim 6, wherein the chemical is stored in a bottle that is connected to the circulation system such that the chemical is introduced during use. - 11
8. A urinary splash collector as claimed in any of the preceding claims wherein the plate, and tray if present, are generally rectangular in plan view.
9. A urinary splash collector as claimed in any of the preceding claims which is constructed predominantly from stainless steel.
10. A urinary splash collector as claimed in any of the preceding claims which is adapted to be placed on or sunken into a floor in front of a urinal.
11. A urinary splash collector as claimed in any of the preceding claims wherein one or more holes are formed through the inclined plate such that the liquid will flow therethrough into the reservoir.
12. A urinary splash collector as claimed in any of the preceding claims in which the platform is formed as a mesh, grille or grid.
13. A urinary splash collector as claimed in any of the preceding claims, wherein the platform may be moved from its position overlying the inclined plate to permit cleaning and/or maintenance.
14. A urinary splash collector as claimed in any of the preceding claims, wherein the platform is in two or more separate sections that are hingedly joined to the tray or inclined plate.
15. A urinary splash collector as claimed in any of the preceding claims in which the platform is adapted to support the weight of a person standing thereon.
16. A urinary splash collector as claimed in any of the preceding claims wherein the pump arrangement includes a pump, pipes leading from the reservoir to the pump and pipes leading from the pump to the upper region of the inclined plate. - 12
17. A urinary splash collector as claimed in claim 16, wherein the pump is located separately from the rest of the collector.
18. A urinary splash collector as claimed in any of the preceding claims wherein supply connection means are provided to permit connection to a supply of fresh liquid to replace or replenish the liquid in the collector.
19. A urinary splash collector as claimed in any of the preceding claims wherein waste connection means are provided to permit the liquid contained in the collector to be discharged.
20. A urinary splash collector as claimed in claims 18 or 19, wherein the flow of liquid through the supply connection means and the waste connection means is controlled by a valve or valves.
21. A urinary splash collector as claimed in claim 20, wherein the or each valve is controlled by electronic means.
22. A urinary splash collector as claimed in any of the preceding claims wherein an electronic control unit is provided to control the collector.
23. A urinary splash collector as claimed in claim 1 and substantially as herein described with reference to and as illustrated in the accompanying drawings.