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(11) | EP 0 178 086 B1 |
| (12) | EUROPEAN PATENT SPECIFICATION |
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| (54) |
Female urine bottle Urinflasche für Frauen Urinal pour femmes |
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| Note: Within nine months from the publication of the mention of the grant of the European patent, any person may give notice to the European Patent Office of opposition to the European patent granted. Notice of opposition shall be filed in a written reasoned statement. It shall not be deemed to have been filed until the opposition fee has been paid. (Art. 99(1) European Patent Convention). |
[0002] Women who are confined to bed, for example, female orthopaedic patients or women suffering from road accident injuries, hip injuries or multiple sclerosis, may, in some circumstances, find it difficult or impossible to sit up in bed, or it may prove dangerous to their health to sit up in bed. Such patients will be unable to use a normal bedpan and must utilise either a urine bottle or a slipper bedpan, both of which can be used whilst the patients are in a lying or semi-recumbant position. The use of the female urine bottle is preferred to that of a slipper bedpan when only urine is required to be passed by the patient. It is more comfortable both physically and psychologically for the patient.
[0003] Although ceramic and plastic urine bottles for females are in existence for use in such circumstances, they suffer from two main t disadvantages. Firstly, as they are meant to be reused, it is necessary to thoroughly disinfect them after each use. If such disinfection is not complete, there is a danger of cross-infection and this danger must, if at all possible, be eliminated. Secondly, the known urine bottles for females have an "effective volume" (as hereinafter defined) which is somewhat limited and may often be too small to prevent spillages when using and/or removing the bottle from the patient. The spillage problem often associated with the known urine bottles for females is a serious disadvantage of such bottles.
[0004] As used herein, the term "effective volume" is intended to refer to the volume of urine that can be retained in the urine bottle, when in use and during removal from the person who used it, without resulting in spillage of the urine.
[0005] A female urine bottle is described in DE-U-8 229 743, and comprises a flat base wall, two vertically converging side walls and a front opening which opens directly into the internal space defined by the base and side walls, the lower edge of the opening being spaced above the level of the base.
[0006] By practice of the present invention there may be provided a urine bottle for females which has an effective volume such that the spillage problem associated with the known female urine bottles is minimised or avoided.
[0007] By practice of the present invention, there may also be provided a urine bottle for females which sits comfortably when in position, and which may be positioned and removed easily and without catching on sheets on the bed when the bottle is being positioned. These features are important for patients and for those whose task it is to look after them.
[0008] By practice of the present invention there may further be provided a urine bottle for females which is disposable and hence, eliminates the possiblity of cross-infection.
[0009] According to the present invention there is provided a urine bottle for females, comprising a flat or substantially flat base wall, a pair of vertically converging side walls, and a front opening which communicates directly with the internal space defined by said base and side walls, and whose lower edge is spaced above the level of the base characterised in that the height of the side walls is less than the length of the bottle, thereby forming an elongate bottle, the front opening is positioned, at least partly, directly above the base, and the perimeter of the opening is upwardly concave.
[0010] Preferably, the vertically converging side walls also converge laterally for at least part of their length.
[0011] Preferably, the side walls are themselves also of convex configuration, at least in the region of the side walls adjacent the opening; in the region of the end wall, the side walls can be convex or can be flat.
[0012] The side walls adjoining the front portion of the bottle may be convex, preferably rounded, when viewed in plan. The portion of the base wall adjoining the front portion of the bottle may also be convex, preferably rounded.
[0013] Advantageously, the opening has an inwardly directed lip, at least in the region of its lower edge, but preferably around its whole periphery.
[0014] The end wall may also be of triangular configuration with its three sides connected to the base and the two side walls, respectively.
[0017] The present invention will now be further described with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which:
Fig. 1 is a partially broken away, perspective view from above of one embodiment of a urine bottle according to the present invention for use by females;
Fig. 2 is a perspective view of the bottle from below.
Fig. 3 is a sectional end view on the line A-A of Fig. 1;
Fig. 4 is a plan view of the front portion of the bottle; and
Fig. 5 is a side elevation of the front portion of the bottle.
[0018] Referring to the drawings, there is illustrated a female urine bottle 10 according to one embodiment of the present invention, the bottle 10 comprising two vertically converging side walls 12 and 14, a base 16, a rear wall 18, a front wall 19 and opening 20.
[0019] Each of the side walls 12, 14 has an elongate, generally longitudinally extending, recess 22, the two recesses 22 co-operating together to provide a hand grip facilitating manual handling of the bottle.
[0020] As best seen in Fig. 2, the base 16 of the bottle is generally flat or of slightly concave configuration to adhere stability, its lateral edges 24, 26 being slightly convex when viewed in plan. The shape of the base is generally triangular or trapezoidal so that the bottle is much wider at its rear end than at its front end containing the opening 20. This configuration enables the "effective volume" of the bottle to be increased considerably compared with a conventional urine bottle which is not only rounded at its rear end remote from the opening but whose side and end walls converge together towards the base to further reduce the internal volume. As best seen in Fig. 4, the portions of the side walls, where they merge into the front wall 19 of the bottle, are rounded. This feature allows the bottles to sit comfortably when in position, and allows the bottle to be positioned and removed more easily. It will also be seen from Fig. 5 that the portion of the bottle where the base 16 merges into the front wall 19 is also rounded. This, too, allows the bottle to sit comfortably when in position, and also aids positioning of the bottle, since the rounded front portion will tend not to catch on sheets in place on the bed when the bottle is being positioned.
[0021] The rear wall 18 is of flat, generally triangular configuration and extends upwardly at right angles to the base 16.
[0022] The regions of the side walls 12,14 adjacent the rear wall 18 are substantially planar but become progressively more convex in a direction towards the front end of the bottle. This is illustrated by the sectional view of Fig. 3 taken at point A in Fig. 1 which shows the distinctly convex form of the side walls at this region. The reason for making the side walls convex at this region is firstly, to resist inward collapse of the side walls as a result of the squeezing action of the user's legs which is usually found to occur in practical use of urine bottles, secondly to increase the volume of the bottle, and thirdly for the comfort of the patient in that the bottle can be securely gripped along its sides by the patient's legs.
[0023] The opening 20 communicates directly with the interior of the bottle unlike a conventional urine bottle which usually has an elongate neck portion extending forwardly of the main container portion of the bottle and serving as a funnel leading to the latter portion. As best seen in Fig. 1, at least the lowermost edge of the opening 20 has an inwardly curved lip 20a to assist in resisting spillage from the bottle interior and for the comfort of the user. It will also be noted that the lip 20a is spaced above the base 16 by a relatively large distance. Coupled with the large "effective volume" of the bottle resulting from the shape of the base, side and end walls described above, this feature enables the bottle to hold considerably more liquid than a conventional urine bottle, particularly when the bottle is tipped up somewhat about its front end (typically of the order of 15° - 20°) during use and removal from the user.
1. A urine bottle for females, comprising a flat or substantially flat base wall (16),
a pair of vertically converging side walls (12, 14), a front opening (20) which communicates
directly with the internal space defined by said base and side walls, and whose lower
edge is spaced above the level of the base, characterised in that the height of the
side walls (12, 14) is less than the length of the bottle, thereby forming an elongate
bottle, the front opening (20) is positioned, at least partly, directly above the
base (16), and the perimeter of the opening (20) is upwardly concave.
2. A urine bottle as claimed in claim 1, wherein the vertically converging side walls
(12, 14) also converge laterally for at least part of their length.
3. A urine bottle as claimed in claim 1 or claim 2, wherein the lower edges (24, 26)
of the side walls adjoining the base wall are of convex configuration when viewed
in plan.
4. A urine bottle as claimed in any of the preceding claims, wherein the side walls
(12, 14) are at least partially of convex configuration.
5. A urine bottle as claimed in claim 4, wherein the side walls (12, 14) are of convex
configuration in the region of the side watts adjacent the opening (20).
6. A urine bottle as claimed in any of the preceding claims, wherein the side walls
(12, 14) adjoining the front portion of the bottle are of convex configuration when
viewed in plan.
7. A urine bottle as claimed in claim 6, wherein the side walls (12, 14) adjoining
the front portion of the bottle are rounded.
8. A urine bottle as claimed in any of the preceding claims, wherein the portion of
the base wall (16) adjoining the front portion of the bottle is of convex configuration.
9. A urine bottle as claimed in claim 8, wherein the portion of the base wall (16)
adjoining the front portion of the bottle is rounded.
10. A urine bottle as claimed in any of the preceding claims, wherein the opening
has an inwardly directed lip (20a) around at least part of its periphery.
11. A urine bottle as claimed in claim 10, wherein the lip (20a) extends around the
whole of the periphery of the opening.
12. A urine bottle as claimed in any of the preceding claims, wherein the flat base
wall (16) is of generally triangular configuration.
13. A urine bottle as claimed in any of the preceding claims, comprising a rear wall
(18) of generally triangular configuration with its three sides connected to the base
and the side walls respectively.
14. A urine bottle as claimed in claim 13, wherein the rear end wall (18) is flat
or of concave configuration.
15. A urine bottle as claimed in claim 13 or claim 14, wherein in the region of the
end wall, the side walls (12, 14) are convex or flat.
16. A urine bottle as claimed in any of the preceding claims, comprising a recess
(22) in each of the two side walls to afford a grip on the bottle.
17. A urine bottle as claimed in any of the preceding claims, wherein the bottle is
made of moulded paper pulp.
1. Urinflasche für Frauen, umfassend eine ebene oder im wesentlichen ebene Basiswand
(16), ein Paar von vertikal zusammenlaufenden Seitenwänden (12,14), eine vordere Öffnung
(20), welche mit dem durch die Basiswand und die Seitenwände gebildeten Innenraum
direkt in Verbindung steht und deren unterer Rand sich in einem Abstand oberhalb des
Niveaus der Basis befindet, dadurch gekennzeichnet, daß die Höhe der Seitenwände (12,
14) geringer ist als die Länge der Flasche, wodurch eine längsgestreckte Flasche gebildet
wird, daß die vordere Öffnung (20) wenigstens teilweise direkt oberhalb der Basis
(16) gelegen ist und daß der Umfang der Öffnung (20) aufwärts konkav ist.
2. Urinflasche nach Anspruch 1, worin die vertikal zusammenlaufenden Seitenwände (12,14)
auch seitlich auf wenigstens einem Teil ihrer Länge zusammenlaufen.
3. Urinflasche nach Anspruch 1 oder 2, worin die unteren Ränder (24, 26) der der Basiswand
benachbarten Seitenwände in Draufsicht von konvexer Gestalt sind.
4. Urinflasche nach einem der vorhergehenden Ansprüche, worin die Seitenwände (12,14)
wenigstens teilweise von konvexer Gestalt sind.
5. Urinflasche nach Anspruch 4, worin die Seitenwände (12, 14) in ihrem der Öffnung
(20) benachbarten Bereich von konvexer Gestalt sind.
6. Urinflasche nach einem der vorhergehenden Ansprüche, worin die Seitenwände (12,
14) benachbart zum vorderen Teil der Flasche in Draufsicht von konvexer Gestalt sind.
7. Urinflasche nach Anspruch 6, worin die Seitenwände (12, 14) benachbart zum vorderen
Teil der Flasche abgerundet sind.
8. Urinflasche nach einem der vorhergehenden Ansprüche, worin der dem vorderen Teil
der Flasche benachbarte Teil der Basiswand (16) von konvexer Gestalt ist.
9. Urinflasche nach Anspruch 8, worin der dem vorderen Teil der Flasche benachbarte
Teil der Basiswand (16) abgerundet ist.
10. Urinflasche nach einem dervorhergehenden Ansprüche, worin die Öffnung eine einwärts
gerichtete Lippe (20a) rund um wenigstens einen Teil ihres Umfanges aufweist.
11. Urinflasche nach Anspruch 10, worin die Lippe (20a) sich rund um den gesamten
Umfang der Öffnung erstreckt.
12. Urinflasche nach einem der vorhergehenden Ansprüche, worin die ebene Basiswand
(16) von im allgemeinen dreieckiger Gestalt ist.
13. Urinflasche nach einem der vorhergehenden Ansprüche, umfassend eine Rückwand (18)
von im allgemeinen dreieckiger Gestalt, die mit ihren drei Seiten mit der Basiswand
bzw. den Seitenwänden verbunden ist.
14. Urinflasche nach Anspruch 13, worin die hintere Endwand (18) eben oder von konkaver
Gestalt ist.
15. Urinflasche nach Anspruch 13 oder 14, worin im Bereich der Endwand die Seitenwände
(12,14) konvex oder eben sind.
16. Urinflasche nach einem der vorhergehenden Ansprüche, umfassend eine Vertiefung
(22) in jeder der zwei Seitenwände, um einen Griff an der Flasche zu bieten.
17. Urinflasche nach einem der vorhergehenden Ansprüche, worin dieselbe aus geformter
Papierpülpe hergestellt ist.
1. Urinal de type bouteille pour femme, comprenant une paroi de base (16) plane ou
sensiblement plane, deux parois latérales (12,14) qui convergent verticalement, une
ouverture avant (20) qui communique directement avec l'espace intérieur défini par
ladite paroi de base et lesdites parois latérales et dont le bord inférieur est espacé
au-dessus du niveau de la base, caractérisé en ce que la hauteur des parois latérales
(12, 14) est inférieure à la longueur de la bouteille, de manière à constituer une
bouteille allongée, l'ouverture avant (20) est située, au moins en partie, directement
au-dessus de la base (16), et le périmètre de l'ouverture (20) est concave vers le
haut.
2. Urinal de type bouteille suivant la revendication 1, dans lequel les parois latérales
(12, 14) qui convergent verticalement convergent également latéralement sur au moins
une partie de leur longueur.
3. Urinal de type bouteille suivant la revendication 1 ou la revendication 2, dans
lequel les bords inférieurs (24, 26) des parois latérales qui se raccordent à la paroi
de base sont de configuration convexe en vue en plan.
4. Urinal de type bouteille suivant l'une quelconque des revendications précédentes,
dans lequel les parois latérales (12,14) sont au moins partiellement de configuration
convexe.
5. Urinal de type bouteille suivant la revendication 4, dans lequel les parois latérales
(12, 14) sont de configuration convexe dans la région des parois latérales qui est
adjacente à l'ouverture (20).
6. Urinal de type bouteille suivant l'une quelconque des revendications précédentes,
dans lequel les parois latérales (12, 14) au voisinage de la partie avant de la bouteille
sont de configuration convexe en vue en plan.
7. Urinal de type bouteille suivant la revendication 6, dans lequel les parois latérales
(12,14) sont arrondies, au raccordement à la partie avant de la bouteille.
8. Urinal de type bouteille suivant l'une quelconque des revendications précédentes,
dans lequel la partie de la paroi de base (16) qui se raccorde à la partie avant de
la bouteille est de configuration convexe.
9. Urinal de type bouteille suivant la revendication 8, dans lequel la partie de la
paroi de base (16) qui se raccorde à la partie avant de la bouteille est arrondie.
10. Urinal de type bouteille suivant l'une quelconque des revendications précédentes,
dans lequel l'ouverture comporte une lèvre dirigée vers l'intérieur (20a) autour d'au
moins une partie de sa périphérie.
11. Urinal de type bouteille suivant la revendication 10, dans lequel la lèvre (20a)
s'étend sur toute la périphérie de l'ouverture.
12. Urinal de type bouteille suivant l'une quel- conqe des revendications précédentes,
dans lequel la paroi de base plane (16) est de configuration sensiblement triangulaire.
13. Urinal de type bouteille suivant l'une quelconque des revendications précédentes,
comprenant une paroi arrière (18) de configuration sensiblement triangulaire dont
les trois côtés sont reliés à la paroi de base et aux parois latérales respectivement.
14. Urinal de type bouteille suivant la revendication 13, dans lequel la paroi d'extrémité
arrière (18) est plane ou de configuration concave.
15. Urinal de type bouteille suivant la revendication 13 ou la revendication 14, dans
lequel, dans la région de laparoi d'extrémité, les parois latérales (12, 14) sont
convexes ou planes.
16. Urinal de type bouteille suivant l'une quelconque des revendications précédentes,
comportant une partie en creux (22) dans chacune des deux parois latérales, pour procurer
une prise sur la bouteille.
17. Urinal de type bouteille suivant l'ue quelconque des revendications précédentes,
dans lequel la bouteille est fabriquée en pâte à papier moulée.