US3032038A - Male urinal - Google Patents

Description

M. A. SWINN MALE URINAL May 1, 1962 Filed April 6, 1959 Inventor MOYLE A-ZIINN rney United States Patent 3,032,038 MALE URINAL Moyle A. Swinn, 22 Elm St. E., Sudbury; Ontario, Canada Filed Apr. 6, 1959, Ser. No. 804,344 4 Claims. (Cl. 128-295) This invention relates to improvements in a male urinal and appertains particularly to a simple, lightweight appliance that may be worn with security and comfort at all times.

For those unable to control the passage of urine, a variety of devices and protectors are available, some intended for bed patients only, others for use by active persons moving about and a few that may serve in either case. The chief deficiencies of these known receptacles are their failure to provide a comfortable and leak-proof engagement with the organ at all times and under all conditions, their restriction on normal freedom of body movement and position without risking displacement of the receptacle from the organ and the unduly cumbersome harness usually required.

To meet the need and overcome the objections to current constructions, the present invention provides a soft, comfortable, lightweight, leak-proof roll-on type organaccommodating receptacle, a specially designed harness to which the receptacle is removably connected in a novel manner to allow an unusual degree of body movement freedom, and a simplified arrangement for receptacle drainage allowing for selected one-way flow in either direction.

Accordingly, it is an object of the invention to provide a male urinal having an improved, roll-on type, discardable receptacle for accommodating the organ in comfortable, leak-proof relation designed for removable attachment in a novel way to a supporting harness.

A further object of the invention is to provide a male urinal wherein the receptacle has an outlet with a reversible, one-way valve.

A further object of the invention is to provide a male urinal having an organ-accommodating receptacle having an outlet that may be closed with a-suitable valve and/ or selectably connectible with a portable sac or a container placed under the patients bed.

A further object of the invention is to provide a urinal with a specially designed harness for releasably supporting the receptacle at all times in proper position and intimate engagement with the person, without impeding body movement nor restricting normal activity of the wearer.

To the accomplishment of these and related objects as shall become apparent as the description proceeds, the invention resides in construction, combination and arrangement of parts as shall be hereinafter more fully described, illustrated in the accompanying drawings, and pointed out in the claims hereunto appended.

The invention will be best understood and can be more clearly described when reference is had to the drawings forming a part of this disclosure wherein like characters indicate like parts throughout the several views.

In the drawings:

FIGURE 1 is a front elevation of the urinal as applied to the body of a user;

FIGURE 2 is an enlarged side elevation of the receptacle and the adjoining part of one of the leg straps;

FIGURE 3 is a similarly enlarged elevation of the receptacle, with part shown in section; and

FIGURE 4 is a sectional detail of the upper end of the receptacle with its circumferentially spaced loops and the releasable leg strap connecting member about to be inserted in one of such loops.

Important characteristics of this invention to be noted particularly are the comfortable and lightweight receptacle that engages the body in leak-proof relation yet is easily detachable for cleaning and may be discarded and replaced without concern for the cost thereof whenever desired and the simple design of belt and leg straps that present a minimum encumbrance to the wearer and still provide the best manner yet known of anchoring the urinal receptacle in place without restricting the normal body movements of an active person. To enable the urinal to be worn without inconvenience, the lower end of the organ-engaging receptacle is closed by a valve that may be inverted and connected to a secondary sac or other container, the valve in the first instance preventing egress of liquid from the primary receptacle and in the second instance preventing ingress or return.

Referring now particularly to the drawings, it will be seen that a belt 5, in the form of a body-encircling band is provided with a pair of leg straps 6 suspended therefrom. The leg straps 6 are shown as each connected by one end 7 to the belt slightly to the rear of the side median and are adapted to pass through the crotch in spaced relation and diverge as they issue from the front of the crotch, each connecting with the belt 5 near the respective side median by an adjustable buckle or other suitable connection 8. This harness asembly made of soft stretchable material is easy to wear, imposes no restriction on freedom of action or body movement and needs only to be removed for occasional washing. The location of attachment of the opposite ends of the leg straps 6, as at 7 and 8 is such that the straps hug the inside of the respective legs as they pass through and emerge from the front of the crotch thus bearing an almost fixed and constant position relative to the adjacent parts of the body without regard to the movement or contortions of the trunk and legs of the wearer. It will thus be seen that these spaced leg straps 6 afford an excellent location to which to anchor the urinal receptacle.

For releasable connection with the urinal receptacle each leg strap 6 carries a tab 9, preferably adjustable thereon. Such a tab member may be of tape with one end encircling the strap in a snug or tight loop 9a so that it has a frictional gripping relation therewith that tends to bind itself in place in predetermined adjusted position whilst the other or free end 9b of the tab has a spaced pair of male and female snap fastener parts and 9d that are engageable when such free end of the tab is doubled back on itself.

The preferred form of receptacle is a soft, pliable tubular member 10 of the so-called roll-on type and composed of lightweight latex or similar texture material. Designed to accommodate the organ in close fitting leakproof relation, the tube having an open upper end 10a is elongated sufficiently to provide also a temporary container at the lower end 10b, of at least a moderate content, from which an integral drain tube 10c continues.

The open upper end 10a of the roll-on receptacle may be terminated in a light bead and spaced below this is a band of thin, narrow, elastic ribbon 11 adhered to the tubular member about most of its circumference but having a pair of oppositely disposed, loose or outwardly spaced loops 11a and 1112 each designed to accommodate the free end 9b of one of the respective leg strap tabs 9 when properly adjusted on such leg straps. Additionally a thin tie-cord 12 is adhered to the tubular member, preferably between the loop-providing ribbon 11' and the bead at the open upper end 10a, its opposite ends being free and designed, after the receptacle is positioned on the organ, to be drawn snugly around the neck of the tube and tied.

In the drain tube at the lower end of the receptacle 10 is a removable insert 14. The insert here used is a conventional one-way valve of hard rubber, plastic or the like, having a central flange 14a of great diameter and a bulbous head 145 at each end. Inserted as shown, it

provides a suitable plug temporarily preventing egress of fluid from the receptacle: Withdrawn, the receptacle drains: Inserted in reverse position from that shown, it allows outward flow but denies ingress. In such inverted position a lead off tube applied to its exposed end may communicate with an auxiliary portable'sac or under bed container as desired. This one-way valve insert 14 accordingly facilitates the adaptation of the urinal to which" ever form of use is required of it and facilitates the instantaneous change-over from a daytime to nighttime use, or from temporary independent operation to connection with an auxiliary portable sac or for periodic separation whilst emptying an under bed collector. Such extraneous, tubes, sacs and collectors are well known and comprise not part of the present invention except that their employment is simplified and rendered more, agreeable when the hereindisclosed supporting harness and roll-on rece tacle are used.

In use, the belt is applied about the waist in the obvious manner and the leg straps 6 adjusted in length at the buckles 8 to give just the tension desired for comfort'then the tabs 9 are. adjusted along the straps to approximate attaching position.

The'tubularmember 10- in rolled form is then applied to and rolled onto the organ when the tabs 9 are more" carefully positioned on the leg straps" and their free ends 9b'passed through the opposite loops 11a and 11b respectively and the snap fasteners 9c-9d connected. The tie cord 12 is then caused to encircle the organ-accomo dating tubular member or receptacle 1t drawn. snugly and tied:

Usedrwith orwithout a lead ofi tube' to extraneous collectors from the drain tube insert 14; this improved urinal will afford the user heretofore unknown comfort, peace of mind and security and greatly aid in the care of bedridden patients.

From the foregoing description taken in connection witht'he accompanying drawings, it will bemanifestthat a male urinal is provided that will fulfill all the necessary requirements of such a device but asmany changes could be made in the-above description and many apparently widely different embodiments of the invention may be constructedwithin the scope of the appended claims without departing from the spirit or scope thereof, it is intended that all'matters contained in the said accompanying speci- 4; fication and drawings shall be interpreted as illustrative an dnotin a limitative' or restrictive sense.

I claim:

1. A male urinal comprising in combination, a body encircling belt, a pair of legstraps connected at one end to the belt slightly to the rear of'the'side median, a pair of buckles: attached to the front of. the; body encircling belt adjacent to the respective side median, the free ends of the leg straps adapted to passthrough the crotch of a wearer and adjustably engagethe buckles, a roll-on type organ accommodating receptacle, a connecting member on each leg strap including a loop on one end snugly embracing the leg strap so that it is adjustable therealong in frictional gripping relation, means embracing the organ accommodating receptacle adjacent its upper end and co-acting with the free ends of the connecting membersto secure the upper end of the organ accommodating receptacle in intimate relation with the wearer of the urinal;

2. The male urinal claimed in claim 1 in Which the means embracing the upper end of the organ accommodating receptacle consists of a resilient ribbon-connected to the receptacle and formed on diametrically opposite sides with outwardly extending loops with which the freeends of the connecting members engage, and means on the connecting members for releasably securing the free ends in doubled-back position to an adjacent portion ofi the connecting member.

3; The male'urinal claimed in claim 2 in which a fi'exi ble tiecord is in adherent contact with the tubular mcmher and islocated between the loop. dividing ribbon and the upper open end of thereceptacle,- the free ends of the cord being available for tying.

4. The male urinal claimed in claim 3 in which the receptacle is formed at its lower end with a drain tube and a valve is mounted in the drain tube.

References Cited inv the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS- 40 1,761,669 Becker June 3, 1930' 2,445,220- Isaacson July 13, 1948 2,476,375 Kent July 19, 1949' FOREIGN PATENTS 111,720 Austria Dec. 2-7, 1928

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