Abstract:
A urine deflector is designed to be detachably interconnected with a toilet seat of the type having an upper surface designed to support a user and a hole defined through the seat. The deflector includes a stream deflection member designed to deflect a stream of urine into the toilet bowl. The deflection member has a concave deflection surface. A support member is provided that has a generally planar body designed to be supported on the upper surface of the toilet seat. The generally planar body supports the deflection member such that when the generally planar body is placed on the upper surface of the toilet seat, the deflection member projects into the hole in the seat and the concave deflection surface faces a user seated on the seat. The support member also includes an attachment for releasably retaining the generally planar body in engagement with the upper surface of the seat.

Description:
CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS 
     This application claims the benefit of United States Provisional Application having Serial Number 60/122,641 filed Mar. 3, 1999. 
    
    
     FIELD OF THE INVENTION 
     The present invention relates generally to urine splash guards and, more specifically, to a urine deflector designed for use by adults and that may be detachably interconnected with a variety of toilet seat configurations. 
     BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 
     Physically challenged adults and the persons who care for them often find using a toilet to be one of the most difficult tasks. One problem associated with toilet use is that urine may be directed outside of the toilet bowl by a male user who is not able to lean forward or otherwise direct the flow of urine while sitting on a toilet seat. Often, when a male user is sitting on a toilet in an upright position, as if sitting in a normal chair, his urine may be directed horizontally towards the front of the toilet. Urine may then pass over the top of the toilet bowl, between the toilet bowl and toilet seat, over the toilet seat, or may impinge on the toilet seat or upper edge of the bowl. Obviously, any of these conditions creates an undesirable mess in the toilet area as well as potentially splashing urine onto the patient and his helper. This problem is magnified by the use of some handicapped type toilet seat adapters wherein the toilet seat is raised several inches above the existing bowl. These adapters are designed to make it easier for a wheelchair bound patient to move on and off of the toilet seat. However, by raising the seating surface, the likelihood that a stream of urine may pass over the top of the toilet bowl is increased. In light of the above problems, there is a need for a toilet accessory that will redirect a stream of urine into the toilet bowl, thereby reducing contamination of the toilet, toilet area, patient, and any helpers. There have been a number of attempts to solve the above-enumerated problems. However, each of the “solutions” has fallen short. 
     Many people are familiar with toilet training seats designed for infants first learning the use the toilet. These seats are sized and shaped for an infant user and often have a built-in urine deflector mounted to the front edge of the plastic seat. Obviously, these devices are not designed or suitable for adult users. Also, the urine deflector portion is typically permanently attached to the remainder of the training seat. On those designs wherein the urine deflector is detachable, the urine deflector only works with that specific seat and is not suited for use with other designs of seats. For example, U.S. Pat. No. 5,161,263 to Geneve et al. discloses a training toilet that provides for the use of an optional urine deflector. The urine deflector may be detached from the remainder of the apparatus but requires the provision of a specially shaped engagement slot for interconnecting the deflector with the remainder of the device. Therefore, the deflector is not suitable for use with other types of devices. 
     U.S. Pat. No. 4,516,279 to Block discloses another design for a child&#39;s toilet trainer. This device is a flat piece of material which, in a use position, rests atop the toilet seat and provides a smaller opening suitable for an infant user. In a non-use position, the trainer device can be stored flush against s the lid of the toilet. The toilet trainer includes a flip-up urine deflector to prevent urine from passing over the top of the trainer. However, this design also fails to provide a urine deflector which may be used with other types of seats. 
     U.S. Pat. No. 4,716,602 to Brickhouse provides a urine deflector designed to be used by adult users and which is interconnectable with a standard toilet seat. The deflector is formed from a sheet of flexible plastic which may be folded so as to form the deflector. The deflector then interconnects with the toilet seat using hook and loop fasteners. This device is better suited to adult users, but still has several shortcomings. First, the deflector is not shaped so as to avoid splash back and therefore may contribute to a mess. Also, the way in which the deflector attaches to the toilet seat is inconvenient. Specifically, will an adult user, it is preferable to attach the deflector to the seat after the user is already placed on the seat. In this way, injury is less likely as the user is slid onto the seat. If a deflector is first attached to the toilet seat, prior to placing the user on the seat, parts of the user&#39;s body may contact the deflector as they attempt to move their body onto the seat. The Brickhouse design would be very difficult to attach to the toilet seat after a user is already seated on the seat. Also, the Brickhouse design appears to only work with standard toilet seat designs and would not work well with thicker toilet adapters designed for handicapped users. Finally, it appears that the Brickhouse device would not be securely held in position during use, and therefore may not function reliably. 
     U.S. Pat. No. 5,182,818 to Nawoj discloses a child training seat adaptor for use with a full-sized toilet seat. This design suffers from shortcomings similar to those associated with the Geneve et al. and Block patents. Specifically, the urine deflector is detachable but requires specific attachment provisions for interconnecting the deflector with the remainder of the device. Therefore, the device is unsuitable for use with other types and sizes of seats. 
     In light of the above, there remains a need for an improved urine deflector that may be used with a variety of toilet seat designs and, preferably, allows attachment of the deflector after the user is seated on the toilet seat. 
    
    
     BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
     FIG. 1 is a perspective view of an adult urine deflector according to the present invention; 
     FIG. 2 is a top view of the deflector of FIG. 1 shown installed on one type of toilet seat; 
     FIG. 3 is a cross-sectional side view of the deflector of FIG. 1 shown attached to a toilet seat; 
     FIG. 4 is a front view of the deflector of FIG. 1; 
     FIG. 5 is a cross-sectional side view of a first alternative embodiment of an adult urine deflector according to the present invention; 
     FIG. 6 is a front view of the deflector of FIG. 5; 
     FIG. 7 is a perspective view of a third embodiment of a urine deflector according to the present invention; 
     FIG. 8 is a side elevational view of the urine deflector of FIG. 7; 
     FIG. 9 is a top view of the urine deflector of FIG. 7; 
     FIG. 10 is a front elevational view of the urine deflector of FIG. 7; 
     FIG. 11 is a perspective view of a fourth embodiment of a urine deflector according to the present invention; 
     FIG. 12 is a side elevational view of the urine deflector of FIG. 11; 
     FIG. 13 is a bottom elevational view of the urine deflector of FIG. 11; 
     FIG. 14 is a front elevational view of the urine deflector of FIG. 11; 
     FIG. 15 is a perspective view of a fifth embodiment of a urine deflector according to the present invention; and 
     FIG. 16 is a front elevational view of the urine deflector of FIG.  15 . 
    
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS 
     Referring now to FIGS. 1-4, an adult urine deflector according to the present invention is generally shown at  10 . The deflector  10  is designed to clip to a variety of toilet seat configurations. In some of the Figures, a toilet scat is shown generally as  12 . The deflector  10  includes a shaped deflection member  14  and a toilet seat engaging clip  16 . The clip  16  includes a top generally planar portion  18  which is generally horizontal when the deflector  10  is in die use position on a toilet seat  12 . The clip  16  also includes a back portion  20  which extends perpendicularly downwardly from the rearmost edge of the top portion  18 . A lower lip  22  extends generally forwardly from the lowest edge of the back portion  20 . Together the top portion  18 , tie back portion  20  and the lip  22  have a generally U-shaped configuration in cross-section, as best shown in FIG.  3 . The space inside of the U-shaped cross-section is designed to accept a front portion of a toilet seat  12 . The toilet seat  12  has an upper surface  17  and a lower surface  21 . The planar portion  18  of the clip  16  is supported on upper surface  17  and the lower lip  22  engages the lower surface  21 . As shown in FIG. 3, the lower lip  22  is flexible so that the clip  16  may accommodate a variety of toilet seat thicknesses. The clip  16  is shown in solid lines gripping a thin toilet seat  12  and in dotted outline shown gripping a thicker toilet seat  12 . The lower lip  22  cooperates with the back portion  20  and upper portion  18  to securely grip the toilet seat  12 . 
     The shaped deflection member  14  is connected to the forward edge of the top portion  18  of the clip  16 . As shown, the deflection member  14  extends generally vertically with an upper end  24  positioned well above the top of a toilet seat  12  when the deflector  10  is secured to the toilet seat  12 . The lower edge  26  of the deflection member  14  is designed to extend below, or at least even with the bottom of a toilet seat  12 . The bottom portion of the deflection member below the planar portion  18  may be referred to as a downwardly extending skirt  25 . In some embodiments, the skirt  25  extends below the lower surface  21  of the toilet seat  12  when attached thereto. The deflection member  14  has a concave inner deflection surface  28  extending between the upper  24  and lower  26  edges. This deflection surface  28  is shaped so as to direct urine which impinges upon the surface  28  downwardly into the toilet. In this way, if urine is directed above the toilet bowl, the urine will encounter the deflection member  14  and be directed downwardly into the toilet bowl. As shown, the deflection member is preferably a one piece design. 
     As shown in the various figures, the inner deflection surface  28  of the deflection member  14  is preferably convexly shaped so as to assist in the efficient deflection of urine into a toilet. Specifically, the deflection surface is concave both side-to-side and top-to-bottom. That is, if a horizontal cross-section is taken through the deflection surface  28 , the cross-section will be concave. Likewise, if a vertical cross-section is taken through the deflection surface  28 , as shown in FIG. 3, this cross-section is also concave. Therefore, the inner surface  28  may be said to be both horizontally and vertically concave. This three-dimensional concavity assists in the efficient deflection of urine downwardly into the toilet. As can also been seen in FIG. 3, the inner surface  28  is also smoothly curved without any discontinuities to allow the unimpeded flow of liquid continuously down the inner surface to the lower edge. 
     Referring now to FIG. 2, one configuration of toilet seat  12  is shown. As shown, some toilet seats  12  have an open space at their front edge. Other toilet seats are closed at the front edge. The clip  16  of the deflector  10  is designed to work with either type of toilet seat. As shown in FIG. 2, the clip  16  is sufficiently wide to grip the ends of the toilet seat  12  on each side of the front opening. Alternatively, the clip  16  will grip a closed front toilet seat. 
     Referring now to FIGS. 5 and 6, an alternative embodiment of an adult urine deflector is generally shown at  30 . This embodiment differs from the previous embodiment in that the clip  32  is interconnected with the deflection member  34  by a hinge  36 . Tis embodiment allows the deflection member  34  to be pivoted with respect to the clip  32 , as shown in dotted and solid lines in FIG.  5 . This embodiment provides several advantages. First, the deflection member  34  may be pivoted upwardly prior to engaging the clip  32  on the toilet seat  12  thereby making installation easier. Secondly, if the patient or helper fails to remove the deflector  30  prior to removing the patient from the seat  12 , the deflection member  34  may pivot so as to help prevent injury to the patient. The pivot  36  also allows the deflection member  34  to be positioned for optimal redirection of urine into the toilet bowl. 
     As will be clear to those of skill in the art, the deflector shown in FIGS. 1-6 may be altered in several ways without departing from the spirit or teaching of the present invention. For example, the splash cup may be altered so as to be taller, shorter, wider, or narrower, as necessary to accommodate particular toilet seats and to optimally redirect urine into the toilet bowl. One preferred alteration includes extending the lower edge of the deflection member  14  downwardly so that it covers the gap between the seat and toilet bowl even when the thick toilet seat is used. In fact, the lower edge may be extended downwardly even further to cover the upper rim of the bowl. This extension of the lower edge may be solid or flexible and may be long enough for use with a handicapped type toilet seat adaptor. Such an alteration is simplified in the embodiment of FIGS. 5 and 6 because the deflection member  34  pivots with respect to the clip. Therefore, extending the deflection member does not interfere with engagement of the clip  32  onto the seat  12 . As another alteration, the lower lip  22  may be extended forwardly on either of the embodiments so as to more securely grip the seat  12 . 
     Referring now to FIGS. 7-10, a third embodiment of a urine deflector according to the present invention will now be discussed. This version of the deflector  40  is similar to the prior embodiments in that a deflection member  42  with a concave inner deflection surface  44  is supported by a support member  46  designed to attach the deflector  40  to a toilet seat. The support member includes a top portion which is a generally planar body  48  designed to rest on the upper surface of a toilet seat. A standard thickness toilet seat  50  and an extra thick handicap toilet adaptor  52  are both shown in phantom outline in FIG.  8 . An attachment flange  54  extends perpendicularly downwardly from the generally planar body  48 . A lower portion  56  of the support member  46  interconnects with the attachment flange  54 . The lower portion includes a second generally planar body  58  configured to pass under the lower surface of the toilet seat  50  or adapter  52 . The lower portion  56  also has an attachment member  60  which extends perpendicularly upwardly from the second generally planar body  58  and interconnects with the attachment flange  54 . As will be clear to those of skill in the art, the attachment flange  54  and the attachment member  60  may be interconnected in any of a number of ways. In the illustrated embodiment, the attachment member has a pair of elongated vertical slots  62  and the attachment flange  54  has a corresponding pair of fasteners  64  with wing nuts  66 . By adjusting the position of the fasteners  64  in the elongated slots  62 , the distance between the upper generally planar body  48  and the lower generally planar body  58  may be adjusted so that the deflector  40  is usable with a toilet seat of practically any thickness. Like with the previous embodiments, the deflector is used by sliding the support member  46  onto the toilet seat from the front edge. If the support member  46  is already adjusted to the proper size, the lower generally planar body  58  may be flexed enough in order to install the deflector onto the toilet seat. Alternatively, the wing nut  66  may be loosened so as to open the gap between the upper and lower planar bodies. The deflector is then installed on the seat, the upper and lower planar bodies brought together until they securely grip the front of the toilet seat, and then the wing nuts are tightened to hold the deflector in this position. To aid in securing the support member onto the toilet seat, plastic or rubber anti-slip grips  68  are provided on the upper side of the lower generally planar body  58  and on the underside of the upper generally planar body  48 . 
     Referring again to FIG. 8, the support member  46  is shown adjusted to its widest position in solid lines and is shown in phantom line adjusted to its smallest position. 
     As will be clear to those of skill in the art, the embodiment of the present invention shown in FIGS. 7-10 may be constructed in a variety of sizes so as to suit various applications. In one model, the deflection member has a width of approximately 70 mm, and a height of approximately 150 mm. The leading edge of the deflection member  42  protrudes from the front edge of the upper generally planar body  48  by about 20 mm. In this model, the upper and lower generally planar bodies  48  and  58  have a front to back length of approximately 155 mm, a width at their widest point of 180 mm, and a width at their narrowest point of approximately 80 mm. They can be spread apart by a maximum distance of about 120 mm. 
     Referring now to FIGS. 11-14, a fourth embodiment of a urine deflector according to the present invention is generally shown at  70 . Once again, this deflector  70  is similar to the previous embodiments in that it has a deflection member  72  with a concave inner deflection surface  74 . The deflection member  72  is supported by a support member  76  which differs from in the previous embodiments. The support member  76  includes a generally planar support body  78  which, when disposed atop a toilet seat  79 , holds the deflection member such that urine deflected by it passes through a hole in the toilet seat and such that the inner deflection surface  74  is directed towards a user seated on the toilet seat. Rather than the clip-like approach used in the previous embodiments, the attachment means for interconnecting the support member  76  with the toilet seat comprises a pair of adhesive strips  80  disposed on the underside of the generally planar support body  78 . The adhesive strips  80  hold the generally planar member adjacent the upper surface of the toilet seat while the deflector  70  is in use. In order to remove the deflector from the toilet seat, a handle  82  is provided on the rear edge of the generally planar support body  78  so that the deflector may be easily gripped and raised upwardly to detach the adhesive strips  80 . As will be clear to those of skill in the art, the adhesive strips may be reusable such that the deflector  70  may be attached and detached from one or more toilet seats or toilet seat adaptors. Also, the adhesive strips  80  may have material covering them to protect them when not in use. Also, the adhesive strips  80  may be replaceable as they wear out. 
     As will be clear to those of skill in the art, the various embodiments of the present invention may be made from a variety of materials. For example, they can be made from a plastic material that is reusable and easily cleaned. Alternatively, a metal version could be provided that can be heated for sterilization purposes. The deflector may also have a variety of surface treatments. The inner deflection surface may be textured so as to help resist splash back. For example, a pebbled surface may diffuse the stream of urine sufficiently to avoid significant splash back. Also, the deflector may have portions or all of it coated so as to improve grip. As yet another alternative, the deflector may have an antibacterial coating on all or part of it. The deflector may also be made from a disposable material. For example, a paperboard or other disposable material may be used to form the deflector or part thereof. The material may be designed to dissolve when fully submersed in a liquid such as a toilet bowl but to withstand a stream of urine during a single use. One approach would be to coat the inner deflection surface of the deflector with a wax or other water-resistant coating which will resist the stream of urine. However, the back surface of the deflection member and the remainder of the deflector may be uncoated such that when immersed, the entire deflector easily dissolves. Alternatively, the material may not dissolve in water but it may instead be thrown into a trash receptacle. As yet another alternative, the deflection member may be detachable from the support member with only the deflection member being disposable. The embodiment of the present invention illustrated in FIGS. 11-14 is particularly suitable to the use of disposable materials. The adhesive strips could then be single use strips with the entire deflector being thrown away or flushed after use. In use, a single deflector would be placed on the front of the toilet seat after the user is seated with the deflector being held in place by the adhesive strips. The single deflector may be dispensed from a dispenser on the wall or may be provided in individual sanitary containers for travel use. 
     Referring now to FIGS. 15 and 16, a fifth embodiment of a deflector according to the present invention is generally shown at  90 . This embodiment of the present invention differs from the embodiment of FIGS. 11-14 in that suction cups  92  are used to interconnect the generally planar support body  94  to the upper surface of the toilet seat. This embodiment may be easily reused multiple times due to the reusability of the suction cups. 
     As will be clear to those of skill in the art, other variations on the disclosed embodiments of the present invention may be made without departing from the teachings or scope of the present invention. It is the following claims, including all equivalents, which define of the scope of the invention.