The invention relates to a sanitary device, especially relating to the washing of hands. Hygiene promotion, together with improved water supply and sanitation, is a key component of public health interventions in emergency or development settings and is frequently undertaken in government or non-governmental organisation programmes. The main objective of hygiene interventions is to reduce illnesses or death through diseases. Many hygiene practices contribute towards preventing the spread of diseases. There is strong evidence indicating that handwashing with soap is an especially effective hygiene practice.

Existing sanitary products do not enable effective and practical washing of hands with soap in a water-scarce environment, where the great majority of households do not have a water tap in the home. It is therefore difficult to wash hands effectively in these places. This results in hygiene projects in these areas to be limited to simply raising and promoting awareness of washing of hands with soap without enabling actual practices of handwashing, and therefore reducing the impact on disease prevention. Currently there are products which facilitate the washing of hands, without a tap, by providing running water from a container. Soap is usually provided separately or not at all when using these products.

Typically these handwashing devices are installed outside a mud-walled pit latrine, and lack a clean place to put a soap bar. Hence the bar of soap frequently goes missing or becomes contaminated with dirt, dust or bacteria if it is placed on the ground.

There therefore exists a need for an improved sanitary device that enables the washing of hands with soap and water at the same time.

According to the invention in a first aspect there is provided a sanitary device comprising a first, hollow container which includes at least one aperture having a valve that is connected for controlling the outflow of fluid contained in the first container; and a second container having at least one perforation, wherein the second container is connected to the first container; and wherein the first and second containers are capable of being or are generally aligned such that fluid flowing out from the first container via the aperture passes adjacent to the second container. Preferably the first container contains water and the second container contains a cleaning agent that is accessible via at least one perforation in the second container. The cleaning agent could be a solid bar of soap or liquid soap.

The sanitary device as described above is advantageous because it enables the user to have access to both soap and water at the same time. The benefits of handwashing with soap have proved to be very effective in preventing the spread of diseases. The connection of the second container to the first container means that the cleaning agent may be kept close to the first container, in a manner that reduces or eliminates the contamination problem of the prior art described above.

In more detail, the first container has one or more openable filling openings which allow inflow of fluid into the hollow interior of the first container.

This feature has the benefit that the user can replenish the water in the first container after it has been used up. Advantageously, the first container includes one or more hooks and/or eyes permitting hanging of the first container, and the second container is supported by the first container. The hooks or eyes permit suspending of the first container above the ground which, as noted, is a major source of contamination. Preferably the second container is suspended from the first container via one or more flexible lines.

Suspending of the device above ground, usually against a wall, places it at a height that is easily accessible by users. The device when suspended, and making use of gravity at the same time, enables the outflow of water from the first container to come into contact with the cleaning agent in the second container, either directly (without assistance) or by being moved into this position by the hand of the operator.

In a preferred embodiment of the invention the second container is formed integrally with the first container. When the second container is formed integrally with the first container, it is preferable that the second container holds liquid soap.

If the second container is formed integrally with the first container, it is convenient that the second container has a valve connected for controlling outflow of liquid soap contained in the second container. This provides the advantage of separately controlling outflow of fluid from the first and second containers.

It is advantageous that the first container has two hooks and/or eyes positioned such that on suspending of the first container via the hooks and/or eyes the filling opening opens to permit the inflow of fluid into the first container.

It is preferable that the sanitary device includes one or more flexible lines threaded through the one or more hooks and/or eyes and defining a handle. The handle facilitates carrying of the device, for example to and from a water source when filling the first container with water is necessary.

Alternatively, one or more hooks and/or eyes on the first container optionally are positioned such that the filling openings on the first container stay closed when the device is suspended.

This can be achieved when a single piece of flexible line extends through a series of hooks/eyes positioned near the filling opening of the first container. When the sanitary device is hung from the flexible line on the wall, gravitational force pulls the first container downwards. This causes the flexible line to tighten itself around the opening, closing the opening up in the manner of a drawstring bag.

It is useful for the first container to have a permanent filling opening to discourage use of the sanitary device for transporting or storing of liquid for human consumption because such an opening might be a source of contamination. In such a container, with a permanent filling opening, having the hook and/or eyes positioned such that the first container always stays closed when suspended will prevent leakage of the water when the device is used in water-scarce environment. Alternatively a multiply-sealable closure such as a zipper could be connected to a said opening such that movement of the zipper opens or closes the opening. The zipper provides convenient closing of the opening to prevent spillage of fluid from the first container. The multiply-sealable closure may comprise respective interlocking ridges along opposite sides of the said opening such that the opening closes when the ridges interlock with each other. The ridges may interlock when pressed together, thereby closing the opening. The opening can be opened by peeling the ridges away from each other. Preferably the valve that is connected to the aperture that controls the outflow of fluid from the first container includes a nozzle that is openable by pulling to allow outflow of fluid from the first container, and closable by pushing to prevent such outflow.

After the hands are washed, closing the nozzle by using the back of the hand and tapping upwards against the nozzle is advantageous. The ability to close the nozzle without using fingers is a further important hygiene consideration because this prevents contamination of the cleanly washed hands when the nozzle itself has become contaminated.

It is desirable if the degree of opening of the valve that controls the outflow of fluid from the first container is adjustable to permit adjustment of the rate of fluid outflow.

Adjustment of the rate of fluid outflow can be accomplished by the user or set by the manufacturer of the device. It is preferred that the flow of water is kept to a rate that both promotes effective handwashing and also conserves water. An effective handwashing flow rate could be 0.15 litres per minute. Controlling the rate of water outflow is especially important in villages or refugee camps located in arid areas.

Conveniently the second container is releasably connected to the first container. It is advantageous that the second container includes an opening via which the cleaning agent is insertable.

This feature allows replacement of the soap or other cleaning agent when it has been used up whilst the first container still has water in it, and the device can continue to be used.

The first container is preferably manufactured from flexible and/or transparent materials. It is useful that the first container is manufactured from flexible materials to facilitate easy storage and transportation of the device to the desired location of use.

It is advantageous that the first container is made of transparent materials to facilitate visual inspection of its contents and in particular its level of filling.

The invention therefore provides a highly effective handwashing device which ensures that soap stays clean without becoming clogged with sand, dirt or bacteria. There now follows a description of preferred embodiments of the invention, with reference being made to the accompanying Figure 1 which is a perspective view of an embodiment of the sanitary device.

Preferences and options for a given aspect, feature or parameter of the invention should, unless the context indicates otherwise, be regarded as having been disclosed in combination with any and all preferences and options for all other aspects, features and parameters of the invention.

Figure 1 shows a sanitary device 10 comprising a first hollow container 11 connected to a second container 16.

First, hollow container 11 preferably is formed as a flexible bag as shown. Typically the bag is made from a flexible plastics material such as medium density polyethylene ("polythene") or a similar compound.

As is evident from Figure 1 the first container 11 in preferred embodiments of the invention is transparent thereby permitting ready visual inspection of its contents and in particular its level of filling. The first container 11 as shown in Figure 1 is rectangular. It can however adopt any of a wide range of shapes. In the preferred embodiment illustrated in Figure 1 , the first container 11 has two eyes 17 located at opposite sides of and extending through the material of the container which permit its hanging from, for example, a nail, screw or hook 19 secured in a wall. The container 11 also can be hung by using one eye 17. In other embodiments more than two eyes 17 may be provided. Alternatively, other hanging features such as loops, tabs or tapes may be secured to or formed integrally with the material of the first container 11. Flexible lines 18 such as string, wire, tape or cord are threaded through the one or more eyes 17 to permit hanging of the sanitary device 10. These lines 18 also define a carrying handle for the sanitary device 10.

One or more filling openings 14 in the first container 11 permit inflow of fluid into the hollow interior of the first container 11. Such a filling opening 14 may conveniently be defined through the use of two welded flexible plastics sheets to form the first container 11. The sheets are welded as illustrated by numerals 23 and 24 along in-use lower horizontal and vertical side edges to leave their top horizontal edges unconnected. The resulting filling opening 14 can if desired be connected to a multiply-sealable closure such as a zipper (not shown) such that movement of the zipper opens or closes the opening 14. Alternatively, the threading of the flexible lines 18 with the one or more eyes 17 of the first container 11 closes the filling opening(s) 14 for example in the manner of a drawstring bag.

At least one aperture 12 permits outflow of fluid contained within the first container 1 1.

The aperture 12 is formed in the in-use lowermost side of the first container 11 and includes a valve 26 that controls the outflow of fluid from an aperture 2. As shown in Figure 1 , the valve 26 is a projecting nozzle or spout 22 pulling of which away from the first container 11 allows outflow of fluid from the first container and pushing of which towards the first container 11 prevents such outflow. In some embodiments of the invention as illustrated the valve 26 can be of the per se known type referred to as a "pull valve" often used in the manufacture of sports drinks bottles. Such valves can be available at very low prices, thereby assisting in the supply of sanitary devices according to the invention in low-wage economies and/or by charities and other organisations having limited budgets.

The second container 16 in the preferred embodiment is releasably connected to the first container via a removable attachment 13 such as a string, wire, tape or cord, as shown in Figure 1. The peripheral weld seam 24 of the first container 11 has at least one hole 21 for the removable attachment 13 to be threaded through, thereby connecting the first 11 and second 16 containers.

Second container 16 has a perforated surface. A cleaning agent, which could be either a solid or liquid (or gel) soap, is placed in the second container 16 and is accessible via at least one perforation in the second container 16. Referring to Figure 1 , second container 16 in the preferred embodiment of the invention is an openable bag with a reticulated surface. During manufacture of the sanitary device 10 a bar of solid soap is placed in the second container 16 and the opening closed such that the bar of soap is secured in the container 16. The removable attachment 13 permits alignment of the second container 16 with the nozzle 22 of the first container 1 1.

Before use of the device 10 occurs the first container 1 1 is filled via the filling opening 14 with water or possibly another clean liquid that is not harmful to humans or animals. The first container 11 can be filled with water at a water source near its usage location, by a person intending to use the sanitary device. Alternatively, the first container 11 can be manufactured with water pre-filled into the first container 11. Following such filling of the first container 11 the filling opening 14 is closed, if this is possible in the embodiment in use, in order to minimise the possibility of spilling the water. The sanitary device 10 may then be hung using the flexible line(s) 18 from a nail, hook, screw 19 etc as illustrated in the location of its intended use. The second container 16 containing the cleaning agent as a result becomes suspended below the first container 1 1 by the removable attachment 13 in a position minimising contamination of the cleaning agent. A person desiring to wash his hands will hold the second container 16, with a bar of soap in it, in his hand(s) and bring it under the nozzle 22 connected to the first container 11. Water released from the first container 11 by pulling the nozzle 22 downwardly comes into contact with the soap via the perforations of the second container 16, forming soapy water. This flows out of the perforations of the second container 16 and is used to wash the person's hand(s). When the person releases the second container 16 from his hand(s) the removable attachment 13 falls under gravity to resume the suspended position beneath the first container 11. The person can continue to rinse his hand(s) with the water flowing from the nozzle 22 until he turns off the outflow by closing the nozzle 22. This is achieved by pushing the nozzle upwardly with the back of the hand, thereby minimising contamination of the clean fingers by e.g. bacteria on the nozzle 22.

In an alternative embodiment of the invention, the second container could be formed integrally with the first container and may hold liquid soap. In such an embodiment of the sanitary device, the second container is a separate compartment sealed within the first container. A valved perforation located on the second container allows the controlled outflow of foam, liquid or gel soap. The position of the perforation is such that outflow of liquid soap is generally aligned with outflow of fluid from the first container. When a person desires to wash his hands with soap, he turns on the valve connecting to the first container and the valve connecting to the second container at the same time. The resulting alignment of the flow of soap and water creates soapy water that washes a person's hands. When he wants to rinse off the soapy water, the user can then turn off the valve connecting to the second container and continue to rinse his hands with the water coming out from the first container.

The invention therefore provides a way of facilitating hygienic washing of hands with soap and water at the same time, especially in environments that do not have a running tap and lack a clean location to place soap.

In yet further embodiments of the invention the second container 16 need not have a reticulated surface as described, and instead could be a flexible pouch that is suitable for containing a foam, liquid or gel soap. A valved perforation as described may be used to control the flow of soap in use of the device.

In such an arrangement the valved perforation may include e.g. a septum-type valve of a kind known in the personal care packaging industry. Manual squeezing of the pouch can be employed to expel soap onto the hand of the user. The second container 16 may be formed integrally with the first container or may be suspended from the first container 11 by a flexible member such as member 13.

Yet another variant of the invention includes a second container that is integrally formed with the first surface and is suitable for containing solid soap and providing access to it via perforations.

The listing or discussion of an apparently prior published document or apparatus in this specification should not necessarily be taken as an acknowledgement that the document or apparatus is part of the state of the art or is common general knowledge.