GB2477541A

GB2477541A - An integrated toilet and urinal system which encloses a male genital part

Info

Publication number: GB2477541A
Application number: GB1001898A
Authority: GB
Inventors: Imed Romdhani
Original assignee: Individual
Current assignee: Individual
Priority date: 2010-02-05
Filing date: 2010-02-05
Publication date: 2011-08-10
Also published as: GB201001898D0

Abstract

The invention relates to an integrated urinal system 100 comprising a chamber 104 to receive and enclose a male genital part. The system may also wash, dry and deodorize the male genital part. The urinal may comprise an outlet 110, plumbed into a toilet trap 112 or siphon for carrying away waste. The chamber may have a flexible hose 108 connected to the lower end of the chamber. The urinal may comprise one or more buttons 116, 118, 120 which control closing of the chamber, water ingress, deodorizing, drying and vibrating. Cleaning may be provided by a rotating brush. The device saves water and increases hygiene.

Description

I

Improvements in or Relating to Urinal Systems The present invention relates to improvements in or relating to urinal systems, and in particular to a new male urinal.

Various toilet designs have been proposed for the disposal of human waste. Typically a toilet will comprise a bowl that receives the waste and a flushing mechanism for washing the waste away. General purpose toilets use a lot of water to perform the flushing process and for this reason dedicated urinals have been adopted which are used specifically for disposing of urine.

One problem of urination is the scattering of urine around the place of urination, which is especially apparent for urination in an upright position.

Urine can be scattered around the toilet bowl or urinal or onto the clothes of the person urinating. While a traditional urinal will help save water as compared with a traditional toilet, the problem of scattering of urine is generally worse. This problem (for both traditional toilets and urinals) is even more pronounced for young children that usually cannot urinate properly using either an open urinal or a toilet.

Furthermore, existing toilets and urinals do not prevent the diffusion of the urine odour in the surrounding environment.

Another problem with urination is a lack of hygiene, as a man has a tendency to avoid washing the penis with tissues or water once he finishes urinating.

Various urinal designs have been proposed to overcome some of these problems. Patent Publication KR 100374235 discloses a portable standalone urinal with bidet which collects urine and washes the body.

However, two separate tanks are required to store clean water and urine.

Other approaches include sharing the same water tank between a toilet and a urinal (see for example GB 2387608), or using two integrated bowls with a common water tank (see for example US 2004/098799). JP 2006249803 discloses a urinal system which is attached to the underside of a western-style toilet seat or to an upper surface of a squat-type toilet, while JP 2007285104 discloses a moveable urinal which is provided over the seat of a toilet. JP 2004116188 discloses a separate toilet and urinal system where the urinal system is arranged to receive the penis.

None of the systems described above provide a complete solution to the problem of urine scattering or to improving hygiene. Improvements in urinal systems would therefore be very much sought after.

According to the present invention there is provided a urinal comprising a chamber adapted to receive and enclose a penis.

Optionally, the urinal comprises a water inlet arranged to provide ingress of hot or cold water into the chamber.

Optionally, the urinal comprises a deodorizer. This can optionally be provided as a deodorizing spray.

Optionally, the urinal comprises a dryer arranged to dry the inside of the chamber and/or the penis.

Optionally, the dryer is powered by a rechargeable power source.

Optionally, the urinal comprises a vibrator arranged to shake a penis inserted into the chamber.

Optionally, the urinal comprises an outlet for carrying away waste.

Optionally, the outlet is fed directly into a toilet trap or siphon.

Optionally, the urinal comprises a flexible hose attached to a lower end of the chamber.

Optionally, the chamber is provided as a detachable hand-held device.

Optionally, the urinal comprises one or more control buttons that control one or more of the following functions: water ingress; deodorizing; drying; vibrating.

Optionally, the urinal comprises a cleaning mechanism arranged to clean the inside of the chamber.

Optionally, the cleaning mechanism comprises a rotating brush.

Optionally, the urinal is provided at a conventional toilet.

Optionally, the urinal is provided as an independent sanitary fitting.

The present invention will now be described, by way of example only, with reference to the accompanying drawings in which: Fig. 1 shows a urinal system according to one embodiment; Fig. 2 shows an example of a closing mechanism for use with the system of Fig. 1; Fig. 3 shows a feature which may optionally be added to the embodiment shown in Fig. 1 or to other embodiments; Fig. 4 illustrates the urinal system of Fig. 3, positioned remotely from a toilet; Fig. 5 illustrates the embodiment of Fig. 4 with an alternative chamber design; and Fig. 6 illustrates the embodiment of Fig. 4, provided with a cleaning mechanism for cleaning the inside of a chamber.

Figure 1 shows a first embodiment of a urinal system 100 according to the invention, which in this embodiment is provided beside a standard toilet 102.

The urinal system 100 comprises a chamber 104 that is of appropriate size and shape to receive a penis. The chamber 104 is provided at its upper end with a closing mechanism 106 that can be moved between an open and a closed position, either manually or automatically. It may in one embodiment be operated by a control button that could for example be provided at the chamber housing. In the closed position the mechanism 106 contacts the penis, effectively forming a seal and creating an enclosure within the chamber 104. Because the chamber 104 is sealed in this way, the problems of urine scattering during urination are completely avoided.

It will be appreciated that any suitable mechanism can be provided for the closing mechanism 106. One example is shown in Fig. 2. In this example, the chamber 104 contains on its upper side a soft elastic annular membrane to receive the penis (or the rotating brush when provided). To be opened, the membrane is compressed backward to the boundary of the opening of the chamber 104, in the direction of the arrows shown in the figure. When the urinal is in use, the membrane moves forward to the centre and forms a seal around the penis.

The chamber 104 is preferably provided as a hand-held device and is optionally provided with a flexible hose 108 which can be adjustable in length. For aesthetic purposes the chamber 104 and/or the flexible hose 108 may be portable and personalised for individual use.

The system 100 is provided with an outlet 110 for the expulsion of urine and dirty water. The outlet 110 in a preferred embodiment is fed directly to the toilet trap 112. This means that the toilet does not need flushed in order to dispose of the urine, which saves the use of excessive water as the main toilet bowl does not need to be flushed.

In a preferred embodiment the system 100 also comprises a water inlet 114 which is arranged to provide ingress of hot or cold water into the chamber 104. This water can be used after urination to clean the penis and the inner walls of the chamber 104. In a preferred embodiment the inlet of water from the inlet 114 can be controlled via a switch means 116 which may for example open or release a valve. The water may be provided as a jet spray in one embodiment.

A further optional feature that can be provided is a deodorising spray which can be operated by a switch means 118. The perfume to be sprayed can be provided either within the housing of the chamber 104, for example to be replaced through cartridge refills or the like, or it can be provided from an external reservoir through use of a further inlet pipe provided for ingress of the perfume to the chamber 104.

A further optional feature is the incorporation of a dryer in the chamber 104, which is activatable by a switch means 120. This may be provided as a standalone device attached to the chamber 104. In one embodiment the dryer may be powered by a rechargeable power source which can optionally be connected to the mains for charging. Fig. 3 shows an illustration of this embodiment, where the chamber 104 is provided with a power connector 200 for engagement with a socket 202. The socket 202 may for example be integrated with the toilet, or it can be provided at a surface of a wall. The power connector 200 and socket 202 can also effectively function as a mount for the device for storage when not in use.

While not in use the chamber 104 may be plugged into the power socket 202 via the connector 200 during which time it receives and stores charge, which can then later be used to power the dryer.

A vibrator may also be provided that can shake the penis for a few seconds after urination to shake free any remaining droplets of urine. The vibrator can be controlled by the user.

The present invention is not limited to any particular plumbing installation.

In particular, Fig. I illustrates a urinal system 100 which is provided at a standard toilet 102. In an alternative embodiment the urinal can be provided at a separate location remote from the toilet 102. This is illustrated in Fig. 4. In this illustrated embodiment the urinal system is provided remote from the toilet 102 and pipe work 300, 302 is used for expulsion of waste. The end of pipe section 302 can be terminated together with the toilet trap or siphon 112. It will be appreciated that in an alternative embodiment the outlet pipe 110 can feed directly into other external waste systems and does not have to be fed into a toilet trap as such.

Also, instead of water being supplied to the urinal system through an external pipe, it can be contained in a tank that can be integrated to the system.

There are various other designs which can be used for the chamber, one example of which is shown in Fig. 5 where the chamber comprises a nozzle shaped device 400.

A further optional feature that can be provided is a cleaning mechanism for cleaning the inner surface of the chamber 104 after each use. An embodiment of this is illustrated in Fig. 6, in this case taking the form of a rotatable brush 500 with a cap 502. In a preferred embodiment the brush can be provided with an antibacterial gel or detergent and can be activated after each use. A rotatable brush 500 can be used with any embodiment of the invention and helps increase the hygiene of the device.

The new system can be easily installed either in a domestic or public environment and can be retrofitted to existing toilets.

The urinal system is suitable for use by persons of any age and can for example be used in a nursery environment. The system prevents urine from being scattered and is designed to avoid contact with urine. It can be used by males, either standing or not.

The system is also very economical with water as urine is discharged without requiring the flushing of a toilet bowl.

For the reasons described above the new proposed system promotes hygiene, economises water and avoids completely the scattering of urine and consequently any offences caused by it that may disturb others.

Various improvements and modifications can be made to the above without departing from the scope of the invention.

Claims

CLAIMS1. A urinal comprising a chamber adapted to receive and enclose a penis.
2. The urinal of claim 1, comprising a water inlet arranged to provide ingress of hot or cold water into the chamber.
3. The urinal of claim 1 or claim 2, comprising a deodorizer.
4. The urinal of claim 3, wherein the deodorizer is provided as a deodorizing spray.
5. The urinal of any preceding claim, comprising a dryer arranged to dry the penis and/or the inside of the chamber.
6. The urinal of claim 5, wherein the dryer is powered by a rechargeable power source.
7. The urinal of any preceding claim, comprising a vibrator arranged to shake a penis inserted into the chamber.
8. The urinal of any preceding claim, comprising an outlet for carrying away waste.
9. The urinal of claim 8, wherein the outlet is fed directly into a toilet trap or siphon.
10. The urinal of any preceding claim, comprising a flexible hose attached to a lower end of the chamber.
11. The urinal of any preceding claim, wherein the chamber is provided as a detachable hand-held device.
12. The urinal of any preceding claim, comprising one or more control buttons that control one or more of the following functions: closing the chamber, water ingress; deodorizing; drying; vibrating.
13. The urinal of any preceding claim, comprising a cleaning mechanism arranged to clean the inside of the chamber.
14. The urinal of claim 13, wherein the cleaning mechanism comprises a rotating brush.
15. The urinal of any preceding claim, provided at a conventional toilet.
16. The urinal of any of claims ito 14, provided as an independent sanitary fitting.