GB2514144A - Portable urination apparatus - Google Patents

Abstract

Portable urination apparatus including a liquid impervious bag having inner and outer surfaces 10, 11 and an open end 13, at least one closure 16 positioned to adjacent to the open end 13 to allow the bag to be held closed, and a grip facility 7 formed from flat sheet material, the grip facility 7 being held against the outer surface of the bag adjacent to, but substantially below, the open end 13. The invention provides a compact form of portable urination apparatus having a bag and a grip facility or support to aid users in gripping the apparatus and holding an end of the bag open during use. The grip facility is preferably confined substantially within the plan confines of the bag and is substantially rectangular in form. As such the grip facility provides a base about which the bag can be folded to provide a very compact package.

Description

FOR TABLE URINA HON AFPARZ4 TUS

Field of the invention

This invention relates to a portable urination apparatus or kit.

Background to the invention

Forms of portable urination apparatus have been proposed in the past. One example, described in US Patent No. 5,007,116, comprises a flexible urine receiving bag or pouch having a moulded mouth fastened to the open end of the bag, the mouth being shaped to cover the genitourinary area of a man or women in use. Whflst this apparatus may function in a satisfactory manner, the mouth adds considerable bulk and inhibits the portability and storage of the apparatus.

A potentially more compact form of apparatus is described in US 2010/0318044. In this apparatus the urine receiving bag has attached to the open end thereof what is described as a mouse. This mouse projects from the upper rim of the bag and has left and right wings that fold out to provide a tunnel-like entrance to the bag. Whilst the arrangement of the mouse allows the apparatus to be folded flat, the mouse projects significantly beyond the confines of the bad and adds considerable bulk to the kit. This form of apparatus has the further disadvantage that the mouse, which is formed from cardboard, will become contaminated with urine during use. This means that the apparatus is really limited to a single use and needs to be disposed of rapidly thereafter.

It is an object of the invention to provide portable urination apparatus that will go at least some way in addressing the shortcomings of the apparatus described above; or which will at least offer and novel and useful choice.

Summary of the Invention

Accordingly the invention provides portable urination apparatus including a liquid impervious bag having inner and outer surfaces and an open end; at least one closure positioned to adjacent to said open end to allow said bag to be held closed; and a grip facility formed from flat sheet material, said grip facility being held against the outer surface of said bag adjacent to, but substantially below, said open end.

Preferably said grip facility comprises a strip surrounding said bag adjacent to said open end.

Preferably said strip is retained in a sleeve formed in said bag.

Preferably said sleeve is defined by folding a wall extension of the bag flxnn said open end and fixing a distal end of said extension to said outer surface.

Alternatively said grip facility comprises a snip supporting substantially half the perimeter of said open end.

Preferably said strip is adhered to said bag.

Preferably said strip is rectangular in form.

Preferably said strip is formed from cardboard.

Preferably said bag includes two spaced closures.

Many variations in the way the present invention can be perfbrmed will present themselves to those skilled in the art. The description which follows is intended as an illustration only of one means of performing the invention and the lack of description of variants or equivalents should not be regarded as limiting. Wherever possible, a description of a specific element should be deemed to include any and all equivalents thereof whether in existence now or in the future.

Brief Descnption of the Drawings The invention will now be described with reference to the accompanying drawings in which: Fig 1: shows a plan view of portable urination apparatus according to the invention; Fig2: shows aview alongthe linell-ilinFig 1; and Fig 3: shows a similar vicw to Fig 2 but of an altcmativc embodiment.

Detailed Description of Working Embodiment

The invention pmvides portable urination apparatus 5 which essentially comprises a closable bag 6 and a grip facility 7 to assist in supporting the open end of the bag during urination.

Inthe formshownthebag 6ineludes afrontftce 10, arearface 11, abottom edge 12 and an open edge 13. A feature of the invention is that the grip facility 7 is formed from sheet material and is held against an outer surface part of the bag, adjacent to the open edge but substantially below the edge 13.

This allows the grip facility to provide the required degree of support and gripping surface yet minimizes the likelihood of the grip facility coming into contact with urine during use. Further advantages of the form of gripping facility described will become apparent from the description that Ibilows.

The bag 6 may conveniently formed from a liquid impermeable plastics material of any suitable composition, onc suitable material being low density polyethylene. A rectangular length of sheet may be folded in two, the fold line defining bottom edge 12. The opposed side edges extending away from the fold may then be welded or otherwise sealed together to define the bag.

One of the folded sections, in the case illustrated in Fig 2 the section defining the front face 10, may be made longer than that defining the rear face 11, the extra length 14 being reverse folded at the position of the open edge 13, wrapped around part of the grip facility 7, and then adhered or otherwise fixed to the front surface 10 at l5to deflneasleeveinwhiehthegripfacility7is retained.

The bag 6 may be of any desired size. In one example designed for personal uscdimcnsionxinFig 1 isabout l6cmwhiledimcnsionyisabout26cm.

The bag is provided with a closure to maintain the box closed after use.

Preferably the bag is provided with two closures, one closure 16 being of the re-sealable type having inter-engaging male and female parts, and the other closure 17 being an adhesive seal protected by a covering tape until the seal is to be used. In this way, the apparatus may be subjected to a number of uses and sealed, between uses, using the closure 16. Once filled, the closure 17 may be applied to add to the confidence that the contents of the bag will not spill.

As can be seen in Figs 2 & 3, granules 18 of super-absorbing polymer, such as SALSORWM, may be inserted into the bottom of the bag to convert the captured urine into a gel.

The grip facility 7 is preferably formed from cardboard and, in plan form as can be seen in Fig 1, is preferably rectangular. In the form shown in Fig 2, the grip facility 7 comprises a circular cuff that overlies sections of both the front face 10 and the rcar fhcc 11 ofthc bag, but is hcld only bythc sleeve formed in the front face 10. This embodiment of grip facility may be cut fit,m cardboard tube or may be folded from a length of strip, the ends of the strip being fixed together to define the cuff. In the case of the embodiment shown in Fig 3, the grip facility 7a comprises a simple length of cardboard strip adhered or otherwise fixed to the front face 10 only.

Whether in the form shown in Fig 2 or in the form shown in Fig 3, the grip fiteility 7 or 7a can be seen as being confined substantially within the plan area of the bag 6. This provides a particular benefit in that the rectangular grip facility can then provide a base about which the bag 6 can be folded or wound.

The resulting package then takes a rectangular form of little more bulk than that of the grip facility and this, in turn, allows the apparatus to be carried easily and inconspicuously in a bag or even a pocket.

It will thus be appreciated that the invention, at least in the case of the embodiments described, provides a simple yet highly effective form of portable urination apparatus that is compact in form yet allows multiple hygienic uses.

Claims (9)

1. Claims 1. Portable urination apparatus including a liquid impervious bag having inner and outer surfaces and an open end; at least one closure positioned to adjacent to said open end to allow said bag to be held closed; and a grip facility formed from flat sheet material, said grip facility being held against the outer surface of said bag adjacent to, but substantially below, said open end.
2. 2. Apparatus as claimed in claim 1 wherein said grip facility comprises a strip surrounding said bag adjacent to said open end.
3. 3. Apparatus as claimed in claim 2 wherein said strip is retained in a sleeve formed in said bag.
4. 4. Apparatus as claimed in claim 3 wherein said sleeve is defined by folding a wall extension of the bag from said open end and fixing a distal end of said extension to said outer surface.
5. 5. Apparatus as claimed in claim 2 wherein said grip facility comprises a strip supporting substantially half the perimeter of said open end.
6. 6. Apparatus as claimed in claim 5 wherein said strip is adhered to said bag.
7. 7. Apparatus as claimed in any one of claims 2 to 6 wherein said strip is rectangular in form.
8. 8. Apparatus as claimed in any one of claims 2 to 7 wherein said strip is formed from cardboard.
9. 9. Apparatus as claimed in any one of the preceding claims wherein said bag includes two spaced closures.