Flexible urinal

March 3, 1959

2375,451

W. STEGEMAN

FLEXIBLE URINAL

Filed July 11, 1955

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attorneys

United States Patent Office „ ²-⁸⁷⁵’⁴⁵¹

Patented Mar. 3, 1959 up to dry after the same has been washed. The relatively wide elongated neck 13 facilitates the turning Of the bag inside out so that after use and the draining of fluid therefrom, the bag can be readily turned inside out and β then all of the interior surfaces and crevices of the bag and neck portion can be thoroughly washed with soap and water. The tabs 14 are placed both on the outside and inside of the bag so that the said tabs can be employed either when the urinal is in its normal condition or when 10 inside out since the bag can be used with equal facility in either condition. AU urinals that are not capable of being turned inside out to permit the frequent thorough cleansing of all their surfaces and crevices eventually collect a residue from urine on their inner surfaces, which 1“ eventually become covered with a precipitate which resists all efforts to cleanse them thoroughly. In time this leads to irretrievable fouling.

The terminal end of the neck 13 is open as indicated at 13α and affixed to one side of the open end of the ²⁰ neck 13α is a tubular member 15 that has inserted therethrough a rigid elongated member 16 that extends transversely of the neck 13 beyond opposite sides of the neck, when the same is in flattened or collapsed condition. Said member 16 fits snugly in the tubular member 15 so that it ²⁸ cannot slip out and become lost, The member 16 has a groove 17 formed in one end thereof. Adjacent the other end of the member 16 and spaced inwardly therefrom is an open eye 19. A flexible elastic loop 20 is passed through and held in place by said eye 19. Addi³⁰ tional eyes 18 and 18α are formed in the member 16 inwardly from the ends thereof as indicated.

After a person has urinated in said urinal the neck 13 is rolled about the member 16 and when a sufficient amount of the said neck has been so rolled on the said member 16 to cause said neck opening to be completely sealed so that the urinal becomes closed and leakproof, the elastic loop 20 is stretched over the portion of the neck 13 that is rolled on the member 16 and the loose 40 ^{end of said e}.^lasti? ^lo°P ^{20 is} engaged in the groove 17 as illustrated in Fig. 2. In this way the urinal is quickly, simply and positively sealed and no fluid can spill or leak therefrom. This operation of closing the urinal can be accomplished easily in the dark or in bed. The closing operation is simple enough so that elderly persons, ₄₅ bed ridden persons or persons suffering from arthritic or stiff finger joints can perform it with little trouble. If need be, a person can re-open the urinal, use it again, and thereafter easily close it in the same manner. The urinal can then be safely and quietly dropped to the 50 floor alongside the bed, without fear of spillage or leakage.

In the morning, after use, the user can inconspicuously carry the urinal to the bathroom and empty it. After the urinal has been drained, turned inside out and thoroughly washed and cleaned, it can be hung up by one of the tabs 55 14 to dry or it can be dried with a towel, easily and quickly folded up and put away out of sight. The urinal is so constructed that it can be used either when in its normal condition or when turned inside out.

The eyes 18 and 18α can also be used to attach the 60 urinal to a belt worn by a person who is unconscious. By this means the urinal is held in place in the event of urination by a person in such condition.

In Fig. 3 there is shown a modification of the construction of the neck 13 of the urinal. This modified 05 construction is to facilitate use of the urinal by females. The said modified neck 13 has a flexible rubber ring 21 affixed to the terminal end of said neck 13 that ordinarily holds the neck 13 in a collapsed flat condition as shown in Fig. 4. When pressure is applied to the opposite ends 70 22 of said flexible rubber ring 21, the said ring and neck open as shown in Fig. 5. This, open ring can then be held in place over the vulva of a female and urination

2,875,451

FLEXIBLE URINAL

Wilson Stegeman, Santa Rosa, Calif.

Application July 11, 1955, Serial No. 521,262 4 Claims. (Cl. 4—110)

This invention relates to urinals.

An object of the present invention is: to provide a flexible urinal that has a leak-proof, self-contained, simple and positive closing means that can be used quickly and quietly, in the dark or in bed, without fear of spilling or of an accident.

_f Another object of this invention is to provide a flexible urinal that quickly and easily can be turned inside out for cleaning purposes so that all surfaces and crevices of the bag can be thoroughly washed with soap and water.

A further object of the invention is to provide a flexible urinal that has no loose or separate parts that can be misplaced or lost.

A still further object of the invention is to provide a flexible urinal that can be quietly and easily used, easily put out of sight after use, and thereafter inconspicuously transported to the bathroom.

A further object of the invention is to provide a flexible urinal that is collapsible when not in use so it can be easily and inconspicuously stored or carried about.

The usual bed urinal has a tendency toward spillage both in its usage in bed and while being carried to the bathroom. A flexible urinal of the type of my invention can be used without danger of spilling and thereafter it can be quickly, easily and positively closed so that it cannot spill or leak.

There are a number of people who find it necessary to void urine one or more times a night because of the inability of their urinary bladders to accommodate a sufficient amount of fluid to pass an entire night without urinating. Many times, when such persons visit or travel, this proves not only annoying but quite embarrassing. The present invention is designed to alleviate such annoyance and embarrassment. This invention is also designed for the convenience of persons who are confined to bed by sickness or are invalids or cripples.

One form that the invention may assume is exemplified in the following description and illustrated by way of example in the accompanying drawings, in which:

Fig. 1 is a side elevation of the flexible urinal embodying the concepts of the present invention.

Fig. 2 is a view showing the neck of the urinal rolled and held in closed condition.

Figs. 3 and 4 show a modified form of the neck construction of said flexible urinal.

Fig. 5 shows this modified form of Figs. 3 and 4 with the neck in open condition.

My flexible urinal comprises an elongated, flexible collapsible bag 10, preferably made of rubber or plastic, formed with bellowed or folded side construction as shown at 11 so that said bag 10 can hold a large volume of fluid. The said bag 10 has a relatively wide opening 12 to permit the bag portion thereof to be readily turned inside put through a relatively wide elongated neck 13 formed at the opening 12 of said bag. At the closed end of the bag 10 is a pair of tabs 14, one extending outwardly of the bag and the other extending inwardly of said bag. These tabs are to facilitate hanging the bag

2,875,451 can be accomplished without leakage or accident. It is also possible to imbed in lhe rubber ring 21 a metal leaf spring that will function- as the flexible rubber ring. After use, the ring 21 and the heck 13 of this modified construction collapses and becomes flat, and it can be 5 rolled about the member 16 and the elastic loop 20 can be stretched over the portion of the neck 13 so rolled upon the member 16 and engaged in the groove 17 for positive sealing thereof. .

While I have shown and described the preferred form 10 of the invention, it is obvious that various changes may be made in its construction by those! skilled in the art without departing from the spirit of the invention as defined in the appended claims.