1. Field of the Invention
Embodiments of the invention relate to bathroom aids.
2. The Technology
When boys, by way of example, are young, they may have difficulty in controlling the direction of their urine flow. It is possible that young children do not successfully urinate into the toilet bowl. Young children have been known to urinate on the floor, on the seat or other areas of the toilet, or even on the wall. In addition, there are instances when other males need assistance in making sure the urine is directed into the toilet bowl. Due to the mess as well as keeping a bathroom clean, it is helpful to have a device that protects the floor, the seat, the wall and other areas from errant urine streams or splatter.
The present disclosure can include a protector configured to cooperate with a toilet. In one embodiment the protector can include a body having an outer surface and an inner surface and a flange member which extends outwardly from the outer surface of the body. The body can comprise a proximal portion and a distal portion. In one embodiment, the distal portion is arranged below the flange member and the proximal portion is arranged above the flange member. The distal portion of the body is configured to extend into a bowl of a toilet while the flange member rests on a seat or upper surface of the bowl.
In a further embodiment, the present disclosure can include a protector configured to cooperate with a toilet having a bowl with an upper surface and a seat that can be selectively raised and lowered. The protector includes a body having an outer surface and an inner surface and a flange member extending outwardly from the outer surface of the body. The body further comprising a proximal portion and a distal portion. The flange member is configured to removeably cooperate with the upper surface of the bowl. The distal portion of the body of the protector is disposed below the flange member while the proximal portion of the body extends generally upwardly above the flange member. In addition, the distal portion of the body is configured to extend into a bowl of a toilet while the flange member rests on the upper surface of the bowl or the upper surface of the seat.
These and other advantages and features of the present disclosure will become more fully apparent from the following description and appended claims, or may be learned by the practice of the disclosure as set forth hereinafter.
To further clarify at least some of the advantages and features of the present disclosure, a more particular description of the disclosure will be rendered by reference to specific embodiments thereof which are illustrated in the appended drawings. It is appreciated that these drawings depict only illustrated embodiments of the disclosure and are therefore not to be considered limiting of its scope. The disclosure will be described and explained with additional specificity and detail through the use of the accompanying drawings in which:
It should be noted that the figures are not drawn to scale and that elements of similar structures or functions are generally represented by like reference numerals for illustrative purposes throughout the figures. It also should be noted that the figures are only intended to facilitate the description of example configurations of the present disclosure.
Embodiments of the invention relate to a device that can be removably mounted on a toilet. When boys, by way of example, are young, they may have difficulty in controlling the direction of their urine flow. It is possible that young children do not successfully urinate into the toilet bowl. Young children have been known to urinate on the floor, on the seat or other areas of the toilet, or even on the wall. In addition, there are instances when other males need assistance in making sure the urine is directed into the toilet bowl. The need for such assistance may be due to age or illness. Alternatively, it could be that the male needs assistance in making sure the urine is directed into the toilet bowl due to some sort of a mental or physical disability. Due to the mess, as well as keeping a bathroom clean, it is helpful to have a device that protects the floor, the seat, the wall and other areas from misdirected urine streams and urine splatter.
Embodiments of the invention relate to a device that can prevent urine from landing on the toilet, the floor, the wall, or other undesired location. In addition, the device is shaped to cause any urine that hits it to be redirected into the toilet bowel. The device is also intended to reduce splash or splatter of the errant urine stream.
Returning to
The flange 204 is generally arranged circumferentially on an exterior or outer surface 210 of the body 206. The flange 204 may be formed only on certain locations and need not be formed continuously on the outer surface. Alternatively, flange 204 may be a continuous flange formed around the circumference of the body 206.
As shown in
In one embodiment depicted in the figures, protector 200 includes four flanges 204. It will be appreciated that various other numbers of flanges 204 could be used. In addition, as shown in
In one embodiment, the flange 204 is placed closer to the distal or lower portion 212 of the body 206. Turning to
As illustrated, the flange 204 may extend outwardly sufficiently so that the body 206 does not fall into the bowl. The flange 204, as shown in
If the flange 204 is formed at or near a distal or lower portion 212 of the body 206 (the end that is inserted into the bowl), then the proximal or top portion 214 of the body 206 may have a handle 202 formed thereon. The handle 202 is configured to allow the protector 200 to be easily inserted into the toilet, removed from the toilet and adjusted. As such, the handle 202 makes it even easier to put the protector in place for use and then remove it when the child or other user finishes urinating. In one embodiment, the handle 202 may have a curved shape configured to be grasped by a user's hand. It will be appreciated that handle 202 may have various other shapes and configurations. Alternatively, because of the ease of removal and installation of the protector 200, the protector 200 can be left in place on the toilet 100 and when others want to use the toilet 100, they may simply remove the protector 200, with or without handle 202, and use the toilet 100, and then when they are finished, easily and quickly insert protector 200 on the toilet 100 again in preparation for the child or other user to use the toilet.
In one embodiment, the body 206, flange 204, and handle 202 may be integrally formed from a mold of a suitable material. It will be appreciated that various other methods of attaching handle 202 and/or the flange(s) 204 to body 206 which are known in the art may be utilized.
As shown in
In one example, the body 206 may have some amount of resilient flexibility such that the front ends 216 shown in
In one embodiment, the proximal portion 214 of body 206 has a length that is longer than the distal portion 212 of the body 206 in the vertical direction (when inserted in the toilet bowl). The proximal portion 214 of body 206 provides height and provides more protection to misdirected urine streams.
The inner surface 208 of body 206 (or other portions of the protector 200) may be coated with an antimicrobial film or coating or the like to prevent the growth of bacteria. The inner surface 208 of body 206 or other portions of protector 200 may also be provided with a film or coating to encourage the urine to flow into the bowl 106 and not adhere to the inner surface 208 of body 206 of the protector 200.
In addition, in one embodiment, protector 200 may include a hydrophilic coating on the inner surface 208 of body 206 which will decrease the amount of splash or spatter from any urine stream hitting the protector 200. Protector 200 may also have a pattern formed in the inner surface of the body 206 which will assist in reducing the amount of urine splatter and splash.
As previously mentioned,
In one example, the protector may include a case that may include a sanitizing agent. The case may be configured to hold the protector 200 when not in use and may be arranged such that the inner surface or portion of the protector 200 is subject to the sanitizing agent.
This application claims the benefit of U.S. Provisional Patent Application Ser. No. 62/241,377, filed Oct. 14, 2015, which provisional patent application is incorporated herein by reference in its entirety.
Number | Date | Country | |
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62241377 | Oct 2015 | US |