WO1987005493A1

WO1987005493A1 - Device for collecting urine or other fluids

Info

Publication number: WO1987005493A1
Application number: PCT/SE1986/000117
Authority: WO
Inventors: Harry Nieckels
Original assignee: Harry Nieckels
Priority date: 1986-03-17
Filing date: 1986-03-17
Publication date: 1987-09-24
Also published as: AU5628686A

Abstract

An arrangement for collecting urine or other fluids consisting of a drainage line (2) with a connection to a pumping device (1), which consists of two containers within one another and wound about e.g. the bearer's leg muscle, whereby the pressure acting from outside on the container produces a partial vacuum in the drainage line.

Description

"Device for collecting urine or other fluids"

The arrangement described below is intended to meet the require¬ ment of preventing in every case leakage of fluid on the skin or elsewhere, irrespective of the clothing and/or body position of the user. For such leakage causes the bearer various types of inconvenience, both socially and in the^" orm of skin irritations and itches. In designing the various parts of the arrangement it has therefore been borne in mind that these requirements must be met. If this is the case, it is possible to avoid that the bearer becomes subject to various nervous symptoms. Hitherto known arrangements of the type in question can hardly be said to offer the requisite guarantees in this respect and, in addition, they may depend on the use of compresses and similar objects, which, when they become wet, cause skin irritations, soak and soil underclothing, sheets and garments. Constant laundering and replacement of these articles also gives rise to considerable costs. On the other hand, the arrangement in respect of which a patent is herewith applied for has no parts which need to be replaced, it being possible to take apart all parts without difficulty and to clean them with soap and water. All items pertaining to the arrangement in respect of which a patent is applied for can also be designed in such a way as to enable them to be worn - of course in different formats - without discomfort and in an uimoticeable way by both children and adults while sleeping or awake. At the same time the aim has been to make the contact surface between parts of the arrangement and sensitive parts of the bearer's skin as small as possible, in order to prevent the occurrence of irritating itches due to friction and/or local rises in temperature.

The arrangement according to the invention is illustrated in the drawings, where fig. 1 shows a collecting container with a part of the side wall of the outer container shorn away, fig. 2 shows a cross- section through the collecting and outer containers in a larger scale and figs 3_. 4 and 8 as well as 5 - 7 and 9 for men and women, respectively, relates to a bowl-shaped collecting device and arrangements for securing these devices to the bearer's body, with figs. 8 and 9 showing cross-sections of the respective bowl-shaped devices.

The main inventive idea as regards the design of the arrangement emerges from fig. 1, which shows, in schematic form, its different parts, their connection with one .mother and their function as an assembly. The detail designated (l) is a container made of elastic material, which at one end is provided with a flexible tube (2) constituting the inlet of container (l) and comprising a check valve (3), and at the other end a drainage aperture (4) connected to a flexible tube (5), which is closed by means of a screw valve (6). When the equipment is in use, the said container (1) is tightly- enclosed within an outer container (7) into which it is introduced through the opening in one end of the cuter container, which is tightly closed with the aid of a zip-fastener (17)- The inlet tube (2) and the outlet tube (5) pass, within tight lead-ins (8 and 9_> respectively) also through the walls of the outer container (7). Through an opening (10) provided with a check valve (11) in one of the walls of the outer container (7) air can be made to flow out, whenever the container (7), which is assembled in an airtight manner, is compressed by any externally acting force. In that case a partial vacuum arises between the walls of the two containers (1 and 7)> For the walls of the outer container (7) to return more easily to their initial state after such an auction, elastic elements (14) have been provided between one of its wall surfaces ( 2) and the opposite surface (13) (fig- 2) of container (l). The short sides of the outer container are provided with attachment devices ( 5 and 16) for attaching the outer container with its content about the upper part of one of the user's thighs. (Or - in certain cases - to other movable parts of the body) . If the drain leading from the male or female bearer's urethra (urethral and genital orifice) is connected in a sealing manner to the inlet tube (2) of the outer container (1), the arrangement functions as follows:

The fluid flowing in through the opening in tube (2) passes the check valve (3) and is collected in the container (1), which from the start is void of air or at least subject to a partial vacuum. As a result it is filled without any air having to be driven out by the incoming fluid. With every movement of any of the bearer's muscles the air in the container (7) is driven out through the check valve (11) in opening (10), thus causing a partial vacuum to occur between the walls of the two containers (1 and 7) and facilitating the entry of fluid into container (1) from outside.

When the container (1) must be emptied this is done through the drainage tube (5), which is opened by means of screw valve (β). The container (1) can be exchanged for cleaning after opening the zip- fastener (17) and releasing the lead-ins (8 and 9) •

The items intended to transmit the fluid from the urethral and genital orifices and to support the above containers (1 and 7) have been designed with a view to achieving tightness when the equipment is used subject to a number of stresses. According to the invention a bowl-shaped device (19) of different design for men and women, respectively, cf. drawing figs. 3_. 4 and 8 and 5 - 7 and ^<$ , respectively, for collecting fluid and passing it on is fitted about the urethral and genital orifices. The device (19) is advantageously made of a flexible plastic material or similar substance in order to enable sealing attachment to the bearer's body. In order to protect the bearer against infections, a further bowl-shaped device (29) ccnsisting of silver foil and located about the urethral and genital orifices and those parts of the body next to them and situated about them, can - with a view to disinfection - be fitted within the device (19) « The device (19) is provided with a drain pipe (20), which can be tightly connected with the inlet tube (2) of container (1). In order to avoid itching or infections as the device (1 ) rests against sensitive parts of the body recesses (21 and 22, respectively), in the wall material of the device have been made at points important in this connection, see figs. 3_> 4_. 6 and C, respectively.

A belt (23) surrounding the bearer's waist (fig. 3) passes through slots (24) (fig- 4) in the upward elongated front edge of the bowl- shaped device (19)- The length cf the belt can be adjusted in known manner by means of a buckle (25)- The lower edge of the device (19) is connected with the belt (23) by means of two elastic material straps (26) via the buckles (27), one on either side of the bearer's back. The straps (26), which accordingly pass in the groins under the bearer's trunk and up towards the rear part of belt (23), can be tensioned by means of the buckles (27) in order to achieve a good seal between the bowl-shaped device (19) and the bearer's body. In order to secure this seal even further, the bowl-shaped device (19) for women is provided at a certain part of its edge, which adjoins the body about the urethral and genital orifices, e.g. with a soft beat (28) made of the same material as the remainder of device (1 )>

Claims

PATMT CLAIM

1. An arrangement intended to be suspended and secured on the human body with a view to collecting - automatically and without leakage - in the body positions normally assumed during all hours of the day urine and/or other discharged fluids characterised by a bowl-shaped device (19) suspended and sucked fast about the fluid outlet opening in question, the said device being connected to a collecting container (l) through a flexible tube (2) provided with a check valve (3)_. a partial vacuum being maintained within the said collecting container since the latter is enclosed within an outer container (7) which is fastened about one of the bearer's thighs with straps (15, 16) and provided with elastic elements (14), fitted in such a way that they create a tendency to increase the volume of the outer container (7) while at the same time reducing the volume of collecting container (1), and further with an adjustable check valve (|θ) in contact with the outer air, whereby the above mentioned partial pressure is achieved when the container package consisting of collecting container (1) and outer container (7) as pressed against the bearer's thigh, which can only happen as a result of pressure acting from outside and/or through the pressure on the thigh acting from within, which may be the case if the thigh muscle to which the container package is secured contracts and/or through pressure from the base against which the thigh muscle may owing to the weight of the body compress the said container package in different positions of the body.