NL2024339B1

NL2024339B1 - Outdoor urinal unit for temporary placement and frequent transport.

Info

Publication number: NL2024339B1
Application number: NL2024339A
Authority: NL
Inventors: Van Zuijlen Johan
Original assignee: Danife B V
Priority date: 2019-11-29
Filing date: 2019-11-29
Publication date: 2021-08-31

Abstract

Urinal unit 100 for temporary providing an urinal comprising a L-shaped unit body 1 with a base platform 11 which forms a pedestal to stand in front of a urinal 13 and an upstanding 5 wall 12 which forms a privacy separation. At least one urinal 13 is connected to a front side F of the upstanding wall 12. The urinal unit 100 comprises a pair of a male and a female lock member 51, 52 to engage with each other in a transport assembly TA of an assembly of urinal units 101, 102. In the transport assembly TA one of the urinal units 102 is stacked in an upside down orientation onto another urinal unit 101 in which the lock members 51, 52 10 engage with each other to provide stability. The transport assembly TA may be further compacted by collapsing the upstanding wall 12 of each urinal unit. Fig. 8C

Description

P34146NLO0/KHO Title: Outdoor urinal unit for temporary placement and frequent transport.

The present invention relates to an urinal unit and a method for transporting a plurality of such urinal units. The urinal unit has a robust configuration which is suitable for frequent transport and use in a public environment. The urinal unit is suitable for a temporary use in an environment where sanitary facilities are limited available, e.g. at city centres, seasonal recreation terrains like a camping or marina, parking place or construction site. In particular, the urinal unit is suitable to be used at an outdoor terrain as a sanitary facility for a large crowd of people duríng an amusement event, like a music festival or sports event, like a city marathon.

A urinal unit which provides four urinals is known from a publication of a design registration with European design number 003416692-0001. This urinal unit is moulded. The urinal unit has a cylindrical bottom and top portion which are connectable to each other. The top portion provides four urinals. In use, multiple persons can stand around the urinal unit.

A problem to this known urinal unit is its high product-volume. The urinal unit is relative bulky.

As the urinal unit is only used for a short time during an event, the plurality of urinal units have to be frequently transported to another location. By nesting multiple bottom and top portions of these urinal units, a required transport volume may be minimised.

WQ02015/033007 discloses an alternative embodiment of a similar urinal unit in which a telescopic solution is provided to reduce a transport space. A portable urinal is disclosed which is suitable for accommodating various users standing up around. A cylindrical lower vessel is provided which determines a container around which users stand in order to urinate. An upper body closes the lower vessel at the top and is provided with a series of vertical panels to provide privacy partitions. The upper body is telescopically coupled to the lower vessel and able to slide between at least two positions. In a high position, the vertical panels of the upper body provide the users with privacy, and in a gathered-up position, the upper body is lowered into the lower vessel to obtain a transport assembly.

Another urinal unit is known which is adapted to be used by a single person. This urinal unit, also called a PeeOne, is box-shaped. An urinal is positioned against an upstanding rear-wall in between a left and right side wall. At a restroom area, a plurality of such urinal units can be placed in an array to obtain a wall-shaped arrangement of urinals. The left and right side wall

“2. of each urinal provide a privacy partition in between the side by side arranged urinals. In the sanitary wall, neighbouring urinals are facing away from each other to provide privacy while facilitating multiple persons.

The box-shape configuration of this urinal unit is beneficial, because the box-shape allows a compact gathering of a plurality of such urinal units to obtain a compact transport assembly. However, in comparison with a multiple person urinal unit, a sanitation system comprising a plurality of such urinal units has a limited storage capacity and servicing of the sanitation system is more time consuming.

Regarding the above-mentioned prior art, it is remarked that any discussion of documents, acts, materials, devices, articles or the like included in the present specification is for the purpose of providing a context for the present invention, and is not to be taken as an admission that any such matters form part of the prior art or were before the priority date of each claim of this application common general knowledge in the field relevant to the present invention.

The general object of the present invention is to at least partially eliminate the above mentioned drawbacks and/or to provide a usable alternative. More specific it is an object of the invention to provide a urinal unit, in particular a multiple person urinal unit, which can be arranged in a transport assembly in a compact configuration.

According to the invention, this object is achieved by a urinal unit according to claim 1.

According to the invention, an urinal unit is provided for temporary providing at least one urinal at a certain place. By installing the urinal unit, a temporary sanitary facility is provided. Typical places to which the urinal units are transported are outside terrains, like at a festival or a city event.

The urinal unit comprises a L-shaped unit body. The unit body comprises a base platform at a bottom region of the unit body. The base platform forms a pedestal for a user to stand in front of a urinal. The unit body has an upstanding wall at a back region of the unit body. The upstanding wall forms a privacy separation from the outdoor environment. The upstanding wall and base platform together form the L-shape of the unit body. The unit body further comprises at least one urinal connected to a front side of the upstanding wall.

-3- The urinal unit further comprises a pair of a male and a female lock member. The lock members serve to interconnect stacked urinal units. The lock members are complementary shaped to each other to engage with each other in a transport assembly of a plurality of urinal units. In the transport assembly, one of the urinal units is stacked in an upside down orientation to another urinal unit. In the transport assembly of urinal units, the male and female lock members of the stacked urinal units engage with each other. The urinal unit according to the invention may provide several benefits. A major benefit of a first aspect of the invention is that the L-shape of the unit body allows a compact stacking of atleast two urinal units, wherein one of the urinal units is placed upside down. The presence of the pair of lock members according to a second aspect of the invention provides stability to the stacked urinal units without necessitating additional separately provided fasteners, like tensioning straps. Preferably, the pair of lock members is integrally formed with the unit body by a moulding process, in particular by a rotation moulding process, or formed by items which are non-removable from the unit body, like a U-shaped non-releasable connector as will be further details hereafter. Due to their permanent attachment to the unit body or incorporation in the unit body, these lock members are always available to a user to fasten stacked urinal units. A user always has the lock members at hand in any situation to fasten the transport assembly.

In an embodiment of the urinal unit according to the invention, the male lock member is formed by a protrusion, and the female lock member is complementary formed by a recess. Preferably, one of the male or female lock member is positioned on top of the upstanding wall, wherein the complementary other female are male lock member is positioned at a top surface of the base platform, such that said male and female lock members engage to each other when the first urinal unit is placed upside down on top of the second urinal unit. The protrusion and recess are directed in height direction of the unit body, such that the protrusion is received in the recess when lowering of the upside down oriented urinal unit onto the upstanding urinal unit. Herewith, the recess is configured for receiving the protrusion to obtain the transport assembly of the urinal units which prevents a relative movement in a lateral direction. The stacked urinal unit cannot move in a horizontal plane which provides stability to the transport assembly. In an embodiment of the urinal unit according to the invention, one of the male and female lock members is positioned on a top surface of the upstanding wall, and wherein the complementary other female or male lock member is positioned on a top surface of the base platform, such that said male and female lock members engage to each other when the first

-4- urinal unit is placed upside down on top of the second urinal unit. Preferably, the lock members are positioned at a distance from each other on top of the upstanding wall, in particular adjacent an upper corner of the upstanding wall. In comparison with centrally positioned lock members, the spaced apart lock members advantageously contribute to an increase in stability of stacked urinal units.

In an embodiment of the urinal unit according to the invention, the unit body comprises at least two urinals positioned at a front side of the upstanding wall. A wall portion is provided in between each urinal. The wall portion forms a privacy partition. Preferably, the unit body has only two urinals in which the privacy partition is positioned in between the urinals in a middle region of the unit body. The wall portion extends above each urinal for shielding each urinal. In particular, the wall portion may be provided with a removable shield panel as an accessory to further increase privacy. The shield panel is mountable on top of the wall portion to provide a first and second urinal compartment.

In an embodiment of the urinal unit according to the invention, both the male and female lock member are positioned on top of the privacy partition in between two urinals. Both the male and female lock member are positioned on a lower portion end face of the privacy partition. Advantageously, the lock members may also be used to attach the shield panel.

In an embodiment of the urinal unit according to the invention, the male lock member is a separate item. Preferably, the male lock member is an elongated pin-shaped item, and the female lock member is formed by a hole in the unit body. In particular, the male lock member has a pin body with a rectangular, in particular square cross-section. The pin-shaped item may be inserted into a male hole of the unit body to form and position the male lock member in correspondence with the hole of the female lock member. In a further embodiment of the urinal unit according to the invention, the pin-shaped lock member is axially movable connected to the unit body. Preferably, the lock member is movable under gravity. The lock member can be placed in a sunken or protruding position by orienting the unit body in an upstanding or upside down orientation. Owing to gravity, the lock member sinks down into or protrudes from the unit body. Advantageously, the axial movable lock member forms a male lock member when needed. It is a benefit that the male lock member when positioned at the base platform is available in the upside down orientation of the urinal unit, but forms no disturbing element during normal use of the urinal unit.

“5. In a further embodiment of the urinal unit according to the invention, the pin-shaped lock member is non-releasable connected to the unit body. Regarding the normal use of the urinal unit, the lock member is permanently connected to the unit body, such that the lock member cannot be loosened during transport of the unit body. Without intentional demounting components, the lock member cannot be removed from the unit body. As illustrated in the detailed description, the lock member may e.g. be assembled out of two lock member parts which assembled parts form an intermediate narrowed section in between two enlarged end portions in which the end portions are in a form closed manner mounted to the unit body.

In an embodiment of the urinal unit according to the invention, the upstanding wall has an upstanding wall upper portion and an upstanding wall lower portion, wherein the upstanding wall upper portion can be lowered relative to the upstanding wall lower portion to obtain a compact configuration. In the compact configuration, the urinal unit is in a transport state. When the upstanding wall upper portion is in a raised position, the urinal unit is in a use state.

In particular, the upstanding wall upper portion is slidable with respect to the upstanding wall lower portion. The upstanding wall lower portion may at least partially enclose the upstanding wall upper portion to obtain the slidable connection. Preferably, the upstanding wall upper portion is telescopically connected to the upstanding wall lower portion. The upstanding wall lower portion may the hollow and have an inner space for receiving the upstanding wall upper portion. According to the first aspect of the invention, any lock member may be superfluous as the compact configuration of the urinal unit contributes to stability in transport. According to the second aspect of the invention, a presence of a pair of lock members may further increase stability in transport. The pair of lock members may be positioned at a top surface of the upstanding wall upper portion and the base platform top surface. In a variant, the pair of lock members may be positioned at a lower portion end face of a privacy partition formed by a wall portion in between two urinals. In an embodiment of the urinal unit according to the invention, the transport assembly of urinal units is a 2-unit assembly. Each urinal unit has a L-shaped unit body. The 2-unit assembly is formed by a first and second urinal unit in which the second urinal unit is placed in an upside down orientation onto the first urinal unit. The second urinal unit is stacked onto the first urinal unit. Advantageously, the 2-unit assembly forms a very compact configuration which minimises dead spaces when transporting the urinal units on a trailer floor to another location.

In another embodiment of the urinal unit according to the invention the transport assembly of urinal units is a 4-unit assembly. Each urinal unit has a L -shaped unit body. The 4-unit

-6- assembly is formed by a first, second, third and fourth urinal unit. The first and second urinal unit are placed opposite each other in which the urinals are facing each other. The first and second urinal unit are positioned opposite each other in mirror symmetry. In the 4-unit assembly, the third and fourth urinal units are stacked onto the first and second urinal units in an upside down orientation. Also the third and fourth urinal unit are positioned opposite each other in mirror symmetry. Advantageously, the 4-unit assembly forms a very compact configuration which minimises dead spaces when transporting the urinal units on a trailer floor to another location.

In an embodiment of the urinal unit for forming a 4-unit transport assembly according to the invention, each urinal unit comprises an upstanding wall with chamfered side edges. The chamfered side edges extend in height direction across a whole length of the upstanding wall. The upstanding wall has a width substantially equal to the width of the base platform. When stacking urinal unit in an upside down orientation onto two opposite positioned urinal units, the chamfered side edges guide the urinal unit during the lowering movement. Advantageously, in the transport assembly, the chamfered side edges of the upstanding walls contribute to a lateral blockage of the urinal units. The chamfered side edges beneficially allow a close side-by-side arrangement of the upstanding walls of neighbouring urinal units. Additionally, In a normal use of the urinal units on location, the upstanding walls of the side by side positioned urinal units may form a substantially closed wall without undesired openings in between each upstanding wall.

In an embodiment of the urinal unit according to the invention, the urinal unit further comprises a connector for connecting adjacently positioned urinal units. Preferably, the connector is an item which is positioned at a corner of the base platform of the unit body. Preferably, the connector is a U-shaped item in which the connector has a connector body, in particular a plate-shaped connector body, including a first and second connector member. Preferably, the first and second connector member are pin-shaped members. Preferably, at least one of the connector members has a circular cross-section. Advantageously, the connector is usable to provide an additional lockage to urinal units in the transport assembly in addition to a pair of lock members which are incorporated in the unit body. In particular, the connector may contribute to fastening a bottom region of a transport assembly of four urinal units, when the pair of lock members are situated at a top region of the transport assembly.

In a further embodiment of the urinal unit according to the invention, the second connector member is non-releasable, liftable and pivotable connected to the unit body, in particular to a base platform of a urinal unit. Non-releasable means that in normal use, the connector is

-7- permanently, non-removable connected to the unit body. This is beneficial to prevent loosening the connector in handling the urinal unit. Without releasing the connector from the unit body, the connector can be lifted to detach the first connector member from a hole of a first urinal unit and subsequently rotate the first connector member to a hole of a second urinal unit, after which the connector is lowered to introduce the first connector member into the hole of the second urinal unit. Herewith, adjacent positioned urinal units can be easily connected while keeping the connector connected to one of the urinal units to prevent loosening of the connector. Advantageously, the pin-shaped member of the non-releasable connector may form a male lock member of the pair of lock members.

Further, the invention relates to a method for transporting a plurality of urinal units. In transporting the urinal units, the urinal units are placed on a trailer floor. A trailer floor area is limited and may accommodate only a limited number of urinal units.

In a step of the method, at least two urinal units according to the invention are provided. By using an embodiment of the urinal unit according to the invention, advantageously, the urinal units can be stacked in a very compact manner. A transport assembly of combined urinal units is block-shaped which minimises dead spaces in between the urinal units on the trailer floor. In the transport assembly, a first urinal unit is oriented in its standard use position, and a second urinal unit is oriented in an upside down position. In the method according to the invention, the second urinal unit is stacked onto the first urinal unit to obtain the transport assembly of said urinal units. The transport assembly of the at least first and second urinal unit can be build or placed as a whole on the trailer floor.

In an embodiment of the method according to the invention, the method comprises a step of assembling a 2-unit transport assembly, wherein two urinal units are combined. One urinal unit is placed in an upside down orientation onto another urinal unit.

In another embodiment of the method according to the invention, the method comprises a step of assembling a 4-unit transport assembly, wherein four urinal units are combined. Two urinal units are placed in an upside down orientation onto two other urinal units.

According to a first aspect of the invention, the invention provides a urinal unit for temporary providing a sanitary facility. The urinal unit comprises a L-shaped unit body. A base platform and an upstanding wall together form the L-shape of the unit body. The upstanding wall forms a privacy separation. The upstanding wall is positioned at a back region of the unit body. At least one urinal is connected to a front side of the upstanding wall. The base platform is

-8- positioned at a bottom region of the unit body. The base platform forms a pedestal for a user to stand in front of the urinal. Advantageously, a combination of two or four L-shaped unit bodies may provide a compact box-shaped transport assembly. Further embodiments of the L-shaped unit body are described above and detailed in the description hereafter.

According to a second aspect of the invention, the invention provides a urinal unit which comprises a pair of a male and a female lock member which are complementary shaped to each other to engage with each other in a transport assembly of a plurality of urinal units. In the transport assembly preferably one of the urinal units is stacked in an upside down orientation onto another urinal unit in which the male and female lock members of the stacked urinal units engage with each other to fasten the transport assembly. Advantageously, fastening the transport assembly by the pair of lock members provided by each unit body, preferably incorporated or non-releasable connected to the unit bodies, may provide fasteners which are always available to a user. The fasteners are always at hand and cannot be loosened. Further embodiments of the lock member are described above and detailed in the description hereafter. Thus, an urinal unit for temporary providing an urinal comprising a L-shaped unit body. The L- shape is formed by a base platform which forms a pedestal to stand in front of a urinal and an upstanding wall which forms a privacy separation. At least one urinal is connected to a front side of the upstanding wall. The urinal unit preferably comprises a pair of a male and a female lock member to engage with each other in a transport assembly of an assembly of urinal units. In the transport assembly one of the urinal units is stacked in an upside down orientation onto another urinal unit in which the lock members engage with each other to provide stability. The transport assembly may be further compacted by reducing a height of the upstanding wall of each urinal unit, in particular by a collapsing of the upstanding wall. According to a third aspect of the invention, the invention provides a connector for connecting a combination of urinal units, wherein the connector forms one of a male and a female lock member, and wherein a unit body of each urinal unit includes the other corresponding one of the male and female lock member to form the pair of a male and female lock member for fastening combined urinal units in the transport assembly. Advantageously, the connector provides a quick connect or release item to fasten or release urinal units in the transport assembly. Preferably, the connector is a U-shaped item including a first pin-shaped connector member and a second pin-shaped connector member, wherein each unit body comprises corresponding holes for receiving the pin-shaped members of the connector. Further embodiments of the connector are described above and hereafter in the detailed description.

-9- According to a fourth aspect of the invention, the invention provides a method for combining urinal units to obtain a transport assembly. In the method, at least two urinal units are combined in which a second urinal unit is oriented upside down regarding a first urinal unit. Preferably, each urinal unit has a L-shaped body.

The invention will be explained in more detail with reference to the appended drawings. The drawings show practical embodiments according to the invention, which may not be interpreted as limiting the scope of the invention, in which: Fig. 1-4 show an embodiment of a stackable urinal unit according to the invention; Fig. 5 shows an alternative embodiment of the stackable urinal unit in which in comparison with the embodiment of fig. 1-4, a pair of lock members is seen in a top projection positioned at corner positions of the urinal unit; Fig. 6-8 show an alternative embodiment of the stackable urinal unit in which a pair of lock members is seen in a top projection positioned in a central region of the urinal unit; Fig. 8A, 8B-8D show the stackable urinal unit as shown in the figures 6 and 7 respectively provided with a solid or telescopic upstanding wall; Fig. 9-13 show an embodiment of the stackable urinal unit in which four urinal units are combined to obtain a transport assembly; Fig. 14-23 show an embodiment of the stackable urinal unit in which an non-releasable axially movable pin is provided to lock urinal units together; Fig. 24-32 show an U-shaped connector for interconnecting adjacently positioned urinal units; and Fig. 33, 34 show an alternative embodiment of the urinal unit in which an upstanding wall has recessed side edges which provide an engagement between combined urinal units. Identical reference signs are used in the drawings to indicate identical or functionally similar components. Specific features may also be considered apart from the shown embodiment and may be taken into account in a broader context as a delimiting feature, not only for the shown embodiment but as a common feature for all embodiments falling within the scope of the appended claims. To facilitate comprehension of the description and of the claims the words vertical, horizontal, upside down, down wards etc.— with reference to gravity — are used in a non-limiting way. Fig. 1 shows a coordinate system including a X-, Y-, Z-axis. The Z-axis defines a height or vertical direction. The X- and Y-axis define a horizontal plane, in which the X-direction defines a

-10 - length direction and the Y-direction defines a width direction. The X- and Z axis define a XZ- plane which is a vertical plane in length direction defining a front F and back B. The Y- and Z- axis define a YZ-plane which is a vertical plane in width direction defining a left L and right R. Fig. 1 shows in a perspective view an embodiment of a urinal unit 100 according to the invention. The urinal unit is a sanitary unit adapted for outdoor use. The urinal unit is adapted for a temporary placement in an outdoor environment, like at a festival or sports terrain. During an event, a placement of a plurality of such urinal units 100 provides a quick and easy sanitary capacity available for a large crowd of people.

The urinal unit 100 is a one-piece item. The urinal unit is made out of plastic by moulding, in particular by rotation moulding. The urinal unit comprises a L-shaped unit body 1. At a bottom region BR, the unit body comprises a base platform 11. The base platform 11 forms a pedestal for a user to stand in front of a urinal 13. The base platform 11 has an underside which is provided with several supporting feet 110 to support the base platform 11 onto an underground. At least one fork opening 111, in particular two fork openings at a side, are provided in between neighbouring feet 110 to allow a forklift to insert its forks into the fork openings 111 for lifting the urinal unit 100 to place the urinal unit 100 onto a trailer for transport.

The urinal 13 is connected to a front side of an upstanding wall 12. The upstanding wall 12 is positioned at the back region of the unit body 1. The upstanding wall 12 forms a privacy separation in between a front F and a back B of the unit body 1. The privacy separation shields a user from the outdoor environment.

Here, the unit body 1 comprises two urinals 13, a left and right urinal 131, 132. A privacy partition 14 is provided in between the urinals 131, 132. The privacy partition 14 is positioned in a middle region of the unit body 1. The privacy partition 14 has an upper portion 140 and a lower portion 141. The lower portion 141 extends a distance above the urinal 13. The lower portion 141 has a height which is substantially half a height of the upstanding wall 12. The lower portion 141 has an end face 142. The end face 142 delimits the lower portion 141 from the upper portion 140. Fig. 2-4 show a stacking of identical urinal units 100 onto each other according to the invention in successive drawings to obtain a transport assembly. Fig. 5 shows a similar stacking of identical urinal units in which embodiment the locking members 5 are disposed at another position.

-11 - Fig. 2 shows a first and second urinal unit 101, 102. The first urinal unit 101 is oriented in a normal orientation in which orientation the urinal unit is normally used. In the normal orientation, the base platform 11 of the unit body 1 is placed onto an underground. The second urinal unit 102 is oriented in an upside down orientation to stack the second urinal unit 102 onto the first urinal unit 101.

A pair of lock members 5 is provided to lock the urinal units together. The pair of lock members 5 comprises a male lock member 51 and a female lock member 52. The male and female lock member 51, 52 are complementary shaped to engage to each other. The pair of lock members 5 provide a form closure in a lateral direction, in a horizontal plane. One of the male and female lock member 51, 52 is positioned on a top surface of the upstanding wall 12, and the other complementary lock member is positioned on a top surface of the base platform

11.

Fig. 3 shows the stacked first and second urinal units 101, 102 which stacking forms the transport assembly TA. In the transport assembly TA, the bottom region BR of the second urinal unit 102 fits onto the top region TR of the first urinal unit 101. The top region TR of the second urinal unit 102 fits onto the bottom region BR of the first urinal unit 101.

The first and second urinal units 101, 102 are locked in a lateral direction. The second urinal unit 102 can only be released from the first urinal unit 101 by lifting the second urinal unit 102 in upwards direction. A gravity force keeps the two urinal units stably together.

Herewith, a transport assembly TA is obtained which has a stable and compact configuration of two urinal units 101, 102 which is beneficial in transporting the urinal units. The stacked urinal units can easily be placed onto a trailer floor by a forklift. The box-shaped configuration of the transport assembly allows a close side-by-side arrangement of the units, such that a space efficient gathering of stacked urinal units can be achieved.

As shown in a cross-sectional views in further detail in a left and right sided view in fig. 4, the male and female members 51, 52 are integrally formed with the unit body 1. The lock members 5 are integral with the unit body 1 and formed during the moulding process, in particular the rotation moulding process. The male member 51 is formed by a protrusion 53. The female member 52 is formed by a recess 54, The recess 54 is complementary shaped to the protrusion 53. The protrusion 53 closely fits into the recess 54. As shown in the left sided view, the upper portion 140 serves as a guidance to align the pair of lock members 5 onto

-12- each other. The upper portion 140 has a frontal surface 143. When stacking a first and second urinal unit 101, 102, the frontal surfaces 143 of each urinal unit mate with each other. As shown in the right sided view of fig. 4, in the transport assembly TA, the end faces 142 of each urinal unit 101, 102 are mating, in particular in an abutting engagement with each other or closely spaced. Here, seen in a top projection, in fig. 1-4, the male and female lock member 51, 52 are positioned in a middle region of the top surfaces of the base platform 11 and the upstanding wall 12. The male and female lock member 51, 52 are centrally positioned on respectively the base platform 11 and the upstanding wall 12. As indicated by the arrow in fig. 2, when moving the upside down positioned urinal unit 102 in a downward direction (gravity direction), the male and female lock member 51, 52 engage with each other to lock the urinal units 101, 102 to each other.

Fig. 5 shows an alternative embodiment of the urinal unit in which the pair of lock members 5 is arranged double. Instead of a single pair of lock members 5, a first and second pair of lock members 5 is provided. Each pair of lock members 5 is provided at a corner position on the upstanding wall 12 and at a corresponding position on the base platform 11. Advantageously, the double pair of lock members 5 provide a more stable locking in comparison with a single pair of lock members 5 is shown in fig. 2. Fig. 6-8 show an alternative embodiment of a urinal unit 100 in which the pair of lock members 5 is disposed at the end face 142 of the privacy partition 14. Fig. 7 shows an enlarged view of the pair of lock members 51, 52. The pair of lock members 5 comprises a male lock member 51 which is positioned aside the female lock member 52 at the end face

142. The male and female lock members 51, 52 are positioned in the vertical YZ plane. It does not matter whether the male or female lock member is positioned at the front or back, the aligned positioning in the vertical YZ plane enables a combination of two identically configured urinal units 101, 102 to obtain a transport assembly TA. As shown in fig. 8A, analogous to fig. 2, to obtain the transport assembly TA, the second urinal unit 102 is oriented upside down and backwards before lowering the second urinal unit 102 onto the first urinal unit 101. The frontal surface 143 of the upper portion is beneficial in aligning the urinal units 101, 102. When lowering the second urinal unit 102, the pair of lock members 5 are mated to lock the urinal units in a horizontal plane.

-13 - Fig. 8B-8D show an alternative embodiment of the urinal unit 100 according to the invention. The upstanding wall 12 has an upstanding wall lower portion 123 and an upstanding wall upper portion 124. The upstanding wall 12 can be compacted to obtain a transport state. In a raised position of the upstanding wall upper portion 124, the urinal unit 100 is in a use state.

To compact the upstanding wall 12, the upstanding wall upper portion 124 may be removed from upstanding wall lower portion to transport the upstanding wall upper portion 124 is a separate item. Here, advantageously, the upstanding wall upper portion 124 is slidable with respect to the upstanding wall lower portion 123. The upstanding wall upper portion 124 is slidable to a lower position in preparing the urinal unit 100 for transport. The upstanding wall lower portion 123 may slidably engage the upstanding wall upper portion 124, e.g. by engaging side edges of the upstanding wall upper portion 124. Preferably, as shown, the upstanding wall 12 has a telescopic configuration in which the upstanding wall lower portion 123 circumvents the upstanding wall upper portion 124. The upstanding wall upper portion 124 can be lowered into a hollow shaped upstanding wall lower portion 123. Fig. 8B shows a preparing step before stacking a first and second urinal unit 101, 102 for transport. The telescopically connected upstanding wall upper portion 124 is lowered into the upstanding wall lower portion 123 as indicated by the arrow. Herewith, a height of the urinal unit may be reduced by at least 40%. Fig. 8C shows a first urinal unit 101 and an upside down oriented second urinal unit 102. The second urinal unit 102 is oriented in a backwards position and can be placed onto the first urinal unit 101 as indicated by the arrow to obtain the transport assembly as shown in fig. 8D. The shown embodiment in fig. 8B-8D lacks a pair of lock members. Advantageously, the combination of the first and second L-shaped urinal units 101, 102 transformed to a compact configuration before stacking may provide a stable transport assembly TA in which any lock member may be redundant. A pair of lock members 5 may be provided as for example shown in fig. 2,5 or 8A at a top surface of the upstanding wall upper portion 124 or at the upstanding wall lower portion 123 to further stabilise the transport assembly. Fig. 9- 13 show an alternative embodiment of the urinal unit 100 according to the invention. Here, the transport assembly TA is obtained by combining four urinal units 100 as shown in figures 10-13. Again, all combined urinal units 100 have the same configuration, Fig. 9 shows an embodiment of the urinal unit 100 in a perspective view. The embodiment of this urinal unit 100 is similar to the configuration as illustrated in figures 1-8. However, this

-14 - configuration of the urinal unit 100 is distinguished by the feature of the privacy partition 14 and chamfered side edges 120 of the upstanding wall 12. The privacy partition 14 has no upper and lower portion 140, 141 which are delimited by an end face 142. The privacy partition 14 has a height which continuously extends along a distance which is larger than half a height of the upstanding wall 12. Here, the privacy partition 14 extends from the base platform 11 to a top surface of the upstanding wall 12. The side edges 120 of the upstanding wall 12 are chamfered to allow stacking of four urinal units. The side edges 120 are chamfered about at least 45° along an edge extending in a height direction along a whole height of the upstanding wall 12.

A pair of lock members 5 including a male and female lock member 51, 52 is provided on top of the base platform 11 and the upstanding wall 12. Here, the male and female lock members 51, 52 are positioned at a corner position of respectively the upstanding wall 12 and the base platform 11. One of the lock members 51, 52 is positioned at a corner at a back side of the unit body 1. The lock member is positioned at the intersection of the upstanding wall 12 and the base platform 11. Here, a female lock member 52 is shown at the corner. Alternatively, the unit body 1 may be embodied by a male lock member 51 at this corner. Fig. 10 shows a first step of an embodiment of a method of combining urinal units 100 to obtain a transport assembly TA. In the first step, a first and second urinal unit 101, 102 are positioned opposite each other. The first and second urinal unit 101, 102 are positioned in mirror symmetry. Each frontal surface of each base platform 11 of each urinal unit 101, 102 is mated with another. In the first step, the first and second urinal unit 101, 102 are placed, such that the frontal surface of the base platform 11 of the first urinal unit 101 is facing the frontal surface of the base platform 11 of the second urinal unit 102. Fig. 11 shows a subsequent step of the embodiment of the method of combining urinal units 100 to obtain the transport assembly TA. A third urinal unit 103 is combined with the positioned first and second urinal units 101, 102. The third urinal unit 103 is oriented upside down. The third urinal unit 103 is right angled oriented with respect to the first and second urinal units 101, 102. As shown in fig. 11, after the first step of combining the first and second urinal units 101, 102, a clearance 55 is left between each of the privacy partitions 14. The privacy partition 14 of each unit body 1 is shaped in which a frontal surface of the privacy partition 14 is inclined in height direction. Along its height from the base platform 11, the frontal surface of the privacy partition 14 is slightly extending in a direction towards the upstanding wall 12. The privacy

-15 - partition 14 has a partition base which has a larger length (in Y direction) than a length of a partition top. The privacy partition 14 of the third urinal unit 103 fits into this clearance 55 when building the transport assembly TA.

Fig. 12 shows the combined first, second and third urinal units 101, 102 and 103. The third urinal unit 103 fits in between the chamfered side edges 120 of the opposite positioned first and second urinal unit 101, 102. The chamfered side edges serve to align the third urinal unit 103 during placement. The pair of lock members 5 are in engagement. A male lock member 51 of the first urinal unit 101 is in engagement with a female lock member 52 of the third urinal unit 103. In the same way, at an opposite position, a male lock member 51 of the second urinal unit 102 is also engaging the female lock member 52 of the third urinal unit 103. Fig. 13 shows a transport assembly TA of urinal units, in which a fourth urinal unit 104 is placed upside down onto the first and second urinal unit 101, 102 facing the third urinal unit

103. Several pairs of lock members 5 engage to each other. Pairs of lock members 5 are situated at the bottom region BR and the top region TR of the combined urinal units in the transport assembly. The provision of lock members 5 at the bottom and top region of the stacked urinal units prevent an undesired release of a urinal unit. Herewith, a stable and compact configuration is obtained.

Fig. 14 shows another embodiment of the urinal unit 100 according to the invention. Instead of an inclined privacy partition 14 -as shown in figures 9-13, here a straight privacy partition 14 is provided. The frontal surface 143 of the privacy partition 14 is right angled with respect to a top surface of the base platform 11. The frontal surface 143 of the privacy partition 14 is spaced at a distance from the frontal surface of the base platform 11 to provide the clearance

55. Fig. 15-17 show an alternative embodiment of the pair of lock members 5. The pair of lock members 5 comprise a pin 57, a so called non-releasable pin. In its normal use of the urinal unit, non-releasable means that the pin 57 cannot be taken away from the aperture 58 without demounting components. Fig. 16 shows the pin 57 in further detail. The pin 57 has an elongated pin body 570. The pin body 570 may have a circular or rectangular, in particular square cross-section. Here, a square cross-section is shown. The pin body 570 has a pin head 571 and a pin base 572. In between the pin head 571 and the pin base 572, the pin body is recessed. The pin body 570

-16 - has a narrowed section 573 in between the pin head 571 and the pin base 572. The aperture of the unit body 1 is complementary shaped. As shown in the enlarged view in fig. 17, the pin 57 is positioned in the aperture 58. The aperture 58 has a narrowed section 583 which is smaller than the narrowed section 573 of the pin 57 which allows the pin to axially move inside the aperture. The pin 57 is axially movably received in an aperture 58 of the unit body 1, but cannot be removed. The pin 57 is movable in the axial direction under gravity. The pin 57 has a sunken position in which the pin 57 is sunk in the unit body 1, in particular below the top surface of base platform 11 or below the top surface of the upstanding wall 12. This sunken position is shown in fig.

17.

Fig. 18 and the enlarged view of fig. 19 show that when the unit body 1 is placed upside down, the pin 57 axially moves under gravity (as indicated by the arrow) relative to the unit body 1 to a protruding position. In particular, in the protruding position, the pin 57 protrudes above the top surface 112 of respectively the base platform 11 and the upstanding wall 12. As shown in the figures 15-19, the pin 57 is preferably positioned in an aperture 58 of the base platform 11. In normal use, the pin 57 is in the sunken position in which the pin head 571 is laying deeper or at most flush with the top surface 112 of the base platform 11. Herewith, the pin head 571 prevents a presence of an open pocket in the base platform which is beneficial in preventing contamination.

Figures 20-22 show a combination of a first, second, third and fourth urinal unit 101, 102, 103 and 104 to obtain a transport assembly TA as shown in fig. 22. In combining the urinal units, as shown in fig. 20, the first and second urinal unit 101, 102 are facing each other, and the third urinal unit 103 is placed upside down onto the first and second urinal unit 101, 102. Due to gravity, the pins 57 of the third urinal unit 103 are in the protruded position and form the male lock members 51. Each pin 57 fit into a female lock members 52 formed by a recess at the upstanding wall top surface 122. The placement of the third urinal unit 103 onto the first and second urinal unit is shown in fig. 21. After placing a fourth urinal unit in a same manner as the third urinal unit on top of the first and second urinal unit, the transport assembly is completed.

-17 - Fig. 23 shows a cross-sectional view of the transport assembly TA in which the pair of lock members 5 is engaging in the top region TR of the transport assembly which provides stability.

Fig. 24 shows a U-shaped connector 6 in a perspective view. The connector 6 is a separate item of an embodiment of the urinal unit according to the invention. The connector 6 has a connector body 60 including a first and second pin-shaped member 61, 62. The connector is adapted to connect adjacently positioned urinal units, in particular to connect adjacently positioned base platforms 11, as shown in fig. 25 and 26. Use of the connector 6 may be beneficial to increase stability of combined urinal units in a bottom region BR of the transport assembly TA, as for example shown in fig. 22. Together with the pair of lock members 5 at the top region of the transport assembly, the at least one connector 6 at the bottom region may prevent any lateral displacement of urinal units. Besides increasing stability of stacked urinal units, the connector 6 may be further beneficial in normal use in connecting base platforms 11 of multiple side-by-side arranged urinal units, as shown in fig. 27.

Fig. 28 shows in a cross-sectional view an alternative embodiment of the U-shaped connector 6 which is positioned at a corner position of the base platform 11. Here, the connector 6 is axially movable, but non-releasable connected to the urinal unit. The connector 6 has a connector body 60 comprising a first and second pin shaped member 61, 62. The connector body 60 is plate-shaped. The second pin shaped member 62 is analogous to the above- described non-releasable pin 57 provided with a narrow section. The second pin-shaped member 62 has an enlarged extended portion 621. The extended portion 621 has an enlarged diameter. The second pin-shaped member 62 has a narrowing in between the plate shaped connector body 60 and the extended portion 621. The pin-shaped first and second member 61, 62 are respectively received in a first and second hole 681, 682. The second hole 682 includes a narrow section. Here, the second hole 682 is a through hole which extends through the base platform 11. The first hole 681 is a blind hole. In the shown assembly, the narrow section of the second hole 682 is positioned in between the extended portion 621 and the plate shaped connector body 60. The narrowing of the second pin- shaped member extends over a larger distance in the axial direction than the narrow section 681 such that the second pin-shaped member is axially movable. The connector 6 is axially movable about a distance, but the extended portion 621 prevents a complete removal, Fig. 29-32 show in successive views operational steps for using the connector 6 to connect two adjacent positioned urinal units 1. In a first step of a method for connecting urinal units, the non-releasable connector 6 is moved in the axial direction as indicated by the arrow. The

-18 - connector 6 is lifted. The first pin-shaped member 61 is lifted out of the first hole 681. Hereafter, as shown in fig. 30, the connector 6 is rotated. The second member 62 is tubular which allows a rotation of the connector 6. The first member 61 is rotated to a first hole of the adjacent urinal unit as shown in fig. 31. Subsequently, as shown in fig. 32, the connector is lowered, such that the first member 61 is inserted into the first hole 681 of the adjacent urinal unit, Herewith, the two urinal units are easily connected. In the method for connecting or disconnecting urinal units, the connector 6 is not separated from the unit body which beneficially prevents a loosening of the connector.

Numerous variants are possible in addition to the embodiments shown in the figures.

In a variant of the illustrated embodiment of the combined four urinal units as shown in figures 9-13 in which each urinal unit has an upstanding wall provided with chamfered side edges, in an alternative embodiment, this feature of chamfered side edges may be substituted by recessed side edges as shown in fig. 33 and 34. Here, the side edges 120 of the upstanding wall 12 have a regular pattern of at least one recess. When placing a urinal unit upside down, this urinal unit fits to an upstanding urinal unit as shown in fig. 34.

In a variant, the transport assembly TA may be obtained by stacking an upside down oriented urinal unit onto an urinal unit which stands on an underground. It is apparent that in an equivalent way, the transport assembly TA may be obtained by stacking urinal units laying down on an underground in which one urinal unit is in an upside down orientation with respect to the other urinal unit.

As shown in figures 8B-8D, in a variant on the embodiment shown in fig. 9, the upstanding wall 12 may be formed by a collapsible upstanding wall to reduce a height of the urinal unit before combining four urinal units together to obtain the transport assembly.

Although the present invention has been described in detail, it will be apparent to those skilled inthe art that various changes and modifications can be made without departing from the scope of the invention as hereinafter claimed. lt is intended that all such changes and modifications be encompassed within the scope of the present disclosure and claims.

Thus, the invention provides a urinal unit and transport method for temporary providing an urinal comprising a L-shaped unit body with a base platform which forms a pedestal to stand in front of a urinal and an upstanding wall which forms a privacy separation. At least one urinal is connected to a front side of the upstanding wall. The urinal unit comprises a pair of a male and a female lock member to engage with each other in a transport assembly of an

-19 - assembly of urinal units. In the transport assembly one of the urinal units is stacked in an upside down orientation onto another urinal unit in which the lock members engage with each other to provide stability. The transport assembly may be further compacted by collapsing the upstanding wall of each urinal unit.

Reference signs list: 13 urinal F front 131 left urinal B back 132 right urinal L left 14 privacy partition R right 140 upper portion BR bottom region 141 lower portion TR top region 142 lower portion end face TA transport assembly 143 upper portion frontal surface 100 urinal unit 5 pair of lock members 101 first urinal unit 51 male lock member 102 second urinal unit 52 female lock member 103 third urinal unit 93 protrusion 104 fourth urinal unit S4 recess 55 clearance 1 unit body 11 base platform; pedestal 57 pin 110 foot 570 pin body 111 opening 571 pin head 112 base platform top surface 572 pin base 113 base platform frontal surface S73 narrowed section 58 aperture 12 upstanding wall; privacy separation 120 upstanding wall side edge 6 connector 122 upstanding wall top surface 60 U-shaped connector 123 upstanding wall lower portion 61 first pin-shaped connector member 124 upstanding wall upper portion 62 second pin-shaped connector member 621 extended portion

Claims

-20 - CONCLUSIONS

Urinal unit (100) for temporarily providing a urinal in an environment, the urinal unit comprising an L-shaped unit body (1), the unit body comprising: - a base platform (11) in a lower region (BR) of the unit body (1) wherein the base platform (11) forms a step for a user to stand in front of a urinal (13); - an upright wall (12) in a rear region (B) of the unit body (1), the upright wall (12) forming a privacy screen from the environment; and - at least one urinal (13) provided at a front side (F) of the upright wall (12), the urinal unit (100) further comprising a pair of complementary to each other formed into a transport assembly (TA) of a plurality of urinal units ( 101,102) includes engageable male and female locking members (51,52) wherein in the transport assembly (TA) one of the urinal units (102) is stacked in an inverted orientation on another urinal unit (101) wherein the male and female locking members (51,52) of the stacked urinal units (101, 102) engage each other.

Urinal unit (100) according to claim 1, wherein the male locking member (51) is formed by an upwardly directed protrusion, in particular integral with the unit body (1), and the female locking member (52) is formed by a recess formed complementary to the projection for receiving said projection in the transport assembly (TA) to counteract relative movement of the urinal units in a lateral direction.

The urinal unit (100) of claim 1 or 2, wherein one of the male or female locking member (51,52) is positioned on a top surface (122) of the upright wall (12), and wherein the complementary other female or male locking member is positioned on a top surface (112) of the base platform (11) such that said male and female locking members (51,52) engage each other when the first urinal unit is inverted on the second urinal unit.

Urinal unit (100) according to claim 3, wherein two locking members are spaced apart on the top surface (121) of the upright wall (12), in particular adjacent to a corner of the upright wall (12).

-21 -

A urinal unit (100) according to any one of the preceding claims, wherein the urinal unit has at least two urinals (13) on a front side of the upright wall (12), a wall portion positioned between each urinal about a privacy partition (14) to shape.

The urinal unit (100) of claim 5, wherein both the male and female locking members (51,52) are positioned on an end face (142) of said wall portion between two urinals.

Urinal unit (100) according to any one of the preceding claims, wherein the male locking member (51) is a separate article, in particular an elongate pin-shaped article.

Urinal unit (100) according to claim 7, wherein the male locking member (51) is axially movably connected to the unit body (1).

Urinal unit (100) according to claim 8, wherein the male locking member (31) is non-detachably connected to the unit body (1).

The urinal unit (100) of any preceding claim, wherein the upstanding wall (12) has an upstanding wall upper portion (124) and an upstanding wall lower portion (123), wherein the upstanding wall upper portion (124) is lowerable relative to of the upright wall lower portion (123) to obtain a compact configuration, in particular the upright wall upper portion (124) being telescopically connected to the upright wall lower portion (123).

A urinal unit (100) according to any preceding claim, wherein the urinal unit transport assembly (TA) is a dual assembly formed by a first urinal unit (101) in an upright orientation and a stacked second urinal unit (102) in an inverted orientation. is.

A urinal unit (100) according to any one of claims 1 to 10, wherein the urinal unit transport assembly is a quadruple assembly formed by a first, second, third and fourth urinal unit (101,102,103 104), the first and second urinal units facing each other. placed, the urinals (13) face each other and wherein the third and fourth urinal units are stacked on the first and second urinal units in an inverted orientation.

22.

The urinal unit (100) of claim 12, wherein the upright wall of each urinal unit has chamfered side walls (120) for fitting the third and fourth urinal units between the first and second urinal units.

A urinal unit (100) according to any one of the preceding claims, wherein the urinal unit further comprises a connector (6), in particular a U-shaped connector, for connecting adjacently positioned urinal units.

The urinal unit (100) of claim 14, wherein the connector has a U-shaped connector body (60) having a first pin-shaped connector member (61) and a second pin-shaped connector member (62), the second pin-shaped member (62) is longer than the first pin-shaped member (81) and is non-detachably connected to the unit body (1).

A sanitary system comprising a plurality of urinal units according to any one of the preceding claims.

A sanitary space for providing a public sanitary facility comprising a sanitary system according to claim 18, wherein a sanitary wall is arranged with at least two urinal units in a row arrangement.

A method of transporting a plurality of urinal units (100) comprising the steps of: - providing at least two urinal units (101, 102) according to any one of claims 1-15, wherein each urinal unit comprises an L-shaped unit body (1); - orienting a first urinal unit (101) in particular in an upright orientation; - orienting a second urinal unit (102) in an orientation reversed with respect to the first urinal unit, such that the L-shaped unit bodies face each other; - stacking the second urinal unit (102) on the first urinal unit (101) to obtain a transport assembly (TA) of said urinal units.

The method of claim 18, wherein the method comprises a step of combining two or four urinal units to obtain a dual or a quadruple transport assembly, respectively.