DE29620030U1 - Women's urinal with water flush - Google Patents

Description

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Dipl.-Ing. Volker Specht, Berlin · Dipl.-Ing. Siegfried Schirmer, Bielefeld

European Patent Attorneys

MÖL-A-292 06.11.1996

German utility model application Applicant: Graduate designer Bettina Möllring

Sociologist Martin Rissler-Möllring Bruchsaler Straße 4 D-10715 Berlin

Women's urinal with water flush

The invention relates to a women's urinal with water flushing for use without body contact, in particular for public toilets, in which a urine collector loaded with flushing water is connected to a faeces downpipe via an odor trap.

The practical use of flush urinals in public areas has so far been limited to men's toilets. They are much smaller than the usual toilet bowls and are provided with a small, often sieve-like drain opening, through which the urine and the flush water are drained into a faecal downpipe, and a siphon-like odor trap connected to this. The urinal, which is conveniently mounted on the wall, is used while standing and facing the wall. Such urinals have proven to be very popular because of their small space requirements and ease of use, as well as the fact that they are less bulky than conventional toilet bowls with a

With regard to the non-required sitting position, contact-free hygienic use has long been proven.

Such urinals, which were specially designed for men, are not suitable for women's toilets due to the physiognomy of women, although in public areas there is an urgent need for contact-free use due to the normally necessary but unhygienic physical contact with the seat of the water closet, which is usually used in a sitting position.

DE-GM 73 43 048 already describes a bend-over toilet for men and women that is not limited to urinal use, the seat of which is not touched by the user and which is also used without any side supports. A narrow, upwardly rising basin is molded onto the front of the toilet bowl to collect urine, in order to avoid contamination of the edge of the bowl, the floor and the user's clothing. However, with this shape of the bowl there is a considerable risk of contamination from urine splashing back or not reaching the bowl. A further disadvantage is the occurrence of noises that are considered to be extremely annoying when urine flows directly into the liquid in the odor trap of the toilet bowl.

Furthermore, DE-GM 94 19 958 is the first urinal to be developed specifically for women, with a leaf-shaped collecting tray with slightly raised side edges that opens into the downpipe and is arranged at a slight incline to it.

This form of a real women's urinal, in which the noises described above do not occur, is also

It can be assumed that urine will splash back or flow over the side walls of the collecting tray and soil clothing or the floor. In addition, the entire surface of the collecting tray cannot be rinsed and hygiene products that accrue during use cannot be disposed of. In addition, the position with the face to the wall, which limits the user's field of vision, is psychologically disadvantageous.

The invention is therefore based on the object of developing a women's urinal for the public sector that satisfies hygienic and psychological requirements and, in particular, allows urine to be collected safely and without splashing back.

According to the invention, the object is achieved with a women's urinal, which is formed by an elongated urine collection basin with an equally long upper opening and which is to be used with the back to the wall, into which an odor trap and a flush water inlet opening are integrated.

This design of a women's urinal ensures that urine can be safely collected from a variable - high or half-high - kneeling position without any special care being required during contact-free use, without having to worry about the surrounding rim or even the floor becoming dirty due to urine spilling over or splashing back.

Since, according to a further feature of the invention, a long, inclined impact surface is available for the impinging urine and the urine jet, while weakening its kinetic energy, is directed at an acute angle onto the

urine drainage wall, the risk of urine splashing back is significantly reduced.

In addition, the position of the water level of the odor trap below the drainage edge of the urine drainage wall, as proposed in a further advantageous embodiment of the invention, prevents the urine stream from directly hitting the water. This prevents the formation of noise, which is also psychologically unpleasant.

In a further embodiment of the invention, the odor trap opening, the size of which is determined by the distance between the drain edge and the front inner surface of the urine collection basin, is designed to be large enough to accommodate and flush away paper and other hygienic articles.

Another psychological advantage is using the women's urinal with the back to the wall, thus allowing the user to have a clear field of vision.

According to a further feature of the invention, the upper edge of the urine collection basin is at a height above the floor that ensures body-contact-free and comfortable use of the women's urinal in a slight knee bend or half-squat position.

Overall, a urinal is provided that corresponds to the physiognomy - regardless of body size - and psyche of the woman as well as to the female organism, which meets the hygienic requirements when used in public areas.

According to a further feature of the invention, the front

The inner surface and the lateral inner surfaces of the urine collection basin that adjoin the inclined urine drainage wall are essentially directed vertically upwards and, if necessary, are concavely curved in order to prevent splashing back beyond the opening of the urine collection basin. In an embodiment of the invention, the urine drainage wall is also concavely curved.

The flushing water inlet opening is located in the area of the upper edge at the back of the urine drainage basin, from where the downwardly inclined urine drainage wall also extends.

On the other hand, according to a further feature of the invention, the upper peripheral edge of the urine collection basin is designed to rise towards the front in order to take a further measure to prevent urine from escaping over the peripheral edge, for example due to splashing.

In a further embodiment of the invention, the urine collection basin is essentially circular in horizontal cross-section, but in this case the interior is extended by an approximately U-shaped bulge on the front. The edge of this bulge area can, however, be higher than the remaining part of the surrounding edge of the urine collection basin.

In an advantageous embodiment of the invention, lateral hand or arm supports are provided with sufficient clearance to the urine collection basin, which are intended to facilitate maintaining the desired body posture.

In a further development of the invention, the hand or armrest is designed as an approximately semi-circular support beam, the side parts of which are intended for supporting the hands or arms and the rear part of which can also be used as

Limiting the rear position when using the women's urinal.

Further features and useful developments as well as advantages are listed in the following embodiments and in the subclaims.

The embodiments of the invention are explained in more detail with reference to the accompanying drawings. They show: 10

Fig. 1 is a schematic representation of a first

Design of a floor-standing women’s urinal in a vertical section;

Fig. 2 is a schematic representation of a second embodiment of a women's urinal in a wall-mounted design in a vertical section;

Fig. 3 is a schematic representation of a third embodiment of a women's urinal in a wall-mounted design in a vertical section;

Fig. 4 is an isometric view of the female urinal of Fig. 3;

Fig. 5 is an isometric view of the women’s urinal according to Fig. 1 with hand or arm rests arranged at the sides; and

Fig. 6 is an isometric representation of the women's urinal according to Fig. 2 with a second variant of a hand or arm support.
35

Fig. 1 shows a urine collecting basin 1 which, as can be seen in particular from Fig. 5, is characterized by a distinctly narrow and elongated shape, i.e. it is essentially designed as an elongated oval. It stands on the floor at a distance from a wall, and its flush water inlet opening 2 and its waste water outlet opening 3 are directed towards the wall. The women's urinal consists of a urine collecting basin 1 which has an upper, inwardly bent peripheral edge 12, via which a part of the flush water supplied is distributed to the lateral inner surfaces 4 and the front inner surface 5, which run essentially vertically. The lateral inner surfaces 4 are adjoined at their lower edge by a urine drainage wall 6 which gradually slopes downwards from the flush water inlet opening 2 and ends in an odor trap opening 7 via a drainage edge 10. The odor trap opening 7 is connected to the waste water drain opening 3 via the siphon-like odor trap 8 filled with water. The odor trap is designed in such a way that its water level 9 is located a considerable distance below the front drain edge 10 of the urinal outlet 6. As can be seen from Fig. 5, hand or arm supports 11 are assigned to the urine collecting basin, the support bars 11a of which run horizontally and parallel to the side and above the urine collecting basin 1. The hand or arm supports 11 are attached to the wall indicated in dash-dotted lines in Fig. 5.

The women's urinal is used in a variable, also determined by body size, half-squatting position with the back facing the wall. The narrow, elongated design of the urine collection basin 1 provides sufficient freedom of movement for the legs and sufficient lengthwise space for taking a

Urine stream is also available in a position that safely absorbs the urine in a high knee bend position.

Due to the inclination of the urine drain wall, the urine jet hits the urine drain wall 6 at an acute angle and in a range that is variable over the length "1", so that the liquid particles are reflected little or not at all. The small proportion of liquid particles that splash back is caught by the inner surfaces 4 and 5 and flows back. Since the water level 9 of the odor trap 8 is located a considerable distance below the drain edge 10 of the urine drain wall 6, the liquid jet does not hit the water surface directly. This further reduces the possibility of urine splashing back and also prevents the occurrence of splashing noises that are perceived as extremely annoying, although on the other hand the water level 9 exposed by the odor trap opening 7 is relatively large. The odor trap opening 7 is designed to be comparatively large in order to be able to collect and flush down paper and other hygiene articles.

The variant of the women's urinal according to the invention shown in Fig. 2 is intended for attachment to a wall. In contrast to the urine collecting basin 1 attached to the floor according to Fig. 1, this makes it easier to set an optimal height as required. In addition, cleaning the floor is simpler and more hygienic and handling clothes is made easier. The basic shape is, as in the variant described above with reference to Fig. 1, an elongated oval with a surrounding upper edge 12 that is bent inwards, as well as a urine drainage wall 6 provided inside the urine collecting basin that is inclined towards the odor trap opening 7.

However, the sloping urine drainage wall 6 is slightly concave

curved and the inner surfaces 4 and 5 of the urine drainage basin 1 are slightly concave, but run essentially vertically. The free water level 9 of the odor trap 8 is again clearly below the drainage edge 10 of the urine drainage wall 6. Compared to the embodiment explained in Fig. 1, the women's urinal according to this second variant differs in that the surrounding edge 12 of the urine collecting basin

1 gradually rises towards the free front, i.e. the front facing away from the wall, so that the front of the urine collection basin 1 is higher than its back.

The use of the women's urinal according to variant 2 as shown in Fig.

2 is again done with the back of the

User. The kinetic energy of the liquid particles of the urine stream is neutralized on the slanted, curved urine drain wall and the liquid flows over the drain edge 10 into the water of the odor trap 8, while liquid particles that splash back flow back on the curved inner surfaces 4. A direct impact of the urine stream on the water surface of the odor trap 8 with the associated noise and splashing is not to be expected with this design variant either. The possibility of urine splashes escaping beyond the upper peripheral edge 12, which is only to be feared in exceptional cases, is counteracted by the fact that - as mentioned above - this is significantly higher at the front of the urine collection basin than at the back.

The third embodiment of the women's urinal according to the invention shown in Figures 3 and 4 differs from the variant shown in Figure 2 essentially by a stronger concave curvature of the inner surface 5 of the front wall section. This means that a urine flow from the curved urine outlet wall or directly onto the front

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The urine stream hitting the inner surface 5 also hits this surface at an acute angle and is essentially not reflected, but flows off the inner surface. This less elongated or, in horizontal section, almost circular basic shape of the urine collection basin is extended at the front, as can be seen in Fig. 4, by a U-shaped bulge 13 in order to extend the path of the urine stream through the elongated shape thus achieved and to reduce its kinetic energy when it hits the front inner surface 5 to avoid splashing back, but on the other hand to provide a larger range of movement for using the women's urinal.

The upper edge of the U-shaped bulge 13 extends above the surrounding edge 12 of the urine collection basin 1, so that further protection is provided against the escape of liquid particles beyond the upper edge of the urinal. Even more than the surrounding edge 12 rising diagonally towards the front in the variant according to Fig. 2, the embodiment according to Fig. 3 and the U-shaped bulge 13 that protrudes upwards make it clear during use that the women's urinal is only to be used as such and not in a sitting position.

Fig. 6 shows an isometric view of another type of design for the hand or arm supports 11, namely in conjunction with the women's urinal according to Fig. 2. An approximately semicircular support bar 11b is used to support the hands or arms, which surrounds the user from the sides and from behind, but still leaves sufficient room for movement between the urine collection basin 1 and the support bar 11b.

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Reference numerals:

1 urine collection basin

2 Flushing water inlet opening 3 Waste water outlet opening

4 lateral inner surfaces of

5 front inner surface of

6 Urine drainage wall

7 Odour trap opening 8 Odour trap

9 Water level

10 Drain edge of &bgr;

11 Hand or armrest 11a straight support bar

11b semicircular support beam

12 surrounding edge

13 U-shaped bulge

Claims (19)

Protection claims: 1. Women's urinal with water flushing for use without physical contact, preferably for public toilets, in which a urine collecting means charged with flushing water is connected to a faeces downpipe via an odor trap, characterized by an elongated urine collecting basin (1) with an equally long upper opening and to be used with the back to the wall, into which an odor trap (8) and a flushing water inlet opening (2) are integrated. 2. Women's urinal according to claim 1, characterized by an elongated urine drainage wall (6) extending from the rear side of the urine collecting basin (1) facing the room wall in the area of the flushing water inlet opening (2) provided near an upper peripheral edge (12) and gradually sloping towards the front, the drainage edge (10) of which ends at a distance in front of the front inner surface of the urine collecting basin (1) and is located at a distance above the water level (9) of the odor trap (8). 3. Women's urinal according to claim 2, characterized in that the peripheral edge (12) is bent downwards towards the interior of the urine collecting basin (1). 4. Women's urinal according to one of claims 1 to 3, characterized in that an odor trap opening (7) formed between the drainage edge (10) and the inner surface (5) of the urine collecting basin (1) is designed in a size that ensures the accommodation of paper and other hygienic articles. 35 5. Women's urinal according to one of claims 1 to 4, characterized in that the front inner surface (5) and the side surfaces (4) of the urine collecting basin (1) extending from the inclined urine outlet wall (6) run essentially vertically. 6. Female urinal according to one of claims 1 to 5, characterized in that the inner surfaces (4, 5) are concave
are curved. 7. Female urinal according to one of claims 1 to 6, characterized in that the surface of the urine outlet wall
(6) is concavely curved. 8. Women's urinal according to one of claims 1 to 7, characterized in that the peripheral edge (12) - starting from the rear of the urine collecting basin (1) in the area of the flushing water inlet opening (2) - gradually rises towards the front. 9. Female urinal according to one of claims 1 to 8, characterized in that on the front of the Urine collecting basin (1) a longitudinally
extending U-shaped bulge (13) is provided.
25 10. Women's urinal according to claim 9, characterized in that the upper edge of the U-shaped bulge (13) projects beyond the peripheral edge (12) of the urine collecting basin (1). 11. Female urinal according to one of claims 1 to 10,
characterized in that the urine collecting basin (1)
is fixed standing on the floor. 12. Female urinal according to one of claims 1 to 10, characterized in that the urine collection basin (1) is wall-mounted at a height that can be adjusted to the body size. 13. Women's urinal according to one of claims 1 to 12, characterized in that the upper peripheral edge (12) of the urine collecting basin (1) is at a height that ensures a slight knee bend or half squat position of the user without physical contact with the basin. 14. Women's urinal according to one of claims 1 to 13, characterized in that the urine collecting basin (1) is assigned hand or arm supports (11) and/or a back support. 15. Women's urinal according to claim 14, characterized in that the hand or arm support (11) is formed from a support bar (11a) arranged at a distance from the side of the urine collecting basin (1) and essentially parallel to the latter. 16. Women's urinal according to claim 14, characterized in that the hand or armrest (11) has an approximately semicircular support bar (lib) which surrounds the user from the sides and from behind, the rear part of which can function as a backrest. 17. Women's urinal according to claim 16, characterized in that the semicircular support beam (lib) is held at its rear part by supports attached to the floor or to the wall. 18. Female urinal according to one of claims 1 to 17, characterized in that the essentially the surface of the peripheral edge [12] or its front area facing upwards is designed in a form that visually absorbs dirt particles. 19. Women's urinal according to claim 18, characterized by an insert integrated into the upper surface of the peripheral edge (12) or a cover held on the edge or a colored design of the upper surface.