US20120137419A1

US20120137419A1 - Device for maintaining cleanliness of urinal

Info

Publication number: US20120137419A1
Application number: US12/960,249
Authority: US
Inventors: Aaron S. Hofeling; Jeffrey M. Haverkate
Original assignee: Urinal Games Inc
Current assignee: Urinal Games Inc
Priority date: 2010-12-03
Filing date: 2010-12-03
Publication date: 2012-06-07

Abstract

A device is provided for placement inside a urinal or toilet, which device is useful for preventing the spill of urine which can be caused due to negligence, intentional behavior or due to an inebriated state of the urinating person. Spill prevention is provided by capturing the attention of the urinating person on the device while the device is inside the urinal or toilet. The attention of the urinating person is captured by a gaming component on the device. This gaming component includes one or more rotatable targets. The one or more rotatable targets are capable of rotating upon a stream of urine being directed onto the one or more rotatable targets. The one or more rotatable targets may have displayed thereon one or more images, permitting a game to be played by the urinating person.

Description

FIELD OF THE INVENTION

The invention relates to a device for use in urinals and toilets and, more particularly, to a device for capturing the attention of a user of a urinal or toilet to maintain cleanliness and hygiene.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

Maintaining cleanliness of a bathroom or public restroom is difficult because of spills caused due to inadvertent or intentional diversion of urine outside the urinal or toilet by users. Sometimes users are in an inebriated state so it becomes difficult for them to give proper attention. These factors and others make it difficult to keep the bathroom or restroom in an appropriate state. A variety of attempts have been made to solve the problem of urine spills. Most of these attempts involve directing the attention of the user of the urinal or toilet to a target placed inside the urinal or toilet so that the user will direct the urine flow towards the target. However, previous attempts in this direction have been found lacking either in one aspect or another. In some of the previous attempts, targets are not interesting enough to attract the attention of a urinating person. In other attempts, targets placed inside the urinal or toilet provide “splash back” of the urine, which is highly undesirable. Hence there is a need in the art for a device that overcomes the above deficiencies and maintains cleanliness in a bathroom or public restroom.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

Disclosed herein is a device for placement inside a urinal or toilet for capturing the attention of a user of a urinal or toilet and for maximizing cleanliness with respect to the urinal or toilet.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE FIGURES

The invention may best be understood by reference to the following description, taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings, wherein:

FIG. 1 illustrates a base 100 of the device according to the present invention.

FIG. 2 illustrates a top view of a barrel 200 of the device according to the present invention.

FIG. 3 illustrates a top view of a gaming component 300 of the device according to the present invention.

FIG. 3 a illustrates a back view of a gaming component 300 of the device according to the present invention.

FIG. 3 c illustrates an isometric view of a gaming component 300 of the device according to the present invention.

Those with ordinary skill in the art will appreciate that the elements in the figures are illustrated for simplicity and clarity and are not necessarily drawn to scale. For example, the dimensions of some of the elements in the figures may be exaggerated, relative to other elements, in order to improve the understanding of aspects and exemplary embodiments of the present invention. The figures are provided to illustrate the invention and are not meant to limit the invention in any way.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

The features of the device of the present invention, which are believed to be novel, are set forth with particularity in the appended claims. Description of the various embodiments detailed below is for understanding the invention. It will be understood that the invention is not limited to the particular embodiments described herein, but is capable of various modifications, rearrangements and substitutions, which will now become apparent to those skilled in the art without departing from the scope of the invention. Therefore, it is intended that the following claims cover all such modifications and changes that fall within the spirit and scope of the invention.
Disclosed herein is a device for placement inside a urinal or toilet and useful for maintaining the general cleanliness of the urinal or toilet. The device comprises a base 100 having top and bottom sides, a barrel 200 having top and bottom ends, wherein the bottom end of the barrel 200 is affixed to the top side of the base 100, and a gaming component 300, wherein the gaming component 300 is affixed to the top end of the barrel 200. The top side of base 100 may include a seat 101 for affixing the bottom end of the barrel 200 to the base 100. The top end of the barrel 200 may include one or more grooves 201. The gaming component 300 may include one or more coupling components 303 which may fit into the one or more grooves 201 to provide attachment of the gaming component 300 to the barrel 200.
The gaming component 300 includes one or more rotatable targets 301. The gaming component may further include an axle 304. The axle 304 may extend across diameter of the gaming component 300, and the rotatable targets 301 may be held in place by the axle 304. The gaming component 300 is positioned on and attached to the barrel 200 such that the direction of urine flow from a urinating person is directed to one or more rotatable targets 301 included in the gaming component 300. The one or more rotatable targets 301 rotate freely when a stream of urine from a urinating person falls upon them. Each of the one or more rotatable targets 301 may include displayed thereon one or more images, thereby providing a game or a gaming environment to the urinating person and thus attracting the urinating person's attention. In one embodiment, each rotatable target 301 includes multiple images, each located at different positions on the rotatable target 301 such that different images are displayed to the urinating person depending on the rotation of the rotatable target 301. The one or more images displayed on the one or more rotatable targets 301 may be those of letters, words, objects, designs, colors, shapes, etc. The one or more images may even represent logos or trademarks or trade names of corporations or businesses. In one embodiment, there are three rotatable targets 301 aligned horizontally with respect to the gaming component 300, each rotatable target 301 having displayed thereon a plurality of images, each image representing an object known to be used in casino-style slot machines, such as a cherry, a “lucky number 7,” a gold bar, and the like. In this embodiment, the urinating person may attempt to direct the flow of his urine in such a way as to create a “jackpot” situation by aligning the images so that each rotatable target 301 displays a row of cherries, or a row of gold bars, a row of “lucky number 7's” and the like. In another embodiment, the one or more images displayed on the one or more rotatable targets 301 may represent different letters, such that a urinating person could attempt to “spell” certain words with the flow of urine. In yet another embodiment, the one or more images may represent parts of a well-known image, such as the face of a celebrity, and the task of the urinating person is to “complete” the image by appropriately aligning the rotatable targets 301. It is contemplated that any number of arrangements can be made to create a multitude of games. The one or more rotatable targets 301 may be located at any position with respect to the gaming component 300. In embodiments involving multiple rotatable targets 301, the rotatable targets 301 may be arranged vertically, horizontally, or diagonally with respect to the gaming component 301, or in any other arrangement which may be appropriate depending on the game to be played. In any embodiment, the one or more rotatable targets 301 are positioned in or on the gaming component 300 such that “splash back” is prevented when a urinating person's stream of urine is directed at the one or more rotatable targets 301.
In one embodiment of the present invention, the gaming component 300 includes one or more spaces 302 used for pasting and displaying advertisement on the gaming component 300. In this embodiment, the game provided to the urinating person through rotation of the one or more rotatable targets 301 is combined with advertising materials to capture the attention of the urinating person, thereby minimizing spills and maintaining cleanliness. The spaces 302 can be of any size suitable for displaying advertisements.
In another embodiment of the present invention, advertisement material may be pasted and displayed on any part of the device, including the base 100.
The device of the present invention, comprising the base 100, barrel, 200, and the gaming component 300, including the rotatable targets 301, may be made of any material suitable for continuous and prolonged exposure to water and urine, such as plastic. The device may be of any size and configuration suitable for placement inside a urinal or toilet.
In one embodiment of the present invention, deodorant cakes or any other related products may be placed inside the barrel 200. This assists in keeping the ambience in the urinal or toilet good and hygienic.
In another embodiment, the barrel 200 includes a sensor (not shown in the figures) to detect the presence of urine flow from a urinating person or a person using the urinal.
As described herein, the invention provides a novel device for placement inside a urinal or toilet, which device is useful for preventing the spill of urine which can be caused due to negligence, intentional behavior or due to an inebriated state of the urinating person. Spill prevention is provided by capturing the attention of the urinating person on the device while the device is inside the urinal or toilet. The rotatable targets 301 of the gaming component 300 of the device provide various games to play for a urinating person and hence provides for attracting the attention of a urinating person to the device.

Claims

1. A device to prevent spill of urine in respect of a urinal or toilet, the device comprising:

a base having top and bottom sides;

a barrel having top and bottom ends; and

a gaming component having one or more rotatable targets and one or more spaces, wherein the bottom end of the barrel is attached to the top side of the base and the gaming component is attached to the top end of the barrel.

2. The device of claim 1, wherein the one or more rotatable targets are capable of rotating upon a stream of urine being directed to the one or more rotatable targets.

3. The device of claim 2, wherein the one or more rotatable targets include displayed thereon one or more images.

4. The device of claim 1, wherein the one or more spaces include advertising material.

5. A method for preventing spill of urine in respect of a urinal or toilet, the method comprising:

providing a device, wherein the device comprises:

a base having top and bottom sides,

a barrel having top and bottom ends, and

a gaming component having one or more rotatable targets capable of rotating upon a stream of urine being directed at the one or more rotatable targets, wherein the bottom end of the barrel is attached to the top side of the base and the gaming component is attached to the top end of the barrel; and

placing the device inside the urinal or toilet such that the attention of the user of the urinal or toilet is captured on the device, wherein the one or more rotatable targets provide to the user a game to be played by directing the flow of urine onto the one or more rotatable targets.

6. The method of claim 6, wherein the one or more rotatable targets include displayed thereon one or more images.