US20080034481A1

US20080034481A1 - Standup urination system for both sexes

Info

Publication number: US20080034481A1
Application number: US11/500,622
Authority: US
Inventors: Bernard Cheng
Original assignee: Individual
Current assignee: Individual
Priority date: 2006-08-09
Filing date: 2006-08-09
Publication date: 2008-02-14

Abstract

A V-shaped cup with the narrow side (22) and the round side (26), the top opening looking from the side is like a children's slide, this special shape is to maximize the coverage of the female genital area to avoid spillage while urinating into the V-cup. It has two layers of skin, the inner layer (18) which is made of thin collapsible plastic coated with absorbent tissue collar (14) on top, the outer hard shell (28) is made of Styrofoam or insulated paper for strength to grip between the tights. The inner layer (18) is for containment of waste liquid, and the outer shell (28) is for form and grip. Both layers (18) and (28) are disposable after use. However, to further reduce cost and save the environment, the outer shell (28) can be saved and used again by inserting a new layer (18) into it as refill.

Description

BACKGROUND

1. Field of Invention
This invention involves a revolutionary method of collecting urine from both man and woman while standing up. A container, which is designed to fit the genital surface of both man and woman, is used to collect urine. Because urine is collected in a controlled environment, it can be disposed off quickly and eliminate any chances of contamination.
2. Description of Prior Art
The method of collecting and disposing of urine from both man and woman are the same for many years, the main difference is for woman to sit on the toilet seat while man is aiming for a clean shot to the toilet bowl while standing up. All toilet design are based on the principle of gravity, the difference between the various designs would be the shapes and sizes. The control of flushing water down the toilet bowl is an important element in design to ensure a quite, and yet clean and strong flush every time. The latest domestic version has two switches: smaller volume for flushing urine and the other for regular use. Most people are afraid of contamination when they have to touch the handle bar in a public toilet; so, today we have electronic sensors for automatic flushing to ensure cleanliness. There are other variations, which include a pear shape basin built into the floor where woman has to kneel down and man can still standup and shoot. For woman, kneeling down is actually a rather sanitary way to urinate simply because her body part is not touching any dirty utensils; but it is nowadays considered to be an awkward posture to urinate. This type of in ground toilet bowl design is still available in many public facilities today for its low cost and simplicity to clean. Then there are also various types of smaller urinal and full size vertical basin designed especially for man, mostly in public places; they are cheaper to make, use much less space, and use less water to flush than a standard toilet. All these prior arts are designed as a fixture, attached to a wall, collecting urine from human, and eventually flush it down to the drainage system. For outdoor and temporary basis, there are public cubical toilet which is highly mobile, but lack of everything else especially cleaning water; sitting down on a filthy toilet like this is a horrible experience for many ladies. On commercial airliners, there is this tiny cubical lavatory with stainless steel toilet bowl that is designed to use very little flushing water to reduce weight; they rely on suction power to transfer the human waste to a septic tank for later ground disposal. Then there are the toilet training bowls for infants, mostly in a round plastics container. There are also utensils uses in hospitals for patients to urinate in bed; they are mostly made of stainless steel for sanitary reason. All these mobile urine collectors are basically bulky, needs to be clean after each use, and needs space for storage when not in use. Because woman's genital is hidden, so it would be difficult for them to stand up to urinate like man with clean shot, so far there is no prior art to let woman to urinate while standing up. Using the traditional toilet system has many problems: -

a) The toilet is possibly the most contaminated area in any establishment. Discovery Channel's “myth-buster” program proved that contaminations spread over everywhere near the toilet area and goes as far as the adjacent walls of the toilet itself.
b) Each time a lady goes to a public lavatory, she has to clean and dry the seat, pull down the paper seat cover if there is one available, and all these times she has to be very careful of what she touches and what her clothes may touch.
c) If woman dressed in a formal nightgown or in frigid winter with heavy clothing, to sit down “clean” in a public toilet becomes a big challenge.
d) The process of urination takes only 20 seconds to complete; yet it took woman a few minutes to prepare herself not to be contaminated. These duplicate and cumbersome procedures make visiting a public toilet an extremely unpleasant experience for woman.
e) The long queue outside the ladies room in cinemas and stadiums proves that ladies take too much time to do their business and the limited number of toilets available.
f) 90% of public toilet usage is for urination only, simply because women need to sit down to urinate, they have to go through the unnecessary ordeal each time they use the ladies room.
g) As for man, shooting urine down the toilet bowl or the urinal create bigger problem because the impact of urine hitting the urinal surface create huge splash effect. You don't need a microscope to find droplets of urine on the man's trousers and shoes every time he urinates.
h) For man using all the different types of toilets and standup urinals; if they stood too close, their dress pants would get in touch of the rims of the dirty urinals, if they stood too far, their last few drops would fell on the floor.
i) Airliner toilets are not only claustrophobic; they are probably the dirtiest public toilets one could have encountered. At the end of a long haul flight and after hundreds of use, it would be very hard to keep clean.
j) For man using the toilet with an unstable platform like on an airplane, a high-speed train or in a yacht, the simple task of urination may become rather embarrassing moment when turbulence hits and he cannot even stand up straight.
k) For seniors, simply sitting down and up is not an easy task itself; and each bathroom visit is a challenge to their physical ability. Worst of all, older folks need the bathroom two to three times more than young healthy adults.
l) At home, men are always be reminded to lift the toilet seat before they urinate and put it back down when they finished, but even this cumbersome procedure do not guarantee cleanliness.
m) In theory, the current toilet designs are far from perfect and are subject to contamination after each use.

There are no prior arts designed for woman to urinate in a standup posture. There are no prior arts to capture urine in a controlled manner and at point of extraction from both sexes.

Objects and Advantages

There are two main objectives for my invention. One is to provide an absolute sanitary method for both man and woman when they need to urinate. The other is to keep maintenance and clean up a minimum during and after urination. The advantages are: -

a) One size fits all, whether you are tall or short, skinny or obese.
b) Stand-up urination system provides a clean, fast, and environmentally friendly procedure that benefits all sexes and all ages.
c) The advantage of a simple cup design is that it can be produced very cheaply, so it is disposable with no messy cleanups after each usage.
d) Because only the inner layer holds the liquid waste, the outer casing can be reused again and again to further reduce the cost of usage.
e) Whether it is at home or in the office, each person could have a personal reusable V-cup and just add the inner layer every time he or she has to use the bathroom.
f) Urine is extracted and collected within few inches immediately outside the genital area, that a splash or spill is virtually impossible.
g) For ladies, a 3 minutes struggle to the public toilet becomes a pleasant 60 seconds experience. And the most important thing of all, the lady would come out of that public toilet clean and clear of any contaminations.
h) It will greatly reduce the line up for toilet use in any high traffic volume public places like cinema, stadium, and school.
i) 90% of man and woman go to the public toilet for urination only. So, the huge bonus for woman is 90% less possibility of contamination through the use of toilet seats that covered with germs, bacteria, and viruses.
j) 90% less usage on the public toilet seat also translates to 90% savings in cleaning tissues, toilet seat cover paper etc.
k) Airliner toilets benefit most, using the V-cup would greatly reduced the chance of contamination and keeping the burden of cleaning up by the flight crew to a minimum.
l) V-cup can also be used effectively on any unstable platform like on a moving bus, a high-speed train, or on a yacht in open seas.
m) Seniors, people with frequent urge to urinate, and people with severe back pain would benefit from this invention, save them a lot of time, pain, and energy for a quick relieve.
n) Man in wheel chair would also benefit by using the disposable V-cup for urination without leaving his wheel chair.
o) Many three-bedroom households still have only one bathroom and fighting for toilet use in the morning hours is tough. My V-cup can be used everywhere, even in the privacy of one's bedroom and disposed off later when the bathroom is available.
p) Giving urine samples at the doctor's office now becomes easy, especially for ladies.

DRAWING FIGURES

FIG. 1A to 1B shows the inner layer, view from two different angles.

FIG. 2A to 2B shows the outer shell, view from two different angles.

REFERENCE NUMERALS IN DRAWINGS

12 V shape lower edge of the inner layer
14 Collar or sleeve of the inner layer
16 The higher round side of the inner layer
18 Inner layer made of thin plastic
22 V shape lower edge of the outer shell
26 The higher round side of the outer shell
28 Outer shell made of Styrofoam or insulated paper

DESCRIPTION—FIGS. 1 TO 2

Ordinary paper cup has round shape top openings for drinking from any side of the cup. My V-cup as shown in FIG. 2B, looking form the side, is a 20 oz cup with uneven top opendings look like a slide from the side, the bottom side 22 and the upper side 26. FIG. 2A shows the top view of the cup which has a narrow V shape end 22 and the big round shape 26 at the oppose side. This special teardrops shape of the container is designed to receive urine directly from the genitals of both sexes. FIG. 1B shows the side view of a similar structure with bottom end 12 and the top round side 16, with sleeve 14 on the top rims of the cup. This is the inner layer of the V-cup, which is collapsible and disposable into the toilet after use. Collar or sleeve 14 on the top rim that is attached with absorbent material has two functions: to prevent leakage during use and dry up the genitals after use. The inner collapsible layer and the hard outer shell are molded together in the factory and form one integral unit; sleeve 14 now anchors on the rims of the outer hard shell. The holding volume of the V-cup is about 20 oz, measured up to the lower openings 22. The top openings of the V-cup would be about 3×4 inches in width, and about 7-8 inches tall. The cup has a flat bottom to be able to stand on its own. Despite the odd shape, the V-cups can be stacked up together and placed in a V-cup dispenser for sanitary disposal each time. The inner layer is functioned as a collapsible cup, and after urine is collected, will be pulled out of the outer shell and drop into the toilet bowl to be flushed away. The inner layer 18 shown in FIG. 1B is made of thin plastic, like we used on shopping bags; for its very cheap cost and easy to be flushed away. The sleeve 14 is made of absorbent soft tissue to prevent leakage when press between the thighs of a female user. The sleeve also serves as cleaning tissue to dry up the genital area after urination. Sleeve 14 is like the collar of a shirt; you can flip the collar up and pull the entire inner layer out of the outer shell. The outer shell has exactly the same size as the inner layer, made of rigid material like Styrofoam or insulated paper. The importance of the outer shell is to be strong enough to be squeezed between the inner thighs and still maintain adequate openings to capture every drop of urine coming out from the female genitalia. Beside the importance of strength of the outer shell, the outer surface 28 should be non slippery, so that the V- cup can rest securely between the legs without falling down. Styrofoam and insulated paper both have either sticky or corrugated surface, they are the best material for this purpose. Styrofoam is cheaper to make but not environmentally friendly, insulated paper is more expensive to make and yet it is biodegradable.
The V-cup is stored in the V-cup dispenser tube, and retrieved from the bottom when use. Female users just drop her panties halfway down, open her legs couple of inches and snug the V-cup between her legs. The bottom V side 22 should be pressed against her body all the way but before the anus, the cup should be pushed upward as well as inward against her genital. The pressure from both thighs squeezing the V shape edge 22, and the pressure from one hand pressing from the opposite side 26, should be enough to keep the V-cup in a secure vertical position. Once she feels that the rim 22 of the V-cup sealed off her genital, she can start urinating into the V-cup. When finished, she can peel off sleeve 14 to dry her genital and also pull out the entire inner plastic layer from the V-cup and drop it to the toilet for flushing. The V-cup itself would be disposed off into the garbage bin. The entire procedure should take less than 60 seconds.
For man, his external genital is much more flexible. Male user would use the high end 26 of the V-cup, to offset the length of his external genital. This V-cup is a one size fits all product. After use, the inner layer with the urine would be disposed off in the toilet bowl to be flushed away. The V-cup is disposed off to the garbage bin.
Since the outer shell of the V-cup is not contaminated by any means during the urine collection process, the V-cup can be reused again and again. In this second scenario, the inner layer is produced and packaged separately, and to be distributed by a separate dispenser to be placed in either domestic or public toilet. Everyone can keep their personal V-cup in their home or office, and obtained inner layer refill when needed. Each refill package is so small that people can just carry them around like a small pack of tissue paper. The procedure is very simply, just insert the inner layer into the V-cup and put the collar 14 over the top rim matching side 12 to side 22, and side 16 to side 26. The rest is the same as described in the above paragraphs. By using only the inner layer refill, the cost savings would be more than 50%.
From the above statement, one can see the significant advantage of using the V-cup. For ladies, she only have to take off her panties halfway and yet still be able to get quick relieve without touching any contaminated surfaces during the whole urinating process. At the same time her clothes will not touch any contaminated utensils or drop to the floor to be contaminated by the dirty floor. There will not be any spillage or leakage either, because the whole process is performed in a controlled environment. Once urine is collected in the V-cup, it can be disposed off easily. The additional bonuses come out of these highly simplified procedures for ladies: an enormous savings in turnover times in high volume public toilet use, and because the lady comes out clean, she may not even have to wash her hands afterwards. As for man, the splash effect is totally eliminated and his pants and shoes will not be accumulating his own urine every time he uses a bathroom.

Operation—FIGS. 1, 2

My V-cup can be stacked up together just like any ordinary disposable paper cups. The stack up V-cups is placed in a V-cup dispenser fixed to the walls in either public or private lavatory. When use by female, the V-cup is pulled out from the bottom of the dispenser and press the V shape side 22 in FIG. 2A against the woman's genitalia between her legs, at the same time she would hold and press the opposite side 26 against her legs to provide better gripping. When she is sure the top edge of the V-cup is securely sealing off her genital, she can start the quick relieve process. The inner layer is designed as a collapsible cup and once urine is collected, will be pulled out and disposed off to the toilet bowl. There is a “collar” attached to the top of the inner layer which is made of absorbent materials, they serve two purposes, one is to prevent any leakage between the thighs during urination, and the other is to wipe dry the surface area of the genital after urination. As for male user, he place the genital into the higher round side 26 and hold the lower side 22 in place to keep the cup in an upward position to start urinating. Men's external genital makes using the V-cup easier and less critical; the V-cup can be held from vertical to a 45-degree angle outward, as long as he feels comfortable. There is a second option to save cost as well as saving the environment; to reuse the outer shell of the V-cup. The procedure is simple, just insert a fresh inner layer refill into the V-cup, and repeat the steps as described above.

Summary, Ramifications, and Scope

A simple solution to solve a complex problem, this summarized my invention. Simple translate to time and cost savings, simple means absolute cleanliness as well. A container which is made of layers of either thin layer of plastic, absorbent soft tissue, waxed paper, insulated paper, Styrofoam, polyurethane, or combine. This container is designed to college urine in a standup posture, fitting the shape and contour of the genital area of both sexes so that the narrow V openings on one side fit well with the female genital organ. If used correctly, this shape would maximize urine collection with virtually no possibility of spillage. As for man, just insert the male genital to the other side of the cup and urinate. After use, the inner layer full of urine would be separated from the outer shell and drop into the toilet and to be flushed away, followed by the disposal of the outer shell in a garbage bin. Additional benefit would be: -

- it is disposable and can be produced very cheaply;
- it has very little maintenance, another cost savings;
- it is very simple to use, thus allow woman to undress a minimum amount of clothing to get a quick relieve;
- it is time savings as well; and
- it has achieve the highest standard of hygiene by simplicity.

Although the description above contains many specifications, these should not be construed as limiting the scope of the invention but as merely providing illustrations of some of the presently preferred embodiments of this invention. For example, the top opening of the V-cup could have other shapes, such as circular, oval, triangular, etc. The material used could be different as new and environmentally friendly material is being developed. The dimension and volume of the V-cup could be changed to suit different needs due to human's physical structural differences. The disposal of urine could be improved by using a special apparatus instead of the toilet, with the purpose of further savings on flushing water. A foldable cup handles, like those you find in some of the paper coffee cups, could be added to help ladies with better grips, etc.
Thus the scope of the invention should be determined by the appended claims and their legal equivalents, rather than by the examples given.

Claims

1) In a container in the shape of a V-cup comprising of an elongate body with a flat base and uneven height top openings that resembles a children's slide, the bottom end of the slide is a narrow V-shape opening and the opposite end has a round shape opening.

2) The container in claim 1 wherein said body top opening is shaped and contoured to the female genitalia in order to create maximum coverage and seal off the female genital area.

3) The container in claim 1 wherein said body is a large size cup has a V-shaped openings viewing from the top, like an elongated teardrop.

4) The container in claim 1 wherein said body has two layers of skin, the collapsible inner layer and the hard outer shell.

5) The container in claim 1 wherein said body has a soft collapsible inner layer made of thin plastic coated with absorbent tissue collar on top for the main purpose of collecting urine without leakage.

6) The container in claim 1 wherein said body has a rigid outer shell made of Styrofoam or insulated paper with non-slippery surface for gripping to the tights without slipping.

7) The container in claim 1 wherein said body has a capacity to hold about 20 fluid ounce of liquid.

8) A container in the shape of a V-cup comprising an elongate body with a flat base and uneven height top openings that resembles a children's slide, the bottom end of the slide is a narrow V-shape opening and the opposite end has a round shape opening.

9) The container in claim 8 wherein said body top opening is shaped and contoured to the female genitalia in order to create maximum coverage and seal off the female genital area.

10) The container in claim 8 wherein said body is a large size cup has a V-shaped openings viewing from the top, like an elongated teardrop.

11) The container in claim 8 wherein said body has two layers of skin, the collapsible inner layer and the hard outer shell.

12) The container in claim 8 wherein said body has a soft collapsible inner layer made of thin plastic coated with absorbent tissue collar on top for the main purpose of collecting urine without leakage.

13) The container in claim 8 wherein said body has a rigid outer shell made of Styrofoam or insulated paper with non-slippery surface for gripping to the tights without slipping.

14) The container in claim 8 wherein said body has a capacity to hold about 20 fluid ounce of liquid.