DUAL PURPOSE TOILET PAPER AND URINARY AID

Abstract

A human urinary aid is described. Simple coatings or modifications are described which provide an additional use to conventional toilet paper as a disposable male urinary aid to allow the transport of a urine stream into a toilet, such as by a human male urinating from a standing position, by consolidating the urine stream onto a conductive path directed into a toilet bowl or other receptacle. A method of making the aid and a method of using the aid are described.

Description

This application claims the benefit of U.S. Provisional Application No. 60/625,249, filed Nov. 4, 2004.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

The present invention relates generally to the field of hygienic urinary aids and more particularly provides for a urinary aid which can be used to allow a man to urinate directly into a toilet or other receptacle from a standing position by consolidating the urine stream onto the urinary aid, which then conducts the stream directly into a receptacle, thereby avoiding noise or splashing.

While toilet facilities exist in nearly every conceivable location in which people are likely to travel, the cleanliness of such facilities varies considerably. While some toilet facilities are maintained in spotless condition, others may be poorly or infrequently maintained. Even the best of public facilities will quickly become unsanitary when used by individuals lacking proper toilet manners. Unfortunately, at times, there simply is no choice but to use such unsanitary toilet facilities despite their unsanitary condition.

Another problem is that many people are uncomfortable with the noise generated by urinating into a toilet, particularly males urinating from a standing position in certain social or public situations. In private homes, especially in social situations, this noise can be very embarrassing to both the person generating the noise as well as to those in close proximity to the bathroom who have to pretend they don't hear it. When a person is in a public toilet with others, the anticipated noise can cause an inability to urinate until all of the others have left.

Women have been concerned about this problem for a long time, particularly since their anatomy makes it rather difficult to urinate from a standing position, requiring they sit upon even an unsanitary toilet seat. Since men are generally able to urinate from a standing position, the problem is less severe for men than it is for women, particularly when using toilet facilities having urinals. When no urinal is available, however, the same problem of unsanitary conditions also faces men, although to a lesser degree. While men can urinate into a toilet from a standing position, they are faced with the option of either lifting the toilet seat first, or engaging in socially unacceptable behavior and possibly urinating and/or splashing at least in part on the toilet seat. The toilet seat may be unsanitary and may carry germs, and thus lifting the seat may be unappealing, particularly if the last user did not lift the seat before urinating.

In addition, while the soiling of both the toilet and the area surrounding a toilet is most often attributed to the ‘poor aim’ of males, it is not possible to eliminate the splashing from even an accurately directed male urine stream entering a toilet. These splashes, when falling on the toilet perimeter, must be periodically cleaned up, an unpleasant and repetitive task. The portion of these splashes falling on the surrounding area can cause extensive damage, as is often evidenced on nearby painted areas or metal work, such as partitions or metal heat duct grills. These splashes have two major sources. First, and most important, almost all male urine streams are accompanied by ‘satellite drops’ or even secondary streams which diverge from this urine stream. These drops or streams often miss the toilet bowl completely, landing either on the toilet perimeter or in the surrounding area. Second, the stream itself generates splashing as it enters the toilet water, said drops again landing either on the toilet perimeter or in the surrounding area.

Finally, some men simply do have difficulty aiming accurately. Again, they are left with the choice of either cleaning up the toilet after urinating or leaving the toilet in a soiled condition.

The art has presented various solutions to the problems identified above. These solutions include modified toilet devices having a urinal attachment, a wearable urinary appliance for storing urine that may be worn on the body, and a portable urinal. Urinal attachment devices are all more or less permanently attached to a toilet, and thus are certainly not portable. In addition, even if they were attached to a public toilet, most men would not use them due to the fact that their designs make them inherently unlikely to remain sanitary in a public toilet facility.

A second type of device is the wearable urinary appliance. These devices all require the user to urinate into a container strapped to the body or a limb of the body and are more appropriate for incontinent men than for men who are merely faced with concerns about noise or the cleanliness of toilet facilities.

A third type of device is a portable urinal. These devices are simply not convenient since they are not small enough to be carried (comfortably) by a man in his pocket and also present a significant disposal problem.

A fourth type of apparatus, which largely overcomes the problems exemplified by the art described above, is a disposable male urinary aid as exemplified by U.S. Pat. No. 5,772,136, to Jonec, and U.S. Pat. No. 6,620,142, to Fluckiger, which are devices which contact the body and funnel the urine through such device and into the toilet. This urinary aid allows a man to urinate directly into a toilet from a standing position by transporting the urine via a tube or pipe like device directly into water contained in the toilet bowl. This type of urinary aid is made of a tube of paper and is tapered from a larger diameter at the top end thereof to a smaller diameter at the bottom end thereof. Following use, the urinary aid may be flushed down the toilet, since it is made entirely of biodegradable materials. This device is relatively costly to manufacture and must be supplied as a separate item in the toilet, possibly with an accompanying dispenser.

Conventional toilet paper does not work as a urinary aid, as it is constructed to be absorbent, soft and to easily disintegrate upon wetting to facilitate dispersal for flushing. In attempted use as a urinary aid, a toilet paper strip readily disintegrates and breaks under the weight of the urine column.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

The paper urinary aids described in the prior art are relatively portable, but are still bulky and, since they rely on the transport of urine via a tube mechanism, require substantial manufacturing steps to prepare. As a result, such a device is relatively costly.

It is accordingly a primary objective of the present invention to provide an improved method of facilitating the urination by men from a standing position into a toilet, which improved method uses only a disposable paper guide which relies on gravity and the surface tension or intermolecular forces of the urine stream itself to constrain the urine path onto the guide and downward into the toilet. Thus, this device is relatively inexpensive, may be easily and conveniently carried on the person or dispensed in a rest room and is of novel and simple construction.

It is a primary objective of the present invention to provide an improved method of facilitating the urination by humans, particularly males urinating from a standing position, into a toilet, which improved method uses a toilet paper which can be used conventionally, but has been specially treated or processed to allow the additional use as a urinary aid. This dual purpose toilet paper relies (1) on the surface tension or intermolecular forces of the urine stream itself to constrain the urine path onto the paper guide and subsequently downward into the toilet by gravity, and (2) relies on sufficient strength being provided to the wet toilet paper guide to support the vertical urine column during urination by either (a) keeping a narrow region of the paper essentially dry via certain treatments, thus reducing the net weight of the urine column requiring support while retaining the dry tensile strength of the paper, and/or (b) strengthening the paper by the addition of a reinforcing region so it can support the full weight of the urine column. This product can be manufactured by very slight modifications to the present manufacturing processes for most conventional toilet papers and can be provided easily in every toilet using conventional toilet paper.

Most conventional toilet papers are manufactured to be absorbent, soft and easily dispersed upon flushing. However, very little, if any, loss of efficacy is evidenced if one or more narrow regions are treated on the extremities of the web to make such region water resistant for a short period of time. This may be achieved by well known methods, for example, by using conventional coating technology such as gravure or offset printing to coat the paper with water resistant materials such as fluorocarbons, silicones or other hydrophobic materials, by coating the paper with slowly dissolving materials such as starch, by coating the paper with water blocking materials such as clay, or by reducing the rate of absorption and penetration of water by physical treatments, for example by embossing or tightly compressing the fibers under pressure. Alternatively, a wound roll of toilet paper can be coated by dipping the edges of the roll in a quantity of treating liquid and after removal, permitting it to dry. These water resistant regions benefit the invention by reducing the total weight of the absorbed water of the suspended column and retaining the dry tensile strength in the treated portions. Since this treatment only retards the wetting of said region, the paper retains the ability to be easily dispersed upon flushing. It is preferred that the treated paper have the ability to form a substantially continuous conductive path for the urine stream so that the urine does not fall away from the paper and splash in the toilet.

Additional strength can be added to conventional toilet papers by using a band of reinforcing material such as polymeric adhesive binders, such as is taught in U.S. Pat. No. 4,117,187, by embossing or compressing a band of the web while wet, or by other processing or manufacturing technologies well known for strengthening such papers. The paper may also be strengthened sufficiently to function in this invention by simply strengthening the entire web, for example by using fibers of the desired length and denier to provide sufficient wet tensile strength to support the urine column, or through chemical treatments as is taught in U.S. Pat. No. 3,546,755. However, this also lengthens the time required for dispersal upon flushing. This time may be reduced by restricting reinforcing materials, such as is taught in U.S. Pat. No. 4,755,421, to a narrow band running along the length of the paper. Alternatively, in the case of two-ply papers, one of the layers may be separately treated or manufactured to be slightly stronger or water repellent, leaving the other layer unchanged. In the case where the layer is made to be water resistant, there is an additional benefit in that the water resistant layer protects the user's fingers from contact with liquids while the absorbent layer still functions normally during ordinary use.

The urinary aid of the present invention must act both as a consolidator of the urine stream as well as a guide leading directly from, or in close proximity to, the urethra and into, or in close proximity to, the water of the toilet bowl. For males, the aid is held a short distance, e.g. about one inch, in front of and a short distance above the downward directed penis, or draped over the end of the penis. The guide is of sufficient width to be held with the fingers in a semicircle in front of and above, or on each side of, the penis. Upon urination, the urine almost immediately encounters the aid, preferably at an oblique angle, which consolidates all of the ‘satellite drops’ into one urine stream and accurately conducts the stream of urine down the aid into the toilet bowl, thereby eliminating both the splashing and noise from the stream entering the toilet bowl. After use, the aid is dropped into the toilet and flushed. The fingers do not become wet, since the rate of transport of urine upward in the urinary aid via capillary action is not sufficiently rapid. Females may also benefit from this urinary aid when seated on a toilet to reduce noise in some settings or when used in conjunction with collection devices facilitating urination from a standing position, such as disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 6,547,771 or U.S. Pat. No. 6,202,225. The result is to ensure that the toilet extremities, the surrounding area and the toilet seat will remain clean even if left in its lowered position.

The urinary aid according to the present invention could be easily substituted ubiquitously for ordinary toilet paper. The roll can be easily marked so as to identify it as being a paper suitable for use as described herein. The specially modified toilet paper of the present invention is of inexpensive manufacture, thereby making it eminently affordable and providing the broadest possible market. Finally, all of the aforesaid advantages and objectives of the present invention are achieved without incurring any substantial relative disadvantage as the toilet paper can be used conventionally without loss of efficacy.

The present invention teaches an improved toilet paper, which includes use as a urinary aid to facilitate urination by men from a standing position into a toilet. A method for manufacturing the improved toilet paper of the present invention is also described.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE FIGURES OF THE DRAWING

The above and other advantages of the present invention are best understood with reference to the drawings, in which:

FIG. 1 is a top view of a strip of material useful as a urinary aid according to the present invention. This example has been treated in regions along both edges of the strip such that the edges are reinforced or rendered relatively hydrophobic so that the edges will not prematurely disintegrate upon urination.

FIG. 2 is a top view of a strip of material useful as a urinary aid according to the present invention. This example has been manufactured such that the middle portion is strengthened as described herein.

FIG. 3 is a perspective view of a roll of paper of the type illustrated in FIG. 1 which is dispensed like conventional toilet paper, but shows two distinctive, very light color bands to allow the user to identify this paper as dual purpose toilet paper which can be used as conventional toilet paper or as a urinary aid as described herein.

FIG. 4 is a side view of a packet of urinary aid strips useful herein. The strips are folded flat and can be dispensed individually as needed as described herein.

FIG. 5 is a perspective view of a male using the present invention as a urinary aid to urinate from a standing position into a toilet, showing the top end of the urinary aid about 1 inch in front of and above a male's penis with the bottom end of the urinary aid located in, or close proximity to, the water contained in the bowl of a toilet.

FIG. 6 is a perspective view of a container with a roll of the urinary aids contained therein for dispensing in appropriate length as needed.

FIG. 7 is a perspective view of an upper portion of a urinary aid strip according to the invention such as might be dispensed from the packet in FIG. 4 with a malleable strip being attached to the width of the end of the strip so it can be bent to embrace the male penis for holding the strip in place.

FIG. 8 is the top view of a strip of material useful as a urinary aid, which has been additionally perforated for separation into two separate tapered urinary aid strips according to the invention.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

The device of the present invention is a simple length of substantially flat, substantially water receptive flexible sheet material, which can provide a guide for urine to flow from the urethra to a receptacle opening located below. The sheet of material forming the urine guide may be any of the readily available water receptive, non-woven fibrous web material, such as a toilet paper, which has been modified to have portions which are not wet by urine, thus retaining the dry tensile strength in those areas while also reducing the wet load on the column, and/or has been modified to have sufficiently high wet tensile strength not to break when exposed to a urine stream, but which will disperse and disintegrate upon longer exposure to water with or without the mild agitation experienced in being flushed through a conventional plumbing system. The material should be able to be disposed of in sewer systems without plugging or otherwise impairing the systems. A preferred material is lightweight non-woven sheets similar to conventional toilet paper, which have been modified to not be entirely wet by urine. Alternatively, conventional toilet paper may be made stronger so that it won't disintegrate on initial contact with a urine stream. A preferred material is a non-woven, wet laid, biodegradable web material similar to that exemplified in U.S. Pat. No. 4,755,421. If desired, a combination of these two methods may be used for the device. The device of the present invention may also be formed from thin, lightweight paper which can be coated on the outside to be at least temporarily waterproof, yet which is sufficiently biodegradable to allow it to be flushed to dispose of the urinary aid once it has been used.

With reference to FIGS. 1 and 2, a long segment of a urinary aid of the invention is shown. FIG. 1 shows a simple form of the invention, which is merely a strip of material 10 which has been modified to retard the rate of absorption of urine on both edges 14 and 16. Alternatively the strip may also function usefully if it is modified along only one edge or in the center region of the paper. The length of the strip may be easily determined by the user and is not critical but should be long enough to reach from the user's penis when standing to, or in close proximity to, the water in a floor-mounted toilet. In one embodiment the strip is perforated transversely as shown at 16 to permit easy separation into convenient lengths.

FIG. 2 shows a similar strip of paper 20, which is represented to show that it has been strengthened along the center region 22 of the strip by the use of hydroentangled disintegratable fibers, similar to the material referred to in U.S. Pat. No. 4,755,421. This strengthens the paper strip so that it will not prematurely disintegrate when contacted by a urine stream.

In FIG. 3 there is shown a roll of toilet paper 30 wound upon a paper core 32 and which has been visibly treated along both edges 34, 36 of the roll according to the present invention. A dye (not shown) or other material can be included in the treating composition to provide a visible color to areas 34, 36. This allows a potential user to have notice that the roll can be used as a urinary aid. Alternatively, a text message, legend, icon or indicia (not shown) could be placed on the roll, such as by printing, prior to or after treatment to indicate its suitability for use as a urinary aid. The roll of material has perforations 38 transverse of the web at regular intervals to allow for easy separation into strips of desired length for use as toilet paper or as a urinary aid. The perforations assist in separating a strip of paper from a larger sheet. Typically the length of paper will be long enough to reach from just above the users penis to below the user's knees. In typical cases, the length may range from about 12 inches (30.5 cm) to about 24 inches (61 cm). Additional length is not harmful as the excess length merely extends into the urine receptacle. If the length is too short so that the strip does not reach the close proximity of the urine receptacle, the objects of the present invention will not be realized. In an alternate embodiment of the invention, the perforations and a small area adjacent each perforation is optionally treated similar to the edges in order to resist urine from wicking upward along the aid back onto the users body and to provide additional tensile strength to the perforated areas. This can be accomplished by treating a section across the width of the paper at each perforation line, or at regular intervals if the paper is not perforated, so that when a section of the paper is separated for use an area proximate at least one of the ends will be treated to be water resistant. However, the width of such treatments must be sufficiently small so that the urine stream is able to “jump” or bridge the treatment and resume conduction along the conductive path on the downward side of the treatment. As with the edge bands, this may be accomplished by coating the section with a water resistant material.

The urinary aid of the present invention should be water receptive in a region, such as an essentially continuous band along its entire length, thereby facilitating adherence and constraint of the urine stream onto the downward path provided via gravity and surface tension forces. It also must have a composite tensile strength in the lengthwise direction (as opposed to the transverse direction) sufficient to support the vertically suspended urine stream while in use. By “composite tensile strength” is meant the combined tensile strength in the long direction of the wet and dry regions in use. The minimum tensile strength required depends upon the total weight of the suspended liquid column, which varies with the construction used. The weight of the suspended liquid column increases directly with the width, length and absorbency of the strip and inversely with the area made to be water resistant, since absorption is virtually eliminated in those areas. The composite tensile strength also increases with the area made to be water resistant since the dry tensile strength of most materials is usually much greater than the wet tensile strength. Therefore, it is preferred that the material is resistant to absorbing water in one or more continuous band(s) running substantially the full length of the material. In the treated areas, the dry material tends to retain the dry tensile strength with the additional benefit that the total weight of the absorbed urine column is also reduced.

It has been found that a minimum tensile strength of the wet material, such as a paper web, should be from about 10 to 40 grams per inch (2.5 cm) of width of the sheet. That is equivalent to at least about 50 grams, and preferably about 100 grams, per width of a typical sheet of toilet paper of 4.5 inches (11.4 cm). The tensile strength is desirable greater than this minimum level so long as the sheet remains soft and pliable to be suitable for its intended use and is readily dispersible in water after use. The weight of the necessarily supported urine column typically varies from 50-95 grams for about 21 inches (53.3 cm) of wet web length at a urination rate of 1.0 liter/minute. The urine typically will be at or close to a body temperature of 98.6 degrees F. (37 degrees C.). At this temperature, the wet tensile strength of most untreated toilet papers ranges from 30-70 grams for a 4.5-inch (11.4 cm) width sheet. For example, a sheet of conventional, single ply toilet paper 4.5 inches (11.4 cm) in width has a wet tensile strength of about 60 grams, but needs to support a urine column of about 80 grams under the above conditions. Conventional, double ply paper 4.5 inches (11.4 cm) in width has a wet tensile strength of about 70 grams, but needs to support a urine column of about 95 grams due to its greater absorbency. Less expensive, non-perforated 3.5-inch (8.9 cm) wide toilet paper only needs to support a urine column of 55 grams, but has a wet strength of only 35 grams.

Treating any of the above three types of paper with a water resistant substance to produce a band of about 0.75 inch (1.9 cm) on each edge will yield a composite tensile strength of about 110-350 grams for the wet web depending on the effectiveness of the water repellant agent and the specific toilet paper used. For Example, a one-inch (2.5 cm) band on each edge of the 4.5 inch (11.4 cm) single ply paper measured previously was treated with fluorinated hydrophobic coating material (Scotchgard™ brand Fabric Protector available from 3M company). The weight of the supported urine column decreased to 50 grams while the composite wet strength increased to about 150 grams. Similar results were observed when a single two-inch (5 cm) band was treated on one side of the same paper, except that the composite wet strength only increased to 120 grams and the urine occasionally was observed to stray from the channel. When the width of the treated bands was decreased to 0.75 inches (1.9 cm) on each side of the same paper, the weight of the supported urine column was 60 grams and the composite wet strength was 140 grams. After about 3 minutes, the composite wet strength for all three of the above papers decreased to less than 80 grams, due to the penetration of the protective layer by the 98.6 degree F. (37 degrees C.) water.

It should also be pointed out that care must be taken when these papers are perforated into sections to facilitate separation from the roll. If wet strength is significantly reduced or irregular in these areas, additional strength may be required in these areas, for example, by treating the perforated areas with a water resistant substance as described previously.

Alternatively, the tensile strength may be increased by using processing technologies or materials, as described previously, to obtain a web with greater than 100 grams of wet strength. However, the paper must also be soft, absorbent and disperse readily after use, which becomes more difficult with these constructions.

The urinary guide may be configured in other forms besides the roll shown in FIG. 3. As shown in FIG. 4, a package 40 comprises bottom portions 41 and top 43, with an opening 44 in top 43 which may optionally be re-sealable by an adhesive coated on overlying portion 46 or on underlying portion of 43. A folded stack of a plurality of paper sheets 47 are included within package 40 which can be removed one sheet 48 at a time through opening 44. The sheets may be separated in the package or may be connected, but separable as they are removed individually. Alternatively, the urinary aids may be packaged in other forms, such as in an upright container (not shown) which is commonly used for liquid containing wipes and the like. These containers hold sheets in a roll form which are dispensed through an opening in the top or side of the container as needed. This facilitates the use of a liquid disinfectant or sanitizer by reducing the evaporation of these materials and causing the sheets to dry out although the flat packages illustrated in FIG. 4 are also suitable for holding wet sheets.

FIG. 5 shows a urinary aid 51 in use by a male user 52 by holding the urinary aid 51 a short distance (e.g. one inch (2.5 cm)) above and a short distance in front of the downward directed penis (not shown) with the use of the male's hand 53. Alternatively, the aid 51 may be used by contacting the male's penis with one end of the urinary aid 51 with hand 53 pressing the aid 51 into contact with the penis. The material may simply be pressed against the penis so the urine stream 54 contacts the paper sheet. Alternatively, the paper sheet may have a flap or other protuberance attached to it so that it may be more readily grasped by the user. A gripping means (not shown), such as a spring clamp, may also be used to grip and hold the urinary aid. The aid 51 extends downwardly through the open seat 55 and contacts the pool of water 56 in the bowl of toilet 57. When the male urinates, the urine 54 contacts the aid 51 and travels down the length of the aid into the water 56 in the toilet 57. During urination, there is virtually no sound since the urine flows down the urinary aid 51 and into the water 56 rather than splashing down into the water. Note also that the seat 55 of the toilet 56 does not get wet during urination. When the male 52 is done urinating, he removes the top end of the urinary aid 51 from his penis, drops the paper aid 51 into the water 56 in toilet 57 and flushes the toilet 57.

As shown in FIG. 6 a roll 62 of the urinary aids may be disposed in a container 64 for dispensing in appropriate length as needed. The sheets have bands 66 and 68 of relatively water resistant regions to provide the necessary composite tensile strength in the long direction. The sheet material contained in the roll may be perforated at appropriate intervals similar to toilet paper so that the sheet material may be pulled form the container, yet easily separated at the desired length.

FIG. 7 shows an upper portion of a urinary aid strip 72 according to the invention such as might be dispensed from the packet 40 in FIG. 4 with a malleable strip 74 being attached to the width of the end of the strip so it can be bent to embrace the male penis for holding the strip in place if needed. Alternatively a gripping means (not shown) could be included with or in place of the strip 74 so the strip could be held without the hand contacting the absorbent strip.

FIG. 8 is the top view of a strip 82 of material useful as a urinary aid, which has a pair of water resistant bands 84, 86 and which has a line of perforations 88 to facilitate separation into two separate, tapered urinary aid strips according to the invention. These strips could also be enclosed in and dispensed form a pack similar to pack 40 in FIG. 4.

The improved urinary aid in roll form is deployable from a paper roll located in the toilet paper dispenser of a rest room, thereby not requiring the addition of any dispensers in rest rooms. In such an embodiment, the paper roll thus functions both as conventional toilet paper and as a urinary aid. Alternatively, the aid may be contained in a package that can be conveniently carried by a user or placed in a suitable holder/dispenser and opened and closed to dispense the urinary aid sheet one at a time.

Although various embodiments of the present invention have been shown and described, it will be apparent to those having ordinary skill in the art that a number of changes, modifications, or alterations to the invention as described herein may be made, none of which depart from the spirit or scope of the present invention. All such changes, modifications, and alterations should therefore be seen as being within the scope of the present invention.

Most any toilet paper in use today may be modified according to this invention. Toilet paper thus modified can be virtually undistinguishable from conventional papers, but such treatment will additionally allow the paper to function as a male urinary aid, providing a guide for urine to flow from the male penis to a receptacle opening located below the penis. If desired, the device of the present invention may be marked to identify that it is capable of functioning as a urinary aid.

EXAMPLE I

A roll of conventional toilet paper was modified according to the invention by spraying a 1-inch (2.5 cm) band of a fluorinated hydrophobic coating material (Scotchgard™ brand Fabric Protector available from 3M company) along each edge of a length of the roll. After drying, the bands were water resistant. A section of the modified roll about 24 inches (61 cm) in length was detached from the roll and used by a male to urinate. One end of the section was held by the user's hand near and above the end of the downward directed penis and the other end of the paper allowed to drape into the water in the toilet. During urination, the urine stream contacted the paper and was guided along the paper and into the toilet without splashing or spraying beyond the toilet bowl. Upon completion of urination, the paper was released into the toilet bowl and the toilet flushed. The user's fingers did not get wet, since the rate of transport of urine up the up the urinary aid via capillary action was not sufficient. Untreated paper disintegrated almost immediately upon contact with the urine stream and fell into the toilet prior to completion of urination.

EXAMPLE II

A roll of conventional toilet paper was modified according to the invention by spraying a 1-inch (2.5 cm) band of an aliphatic hydrocarbon solvent vehicle containing paraffin oil and other aromatic hydrocarbon materials (Thompson's Water Seal™, available from the Thompson Company) along each edge of a length of the roll. After drying, the bands were water resistant and the product thus produced functioned according to the invention.

EXAMPLE III

A roll of conventional toilet paper was modified according to the invention by briefly dipping both edges of the roll into a ¼-inch (0.6 cm) reservoir of Thompson's Water Seal™, which had been colored with a blue dye. After drying, the colored bands were water resistant and the product thus produced functioned according to the invention.

EXAMPLE IV

A segment of conventional toilet paper was modified according to the invention by coating a 1-inch (2.5 cm) band of Thompson's Water Seal along each edge of a length of the roll using an offset press. After drying, the bands were water resistant and the product thus produced functioned according to the invention.

EXAMPLE V

The middle of an 18″ (45.7 cm) piece of single ply toilet paper was re-enforced by adhering a ½ inch (1.25 cm) strip of stronger water dispersible paper (paper as described in U.S. Pat. No. 4,755,421) with water resistant wood glue to said single-ply paper and the product thus produced functioned according to the invention.

Although various embodiments of the present invention have been shown and described, it will be apparent to those having ordinary skill in the art that a number of changes, modifications, or alterations to the invention as described herein may be made, none of which depart from the spirit or scope of the present invention. All such changes, modifications, and alterations should therefore be seen as being within the scope of the present invention.

Claims

1. A disposable urinary aid for directing a urine stream into a toilet, said aid comprising an elongated strip of water-dispersible sheet material with at least one essentially continuous water resistant region extending substantially the length thereof, the composite tensile strength of said sheet material being sufficient to support a human male urine stream during urination.

2. A disposable urinary aid according to claim 1 including at least one water absorbent region extending substantially the length of said aid.

3. A disposable urinary aid according to claim 1 wherein the composite tensile strength of said sheet material is at least 50 grams for the sheet when the aid is exposed to a human male urine stream.

4. A disposable urinary aid according to claim 1 wherein said sheet material is toilet paper.

5. A urinary aid according to claim 4 wherein said strip is in roll form.

6. A disposable urinary aid according to claim 1 wherein from 20% to 80% of its width is water resistant.

7. A urinary aid according to claim 1 wherein the minimum dry tensile strength required is reduced by the inclusion of one or more regions of reduced wetting and urine absorbency.

8. A urinary aid according to claim 1, wherein sufficient composite tensile strength is provided by the inclusion of one or more regions having increased tensile strength.

9. A urinary aid according to claim 1 wherein said strip is dispersible in water and biodegradable.

10. A urinary aid according to claim 1 wherein said strip contains a sanitizer.

11. A urinary aid according to claim 1 wherein said strip contains a disinfectant.

12. A urinary aid according to claim 1 wherein said strip is visibly identified.

13. A urinary aid according to claim 1 wherein said strip is contained within a package having an opening for repeatedly withdrawing a selected length of said strip.

14. A urinary aid according to claim 1 wherein said strip is folded flat.

15. A urinary aid according to claim 1 wherein said strip is folded flat and a plurality of said strips are contained within a package having an opening for repeatedly withdrawing said strips individually.

16. A urinary aid according to claim 1 wherein said strip is contained within a package having an opening for repeatedly withdrawing and separating a portion of said strip for use.

17. A method of making a disposable urinary aid for directing a urine stream into a toilet wherein said strip is prepared by modifying an elongated strip of conventional toilet paper to have one or more regions of increased wet tensile strength.

18. A method of directing urine from a human urethra to a receptacle opening located below the urethra, comprising placing a first end of a flexible sheet material proximate said urethra and disposing the second end of said sheet into or in close proximity to said receptacle and directing a urine stream from said urethra into contact with said strip, wherein said strip is a water receptive, elongated sheet of water dispersible, biodegradable sheet of paper treated to have a water resistant region extending along its length so that said urine moves along said sheet and enters said receptacle without said sheet breaking.

19. A method according to claim 18 wherein the composite tensile strength of the wet paper sheet is at least 50 grams.

20. A method according to claim 18 wherein said strip is a fibrous strip manufactured by compressing the fibers in at least a lengthwise portion thereof by conventional mechanical methods.