The invention relates to a device for collec¬ ting urine of incontinent patients, said device comprising an internal or external catheter and a duct connected herewith and leading to a receptacle. The invention has for its object to provide a device of the kind set forth, in which the user has optimum freedom of movement, and can readily exchange the urinal and infections of the urethra of the user are minimized.

The device according to the invention is dis- tinguished in that the duct is made from light, deformable material, the duct having in the direction of length at least two rib-shaped wall reinforcements so that the width of the wall portion between the two stiffening ribs is unequal to the width of the opposite wall portion between said two stiffe- ning ribs.

Owing to such a shape of the outlet duct for the urine the fluid can always be conducted away to the recep- ^" tacle, whilst the flexible duct readily matches the shape of the body and the movements of the user. Preferably the receptacle is also made from flexible material, whilst in accordance with the invention a non-return valve is arranged downstream of the catheter. This non-return valve serves to retain fluid tending to flow back to the catheter when the receptacle is deformed by a movement of the user. The shape of the duct proposed by the in¬ vention will not prevent a backward flow of the fluid so that a quick-action non-return valve is required.

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The valve body is preferably constructed in form of a flcat or in other terms it is made from a materia having a specific weight of less than 1. .-Then fluid flows b the valve body will float with the fluid and clog the passa According to the invention, in order to rend the non-return valve suitable for a dropwise evacuation of urine as well as for the discharge of a larger quantity at time the valve housing is provided with a second, spring- loaded valve body. This spring-loaded valve body opens when large amount of fluid has to be conducted away, whilst the opening to be closed by the float is suitable for continuous dropwise evacuation of the fluid.

In a preferred ^" embodiment the floating body i arranged in an uninterrupted bore of a second non-return val body so that a compact non-return valve is obtained, which w hinder the user as little as possible.

According to the invention the duct and the r tacle are made integrally from synthetic resin foil. In this a so-called "disposable" is obtained. The invention furthermore relates to a method manufacturing such an integral unit,of duct and receptacle, method being distinguished in that parts- of synthetic foil o equal shape are laid down on the other, ^* y_e edges of said t parts are welded to one another and one of the foil parts is thermally shrunk. In this manner a very cheap disposable is tained and at the same time the duct proposed by the inventi is obtained in which the welded strips form the stiffening e for keeping the duct open at all time. ^'

. The invention will be described more fully wi reference to a drawing in which: fig. 1 is an elevational view of a urinal in accordance with the invention, figs. 2 and: 3 cross-sectional views of differ embodiments of the duct to be used with the urinal of fig.l fig. 4 shows an alternative embodiment of a n return valve in a longitudinal sectional view.

Referring to fig.l, reference numeral 1 desig an external catheter for an incontinent male patient, with

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which catheter is connected the valve housing of a non-return valve 2. With the opposite side of the valve housing is connec¬ ted a duct 3 with a receptacle 4. The receptacle is provided with eyelets 5 for the connection of fastening means so that 5 the receptacle 4 can be fastened around the patient's leg.

The non-return valve 2 comprises a housing 6 of, for example, synthetic material which may be formed by spray-casting. The housing contains a floating body 7, for example, of synthetic foam having such a specific weight that 0- when fluid flows towards the catheter 1 from the receptacle 4, the floating body 7 floating on the fluid immediately closes the passage 8 of the housing 6. The floating body 7 has the shape of a barrel, the frustoconical top of which co-operates with the opening 8, whereas the frustoconical bottom terminates 5 in a prolongation 9 of cross-shaped section accomodated in the bore of the lower connecting stub of the housing 6. The pro¬ longation 9 ensures that the floating body 7 remains in the correct position relative to the housing 6.

Figs. 2 and 3 show different structures of the 0 duct 3 in cross-sectional view. The duct shown in fig. 2 is formed by two synthetic foil portions 10 and 11, the peri¬ pheral strips of which are welded together. After shrinkage of portion 10 portion 11 will invariably exhibit the shape of a wave in the straight position of portion 10 so that when 5 lying flat on the patient's skin the duct will always have a - passage. This ensures a disturbance-free evacuation of the fluid. In a similar manner the receptacle 4 may be manufac- ^■ tured and in accordance with the invention the duct 3 and the receptacle 4 may be integrally made from synthetic resin foil 0 so that this part of the urinal constitutes a disposable.

The synthetic foil has such a flexibility that even when a large amount of urine is conducted away that duct 3 can readily expand to the form indicated by line 12 in Fig. 2. 5 Fig. 3 shows a different embodiment of the duct for which likewise flexible synthetic resin may be used, which is directly extruded in the form of a hose. The wall may be ^• • stiffened at two places by folding the wall outwardly and

welding the parts to one another or by adhering them in a ^• different , suitable manner at 13.

According to the invention the paces 13 have to be such tha the distance A-B along the lower side between the places 13 5 differs from the distance C-D along the top side of the hos periphery.

Fig. 4 is a cross-sectional view of the non¬ return valve suitable for use in the urinal shown in Fig. 1.

The valve comprises in this case a housing 14 0 provided on both sides with connecting stubs for the duct 3 and the catheter 1 respectively. The housing 14 contains a s loaded valve body 15, which is held by the compression spri 16 on the valve seat 17. On the side remote from the val body 15 the spring 16 is supported in the valve housing 14. 5 The valve body 15 has an uninterrupted bore 19 accomodating float 20 in the form of a ball.

Openings 18 establish a communication between the bore 19 an the space around the valve body 15.

This embodiment of the non-return valve shown 0 in Fig. 4 is extremely suitable for evacuating a large quant of liquid, in which case the valve body 15 is lifted from th seat 17 against the action of the spring 16 so that a large passage is formed, whereas in the case of dropwise secretion of the incontinent patient the liquid can flow away undistur via the uninterrupted bore 19 in the valve body 15. In the event of an abrupt reflux of the urine the float 20 will imm diately shut the uninterrupted bore 19 on the top side of th ^• valve body 15, whilst the valve body 15 is permanently urged 'against the seat 17. The invention is not limited to the embodimen described above.