| (7) CLAIMS
(1 ) A urine drainage facility (10) for gravitationally draining urine from a facility user comprising an abdomen carriable body fitting (12) of at least partly flexible character that is arranged to firmly though easily removably and in a repetitively standard way fit the abdomen of a facility user; characterised in that the fitting (12) incorporates a drainage piece (14), at least once the facility is ready for use, that is held by the fitting and formed to cause it to be maintained in an at least substantially sealed off urine guiding and disposal relationship with respect to the bodily location of urine discharge of such user once the facility is operatively fitted in response to the maintenance of the draining piece (14) against leakage onto such location of urine discharge by the urging of the fitting (12) that is furthermore formed to limit user discomfort once the drainage facility is in use.
(2) A urine drainage facility as claimed in claim 1 in which the drainage piece (14, 14.1 ) is in the form of a drainage tube (16) of which the inner end (16.2) is shaped and arranged to be urged against discomfort about the penis area of a male user thus being carried by the fitting in a position and a way that enables such penis to fit against discomfort along the tube (16) once the facility is used for catheter fashion draining urine from such user as thus conventionally accumulated for subsequent discarding. (3) A urine drainage facility as claimed in claim 2 in which the inner end (16.2) of the drainage tube (16) extends in the form of a flexible flange (20).
(4) A urine drainage facility as claimed in claim 2 or claim 3 in which the discharge end region (16.3) of the drainage tube (16) narrows to the extent of enabling the removable positioning of a flexible discharge tube there onto for draining discharged urine for conventional storage and discarding once the facility is in use.
(5) A urine drainage facility as claimed in claim 4 in which the drainage tube is in the form of drainage funnel (16).
(6) A urine drainage facility as claimed in any one of claims 2 to 5 in which the flexible abdomen carriable body fitting is in the form of a male type abdomen carriable urine drainage-accommodating undergarment (12).
(7) A urine drainage facility as claimed in claim 6 in which the drainage tube (16) fits along a sleeve (18) that is integrally formed with the undergarment (12). (8) A urine drainage facility as claimed in claim 1 in which the drainage piece (14, 14.2) is in the form of a drainage vessel (22) that is shaped and arranged to be held against discomfort about the location of female urine discharge once the facility is used while being formed with at least one floor disposed drainage passage (28) from which urine is drainable from the vessel (22) for subsequent conventional accumulation and discarding once the facility is in use.
(9) A urine drainage facility as claimed in claim 8 in which the drainage vessel (22) is shaped to be generally saddle fashion held once in operative use.
(10) A urine drainage facility as claimed in claim 8 or claim 9 in which the drainage passage (28) opens up into a discharge tube engageable funnel (30) to enable the removable fitment of a flexible discharge tube to the drainage vessel for catheter fashion draining discharged urine once the facility is in use.
(11) A urine drainage facility as claimed in any one of claims 8 to 10 in which the drainage vessel (22) is in the form of a female type abdomen carriable urine drainage-accommodating receptacle formed to fit a fitting in the form of a female type abdomen carriable undergarment (12).
(12) A urine drainage facility as claimed in claim 11 in which the female type abdomen carriable undergarment (12) is formed with an integral seat layout (32) into which the receptacle (22) fits while the undergarment present an aperture along which drainage takes place once the facility is in use. |
(1) TITLE OF THE INVENTION
URINE DRAINAGE ACCOMMODATING UNDERGARMENT
(2) BACKGROUND TO THE INVENTION
Men and especially when aging, tend to lose bladder control. To aid in addressing the problem such persons are obliged to use catheter type urine drainage equipment. This has the side effect of causing such users to suffer from chronic bladder infection as brought about by the condom type drainage equipment conventionally used being adhesively held to the body of the user. While such loss of bladder control is often associated with men it is also found with women. It is, amongst others, an object of this invention to at least alleviate this condition.
(3) FIELD OF THE INVENTION
This invention relates to a urine drainage facility for gravitationally draining urine from a facility user. While not so limited the drainage facility finds particularly useful application when in the form of a urine drainage accommodating undergarment arranged for either male of female usage.
(4) PRIOR ART DESCRIPTION
The prior art equipment known to the inventor and applicant that is used for men suffering a loss of bladder control is found in the common catheter type condom that is adhesively secured onto the private parts of a user while its discharge end provides for drainage connection to a releasable urine collection bag bodily carried by a user by means of a gravitational drainage tube.
(5) BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWING
The invention is now described, by way of example, with reference to the accompanying drawings. In the drawings Figure 1 shows a urine drainage facility in the form of a urine drainage accommodating undergarment arranged for male usage, in frontal view,
Figure 2 shows the undergarment of figure 1 in side elevation,
Figure 3 shows the undergarment of figures 1 and 2 as generally resting unsupported on a base, Figure 4 shows a drainage piece forming part of the undergarment in the form of a urine drainage tube as provided by a drainage funnel,
Figure 5 shows the undergarment arranged for female usage, in side elevation, Figure 6 shows the undergarment of figure 5 in overhead view,
Figure 7 shows the drainage piece in the form of a urine collecting and disposing vessel forming part of the undergarment of figures 5 and 6, in side elevation, and Figure 8 shows the vessel in plan view.
(6) DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
Referring to figures 1 to 3, 5 and 6 of the drawings a urine drainage facility, according to the invention, in the form of a urine drainage-accommodating undergarment arranged for either male of female usage, is generally indicated by reference numeral 10. The undergarment 10, as thus performing a conventional urine drainage catheter type function once in use, comprises an at least partly resilient abdomen carriable body fitting in the form of an item of underpants 12 incorporating a draining piece 14, as discussed in more detail below for each of the cases of male and female application respectively in the form of drainage pieces 14.1 and 14.2, that is suitably held by the underpants 12 to enable the drainage, collection and discarding of urine released by a user for which the undergarment 10 is intended.
In referring to figures 1 to 4 the drainage piece 14.1 of the undergarment 10, as arranged for male usage, is in the form of a drainage tube as provided by a drainage funnel 16 that fits against release along a sleeve 18 that is integrally formed with the underpants 12 as thus providing a male type abdomen carriable urine drainage-accommodating undergarment. The sleeve 12 is naturally situated at a position along the front panel 12.1 of the underpants 12 to enable the penis of an undergarment user to comfortably fit down the larger cross sectional area length 16.1 of the funnel 16 once the undergarment 10 is put on for use. The sleeve 18 is formed to snugly hold the funnel 16 against release by the sleeve 18 narrowing from its inner end 18.1 to its outer end 18.2. The funnel 16 is removable inserted for use down the sleeve 18 from its inner end 18.1. The funnel is typically of medical silicone type material.
The inner end 16.2 of the funnel 16 is formed to fit about the genitals of a male user by being formed with an integral flange 20 that is adequately supple to promote a sealing abutment while simultaneously limiting user discomfort. While not shown in detail the flange 20 is formed with an integral rib extending along the periphery of the mouth to the aperture along the funnel 16. While also not shown the peripheral edge of the flange 20 is formed with an inward recess along part of its length to accommodate the testes of a male user. The
discharge end region 16.3 of the funnel 16 is of adequately small diameter to enable the sealing fit there onto of a flexible tube of the kind that is conventionally used for the gravitational catheter type drainage of urine to a bodily carried bag (not shown). The underpants 12 are formed to result in its fitting the abdomen of a user firmly once put on thus simultaneously maintaining the funnel 16 in position. Typically the underpants 12 are of a cotton/' lycra 1 fabric.
In referring to figures 5 to 8 the drainage piece 14.2 of the undergarment 10, as arranged for female usage, is in the form of a saddle shaped drainage vessel as provided by a receptacle 22 that extends between an elevated trailing end 24 and a lower leading end 26 while also otherwise being formed to comfortably accommodate the female physique. The receptacle 22 is formed with a floor disposed drainage aperture 28 discharging into a female undergarment discharge funnel 30 from the discharge end 30.1 of which urine that is released into the receptacle 22 is again gravitational removed via a flexible tube (not shown) for collection and disposal once the undergarment 10 is in use. The underpants 12 as in the form of female type abdomen carriable undergarment is in the case of female usage formed with an integral seat 32 into which the receptacle 22 snugly seats. The underpants 12 are naturally also formed with a hole (not shown) through which the funnel 30 passes once the receptacle 22 is fitted to the seat 28.
In use and referring to figures 1 to 4 a clean funnel 16 is fitted to the sleeve 18. The underpants 12 are then simply conventionally put on with the additional action that the male user positions the funnel 16 by way of its flange 20 onto such person's genitals with such person's penis passing along the length 16.1 of the funnel 16. Finally a conventional drainage tube (not shown) is connected to the discharge end region 16.3 of the funnel 16 and connected to an accumulating container (not shown) bodily carried by the user to promote the gravitational drainage of urine discharged into the funnel 16.
In referring to figures 5 to 6 and in the case of female usage, the receptacle 22 is first positioned in its seat 32, forming part of the underpants 12, where after the latter is put on and a drainage tube again fitted to the funnel 30 similar to in the case of male usage, and connected for urine collection.