WO2005108690A1

WO2005108690A1 - Receiving device for use in combination with urinal

Info

Publication number: WO2005108690A1
Application number: PCT/NL2005/000343
Authority: WO
Inventors: Jocobus Van Beek
Original assignee: Hbf Van Beek Beheer B.V.
Priority date: 2004-05-06
Filing date: 2005-05-04
Publication date: 2005-11-17
Also published as: EP1751358A1; NL1026125C2

Abstract

The invention relates to a receiving device for use in combination with a urinal, the receiving device being arranged for receiving urine ending up in front of the urinal and to that end being provided with a filter element situated within a raised circumferential edge or a discharge situated within it having at least one opening connecting to said discharge and providing passage to a space beneath it, said discharge being designed as a removable cover and the room located beneath the cover being closed-off with a filter element. Further, the invention provides for a receptacle having one or more openings intended for accommodating the receiving devices or only their covers.

Description

Receiving device for use in combination with urinal

The present invention relates to a receiving device for use in combination with a urinal, which particularly refers to a urinal to be used by men, and substantially comprises a cup-shaped body mounted at a distance above the floor. Such a urinal is a hygienic device per se, in the sense that it requires no direct physical contact. However, practice shows a hygienic problem of a different nature, namely, that not all the urine ends up in the intended device, but a small quantity gets onto the floor immediately below and next to the intended device. This is substantially caused by drops of urine that are discharged while putting the penis back into the trousers. Apart from the fact that this represents a hygienic problem, this greatly disturbs the appearance of such a toilet room, however neatly decorated it may be. Additionally, in case of a tiled floor, urine penetrating into the porous joint material between the tiles will produce a sustained acid smell in no time. This acid smell can only be removed by completely renovating the floor. The invention aims to remove the above problem and accordingly provides for a receiving device for use in combination with a urinal, said receiving device being arranged for collecting urine ending up next to and/or below the urinal and substantially comprising a receiving part and an edge part extending around said receiving part, said receiving part being situated lower than said edge part across its entire surface or a part of it, and said receiving part having a drain across at least a part of its surfa- ce or not, and the drain can be provided with a connecting drain opening and/or filter element or not . According to a first simple embodiment it is provided for, that the middle of the receiving device has an elevation from where said receiving part inclines towards said edge part. According to a further elaboration, said recei- ving device is completely or partly made of a plastic, with scent producing means incorporated in the plastic. This embodiment can be produced at low cost and is intended for mounting on an existing toilet floor using an adhesive agent, in such a way that it can be easily replaced by a new one after some time. Cleaning of the receiving device can occur at the same time and in the same way as the cleaning of the toilet floor. A second simple embodiment further includes the fact that said receiving device is provided with at least one filtering element situated within said edge part . According to a further elaboration it is additionally provided for that said receiving device comprises a bottom plate with a raised circumferential edge having an inwardly directed collar, said inwardly directed collar being intended to allow for inserting a filterelement between bottom plate and collar. With this embodiment, the urine is only collected in a filter element, said filter being designed for absorbing the urine as well as for neutralising or suppressing the odour. The filter element is mounted such that it is easily replaceable. The bottom plate is designed to allow for mounting on or in the floor. According to a further embodiment it is provided for that the collecting device comprises an outer shell and a cover to be mounted on it, in which a raised circumferential edge of said outer shell or a raised circumferential edge in the cover is the edge portion, and one or more openings have been made in the cover. Here, it can be provided for that the cover slopes inwardly from approximately the raised circumferential edge and ends in a central opening or that a number of openings have been provided in a ring-shaped configuration, in which a second cover part situated within the ring shape, slopes toward the opening (s) from a central point, line or plane. The choice between the first and second possibility will also be made by the space that should be available between the cover and the bottom plate of the outer shell for e.g. connection to a drain. Preferably, it is provided for, that the outer shell holds an inner shell, in which the dimensions of the inner shell are at least such that the opening (s) in the cover, seen in vertical direction, will be within the circumference of the inner shell. Thus, it is achieved that the urine ends up in the inner shell which has the advantage that for cleaning the receiving device, one simply takes off the cover and the inner shell can be taken out in order to clean it. Further, this also offers the possibility of fixing the outer shell onto or in the base by e.g. fastening means projecting through the bottom of the outer shell without having to provide for liquid-tight sealings. Compared to the first simple embodiment having only a replaceable filter element, the further embodiments with an outer shell or an outer shell plus an inner shell have the advantage that the time between successive cleaning operations can be much longer. With this embodiment, the filter element is mounted underneath the cover to which end an inner bush is mounted to the bottom of the cover, which points downwards in case of a positioned cover, and which is designed for receiving or offering support to the filter element. Here, the filter element is positioned such, that it spans the passage of the opening (s) made in the cover to the other space located between the cover and the outer shell . In the simplest embodiment, the filter element is mounted around the inner bush and against the bottom of the cover at the level of the openings provided in the cover. According to a further elaboration it is provided for that the filter element is mounted between the inner bush and the raised wall of the outer shell or of the outer wall of an inner shell provided within an outer shell. Thus, it is not required that the filter must be mounted directly to the bottom of the cover and it can be kept hidden from view. With all embodiments having an outer shell and a cover, the filter represents a passage for the urine and prevents urine odour from coming out from the space between cover and outer shell, or provides for that said odour is neutralized. The filter element is mounted around the inner bush and moved out together with lifting the cover and can then be replaced easily. According to another elaboration it is provided for that the receiving device is connected to a drain system for discharging the collected urine, possibly combined with a cleaning liquid. To that end, a preferred embodiment provides for that the drain projects up to a distance above the bottom of the outer shell and that the inner shell which is mounted within said outer shell is provided with a drain bush connecting to the drain, said drain bush extending up to or across the upper edge of the drain projecting through the bottom of said outer shell. To that end, it is further provided for that the inner bush fastened to said cover extends beyond the upper edge of the drain projecting through the bottom of said outer shell. This combination of raised drain, inner bush and inner shell allows for a stench-trap of the drain. There, after each cleaning, the inner shell will preferably be filled with water or a cleaning liquid so that the stench-trap operates immediately instead of operating only after a certain amount of urine has been collected. The cover is preferably made of a smooth material, such as e.g. stainless steel, PVC, polyester, hard plastic and comparable materials, to which the urine can not adhere and thus is completely discharged through the openings without leaving any traces or directly visible traces. In order to be ensured of a completely clean outside of the cover at all times, according to the invention, one or more spraying members are provided which are aimed at the top side of the cover. The spraying members can be mounted along the raised circumferential edge or it can be provided for that one or more spraying members have been mounted centrally on the cover. According to a further elaboration, it is further provided for that the control of the flushing water or spraying members is coupled to the control of a flushing member of the urinal with which the receiving device has been combined. According to a preferred embodiment of the receiving device the receiving part is provided with a cover in which one or more openings have been made and that the cover forms a part inclining to the opening or openings, that a drain has been mounted in said receiving part and that a flushing water supply has been provided which is arranged such that flushing water flows out across at least part of the circumference of said cover. The flushing water can be led onto the cover by means of sprayer heads, but according to a further elaboration it is preferably provided for, that a flushing water duct extending completely or partly along the circumference of said receiving part, is mounted in the edge portion of said receiving part, with said edge portion between said receiving portion and said flushing water duct, or along the entire flushing water duct, being lowered in relation to the part of the edge portion located at the other side of said flush water duct. Thus, a particularly reliable cleaning system is provided, by which the cover can be cleaned more than adequately. According to a further elaboration, it is further provided for, that the edge portion mounts a supporting edge for supporting the cover, in which the cover will come to bear onto said supporting edge with three or more protruding supports. This has the additional advantage that the flushing water does not only runs along the top side of the cover, but also along the bottom side of the cover and along the receiving part wall connecting to said supporting edge. Thus, the cover and the receiving part can be cleaned entir- ely in a simple way. Additionally, a capping plate is provided, extending from the outer edge of said receiving device to at least across said flushing water duct, as a result of which it is safely protected and a proper operation remains guaranteed. The receiving device according to the invention will usually be placed in a space having a tiled floor so that according to another embodiment it is provided for that said receiving device is designed for allowing to be incorporated in a tile floor. Here, it can also be provided for that the outer shell is formed as a ceramic element that can be incorporated directly into a tile floor newly to be installed. Finally, the invention provides for the use of a receptacle in combination with one urinal or a number of urinals, said receptacle being arranged for collecting urine ending up next to and/or below the urinal, said receptacle being a hollow part in which one or more openings have been made for receiving one or more of the receiving devices described above, or the covers of said receiving devices. In this way, the receiving devices can be mounted easily. Here, the top surface of the receptacle is the load bearing surface for the urinal users and thus is reinforced accordingly. The receptacle can be incorporated in the floor or be placed onto it, since the relatively small height of the receptacle has no essential influence on the height of the urinal in relation to the standing surface. Therefore, the urinal is not only suitable for new installation work, but can also be mounted in existing systems. Hereinafter, the invention is explained by way of an example given in the drawing, in which figs. 1A-D illustrate plan views of two simple embodiments of a receiving device, as well as cross-sections of the receiving devices on an enlarged scale; figs. 2A-B illustrate a cross-section in detail and a plan view of an embodiment of the receiving device having substantially a filter element for collecting; figs. 3A-B illustrate a cross-section and a plan view of an embodiment having outer shell, inner shell, cover and no drain; fig. 4 illustrates a cross-section and a detail of an embodiment of the receiving device having an outer shell, inner shell, cover, drain and spraying members; figs. 5A-B illustrate a cross-section and a plan view of an embodiment of the receiving device having a two-part cover and a central drain; figs. 6A-B illustrate a cross-section and a plan view of an embodiment of the receiving device like figs. 4A-B, but with an adapted shape of the outer shell; figs. 7A-B illustrate a cross-section and a plan view of an embodiment of the receiving device like figs. 4A-B but with a further cover part ; figs. 8A-B illustrate a cross-section and a plan view of an embodiment of the receiving member having openings made near the edge of the cover part and provided with a central sprayer member; figs. 9A-B illustrate a cross-section and a plan view of an embodiment of said receiving device in which the outer shell is designed in the form of a ceramic element; figs. 10A-C illustrate a cross-section, a plan view and some details of an embodiment of a receiving device like figs. 8A-B, but provided with a different cover; fig. 11 illustrates a cross-section of an embodi- ment of a receiving device, in which a flushing water duct is mounted around the receiving device; and fig. 12 illustrates a receptacle into which a number of receiving devices or their covers can be accommodated. Figs. 1A, C illustrate two different receiving devices 51, 52 of the simplest embodiment of the receiving device, substantially comprising a receiving part 53, 53' and an edge part 54, 54 ' . Receiving part 53, 53' has an elevation 55, 55' in its centre, as can be seen in the cross-sections according to figs. IB, D, causing collected drops of urine to flow away laterally and their splashing to be prevented. The elevation 55, 55' in the receiving device according to fig. IC is subdivided in a number of facets 56. Additionally, decorations 57, 57' have been provided, which suggest a drain which however in fact does not exist . The receiving device according to fig. IC converges to a narrowing, by which the total surface of the receiving device can be larger than that of the receiving device according to fig. 1A, whereas there is enough space to be able to place the feet properly. Preferably, the receiving devices are made of plastic, with scent dispensing means having been provided in the plastic. These can effectively suppress or neutralize unpleasant odours. Receiving devices 51, 52 are mounted on the base with a mounting cement, the mounting cement being of such composition, that it can also be removed from the floor without leaving any traces. Thus, the receiving devices can be replaced easily. Fig. 2A illustrates a cross-section of a simple embodi- ment of the receiving device 1, substantially comprising a bottom plate 2 with a raised edge 3 mounted thereon having an inwardly directed collar or inwardly directed projections 4, with a filter element 5 being mounted on the bottom plate 2 and beneath the collar or projections 4. The bottom plate 2 can be secured to the base by glueing it to said base or with the help of fastening means, e.g. screws 6. Filter element 5 comprises e.g. an absorbing felt having means for suppressing or neutralizing urine odour. Such a filter element should be replaced regularly, in which bottom plate 2, raised edge 3 and collar or projections should also be cleaned. Receiving device 7 according to figs . 3A-B comprises an outer shell 8 having a bottom part 9 and a raised edge 10, and a cover 11 bearing on raised edge 10 of outer shell 8. Here, the cover edge engages the raised edge 10 by a screw or snap connection. An inner shell 12 serving for collecting urine is placed within said outer shell 8. Outer shell 8 can be glued to the base or be fastened to it by fastening means 6. The cover part 11 is subdivided in a first, outer cover part 13 inclining inwards and a second cover part 14 inclining radially outwards from the centre. Between cover parts 13, 14, openings 15 are provided which, in the given example of a round receiving member are arranged in a circle. Second cover part 14 has at its bottom side an inner bush 16 with a flanged edge 17 on which a filter element 18 bears. Preferably, said filter element 18 abuts openings 15 so that the odour of the urine within the inner shell can not get out . Filter element 18 is designed als ring-shaped element connecting to said inner bush 16. For cleaning receiving device 7, the cover 11 is taken off and is cleaned, filter element 18 is replaced, the inner shell is removed, emptied and cleaned and if necessary the outer shell is cleaned. The embodiment of the receiving device 7 according tot fig. 4 is provided with a drain 19 projecting through bottom part 9 of outer shell 8 and to which inner shell 12 fittingly connects. It is stated that for examples given in these and other figures like reference numbers will be employed for corresponding parts where possible. The inner shell 12 is provided with a raised drain bush

20 having a flanged edge 21 reaching onto and preferably to within drain 19, so that a leakage-free overflow is obtained. In an embodiment of the receiving device with drain 19, the dimensions of the inner shell 12 can also be smaller since it no longer needs to have a storage function of a largest possible capacity. In this example, the dimensions of the inner shell 12 is adapted to the excentric location of the drain 19. Cover 11 comprises one part inclining radially to the centre and arriving at a central opening or openings 22 underneath which a filter element 18 is mounted. Filter element 18 connects to the inner bush 16 and rests on the collar 23 located in it. In the given example, the diameter of the opening 22 was chosen to be relatively large, which is related to the flushing system 24 fitted in the receiving device. Flushing system 24 has a number of spraying members 25 which have been mounted in the edge 27 of cover 11 in the given example. Through a duct 26 the spraying members 25 are connected to a water supply or a supply of cleaning liquid. Duct 26 is e.g. a flexible duct of such length that the cover can be taken off and be cleaned without difficulty. One can also provide a quick-coupling in this duct 26. The supply can be coupled to the control of the urinal with which said receiving device 7 is mounted in combinat- ion, or can be connected to a separate supply control. Instead of being mounted in the edge of the cover, the spraying members can also be mounted in or at the raised edge 10 of the outer shell 8, which requires some changes in the attachment of cover 11 to the outer shell 8. The receiving device 7 according to figs. 5A-B is provided with a cover having a first, outer part 13 and a second, inner part 14, with a series of openings 15 mounted between them. The inner bush 16 is fastened to the second part 14 of cover 11, in which the filter element 18 bears on edge 17 and is further enclosed by inner bush 16 and the edge 28 of the inner shell 12. In this way, the filter element 18 can also be mounted spaced below said openings 15 without the risk of the odour coming out from the inner shell 12. Preferably, the inner bush 16 extends to below the heigth of the edge 21 of the drain bush 20 across the drain 19, so that the water seal thus obtained will stop the odour of the drain. The receiving device 7 according to figs. 6A-B largely corresponds to the embodiment according to figs. 5A-B, be it that the shape of the outer shell 8 is specifically adapted for mounting the receiving device 7 on a load bearing floor. Raised edge 10 of the outer shell has an inward slope which prevents the feet from being stopped directly by an upright edge. Furthermore, this creates an esthetically particularly attractive embodiment. This embodiment can also be provided with spraying members, which can be mounted along the edge and/or in the middle. The receiving device 7 according to figs . 7A-B has a cover 11 with a first part 29 inclining towards a central opening 22 and a second part 30 mounted beneath it within inner shell 16, inclining laterally in radial direction and ending at openings 31 mounted in inner shell 16. Here, the filter element 18 is again located between inner shell 16 and raised wall 28 of the inner shell 12 namely at the level of openings 31 or beneath it. Further, with this embodiment too, spraying members 25 are mounted in the edge 27 of cover 11. The central opening 22 can be designed larger than indicated in the figure and can be equal to the inner diameter of the inner bush 16 at. maximum. In the embodiment according to figs. 8A-B the cover 11 is designed in two parts as well, the first part 32 being a short inwardly inclining part extending from edge 27 up to openings 15 situated directly near the edge. The second part

33 of cover 11 extends in radial direction from the middle up to openings 15 and covers the major part of the cover surface. Centrally located on the cover 11 is a flushing system 24 mounted with radially directed spraying members 26 having a supply through duct 26. In this embodiment, duct 26 is led through the bottom part of the inner shell 12, to which end a lead-through bush

34 is mounted in the bottom part, extending to above the maximum level in the inner shell 12, therefore to above the drain 19. The inner shell 12 extends to against the wall 10 of outer shell 8, in which again a filter element 18 is mounted between the inner bush 16, secured to the inner part 33 of cover 11, and raised wall 28 of inner shell 12. The receiving device 37 according to figs. 9A-B has a ceramic element 35 als outer shell with a bottom part 36 and a raised edge 38. Cover 11 largely corresponds to the cover of the embodiment according to figs. 8A-B be it that it is is designed without flushing system. Further, the cover 11 is not secured to the outer shell by a screw connection of snapping system, but bears on a bevel 39 at the inside of raised edge 38. Preferably, there are spacer members between the cover 11 and bevel 39 for preventing accumulation of urine and dirt between cover 11 and bevel 39 as much as possible. The spacer members can e.g. be rubber slugs, however, preferably they are protruberances formed in the cover 11. Further, there is no inner shell and the outer shell is directly connected to a drain 19. To this end, it is necessary that a liquid-tight fastening of the outer shell to the drain is provided, here comprising a plastic inner bush 40, a clamping nut 41 engaging it, a clamping ring 42 mounted between drain 19, inner bush 40 and clamping nut 41 and a sealing ring 43 mounted between clamping nut 41 and outer shell 35. Figs. 10A-C illustrate a receiving device 37 having a ceramic outer shell 35 being provided with an inner shell 12 and a cover 11 as shown in figs. 7A-B. The inner shell 12 can be fixedly mounted wherein it is entrapped underneath the sealing ring 43 or it can reach over the edge of the drain 19 together with a drain bush and rim. In this embodiment too, preferably spacers are provided between cover 11 and the bevel it bears upon. A flushing system having spraying members 25 on top surface 44 of the raised edge 38 is mounted in said raised edge 38 of the ceramic outer shell 35. Here the ducts 26 for the spraying members 25 project in vertical direction through said raised edge 38. Fig. 11 illustrates an embodiment of a receiving device 60 in which a receiving part 62 is made in a body 61 and said body forms an edge part 63 situated around said receiving part. The body 61 can be produced of e.g. a plastic and be made completely massive or partly hollow. Receiving part 62 is provided with a cover 64 having one or more openings 65 in its centre. The cover is supported by a supporting rim 66, said cover 64 preferably having its bottom side provided with three or more protruberances, causing the cover 64 to lie free from supporting rim 66 across the largest part of the circumference by far. Edge part 63 contains a flushing water duct 67 having at its inner side an overflow 68 to the cover 64, said overflow 68 being located lower than the top side of the part of edge part 63 located at the other side of flushing water duct 67. The overflow 68 can extend along the entire circumference or successive, spaced-apart overflows can be provided. The flushing water duct 67 is connected to a flushing water supply 69, with a return valve 70 being incorporated in duct 71. The return valve 70 is posi- tioned in such a way that it is accessible through a bore 62 opening into receiving part 62 with plug 73 and can be replaced easily, if necessary. The duct 71, or only the last part thereof representing the actual connection to the flushing water duct 67, is preferably mounted across an angle in relation to said flushing water duct 67, namely in such a way that the flushing water is led into the flushing water duct 67 in circumferential direction. Seen in vertical cross-section, duct 71 or the last part thereof encloses a sharp angle with flus- hing water duct 67 and seen from above, duct 71 connects to it in tangential direction. Thus, a circulating flow in the flushing water in said flushing water duct is established, which causes transport of the flushing water along the entire circumference or the largest part of the edge by far. Further, the tangential flow component reliably distributes the flushing water across the entire surface of cover 64 so that its proper cleaning is ensured. According to another embodiment, outlet openings are provided along the circumference of flushing water duct 67, in which preferably a number of connections to one or more ducts 71 are provided. These can be e.g. two connections bringing flushing water into the flushing water duct in opposite directions, or two oppositely mounted pairs of such connections or a number of connections distributed along the entire circumference. According to yet another embodiment it is provided for, that the flushing water duct is a closed flushing water duct, which can be effected e.g. by providing the existing flushing water duct 67 with a closure at the top side, in which a number of outlet openings have been provided distri- buted across the entire circumference. With such a closed flushing water duct, one single flushing water supply can be sufficient to keep the flushing water duct sufficiently filled and pressurized, so that equal amounts of flushing water will emerge from the outlet openings on flushing. Receiving part 62 mounts a drain 74 which is provided with an elevated rim 75 in receiving part 62. A covering cap 76 is placed over the elevated rim 75 and has its bottom edge provided with openings 77 being located below the level of elevated rim 75. The bottom of receiving part 62 holds a depression 78 into which the covering cap 76 will reach.

Thus, an adequate stench-trap is provided. A cover plate 79 is placed on receiving device 60, said cover plate extending from the outside to beyond flushing water duct 67 and overflow 68 connecting to it. The cover plate reaches over the edge of receiving device 60 and engages the side 81 with a clamping, snap, or screw connect- ion 80. A circular rubber ring 82 is mounted between edge part 63 and cover plate 79 and prevents flushing water from ending up at the wrong side of the flushing water duct 67. In the drawing, receiving device 60 is received between floor tiles 83, with a joint cement 84 being mounted between the surrounding floor tiles 83 and the sides of receiving device 60 and cover plate 79. This will fix the receiving device 60 and cover plate 79. However, by the positioning of return valve 70 as indicated above, it will remain possible to replace when a receiving device mounted is mounted in a tile floor. The supply 69 of the flushing water is preferably coupled to the control of the urinal, so that they can be flushed simultaneously. There, the return valve 70 provides for that the flushing water in the flushing water duct will always be at the appropriate level and that the flushing water, possibly mixed with waste water (urine and other contaminations) can not return to the main water supply. When flushing, the flushing water runs across the overflow 68 and impinges on the edge of cover 64 located at a lower level. However, by having the edge of cover 64 not directly connect to supporting edge 66, part of the flushing water flows along the bottom side of cover 64 and another part flows along the wall of receiving part 62. Thus, a complete cleaning of receiving part and all accompanying parts is achieved. In the drawing, supply 69 and discharge 74 are mounted at the bottom side of receiving device 60, however, it is also possible to have them ending at one or more sides of reveiving device 60. This can be useful if the receiving device must be mounted in an existing tile floor and/or one must employ an adjusting plate for enabling horizontal and vertical adjustment of receiving device 60. Finally, fig. 12 illustrates an arrangement of a number of urinals 45 in a toilet room, with a receptacle 46 being mounted in the floor of the toilet room below the urinals 45. The receptacle has openings 47 for accommodating receiving devices according to the invention, into which complete receiving devices 7 can be accommodated, but also just their covers 11. In the latter case, the positioning of the filter elements 18 should be adapted or one should provide for a bush e.g. mounted at the bottom side of top surface 48 of the receptacle 46 and connecting to filter element 18. Naturally, such a bush can also be mounted on the bottom plane of the receptacle, but then orifices must be provided, which connect the space within the bush to the further space of the receptacle. There, filter element 18 will get entrapped between the inner bush 16 of cover 11 and said further bush, so that the space of the receptacle is closed-off. Such a bush is comparable to the wall of an inner shell or outer shell as illustrated in the preceding figures, which will abut the filter at the outside. The urinals 45 are connected to a common drain 19 in the receptacle 46. Further a supply 26 for a flushing system not further indicated is provided for, which can comprise a system for cleaning only the inside of urinal 45, but can also have connections for spraying members aimed at the individual covers 11 of receptacles 7. The drain 19 can be provided with a raised edge 49 thus forming a reservoir in the receptacle 46. By regularly, depending on the flushing of one or more urinals, refreshing at least part of the water in the reservoir, one achieves that the urine is immediately received in the reservoir and diluted. By this, the receptacle will stay cleaner and needs to be cleaned less frequently. If the receptacle 46 is mounted in an existing system, each urinal 45 will already have a drain. The receptacle 46 can then have a drain 19 of its own and an independent flushing system of its own. Fig. 12 illustrates a system in which a number of urinals 45 and a receptacle 46 form an entirety. However, it is also possible to produce units comprising one urinal 45 with an accompanying receptacle 46. Then, preferably it is provided for that such units can be mutually connected so that the system can be extended, if necessary. The receiving devices illustrated in the drawing are mostly of circular shape, or at least their covers, since this shape is satisfactory. However, it is also possible to provide receiving devices having a more oval or rectangular shape . - claims -

Claims

C L A I M S

1. Receiving device for use in combination with a urinal, said receiving device being arranged for collecting urine ending up next to and/or below the urinal and substan- tially comprising a receiving part and an edge part extending around said receiving part, said receiving part being situated lower than said edge part across its entire surface or a part of it, with said receiving part having a drain across at least a part of its surface or not and the drain can be provided with a connecting drain opening and/or filter element or not.

2. Receiving device according to claim 1, characterized in that the middle of the receiving device has an elevation from where said receiving part inclines towards said edge part .

3. Receiving device according to claim 2, characterized in that receiving device is completely or partly made of a plastic, with scent producing means incorporated in the plastic .

4. Receiving device according to claims 2-3, characterized in that the receiving device, seen in plan view, is round or has a round or angular part having a narrowing discharge .

5. Receiving device according to claim 1, characteriz- ed in that said receiving device is provided with at least one filtering element situated within said edge part.

6. Receiving device according to claim 5, characterized in that receiving device comprises a bottom plate on which a raised circumferential edge having an inwardly directed collar, said inwardly directed collar being inten- ded to allow for inserting a filterelement between bottom plate and collar.

7. Receiving device according to claim 1, characterized in that the collecting device comprises an outer shell and a cover to be mounted on it, in which a raised circumferential edge of said outer shell or a raised circumferential edge in the cover is the edge portion, and one or more openings have been made in the cover.

8. Receiving device according to claim 7, characteriz- ed in that the cover slopes inwardly from approximately the raised circumferential edge and ends in a central opening.

9. Receiving device according to claim 7, characterized in that a first cover part slopes inwardly from approximately the raised circumferential edge and ends in a central opening or that a number of openings have been provided in a ring-shaped configuration, in which a second cover part situated within the ring shape, slopes toward the opening (s) from a central point, line or plane.

10. Receiving device according to claims 7-9, charact- erized in that the outer shell holds an inner shell, in which the dimensions of the inner shell are at least such that the opening (s) in the cover, seen in vertical direction, will be within the circumference of the inner shell.

11. Receiving device according to claims 7-10, charact- erized in that an inner bush is mounted to the bottom of the cover, which points downwards in case of a positioned cover, and which is designed for receiving or offering support to the filter element.

12. Receiving device according to claim 9, characteriz- ed in that the filter element is positioned such, that it spans the passage of the opening (s) made in the cover to the other space located between the cover and the outer shell.

13. Receiving device according to claim 12, characterized in that the filter element is mounted between the inner bush and the raised wall of the outer shell or of the outer wall of an inner shell provided within an outer shell.

14. Receiving device according to claims 11-13, characterized in that a further cover part is mounted in the inner bush attached to the cover, said further cover part inclining to the wall (s) of the inner bush and that one or more openings are provided at the level of the point of contact or tangent of the further cover part and the inner bush.

15. Receiving device according to claims 7-14, charact- erized in that the bottom of the outer shell has provisions for connecting a drain to it.

16. Receiving device according to claim 15, characterized in that the drain projects up to a distance above the bottom of the outer shell and that the inner shell which is mounted within said outer shell is provided with a drain bush connecting to the drain, said drain bush extending up to or across the upper edge of the drain projecting through the bottom of said outer shell.

17. Receiving device according to claims 15-16, char- acterized in that the inner bush fastened to said cover extends beyond the upper edge of the drain projecting through the bottom of said outer shell .

18. Receiving device according to claims 7-17, characterized in that one or more spraying members are provided which are aimed at the top side of the cover.

19. Receiving device according to claim 18, characterized in that a number of spraying members have been mounted along the raised circumferential edge.

20. Receiving device according to claims 18-19, char- acterized in that one or more spraying members have been mounted centrally on the cover.

21. Receiving device according to claim 1, characterized in that the receiving part is provided with a cover in which one or more openings have been made and that the cover forms a part inclining to the opening or openings, that a drain has been mounted in said receiving part and that a flushing water supply has been provided which is arranged such that flushing water flows out across at least part of the circumference of said cover.

22. Receiving device according to claim 21, characterized in that the flushing water is dispensed by means of sprayer heads .

23. Receiving device according to claim 21, characterized in that a flushing water duct extending completely or partly along the circumference of said receiving part, is mounted in the edge portion of said receiving part, with said edge portion between said receiving portion and said flushing water duct, along parts of the flushing water duct, or along the entire flushing water duct, being lowered in relation to the part of the edge portion located at the other side of said flushing water duct.

24. Receiving device according to claim 23, characterized in that the edge portion mounts a supporting edge for supporting the cover, in which the cover will come to bear onto said supporting edge with three or more protruding supports .

25. Receiving device according to claims 23-24, characterized in that a capping plate is provided, extending from the outer edge of said receiving device to at least across said flushing water duct.

26. Receiving device according to claim 25, characterized in that the capping plate falls over the outer edge of the device and engages the side edge through a clamping or snapping connection.

27. Receiving device according to claims 21-26, char- acterized in that the opening of the drain projects above the bottom of said receiving part and that a cover hood is mounted over the drain, said cover hood being provided with one or more orifices being located lower than the drain opening.

28. Receiving device according to claims 21-27, characterized in that connections for supply and discharge of flushing water are provided in the receiving device, said connectings ending at the side of a side of the receiving device .

29. Receiving device according to claim 28, characterized in that a return valve is mounted in the supply for flushing water, the supply being mounted such, that said supply and said return valve mounted therein are accessible fromt the receiving part .

30. Receiving device according to claims 18-29, characterized in that the control of the flushing water or the spraying members is coupled to the control of a spraying member of the urinal with which the receiving device is combined.

31. Receiving device according to claims 7-30, characterized in that the receiving devices is arranged to be incorporated in a tile floor.

32. Receiving device according to claim 31, character- ized in that the edge part/the outer shell is designed as a ceramic element .

33. Receiving device according to one or more of the claims 1-32, characterized in that the filter element is a liquid-permeable filter and an odour-absorbing and/or an odour-suppressing filter.

34. Receptacle to be used in combination with a urinal, the receptacle being arranged for receiving urine ending up next to and/or beneath the urinal, said receptacle comprising a hollow body in which one or more openings have been made voor accommodating a receiving device according to one or more of the claims 1-33 or a part of such a receiving device .

35. Receptacle according to claim 34, characterized in that the receptacle is provided with a common drain and a flushing device of its own.

36. Receptacle according to claims 34-35, characterized in that the top surface of the receptacle is a load bearing surface.