The present invention concerns a sanitary device for bowls of water closets. In particular, the present invention is used to shield at least partially water closet bowls.

Throughout the description provided here below and in the attached claims, if not specified otherwise, the expression "WC bowl" will mean a bowl having any shape, made of ceramic or majolica, for example of the type with seat, that is, capable of supporting a seated person, or of the squat type, that is, requiring the squat position.

The term "shielding" will likewise mean separating, even partially, the bowl from the person using it, which is obtained through the interposition of the sanitary device of the present invention between them.

The present invention also concerns a kit comprising said device, more particularly the kit is suited to be placed at the disposal of the public in a WC, or to be taken along when travelling.

In the sector of sanitary products, paper sheets are known that are provided with a detachable centre portion that can be removed to obtain an annulus suited to be placed on the seat of a WC bowl. The annulus-shaped sheet is generally used in the attempt to separate the seated person from non-sanitized surfaces.

The known sheets, however, are not suited to serve this purpose in an optimal manner, in fact often parts of the bowl's surfaces come into contact with the seated person, infecting him/her and causing an unpleasant sensation of cold. Furthermore, the applicant underlines that paper sheets often obstruct the waste pipe of water closets, making it necessary to carry out expensive and complex maintenance operations. In addition to the above, the applicant has observed that during flushing, the liquid vortex created often wets the seating surface, so that the successive paper sheet used gets soaked, tears and causes a further unpleasant sensation to the user.

A general object of the present invention is to make the use of a water closet, especially a public one, more hygienic and comfortable.

A further object of the present invention is to overcome, at least partially, the drawbacks posed by the known technique.

An even further object of the present invention is to provide an environmentally- friendly and easy-to-make sanitary device. An even further object of the present invention is to provide a sanitary device that is economic to manufacture.

Another further object of the present invention is to provide a sanitary device that is suited to be comfortably transported when travelling or to be used in public service areas.

The present invention is based on the general consideration that by covering at least partially the inside surface of the bowl it is possible to reduce or even to eliminate any contact between the excrements and the bowl. In this manner the use of the bowl becomes more hygienic, also thanks to the fact that cleaning during flushing is facilitated. The preferred embodiments of the present invention are also based on the general consideration that a portion suited to shield the inside of the bowl, and capable of preventing at least partially the excrements from falling directly into the water that is normally present on the bottom of the bowl or flows on its walls, also prevents infected water sprays from being spread on the surfaces of the bowl* including the outer surfaces. The even more preferred embodiments of the invention are also based on the further consideration that providing an at least partial shielding of the top outer surface of the bowl and of the outer surface of the bowl below the top makes it possible to reduce or avoid any contact between a person's body and cold surfaces, thus making the bowl more pleasant to use.

According to a first aspect, the subject of the present invention is a sanitary device according to claim 1, meaning a sanitary device for water closet bowls, comprising at least one portion suited to shield at least partially the inside of the bowl.

Advantageously, the device carried out according to the present invention, in addition to separating a person from infected parts of the bowl, prevents said parts from being infected and reduces this risk. By shielding the inside of the bowl, in fact, it is possible to prevent or reduce its contact with the excrements and to avoid sprays due, for example, to the flushing operation.

According to some preferred embodiments of the invention, the portion suited to at least partially shield the inside can receive liquid and/or solid excrements. In this way the effect described above is certainly enhanced, as at the moment of flushing the excrements are at least partially confined in the device. Furthermore, this reduces the need for accurate cleaning of the water closet each time it is used. The more preferred embodiments of the invention comprise a portion for at least partially shielding the outside of the bowl. In this way the use of the water closet is advantageously made more pleasant. In fact, in the case of a bowl with seat, the use of the invention avoids or reduces any contact of the person with the cold surfaces, may be even infected by previous users that did not use the device. In the case of squat toilets, the use of the invention prevents the external surfaces of the toilet to be dirtied to the extent that they cannot be cleaned by simply flushing the toilet, so that the cond tions, especially of a public toilet, are always optimal. The portion suited to shield the outside at least partially is preferably joined to the portion suited to shield the inside at least partially. This makes it easier to maintain the internal portion of the bowl in the correct position.

In general, the top portion of the bowl ideally defines a front area, a rear area, a right area and a left area. According to the best methods for implementing the invention, said portion suited to at least partially shield the outside comprises at least two areas that are intended to at least partially overlap at least two of said ideal top areas of the bowl and the portion suited to at least partially shield the inside is joined to both of said at least two shielding areas of the ideal top areas. In this way the inner shielding portion is sufficiently extended to serve its purposes, and is even more resistant.

More preferably, the portion suited to shield the outside at least partially is annular or substantially annular and circumscribes the portion suited to shield the inside at least partially.

According to some preferred embodiments of the invention, the portion suited to shield the outside at least partially comprises at least one first portion intended to overlap at least partially a top area of the bowl, and a second portion intended to overlap at least partially an external area of the bowl below the top area. This further prevents any contact with the cold and potentially infected surfaces of the water closet and thus makes it more pleasant to use.

According to a very advantageous solution that can be optionally applied to all of the embodiments of the invention, the sanitary device comprises at least two areas having different resistance. In this way it is possible to reinforce the areas that are usually more subjected to stress, for example because of the excrements, of rubbing or of the water normally present on the bottom of the bowl, and to ensure a greater effectiveness of the device.

The areas with different resistance can be easily obtained adopting, for example, one of the following solutions: different thickness, different materials, at least one additional layer of material on one of the areas, at least one surface treatment on one of the areas.

The applicant has found that the areas that are most subjected to stress and problematic are those of the portion suited to shield the inside of the bowl at least partially, and therefore at least one more resistant area belongs to said portion. Even more preferably, the portion suited to shield the inside at least partially comprises at least one more resistant area intended to shield, during use, a front inner area of the bowl. In this way the liquid excrements are prevented from damaging the device too quickly, reducing its effectiveness in a short time.

The applicant has furthermore understood that there is the need to provide a sanitary device that effectively interacts with the flush of the water closets used at present and respects the environment, therefore, in general, it should be preferably at least partially made with one or more water-soluble materials.

The best materials identified by the applicant after long tests and experimentations are those comprising at least one polyvinyl alcohol (PVOH). The material can for example be polymeric, for example of the mouldable type. It is generally advantageous, even if not compulsory, to make the portion suited to shield the inside at least partially so that it comprises a bottom. This ensures better separation from the water contained in the bowl. Said bottom is preferably part of a bag that preferably covers the inside of the bowl completely.

Especially when the material is water-soluble, during use the bottom of the sanitary device should be preferably intended to remain suspended in the bowl without coming into contact with the water that may be present in its bottom. This prevents the device from untimely dissolving.

In order to ensure a practical storage, the sanitary device should preferably comprise a non-operative configuration in which all of its portions substantially lie on a plane, and an operative configuration in which the shielding portion suited to shield the inside projects below an ideal plane.

For the sake of simplicity and implementation economy, it is also preferable for the sanitary device to be made with a single sheet, for example by moulding. According to a second aspect, the object of the present invention is a sanitary device carried out according to claim 16, that is, a sanitary device for water closet bowls comprising a front area, a rear area, a right area and a left area, at least one portion suited to shield at least partially the inside of the bowl and at least one portion suited to shield at least partially the outside of the bowl, the two shielding portions being joined to each other in at least two of said at least two areas.

According to a third aspect, the subject of the present invention is a sanitary kit according to claim 17, meaning a sanitary kit for water closet bowls, comprising at least one sanitary device according to any of the preceding claims.

The sanitary kit preferably comprises at least one of the following: a glove, a sanitizing product, toilet paper.

Even more preferably, the sanitary kit comprises at least one glove, at least one tissue soaked with the sanitizing product, at least a predetermined quantity of toilet paper.

In order to facilitate transport during travel, the sanitary device, the at least one glove, the at least one tissue soaked with the sanitizing product and the at least one predetennined quantity of toilet paper are preferably contained in a box and are marked with a recognition sign that is visible when said components are inside the box.

The box preferably comprises a rope to open and/or hang the box.

Further objects, advantages and characteristics, as well as embodiments of the present invention are defined in the claims and will be illustrated below by means of the following description with reference to the attached drawings. In particular:

Figure 1 is a schematic plan view of a first embodiment of a sanitary device according to the present invention;

Figure 2 is a schematic front elevation view of the sanitary device shown in Figure 1;

- Figure 3 is a schematic plan view of a second embodiment of a sanitary device according to the present invention;

Figure 4 is a schematic front elevation view of the sanitary device shown in Figure 3;

Figure 5 is a schematic section and front elevation view showing the sanitary device of Figure 3 applied to a water closet;

Figure 6 is a schematic plan view of a third embodiment of a sanitary device according to the present invention;

Figure 7 shows a schematic view of a sanitary kit carried out according to the present invention;

- Figure 8 shows the kit of Figure 7 inserted in an open box; Figure 9 shows the box of Figure 8 when it is closed.

In the following description we shall refer, for the sake of simplicity, to a water closet with seat, that is, a water closet capable of supporting a person seated thereon, and to the embodiments particularly suited to shield the bowl of such a water closet, however any person skilled in the art will understand that the present invention can be applied also to other types of toilet, for example squat toilets.

Here below is the description, made with reference to Figures 1 and 2, of a sanitary device according to a first embodiment of the invention.

The sanitary device 1 is shown in plan view in Figure 1 and in front elevation view in Figure 2. It comprises an annular portion 5 that is substantially oval in shape, is intended to be rested on the top of a water closet during use and has such dimensions as to cover said top, preferably in its entirety. For example, the maximum length L of the oval portion 5 is included in the interval [38-46] cm, and its maximum width W is included in the interval [31-40] cm, while the thickness T of the ring (that is, the width of the ring in the radial direction measured between its inner edge and its outer edge) is included in the interval [7- 10] cm.

The annular portion 5 circumscribes a bag-shaped portion 10 that projects under it. The bag-shaped portion 10 is defined by a bottom 15 and by a lateral lining 20 that connects the bottom 15 to the annular portion 5.

The device 1 is preferably made with a sheet of water-soluble material, even if other materials, especially if biodegradable, like paper, are not excluded. The preferred water-soluble materials are those containing at least one polyvinyl alcohol (PVOH).

The bag 10 optionally but preferably comprises an area with higher resistance 25, where higher resistance means at least one type of resistance selected between resistance to dissolution in water and resistance to tearing. In this case in the area 25 the sheet is thicker so that it has both higher resistance to dissolution and higher resistance to tearing. It cannot be excluded, however, that the higher resistance may be due, additionally or alternatively, to the use of a different material, to additional layers of the same material or of a different material, or to a special surface treatment.

In the embodiment illustrated herein, the area 25 has for example higher resistance than the bottom 15, however it cannot be excluded that the division in areas with higher resistance may be different, for example it is possible to make a bag 10 with higher resistance than the annular portion 5.

In Figure 1, the broken lines symbolize the ideal division of a water closet bowl into a front area 30, a rear area 35, a right area 45 and a left area 40. Said broken lines have been drawn on the device 1 so as to define its relative position with respect to a bowl during use. It is thus possible to theoretically apply this division to the same device 1, so that the area with higher resistance 25 is positioned in a front area 30. Obviously, positioning in other areas of this ideal division, in more than one of said areas, and/or the simultaneous presence of more than one area with higher resistance cannot be excluded.

Some alternative embodiments of the invention are described here below, wherein identical or similar elements are indicated by the same reference numbers used above and increased by 100 or a multiple of 100.

A second embodiment of the invention is described with reference to Figures 3 and 4. In particular, an alternative sanitary device 101 differs from the device 1 of Figures 1 and 2 due to the fact that it comprises a second annular portion, or a portion in the shape of an annular sector 108 external to the annular portion 105 to which the bag 110 is attached. The annular portion 105 has preferred dimensions like the portion 5 of Figure 1, while the second annular portion 108 is a sort of ring or sector of ring with thickness included in the interval [8-14] cm, and preferably carried out as an extension of the first annular portion 105.

Also in this case an area with higher resistance 125 is positioned in a front area. Optionally, the bottom 115 of the bag 110 can be deeper than the area with higher resistance 125, as is clearly visible in Figure 4. Alternatively, the bag 110, or its bottom, can be made of an elastic material capable of extending and thus penetrating deeper into the bowl when subjected to a weight.

The application of the device 101 to a water closet with seat 150 is now described with reference to Figure 5.

Said water closet 150 comprises a bowl 155, usually made of ceramic and often comprising in turn a seat (not shown herein) placed on its top. The bowl 155 is shown in a section view in order to highlight its inside 160 and its outside 165. The outside of the bowl 155 comprises the top 170 of the bowl, be it a bare ceramic portion or a seat, and the surfaces 175 below the top portion 170. The sanitary device 101 is positioned so that it partially shields the bowl 155, in particular, the first annular portion 105 rests on the top 170 of the bowl, like the second annular portion 108 rests on the external surfaces 175 below the top portion 170. The bag 110 is inserted inside the bowl 165 with the portion with higher resistance 125 in a front area.

Substantially, the first and second annular portions 105 and 108 form as a whole a portion suited to partially shield the outside of the bowl 165, and the bag 110 forms a portion suited to shield the inside of the bowl 160. Although this example illustrates portions 165 suited to shield the outside that are substantially annular in shape, any person skilled in the art will understand that they may have different shapes, for example in the case where they are applied to bowls for squat toilets.

A second alternative embodiment of the invention will be now described with reference to Figure 6, said embodiment differing from the one shown in Figure 3 due to the fact that the second annular portion 208 is not continuous but comprises a series of cuts 209 that make it easier to bend it and adapt it to the surfaces of the bowl 155 of Figure 5. Furthermore, the bag 210 comprises cuts and/or openings 212. However, the bag 210 is preferably capable of maintaining its function of element for holding excrements.

In general it can be observed that, notwithstanding the cuts or openings that one wishes to make in the bag, it should be preferably joined to the first annular portion 205 in at least two among the following areas: right area 45, left area 40, front area 35 and rear area 30 illustrated with reference to Figure 1 and present in any type of embodiment.

Even if this has not been illustrated herein, before use the devices of the present invention are preferably in a flattened or folded configuration, in which for example all the parts substantially lie on a single plane. During use, the portion intended to shield the inside of the bowl is thus arranged so that it projects from the remaining parts. If present, even the second annular portion 108, 208 can be arranged so that it projects from said plane, and in particular from the first annular portion 5, 105, 205.

During use, a device carried out according to the present invention is applied in such a way as to partially shield a water closet bowl and, especially at the level of its areas with higher resistance, resists to dissolution in water for a time sufficient to allow normal excretion. Furthermore, its resistance is preferably sufficient to maintain the excrements suspended inside the bowl. This in particular prevents the device from untimely dissolving in the water that is usually present in the bottom of the bowls.

A kit carried out according to the present invention will be now described with reference to Figures 7, 8 and 9.

The kit 460 comprises at least one device 401 according to the present invention, for example equal to one of the devices 1, 101, 201 previously illustrated.

The kit 460 furthermore comprises at least one glove 465, preferably two gloves. For hygienic reasons the kit should preferably comprise at least one sanitizing product, for example in liquid form, and a tissue 470 soaked with it, for easier application to the bowl.

Finally, especially in the case where the kit 460 is intended to be used for travel purposes, it should preferably contain a predetermined quantity of toilet paper 475.

For hygienic and practical reasons, at least the device 401, the toilet paper 475 and the tissue 470, but more preferably all of the components of the kit 460, are packed in bags, preferably separate from each other. Each bag or component has a recognition sign, for example a progressive identification number 478 that allows it to be identified among the others, especially if inserted in a box 480 (shown in Figure 8 and 9). The signs 478 are preferably located on a projecting edge of the packed or loose component.

The box 480 preferably comprises a cover 485 and a rope 490. The rope is useful to hang the box and/or open the cover.

It has thus been shown that the invention described above achieves all the set objects. In particular, it makes the use of a water closet more hygienic and more pleasant.

While the present invention has been described with reference to a specific embodiment shown in Figures 1, 2 and 3 and to some alternative embodiments, some of which are also illustrated in the other figures, it should be noted that it is not limited to said embodiments but on the contrary further variant embodiments come within the scope of the present invention, as defined in the following claims.