Classifications

• • A—HUMAN NECESSITIES
  • A61—MEDICAL OR VETERINARY SCIENCE; HYGIENE
  • A61G—TRANSPORT, PERSONAL CONVEYANCES, OR ACCOMMODATION SPECIALLY ADAPTED FOR PATIENTS OR DISABLED PERSONS; OPERATING TABLES OR CHAIRS; CHAIRS FOR DENTISTRY; FUNERAL DEVICES
  • A61G9/00—Bed-pans, urinals or other sanitary devices for bed-ridden persons; Cleaning devices therefor, e.g. combined with toilet-urinals
  • A61G9/003—Bed-pans

Definitions

• the present invention relates to a sanitary container for excrementss, especially for human use.
• the sanitary containers for excrementss also known as
• bedpans used in hospitals and the health services are known to be vehicles for the transmission of infection.
• the container be lined with a disposable plastic bag which is changed each time it is used by the patient.
• the object of the present invention is to solve the problems listed above by means of a disposable type of sanitary container for excrements, which is hygienic, practical in use and low cost.
• the present invention which relates to a sanitary container for excrements, characterized in that it comprises a support structure in the user, without a base, defining a through aperture corresponding with the said base, together with a means of containing the excrements, permanently attached or temporarly attachable to the said support structure.
• the means of containing the excrements consists of a bag made of an impermeable material, the said bag having a means of attachment to the support structure and which is fitted across the through aperture of the support structure.
• the means of attachment of the bag is an elastic means, and the bag is provided with a substantially rigid or semi-rigid portion of the base having an area greater than the area of the said aperture in the support structure.
• the support structure is a hollow structure of plastic material which is inflatable and is fitted at least partially inside an impermeable bag forming the means of containment.
• the bag is formed by two flat pieces that are elded to the support (in a flat condition) an opposite sides of the same.
• FIG. 1 is an exploded perspective view of a first embodiment of the sanitary container according to the invention
• FIG. 2 is a top view of the rigid support structure of the embodiment of fig. 1;
• FIG. 3 is a sectional view of the embodiment of Fig. 1, complete with bag;
• Fig. 4 is a sectional view, enlarged, of a detail of an embodiment similar to that shown in Fig. 3;
• FIG. 5 is a schematic perspective view of an inflatable support structure according to the invention.
• FIG. 6 is a sectional view of the structure shown in Fig. 5, complete with bag;
• Fig. 7 is a sectional view of a further embodiment of the invention.
• FIG. 8 is a perspective view of the embodiment shown in Fig. 7;
• FIG. 9 is a schematic side view of a bag according to the invention.
• FIG. 10 is a longitudinal sectional view of bottom portion of the bag shown in Fig. 9;
• FIG. 11 is an enlarged schematic view of a preferred valve for the inflatable structures shown in Figs. 5 and 8.
• the sanitary container for excrements consists of a support structure, or frame, 1 without a base and defining an aperture 2 corresponding to where the base should have been positioned.
• Such structure or basic frame functions as a support for the weight of the user, and may be provided with a means 3 to better support the patient during use.
• the structure 1 cooperates with the means of containment of the excrements which generally consists of a bag 4 made of an impermeable material, a portion of which constitutes the actual base of the container.
• the shape of the bag 4 varies depending on the relative position of the support structure 1, i.e. whether the bag is positioned inside the structure, through the aperture 2 (fig. 3 and 6) or contains the support structure within itself (fig. 7 and 8).
• the nature of the structure itself may vary as a result of the relative positions of bag 4 and structure 1. If the bag 4 is "internal", the structure 1 may be rigid or inflatable; if the bag 4 is external and contains the structure 1, it is inflatable.
• FIG. 9 An example of an embodiment of the bag 4 where it is internal to the supporting structure is shown in fig. 9.
• the bag 4 is fitted with a means of attaching it in a detachable way to the structure 1; preferably this means of attachment consists of a pair of elastic bands 7 binded in a stretched condition to the outer sides of the bag 4 between the positions 8 and 8a.
• this means of attachment consists of a pair of elastic bands 7 binded in a stretched condition to the outer sides of the bag 4 between the positions 8 and 8a.
• the bag 4 and the elastic bands 7 are shown flat and fully extended.
• the base 6 of the bag is formed by a substantially rigid or semi-rigid material 9 which is inserted folded in the base part 5 of the bag 4 which is in its turn also folded in a complementary way.
• the material 9 is a thermoplastic or presents a layer of thermoplastic on the side in contact with the section of the base 5 of the bag 4, itself in thermoplastic material, so that it can be welded to the same in accordance with known techniques (e.g. heat welding or ultrasonic welding).
• the base 6 presents an area greater than the aperture 2 of the structure 1 so that it cooperates with the structure to form the container according to the invention.
• the bag is shaped in accordance with the structure 1, namely it presents a waist 13 substantially complementary to the support surface 3, a curve 14 complementary to the development of the walls of the structure 1.
• Figs. 2 - 4 show an embodiment of the invention according to which the support structure 1 is rigid, generally moulded in plastic, thus reducing the costs.
• the structure 1 can preferably be used more than once by the same patient, and should be discarded without being used by other patients.
• the structure 1 comprises, apart from the aperture 2, a support surface 3 for the patient, a handle 10, an external peripheral channel 11 which acts as a seat for the two elastic bands 7 and a step 12 along the internal edge of the aperture 2 which serves as the seat for the corresponding edge of the rigid base 6 of the bag 4.
• the bag 4 in the case of the shaped container, is as that shown schematically in Fig. 3; the sides of the bag extend from the base 6 along the walls of the internal aperture 2 and then over the structure and down the external walls to the channel 11. Due to the action of the elastic means of attachment 7, the base 6 is pulled into the aperture 2 and comes to rest against the step 12.
• the function of the handle 10 can be served by the channel 11, as long as it is of suitable size to allow it to be gripped, as is shown schematically in fig. 4.
• the structure 1 can be produced in a flexible plastic, e.g. in the shape of a hollow inflatable ring (Fig. 5 - 8).
• the ring consists of two superimposed sections 15 and 16, flat and equal to each other which are welded together along an inner edge 17b and an outer edge 17a so that the resulting weld lines are positioned half way up the height of the inflated ring.
• the support surface 3, if present, consists of a section of plastic material which extends across the ring and is welded to it at the level of the external seam weld, 17a.
• Such piece of plastic material might consist of a deck 3a, Fig. 5, whith shape similar to support surface 3 of Fig 2, or of a "tape" located as described above and shown in fig. 5 as a dotted line 18a.
• the inflatable structure 1 may present a further inflatable section in addition to the ring shown in the diagrams so that the ring consists of two communicating air chambers (not shown) .
• the sanitary container according to the invention is similar to that already illustrated with reference to figs. 2 and 3, i.e. it contains a bag 4 of a type described in figs 9 and 10.
• the whole container is similar to that already described: the elastic bands or similar tensioners 7 maintain the base 6 in contact with the structure 1.
• the bag 4 may be located outside the structure 1, which in this case is preferably made of hollow and inflatable material (figs. 5,6,7 and 8).
• the structure is kept deflated inside the bag 4 until it is ready to be used.
• the structure 1 is inflated, the aperture of the bag 20 and the aperture of the structure 2 align, and the base of the container is formed by the lower surface 4a of the bag 4. It is clear that this embodiment involves the loss of the entire container, on deflation of the same after use. For better handling of the said container after use, the preferred embodiment of fig.
• the upper side 4b of the bag 4 provides for the upper side 4b of the bag 4 to extend to cover all the upper side of the container, and a part 19 of the side 4b is detachable or free to bend back on the fixed part of side 4b during use, to form the aperture 20.
• the bending part 19 of side 4b can then be re-used to cover the opening 20 after the container has been used.
• the support structure 1 in this preferred embodiment is without the patient support surface 3a, its function being carried out by the fixed part of the side 4b of the bag 4.
• the inflatable structure 1 can be free inside the bag 4. It is desirable from the point of view of the structure and of the cost that the structure 1 and the bag 4 be bound to each other. To achieve this (fig. 7), the structure 1 and the bag 4 are welded together along the external welding seam 17a; advantageously, the bag 4 can be made by welding two sheets (4a and 4b) along the said external welding seam 17a.
• the inflatable structure described above can be produced by successive welding and cutting of sheets of thermoplastic, e.g. polyethylene for clinical use, superimposed one on the other, one after the other.
• thermoplastic e.g. polyethylene for clinical use
• the cutting-welding of the aperture 2 in the structure 1 along the seam-line 17b of two sheets 15 and 16 is the initial step.
• the sheets joined in this way are placed between two other sheets 4a and 4b and the four sheets are cut-welded together, along the seam 17a (fig. 7).
• This phase also produces the handle 10.
• the flap 19 is precut in the sheet 4a before the cut-weld operation.
• Fig.11 shows a preferred embodiment of a valve 30 for the inflatable structure 1 in a deflated condition.
• the valve 30 is of the flat or "laminar" type and consists of a slip 21 of thermoplastic material, preferably the same material as the structure 1.
• the slip 21 is bound to the structure 1, in fig. 11 formed by two sheets 15 and 16, by means of welding lines 22 and 23, which join it to one of the sheets, preferably to the top sheet 16.
• the lines 22 and 23 define a pathway from the opening 24 at the weld seam 17b to the interior of the structure 1 through which a small tube is insertable for inflating the structure.

Landscapes

• Health & Medical Sciences (AREA)
• Epidemiology (AREA)
• Life Sciences & Earth Sciences (AREA)
• Animal Behavior & Ethology (AREA)
• General Health & Medical Sciences (AREA)
• Public Health (AREA)
• Veterinary Medicine (AREA)
• Accommodation For Nursing Or Treatment Tables (AREA)
• Orthopedics, Nursing, And Contraception (AREA)
• Packages (AREA)

Applications Claiming Priority (2)

Publications (1)

Family

ID=11365110

Family Applications (1)

Country Status (2)

Cited By (1)

Citations (7)

• 1993
  • 1993-02-22 IT ITMI930335A patent/IT1263620B/it active IP Right Grant
• 1994
  • 1994-02-07 WO PCT/EP1994/000338 patent/WO1994018928A1/en active Application Filing

Patent Citations (7)

Also Published As

Similar Documents

Legal Events