Male urinal
A urinal assembly comprising a body comprising a bottom wall, front and back walls, first and second side walls bridging the front and back walls, an open mouth positioned generally opposite the bottom wall, and an attachment feature positioned proximate to the open mouth. The attachment feature includes outer and inner edges and an opening defined by the inner edge. The urinal assembly further comprises a lid including a lid portion and a strap having a fastener positioned at a distal end. The fastener includes a central portion positioned between first and second arms. Each of the first and second arms has a first end coupled to the central portion and a second end positioned a distance away from the central portion. The first and second arms extend through the opening such that the first and second free ends of the arms abut the inner edge of the attachment feature.
The present invention relates generally to a urinal. More particularly, the present invention relates to an all-plastic, disposable, male urinal with enhanced reinforcing elements, an improved lid-attachment mechanism and automated method for attaching a lid to a urinal, and a leak-resistant lid and which is additionally configured for nesting to allow cost-effective storing, transporting, and/or shipping.
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTIONOne piece, all-plastic urinals in widespread use are generally manufactured using an extrusion blow-molding process where a molten tube of polymer is dropped between two halves of a mold. The polymer may include polyurethane, polypropylene, polyethylene, polyethylene, PET polyester, polyvinyl chloride, another type of thermoplastic polymer, or other suitable polymers. A thermoplastic polymer includes any polymer that may be melted, ground, and re-melted. The mold halves are closed onto the molten tube. Compressed air is then injected into the molten tube forcing the walls of the tube to expand into the mold, thereby taking the shape of the inside of the mold. The mold and molten plastic are cooled so that the plastic retains the permanent shape of the mold.
When the mold halves are opened, the urinal is removed from the mold. The urinal generally includes a body having a front wall, a back wall, opposing side walls bridging the front and back walls, and a lower wall forming a bottom of the urinal. A unitary handle projects from the body, near an upper mouth, toward a lower portion of the front wall, whereby a gap is defined between the handle and an upper portion of the front wall. Often, the urinal is provided with a lid, which is adapted to be snap-fitted around a margin of the mouth and which is attached to the handle where the handle meets the body. The lid is attached to the handle via a strap that is unitary with the lid and that includes a loop through which the handle is placed.
To be cost effective, the walls of existing urinals are blow-molded in a very thin manner, and the walls are relatively thin. Because the walls are thin, the urinals have a tendency to tip, deform, and/or collapse when gripped and/or handled, particularly when the urinal is full or nearly full. Therefore, it is often difficult for a user to hold, keep upright, carry, and/or empty the contents of existing urinals, which often causes spillage. Current thicker-walled urinals are less likely to collapse but are more difficult to dispose of and more costly to ship due to their greater weight compared to existing thin-walled disposable urinals. Furthermore, thicker-walled urinals are generally more costly to manufacture because they require more material.
Lids of existing urinals also have considerable disadvantages. For example, existing urinals utilize lids that are attached to the urinals by placing the urinal handle through a hole in a lid strap attached to the lid. Because the process of attaching the lids to the handle requires maneuvering of the urinals, it must be done manually and is very difficult or cannot be automated. The lids of existing urinals also have a tendency to fall off during packing or shipping. Furthermore, because the movement of existing lids between an open and a closed position is unrestricted, existing lids may fall into the urine flow when the urinal is being emptied and become contaminated. When lids are installed over the mouths of existing urinals, the lids often do not seal properly around the mouths, thereby causing significant leakage of urine from the space between the lids and the mouths of the urinals. The lids of existing urinals are also prone to pop off altogether, thereby causing urine to spill out from the urinals.
Another disadvantage of existing urinals is that they are often expensive and/or bulky to store, transport, and/or ship. Because of their often irregular shape, size, and/or dimensions, existing urinals require a substantial amount of space for storing, transporting, and/or shipping. Furthermore, existing urinals are not conducive to side-by-side packing of urinal pairs or to stacking urinals on top of one another. Consequently, existing urinals may be expensive for consumers, manufacturers, hospitals, healthcare facilities, or the like to store, transport, and/or ship.
Therefore, there exists a need for a urinal having improved reinforcing elements, an improved lid-attachment mechanism and automated method for attaching a lid to a urinal, and a leak-resistant or leak-proof lid and which additionally is configured for nesting to allow cost-effective storing, transporting, and/or shipping.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTIONAccording to one embodiment of the present invention, a urinal assembly comprises a body comprising a bottom wall, a front wall, a back wall, first and second side walls bridging the front wall and the back wall, an open mouth positioned generally opposite the bottom wall, and an attachment feature positioned proximate to the open mouth. The attachment feature includes an outer edge, an inner edge, and an opening defined by the inner edge. The urinal assembly further comprises a lid including a lid portion and a strap having a fastener positioned at a distal end. The fastener includes a central portion positioned between first and second arms. Each of the first and second arms has a first end coupled to the central portion and a second free end positioned a distance away from the central portion. The first and second arms extend through the opening such that the first and second free ends of the arms abut the inner edge of the attachment feature.
In another embodiment of the present invention, a generally circular lid comprises a generally flat disk portion. The lid further comprises a reinforced area positioned at or near the center of the disk portion. The lid further comprises a cylindrical area surrounding the disk portion. The cylindrical area includes an inner cylindrical surface extending from the disk portion. The inner cylindrical surface has a first circumferential detent. The cylindrical area further includes an upper cylindrical surface extending from the inner cylindrical surface. The upper cylindrical surface has a second circumferential detent. The cylindrical area further includes an outer cylindrical surface extending from the upper cylindrical surface and being generally parallel to the inner cylindrical surface. The outer cylindrical surface includes a third circumferential detent. The outer cylindrical surface is configured to be positioned around the outside of a mouth of a bottle. The inner cylindrical surface is configured to be positioned within the mouth of the bottle, and the upper cylindrical surface is configured to be positioned over a top of the mouth of the bottle. The first, second, and third circumferential detents are configured to form a seal with the mouth of the bottle.
In yet another embodiment of the present invention, a plastic urinal comprises a body including a bottom wall, a front wall, a back wall, and first and second side walls bridging the front wall and the back wall. The front wall defines a first plane generally parallel to a second plane defined by the back wall. The urinal further comprises an open mouth comprising a generally circular portion. The open mouth is positioned generally opposite the bottom wall. The urinal further comprises a handle extending from the front wall. At least one of the front wall, back wall, side walls, and handle includes indentations or raised areas. The indentations or raised areas are configured to increase the strength of the urinal.
In a further embodiment of the present invention, a package comprises a plurality of similar urinals. Each urinal has a bottom wall, a front wall, a back wall, a first side wall radially coupled to each of the front wall and the back wall, a second side wall positioned generally opposite the first side wall, the second side wall being radially coupled to each of the front wall and the back wall, an open mouth positioned generally opposite the bottom wall, and a handle extending from the front wall forming a gap positioned between the front wall and the handle. A first urinal is inverted in relation to a second urinal such that a handle of the first urinal fits into the gap defined between a handle of the second urinal and a front wall of the second urinal, a back wall of the first urinal is positioned adjacent to a back wall of a third urinal, a first sidewall of the first urinal is positioned adjacent to a first or second sidewall of a fourth urinal, and a second sidewall of the first urinal is positioned adjacent to a first or second sidewall of a fifth urinal.
In a process of the present invention, a method of forming a urinal-lid assembly comprises the act of placing a molten tube of a polymer between two mold halves. The method further comprises the act of closing the mold halves onto the molten tube and the blow pin. The method further comprises the act of inserting a blow pin having a diameter similar to the diameter of a desired open mouth of a urinal. The method further comprises the act of injecting compressed air into the molten tube. The method further comprises the act of removing a resulting urinal from the mold. The urinal includes an attachment feature having an opening therethrough. The method further comprises the act of attaching a lid to the urinal by inserting a fastener coupled to the lid through the opening in the attachment feature. The method further comprises the act of snap-fitting the lid onto the mouth of the urinal.
The above summary of the present invention is not intended to represent each embodiment or every aspect of the present invention. The detailed description and Figures will describe many of the embodiments and aspects of the present invention.
The foregoing and other advantages of the invention will become apparent upon reading the following detailed description and upon reference to the drawings.
While the invention is susceptible to various modifications and alternative forms, specific embodiments have been shown by way of example in the drawings and will be described in detail herein. It should be understood, however, that the invention is not intended to be limited to the particular forms disclosed. Rather, the invention is to cover all modifications, equivalents, and alternatives falling within the spirit and scope of the invention.
DESCRIPTION OF ILLUSTRATIVE EMBODIMENTSThe urinal 10 further includes a neck 30 that is angled relative to the body 14. The neck 30 includes an open mouth 32 having a generally circular portion 34 (see
The urinal 10 may be sized to hold any suitable volume of liquid. In one embodiment, the urinal 10 may hold about 100 mL to about 1000 mL. The urinal 10 may include calibration markers 43 for indicating the amount of liquid contained in the urinal 10.
The urinal 10 further includes a handle 44 extending from the upper front wall 36, near the mouth 32, toward the lower front wall 22. The handle 44 is generally parallel to the lower front wall 22, leaving an open area 46 between the handle 44 and the lower front wall 22. The shape of the open area 46 has a dimension, dimension A, through which a bed rail (not shown) may pass as the urinal 10 is fitted over the bed rail on, for example, a hospital bed. Dimension A may be about 2.5 cm to about 3.0 cm (1.0 in. to about 1.2 in.) wide. An enlarged area 48 may be formed at the top of the open area 46 so that the urinal 10 may be conveniently hung in its upright position. This enlarged area 48 may coincide with certain bed rails that have generally flat sides (e.g., not fully round). The enlarged area 48 may assist in easily attaching and removing the urinal 10 from various styles of beds and bed rails.
The urinal 10 of the illustrated embodiments includes various reinforcing elements molded into the walls 16, 22-24, 26, 36, 40, 42 and the handle 44 that provide reinforcements to strengthen the urinal 10 without increasing its wall thickness. Although the various reinforcing elements are described and illustrated on a single urinal 10, it is possible that a urinal in accordance with the present concepts may include less than all and/or variations of the reinforcing elements described herein.
According to one embodiment, the reinforcing elements include indentations positioned on the lower back wall 23 of the urinal 10 for increasing the strength of the urinal 10. In the illustrated embodiment of
The urinal 10 of the illustrated embodiments further includes reinforcements along the lower front wall 22 for increasing the strength of the urinal 10. As best shown in
The side walls 24, 26, 40, 42 of the urinal 10 of the illustrated embodiments may also include reinforcing elements molded therein for increasing the strength of the urinal 10. Referring back to
The bottom wall 16 of the urinal 10 described herein may also include reinforcing elements for increasing the strength of the urinal 10. The urinal 10 of the illustrated embodiments, for example, includes notched corners 66 that further assist in providing structural integrity to the urinal 10. In the illustrated embodiment, each of the four corners of the generally rectangular bottom wall 16 include notched corners 66.
The neck 30 of the urinal 10 may also include reinforcing elements. In the illustrated embodiment of
It should be noted that any of the indentations and/or raised portions described herein that are used for providing structural reinforcement and adding strength to the urinal 10 are not intended to be limited to the size(s), shape(s), quantity(ies), or position(s) illustrated in the Figures and described above. Rather, the indentations and/or raised portions may be any suitable shape(s), size(s), combinations of shapes and/or sizes, or the like and in any suitable quantity. Furthermore, the indentations and/or raised portions may be positioned in any suitable location(s) on the urinal 10 as desired for providing structural reinforcement. The indentations and/or raised portions may also be uniformly or non-uniformly spaced. It is also contemplated that indentations and raised portions may be used interchangeably. It is contemplated that the indentations and/or raised portions that are used may be selected based on factors such as desired wall thickness, desired liquid capacity, user comfort, cost considerations, or the like.
The enlarged area 48 between the handle 44, the upper front wall 36, and the lower front wall 22 is defined by a plurality of generally flat surfaces 65a-h, enhanced by the generally vertical rib 54 (see
Referring back to
The lower front wall 22 is also generally planar and defines a third plane, which is substantially parallel to the first plane defined by the lower back wall 23. The generally planar shape of the lower front wall 22 is advantageous because it allows the urinal 10 to be easily coupled to various types of bed rails, including bed rails that have few or no openings, without deforming the shape of the urinal 10 or accidentally locking the urinal 10 to a bed rail.
According to another embodiment, the urinal 10 includes a lid attachment feature 68 positioned generally between the mouth 32 and a top, outer part of the handle 44. A close-up view of the attachment feature 68 according to one embodiment is shown in
Turning now to
The lid 100 may be attached to the attachment feature 68 (see
The strap 104 further includes a bridge 139 integral with the main portion 136. The width W of the bridge 139 of the illustrated embodiment is smaller than the width W′ of the main portion 136. The strap 104 further includes a fastener 138 extending from and integral with the bridge 139. The main portion 136, the bridge 139, and the fastener 138 define a cutout 149 formed therebetween.
The fastener 138 of the illustrated embodiment has an arrow-like shape pointing in a direction generally perpendicular to the length L of the strap 104 and includes a first arm 142a, a second arm 142b, and a central portion 144 positioned between the first and second arms 142a, 142b. The first and second arms 142a, 142b are generally the same size and shape and are generally positioned similarly with respect to the central portion 144. The first and second arms 142a, 142b and the central portion 144 are attached to one another at a distal end 146 of the fastener 138. The first and second arms 142a, 142b also include free ends 148a, 148b positioned generally opposite to the distal end 146 and a distance away from the central portion 144. Although not required, in the illustrated embodiment, the central portion 144 further includes a step 147 positioned proximate to the bridge 139. The step 147 rides along the outer edge 70 of the attachment feature 68 and has an interference fit with the outer side 78.
As illustrated in
The mechanism described above for attaching the lid 100 to the urinal 10 has several advantages over existing attachment mechanisms. For example, referring to
Referring to
In another embodiment (not shown), the opening 72 of the attachment feature 68 may act as a cam and the step 147 (see
In the illustrated embodiment of
According to one embodiment, the lid 100 includes a triple-seal feature to assist in reducing or eliminating leakage of the urinal 10. Referring to
To close the lid 100, a user may press against the reinforced area 108 (see
After the lid 100 is in place (e.g., the urinal-cap assembly 151 of
To open the urinal 10, a tab 178 (see
According to one embodiment, a top side 180a and a bottom side 180b of the tab 178 include rounded edges 184a, 184b. These rounded edges 184a, 184b are illustrated in
To further reduce leakage of the urinal 10, in one embodiment, a blow pin (not shown) is inserted into a mouth portion of the urinal 10 during production to create a calibrated neck finish. The calibrated neck finish creates a more precise inside and outside diameter of the mouth 32, which forms a tighter seal with the lid 100. This calibrated neck finish also creates a smooth inside diameter to provide comfort to male users.
One non-limiting method of forming a urinal-lid assembly is depicted in the flow diagram of
In one embodiment, the dimensions of the urinal 10 are such that when packaged, a minimal amount of space in the container 202 is wasted. For example, a standard pallet is about 48 inches (about 122 cm) long and about 40 inches (about 102 cm) wide. Generally, four containers (e.g., container 202 of
While the specific examples provided herein, for convenience of description, describe urinals, it should be understood that the embodiments described herein may be applied to any suitable device (such as, for example, a blow-molded milk bottle). Accordingly, the invention is applicable to and the claims are to be construed to cover all equivalent structures.
While the present invention has been described with reference to one or more particular embodiments, those skilled in the art will recognize that many changes may be made thereto without departing from the spirit and scope of the present invention. Each of these embodiments and obvious variations thereof is contemplated as falling within the spirit and scope of the invention, which is set forth in the following claims.
Claims
1. A urinal assembly comprising:
- a body comprising a bottom wall, a front wall, a back wall, first and second side walls bridging the front wall and the back wall, an open mouth positioned generally opposite the bottom wall, and an attachment feature positioned proximate to the open mouth, the attachment feature including an outer edge, an inner edge, and an opening defined by the inner edge; and
- a lid including a lid portion and a strap having a fastener positioned at a distal end, the fastener including a central portion positioned between first and second arms, each of the first and second arms having a first end coupled to the central portion and a second free end positioned a distance away from the central portion, the first and second arms extending through the opening such that the first and second free ends of the arms abut the inner edge of the attachment feature.
2. The urinal assembly of claim 1, wherein the attachment feature is configured to inhibit the lid from closing when the lid is in an open position.
3. The urinal assembly of claim 1, wherein the inner edge and the outer edge define a first plane generally parallel with the first and second side walls and the central portion of the fastener is generally perpendicular to the first plane.
4. The urinal assembly of claim 3, wherein the strap further includes a main portion and a bridge, the main portion extending from the lid, a top end of the bridge extending from the main portion, the fastener extending from a side of the bridge, the width of the bridge being smaller than the width of the main portion such that a cutout is formed between the main portion, the side of the bridge, and the fastener.
5. The urinal assembly of claim 4, wherein the thickness between the inner edge and the outer edge of the attachment feature varies such that the thickness in one area is greater than the length of the cutout and the thickness in a second area is less than the length of the cutout.
6. The urinal assembly of claim 1, wherein the lid includes at least three circumferential detents for creating at least three seals at or near the open mouth.
7. The urinal assembly of claim 1, wherein the urinal further comprises a handle extending from the front wall.
8. The urinal assembly of claim 1, wherein the first and second arms form a arrow-like shape.
9. A generally circular lid comprising:
- a generally flat disk portion;
- a reinforced area positioned at or near the center of the disk portion; and
- a cylindrical area surrounding the disk portion, the cylindrical area including an inner cylindrical surface extending from the disk portion, the inner cylindrical surface having a first circumferential detent, the cylindrical area further including an upper cylindrical surface extending from the inner cylindrical surface, the upper cylindrical surface having a second circumferential detent, the cylindrical area further including an outer cylindrical surface extending from the upper cylindrical surface and being generally parallel to the inner cylindrical surface, the outer cylindrical surface including a third circumferential detent,
- wherein the outer cylindrical surface is configured to be positioned around the outside of a mouth of a bottle, the inner cylindrical surface is configured to be positioned within the mouth of the bottle, and the upper cylindrical surface is configured to be positioned over a top of the mouth of the bottle, the first, second, and third circumferential detents being configured to form a seal with the mouth of the bottle.
10. The lid of claim 9, wherein the lid is configured to snap onto the mouth.
11. The lid of claim 9, further comprising a tab integrally attached to the outer cylindrical surface, the tab having a top surface and a bottom surface, each of the top and bottom surfaces having a rounded edge.
12. The lid of claim 9 further comprising a strap extending from the outer cylindrical surface, the strap having a fastener positioned at a distal end, the fastener including a central portion positioned between first and second arms, each of the first and second arms having a first end coupled to the central portion and a second free end positioned a distance away from the central portion.
13. The lid of claim 12, wherein the strap further includes a main portion and a bridge, the main portion extending from the lid, a top end of the bridge extending from the main portion, the fastener extending from a side of the bridge, the width of the bridge being smaller than the width of the main portion such that a cutout is formed between the main portion, the side of the bridge, and the fastener.
14. A plastic urinal comprising:
- a body including a bottom wall, a front wall, a back wall, and first and second side walls bridging the front wall and the back wall, the front wall defining a first plane generally parallel to a second plane defined by the back wall;
- an open mouth comprising a generally circular portion, the open mouth being positioned generally opposite the bottom wall; and
- a handle extending from the front wall,
- wherein at least one of the front wall, back wall, side walls, and handle includes indentations or raised areas, the indentations or raised areas configured to increase the strength of the urinal.
15. The urinal of claim 14, wherein the bottom wall is generally rectangular in shape.
16. The urinal of claim 14, wherein the handle is substantially parallel with the front wall.
17. The urinal of claim 14, wherein the circular portion defines a third plane, the third plane meeting the second plane at an angle ranging from about 40° to about 65°.
18. The urinal of claim 14, further comprising a generally vertical rib extending along a majority of the length of the front wall through a majority of the length of the handle.
19. The urinal of claim 18, wherein the front wall further includes first and second columns of generally horizontal ribs, the first column being positioned along one side of the generally vertical rib and the second column being positioned on an opposite side of the generally vertical rib.
20. The urinal of claim 14, wherein the indentations include a plurality of generally oval-shaped grooves positioned along the length of at least one of the side walls.
21. A package comprising a plurality of similar urinals, each urinal having a bottom wall, a front wall, a back wall, a first side wall radially coupled to each of the front wall and the back wall, a second side wall positioned generally opposite the first side wall, the second side wall being radially coupled to each of the front wall and the back wall, an open mouth positioned generally opposite the bottom wall, and a handle extending from the front wall forming a gap positioned between the front wall and the handle,
- wherein a first urinal is inverted in relation to a second urinal such that a handle of the first urinal fits into the gap defined between a handle of the second urinal and a front wall of the second urinal, a back wall of the first urinal is positioned adjacent to a back wall of a third urinal, a first sidewall of the first urinal is positioned adjacent to a first or second sidewall of a fourth urinal, and a second sidewall of the first urinal is positioned adjacent to a first or second sidewall of a fifth urinal.
22. The package of claim 21, wherein substantially the plurality of urinals span substantially the entire length and width of the container.
23. A method of forming a urinal-lid assembly, the method comprising the acts of:
- placing a molten tube of a polymer between two mold halves;
- closing the mold halves onto the molten tube and the blow pin;
- inserting a blow pin having a diameter similar to the diameter of a desired open mouth of a urinal;
- injecting compressed air into the molten tube;
- removing a resulting urinal from the mold, the urinal including an attachment feature having an opening therethrough;
- attaching a lid to the urinal by inserting a fastener coupled to the lid through the opening in the attachment feature; and
- snap-fitting the lid onto the mouth of the urinal.
24. The method of claim 23, wherein each of the acts is automated.
25. The method of claim 23, further comprising the act of packaging the urinal with other like urinals such that the urinal is inverted with respect to a second urinal, wherein the act of packaging the urinals is automated.
26. The method of claim 23, wherein the act of inserting a blow pin creates a smooth interior mouth portion of the urinal.
Type: Application
Filed: Dec 20, 2007
Publication Date: Jun 25, 2009
Inventors: Jack E. Maze (Long Grove, IL), Richard A. Peterson, II (Marengo, IL), Roger K. Thompson (Chicago, IL)
Application Number: 12/004,393