URINAL COLLECTING PAD FOR TOILET OR COMMODE

Abstract

An inexpensive and disposable highly absorbent pad for placement on a floor surface directly in front of a toilet flush bowl or commode for absorbing fluid not deposited within the confines of the toilet flush bowl which would otherwise drip on the floor. Fluid absorbed by the pad is prevented from reaching the underlying floor area thereby eliminating the problems associated with fluids being deposited on the floor. The pad includes an upper absorbent layer of material and a lower non-skid fluid impervious layer of material that are glued together. The configuration of the pad includes a truncated base portion at the lower edge and the recessed portion for the commode or toilet flush bowl at the top portion.

Description

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

1. Field of the Invention

This invention relates generally to absorbent pads or mats used in the bathroom to absorb urine and, specifically, for a urinal mat for a toilet or commode that can protect a floor surface from sprayed urine surrounding the toilet flush bowl or commode flush bowl.

2. Description of Related Art

Unsanitary conditions often exist in private and public bathrooms especially around urinals and toilet flush bowls (or commodes) when used by men for urination. Splattered urine or urine that is not deposited within the urinal or toilet flush bowl can collect on the floor surface around or beneath a urinal or toilet flush bowl causing very unsanitary or unsafe conditions that can result in foul odors, the collection of germs, or slippery floors.

U.S. Pat. No. 6,265,084, issued to applicant July, 2001, describes an absorbent pad that is used with a urinal. While the urinal is a typical device whose normal use can result soiled floor conditions, it is not uncommon for men to also use a toilet flush bowl for urination. Often again, in the normal use of a toilet flush bowl for male urination, the floor area around the toilet flush bowl base will become soiled. Absorbent floor mats for commodes are known in the prior art.

U.S. Pat. No. 2,187,676 issued Jan. 16, 1940 shows a single sheet of paper made of a liquid impervious material disposed around a toilet.

U.S. Pat. No. 4,285,075 issued Aug. 25, 1981 shows a sanitary commode mat that is rectangular in shape and covers a substantial area around the base of a commode.

The problem with the prior art absorbent mats is their configuration or shape. Because of the prior art configurations of large rectangles, a man standing in front of the commode in a position to use it for urination often will have to stand on the prior art mat itself. Similarly, any person who sits on the toilet flush bowl will have to put their feet on the mat. In both of these scenarios, the purpose of being sanitary and not allowing people to track deleterious fluids that may have collected on the mat surface is defeated. Using the present invention with a unique configuration, a person can stand next to the commode while still having a large enough area mat for protection to prevent deleterious fluids from reaching the floor area.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

A highly absorbent pad for placement on a floor surface surrounding a large portion of a toilet flush bowl and extending directly in front of a toilet flush bowl for absorbing fluids not deposited within the confines of the toilet flush bowl which would otherwise collect on the floor surface around the toilet flush bowl. Fluids absorbed by the pad are thus prevented from reaching the underlying floor area surrounding the toilet flush bowl.

The absorbent pad is constructed of a laminate that includes a top felt or fibrous layer for absorbing liquids and a fluid impervious non-skid layer such as rubber, both of the layers being glued together as a laminate, with the felt being on top and the fluid impervious rubber layer being on the bottom.

The overall configuration of the absorbent pad is as follows. The absorbent pad includes a top area that has a cut out portion that is sized to encompass at least the forward front portion of a toilet flush bowl on the floor area. Because of variations in the shape of the flush bowl as it engages the floor area, the absorbent pad can have a plurality of radial cuts or slots that allow a portion of the periphery or perimeter of the recessed area cut out to be adjusted in length as it affixes against the flush tank bowl.

The lower bottom area of the absorbent pad is shaped like a trapezoid when compared with the top area which is substantially rectangular with the exception of the cut out area. The purpose of the configuration is to allow a person to stand over a toilet flush bowl such that his feet or shoes do not contact the absorbent pad while, at the same time, a significant portion of the absorbent is projecting forward of the toilet flush bowl in such a way as to collect fluids to prevent fluids from striking the floor. The first layer of the pad may also include an antibacterial agent and an agent for eliminating odor while providing a pleasing fragrance. The configuration of the absorbent pad is specifically sized and positioned so as to collect substantially all of the fluid not deposited within the confines of the toilet flush bowl or commode when used as a urinal that would otherwise become deposited on the floor. The second layer of fluid impervious material prevents fluids from penetrating the top felt pad and reaching the underlying floor. The bottom layer of the absorbent pad also prevents the pad from skidding or sliding away from the toilet flush bowl.

It is an object of this invention to provide an absorbent pad for use on the floor surrounding a toilet flush bowl or commode to protect the floor from receiving deleterious fluids such as urine.

It is another object of this invention to provide a non-skid absorbent pad that fits conveniently around the base of a toilet flush bowl as it contact the floor area to protect the floor area from receiving urine or other deleterious liquids.

It is another object of this invention to provide an inexpensive and disposable highly absorbent pad for placement on a floor surface directly in front of a toilet flush bowl or commode on the floor for absorbing fluids not deposited or within the confines of the flush tank which would otherwise drip on the floor.

In accordance with these and other objects which will become apparent hereinafter, the instant invention will now be described with particular reference to the accompanying drawings.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 shows atop plan view of the present invention.

FIG. 2 shows a side elevational view in cross section partially cutaway of the present invention.

FIG. 3 shows a perspective view of the present invention as used with a toilet flush bowl on a floor surface.

PREFERRED EMBODIMENT OF THE INVENTION

Referring now to the drawings and, in particular, FIGS. 1 through 3, the present invention 10 is shown as an absorbent pad 12 that is multi-layered includes a top felt layer 12 that has an upper surface 12a that absorbs fluids and radial cuts or slots 12b formed around the upper recess 12c that is cut out in order to receive the base of a toilet flush bowl 20a along its front and side periphery as shown in FIG. 3. Note that the recessed area 12c in conjunction with the absorbent pad cuts 12b allows for a snug fit around toilet flush bowl 20a as in FIG. 3 while still allowing the absorbent pad to reject in the front area of the toilet flush bowl 20a.

Referring now to FIG. 2, the construction of the absorbent pad is shown comprised of an upper layer of material 12 that is made of some absorbent material such as felt that includes a top surface 12a that is glued with glue 16 to a rubber mat 14 that is also liquid impervious and non-skid so that the pad will not readily move across the floor surface. The second layer 14 of rubber or synthetic rubber prevents fluids such as water or urine from penetrating through the pad and reaching the underlying floor 24.

The pad 12 as shown in FIG. 1 has a lower section away from the recess 12c and a bottom edge 12d that is essentially trapezoidally shaped so that the pad 12 is much narrower at the base 12d than it is across the top area including the recess 12c. The trapezoid sides 12e on each side provide sufficient narrowness so that a person could stand over the flush tank bowl without his shoes or feet engaging the surface of the absorbent pad 12. However, because of the configuration and shape of pad 12 and especially the projecting trapezoidal portion 12d, there is plenty of pad area for absorbing stray fluids and preventing them from reaching the floor around the flush tank bowl.

FIG. 3 shows the absorbent pad employed around a toilet flush bowl 20a. The absorbent pad 10 is made of a non-expensive and disposable multi-layer laminate. As stated above, the felt layer can be any type of fluid absorbent material. The felt 12a could contain an anti-bacterial solution and/or a pleasing fragrance to eliminate any odors of the urine or other fluids that are collected on the upper layer 12a. The rubber or other non-skid liquid impervious layer 14 that is used on the bottom prevents any liquids from reaching the floor that are trapped in the absorbent pad.

Referring back to FIG. 1, the size of the pad recess 12c could be varied depending on modern or different types of toilet flush bowls and their unique configurations. Some of the modern toilets include low volume water usage and may have unusual shapes that can be accommodated by changing the recess 12c shape along the top of the pad 10. Also, the slits or cuts 12b could be increased in length or decreased or the number of slits can be increased or decreased depending on how much of a custom fit is desired around the base of the flush bowl 20a as shown in FIG. 3.

The instant invention has been shown and described herein in what is considered to be the most practical and preferred embodiment. It is recognized, however, that departures may be made therefrom within the scope of the invention and that obvious modifications will occur to a person skilled in the art.

Claims

1. A disposable and inexpensive floor mounted pad for placement on a floor surface directly in front of a toilet flush bowl for absorbing fluid splattered or otherwise not deposited within the toilet flush bowl, said pad comprising: a multilayered body with a first layer of fluid absorbing material and a second layer of fluid impervious material, said second layer constructed of a non-slip fluid impervious material;an adhesive material bonding together said first layer and said second layer of said multilayered body;said body being substantially flat and so shaped to having a base portion and a narrowed portion;said base portion being the end of the body that is to be placed at the base of the toilet flush bowl, wherein the base portion is sized to receive at least a portion of the toilet flush bowl; andsaid narrowed portion being on the opposite end of the body than the base portion, wherein said narrowed portion is truncated to be so shaped as to allow a user of a toilet flush bowl to stand in front of or sit on said toilet flush bowl without touching the pad.

2. A floor mounted pad as in claim 1, wherein: said base portion includes a plurality of radial cuts for adjusting the size of the recess opening around the base of a toilet flush bowl.

3. A system for absorbing fluid splattered or otherwise not deposited within a toilet flush bowl, said system comprising: a toilet flush bowl;a urine collecting pad placed on the floor in front of said toilet flush bowl;said pad comprising a multilayered body, wherein said multilayered body comprises a first layer of fluid absorbing material and a second layer of fluid impervious material, said second layer constructed of a non-slip fluid impervious material;an adhesive material bonding together said first layer and said second layer of said multilayered body;said body being substantially flat and so shaped to having a base portion and a narrowed portion;said base portion being the end of the body that is to be placed at the base of the toilet flush bowl, wherein the base portion is sized to receive at least a portion of the toilet flush bowl; andsaid narrowed portion being on the opposite end of the body than the base portion, wherein said narrowed portion is truncated to be so shaped as to allow a user of a toilet flush bowl to stand in front of or sit on said toilet flush bowl without touching the pad.

4. A system as in claim 3, wherein: said base portion includes a plurality of radial cuts for adjusting the size of the recess opening around the base of the toilet flush bowl.